Royal Wedding Crafts: DIY Fascinator for Kids

The Royal Wedding of Harry and Meghan Markle is upon us, and amidst all the solemn happenings in the world today, this real-life fairy tale is a welcomed diversion.

 In honor of the wedding, we came up with a quick, easy and fun DIY fascinator for kids. We wanted to be dressed for the occasion, even if we’ll be in PJs.  

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Fascinators are fabulous accessories that are not quite a hat, but more a clip with fancy flair. Fascinators date back to the Renaissance and were typically worn by women. These accessories are often adorned with feathers, netting, tulle and other exquisite textiles. Hats and fascinators are staples at the Royal Wedding, so we wanted to dress the part at home. Josh is aware that fascinators are for ladies, but he obliged me with this fun project.

Supplies 

And because we’re fancy, we’ve created fascinators with supplies that we already had at home. No trip to the milliner for these fancy accessories!

For supplies, you’ll need a round base, either a small plate or coffee filters. The rest of the supplies should be what you’ll decorate your fascinator with: tulle, fabric, jewels, stickers. You should also have a pair of scissors, glue, hole puncher and ribbon or string.

 

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There’s no right or wrong way to create your fascinator. Josh went the paper plate route, while I went the coffee filter route. The paper plate was a bit harder to work with since it doesn’t conform a well to your head. 

 

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I chose the coffee filter since it was light and easy to decorate. Before decorating the fascinator, you should make the holes on either side of the plate or coffee filter. These holes should be directly across from each other and somewhat even. This is where the ribbon or string will go.

  

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Next, take the scissor and make several smaller slits, big enough to poke fabric ro tull through, but small enough so that it can’t fully fit. After you’ve made the slits, just tuck the tulle into the slits. Tulle was the best to work with since it’s light, yet stiff. Once the tulle is positioned to how you like it, it’s time to bedazzle and decorate.

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Josh wanted some ribbons, I wanted more gems. Go to town until the fascinator is as basic or extra as you wish! This craft is meant to be easy enough for little kids to do, so there’s no need to make it more complicated than it has to be; trust me, I’m good at complicating crafts!

 

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Once things are in place, it’s time to feed the ribbons through the holes. Once you feed the ribbon through the holes, tie it into a knot on both sides. Once you complete the finishing touches, try on the fascinator. Many people choose to wear their fascinators on a tilt on the side of their head. It’s your fascinator, so you choose! And there you have it! You can dress up for the royal wedding with your unique fascinator in just minutes!

 

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I’m especially excited for this wedding because I’ve always admired Harry’s candor and the way the couple are both champions for charitable causes. I love what Meghan symbolizes; she’s an American actress who has paved her way with her intelligence and style, and who happens to be biracial. We can’t wait to watch the wedding!

If you check out the wedding, don’t forget to check out all the great hats and fascinators!

St. Patrick’s Day Treats from Family Fun Magazine

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Not sure if any of you caught any leprechauns, but we sure didn’t.  We did, however, enjoy creating some fun food goodies.  St. Patrick’s Day and food go hand in hand in our house.  

I got a kick out of Family Fun’s Leprechaun-inspired treats.  How cute are these tiny hats and donuts?!  We’ll be doing some fun after school creations after school today!  

 Leprechaun Hats

Hats

 

Ingredients

English cucumber
Sliced cheese
Hummus

 Directions

Celebrate Saint Pat’s with a crunchy cucumber treat. Cut 1-inch sections of an English cucumber. Halve them lengthwise and lay the pieces flat on a plate, as shown. Trim a cucumber brim for each hat and set it in place. Finish with a sliced cheese band and buckle, attached with dots of hummus or dip.

 

 

Leprechaun Doughnuts

 

Donuts

 

Ingredients

Chocolate sprinkle:

O-shaped cereal
Dark or white chocolate
Colored sprinkles

 Cinnamon sugar:
O-shaped cereal
Sugar
Cinnamon sugar

 Directions

Lure wee visitors this Saint Patrick’s Day with O-shaped cereal disguised as tiny doughnuts. Prepare each variety following the steps at right and let dry on waxed paper. Add to the fun by placing them in a miniature box (get our template at familyfunmag.com/printables).

Chocolate sprinkle:

Dip the tops of O-shaped cereal into melted dark or white chocolate (the tines of a fork work well for this) and cover with sprinkles.

Cinnamon sugar:

Over medium-high heat, dissolve ½ cup sugar in ½ cup water. Let it cool. Dip the O’s, a few at a time, in the syrup, then toss them in a small bowl of cinnamon sugar.

The Lego Movie is an Awesome Hit + Valentine’s Day Printables

Not surprisingly, The Lego Movie did smashingly well at the box office this weekend.  It took the top spot and had glowing reviews to boot.

 

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One of the best write ups I read today, in fact, was from CNN via EW.com whose headline caught my eye:  “Is the Lego Movie Really That Good?”  I asked myself the same question and read on:

 

Based on the ubiquitous lock-block toy and licensed with many of pop-culture’s most ubiquitous heroes, “The LEGO Movie” is a sly Trojan horse of a movie. “Using the building-block world of LEGO to parody the creeping conformity of our world, ‘The LEGO Movie’ proves even more biting than ‘WALL-E,’ because it has the sauciness to send up its own rise-of-a-hero story line,” writes EW’s Owen Gleiberman.

 

Combine the beloved building blocks, personified—rather, animated with mini figures—and throw in comedic timing, sauciness and you get family fun at the theater.   This movie, in my opinion, seemed like a perfect formula for success:  Everyone loves Lego, many of us are enduring cabin fever in the tundra that is our winter and this older kid bracket is an untapped (boy) market in the movies right now.

 

Considering how obsessed we are with Warner Brother’s Lego Marvel video game, I have no doubt that we’ll love this movie just as much.  We were actually focused on another movie this weekend, but we’ve got Lego Movie on our docket to come.  In the meantime, I’ve been loving reading the reviews from traditional outlets, as well as from my friends.

 

And, in case you have Valentine’s on your mind like we do this week, how rad are these Lego Movie Valentines from Warner Brothers?  

 

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Click on the above image to head to the full version of the Lego Movie Printables AND other versions as well.  I know these are promos for the movie, but how perfect are these for Lego lovers and movie enthusiasts alike?

 

Crafts Go Green: Eco-friendly Art Supplies for Kids

Crafts are a fun family activity, and one that we love doing outside on our deck.  When we’re painting and doing messy crafts outside, the little artist’s canvas seems limitless, and thankfully, cleanup time is much easier—or so it seems.

Many of my favorite eco-friendly crafts are of the DIY variety.  The kid and I are fans of repurposing old household items and painting scraps of wood from our ongoing remodel.  Even better than recycling the medium is making your own tools.  Aside from DIY crafts, there’s a myriad of eco-friendly and kid-friendly art supplies that make craft time safe and colorful.

Here are just a few of my faves:

Glob Arts and Crafts Paints

Glob Art & Crafts Paints are botanically-based paints that also have fruity scents. These paints are colored naturally with pigments from fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices with natural food-grade ingredients. I love the Glob paints that come in packets; all you do is add water when you’re ready. Whether you and the kids are more watercolor painters or gauche painters, you add water and can determine the desired consistency. Glob also comes in Easy Shake jars, paint sets and other kits.

The color palette that’s offered is pretty basic, but after mixing and matching the paints, the spectrum of colors is seemingly endless. Glob can be used for paints, as well as for coloring DIY play dough, coloring eggs and more.

P’kolino

P’kolino, the makers of gorgeous modern children’s furniture and toys, also have a great line of art supplies.  Through a collaboration with Jovi, P’kolino offers kid-friendly, non-toxic art supplies that includes, Triangle crayons, fingerpaints, markers, colored pencils, dough, creative dough and poster paints.  P’kolino recently introduced their new line of art supplies which are inspired by famed Pop Artist, Romero Britto.  And a coloring book inspired by Romeo Britto?  Yes, please.  The sustainability, bold colors, combined with the modern influence of P’kolino’s products make these art supplies ones to check out.

Stubby Pencil Art Studio

Stubby Pencil Art Studio is the mecca for eco-friendly art and school supplies. This online shop has a plethora of kid crafts and a great selection of supplies that are non-toxic, recycled, fair trade, educational, sustainable or environmentally responsible. I love perusing all of the different crafts and unique supplies, many of which you’d be hard pressed to find at your local big box craft store. Of all the green crafting goodness, however, I’d have to say my personal favorites are the cupcake crayons (!) and the colored Smencils. Ideal for birthday party gifts, the colorful, hand-poured cupcake crayons come in a 4-pack and are made of soy. The Smencils are made from 100% recycled newspaper, sharpen just like wood pencils, and have delicious scents like watermelon, bubble gum and cotton candy!

DIY: Animal Pumpkin Stencils from WWF

Ever wonder how people carve such intricate Jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins?  Me too!  I’m a classic pumpkin carver myself, but have always wanted to be adventurous and do a cool design.

Good news, you don’t have to be an artist to carve super-cool pumpkins.  You can be the envy of the neighborhood with these fun and easy to follow stencils from the World Wildlife Fund.  You can download these free PDF stencils of interesting animal-inspired designs like a tiger, butterfly, a rhino and more.  Show your support for WWF while turning heads for Halloween.

Carving pumpkins is always a fun family activity, albeit a messy one, but the end result is so worth it!  If you carve any of these designs, be sure to share!

As always kids, take care when handling sharp objects!

 

Crayola Touts Creative Outdoor Play with New Sets

Crayola, always a favorite here on NKT, was one of the many fabulous exhibitors at the recent Time to Play Spring and Summer Showcase.

Crafts and the outdoors should go hand in hand, what with the fairly easy clean up and the expansive canvas.  And as always, Crayola is at the forefront of the outdoor artistry when it comes to kids.

 

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At the showcase, Crayola’s table had a variety of colorful goodies, including the latest additions to their product line: the Sidewalk Chalk Maker, Spira-Chalk Blaster and the 3D Disney Fairies and 3D Disney Toy Story Activity Sets.

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Crayola Launches Glow Explosion

In an effort to help launch Crayola’s latest innovation, Glow Explosion, The Crayola Glowtrotters (a.k.a. Harlem Globetrotters) took to the floor at MaST Community Charter School and played the first-ever glow-in-the-dark basketball game.

From glowing basketballs to nets to rims to children’s drawings, the Globetrotter’s game gave kids a front row see to glow-in-the-dark creativity.

Crayola’s new Glow Explosion can create drawings that glow like glow sticks in the dark, as well as create lights.  Kids use the Glow Markers to create their drawings on special paper. Then, use the Glow Activator to supercharge the art. The drawings can then glow in the dark for up to 4 hours.  Glow Explosion is non-toxic and is recommended for ages 6 and up.

I loved the idea behind the glow-in-the-dark basketball game to launch this cool new product; I can only imagine how much laughter filled that gymnasium!  I’m such a fan of Crayola, that I can’t wait to learn more about Glow Explosion.  As always, as soon as I find out more, including release dates, I’ll be sure to share!

 


EnviroBLOX: Green and Crafty

When the cold and rainy weather keeps us indoors, finding new activities and games to occupy the kids can sometimes be a chore.  Crafts are always a surefire way to keep everyone entertained, yet the mess leaves much to be desired…if only there was a “cleaner” craft.  Oh, but there is!

Out for a year or two, EnviroBLOX from Cadaco is a construction toy that has the consistency of styrofoam peanuts, but is much more versatile and sustainable.  EnviroBLOX instantly stick together after being moistened with water, so it doesn’t need any glue, staples or tape.  Though the sets come with suggested building designs, there’s a wide assortment of colors, so kids can construct almost anything they can imagine.

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Gift Idea: Crayola Telescoping Crayon Tower

Things have been hectic around here lately. Besides my packed schedule of events, I’ve been working on my Holiday Gift Guide (WITH giveaways!) that will be revealed next week. In the meantime, I thought I’d post a quick gift idea.

A few weeks ago, I posted about the Crayola, Lights, Camera and Color online application. I mentioned how you can access this fun feature if you buy the larger quantities of Crayola Crayon bundles, which includes the 150-count Telescoping Crayon Tower.

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TelscpngCrynTwr&Hand_01HRVia Blogspark, Crayola sent us the 150-count Telescoping Crayon Tower to test out and review. At first I was reluctant about opening up this package because my guy is notorious for destroying anything that comes in large quantities. But surprise, he proved me wrong!

Because of the cool telescoping feature, my toddler was amazed at how the tiers could collapse. It’s easy to turn and reveal the tiers and just as easy to collapse to put them away. This set, which is a nice departure from the yellow and green cardboard box that seems to break down so quickly, includes a crayon sharpener on the top tier. The $15 set also includes 118 regular crayons, 16 metallic FX crayons and 16 glitter crayons making the largest set of Crayola crayon colors ever.

I love the easy storage and assortment of crayons. And better yet, I love how this set includes a code for printing accessibility for the Lights, Camera and Color online Crayola Telescoping Crayon Towerapplication—what a fun bonus! Thanks to the novelty of the telescoping feature, we’ve yet to lose or break any crayons, which is quite an achievement! This set would make a perfect gift, and is suitable for preschoolers and older.

Want it?

Crayola and Blogspark is offering one reader a Crayola 150-count Telescoping Crayon Tower!
To enter, just tell me your favorite Crayola Crayon color! Feel free to enter multiple times by sharing your favorite colors and/or by sharing on any social networking site!