WednesDiY - Kid Friendly Craft Project: DiY Rainbow Rice

Rainbow rice is the perfect project for a rainy day or just a simple DiY project with the kiddos.  It's inexpensive and fun, and your kids can easily help to create it!

You will need:

white rice (long or short grain)

liquid watercolor paints

rubbing alcohol

I purchased the rice very cheap at the local market.  They have bulk bins where I can scoop as much as I need and pay per pound.

For the paint, we used the Sargent Art Fluorescent Watercolor Magic Set.  I couldn't find any at Michaels, so I ordered it off of Amazon.  If you have a Prime account, it ships for free, or if your order totals $25, it will ship for free too.  It sells out fast because the price is awesome - only about $12 for the set.  You can also pick up this set here for $25.67 shipped with coupon code "ABC5"  That's the cheapest place besides Amazon that I could find.  Now you can see why it sells out fast on Amazon!  ;)

The rubbing alcohol helps the paint to dry quickly.  It's fairly inexpensive at Target or Walmart.  I didn't have any at the time, so I used some witch hazel which still worked well.

Divide the rice into how many colors you will be making (so you don't run out).  Mix one color at a time by putting the plain white rice into a mixing bowl, add the liquid water color paint and about 4 Tbsp of rubbing alcohol.

If the color isn't vibrant enough, just add more paint.  Part of the fun is experimenting!




Repeat this process with the other colors in separate bowls to create the rainbow effect.

Once you finish mixing a color, spread it on a baking sheet (I lined mine with a sheet of waxed paper) so that it can dry completely.  It dries fairly quick - about 30 minutes or less.  The rubbing alcohol will help to speed the process.  You could probably leave the rice in the mixing bowls to dry, but you will need to mix it every once in a while or it will take hours for it to dry.

The kids are amazed by the colors, especially when you arrange it in stripes on the baking sheet to dry - so it looks like a rainbow.  I think I amazed myself too!

Once the magically rainbow rice has dried, it's time to break out the sand toys, kitchen measuring cups and spoons, and a couple baking dishes.  My kids enjoyed burying their toys and turn it into a treasure hunt.  It's also perfect for the little toy bull dozers and dump trucks!

 

And don't worry about the colors mixing together - it's going to happen....just like Play-Doh!  Now sit back and watch your kids play for hours with their new rainbow rice!

**have fun**

Friday's Favorite Five

Every Friday I will post 5 of my favorite things that I've come across.  They may be anything from decor ideas to clothes or unique items on etsy or a must-see website.  Who knows... maybe it will inspire you!

1-  This baby banana bendable training toothbrush is the cutest toothbrush I've ever seen!  It's bendable and soft, made of high quality silicone, and dishwasher/freezer friendly (perfect for teething!).  

2- I love these ceramic owl banks with a vintage flare.  These owls are made to order on etsy by fruitflypie.  This would be perfect for an accent for a pop of color.  The etsy shop is filled with vintage inspired ceramics - owls, frogs, mushrooms, etc.

3- Use coffee filters as wall art.  I came across this idea here.  All you need are coffee filters and flat thumbtacks.  I wish we didn't have plaster walls, so that I could do this!

4- Here's a fun DiY project that is on my TO DO list:  plastic spoon mirror.  I came across this idea from Country Living magazine. We go to the local frozen yogurt place for a sweet treat all the time, and always bring home their (biodegradable) spoons.  Now I have something to use them for.... and I suppose eventually my mirror frame will slowly disappear as it biodegrades!  ;)   I will do a how-to post on this once I complete the project so stay tuned!

5- Now this is the perfect gadget for anyone who prefers to eat corn OFF the cob.  It's a corn kerneler!  I love how the corn kernels are collected inside the ring.  That's so much better than trying to saw them off with a knife and watching the kernels fly everywhere except your plate.  But my kids love to eat the corn on the cob so that saves me a lot of trouble.  

DiY Project: Paper Plate Painter's Palette for Kids

It's a quick and simple project, but your child will be amazed and feel like a super special artist!

My daughter loves to paint, so of course we have to go all out and use a painter's palette!  We made this palette out of some paper plates.  One paper plate was too flimsy, so double up!  I used a sharp scissor to cut the thumb hole and indent.  Add some paint options and you're ready to create!

**You may want to use thick paints, because watery paints will run off easily**

**Let the creativity begin!**

DiY School Project: 100 Days of Kindergarten Poster

Wow, does time fly!  Today is the 100th day of Kindergarten for my daughter.  

As a class project, she had to make a poster with 100 items, grouping them by 10's.  The items could be anything from paper clips to stickers, the possibilities are endless - just no food or candy.  Coming up with the idea of what to use was quite easy, because I've been taking a picture of my daughter every morning since the first day of Kindergarten!  Crazy?  Maybe.... but it's a great way to look back and see how she's growing!

We picked up a poster board at Michael's for less than $1 (don't forget to use the weekly coupon!) and made the title using scrapbooking letters from a kit I found in the dollar section at Target last year.

I used the free Picnik app to edit the pictures and add the day numbers to each picture (so my daughter can put the numbers in order and group them easily).  Then we printed all of the pictures onto HP Photo Paper using the "Contact Sheet" option so that they were small enough to fit on the poster.  This also saves on printer ink and photo paper because you can fit 35 pictures to one 8.5" by 11" paper!

She grouped them by 10's and labeled each group.  To finish it off, I brushed her hands with white acrylic paint and added her handprints to the bottom corners.  Not only was this a fun project, but it's a great way to mark a major milestone.  

*Time flies, so make it memorable!*

Home Decor: Clustered Frames

A simple way to spruce up a wall is with a cluster of frames.  You can find them at garage sales, thrift shops, dollar stores, etc. and spray paint them all one color.  No need to fill the frames, the cluster creates a work of art on it's own!

DiY Project: Sew a Fabric Mail Organizer for the Wall

One of my New Year's Resolution was to be more organized.  My first goal was to eliminate the mail pile that accumulates near the front door.  I was eyeing some wall organizers at The Container Store, but didn't want to pay that much.  So, I dug some fabric out of my closet and winged it!

Inspiration:

The entire organizer measures 14 inches wide by 42 inches in length.  I doubled up the back panel to keep it sturdy.  The small pockets measures 6 inches wide by 9 inches long, and the large pocket measures 12.5 inches wide by 9 inches deep.  

Cut: 4 blocks that measure 9 inches wide by 10 inches long

1 block that measures 13.5 inches wide by 10 inches long

I finished all of the edges off with a serger, but you can simply tuck the edges under.

Grosgrain ribbon is optional but adds a nice touch.  Be sure to sew this on BEFORE you sew the pockets onto the back panel!

Next step is to sew the pocket pieces on.  First sew the side seams, spacing them about 5 3/4 inches apart (for the small pockets).  It will seem like there's a lot of extra fabric in between, but that's OK.

Next, tuck the excess fabric in on the bottom corners, keeping the amount even on both sides.  Sew across the bottom seam.  This will create a gusset, giving you lots of room for all of those bills!  Ha!

For the large pocket, space the side seams about 12 1/4 inches apart. You can also use your mail and magazines as a guide to how large you want your pockets to be.

You can use thumbtacks to hang it up on a wall.  I used nails at the top corners to hang mine on the door.

Happy Organizing!

DiY Project: Crayon Waxed Paper Stained Glass Heart Mobile for Valentine's Day

Here's a fun diy project to do together with your kids for Valentine's Day.  The cut-out hearts are simply crayon shavings melted in between layers of waxed paper.  The colors are beautiful when the sunlight shines through!

The supplies list is very basic and it is quite easy to construct.  Read on to learn the steps to create your own heart mobile...

Here's what you will need:

crayons (red, pink, purple - think Valentine's Day colors)

pencil sharpener

waxed paper

2 paper grocery bags

iron

thread and sewing needle

clothes hanger

ribbon (optional)

Rip a long piece of waxed paper and lay it on top of a paper bag.  Then, use the pencil sharpener to create shavings from the crayons, and spread evenly across half of the waxed paper.

Once you've covered half of the waxed paper sheet, fold the other half overtop of the crayon shavings.  The crayon shavings should be sandwiched in between the two layers of waxed paper.  Crimp the open edges with a 1/2 inch fold to keep the shavings inside.  Cover with the other paper grocery bag and use the iron (set on medium heat) to melt the crayon shavings.  [You will be surprised how cool it looks when you lift the paper bag!]

When the melted crayon has cooled (this happens pretty fast), you can cut out the heart shapes.  

Use a sewing needle to poke a hole through the top of the heart and string the thread through for hanging.

Attach all of the threads to a wire hanger, preferably at varying lengths to make it more interesting.  You can use the hanger as it is, or bend it into a round circle and wrap with ribbon (as shown).

*Hang in the window where the sun will shine and enjoy the view!*