Young Toddler Distraction- from the Dollar Store

Thanks for all of your great input last week! I loved reading all the comments! I have the perfect old purse for PB to use and I'm gathering up old keys and credit cards. That is still a work in progress. I think that would be great to take to church. She has started to try to go through other people's bags when she is thwarted by the zipper on mine.

I did finish up a basket of things that I collected. Your comments really inspired me to look at her daily activities and what she loves to do which are:

1. Make a mess
2. Pretend (or for real) write. She carries anything pen-like around the house with books or pads of paper and pretends to write. I call her my little reporter.
3. Shake and throw things
4. Take lids off of containers

So I made the activities accordingly. So I got all of the things at the Dollar Store. I spent $9 and I used a bunch of stuff from around the house- especially the recycling bin. Here is what I bought:

• Balloons
• Cheap Playdough
• Puff balls
• Counting foam cubes 
• a coloring book
• A "glow slate" (see picture)
• Cheap crayons
• Colorful mini popsicle sticks
• A bin to put it all in 

Here is what I made with them:

For her mess making spirit. I cut up scrap fabric into "wipies" and put the puffs and squares in there too. One of her favorite things is to pull all the wipies out of the container.

For my little reporter. I cut the top off of the glow slate and hot glued a ribbon with the pen attached. I got the cheap crayons because they are less likely to write on things that are not the coloring book.

I took the cheap playdough and stuffed two of the little containers worth into a balloon. I put another balloon over that and tied them off. The can stack the containers or take the lids off and throw the playdough 

My grandma gave me the container for the popsicle sticks. It is a Crystal Light packet container. She kept one at her house filled with old fashion clothes pins. I used a small water bottle and filled it with glitter, beads, and rhinestones. I hot glued the top on. It took a lot of hot glue because I didn't get it on right.

Tonight PB gets to play with her basket for the first time. I am in charge of an activity tonight where I need her very occupied. I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks again for all of your comments last week!

$2 Doily Window Display

We're so excited about all the great crafts being shared at our very first Wayward Weekend! It's not too late to join in!


Valentine's Day is coming and this year I want to throw a party. I thought I'd see what I could make using supplies from Dollar Tree. I got two packs of doilies and went to work.

Supplies:

Foam board

Clear plastic string

Doilies

Tape

Tools:

Box cutter

I started by cutting a piece of form board about 4 inches wide by 30 inches. 

Next I laid out the doilies on the floor the way I wanted them to look:

Then I took the clear plastic string (jewelry making supplies) and measured out equal lengths for the first layer. I taped them to the board and to the doily. When I tried them out, I noticed that I needed to back the red ones (they are only colored on one side). I repeated the same thing for the second layer. I decided on only two for tonight. I might add more later.

The final product looks pretty good in my window! 

$2 Ribbon Christmas Card Holder

I was inspired by Pinterest, yet again. I found this pin and knew what I wanted to make this week.

Materials:
Ribbon (From Dollar Tree)
Clothes pins (Mine are from Dollar Tree)
Paint

Tools:
Glue gun
Paint brush

First, paint your clothes pins. I used regular sized ones, but mini would be cute too.

Don’t forget to get all the crevices, you don’t want to see any wood tone.

Measure whereabouts you want each pin and then hot glue them in place. I used a card as a guide.

The finished product hangs over a door nicely.. This was my third attempt at taking a picture of it. It’s in my front entry way and there isn’t a lot of space, so I opened the door to take a picture. It was freezing and 10pm, so I’m happy I got a good one. Thanks Light Scoop. (I did not get paid to say that, my husband got me one for my birthday and I like it)

How do you display your Christmas cards?