valentine lurve: sugar buns

While I don't usually recommend always going to prepackaged something-or-others to satisfy the crafty-bakey-I'm-bored need, this quick fix it kinda too pretty and too yummy, not to. Plus, it is super duper easy. My five (and a half) year old assistant did all the prep-work. On her own.

You will need:
*2 oz cream cheese
*powdered sugar
*food color (optional)
*1 pack of crescent ROUNDS (breadstick dough would probably work as well)
*chocolate chips
*bowl, spoon, froster/dull knife
*baking sheet
*oven

scrumdilly-do it:

Wash hands! Plop 2 oz of cream cheese into a bowl and set to soften. Add a tablespoon or two powdered sugar and a drop of food color and stir.

Crack open your tin of dough and separate the pieces. Unwind one roll and let yer kidlet go to work.

Spread a layer of the cream cheese mixture on top of the dough.

Dot with chocolate chips. The more the merrier.

Reroll it up all purdy-like

Place on cookie sheet, repeat.

Bake according to package directions (lick the spoon).

Allow to cool and serve up with a cuppa tea, or milky beverage of choice. Don't fergit to lick them fingers. These sweet buns are the BESTEST!

After we finished chowing down, Miss Za had begun planning her next batch of sweet buns. She's thinking maybe some strawberry jam and happy edible flowers might a good combo. I think we have a new adventure ahead of us! How do you roll?

kooky info on the states...

Go, Go America by Dan Yaccarino


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a fabulous picture book to introduce the United States to your tots1 Filled with fun and quirky facts, I do believe we'll be using it for the BIG road trip! Thank's Dan!

(and yes, I did pick it up because it had Go-Go in the title, who do you think I am? oh and I LURVE Yaccarino's illustration style. Always have.)

View all my reviews >>

inside the box

This super easy painting activity looks super pretty when it is all finished. You can prep the board and paper ahead of time or you have your kidlet draw their rectangle stencil before you do the cutting.

Materials:
*heavy sheet of paper
*paint of your choice
*cardboard square, larger than paper (food boxes work)
*painters tape (the blue stuff)
*paintbrushes
*water
*paint friendly area

scrumdilly-do it:

Cut your cardboard down so that it is about two inches larger on (two opposite sides) than your paper.

Plop the cardboard on top of your paper. If you are using a cereal box or other printed material, place the printed side down so as not to distract your wee artist. Flip the two pieces over so that the paper is on top and the cardboard edges are exposed. Fold those edges over so that they "hug" the paper. Trim the other two edges so that they match the remaining width.

Flip the whole thing back over and now you have a blank piece of cardboard the same size as the paper. Draw a rectangle in the center or have your kidlet draw their own rectangle. Make is fairly large, you are impersonating (shhh!) a matte here and want the impression of the finished work to look framed.


Carefully cut out the inside of th rectangle. This part if for grown-ups only! No super sharp objects should be wielded near the kidlets. Tape off the rectangle to keep the edges straight and to create a seal so the paint doesn't slip under. Flip over your paper/board and tape the folded edges down as well. Blue painters tape is sticky enough to hold everything down but not too sticky so that it tears the paper. You can use masking tape but it might tear things up.

Flip the board/paper back over and set out the paints and let your kidlet paint, paint, paint!

and paint....

and paint some more...

Set aside to dry and once it is dry(ish) peel off the tape and board and admire! You can make this even more funky by cutting out all sorts of shapes and squares. Use the paper more than once (ooh, how about their name?), just cut a stencil of a different size and let them paint in the new shape. Compare how the paint looks when it is painted over...do colors mix when they are dry? Can you see the brush strokes from the first round? Have fun and let me know if you have a finished dilly project you want me to post about or link to!

Hooray! It's Hat Day!

Okay...there are simply too many nifty ways to make hats out there but since I'm only one person with limited time, I bring to you Bolwers-a-la-dilly-do!

You will need:
*paper bowls
*glue
*paint, markers or crayons
*happy gluable things
*paintbrushes
*splat mat
*hole punch & yarn (optional)

Gather yer supplies and set them out in a mess friendly area. I dumped all my supplies into a muffin tin for easier access. My assistant today is (almost) 2 1/2 year old Bea and she likes to have things ready.Give yer a kidlet a paper bowl, flip it upside down and let them go at it....and go at it...and go at it...You may need to set it aside to dry and if that is the case, grab some more paper and don't let yer supplies go to waste.Once dry, put hat on top of head and take as many photos as possible before your assistant decides she would rather wear a plain blow on her head. Punch holes and attach yarn straps if you wish. Have fun!

Andrew Clements does it again!

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have to say I am quite fond of Andrew Clements. I have yet to read one of his books that I didn't like. This one was just as delightful as the rest. Maybe I best relate to the twelve year olds of his world?

Last night I began reading and as I crawled into bed to finish up the chapter I was on I found myself turning page after page until I was done. Finished! I finished the whole book in one reading. I know it is a kids book and all but the story was sweet, and telling. Andrew Clements has a way of putting the reader into the character's very worlds. Both Abby and Sadeed are bright and a bit too into themselves. Just like most twelve year olds I have known, myself included. And while I may not be a twelve year old anymore, he took me back to those very real feelings in a very real way.

I would recommend this book for any child age 10 to 13. Though you may get an eyeroll or two from the older set. But I think secretly, they will be glad they read it because they will know they are not alone.

View all my reviews >>

Big hair, a blue cooler and a good read

Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus ... by Kristen Tracy


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What is with all the quirky titles in kid's literature these days? I have to admit that I picked up this book purely based on three things.

1. The Title (Camille McPhee1)
2. The cover art (I lurve Ms. Dardik's art)
3. I've been missing kid's books

Other than those three things, I had no idea what to expect. There are a lot of intermediate reads that are told in first person. And there are probably more than I can count that are about quirky girls and clever statements, but from the first paragraph to the last, Camille McPhee stands out. She is real and the writing of this ten year old matches what I know and remember about a fourth grade year.

Camille isn't perfect but she isn't troublesome either. She is simply a ten year old girl who desperately misses her best friend, her cat and her parents before they began fighting about being "in the hole".

A delightful story about a delightful girl...even if she has big hair and carries a blue cooler full of cheese.

View all my reviews >>

hat day is a-comin'!

This Friday is National Hat Day here in the states, so to get you started, I thought I would remind you of previous Hat Day projects with a new one coming soon!Paper HatsCoffee Filter HatsPaper Plate Hats

wishing you the very best

Thank you for hanging around all year! May your 2010 be the most crafty ever. See you soon!

Holiday Countdown: Yarn Ornaments

The process of this activity is super quick, it's the waiting to dry part that might drive yer kidlets nutty. Make them when you have some free time and the kidlets are doing the boredom dance. Stash them somewhere high on a sheet of wax paper to dry and when you check on them the next day they will be ready to hang on your tree or your gifts!

You will need:
*yarn
*glue that dries clear
*scissors
*wax paper
*mess friendly zone
*cookie sheet or sturdy cardboard
*paper bowls, plates or plastic lids
*glitter
*paperclips, ornament hooks or string
scrumdilly-do it!

This can get sticky so make sure yer tots are in non-fancy togs, okee doke? Squeeze a large amount of glue into your bowl, cup or lid. Place the cookie sheet or cardboard in front of your wee one and place a sheet of wax paper on top. Grab yer ball of yarn and have your wee ones cut varying lengths, set aside.When yer ready, roll up your kidlets sleeves and get ready for the sticky fun! Toss one noodle of yarn into the glue and get it all goopified. Have your wee one run their fingers along the length of their "noodle" to squeeze out excess glue and then shape it onto the wax paper however they like.Add a dash pf sparkle and glitter and move on to the next ornament. Keep going until you run out of room. Place your sheet of ornaments somewhere safe to dry. They will need to dry for at least twelve hours.Once dry, gently peel away from the wax paper. Trim off excess dried glue with scissors, add a hook or paperclip or a loop of string and have fun hanging them everywhichway! Happy Holidays!

wee bean bag for wee ones by a wee one herself!

Skate on over to The Little Red Hen for P's cuter than cute kitty bean bag tutorial!

and zee winners are....

#1 bethany actually
#4 Ninočka
#8 Elizabeth
#10 jjnhubbs
#14 Lenetta @ Nettacow
#17 Donette
#22 Lisa
#27 LJ
#32 NicNacManiac
#33 Mrs. Bambrook

congratulations folks! Keep an eye out in your email (if i have yer email) for a PDF from Kids Craft Weekly & scrumdily-do! Please email me if you have not received yer PDF prize! I only had contact info from half of you!

A Wee Bit of Eye Candy, a Shout Out to Kids Craft Weekly and a Giveaway!

Thank you for playing along! The Winners have been announced!

Are you a Kids Craft Weekly Subscriber? If you haven't heard of Kids Craft Weekly then you must hop on over right now to check it out. It's free, it's weekly and it's chock full of fun projects for you and your tots! You can subscribe here. Seriously, Amber rocks the kids craft and her weekly crafty newsletter is always an inspiration. What's even cooler is that she has compiled some of the most fun projects into a nifty lil book that you can hold in your hot little hands. It's in color even! I totally recommend it.

Right now, for the holidays you can pick up a copy of Christmas Crafts and/or Christmas Cards in PDF form. Both are full, full, full of colorful crafty projects for Christmas and at $10 US for both you can't lose!

But wait, check this out, leave a comment here and I'll pop your name into a magic box and pull TEN winners to each receive a Holiday Pack (with Amber's permission of course, she's cool that way). So what are ya waiting for? Leave a comment and get ready to craft! Comments close Sunday 5pm PST. I'll announce the winners on Monday and make sure you leave me a way to contact you! Happy Crafting!

wreath party

i entered my wreaths in a contest at Dollar Store Crafts. Will you vote for me! I'm numbers 19 & 20...but vote for your favorites, okay?

Holiday Countdown: Make, Play, Share, Eat...

Here is a dilly of a round up of holiday friendly projects for you and your tots. All you need to do is switch up the colors to make 'em your kind of festive. Enjoy!Make scented dough to play with and to share.Bake up some pie crust cookies with jam!Make cards and ornaments with Tin Foil Festive!Make sock creatures and snow people!Snack on sandwich bread tunrovers.Get ooey with marshmallow puffs a la dilly-do!...and for those of you in warmer climates, wip up some faux snow to play with!