Time Out Stool

So with two children (at the time of this post ages 4 years and almost 18months) I have realized we need to be a little creative with discipline. I wanted to make a Time Out Stool for a couple reasons. Reason 1: it designates a specific area for the time out. Reason 2: Little Miss High Maintenance 4 year old doesn't want to sit on the floor in the corner.

I saw the cutest hour glass stool on Pinterest and decided I had to make it.  I puzzled for a while and then I saw it come up again on Pinterest this time with a link on how to make it!  Off to Hobby Lobby I went. I bought 2 wooden plaques, 2 thick wooden dowel roods, a bag of large size wooden beads, and a jar of colored sand. Then I bought two 2 liter bottles of Coca Cola.

 I went with a shaped wooden plaque just to be different and pretty. Started painting it, only to decide I didn't like the colors and hubby suggested that I wait on paint until the end.

 Once we finished off the Coke in the bottles the hubby cut the bottles down to size (pretty much in half) and drilled a hole through the wooden bead so that the mouth of the bottles would fit through it. He also drilled out a hole in a piece of dowel rood that was then placed in the mouth of the bottles to slow the flow of sand.






The hubby also cut these little tabs into the bottles to make it a wider surface for the glue.  (Can you tell that the hubby is my construction source? LOL I'm just not that good with his tools).  Once I was ready to glue the bottles to the plaques I tried a couple things but what worked best was a craft adhesive called E-6000. Just make sure you use in a well ventilated area as the fumes are strong.

 Once placed on the plaque I filled in any little gaps to make sure the sand stays.  The dowel rods were attached using screws (hubby said they were counter sunk into the wood. Whatever that means.) once I had the bottles glued in place I screwed the plaques down so that the tension would hold it in place while the glue dried.

The bottles will still come apart at the neck making it easy to add/remove sand.  I eventually settled on painting the whole thing black. But this is the completed project.  I haven't timed the flow of sand yet. But my 4 year old thinks its so cool she now WANTS to be in time out.







Happy crafting,
Amy

Quick and Easy Handprints

I mention in my description that I have 2 children. My daughter is now 4 and my son is not quite 18 months.  Making hand or foot print items is a great gift idea, but as all parents know the younger the child the less cooperation you can expect. And some times it can also be that way the older the child.  But I found a very simple solution for those times my kids don't want to cooperate.

I was able to trace my daughter's hand (on left) and we used the copier/scanner/printer that we have to make a copy of my son's hand.  

Flip the paper over and on the backside of your print color with a pencil, and don't be afraid of doing it heavy. This creates a carbon paper effect.







To transfer place blank item (that you are putting print on) under the penciled side of the hand print. Then trace the hand print along the outside edges. Once you lift the paper up you should have a pretty decent "copy" that you can then paint on, cut out, or whatever you want to do.

The best thing about this method? One drawing or photocopied hand will last for a good while. So far I have gotten 5 or 6 prints made just off my 2 examples at the top.


Air High Five!
Amy

Play make up

So things have been pretty busy lately and I haven't had much time to work on any projects or even to blog projects I have done.  But here is a simple project.

I have a 4 year old little girl. And like all little girls she loves playing dress up and playing with make up. I blame my mom and sister for the make up, as every time we are together they can't help themselves but to put lipstick on my daughter.  HAHAHA But as my daughter is the only girl among 5 boys, I fear I am fighting a loosing battle in protesting.

So what is a good mother to do? I saw a posting on Pinterest about taking old make up containers (blush compacts, eye shadow trays) and pouring nail polish into the void. I so rarely wear make up that empty compacts don't happen. So I pondered and then one day at the dollar store it hit me!  Cheap make up and clear nail polish!

Its simple.  Buy some cheap make up at the dollar store (or if you know an Avon/Mary Kay person that might be clearing out samples) and using clear nail polish cover the substance in the compact.  Easy peezy, lemon squeezy!

 Cheap make up and clear polish. Ok so this is actually nail strengthener, but it worked for what I needed

 Paint onto pressed powder. Let dry. You can even apply multiple coats or pour a little straight onto the powder and smooth with the little brush from the polish bottle.

Oh but, Amy, what about it falling apart if it gets dropped on a hard surface, won't the powder break? I thought about that. I am roughly 5 feet 6 inches tall, if I stretch my arm about my head and stand on my tip toes that's about 6 feet even. So I stretched my arm and stood on my tip toes and dropped the compact (after the polish was dry) and no breakage.  As for my nemesis lipstick.... well she will just have to make due with chapstick for now.

Hope your little girls enjoy!

Amy