Color with me!! I've created a new set of coloring pages full of some of my favorite sea life characters. This is a set that I've been working on for months and I'm so excited about how it turned out!! PS: The whale sharks are my absolute favorite. The set includes 7 different pages that you can print from home on 8.5" x 11" paper. The great thing is that you can print the files over and over again anytime you like! Do you enjoy coloring? Do your kids? Do you color in your classroom or when you have spare time in clubs? I use these mostly in the evenings when I want to force myself to put my phone down and do something creative with my kids. My daughter is my little artist and loves to color and create so it's the perfect activity for the two of us. We don't get many evenings when we're not bombarded with homework, sports, or clubs. Here's a sample of the pages that you'll get in the download: ... [ Read More ]
Step By Step Guide to Painting Rocks
I'm sure by now you've heard about Kindness Rocks and seen some of the fun painted rocks that people are finding around your community. It's a movement that started about a year ago and has spread across the country. People paint rocks, hide them in your local community, and bring a smile to someone's day when they find one hiding. While I'm sure you've seen some amazing and talented artists pictures of painted rocks; painted rocks can be fun for anyone regardless of skill level. If you're wanting to give painted rocks a try here are a few things you'll want to know before you get started. Supplies Needed: Smooth rocks and stones! Any size or shape! I find my rocks at Lowes but you can find them anywhere. Acrylic paint, paint pens, markers, pens, etc. Water based paints work best; just avoid tempera or poster paint. Paint brushes. I like a good nylon bristle brush personally, but you can use whatever you have! Palette or paper plate to mix paints on. Hair ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rock Challenge – November 2017
It's almost November! That means the holiday season is quickly approaching and I'm sure you have a lot of fun ideas for Thanksgiving and Christmas for your painted rocks. Over the next 1-2 weeks I'll be getting a headstart of the December calendar and I'll be posting some smaller holiday themed mini-challenges! These mini-challenges will be holiday specific and will have between 10-20 different ideas. The November challenge isn't overly heavy in Thanksgiving themes since I'll be posting the mini-challenge by the end of the week. As always, these challenges can be completed in any order and at any speed. They are just for fun and to help give you ideas on what to paint. For many of you these challenges help you expand your confidence and try something out of your comfort zone. While I don't always get the entire month painted myself, I love watching all of you and seeing how these themes are interpreted by others. I didn't create a simple version (kid-friendlier version) this month ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rock Challenge – June 2017
Thank you! I am blown away by all the sweet comments and requests for me to keep posting new painted rock challenges each month. Your emails and comments are super sweet. I'd love to see how far this challenge is spreading so please feel free to comment on this post and let me know. If you don't have a group near you and want to join our painted rock challenge group we'd love to have you! Painted Rock Challenge Group on Facebook. You may have seen very little updates from me in May because we were having our kitchen renovated and I had to pack all my paints away. Now that my kitchen is finally finished I can take part of the June challenge along with all of you. ...because it's too beautiful not to share, here is our new kitchen. If you want to see what it looked like the night before demo began or see the behind the scenes pictures during the renovation be sure to follow me on Instagram @BackToCalley. ...but back to rocks! See those cabinets on the back side of the ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rocks – How To Get Started
Have you heard about the newest fad spreading around the US lately? People of all ages are painting rocks and hiding them at parks and other public places around their towns for people to find. I began seeing the fad shortly after Pokemon Go became popular. It was a n0n-electronics version of the game giving kids a chance to get outside and hunt for things. It's also a similar activity as geo-caching but without special coordinates to help you find the hidden treasures. You can find hidden rocks all over your town and you never know when or where the next one will show up. There really aren't many rules, just have fun and be respectful. Here are a few things that will make your rock hunting and finding more enjoyable: Find a rock, hide a rock! Keep the movement going, try not to be "that person" who only collects without giving back. If you find a rock you don't want to keep, rehide it! Even if you didn't bring your own rocks with you, try not to take them all. Keep a few ... [ Read More ]
Sea Shell Picture Frame Tutorial For Kids
We just got back from a week long beach vacation and we may have collected a huge bag full of sea shells, sea glass, and other sea rocks. When we got home we made a quick trip to Michael's to pick up some craft supplies. Picture frames, glue, jewelry cord, ribbon, candles, and jars are all sitting next to our dining room table ready for us to get our craft on! We weren't home for 5 minutes and my daughter (she's my crafty minion) was begging me to make the shell heart frame! The begging continued for almost 24 hours before we actually had time to sit down and work on it. I probably won't be opening an Etsy store anytime soon but we had a lot of fun and will have sweet memories when we look at it. Supplies Needed: Wooden picture frame Miscellaneous paint brushes Acrylic paint (assorted colors) Elmer's Glue Sea Shells Picture from the Beach Directions: Paint the wooden picture frame. You can tell that we had different techniques. I prefer one solid ... [ Read More ]
Passport to Imagination with Michael’s Stores
We're going into week 3 of summer vacation and I have to say, I'm surviving this summer like a boss! Our first week out of school was a family vacation so that was pretty easy. Last week was our first real week at home while I attempt to work AND juggle kids. We spent most of the week at karate since my son was testing for his 1st degree Black Belt this past weekend (he passed - yeah!!). Friday, I scheduled a Passport to Imagination craft class at Michael's for the kids. This summer your kids can spend 2 craft-filled hours at Michael's (without mom nagging them) for only $2. That's just long enough to run to Starbucks, grab a latte, and get a little bit of work done in peace and quiet! As long as your kids are over 5 you can drop them off and don't have to stick around. The kids are safe in a back room with a few Michael's employees and aren't allowed to leave until you get back. It was a pretty full class at our local Michael's and the kids ranged from about 5-13 yrs; ... [ Read More ]
DIY Disney Salt Dough Necklaces #disneyside
Earlier in the week I shared a recipe from our Disney Side @Home Celebration, today I'm sharing with you one of the craft projects we did during our party. Before the party I made up a batch of salt dough necklaces for the guests to paint. I used the Disney cookie cutters we received in our party package from Disney Parks and MomSelect for the project. You could do the entire project during the party but the dough needs to back for 2 hours, which is why I prepped them ahead of time. To make salt dough all you need is 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of salt and about 1/4-1/2 cup of water. Sift the salt and flour together in a small bowl and slowly add water to it until you get the consistency of dough, but not sticky. Once you have your dough the right consistency you can flour your surface and roll the dough to about 1/8-1/4" thick. Then use your cookie cutters to cut the desired shapes. If you are going to be using these like necklaces (or ornaments or key chains) be sure to ... [ Read More ]
Peanut Butter Piggy Bank #freefromtrash
My kids LOVE peanut butter and we go through a lot of it in this house! That leaves us with lots of empty plastic peanut butter jars. They aren't really fond of the fresh stuff and I haven't found a brand in glass that I like. My 3 yr old has a few dollars that daddy gave her last week after their shopping trip and it's just been sitting on her dresser. She plays with it but doesn't really understand that you should keep it safe. Directions to make: I simply cut a slit in the lid (be careful because plastic lids can crack), remove the label, and place a label or sticker on the front. We used our brand new Mabel's Labels from our Back to School Combo kit (more on that later) to personalize the piggy bank with her name. You could fill plastic jars like this with lots of goodies. Can you imagine how organized my sons Lego collection could be with several of these? This post is part of the Upcycled Crafting Challenge (#freefromtrash) that I’m hosting this month. ... [ Read More ]
Wine Bottle Romance #freefromtrash
I have a love for a sweet white wine in the evening after the kids go to bed (and some afternoons when they are extra rowdy). My favorite recently is a Moscato (any brand really). I wrote yesterday about glass jars (and bottles) and how glass NEVER degrades in the landfill. I've been dreaming of a wine bottle project ever since I heard about cutting glass bottles with a piece of string and some acetone (or lighter fluid). You can make vases or drinking glasses once you cut the top off of the glass. After doing a little research I got too scared to actually try it myself. I read that the string method doesn't always give you a smooth finish and that you should really use a glass cutting tool. Instead I too myself back to my college days and decided to get a little romantic with my empty wine bottle and a candle. Simply place a tall candle into a clean wine bottle and watch the magic begin. As the candle burns the wax drips down the candle and onto the bottle creating a ... [ Read More ]