For all of you mamas that own a Boon bottle drying rack, here is a clever way to repurpose it. Spring is just around the corner and I have my assortment of seasonal activities displayed in our learning area. This colorful activity is exceptionally beautiful because we still have mountains of snow that stubbornly refuses to leave. I found STEM flower growing activity on amazon. I found it here.
The flowers fit nicely into this boon drying rack.
Step 1:
Find an old doll house. I was able to snag this Fischer Price doll house from a local thrift store. I’ve seen many of these on the Facebook marketplace as well. Next, you want to spray paint the entire house inside and out with an antique white matte finish. (Primer would probably work just as well.) I used 2 cans of spray paint to make sure I covered it well.
Step 2:
After I let the spray paint dry, I added cheap acrylic paint to the details. For example, brown on the roof, floors and porch, brick red for the chimney and some evergreen tones to the windows and a tiny bit of white on the decorative trim, but you can do whatever you like. Another idea is to create a gingerbread house design. That would be adorable.
Step 3:
Once the house is dry, you can add a bit more detail work to the roof and chimney. These can make it look like real snow or define the chimney bricks. using a flat tip paint brush, make downward strokes on each brick. You almost want the brush to be dry, without much paint on it. This is called dry brushing. You want to dry brush the roof in downward strokes so the white will pop out on each shingle.
Step 4:
Let it snow! I used Mod Podge to glue fake snow onto the roof. You can find bags of snow at the craft store. Just glob the glue onto the roof generously and sprinkle the snow. I added some to each level of the house and gables as well. There is even a bit of snow on the porch base and porch roof.
Step 5:
Now that you have the entire house painted, you can apply a clear coat to seal it all in. I used a clear spray paint with a matte finish. You want to make sure it’s a matte finish instead of shiny or glossy. It will give it a softer look.
Step 6:
Deck the halls! This was ridiculously fun. I added fun mini battery operated Christmas lights. I found a small set of vintage looking lights from Fleet Farm. I’ve seen these mini lights at craft stores as well. Then I used an old strand of garland for some greenery by cutting it into mini strips. The garland has wire in it, which makes it easy to bend and manipulate how I want it. I made miniature wreaths by bending it into a circle and adding a bow. I strung garland from the porch roof and twisted it around the railing.
Step 7:
Lastly, you can add Christmas miniatures for extra fun. I found a small Christmas tree and Disney holiday figures to complete my house.
| Old doll house |
| 2 cans of antique white spray paint (Matte Finish) |
| 2 cans of clear spray paint (Matte Finish) |
| Acrylic Paints: Chocolate Brown, Evergreen Green, Brick Red, White |
| Paint Brushes – Make sure you have one with a flat tip |
| Garland – Make sure it’s on wire so it bends |
| Ribbon for making bows |
| Hot glue gun |
| Fake snow |
| Mod Podge |
| String of battery operated lights |
| Holiday Mini Figures – Disney ones seen in picture |
My Son Everett watched the Polar Express for the first time. If you’ve seen the movie, you understand that the bell rings for all who believe in Santa Clause.
I wanted to instill some magic in his young heart, so I attached a bell to some red ribbon and placed it in a small box. At the end of the movie I handed it to him. He didn’t even have to open it, and somehow he intuitively knew what was inside. His eyes lit up as he opened it. My husband Aaron laughed, “mommy’s been waiting her whole life to do that”. I laughed even harder because I knew it was true.
1 Cup Flour
¼ Cup Salt
¾ Cup Boiled Water
1 TSP Cream of Tartar
1 TBSP Vegetable Oil
Red Food Coloring
Peppermint Extract or Essential Oil
We kicked off winter this week by learning about snow. It couldn’t have been a more perfect morning to teach the littles about it; as we watched it fall gracefully from the sky. There is something magical about the first snowfall of the year. I felt just as excited as they were. We read our Usborne book called “What is Snow?” and then worked on a simple snowflake project.
I had so much fun making these, that I want to share it with you. Plus, there was little to no set up time or cost to do this craft and the kids loved practicing their fine motor skills with the scissors! This was a win, win for me.
I’m completely obsessed with this Halloween Haunted House project. I think Everett loves it as much as I do. Yesterday I found him playing with it. He had the ghost standing at the door step repeating, “trick-or-treat”! I plan to pack it up and only take it out each year during the month of October to hopefully build some nostalgia!
We are so excited to have this new addition to our house! It took a ton of sweat equity and a whole lot of love to bring this baby back to life.
We were able to purchase this used Rainbow Playset for a heck of a deal. It was however painted brick red and much of the paint was wasting away. Oh how I wish I would have saved a “before” photo so you could see how much it’s changed.
It took us about 3 days straight of stripping paint, sanding and staining but it was well worth the effort. Now when I look at this playset I can admire all our hard work. Here is how we did it . . .
I’ve been so excited about creating this magical camping themed bedroom for my Son Everett. He is only 1 year, and I’m already collecting everything I need to complete this masterpiece.
We do a lot of camping as a family so some items were easy to come by, such as the sleeping bag and camping chair. Why not let him use these in his room. Let’s camp out!
I want to share all the details on how to create this amazing space. Here is my checklist: Continue reading “Everetts Camping Bedroom”
Let me tell you, I had so much fun making these! I made these fake cookies to stage a room decorated for Christmas at the Linden Mansion in Little Falls, MN. Here’s what you need: A good salt dough recipe (any will work, but I got mine from http://www.allrecipes.com), puff paints, acrylic paint and sprinkles. Get creative, you do not have to do the same style or colors or even the same shapes. Kids love making these too! If i do it again: I’ll be making these as ornaments for the Christmas tree. Just add a hole at the top before you bake.
tristarakow.com 