Image Splattered Shirts

I'm always looking for fun, relatively easy projects to do with the girls.  This project proved not only to be a fun project, but it doubles as a fun & creative gift.  Thank you, Reanna Manthe, for the idea!

Supplies:

• Shirt
• Computer & Printer
• Card Stock
• Freezer Paper
• Pencil & Scissors
• Double-Sided Tape or Iron
• Squirt Bottle
• Bleach & Water
• Cardboard

Step 1: Buy your shirts....  I picked ours up at Wal-Mart for under $4/each.  I'm a big fan of the girls fitted V-neck shirts and the bright colors are super fun!

Step 2: Pick your image.... I collected ours from the images on Microsoft Word and Google Images.  Profile images turn out best on the finished product.

Step 3: Print your image on cardstock.... You're going to have to decide what size works best for your shirt.  We made child sized shirts, and I found that printing two images per page made the images the appropriate size.  When your picture is how you want it, but it out carefully.  *You do not have to print out your images!  You can draw the image freehand, or trace an existing image.  However, to make the next step easier, I recommend having your image on card stock.

Step 4: Trace your image on freezer paper.... Once your image is traced, carefully cut it out.

Step 5: Carefully place double-sided tape on the shiny side of the freezer paper, paying special attention to narrow spots.... Freezer paper can be ironed directly onto the shirt {shiny side down}.  However, through the experience of others I learned that this does not guarantee your spray solution will not seep under the image.

Step 6: Stick or iron your image to the shirt shiny side down.

Step 7: Place a piece of cardboard inside the shirt so the bleach solution does not seep through....{I used an empty Swiffer Duster refills box. Bonus: it had a plastic coating on the inside of the box, which made it easy to reuse for all my shirt!}

Step 8: Spray image with bleach solution.... In a spray bottle, make a solution 70% bleach, 30% water.  The trick to getting a splatter affect {see the pink elephant shirt below} is use the mist setting, pressing the trigger gently and moving your hand quickly from side-to-side.  *If the kids are doing the spraying, I highly recommend having them practice using colored water on a piece of paper.  Only one of the six shirts we tried did not turn out, and I believe it is because I used the full-blast setting on the spray bottle and it over powered the image and leaked under the paper.  Less is more when you're spraying the shirt.  You want to get enough around the image so when you remove the freezer paper the image will show through, but not too much so that they spatters don't show.  I highly recommend spraying in the shirts laying in the grass.

Step 9: Remove image.... After spraying I waited about a minute, then gently blotted the freezer paper with a paper towel {so it didn't drip when I removed it} and carefully pulled it off.

And that's it!  Allow shirts to dry, wash and enjoy.

Before....

 

 

....After

 

 

The Wright Stuff

What hand-crafted Valentine could be more perfect for the kids who live in the birthplace of flight....

Each airplane needs:

• one roll of Smarties
• two sticks of gum (paper wrappers keep their shape better)
• two Life Savers
• one rubber band (Office Depot has balls in assorted colors)
• three stickers

To finish them off we are attaching little messages that say "You've Got the Wright Stuff".

Happy Valentine's Day!

2nd Annual Gingerbread House Building Competition

This Sunday afternoon was the event of the Zahn Christmas season.... Our annual gingerbread house decorating contest.  The girls were into it this year more than ever, and in more ways than one.

{Lauren's Maison}

{Abby's Haus}

{Brooke's Casa}

{Geoff's Dwelling}

{A Beautiful Neighborhood}

For a list of supplies and the royal icing recipe, visit last year's post: http://lifewiththelovelies.blogspot.com/2009/12/gingerbread-houses-sugar-cone-trees.html

Christmas Wreath

Now that the temperature has dipped below freezing, we can hang the wreath we made yesterday out of ice. Fortunately it was a multi-step process, which allowed each of the girls to contribute to our new outdoor Christmas decoration.

The girls loved making this project entirely by themselves, and didn't even realize they were learning about the concept of freezing and thawing.  Okay, freezing now.... thawing later.

To Make an Ice Wreath You Will Need:

• 1 ice cube tray
• water
• food coloring
• a round pan with a hole, or a round pan and a cup
• a freezer, with enough space for your pan

1. Fill ice cube tray with water and food coloring.  (We chose to do 6 red and 6 green.)  Freeze completely.

2. Fill a bunt pan, or any round pan*, with water to desired level with cold water.  Remove ice cubes from tray and place in bunt pan; work fast, the ice cubes will melt a bit.  (We did not color the water in the bunt pan, it turned green from the ice cubes slightly melting.)   Freeze completely.

3. Once frozen, remove from bunt pan by dipping in warm water.

4. Sting ribbon through and hang outside in 32° or colder temps.

*If you do not have a bunt pan, you can simple place a freezer-friendly cup in the pan.  The water will freeze around it, leaving a hole to hang your wreath with when completed.

May Flowers

These flowers bloom out of recycling toilet paper tubes & empty milk bottles. Our friends Avry & Nash joined us in our project.

You Will Need:

empty toilet paper tubes (1 per flower)
ruler
pencil
scissors
bamboo skewers
paint
paintbrush
tissue paper
green cardstock
empty single-serving milk jug (ours are from Chic-fil-A)

1. Draw a ring 2" in from the edge of the tube. Repeat on the other end. From each 2" ring draw cut lines every 1/2". Snip along each line to make petals.

2. Fold petals back to create flower. Paint flower, bamboo skewers & milk jug (the vase); let dry. Cut out green leaves to glue on to skewers.

3. Push the skewer through one end of the flower's center until it just touches the other end. Crumple an 8" square of tissue paper and place in the center.

4. Place flower into vase; fill vase with newspaper to stabilize flower if necessary.

{Abby, Lauren, Nash & Avry paint their flowers}

{Abby, Lauren & Avry pose with their May flowers in their vases}

Sweetheart Valentines

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I'm vowing not to let it sneak up on me like Christmas did. I love the idea of pouring your heart into the Valentines you give. These are the creations I've come up with for Abby to hand out to her preschool class.

Sweetheart Valentines

You will need:

• Construction paper or card stock: the color of your choice for the petals, and green for the leaves
• Scrapbooking paper: two colors or designs for the flower's center
• Dum Dum Pops
• Glue
• Small hole punch

1. Cut out three hearts. Use a pattern so they are symmetrical and folded down the center. Punch a hole about half an inch from the bottom of the heart.
2. Cut out two green leaves. Again, it's easiest to create a pattern for symmetry. I brushed the edges with green ink for extra flair.
3. Cut out two flower centers, each from a different patter or color of paper. I made my pattern for this by drawing a petal, then moving it around to get a five-sided flower center. Punch a hole in the center of each and bend the petals up slightly to give your flower more dimension.



4. Push the Dum Dum (I painted the sticks green) through the two flower centers, then the three heart petals.
5. When you've got the heart petals arranged to your liking, glue the green leaves to the back of the hearts.

For the finishing touch, add a message or a 'To and From' tagline.

Message Suggestions

• You're a Sweetheart
• Be My Bud-dy
• Our Friendship is Blooming

Gingerbread Houses & Sugar Cone Trees

Gingerbread Houses
6 graham cracker squares per house
icing
candy decorations
1 small plate/foundation per house

Using four of the squares as the base, use the icing to glue the edges together to create a box that is open to the top. Use the remaining two graham cracker squares for the roof, gluing the edges and place on top of the open box.

Allow several hours for the icing to dry and the house to stabilize before decorating.

Decorate the houses by using the icing as glue to hold the decorations on the house.


Sugar Cone Trees
1 sugar cone per person
icing
candy decorations
1 small plate/foundation per tree

Dip the open part of the cone in the icing and stick to the bottom of the plate. This will help hold the cone in place. [This does not need to be done in advance.]

Use the icing as a glue to hold the decorations on and, if desired, around the tree.



Candy Decorations can include, but are not limited to:
-gum drops, sliced in half to create flat side for sticking
-Lifesavers
-sprinkles
-marshmallows
-M&Ms
-candy canes
-striped chocolate chips
-pretzels
-frosted animal crackers

It is best to use light-weight candies. Anything too heavy will have to be held in place until the icing hardens or placed at the bottom to rest on the plate.


Royal Icing Recipe

3 egg whites, room temperature--unbeaten
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Beat all three ingredients on low speed until well blended. Beat on high speed for several minutes, until icing is light and fluffy.

I like to use a my large Pampered Chef batter bowl to mix the icing. This way I can slip the cover back on and use the rest of the icing to decorate gingerbread houses a few hours later, when they've had time to set.

The icing is safe to consume, but I don't recommend over-indulging since it is made with uncooked egg whites.

Candy Necklaces

This is one of the girls' favorite projects. Now that they've gotten the hang of it and can do it with ease, I use it as a way to keep them occupied while I get things done.... like putting away groceries. Best of all, it isn't even candy. Shhhh, don't tell them that!

You will need:

Fruity Cheerios

1 mm. elastic cord

Scissors

1. Cut elastic cord to desired length.

2. Tie one Cheerio to either end of the cord, leaving an inch or two to tie the necklace when it is complete. This way when the child picks up the necklace the Cheerios don't all come sliding off.

3. Place Cheerios on cord, one at a time until there is about two inches of cord left.

4. Tie necklace and its ready to wear and eat!

It took the girls a little while to get the hang of it, but now they are pros. Lauren was about two and a half when we first started this project, and she actually picked it up faster than Abby, who is 15 months older.

At this age, for my girls, the fun is in the creation. For older children this makes for a great lesson in patterns and mathematics!

Cute as a Button Flower Pots

The girls and I like to make goodies for the neighbors, and came up with a fun one for spring! This is actually two projects in one and can be adapted to fit a variety of skill levels. It makes for a cheery display and a tasty treat!


Finger Print Flowers

You will need:
Construction paper
Acrylic paint--2 colors
Glue
Flower pattern (I traced a cookie cutter onto cardboard)
Green chenille stems
Scissors
Scotch tape

How to make it:
1. Trace & cut the simple flower shapes from construction paper.
2. Dip child's finger into acrylic paint & dap off excess. Then press onto each petal. Use a contrasting color to make a print in the center of the flower.
3. Tape green chenille stem to the back of the flower; spiral stems if desired.
4. Display in candy-filled Cute as a Button Flower Pot.


Cute as a Button Flower Pot

You will need:
Flower pots
Assorted Buttons
Glue

How to make it:
Glue buttons one at a time around rim of pot. Allow to dry for several hours.


Finishing Touches

You will need:
Large clear treat bags
Paper shred
Ribbon
Candy to fill pot (we chose Robin's Eggs & Peanut M&Ms)
Tag (optional)
We also added a stemmed egg to garnish (Michael's craft store--Easter section)

How to make it:
1. Place a small amount of paper shred in the bottom of the treat bag.
2. Nest the flower pot, filled with candy, comfortably in the paper shred.
3. Stick flowers (& garnishing egg) into candy.
4. Loop hole-punched tag through ribbon & tie bag around flower stems so the flowers themselves are sticking out the top of the bag.
5. Trim ribbon on each end and voula!

Happy Spring!

Clay Nation

This week the girls and I took on the project of making clay. It was a two-fold project: making the recipe, then painting our cooked creations.

I put half of the ingredients in each of the girls' bowls for them mix, then roll out with a rolling pin. Each chose her own cookie cutters, then we baked them, and let them dry over night, painting them the next day. The clay can be used to form desired shapes, but since my girls are not quite ready for a project on that level we opted to do cut-outs.

Here is the recipe for making clay....

1 cup salt
2 cups flour (more if rolling out)
1/2 cup water (add more when mixing if mix is too crumbled)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Mix together. Shape into desired shapes or ornaments, or roll and cut out with cookie cutters. Place on baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 2-4 hours until dry. Shapes can be painted and sealed with a clear shellac, spray plastic or clear nail polish after drying process.

We are planning on gluing magnets on the back of ours and giving them as gifts. The possibilities are endless!