Magnetic picture clips

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll preface this post by saying I actually didn't do this craft with my daughter. It was the activity from our moms group at church this week, but I still thought it was really cute and creative! I'll eventually use this method, possibly in a different theme, with my daughter. I've seen some other really cute similar ideas online as well!


You will need:

• Foam cut-outs (pre-cut, or cut out yourself), preferably with a sticky back (if not, glue works just fine!)
• Ribbon (optional)
  
• Permanent fine-tip markers (optional)
• Glue stick (a hot glue gun may hold better, though)
• Clothespin
• Peel-n-stick magnets
  

Assemble the shapes in whatever design you like. Add ribbon and/or decorate with markers. Please ignore that this one is a bit crooked. I was being chatty at the time and wasn't paying attention. :)


Attach with glue stick or hot glue gun to a clothespin. (Obviously, take caution when using a hot glue gun... it's not as kid-friendly as a glue stick!)


Attach a magnet or two to the back of the clothespin. The peel-n-stick magnets that come in a roll work great, but regular, cheap magnets are fine, too. I had a college professor who said she always saved whatever cheap, freebie magnets she had (you know, like you get in the mail, pick up at fairs, etc.), and would cut them up to use for projects like this. It works perfectly, and what a great way to reuse something you'd ordinarily trash!


The finished products! They are ready slap on your fridge and hold your current favorite pictures, while still looking festive! This would be a fun addition to any holiday pictures we all send to grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. :)

Valentine's Fish

What can you do on days when the view from your back window looks like this?

Break out a craft, of course!

My two-year-old was very excited when I announced that we were going to do a "project." She had no clue what a project was, but she knew it sounded fun! With Valentine's Day coming up, I had decided I wanted to have her make something cute and holiday-ish for some relatives. Thankfully, I had already prepared this ahead of time, and that makes the actual craft time SO much easier when you are working with a young child!


You will need:
One large construction paper heart (fish body)
One medium construction paper heart (fish tail)
Three smaller construction paper hearts (fish fins)
One itty-bitty construction paper heart (fish lips)
One wiggly eye (optional -- you can have your child draw an eye if you don't have these)
Glue

The colors don't really matter, but I did keep the lips hearts either pink or red. I used pink, red, purple, and lilac for the rest of the fish.


Glue the medium-sized heart onto the top of the large heart.


This is the fish's tail.


Glue the three small hearts on the large heart to look like "fins."


This was my girl's first experience with glue. She liked it. A lot. As in, she would swat my hands away if I came near the glue to try and help her.


Everything cleans up, though. No big deal!


Glue the itty-bitty heart onto the large heart for "lips." You'll want the bottom points of these hearts to come together, so the lips stick out. Also glue on a wiggly eye, or have your child draw one instead.


This is what it looks like when it's finished!


We made a few more. I love how they are all different!


I can't decide which one to keep for myself.


Maybe this guy. He's just too cute. :)