Published 07.02.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (3)
Family Tie Dyed Tees
By Marie LeBaron
We've got our patriotic outfits ready for the 4th, do you? If not, here's something fun to make for the whole family, Tie Dyed Tees. Special thanks to Jacquard Tie Dye products and Hanes.com for sponsoring some of the supplies.
Supplies for Tie Dye T-Shirts :
* tie dye kit - comes with bottles, dye, solution, rubber bands and gloves
* white clothing
* plastic bucket
* plastic covering
* water
* paper towels
What will you Tie Dye: First, you'll need to pick out the garments you want to dye. I chose a shirt for my son and husband and 2 twin skirts for my girls.
And a swimsuit cover for me (although you won't see me modeling this one, sorry!)
Basic directions: The best thing to remember about tie dying is being prepared. Have all your things ready to go before you begin, because you don't want to get that dye on anything else but what you're tie dying. The directions from Jacquard are pretty easy to follow from the kit. We did this outside on our patio table, covered in plastic, and held tight by rocks!!
Get your desired look: To get your desired look, there's different ways to fold, twist, and bunch up your clothes.
* For my girl's skirts, I was going for red stripes like an American flag, so I folded them like an accordion and placed the dye across each fold. I already have tops with stars, so I wanted the bottoms to be the stripes.
* For my cover up, I did blue on top for the "stars" area of a flag and red stripes on the bottom, accordion style like the skirts.
* For my husband's shirt, we went crazy and just mushed it altogether. I wrapped the bands everywhere to make a big ball.
* And for my son, he really wanted his shirt to be swirly. So I pulled the shirt from the belly and started to twist. Then we wrapped rubber bands around it, about 6 down.
My Son's Swirl look!
Applying the dye: Once you're ready for the dye, make sure you're gloves are on so the tips of your fingers don't go purple! Also, this is DYE and will color anything it touches, so make sure you have paper towels on hand just in case.
Now I applied the dye to all the rubber banded areas. I used only blue and red colors. I applied the blue first, making sure to get in the creases, then rinsed off my gloves to get ready to apply the red. Some spots started to mix and turn purple, but I still think I got my desired look.
Letting it set: When all of your desired dye is applied, cover up the area with another plastic piece. It now needs to set for 24 hours, letting the dye do it's magic.
Rinse, wash, and wear: My son could hardly wait the 24 hours that this dye needed to set. Right at 1:00 the next day, he came to me saying it was time! I rinsed each item under water until it rinsed clear. Then popped them into the washer for a good cleaning. We dried them and they were ready to wear!
Our family is set and ready for the day's festivities this 4th of July. We'll be showing off our patriotic colors at the parade, bright and early Saturday morning!
Published 06.25.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (23)
Fourth of July Confetti Popper Rockets
By Brenda Ponnay
Who says you can't have fireworks in the house? With these confetti popper rockets you can blow things up inside without ever catching anything on fire! Explosive, yet completely safe and super fun for kids: That's how I like to celebrate my independence. Get your vacuum cleaners ready cause we're gonna blow this craft up!
I know paper rockets have been made before but this rocket has a trap door in the bottom. When you pull the string, that dangles there ever-so enticingly at kid height, a small compartment opens up and a tiny bucket full of confetti will land on said kid's head. It's great. We tried it and my kid definitely gives this craft a thumbs up.
This craft is fun for many ages. My kid liked it because she got to decorate the rocket and what's not to love about confetti raining down on your head but I think older kids would really enjoy the engineering part of this project. You can get creative with it and maybe have a contest to see who can build the best rocket. Some explode spectacularly, some are a bit of a dud. There are lots of ways you can make these. They also make great decorations for a party!
Here's how you make it:
First you will need to gather your supplies.
Tools you will need:
Now to build it! First you will build the "propulsion system." Of course this rocket isn't really going to take off and fly around the room but the confetti is housed where a normal propulsion system would be so we call it that.
Cut yourself a small square of tissue paper that will be big enough to cover the bottom of your cardboard tube--about three inches across. Cut a small disc out of a sheet of card stock that will fit just within the radius of the cardboard tube. With some glue attach this disc to the center of your tissue paper. Let it dry for a few minutes. Thread about an arm's length of twine onto your craft needle and tie a bead to the end for a not. With this, puncture the center of your disc that is attached to the tissue paper. This is the trap door.
Next you will need to glue this tissue paper trap door to your cardboard tube with a small line of glue around the bottom of the tube. Make sure you attach it with the bead side inside the tube and the string (or fuse) side hanging outside of your tube. You can add a pull tab to your long dangling fuse or just let it hang. We added stars to some of ours. Let this dry and you're done with that part! Now onto decorating!
There are lots of ways you can decorate your rocket but the most important part is to cover the tube with some decorative paper so that you don't see that it used to be a toilet paper roll (or paper towel tube). This decorative sheet (roughly 6.5x4.25 inches big, depending on your tube) also holds your tissue paper trap door on, or at least covers the ruffles of tissue where it is glued to the tube. We attached ribbons to the bottom inside of our decorative covering so that the rockets looked like they were flying--or just pretty and festive.
Roll your paper around the tube and staple at the top for strength. You can't staple the bottom because your tissue paper trap door keeps the stapler from getting inside but I found that a couple of pieces of tape did the trick.
Now you can fill your tube with confetti. We just put in a few handfuls but feel free to load this sucker up. Just think about how much confetti you want to clean up later and act accordingly. I say the more the better but then I'm a bit of a free spirit who doesn't mind a little mess for the sake of some good old fashioned American fun.
Attaching the cone to the top of your rocket can be a bit tedious. It's purely aesthetic so if you opt out of this part that's totally fine. I just really wanted my confetti poppers to really look like old fashioned Fourth of July fire crackers so we made rocket cones.
Here's how you do it:
Cut a circle about 3.25 inches wide across, then cut one snip all the way to the center of the disc like you see above. Take the edges of your cut and pull them together, probably about a half an inch or more. When your cone has reached a desirable height, staple it at the base.
Now for the tricky part: attaching the cone to your rocket. The important thing here is creating a strong holder that you can use to hang your rocket from. Since these rockets will be tugged upon, it's important that the rocket holds together and doesn't come crashing down on your head instead of releasing it's payload of confetti. I found the best way to hang these rockets was to put the weight bearing string through two holes punched in the top of the rocket body. Then I strung the two sides of the string through a center bead (just to keep it centered) and up through the center of the cone so that it came out of the point or top of the cone. The cone itself can't really hold the rocket together so taping it wouldn't work.
An easy way to string the cone is to open up your stapled cut from the inside of your cone and pull your string through the gap. This will take some patience but you can do it!
Here's a super scientific diagram (it's rocket science hee hee!) in case you've gotten confused along the way.
Now you can hang them up and let the festivities begin!
I found that I needed to "prime" some of the rockets to ensure maximum explosiveness. You can do this by simply poking some small holes (or cutting with a sharp blade) around the bottom of the trap door. Just make sure you don't cut it completely out because the ripping sound of that trap door being yanked out is probably the biggest part of the fun.
That and the confetti party you can have afterwards! Woot!
P.S. I wanted to step this craft up a notch by adding those strings that pop with real explosives but I couldn't find any at the time of this writing. If anyone tries this, I'd love to hear how it goes. Of course exercise caution. I don't want anybody really burning down their house!
Published 06.18.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (15)
By Ellen Luckett Baker
Feeling patriotic this year? This Independence Day celebrate our freedom from those British tyrants with some sidewalk chalk!
The fourth of July is always a nice time to be outdoors with friends and family. This is a simple summer project with many possibilities for kids of all ages. We made our chalk with a star-shaped candy mold, but you could make chalk in any shape or color. I think that these would make nice little party favors. My six-year-old pointed out that it might be easier to buy sidewalk chalk at the store -- but with a large container of Plaster of Paris for $5, a mold for $1.99 and paint we had on hand, I think this is a pretty economical project. You could start a chalk factory!
WHAT YOU NEED:
-Plaster of Paris (available at art supply or craft stores)*
-Tempera or acrylic paint
-Plastic or silicone mold
-Containers for mixing
-Mixing utensil (disposable fork or chopstick)
-Water
* I would advise parents to mix the ingredients for this project when the kids aren't around. Please be sure to read and follow the safety precautions for this or any product recommended here.
HOW TO MIX IT:
1. Mix two parts plaster mix to one part liquid. Since I used regular paint (rather than a powdered mixture), I mixed two heaping tablespoons of plaster mix with one level tablespoon of paint then added a dash of water as needed.
2. Stir until all the lumps are gone and your mixture is the consistency of toothpaste.
3. Spoon the mixture into the molds and wipe the edges clean. Tap the mold and poke out any air bubbles that you can see from the bottom.
4. Allow the mixture to dry for several hours, possibly 24-48 hours if using larger molds. Be sure to clean your containers at an outside faucet as you don't want chalk in your pipes!
5. Turn your mold over and gently tap it to release the chalk. Scrape off any messy edges. Go draw on the sidewalk!
Published 06.18.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (3)
No need to read any further. CLEAR ceased operations on June 22. I would be upset about having spent hard earned money on something I gifted my husband yesterday, the day before operations ceased. But, alas, I am sadder about seeing people lose jobs. Good luck to you, CLEAR people.
****************************
Yesterday as I waited to get through airport security I realized there was a completely empty line that was beckoning. It was a Clear lane; it's like a VIP lane that you can use to zip through airport security. And, as I waited and waited in my packed line I leaned over and picked up a brochure for Clear and was struck with an aha! moment. This was the ideal Father's Day gift for my husband, the man who has been flying almost non-stop for the past 3 weeks. He appreciates services over products and this is one service he would love to have, I am sure.
What does Clear do?
When you arrive at participating airports (list below; they are continuously adding them), you look for the Clear express lane at airport security. Once you have your identity verified using your iris or fingerprint, a concierge (even better!) will assist you in getting through security (i.e., getting to the front of the security line). You can even use the card at certain football stadiums.
Which airports accept the Clear card?
Albany, Atlanta, Boston (Terminal A), Cincinnati, Denver, Gulfport-Biloxi, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, JFK (Terminals 1,2,3,4, & 7), LaGuardia (Delta & Central Terminal B), Little Rock, Newark (Terminals B1 & B2), Oakland, Orlando, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Jose, Washington Dulles, Washington Reagan National, Westchester.
Pricing
You can buy a 1-year membership for $199, or try it out for 6 months at a reduced rate of $89. There is also a discounted family plan (though kids under 11 can go through with a Clear card-carrying adult).
And lastly, YES, they have set it up, so that you can gift the Clear card for Father's Day (with a special offer), as well. And, it's perfect because you can sign-up online!
Published 06.11.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (8)
By Cindy Hopper
Here is a great way to recycle a child's artwork into beautiful notebooks in minutes! These notebooks make great gifts or super cool journals to keep kids writing over summer vacation.
You will need spray adhesive, a composition notebook, child's artwork the size of the notebook cover, colored duct tape and a sharp utility knife.
If you don't already have a selection of artwork that you can use have your favorite artist get busy.
Make a color photo copy of the picture. We found copying the artwork gave the journal cover a smooth finish. If you don't mind the waxy feel of the crayons or your picture was made with markers, this step can be omitted.
Spray the back of the picture with spray adhesive.
Place picture on the top of the notebook and then trim around the edge with a knife.
The artwork is trimmed to the edge of the notebook cover.
Place a piece of colored duct tape on the bound edge of the notebook. Allow half of the width for the front and half to wrap around to the back.
Trim edges of the duct tape even with the notebook.
Ta Da!
Published 06.04.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (1)
Father's Day Craft: Golf Cover Buddies
By Marie LeBaron
Does the Dad in your life love to Golf?
Is it "Golf or Go Home" at your house? Then these fun and friendly sock puppets are the perfect cover for Dad's golf clubs this Father's Day.
Supplies for Sock Puppets:
* socks - preferably new socks, any size, these are men's large.
* hot glue gun (for adult use)
* chenille craft wire
* craft foam sheets
* googley eyes
* yarn
* puffy paint - to write a message
* and any extras to make it unique
1- Pick out your style of sock. We chose a gray one and an argyle one. Now hot glue on the googley eyes, just above the sock's toe line.
2- Next, you need to decide what kind of features you want it to have. We've chosen a foam visor, hair, and mini golf club.
3- For the foam visor, cut out a crescent shape out of your craft foam. This one is about 2x3 inches, but measure yours to your sock size.
4- For the hair, cut out 1-2 inch strips of yarn. Glue a strip of hot glue on the mini foam visor underneath, and place them carefully onto the glue. Now glue your visor onto your sock, just above the eyes.
5- For the mini golf club, cut a piece of chenille pipe wire in half. Curl down one side just a little, giving it the shape of a golf club. Then glue it onto the sock, where it's arms would be.
6- We also wrote on our foam visors with white puffy paint. This is available at most craft stores. It writes easily and dries pretty fast.
Now these little golf buddies are ready for the green! Have fun crafting up something fun for Dad!
Other Father's Day Craft Ideas:- Father's Day Craft: Altoid Mini Toolbox
Published 06.02.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (2)
By Torrie of I Pretty Much Hate Everything
I interviewed three of the most outspoken Daddy-Bloggers to get their honest opinions about Father’s Day. What they say might surprise you.
Meet the Dads
Brian Sargent is a stay-at-home dad of three girls in a house with one bathroom. He has a bar of soap, a razor, and a bucket in the corner of his basement that he calls his "special place." Nobody is allowed to talk to him when he's in his "special place." He writes Looky, Daddy! and nothing else because he's a stay-at-home dad of three girls in a house with one bathroom. His kids are 8, 4 and 4.
Danny Evans is the author of Rage Against The Meshugenah (NAL, Aug. 2009), a humorous memoir about his struggle with clinical depression. He also writes DadGoneMad, where for six years he has chronicled his life as a father, a husband, and a dismal failure at many aspects of life. Danny has been a contributor to Men's Health, Details, Good Housekeeping, and numerous national and regional publications. He lives in Southern California with his wife and their two children (ages 6 and 8).
Doug French began his blog Laid-Off Dad after he was laid off from his monolithic employer in May 2003. The layoff was long, demoralizing, and laden with stress and penury, but it also gave him 15 months of hands-on parenting that he’d never trade. Currently biding his time between layoffs, Doug is now a single father and co-founder (with his sons, ages 7 and 4) of the Three French Men. His writing has appeared in blogs as divergent as MamaPop and Blogging Stocks, as well as in the anthologies Things I Learned About My Dad, edited by Heather Armstrong; Sleep Is for the Weak, edited by Rita Arens; and the upcoming Kirtsy Takes a Bow, edited by Laura Mayes.
Tell us about your favorite Father's Day, so far.
Brian The one in which none of my kids roll on the floor in anger. It hasn't happened yet, but here's hoping!
Doug Father’s Days tend to blur into each other, year after year. They’re always a great time, but none really stands out in history. Last year, though, my brother-on-law organized a canoe trip for three generations of men in the family, and it was terrific. A whole day of sun, relaxation, and Farts Without Reproach. I smell a new family tradition. Literally.
Photo by Kimberly*
What do you think is a big misconception or stereotype about what men want to do, or the gifts they want on Father's Day?
Brian I think it's interesting that the spin on Father's Day is different from Mother's Day. For Mother's Day, we reward moms for being moms. We give them thanks and a break from their busy momming duties. Father's Day is, in contrast, a chance for dads to take a break from other things and be with their families. They grill, have a picnic, throw a ball with the kids, stuff like that. Family-oriented stuff. It reflects a very traditional family archetype, one that isn't necessarily as valid today as it was ten or twenty years ago. But most of all, it results in a holiday in which I don't go to a spa, but my wife does. Which sucks.
Danny I know this is going to be an unpopular answer, but all those gifts that Timmy and Sally made at school with markers and dried macaroni and big, squishy gobs of Elmer's glue? Not cool. Kind of lame, actually. The sentiment is perfect -- we WANT to be loved by our kids -- but that love comes through just as well in an iPhone or a pair of tickets to the ballgame.
Doug That we’re okay with being grouped in with “grads.” Seriously. Mother’s Day season is all mothers, all the time. But fathers have to share the spotlight with a bunch of beer-gutted fratboys whose greatest accomplishment is to have made it through the night without vomiting over a balcony. I’ve been a dad, and I’ve been a grad. And even if I pursued three concurrent Ph.D.’s in Particle Physics, Neuropsychology, and The History of Every Meal Ever Eaten by Anybody, being a dad would still be more challenging. And much more rewarding.
Photo by Skip to My Lou
Tell us the best Father's Day gift you've ever received.
Brian When we became parents, my wife and I decided that Father's Day (and Mother's Day) gifts should be something small and heartfelt, but most of all made by the kids, so none of them.
Danny A napkin holder made of two paper plates colored with markers and decorated with glued-on macaroni. (wink, wink)
Doug I’ll go you one better. Here’s the Father’s Day gift I’d like to receive. It looks like a wrapped necktie box, but when I open it there’s only a handwritten note from my boys saying how much they love me. The four-year-old’s is more of a jagged smudge, but I believe his testimony.
Photo by Eleni's Cookies
Describe your perfect Father's Day.
Brian I think it would be really, really awesome to sleep until at least 8 AM. If I could get that, everything else would be cake.
Danny The correct answer is lay on the couch, watch sports, and drink beer. Any man who says otherwise is probably only sporting one ball.
Doug I’m the wrong person to ask about this, because day-to-day hands-on parenting makes me really happy. A couple months ago I stayed with the boys in Mama’s apartment while she left town for a week. Five weekdays of cooking, cleaning, and playgrounding. Picking up and dropping off. Wiping. And it was an absolute blast. So I guess since I can’t do that stuff as much as I’d like, my perfect Father’s Day would include more drudgery.
Do you like to celebrate Father's Day, or do you think it's just another “made up” holiday?
Brian I'll be completely honest. I don't like Father's Day. I mean, I'm not a big fan of holidays to begin with, and I like arbitrary made-up holidays even less, but really, Father's Day? Like what you need when you have a kid is another thing to worry about?
Danny It's a "Hallmark holiday," just like Administrative Professionals' Day, Talk Like a Pirate Day, and Walk Around With No Pants On Day.
Doug We absolutely did when I was married. Parents work damn hard, and every mom and dad deserves at least one day of cheesy sentiment per year. But my focus has changed now that my marriage is over and I don’t live with my boys. Now, every day with the kids is Father’s Day. And I celebrate each one.
Published 05.28.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (38)
Altoid Tin Mini Toolboxes for Father's Day
By Brenda Ponnay
I've been wanting to craft with Altoid tins since forever. Have you ever googled all the things you can make with them? It's mind-blowing. It makes me wonder if Altoid stays in business more for their tins or for their curiously strong mints. I vote for tins. But then I'm not a real big fan of curiously strong mints.
I thought about it and thought about it and decided these tins would make a great caddy for holding collections of little odds and ends. Like screws and nuts and bolts and stuff! Things that dads need. Why not make an Altoid-Tin Nuts and Bolts Screw Organizer! And THEN I thought of making it look like a little red toolbox! I love miniature things with a passion. Give me anything at five percent of its actual size and I will swoon. Seriously.
While I realize that dads might not be into little mini toolboxes as much as I am, I still thought it would be a fun craft to do for Father's Day. Why not? A dad who gets this as a gift could stick it in his big huge honkin' toolbox and every time he lifts that lid to grab a socket wrench or something, it would remind him that somebody loves him enough to make a toolbox out of an Altoid tin just for him. Think of the effort and thought that goes into such a gift! Sure, you could just make a photo magnet and that would work the same, but then what fun would that be for all of us handy-crafter types?
Let's get crackin', shall we?
First off a disclaimer: I realize that this is not exactly a craft that you can do with your small kids. Yes, there will be sharp objects involved and some spray paint too. I recommend that you do this craft with older children (like maybe teenagers or very mature 10-and-ups) and let the little ones stand by and watch. They can add a card later or help you select the nails and screws to put inside. Do not be sad. I have a small-kid---friendly craft at the end of this post. If this is not your cup of tea, skip on ahead.
These are the materials you will need:
These are the tools you will need:
First you will need to gather your Altoid tins. To create the traditional double-decker model you will need two tins. If you want to make a bigger toolbox just add more tins. If the dad in your life is an auto mechanic with one of those really big roll-around style toolboxes then you might want to stack four or five, depending on how much time and work you want to put into this. The single model is still quite cute and functional in my opinion.
After you empty your tins of the Altoid mints, you can disassemble the lid from the bottom if you like, by simply prying open the simple hinges on the back with a flat screwdriver. I tried detaching the lids and leaving them attached and it worked both ways for me. Detaching them gave me better paint coverage but leaving them attached caused less wear and tear on the hinges. So it's up to you.
Next you will need to create the holes that you will use to wire the boxes together (if you are creating multi-drawer toolboxes) and to attach the handle. For the handle holes, use a large construction nail and a hammer to gently tap a hole through the lid. Measure first by scratching a circle through the screw holes of the handle with your large nail. Then tap your holes.
For the smaller holes that you will use to wire the tins together, use a small picture-hanging type nail or brad. It's important that your holes match up, so do this carefully. Make sure that the holes inside the top tin match up with the holes that will go through the lid of the bottom tin. I actually tapped my holes through both tins at the same time and that made it a bit easier.
Now it's time to spray-paint! In a well-ventilated area paint all your tins with a primer coat. Let that dry and then paint with the red. I did two coats. This part is easy enough. Just make sure you let them dry long enough so that you don't create any tacky fingerprints.
After the paint has thoroughly dried, it's time for assembly. Resist the urge to call your kid's father for help. That will completely blow the surprise. You can do this. It's not as hard as it looks. If you need a little help ask for a little foot to help you hold your tool box still. Just be careful not to stab that little foot with your screwdriver.
It doesn't really matter if you wire the tins together first or attach the handle first. The only thing that matters is that you make sure your tins are facing the right direction. You don't want your mini toolbox to open accordion style. For the wiring part you will need to cut a short length of wire, probably three to four inches. Lace it through the holes, twist and then bend your ends down and cut them short. Attach your handle with screws and a screwdriver. Be gentle though because you don't have a lot of room for error. If your screw hole becomes too big, you'll probably be stuck glue-gunning the handle on or just starting over.
And that's it! You now have the world's cutest Altoid-tin mini toolbox! Fill with your bits and bolts of choice and you're done!
So let's say you're not into this whole girl-gets-down-and-dirty-with-manly-man-tools thing, you don't want to use a hammer and a screwdriver and God forbid some wire-cutters and spray paint. Well, do not fret! I have just the craft for you! OR maybe you need a little something-something that the kids can make just for Dad.
Here is a downloadable pdf that you can print out, let the kids color and then use a decoupage sealer (like Mod Podge) to the top of your Altoid tins. Decoupage sealer is the easiest way to affix paper to the top of something metal. It goes on thick and white and can be a little scary but when it dries, it's clear and holds better than contact paper.
If you don't want to color my funky designs then use the plain template and make up your own cover. An old photo, a small rectangle from a map of a favorite place, your kid's art... anything that can be glued down will work for this.
Have fun and give Dad my regards!
Published 05.25.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (6)
Father's Day is Sunday, June 21 this year, or less than a month away. So, it's time to start planning ahead and picking a thoughtful and interesting gift for the dads in your life.
Of course, it's been on our minds as well and we have collected some gift ideas that are tops on our list for this Father's Day. (Yes, we have purchased many of the items ourselves with our own personal dough.)
Awesome Cufflinks
We love cufflinks, especially all the unique and customized ones we've found.
Clockwise from the top left:
* Lego Figures Cufflinks
* Secret Message Cufflinks
* Custom Silhouette Cufflinks
* Vintage Map Cufflinks
The Kindle 2.0
We've tried it and we LOVE it. The Kindle 2 not only qualifies as a splurge as a Mother's Day gift, but for dad too.
Custom Engraved Book or Technology
We featured Engrave Your Book last year (I even ordered a customized Moleskine for my husband). They specialize in translating artwork and images onto hand-crafted leather Moleskine covers and technology like iPods and Mac Computers, through their sister biz Engrave Your Tech .
This gift is so special that we wanted to make sure it wasn't forgotten, especially since they expanded their line and include reusable Moleskine covers as well.
This year we found the iWood which is a maker of wooden covers for the iPod, iPhone and iTouch. This is every shade of awesome as you can add a monogram or personal message via engraving.
Matching Sets of Clothes
We're not into matchy-matchy, particularly when it comes to moms and their daughters or twins, for that matter. But, fathers and sons in identical swim trunks or board shorts look awfully cute.
Almost the entire of Vilebrequin's collection is available in adult and junior sizes, starting as young as six months. However, the adorable doesn't come cheap. Though having bought matching swim trunks for my husband, father and son, I can attest first-hand that the quality is superior.
Now that J.Crew has a junior line with CrewCuts, you can pair father & son board shorts or swim trunks at slightly better prices.
Also, these matching father and son t-shirts are darling.
Best TV Shows on DVD
The past ten years of television have been amazing and I don't know any father who wouldn't love a complete series of a television show that he always wanted to, but didn't have time to watch. Here are some suggestions: The Shield, Mad Men, Dexter, The Wire and Battlestar Galactica. Picking just one is difficult, so we'll leave it up to you since you know your loved ones best!
* Father's Day Card by Storey Shop
More Great Father's Day Gift Ideas:- A sweet father & son book: Every Friday
- Clear Card to zip through airport security (great for last-minute)
- Outdoor movie projector (great for last-minute)
- Father's Day Craft: Origami Card
- Father's Day Craft: Handmade Photo Cube
Published 05.21.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (3)
April Showers bring May Flowers
By Ellen Luckett Baker
School is ending and the long days of summer will soon be upon us. So it's time for craft projects to keep those restless kiddos entertained.
These simple pinwheels can be made for decorations, party favors, or just for fun. We made ours with colored card stock, but you might try cereal boxes, or you could use plain paper and let the kids draw or paint a design. You could put them on skewers and decorate a cake with them, plant them in your garden, or make a garland of pinwheels. You could use sticks from your yard instead of the dowel rods for a natural look. And you could draw faces on the circle to make flower people.
Supplies:
-Card stock
-Jumbo paper clips
-Scissors
-Pliers (helpful, but not necessary)
-Dowel rods, approximately 12" long
-Beads
1. Gather your supplies.
2. Cut card stock according to template: Download file
3. Fold down corners along one side of each flower petal.
4. Unbend a paper clip and slip a bead on it. Bend at the end to secure the bead.
5. Assemble the pinwheel with the circle next, then the pinwheel flower, and finally another bead.
6. Wrap the end of the paper clip tightly around the top of the dowel rod, making sure to bend in sharp points.
Spin and enjoy!
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This is a year-round Holiday column. Kids love Holidays. As parents we have come to appreciate how Holidays seem to help structure our lives. Plus, any excuse to have fun sounds good to us!
We'll admit it, now that we're parents, we secretly look for Holidays to celebrate and between National, Secular, Unofficial and Bizarre Holidays, we think there are enough days out there to keep us inspired every week.
This column will be a place where you can get inspiration for how to enjoy time with your kids. Crafting projects and ideas will be posted on Thursdays by our brilliant contributors (see below). Other fun ideas will be posted here throughout the week as the inspiration hits us!
Ellen Luckett Baker is the author of the long thread, a blog about handmade goods. She has always enjoyed making things, but the flexibility of staying at home with her two daughters along with the creative inspiration they provide has led her to craft on a daily basis. Combining her love of graphic design and sewing, she has created an Etsy shop selling machine embroidery designs and sewing patterns.
Ellen lives in Atlanta with her husband and two young daughters. She holds a B.A. in Art History and a Master's of Public Administration with a focus in Non-Profit Management.
Cindy Hopper was fortunate to be raised in a family who appreciated the arts. This background led to a Bachelor's Degree in Art Education. With a keen eye for design and color, Cindy has continued her love of art and is now passing her creative skills on to her three children. Cindy's family and friends are the beneficiaries of her passion for fun and meaningful creative projects. Cindy's personal blog, Skip to My Lou, has taken her love of a project to new levels. Postings keep the family busy -– from testing new recipes for holiday treats to designing and building floats for a neighborhood parade to making fabric rolls to hold crayons to creating themed parties. Cindy seems to have an unending supply of ideas for gifts, parties and rainy days.
Marie LeBaron is a 30 something stay at home mom in Utah. Before life as a mother, she graduated with a teaching degree in Early Childhood & Elementary Education, after which she taught four years of Kindergarten. After her first child was born, she decided to read books and sing silly songs at home. She misses the classroom, but she now gets to bring the fun and learning into her home and ours. You’ll see her kids a lot in these projects as they are her guinea pigs and for whom she's creative. You can follow more of her projects at her personal blog Make and Takes.
Brenda Ponnay is a stealthy secret agent who juggles parenthood to her adorable daughter by day and freelance graphic design by night. Whether it's painting, baking, drawing, making castles out of card board boxes or just doing the laundry with flair, Brenda Ponnay has finally discovered (at the ripe old age of thirty-six) that what really makes her happy is being creative every single day.
Brenda lives in Southern California with her husband, daughter, three cats and thirty-seven pet birds. You can read about all her crazy adventures on her personal blog: Secret Agent Josephine.
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