HOT COCOA SNOWMAN JARS

HOT COCOA SNOWMAN JARS

...what a cute Christmas gift. Love this!!

1. Start with a Half Pint Canning Jar.  (these are the Better Homes & Gardens Brand from Wal-Mart...I love the top)

2. Fill it with Mini-Marshmallows

3. Make the Brim of the Hat using Black Paper or Fabric (it should be stiff though, so use Cardstock or Construction Paper or Felt) The most difficult part of this whole project...sizing the brim.  Basically it's a circle with a center Circle cut out of the middle that just fits over the open rim of the jar but isn't big enough that once you slip it over the [?], it will be flimsy. So just slightly smaller than the lid cover.
Different jars will have different openings, so once you find that perfect balance, just use that as your pattern!

4. Cut a piece of black ribbon to wrap around the lid of the jar...to complete the top-hat look.

5. Give that man a face!  I used Puffy Paints, but regular acrylic craft paint works too.

6. You can stop here if you'd like.  And gift your little snowman with a couple bags of hot chocolate.  Everything up to this step, including ALL materials cost me ~$2.50 per gift set to make 12.

7. Thanks to my new friend, Amy...there can be MORE to this Snowman...take another jar and fill it with Hot Cocoa Mix.  (I didn't have a large jar, so I used the individual serving packets.  It fits 5 servings)

8. Hot glue some buttons on it...and Hot Glue your Marshmallow Jar to the top of the Cocoa jar.

9. Use up some ribbon or Scrap Fabric for the scarf! (I just cut the ends for "fringe")

***EXTRA BONUS TIP:  Amy also suggested adding a third jar to the bottom full of peppermint candies.  Alas, there's no running to the store while I'm blogging during nap-time, so you'll have to imagine it for me!

GREAT GIFTS FOR TEACHERS, NEIGHBORS, HOST/HOSTESSES FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON, GRANDPARENTS, BABYSITTERS, MAIL CARRIERS, BUS DRIVERS, ETC!

thewhoot.com.au/whoot-news/crafty-corner/hot-cocoa-snowmen

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Baking Soda Dough Sea Art

Baking Soda Dough Sea Art

Baking Soda Sea Art 

~ Starfish, Sand Dollar, Coral ~

Supplies: 

• Baking soda dough (recipe here)
• Silpat mat or parchment paper
• cookie cutters
• round tip needle
• paint brushes
• white acrylic paint
• tropical blue paint or paint color of your choice
• thick art paper to fit inside picture frame
• silver nail polish
• clear acrylic spray
• E6000 glue
• newspaper or something to cover your table surface

Directions: 

1. Dump out your freshly made dough onto parchment paper or Silpat and cover with a damp cloth until it is cool enough to handle. *Keep a damp cloth on unused dough to keep it moist while sculpting.* 

2. Roll out dough into 1/4″ thick sheet and use cookie cutters to cut shapes or free hand design your shapes. 

3. To make the starfish, take the 5 balls and use your thumb and pointer finger to shape and flatten into triangles. Take the triangles and combine them together, pinching the edges on both the front and back into the shape of a starfish. *Very important to smooth out the edges where the pieces connect or you will get seams and lots of cracks.* The circles were used to make sand dollars.

4. Start to decorate your starfish. (some have used the round end of a pin and the end of paint brushes to make decorations on the starfish) 

5. Sand dollars were made using a circle cutter and decorated using the pin head and a butter knife. The coral was made free hand. 


6. Bake at 175F degrees on Silpat mat or parchment paper for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool. *Dough can be air dried for 2-4 days.* 

7. While the shapes are cooling, place newspaper or some type of covering on your table surface to protect it from the paint. Then, get creative and start painting! Let paint dry and seal with a clear acrylic spray. You can stop here and use the shapes as is or continue on to make a picture background.

(See this link for more steps... & credit for photos and instructions.)

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http://eliquified.com/

Baking Soda Dough

Baking Soda Dough

Ingredients

• 2 cups baking soda
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cup water

Directions

Step 1

Combine all the ingredients in a pot and heat on medium heat.

Step 2

Continue to constantly stir the ingredients until the mixture begins to thicken. It will take several minutes to thicken.

Step 3

When the mixture starts to come together and looks like mash potatoes, scoop it out onto a Silpat mat or parchment paper to cool down. Cover it with a damp cloth.

Step 4

Once the dough is cool enough to handle, you can roll it out to approximately 1/4" thickness and use cookie cutters, stamps, shape by hand, or whatever method you want to use to decorate your cut-outs.

Step 5

Bake at 175F for 45 minutes to an hour. Baking will make the ornaments turn a slightly tan color. *If you don't plan on painting the ornaments and want to keep them white, air dry for 2-4 days.*

Step 6

Let the dough cool and you're ready to decorate.

http://mypinterventures.com/baking-soda-dough-sea-art/

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http://eliquified.com/

3 Ingredient DIY Foam Paint

Foam Paint

shaving cream 
craft/school glue 
food coloring

Mix equal parts of the shaving cream and glue into a zip lock bag, add your desired food coloring and then, with the bag sealed, squish the bag until all your ingredients are nicely mixed together. 

Draw your design on a semi-rigid material (they used large white cardboard envelopes) and when you’re ready for the foam, simply cut off a corner at the bottom of the bag and use like you’re piping icing. Once the art has been completed, set aside so the foam can dry and solidify overnight.

http://dabblesandbabbles.com/3-ingredient-diy-foam-paint/

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as seen on and copied from facebook ☺
 
 
http://eliquified.com/

“Frieda La Frog” made from Recycled Tires

How to Make “Frieda La Frog” From Recycled Tires

Supplies

• 2 car tires and one larger truck tire
• 2 small tires with rims (from cart, wheelbarrow, or mower).
• 4 plastic bowls
• Tire inner tube
• Garden hose
• Recycled rubber doormat
• Lid from a broken storage tote
• Duco Cement
• Silicon caulk (paintable)
• Spray paint – green and white
• Brush paint – Red and blue

 Tools:

1. Power drill with ½” bit
2. Utility knife
3. Scissors
4. Paint brushes
5. Q-tips
6. 2x6x8 piece of treated lumber
7. 3” deck screws
8. Long galvanized nails

Instructions

1. Clean tires and let dry.

2. Select which side of the large tires will be down.  Drill 4-6 holes in that side of each tire to allow excess water to drain.
3. Cut storage tote lid about 1-2” bigger than largest tire opening.  Poke 3-4 holes in it for drainage, and work it into the tire to cover the bottom hole.
4. Use utility knife to cut 4 feet from rubber door mat.  I drew the first with a silver Sharpie and cut it out, then used it as a template to make the others match.
5. Lay all the tires, feet, hose, and 2 of the bowls out on drop cloth and start painting!  I used Valspar flat spray paint/primer-in-one, in “Tropical Foliage” color.  It took about 5 cans.  I didn’t paint the underside, since they wouldn’t be visible.
6. Paint the other two bowls white – I used Rustoleum flat white.  Once dry, paint the bottom of these two blue.
7. Using Duco cement, glue the bowls into the rims of the small tires.  The white bowls are the eyeballs, and the green ones on the back give the eyes a bulgy look from behind.
8. Spread a bead of silicon caulk on joint of bowls and rims.  Once it dries, touch up the paint.  Spray the caulked part on the back of the eyes.  To touch up the front, I spray paint onto a piece of wax paper or foil and use a Q-tip as a brush.
9. For eyelashes, cut a wedge-shaped section of inner tube, then use scissors to make cut from the inner edge to about 1-1/2” from outer edge.  Use Duco Cement to glue into the space between the tire and the rim.
10. Using red paint and brush, add mouth to largest tire.
11. Now the slightly tricky part – making the eyes stable in their mounting.  First, set the eyes on the “head” tire and cut two slits in the large tire with a utility knife.   This allows the eyes to sit down into the tire a bit.
12. Insert the piece of lumber into the head tire under where the eyes will sit.  Install deck screws at an angle through eye tire, head tire, and into lumber. Do this with both eyes.  They will have a little wobble to them,         but not much.  Later, when this tire is filled, stability gets even better.
13. Put it all together!  Lay the 2 body tires side-by-side on the ground.  Fill them to within an inch of the inner circle with soil.
14. Place head tire on body tires, centered and pulled forward a couple inches.
15. Lift head slightly and slip one end of arm hose on each side, between tires.

a. Cut off arms to length and secure to ground with galvanized nails as mini-stakes.

b. Place feet in position, and use nails again to hold in place.

16. Fill top tire with soil to within an inch of the inner edge height.
17. Plant with flowers of choice.  I chose to use perennial daylilies in the bottom tires, and annuals in the top, so I don’t have to replant more than one each year.
This is how I did it, but if you make one, let your imagination go out and play … get silly or get serious, but make it YOURS!
Finally, and most important, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your interest in Frieda La Frog.  I’ve told her how popular she’s become, and I’m a little worried … she’s demanding an entourage, Ray-Bans, and one of those silly little purse-sized dogs …

Happy Gardening!

Lynn Lapka

Full instructions and photos here.

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as seen on and copied from facebook ☺
 
 
eliquified.com

Homemade Finger Paints

Homemade Finger Paints

3tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup corn starch
2 cups water


combine ingredients in small saucepan. warm until mixture thickens. cool & pour in containers. add food coloring to create desired colors. enjoy!!

*someone suggested using Kool-Aid for coloring...and it smells good, too!

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as seen on and copied from facebook ☺
 
 
http://tinajo.origamiowl.com/

Candy Cane Wreath

Love This!!!

What an awesome gift to give people for their homes!!! This is a wonderful conversation starter as well as a gift!

✿♥✿ Candy Cane Wreath ✿♥✿

ribbon
large center decoration
10 small decorations
hot glue gun w/glue
20 candy canes

arranged as shown in photo
tie them two by two facing each other,
you can hot glue a decoration to the center to keep the ends together
glue small round ornaments to each set you tied.
Hang with ribbon.
Enjoy

Christmas Wreath

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as seen on and copied from facebook ☺
 
 
http://tinajo.origamiowl.com/