Thumb Print Heart Charms

The girls have loved having numerous snow days in a row, which has provided us with lots of crafting opportunities....otherwise known boredom busters. We started with something simple that later morphed into beading necklaces and kept us occupied for quite some time. Since paint was not involved in most of it, I was able to take pictures of the steps. So this is for all the moms who have crafty kids home with them on snow days!

Supplies: 

Sculpty Clay (the kind you can bake to harden)

BBQ skewers

Parchment Paper

Acrylic Paint and brushes

Beads

Strings

Wire (optional)

Step one: Flatten out a  small section of the clay on parchment paper. Take one of the child's thumbs and press it into the clay. Take the other thumb and match it up to make a thumbprint heart. 

Step 2: Take your BBQ skewer and trace around the thumbprints to make a heart, while trimming away the access clay. (I helped the kids with this part).

Step 3: Pat down the rough edges of the clay and reform if necessary to make a more defined heart shape. Take the non pointed end of the skewer and poke a hole through the heart. 

Step 4: Preheat the oven to 275 and bake the hearts on parchment paper for 15 minutes. 

Step 5: Allow the hearts to cool for 10 minutes and then paint. Acrylic paint worked well on ours. 

Step 6: After the paint dries, string the heart with beads to make a necklace or bracelet. I noticed that the hearts were not quite hanging flat, so I used some wire to fashion a loop through the hole of the heart. It was easier to string and laid flatter. I liked the project so much I had the girls imprint their thumbs into a heart for me. I put their names and the date on the back. It could also be a good grandma or Mother's Day gift too. Hope you give it a try!

Valentines Around the World

I am so sentimental about our travels as a family that I keep every map as a souvenir. I found them in a box at the back of my closet and tried to think of a creative way to use them. Since Valentine's Day is coming, I thought maybe I should use them to make Valentines from Around the World...(well sort of...at least that's what I'll call it). It was quick, easy, and not very costly.

Supplies: 

A piece of scrapbook paper (aqua worked best for my design, but any bright color would work)

Scissors

A piece of construction paper

Old Maps

Glue Stick 

Picture Frame- ( I used 8x10)

Step 1: Cut your scrapbook paper to fit the inside of your picture frame. 

Step 2: Cut a heart out of construction paper to use as a pattern. 

Step 3: Trace the heart pattern onto your maps, and cut each heart out.

Step 4: Glue the hearts to the scrapbook page and place it inside of the frame. 

Voila! You now have a fun Valentine for your significant other and a great memento of all your adventures.