Happy Green Baby

Looking for a fun Christmas craft/project?

http://www.the11best.com/creative-ornaments/#

 

Hi! If you are looking for a fun Christmas craft/project, check out this blog post (click on link above) on making ornaments! I know my girls would love the sparkle and fun, not to mention the glitter!

Enjoy!
~HGB

 

Christmas Treat Jars - I Heart Nap Time

Hi friends! This is Amber from Crazy Little Projects here to kick off the holiday season with a fun, cute and simple Christmas project.

I’m excited for the holiday season (truth is, I am already fully involved in baking, shopping, and crafting for Christmas!) – I love putting little gifts in jars and I love covering things in glitter. Put those things together and throw some chocolate inside and it can’t be beat! Here are some Christmas Treat Jars:

Once your red glitter is dry, wrap a piece of black ribbon around the jar and hot glue it in place. Cut a square slightly larger than your ribbon and cut out the center of the square to make a belt buckle. Hot glue that in place and then fill it up with candy!

via www.iheartnaptime.net

These look fun to make with the kids... if you can handle glitter of course! Not sure I would use them for food treats, but super cute for a family craft and for decoration.  My girls LOVE glitter - so guessing these will be a big hit in our house, well, that is until my husband see the glitter :)

~Happy Green Baby

HGB Daily Deal: FREE BoxPlay item!

BOXPLAY!  FREE TODAY w/ ANY PURCHASE!

**Add any BoxPlay item to your HappyGreenBaby.com cart, then apply code BOXPLAY at checkout. 

About BoxPlay:

Could an idea this simple spring from anywhere other than a child’s imagination? Printed on 100% recycled UNCOATED paper with vegetable-based inks. Our stickers repurpose commonly found boxes, cartons and tubes in your recycling bin and turns them into new toys. Made in USA.

Kid inspired. Designed by mom and dad. 

BoxPlay items make great birthday gifts and stocking stuffers!  

 

**Order HERE at HappyGreenBaby.com

 

 

(**One day only.  Only while supplies last.  One discount per order.  Not valid with other offers.  Min. purchase $5)

 

 

• Read our other product reviews!
• Join our Giveaways
• Follow us on Facebook

   

*When we make small changes every day to lessen our impact on the environment,

we make a difference*

 

HappyGreenBaby.com

 

 

  

Craft Corner: Applesauce-Cinnamon Ornaments

Making Applesauce Cinnamon Ornaments is an easy, and fun way, to get the kids involved in the holiday preparations.  You can use these cute ornaments to decorate your own tree, or give them away as gifts to their friends, neighbors or Grandparents.  AND they smell amazing!  My daughter made me one in school last year and I have it in my car. 

 

Applesauce-Cinnamon Ornaments

Here's what you'll need...

• 3/4 cup applesauce

• 2 bottles (2.37 oz. each) Ground Cinnamon

• Cookie Cutters

• Drinking Straw

• Colorful Ribbon

 

Here's how you make them...

• Preheat oven to 200°F.
• Mix applesauce and cinnamon in a small bowl until a smooth ball of dough is formed. (You may need to use your hands to incorporate all the cinnamon.)
• Using about 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll dough to 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap. Peel off the top sheet of plastic wrap.
• Cut dough into desired shapes with 2- to 3-inch cookie cutters.
• Make a hole at the top of ornament with drinking straw or skewer.
• Place ornaments on baking sheet.
• Bake 2 1/2 hours.
• Cool ornaments on a wire rack.
• (**Or, to dry ornaments at room temperature, carefully place them on wire rack. Let stand 1 to 2 days or until thoroughly dry, turning occasionally.)
• Insert ribbon through holes and tie to hang.
• If desired., decorate with opaque paint markers, found in arts and crafts stores.

 

Have fun!  And Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

 

Thank you Hilltop Christian School for sharing this craft with your families!  

 

CRAFT CORNER: Fall Family Tree

A Family Tree Sticky Wall is an interactive way to talk about families with children and help them get to know the members of their extended family. You can also make a set of leaves featuring children’s school friends to practice learning names.

 

What you'll need:

• tag-board tree covered with contact paper (sticky side out)

• several leaves cut from card stock

• small photos of family members

• laminating sheets or contact paper to laminate leaves!

• markers (optional)

 

How to make it:

1. Adhere tag-board tree to the wall or another surface using painter’s tape. The tree can be drawn with crayons and markers.

2. Place contact paper on top of the tree and adhere it to the wall (sticky side out).

3. Cut photos and tape them onto the card stock leaves.

4. Add any words or designs using marker.

5. Laminate the leaves or cover them with contact paper.  This step is necessary so that the paper doesn’t stick to the sticky tree and leave a residue.

6. Start creating…then take everything off and try again.

 

 

 

Thank you HILLTOP CHRISTIAN SCHOOL...for sharing this fun, Fall craft in your newsletter!

 

 

 

Source:http://lifeyourway.net/fall-family-tree-sticky-wallactivity/

 

 

CRAFT CORNER: Candy Shamrocks

 

St. Paddy's Day is Monday!  Yes, in 3 days.  If you are looking for an easy, fast craft to do this weekend give Candy Shamrocks a try.  These Candy Shamrocks are so easy to make and look great on top of cupcakes or cookies, or make a bunch and put them in a bag for a great party favor, or just make them as a yummy treat.  

Here's what you'll need...

• Round candy (like lifesavers)

• Tin foil

• Baking sheet

 

Here's how you make them...

1. On a foil-lined baking sheet, place 3 lifesavers in a triangle shape. Break one of the lifesavers

and place a piece under the triangle to make the shamrocks' stem. Make sure all of the candy is

touching each other or it will not melt together properly.

 

2. Heat your oven to 250 F and bake for 5-8 minutes or until the candy has melted together.

Keep in mind that the candy will melt a little bit more after you have taken it out of the oven.

 

3.  Let them cool.

 

 

Enjoy your Candy Shamrocks!

 

 

 

Thank you HILLTOP CHRISTIAN SCHOOL for sharing this great craft!

 

 

• Check out 'Ways to Save Money' 
• See 'Today's Awesome Deals'
• Please take a minute to read other Happy Green Baby reviews!
• Join our awesome GIVEAWAYS!

  

*When we make small changes every day to lessen our impact on the environment,

we make a difference*

 

HappyGreenBaby.com

 

 

 

 

Related articles

Craft Corner: Valentine's Shiny Heart Card

Pumpkin Facts and Trivia...

Craft Corner: Handprint Mardi Gras Masks

Mardi Gras 2014 is Tuesday, March 4th. Here is a simple craft we found at DLTK Crafts for Kids.  We are making our masks this weekend, so I will update this post with some of our pictures when we are finished.  Have fun!

 

Materials:

• construction paper or card-stock, any color - Mardi Gras Colors are purple, green and gold (See meaning of of colors below)  
• glue
• scissors
• tape
• something to color/decorate with (green and purple markers, sparkle glue, glitter...).
   
• Piece of thin cardboard (we like to use cereal boxes).
   
• 2 drinking straws OR a Paint Stir Stick OR an unsharpened pencil
   
• OPTIONAL:  
  • sequins
  • lace scraps
  • feathers
  • Anything you want to decorate with
     
  
   Instructions:

• Trace hand-print onto construction paper or coloured card-stock.  We prefer yellow -- it's a mardi gras colour and is light enough to decorate.
   
• Trace a second hand-print.  Try to keep your fingers spread about the same as you did the first time.
   
• Cut out both hand-prints.
   
• Overlap the palms of the hand-prints with the fingers facing up the same way and glue.
   
• Glue the whole thing onto a sheet of thin cardboard (cereal box).
   
• Make sure you glue the edges firmly so they don't peel up during play.
   
• After the glue is dry, cut out your mask -- this may require adult assistance.
   
• 
• Cut a circle for eyes in the palm area of each hand.
   
• Decorate your mask however you like -- I actually prefer it with just the hand-prints and maybe a green or purple line of marker or glitter glue around the eyes.  I find if you decorate too much, you lose the fact that it's hands.
   
• If you'd like to practice fine motor skills, encourage the children to draw a border with purple marker all the way around the mask.
   
• If you're using straws, slide one straw into the other one
    
• tape the joint of the two straws.
   
• not all straws are created equally.
   
  • Our straws were sturdy enough to hold the mask without bending (after about 4 hours of heavy duty play, we had to reinforce ours too).
     
  • If yours aren't sturdy, wrap them once all the way up in scotch tape or masking tape before attaching them to the mask.  This will reinforce them.
     
• OPTIONAL:  Tape some feathers to the end of the straw.  We'd used a bendy straw for the top, so could tilt the feather end a bit.
   

 

The Meaning and Origin of Purple, Green, and Gold in Mardi Gras

Purple Represents Justice. Green Represents Faith. Gold Represents Power.

 

• Print friendly version of these instructions.

 

 

Thank you DLTK Crafts for Kids for sharing this great craft!

 Feel free to share you craft pictures on our Facebook page!  

We'd love to see your awesome Mardi Gras Masks!  

 

• Check out 'Ways to Save Money' 
• See 'Today's Awesome Deals'
• Please take a minute to read other Happy Green Baby reviews!
• Join our awesome GIVEAWAYS!

  

*When we make small changes every day to lessen our impact on the environment,

we make a difference*

 

HappyGreenBaby.com

 

 

 

 

Related articles

Craft Corner: Cardboard Tube Polar Bear

Craft Corner: Valentine's Shiny Heart Card

Family Friendly Mardi Gras Ideas

Craft Corner: Valentine's Shiny Heart Card

 

This Shiny Heart Card is not only easy to make, but the kids will love to create the shiny pattern shimmering in the heart!

 

Here's what you'll need:

• Construction paper

• Tin foil

• Q-Tips

• Paint and brush

• Scissors

• Glue

 

Directions:

1. Cut a piece of tin foil as big as you will make the front of your card. Paint it any color you

choose.

2. Before the paint dries, take a Q-Tip and wipe away some of the paint in a neat pattern, or you

can write a message like: "I Love You", "Happy Mother's Day", "Mom", or "Be Mine" for Valentines

Day.  **You will have to use a few Q-tips since they will get saturated with paint after a few strokes

and won't wipe away the paint well.

3. While you're waiting for the paint to dry, cut out the inside and outside of your card. We used

two different colors. You will have to cut a heart shape out of the front, the back stays intact. This

is a good time to write your message inside the card; younger children can draw a picture inside.

4. Once the paint is dry on your foil you will need to sandwich the card. Place the tin foil between

the outside and inside paper, making sure you can see the tin foil through the heart shape. Glue the

tin foil in place and then glue the inside and outside papers together.

 

There you have it - Shiny Heart Card!  This card is really great for any occasion, not just Valentine's Day.  Keep it in mind for Birthday's, Mother's Day or just because.  Have Fun!

 

Thank you HILLTOP CHRISTIAN SCHOOL for sharing this great craft!

 

 

• Check out 'Ways to Save Money' 
• See 'Today's Awesome Deals'
• Please take a minute to read other Happy Green Baby reviews!
• Join our awesome GIVEAWAYS!

  

*When we make small changes every day to lessen our impact on the environment,

we make a difference*

 

HappyGreenBaby.com

 

 

 

 

 

Craft Corner: Cardboard Tube Polar Bear

 

Going crazy with the winter weather and the little one's trapped indoors?  Kids watching too much TV? In honor of International Polar Bear Day coming up (February 27th) try this easy Polar Bear craft to entertain the kids and give the TV a break.  

 

What you'll need:

• 4-inch cardboard tube (**Great way to reuse those cardboard tubes vs. throwing them away!)
• 1 sheet white construction paper  (OR White Paint)
• Black marker (OR Black Paint)
• Pink crayon (OR Pink Paint)
• 2 googly eyes
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• White craft glue

Helpful Tip:

You can use ordinary white copy/printer paper for this instead of construction paper. Construction paper is thicker and not as translucent, so it will cover the dark cardboard tube better. (**WE USED PAINT.  MY GIRLS LOVE IT, AND THE MESS DOESN'T BOTHER ME)  

How to make it:

1. 

   Trim the white construction paper to fit around the cardboard tube. Use a glue stick to cover the cardboard tube with white construction paper. (**You can use white paint.  It only takes a few minutes to dry.)

2. 

   Using the pattern provided cut out paws from white construction paper and color in the paw pads with a black marker.   (**The pattern is below.  However, for older kids they could make their own with paper and a marker.)

3. 

   Use glue stick to attach the paws to the front of the cardboard tube.

4. 

   Color in the nose pattern with black marker and glue it to the cardboard tube. Use a pink crayon to add rosy cheeks. Glue the googly eyes to the bear and use a marker to add a smile and eyebrows.  (**Again paint can be used vs. marker if you are up to it).

   Cut the ears from white construction paper and glue to the inside of the cardboard tube.

There you have it... a cute Polar Bear!  

 

Download Cardboard Tube Polar Bear Template

by Amanda Formaro

 

 

 

 Hope your kids enjoyed the craft!  

Thank you to Spoonful.com for the craft idea.  We love it!

 

 

Learn more about Polar Bears HERE,

and how you can help Polar Bears HERE!  

 

 

 

• Check out 'Ways to Save Money' 
• See 'Today's Awesome Deals'
• Please take a minute to read other Happy Green Baby reviews!
• Join our awesome GIVEAWAYS!

  

*When we make small changes every day to lessen our impact on the environment,

we make a difference*

 

HappyGreenBaby.com

 

 

 

 

Related articles

Fun Holiday Art for Kids...

Valentines Crafts, Kids Valentines Crafts