Homemade Watercolors

So in perusing one of the many blogs I follow, I came across this recipe for making your own watercolors. I thought this sounded like fun and used supplies I already had in my kitchen, so off we went!We mixed the baking soda, vinegar, corn syrup, and corn starch, and then Ladybug had fun adding food coloring to make the different colors. After that, she drew a picture...

...and then got to work painting!

She definitely had fun, but I must say that I will probably try to find a different recipe next time. Maybe we just didn't mix it well, but it separated quickly which left a gloppy mess in the bottom. Then it dried very chalky and flaked easily. Oh well...half the fun is in figuring out what works and what doesn't, right? Ultimately, Ladybug enjoyed it enough that she could have cared less about those problems and was ready to use her paints again the next day!

Sand Castles and Sea Shells

We spent the weekend at the beach where Ladybug was so determined to build a sandcastle. She worked tirelessly for nearly 2 hours to complete her work of art.

She also collected quite a few seashells, so I'm sure we'll have some projects with those in the next few days.

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”

--Anonymous

~Jana~

Windy Days and Bug Journals

Neither of us felt very crafty today. We played games and read books, but we didn't really "craft" together. Even so, I have some things to share.

Bug Journal

Ladybug likes to search the backyard over for bugs. Unfortunately (fortunately??) we don't seem to find very many, but when we do, we grab the camera, take a picture, and then draw it. So here are some pages from her "bug journal." I'm not sure where she learned to do this (my money is on Nick Jr) but it keeps her entertained for a long time and has led to some conversations about the balance of nature (in 4 year old speak, of course!) since she thinks she should "smoosh" every bug after she sees it.

I love her snail!

And remember the kite she made? It was windy enough today that Ladybug decided to take it outside. I didn't want to discourage her, but I couldn't see how her kite could possibly be aerodynamic. Well, it won't ever soar like a regular kite, but it definitely fluttered in the wind! She tied it to the top of the swingset and it blew in the breeze (kind of like a wind sock). I'm always impressed at her determination and ingenuity!

So...crafts from today? Well, she made something, but she made me promise I couldn't tell Daddy since it's for him...and since I'm fairly certain he's the only one reading this lil ol blog right now, I can't share yet!

Enjoying the summer,

~Jana~

Sun Catchers, Crowns, & Mosaics

We had swim lessons this morning and visited with friends from out of state all afternoon--so I didn't think we'd have much time to craft. Even so, Ladybug managed to work hard all evening on her new masterpieces.

Craft #3: Suncatchers!

How much fun is it to play with school glue?! I found this idea here. Ladybug loved this easy project and is already to create some more.
Craft #4: Marker Mosaic

While visiting with our friends, Ladybug designed this (I think she grew tired of being the only girl in a room full of hot wheels, nerf guns, and power ranger costumes!).

Craft #5: Birthday Invitation

Ladybug declares every day as her baby doll's birthday. She makes decorations, writes her guest list...and today she made the invitations. She mimicked the invitations she had for her own princess party (back in October)--a scroll tied with a ribbon and a crown. I really think her baby doll is going to end up with an actual birthday party before the summer is over. Just another chance to craft, right? ;)

A Craft a Day

Hi! Welcome to my lil ol blog. I've been following blogs for awhile now and wondered what in the world I could write about and gone back and forth between a dozen ideas. I've spent the last couple of weeks reading way too many blogs about kid crafts trying to find fun ideas for us to do this summer and realize while the world does not need another craft blog...it's getting one! This is mostly for posterity's sake. You see, my little girl does not just color pages. She C.R.E.A.T.E.S. things. Masterpieces, actually (hey, I'm the mama, I can say that!). Seriously, though, this girl amazes me with her imagination, and I wanted a place to record--and share--it. In an attempt to keep the tv off and summer boredom away, my goal is to do a craft a day this summer. We started today...and ended up with three crafts! Some of these will be ideas from blogs and others will be from Ladybug's own pure genius. Hope they bring a smile to your face!

Craft #1--Flower Power

Ladybug cut the flower out and decided it needed to be decorated, so we pulled out our tissue strips and went to town.

Then she needed to decorate the inside and add a stem.

Craft #2: Kite

Ladybug has been all about making kites this spring. This was all her doing, except I helped her cut the diamond when she asked me to. Now if only we could get it to fly!

Craft #3: Will be finished tomorrow. Here's a sneak peek: