crafts Archives - MomStart

Disney Fourth of July Crafts and Dishes

July 3, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Patriotic Popsicles	Berry Flag Pull-Apart Cake	4th of July Flag Cake

Uncle Sam Hat Treat Holders	Red, White and Blue Paper Napkin Wreath	Firecracker Crowns

Mickey’s Patriotic Tie-Dye	Minnie’s 4th of July Headband	Printable 4th of July Candy Box

With the 4^th of July coming up, I wanted to share some of Spoonful.com’s new and patriotic ideas to help you celebrate the holiday! Spoonful.com features easy to navigate categories (cook, create, play and celebrate), allowing you to find just what your’re looking for to celebrate Independence Day – including delicious July 4^th inspired treats in “cook”, colorful crafts in “create” and so on. Best of all, the site was built to allow for easy viewing across computers, tablets and mobile devices – perfect for parents on the go.

Celebrate Independence Day with 25 Fourth Of July Crafts

July 3, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

My daughter loves crafts and it’s fun to do them with her. We also love decorating for holidays and for some reason we’re behind. We haven’t done our Fourth of July table, I’m not sure we’ve done a table since Easter. Wow how time flies by. By Scouring the internet for amazing Independence Day crafts we found quite a few Fourth of July Crafts that will make any table beautiful for a family gathering. So here are 25 different Fourth of July Crafts from across the internet.

How to Make Purple Slime

June 28, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Making your own slime is easier than you might think. Here is how to make purple glitter slime that your kids will love to play with. My daughter is obsessed with slime and always asking me if we can make some more. I found this recipe for Slime and it worked great. I have heard though that a lot of people are looking for slime recipes that don’t have Borax so I’m on the look out for a new recipe to make with my daughter. What do you guys recommend?

How to Make Purple Slime

Ingredients:

1 Bottle of Elmer’s Glitter Glue
1 tsp of water
1 tsp of Borax
1 Cup of water

Directions:

Empty the bottle of glue into a medium sized bowl.

Add one tsp of water to the glue and mix it around with your hands a bit.

Mix the borax into one cup of warm water, and stir until mostly dissolved.

Then add that cup of borax/water mix to the bowl with the glue.

Mix with your hands until the glue starts to form slime it happens fast!

Once this happens, roll it around in your hands a bit.

If you find any “too slimy” parts, dip it back into the bowl with the borax mixture and it will change consistency.

The borax/water mixture will not combine with the glue, but will just create a chemical reaction with the glue, turning into more of a solid!

The slime making process is also a great science lesson for kids.

Ten At Home Chemistry Projects

June 20, 2017 by Momstart 10 Comments

Since summer is in session and we all have kids to entertain, why not combine fun with science. We surfed the internet to find 10 different at home chemistry projects. These ten easy at home chemistry projects you can do with your kids. Remember safety, read all the directions, make sure you have all the ingredients and make sure you have fun learning as a family. It’s a great way to keep brain drain away, and keep up with STEM work. Science and math are great ways to keep kids going and thinking all summer long. Plus it’s just FUN.

Chemistry Projects

10 Chemistry Projects

1. Mentos & Soda Fountain:

2. Erupt a baking soda volcano

3. Uncover the chemistry of blood

4. How chemistry is involved in the game of baseball

5. Make Home made slime

6. Ice Cream in a Baggie

7. Discover Liquid Density

8. Cleaning Pennies

9. Discover Crystals with Rock Candy

10. Make Home Made Giant Bubbles

Dow Chemical, a leading global partner of the 2011 International Year of Chemistry, has produced three videos, showcasing three different at-home experiments you can do as a family and use as a way to get kids and students excited about the power of chemistry and science in their everyday lives. I included links to three of their videos in the list above, the one about making a volcano, the chemistry of blood and how chemistry is involved in the game of baseball. The stars of the videos include Derrick Pitts, Chief Astronomer and Planetarium Director for TFI, and Dr. Katie Hunt, Director of Innovation Sourcing & Sustainable Technologies at Dow Chemical, as well as special guest, Dr. Ken Mistry.

We decided to try making a volcano at home as our first at home chemistry project. Making a volcano at home is super easy. All you need is Baking Soda and Vinegar and food coloring for fun.

3 Super Simple Heat Press Projects to Enjoy With Your Kids

April 13, 2017 by Momstart 2 Comments

By Joe Hughes

Fun and exciting is exactly how you want your kids to remember you. No one wants to be the boring parent, aunt, uncle or family member. Kids find magic in everything, and when you have your own heat press, you have an unlimited number of crafts you can do with your child.

It’s a day of endless fun.

But you need to come up with the ideas first before diving right in. You can make something as fun as the Smurf balloon, but you want to create something with the child in your life that will last a long time – and be used often.

A few super simple heat press projects that you can do with your kids are:

1. Holiday T-Shirts

Holiday shirts are a great choice for every boy and girl, but this is often best suited to younger children. You’ll find that there are several holiday shirt patterns available to be used on a shirt, and DIY t-shirt transfers make it super simple to get started.

You’ll even be able to make your own custom jersey-style shirts.

A few ideas are:

· Santa’s #1 Child (with the number 1 on the back of the shirt)

· Red and white heart patterns for Valentine’s day

· Easter eggs with the child’s name on the back

The great part is that all you need to do is print the design onto heat press transfer paper, and you can print anything your heart desires.

It’s a fun afternoon project for kids to do with family or friends. You can also choose to make:

· Jerseys

· Team shirts

· Cartoon shirts

· Printed shirts (paw prints, cat paws, etc)

2. Cute Custom Jackets

This is a little more expensive than the t-shirt idea where you can buy shirts in bulk for super cheap, but kids will love their own custom jackets. And this is the same technology that you’ll find on fleece jackets, many school jackets and windbreakers.

What works best?

· Logos with simple lettering

· Simple designs with solid colors

· School type jackets

A few of the most common heat press jacket designs are:

· Words separated at the zipper, such as Mandy, with the zipper separating after the “n”

· Quotes, such as “daddy’s girl”

· Animal designs

I have seen a lot of ornate jackets with advanced prints on the back. These jackets are often made of denim, and this will take a little experience with the heat press to get just right. A few of the designs that you can print or make, include:

· Detailed skulls and bones

· Cartoon outlines and figures (Mickey)

· Angel wings

The sky is the limit, so just use your imagination and get started using your heat press to try out new designs and patterns.

If you happen to have a monogramming machine, you’ll also be able to add lettering to your jackets.

3. Adorable Hats

Hats are always cute, and they’re perfect for little boys who love sports. Why? You can buy a plain hat for really cheap and then begin to print on it. But this doesn’t mean that girls are excluded from the fun.

Little girls will find an array of colors they adore to use for their hat, and they’ll also be able to print their own sayings and designs on the hat.

A few ideas are:

· Sports logos (be careful to not infringe on copyright laws)

· Soccer star (any sport will do)

· Cartoon figures

· School logos

· Quotes or sayings

Really, the possibilities are endless with a heat press by your side. The good news is that you can find hats for cheap online and decide to use a heat press to jazz them up a bit.

While not a traditional hat, there are a lot of people who have used the same awesome designs on a baby’s cap or hat. These hats are very small, so it will take a more skilled heat press user to be able to print just the right design.

You can even do this on ski caps or on baby bibs if you wish.

Heat presses are a great option for all baby clothes, and it allows you to truly customize the garment to the child’s personality. I have seen many onesies with names, cartoon characters and even little animal prints come off the heat press and look 100 times better than what you would find in retail stores.

And you’ll often spend much less on making these garments than buying them in the store.

A cute saying I’ve seen on a bib was “we both know that’s not an airplane.” It’s fun, quirky and so true.

So, what great ideas do you have for your heat press extravaganza?

Joe Hughes – HeatPressReview BIO

Name: Joe Hughes

Website: http://heatpressreview.com

Bio: Joe Hughes, known by most as the Heat Press Guru, is an expert in DIY crafts, with a particular focus on utilizing heat press machines to create beautiful, long-lasting creations. He runs the very popular website, http://heatpressreview.com, which provides the latest heat press techniques, tricks, and ideas. He can be reached at

Get Into The Act With Julie’s Greenroom & Direct Your Own Play – Free Printables #StreamTeam

March 31, 2017 by Beeb 2 Comments

MomStart is a member of the Netflix Stream Team. This is a partnered post.

Dame Julie Andrews is a renowned thespian, singer, dancer and director. So who better to delight with the new Netflix Original Series Julie’s Greenroom, which follows the legend as she teaches an acting masterclass to a cast of adorable puppets brought to life by the Jim Henson Company! Julie’s Greenroom takes children behind the scenes of the performing arts, educating and inspiring with some help from star-studded array of special guests.

We’re all about inspiring children with the arts here on MomStart. Of course, Zoe and Miles have both been acting for years now, and someday I can say that “I knew them when”! Right now Zoe is performing as multiple characters in a play about women’s rights and has traveled with it through 3 states, just in time for International Women’s Day earlier this month. Look at her in costume – I think she’s ready to teach the Greenies a thing or two on Julie’s Greenroom!

The great thing about the arts is that there is space for everyone to express themselves, regardless of their interests. Writing, drawing, decorating, building, acting, and recording are all necessary aspects. If you’re looking for a good rainy-day activity for the kids, why not try creating your own production, using Julie’s Greenroom for inspiration? I’ve created a printable activity guide below with fun ideas and educational talking points, along with a customizable dressing room sign for the stars of the show!

Direct Your Own Play Activity Guide & Printables

Beauty and the Beast Craft: How to Make a Beast Doll

March 3, 2017 by Beeb 2 Comments

When I was a little girl, I remember watching Beauty and the Beast for the first time and being obsessed with my new favorite movie. Nowadays, you can order an entire movie-themed playset on Amazon from your phone while you’re still sitting in the theater, but back in the ’90s you didn’t always have the same amount of toys available in local stores right after a film came out. #90sproblems

I wanted a Beast doll to play with after I saw the movie, so when we came home from the theater, my clever dad created a Beast mask out of construction paper for my Ken doll to wear. It’s such an ingenious craft idea, and with the live action Beauty and the Beast adaptation coming out this month, I thought it would be the perfect time to share this fun how-to! If you want to try it for yourself, then be my guest, be my guest….

Beauty and the Beast Craft: How to Make a Beast Doll

Supplies:

Small plastic bottle
Plastic Easter egg
3 sheets of construction paper in brown, orange and red
1 sheet of white printer paper
Blue and black felt tip pens
Packing tape
Super glue
Scissors
Shellac
Male fashion doll

Directions:

This is the original Beast mask that my dad made, so you are looking at a genuine 1990s throwback craft that has held up amazingly! Here’s how we did it, back in the day:

The first step is to cut your bottle in half with scissors; we used an empty craft paint bottle that had been washed and dried. Discard the top half of the bottle. Turn the bottom half upside down, so that the flat bottom of the bottle is facing upwards, and place it on top of your doll to make sure it fits. You are essentially creating a large helmet for your doll that you can then decorate as a Beast mask.

Now, take one half of your plastic Easter egg and fit it onto the bottle, securing with tape. This gives some lift to the flat base of the bottle, creating a rounded top for a more natural head shape. Next, put a thick layer of tape around the rim of the bottle where it was cut in half, to cover any sharp edges.

Take your scissors and begin cutting small strips of brown construction paper in varying sizes to form the Beast’s hair. Glue it onto your plastic base and build the layers until you have created a nice mane. Cut small sections of yellow and red construction paper and glue on to your base to form the Beast’s face, nose, and ears. Cut the white paper into shapes resembling eyes and a mouth, then draw on nostrils and pupils with your felt tip pens.

Once the glue has dried, you’ll want to cover the entire Beast mask with shellac and allow to dry thoroughly. This will keep your creation intact, and also stiffen the construction paper so that the strands of “Hair” fall nicely on the head and hold their shape.

Once the mask has dried, place it on your doll and get ready for an enchanted playtime! Once Belle cracks through the Beast’s tough walls, just remove the mask and he will transform back into a prince. Or in my doll’s case, you might want to put the Beast mask back on to hide his angry face! Like I said, it was the ’90s, the toy selection was a little different…

Pin it for later!

Spring DIY: Burlap Rustic Wooden Cross Wall Hanging

March 1, 2017 by Momstart 1 Comment

Spring brings out the DIY in me. I want to clear out all the old and get creative. We have this fantastic Spring Burlap Rustic Wooden Cross Wall Hanging project that is so simple to make and looks amazing. It would be a fantastic Easter Decoration that you might just want to keep out all year long.

DIY Burlap Rustic Wooden Cross Wall Hanging

Items Needed:

· 6-Inch Burlap
· 12-14 Inch Piece of Wood
· Stain
· Pre-Stain
· Shop Towels
· Finishing Sand Paper
· Hot Glue Gun
· Twine
· Picture Hanger

Directions:

1. Begin by cutting your piece of wood. I used a 2×6 and cut it at 14 inches long. If you purchase your wood at a lumber store, they will cut it for free, saving you the time and hassle.

2. Sand your entire piece of wood with your finishing sand paper by hand to prep it for staining.

3. Once sanded, be sure it’s clear of any dust and then pre-stain the entire piece of wood using a basic foam brush. You do not need a lot. A little goes a long way with this stuff.

4. Leave the wood to sit for about an hour.

5. Once it feels dry, take a shop towel (one of those thick blue paper towels) and fold it in half four times.

6. Dip the tip of your folded towel in the stain of your choosing. We used a mahogany bay tint. You do not need a lot of this either. Using the towel, rub the stain into the wood and cover the entire piece of wood.

7. Give it about 20 minutes then take a clean shop towel and rub the entire piece of wood down to get rid of any excess stain. Leave it to dry for about 10-15 more minutes.

8. Take your burlap and wrap it around the cross long ways and measure it to where the two ends are overlapping in the back by about half an inch and then cut your burlap.

9. Pulling your burlap super tight and making sure it is centered, secure it in the back with your hot glue gun making sure to secure both the ends and the sides of the burlap.

10. Using a piece of twine, in the front of the piece of wood, cinch the burlap about 3 inches from the top and tie it tight with the twine.

11. Repeat steps 8-10 but horizontally.

12. Secure your picture hanger to the back and you’re ready to go!

How To Make Clock Cookies

February 28, 2017 by Momstart 3 Comments

Clock Cookies
Teach your young academic about counting and clocks with a tasty treat! Part math lesson, part recipe, these yummy cookies are a delicious way to talk about Roman numerals, telling time and using measurements.
What You Need:

½ pound butter, softened
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
½ cup sugar
Food processor
Non-stick cookie sheet
Fork
Colored sugar crystals
Roman numerals worksheet

What You Do:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
While the oven heats, show your young helper the worksheet about Roman Numerals.
Help your child place the butter, flour, sugar and corn starch in the bowl of the food processor.
Let him pulse the food processor until the mixture is well blended. It will look crumbly unlike bread dough which forms into a ball.
Dump the mixture out on the baking stone or cookie sheet.
Encourage your child to pat it into a large circle approximately 3/4 inch thick.
Now use the fork to prick the Roman Numerals into the dough. Shortbread is traditionally pricked with a fork before baking; this time it is simply being done in a set pattern. Don’t forget to add the hands on the clock.
Let your child sprinkle colored sugar into the holes left by the fork.
Bake the shortbread in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until it begins to lightly brown around the edges.
Once cooled, shortbread can be cut or simply broken apart to be shared with family and friends who have gathered together to celebrate the luck of a New Year.

Smurf Balloon Tutorial: A Fun Smurf Craft For Kids!

February 24, 2017 by Beeb 8 Comments

La, la, la la la la! Are you ready to sing a happy Smurf song? Then I have the perfect rainy-day activity for you! This simple Smurf craft is kid-friendly and fun – you might even say it’s Smurf-tastic!

Smurf Balloon Craft

Supplies:

Black Sharpie
String
1 blue balloon
1 white balloon

Step 1:

Inflate the blue balloon all the way and pinch it closed with your left hand. In your right hand, partially inflate the white balloon – just a very small amount, so that it retains a pointy shape at the top. Pinching the ends of each balloon, tie them together in a knot so that the balloons are connected and will not lose air.

Next, take your Sharpie and draw a jaunty Smurf face on the balloon.

Once the face is complete, take your string and tie it around the balloon knot so that you can hang up your creation and display it proudly!