Make Your Own Dinosaur Fossils!

 

My son and I had a lot of fun making dinosaur fossils for his DINO-mite dinosaur party. This was a great craft for us to do together because they are very easy and  inexpensive to make. You really can't mess them up! We hid some fossils in the plastic eggs for our dinosaur egg hunt and placed the others on the tables for added decoration. 

 

 

All you need to make these is a container of play sand, some plastic dinosaurs, and plaster of paris. 

 

 

The sand should be about an inch to an inch and a half deep.

Mix in a small amount of water to moisten the sand and make it hold the shape of whatever you push into it. Once your sand is prepared, prepare your plaster of paris by following the directions on the package.

Lightly push a plastic dinosaur into the sand and carefully remove it.

 

 

It should leave the imprint of the dinosaur behind, if it doesn't, mix a little more water into the sand and try it again.

 

 

Using a spoon, spoon enough plaster of paris to fill the indents I the sand.

 

 

Repeat each step for each fossil, moving quickly so that the plaster of paris doesn't start to dry out and thicken. If the plaster of paris in the bowl begins to thicken, you can add a little more water to thin it out. Once you are finished, let the plaster of paris dry completely, I let them sit for a few hours to be safe.

 

 

Remove the dried globs of plaster of paris from the sand.

 

Using a paint brush, brush off all of the excess sand.

 

 

Look at those fossils!

You could make these using anything you like to make the imprint and create fossils of all types of things! Think animals, footprints, sea shells, leaves, and more!

 

 

Make Your Own Snow Globes on a Snowy Day!

 

Here in PA, it has been a long, cold, and snowy winter-- and we still have a few months to go!

I am not much of a winter person myself, but I always try to make the best of it for my boys.

On yet another "snow day," the kids were home from school and with the abnormal cold temperatures that we have been experiencing, the kids were looking for something to do inside. I decided to make some snow globes with them. Since Christmas passed, I figured we would make some with our pictures in them instead of the ones we made in the past.

 

 

First, we painted the lid of a stage 2 baby food jar with silver paint.

Using a razor, scrape off any excess glue that was left behind from the label.

 

Then, I grated a piece of pvc piping to make the snow. I used a cheap grater that I had picked up in the dollar store awhile back because I was afraid it might ruin my grater that I use all of the time... I was right, the pvc pipe definitely did a number on the grater!

 

 

You do not need a lot, a little goes a long way.

Cut your picture into a strip that will fit inside of the jar.

Using packaging tape, laminate the picture. Put one piece of tape on each side of the picture, making sure that the ends of the tape touch. *The top of the jar will be the bottom of the snow globe, so you want to place your picture inside upside down.

 

Place your laminated picture in the jar, try to push the picture so that it fits snuggly into the grooves of the jar. Add water, you want to fill it just about to the top. Add a drop of clear glue or glycerin to help keep the pieces of "snow" from clumping.

Put the lid on and glue in place using hot glue or crazy glue. This step will help eliminate leaking.

 

You have your very own snow globe!

These would make awesome gifts for next Christmas!

 

 

Chalkboard Coffee Mugs-- Great Idea for Teacher Gifts!

 

I made these chalkboard coffee mugs for prizes for my best friend's bridal shower.  They were simple to make and they went along with the chalkboard theme that I was doing.  They were quick and easy to make, the most time consuming part was letting them dry completely.  I used chalkboard paint for glass that I found in a craft store and painted regular mugs from the dollar store. When they were done, we used a chalk marker to write "Allie's Bridal Shower" and the date on it (it will easily wash off), and we filled them with flavored teas, coffee, hot chocolate, and apple cider. They were put in a gift bag along with a package of biscotti from Trader Joe's. 

 

These mugs would make cute gifts for the holiday's, especially for teachers. You could fill them with hot beverage mixes like I did or fill them with candy in a pretty holiday cellophane bag. I will definitely be making more next month for my son's teachers.

Make Your Own Powdered Laundry Detergent-- Works Fabulous!

Lately, I have been exploring and tinkering with making my own everything. I have made my own seasoning, stain remover, bubbles, play dough, and more. I have decided to try making my own laundry detergent and I am so glad that I did! I spent around $8.00 for all of the ingredients, which makes multiple batches of this recipe-- talk about cheap laundry detergent! It is easy to make, all you have to do is a little grating and measuring and you have your very own homemade laundry detergent that is not only cheap, but it works fabulous! My families clothes look great! Another great thing about this detergent is that it is very mild, so it is great for sensitive skin! I do at least one load of laundry a day and I am still using the same container I made a couple months ago! It really goes a long way!!

Save some money and try it out for yourself!

 

 

 

Laundry Detergent:
1 Cup Borax

1 Cup Washing Soda

1/2 shredded bar Fels-Naptha

1 tsp. Baking Soda

Mix all together and put in container. Use 1-2 tablespoons per load.