DIY

DIY Slime Maker Box

Slime.  Do you love it or hate it?  Kids just love the stuff and you know what? Anytime that you can make your own toy that will keep your children entertained, I say do it! This DIY Slime Maker Box Craft can be a great activity for you and the kids to do, it can also be a really fun gift to make for others too! 

A DIY Slime Box Maker Craft is fun to put together and provides hours of fun for everyone. It’s a win-win!  

Where Did Slime Come From?

Have you ever wondered about the history of slime?  Where did it come from? How long has it been around?  Why was it invented to begin with? Well, if we are going to make a DIY Slime Box Craft I figured we should know the answer to these things!

Slime has been a mainstay in the toy aisle since the mid-seventies.  Yes, I said the seventies!  You may have guessed this already, but it was created as a gross out toy.  It was popular with kids who took joy in grossing out friends and family members. It was not however, super popular with moms who feared the stuff getting into the carpet.

When did Slime become marketable?

Slime was first brought to us by toy giant Mattel back in 1976.  It was always green and I don’t know if you remember this or not, but it always felt cool to the touch. Back in the 80s, you could find fun slime with creepy additions such as eyeballs and worms. At one point in time there was even a slime board game.  Suffice to say, slime may have made its resurgence in recent years, but it has been a mainstay for a very long time. 

Who can make this DIY Slime Maker Box Craft?

I know that some people get nervous about making slime.  They may be concerned about the ingredients and whether they may be toxic to kids.  This is a very valid concern, but this DIY Slime Kit can be made by just about anyone!  Even little kids can be involved in making it, as long as they have supervision. 

Why should we make this DIY Slime Maker Box Craft?

This DIY Slime Box Craft would be fun to make to play with.  To make as a gift, as an addition to a sensory play station or even to use as party favors for your next kids party. The supplies are super easy to get and it makes for a fantastic last minute gift!

Another great thing about slime is that it is a toy that can be played with year round.  Kids love playing with it indoors during the winter, or outside when it’s warm out. It’s the perfect rainy day activity and a great way to add into some STEM activities for learning days throughout the year. 

If you are a parent that loves craft activities, a DIY Slime Maker Box Craft is perfect.  It’s especially true if you love crafts that don’t require a lot of ingredients and time.  It can be made quite easily. 

Yield: 1 Box

Easy Gift: DIY Slime Maker Box With Printable Gift Tag

This DIY Slime Maker Box Craft can be a great activity for you and the kids to do, it can also be a really fun gift to make for others too! 

Print

Materials

• Gift box
• Paper shreds filler
• Red glitter glue
• Green glitter glue
• Travel size bottle of contact solution
• Small clear plastic bags
• Twine
• Baking soda
• Christmas confetti
• Printable gift tag

Instructions

1.    Fill the gift box with paper shreds and place
the red glue, green glue, and contact solution on top of the paper shreds.

2.    Fill two small clear plastic bags each with ½
tablespoon of baking soda and tie the top with a piece of twine.

3.    Add a small amount (around one teaspoon) of Christmas
confetti to two plastic bags and tie the top with a piece of twine.

4.    Place the bags of baking soda and confetti
inside the box.

5.    Print the printable gift tag on card stock and
cut out around outer border. Place inside the box.

Do you and your kids do craft activities together?  Have you made slime before? How did it go?

Easy Christmas Table DIY Centerpiece Decoration

Don’t you just love doing crafts with your kids?  For me, this is especially true during the holidays. There are just so many crafts out there to do!  Plus, to make it even better, there are lots of benefits of doing holiday crafts with your kids. 

Arts and crafts are the hub of the kid spaces in many homes, and that is for good reason! The benefits that kids develop as a result of having arts and crafts time both alone and with their parents are immeasurable, but there are some very obvious benefits that we felt like talking about today.

7 Benefits of Doing Holiday Crafts with Your Kids

1. It’s fun

I mean, really, do you really need any more reason that the fact that it is fun?  It’s so good for kids to have fun, and it’s especially good for them to have fun while doing arts and crafts and other educational activities.

2. The Bonding Time

The time that you spend doing holiday crafts with your kids is incredibly important for bonding in your relationship with them.  Your children will look back on these craft times with you fondly. It a great way to build memories with them.

3. The Boosted Confidence

Creating something, reaching goals and learning how to do new skills are all confidence boosting activities.  All of this takes place when you do holiday crafts with your kids. I am a big believer in doing everything we can do build our kids’ self-esteem, and this is a great way to do it.

4. The Inspiration

When a child creates one masterpiece (make no mistake, they are all masterpieces), they will be so excited that it will inspire them to create another and another.  Creativity inspires more creativity. It really is a wonderful thing.

5. The Improved Coordination

Arts and crafts are great for improving coordination in small children.  This means bilateral coordination (they are having to use both hands together), hand-eye coordination and more.  All of this improved coordination is good for other parts of their lives as well.

6. The Improved Patience

Often with holiday crafts, there is more than just doing a craft.  Many times it means waiting until paint and/or glue dries or clay sets, etc. Once this waiting period is over, then you can really see the end result and show it off too. This is a great lesson in patience for kids of all ages.  

7. The Lifetime of Scrapbook Contributions

You may be battling the never ending piles of craft supplies now, but soon enough, your children will be grown and not wanting to do crafts with you anymore.  That said, you will always have these crafts and art pieces to keep in a keepsake box or scrapbook, or even hanging on the wall. You will love knowing as your children get older that you can look back through them anytime you want.

Yield: 1 Centerpiece

Easy Christmas Table DIY Centerpiece Decoration

This super fun and festive table centerpiece uses very few supplies and the kids can help too! You can make it for your own home or as a gift!

Print

Materials

• Bottle, washed and dried: recycled or dollar tree
• Camper napkins: hobby store
• Christmas florals: dollar tree or hobby store
• Christmas ribbon: dollar tree or hobby store
• Red tule: dollar tree or hobby store.
• Wood embellishments: dollar tree or hobby store

Tools

• • Scissors
• • Hot glue gun: hobby store or amazon
• • Mod Podge: dollar tree or hobby store
• • Foam brush: dollar tree or hobby store

Instructions

1. Cut napkins down to size to wrap around bottle.
   
2. Spread Mod Podge on bottle where napkin will be placed. Carefully press napkin around bottle and then gently spread Mod Podge over napkin trying not to wrinkle or tear the napkin.
   
3. Hot glue ribbon around the top and bottom of the napkin.
   
4. Tie tule around bottle, hang embellishments, and fill bottle with florals.
   
5. Set out for display or give as a gift.

For more holiday fun be sure to check out these free downloadable letters to Santa, and this downloadable Christmas budget checklist! If you are looking for more Christmas Crafts Inspiration check out this post from Country & Living!

Do you do holiday crafts with your kids?  What benefits have you found from it? What are your favorite things to create with them? Do you make Christmas Table DIY Centerpiece crafts?

 

Are you looking for the easiest and best ways to do Christmas on a budget?  Before we go any further, can we all just agree that there is no need to go broke for the holidays? I am here to help your wallet today with some free cricut christmas gift tags for you to make your gifts extra fancy and festive!

The holidays are really not supposed to be about how much we can spend, but rather, how much time we get to spend with the ones we love. 

That’s why so many people are choosing to do experience gifts, or do the 4 Christmas gift rule these days. To put less of a focus on the gifts themselves, and more on what Christmas is supposed to be about. 

If you want to save money over the holidays, but you aren’t quite ready to make as drastic of a change as those I mentioned earlier, check out some of the ways that you can make the holiday more budget friendly. 

Do Christmas on a Budget with these Tips

It’s the thought that counts  

No really.  This is a tip in itself.  When you spend more time putting thought into a gift, you might be surprised to learn that it actually often results in less money spent.  For example, maybe you can print out a favorite photo of you and the person you are giving a gift to, find a nice frame at a thrift shop (or check the sales section of your favorite retailer), give that as a gift.

Shop smart

Don’t buy something without doing a little bit of research to make sure that you aren’t spending too much money.  You might find that the store down the road sells it for $20 less, or that you can buy it online even cheaper. It’s never been easier to save money while shopping.

Don’t use credit

Unless you are 1000000000% sure that you can pay off your credit cards immediately, DO NOT put Christmas gifts on credit cards.  Too many people get stuck paying off these gifts throughout the year.  

Make it homemade

What about the gift of homemade food, drink mixes, mason jar gifts, etc?  Oftentimes homemade gifts can save you a significant amount of money, especially if you have the supplies at home already.  

Set a budget

Go into your holiday shopping with a plan and a budget.  Then make sure that you follow this plan and budget. It is such a wonderful thing to be able to give others gifts and it is so much fun to shop for those that we care about that we can easily let it get out of control if you don’t have a budget planned.

The most important thing to remember is that Christmas on a budget, can and should still be a wonderful holiday!  There is no rule out there that says that you have to break the bank in order for others to have a good Christmas.  You might just be surprised to learn how much your family and friends will enjoy a more simple Christmas.

Free Cricut Christmas Gift Tags

I’ve got a fun download that you can use with your cricut or any cutting machine! Honestly my favorite time of year to use my cutting machine is right around the holidays. These Cricut Christmas gift tags are just so cute and SO festive and will add a special touch to the gifts you plan to give this season!

What is included in the Cricut Christmas gift tags file?

You have the option of choosing the free SVG, EPS, PNG, PDF, DXF.

Yield: 1 gift tag

Free Cricut Christmas Gift Tags Template

Print

Materials

• 2 different cardstocks
• Glue Pen or dot runner (optional)
• Ribbon

Tools

• Cricut explore, Silhouette or any other cutting machine

Instructions

1. Download the files
2. Upload the appropriate file into design space
3. Cut out all shapes using your cutting machine
4. You can glue the 2 pieces together
5. Or Just thread the ribbon through the hole of
   both tags
6. Secure with a slip knot

Download the Gift Tag File here.

Do you already set a Christmas budget for yourself and your family? Do you have any tips to share?

There is something special about a Christmas gift made by a young child. Any family member will be happy to receive a Christmas present made with love. Today I’m sharing a fun bookmark Christmas craft as well as 3 more fun ideas for kids holiday crafts.

Young children can only rely on pocket money or odd jobs to earn money so it can be difficult for them to buy Christmas presents. Here are three Christmas ideas to help children learn the true meaning of giving by making their own presents with very little cost.

Fun Christmas Craft Idea #1: Christmas Gift Vouchers

Materials needed for these Christmas gifts.

Paper
Pens
colored pencils
or
Computer with a good paint program
Color printer
Stickers to decorate

How to Make Christmas Gift Vouchers

1. Get a pad of paper and encourage the children to brainstorm. Ask them to write down any idea they have as a voucher. Tell them to write everything down and not to worry if it sounds like a strange idea at the time. Here are some useful ideas to get started, ” This voucher entitles … to breakfast in bed every Saturday for a month,” or ” This voucher entitles … to a freshly baked chocolate cake.”

2. Talk through all the ideas and decide which are the best ideas.

3. Either draw vouchers or design and print off the computer. Allow a space for the child to sign their name and print the name of the recipient onto the voucher, with the kind deed included. e.g ” To Dad, this voucher is for one free carwash with love from …,” with a space for signing. The adults will love it!

Fun Christmas Craft Idea #2: Painted Flower Pots to Make as Christmas Gifts

Materials needed

Small terracotta flower pots
water based acrylic paint. Small sample pots from the hardware store are a cheap and easy option.
Paint brushes
Potting mix if the flower pot is to be given with a plant (optional)
Flower plant or herb plant. (optional)

How to Make Painted Flower pot Christmas presents.

1. Cover the work area with paper or a drop cloth
2. Children can paint free hand or plan ahead with drawings.
3. Younger children may find it easier to make patterns with lines, dots, wavy lines and zigzags.
4. If the children are using several colors they should wait for one color to dry before adding the next to avoid the colors running together.
5. Leave the finished pots to dry.
6. When the paint is dry fill with potting mix and plant. Choose a plant that matches the colors of the pot.
7. Water the plant and decorate with a Christmas gift bow.

Christmas Craft Idea #3: Potted Herb Garden Christmas Gift

Materials needed to make herb garden.

Three small terracotta pots or interesting empty food tins. These could be tins from other countries with nice pictures and foreign writing, giving an exotic touch.
Potting mix
Trowel
Three herb plants such as thyme, oregano, mint, chives.

How to make a herb garden Christmas gift.

1. If using tins drainage holes will need to be added. This is a job for the adult. Use a sharp knife to puncture several holes in the base of the tin. Make sure the top edges of the tin are rounded when a can opener has been used.
2. Put the potting mix into each pot. (wear a mask when handling any potting mix)
3. Plant one herb into each pot.
4. The herb pots can be given as a group to one person or given individually.
5. Instead of wrapping the plant tie a Christmas ribbon around the pot.

Christmas Craft Idea #4: Snowman and/or Elf Bookmark Craft

Yield: 2 Bookmarks

Snowman & Elf Bookmark Christmas Craft

Print

Materials

• Colored cardstock papers

Tools

• Pencil
• Scissors
• Craft glue
• Black gel pen

Instructions

1. Download and Print the Snowman and Elf Template

Step -1:

The template includes patterns for – Santa Clause and elf. Printout the patterns and select colored cardstock papers for each craft. Let’s start with the Santa Clause bookmark craft.

Trace the hat and big circle on a red colored card stock; trace the beard, moustache and small circle on a white card stock paper (I’m using a white embossed paper); trace the oval shape on cream colored card stock paper; trace the strip on black colored card stock paper and the small circle on yellow colored card stock paper.

Cut out the traced patterns nicely.

Step -2:

Stick the small yellow square in the middle of the black strip. Stick the small white circle on the tip of the red hat; and stick the oval shaped cutout with the big red circle by overlapping about a cm on the side.

Step - 3:

Stick the beard and the moustache on the oval shaped part (this is the head of the Santa Clause).

Step - 4:

Attach the black strip (the belt) along the middle part of the big red circle and attach the hat on the top side of the head.

Step - 5:

Use a black gel pen to trace the eyes, nose and mouth of the Santa Clause. You can also draw 2 small blushes on the cheeks using pink highlighter pen.

Step - 6:

Attach the Santa paper craft on a popsicle stick to complete the bookmark craft.

Notes

A super cute and fun way to keep track of your reading with these holiday snowman and elf themed bookmarks!

For more Christmas fun with crafts check out this Christmas Twig Wreath Craft that is fun for adults to make too!

Are you going to make this Christmas Bookmark craft?