Mini Sock Muppets

Muppets! I'm a child of the 80's and grew up watching the Muppets, Muppet Babies, Fraggle Rock... etc. That's why I was so excited when Muppets Most Wanted came out! A movie that I can actually enjoy watching with my kids. (When do you ever get to watch Tina Fey with your kids?)

To celebrate, I decided that we should make our own sock puppets-- err I mean sock muppets! These Mini Muppets are adorable, and would make a great project to do with your kids.

To make your own Mini Muppets, grab your scissors, hot glue gun, stuffing, a needle and thread, craft supplies, and some fun ankle socks.  I will admit that bought a brand new high-temp hot glue gun for this project. It worked so much better than my old glue gun.

I will admit that I don't own brightly colored socks like these. I'm a white crew sock girl myself. I bought these new for this project for just a few dollars.

 Snip off the ribbing and heel of the sock. You can make taller or smaller muppets based on how how far up the sock you make this cut.

 Now stuff the sock. I used Puff and Stuff, and I loved how easily the sock filled out with out being clumpy.

Now for the only sewing you'll have to do. Just make a large running stitch around the opening of the sock...

 ... and pull the thread tight to gather.

 For a clean finish, push the ends back into the muppet.

 Knot off your thread (you may have to pull the threads a little tighter after pushing in the excess fabric). You'll have a perfect muppet bottom.

 Once you start-- it's hard to stop! I made all of these in about 15 minutes. With the middle, I didn't cut the sock at all, but instead gathered the top without pushing in the extra fabric. Get creative with it!

 Now for the fun part. Gather all the pom poms, googly eyes and felt that you can find, and use your hot glue gun to decorate each muppet. For a baby safe puppet, use embroidery thread to embroider faces on the muppet.

 When you are done you'll have a pair (or more) of adorable puppets to share with your kiddos.

Here is my tall puppet where I simply gathered the ribbing portion of the sock.

Get inspired! Muppets Most Wanted is available on Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital HD August 12th at Disney.com.  You can keep up with the Muppets Most Wanted on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/muppets
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/MuppetsStudio
• Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/Disney/muppet-mania/

This post was sponsored by Disney and Blueprint Social. 

Simple Projects

Sometimes the simplest projects are the best. Yesterday while my son was at school, my daughter asked me to make an outfit for her ratty, grungy, beat up and very much beloved teddy bear.

A few minutes later we'd picked out some scraps (from last week's perfect pouch) and sewn up a simple drawstring skirt.

The bow is a simple two minute bow. The whole process just took a few minutes, but resulted in so much joy! Sewing has always been 'me' time... but I'm so glad it's becoming 'us' time as well.

Key Chain Kids Craft

Last year I wanted my kids to make Christmas gifts for our family and friends. I wanted it to be something that could be made mostly by my kids, and would be at least some what useful and not end up as clutter or tossed in the trash can.

I finally settled on beaded key chains-- they are useful and my kids had a blast making them. They get a little thrill each time they see one of their beloved aunts, uncles, parents or grandparents pick their keys up off the counter. (Admittedly, I do too!)

What do you need? Pipe cleaners, key chain findings, beads, and a little patience.

I had trouble finding pony beads at my local craft store. You can find a big selection of pony beads as well as key rings for cheap on Amazon!

Although older kids could do this whole craft on their own, I prepared the keychains by wrapping the pipe cleaner around the key ring...

 ...and twisting it to secure.

 I used a pair of pliers to mash down the little bit of wire in the pipe cleaner that stuck out. I didn't want any little fingers to get poked!

 Then I hand it over and let the kids string the pony beads onto the key chain. Please be advised that the small beads can be a choking hazard.

 Once they finished with a key chain, They hand it back to me to close off.

 Using the pliers, I just twist the free end of the pipe cleaner around the key chain and tuck it in to the beads.

And that's it! My kids made dozens of these over our 'winter break' to give to friend and family. We had so many that some people even got 2! Do you all have any suggestions for next year?

Starting Seeds in Egg Cartons

Spring as sprung! Well, at least it has in my neck of the woods :). Seed starting is a great way to shake those winter blues and let the sunshine know that you are ready!!! If you've been following along with this blog (and my family blog) for a few years, you'll know that we make a small 'attempt' at gardening each year, mostly unsuccessfully. But with kids and gardening, I believe it's the process that's most important. I always feel like I'm earning a few 'awesome mom points**' each time I see my kids digging in the dirt, and asking questions about life, science, food, sunshine and how it's all connected.

This year, I thought the kids were old enough and had the patience to start some plants from seeds. We used cardboard egg cartons because it was something that the kids see every day, it's cheap, and totally biodegradable. Since you can plant the egg carton, it makes it easier to transplant seedlings without disturbing the roots.

What else do you need? We also went to our nursery and picked out a few seed packets and grabbed a small bag of sterile seed starting soil.

To get started, I cut apart the egg carton bottom and top. We'll be planting in the bottom, and the top will make a good tray for catching drips and spills from watering.

Using a knife, I punched small holes in each well from the bottom.

Now it's time to put away the sharp tools, and let the kids have fun! Fill each well with the seed starting mix. (Yes, it will make a mess!)

And then put a few seeds in each well. I wish I had saved half the seeds from each packet because we planted waaay to many. It was hard to stop the kids once they got started!

And more mess :) . Cover the seeds with a light dusting of dirt, and water well.

We had good luck with putting the seeds on top of the fridge until they germinated. (Seed starting pro's use a heating mat to increase the soil temp for germination). Once they germinated, we put them in the sunniest window in our house.

Look at all those hopeful sprouts! In case you are comparing, these are tomato seedlings, and the seeds show above are squash seeds.

These pictures were taken a few weeks ago-- I'm happy to say that the squash has already started showing 'true leaves', and have been potted up. The tomatoes still look a lot like the photo above, but I have my fingers crossed! I'll keep ya'll updated!

*On 'awesome mom' points. I don't want anyone to think you have to do silly crafts with cardboard egg cartons or toilet paper rolls with your kids to earn awesome mom points. You should give yourself points each time you spend time with them, care for them, listen to them, and love them. See, you already have a perfect score :)

Upcycled Handprinted Giftwrap

It's Valentine's Month! For someone who decorates for Christmas a full 2 and half months, you'd think that I'd be all decked out for Valentines day, but, I'm not. We keep Valentines low key around here-- a few cards and of course, the valetines day shoebox. So, when I got an opportunity to review and create a project using Apple Barrel Craft paints I was excited to try something new.

I'll admit-- I've used Apple Barrel paints loads of times before, so 'reviewing' them was a no brainer. I love that they are easily available, and come in tiny sizes, as well as larger 'economy sized packages. They are typically less expensive than similar brands and come in great colors. A win in my book-- especially for the craft projects I do with the kids.  

My package from Plaid included stencil, and the first thing that popped into my head was giftwrap! My kids and I had a potato print craft fail a few months ago, but the stencils seemed much easier. 

For our paper, I cut open a paper bag from Olive Garden. Obviously, you could use any shopping bag or even a roll of kraft paper, butcher paper, or even newsprint.

A quick tip-- use a dry iron on a low temp to smooth out the creases. Although you will still be able to see the fold lines, it will make the paper lay much flatter.

Now, just get stenciling. I used a heart stencil and a cheap foam brush.

Just for fun, I added in some white to make pink hearts.

I alternated the pattern so I wouldn't have to worry about which way was 'up' on my gift wrap. The paint dried quickly, so I was able to fill in the pink hearts immediately after I finished the red.

I know the hearts aren't perfect, but it's nice that the giftwrap looks handmade. I honestly think that a slightly older child (maybe 6+) could do a better job with this than I did! It would be a great way to personalize a teacher gift or dress up card boxes. And of course, by changing up the stencil you could make giftwrap for any occasion!

This post was sponsored by Plaid and Blueprint social, but all opinions are mine! You can check out other fun Valentines day projects and craft inspiration on Plaid Blog, Weekly Newsletter and Pinterest board!

Handmade Christmas Ornament Kids Craft-- With Free Template!

I'm popping in with a fun, quick Christmas craft for your little ones! I'll be back later this week to show you how to make a 'grown up' version of this ornament-- so keep your eyes peeled!

If you've been following this blog for a while, you'll know that this is only our second year with a Christmas tree. After the tree toppling incident of last year I've totally sworn off glass ornaments. Instead, we've been using our snowed-in days to craft up a bunch of handmade, unbreakable ornaments for our tree.

To make your own (or have your kids make one!)-- grab a copy of the Classic Felt Ornament template from my fb page by using this link. (You'll have to be a MIH fan)

Cut the ornament out of felt using the template. You can also use construction paper for a completely no-sew project. Hand over the glue and glitter and have your kids go to town! They can decorate both sides of the for a doublesided ornament. 
 My son took his job very, very, very seriously.

Then, using the 'ornament top' portion of the template, cut out two rectangles in a contrasting color of felt or paper. Place the rectangles on either side of the tab on top of the ornament. Sandwich a piece of yarn, ribbon or string between the two rectangles.

 Then, sew or glue the ornament tops and ribbon to the main part of the ornament.

 And you are done! Here's the ornament my husband and son worked on... notice how the car is underneath the road? Stay safe on those icy roads, people!!!

All that's left to do is hang and enjoy. I know these aren't the most beautiful ornaments out there-- but they are the first handmade ones my kids have done, and I just love them to pieces. We had so much fun making them and will have wonderful memories of a snowed in afternoon. I hope you all download the template, and get crafting this week as well!

Easy Felt Crown Tutorial!

Good morning everyone! I have a fun, easy tutorial for you all up at the Sewing Rabbit today!

This fun little crown cost me only 50 cents and a few scraps to make! Even if you had to purchase everything from the store I'm sure these could be made for just a few dollars. Since the decorations are glued and not sewed on, this would be a perfect project to do with kids old enough to handle scissors.

Head on over to the Sewing Rabbit to get the tute!

10 Projects To Make With Your Toddler

I've been looking over my posts from last month (does anyone else do that?) and realized that create with kids month was left hanging. I'll  have an official wrap up soon, but for now, I wanted to share collection of crafts I did for Mom IQ.

My two toddlers are overjoyed when they see the items they lovingly made (or helped to make) being used around the house. And I have to say-- as a busy mom, it feels good to channel my toddler's endless store of energy into items that can be used over and over.

Here are my top 10 picks for fun, functional projects to make with your toddler. 

1. Your toddlers can decorate these clever construction paper kites with paint or crayons. You can then either hang them up, or take them out to the park and 'fly' them.
2. Asia from Fun At Home With Kids came up with this Recycled Car City as a way to reuse food containers. Together, she and her son created a toy that they can enjoy for hours and hours! 
3. Looking to make a few cards for friends and family? Michelle from Rust and Sunshine used a toilet paper tube to make a stamp for her toddler. How much would Grandma love to get toddler-made cards in the mail?
4. Learn to dye yarn safely with kids at Make It Handmade, and use the resulting yarn for knitting, pom poms, or crafts.
5. My kids love to garden because they get to play in dirt! See how Ashley and her daughter made planting even more special with a personalized garden pot for their cactus.

6. Have a child who is a budding fashionista?  With this fun tutorial, even the smallest toddlers can make friendship bracelets. 
7. I fell in love with this Lemon Rind Bird Feeder that is made with items from your kitchen. What a wonderful way to connect with nature right in your backyard.
8. Little ones will love to help make these tiny paper pom poms. Although they were originally   intended as ornaments, they would make perfect party decorations, or would even make a fun lightweight toy to throw around. 
9.  Clara from Small + Friendly came up with the most brilliant craft. Follow her instructions to have your toddler make their own designer dishware!
10. Finally, these Rainbow Knitting Needles would make perfect gifts for the knitter in your life. My kids still get excited when I use my pair. 

There you have it!10 toddler crafts that will be used and enjoyed-- and won't end up cluttering your fridge.