Make a Valentine's Bookmark ~ Kids Craft

DIY Valentine's Day Bookmark ~ For the Kiddo's!

Valentine's Day is just 9 days away and soon kids will be taking all their little friends Valentines to school. Why not mix things up this year? Instead of buying Valentines this year, why not make them? I have a few projects for Valentine's Day, you can find them at the bottom of this post. How about Valentine's Day Bookmarks? They're easy enough that your kids could make them for their classmates as Valentines! You can even add a photo to them!


All you need is:
An empty cereal/gummy box
2 Colors of Construction Paper (We used red and pink)
Glue
Scissors
Small Photo (optional) 

*Crafty Tip* ~ If you have old bookmarks laying around the house, you can use those instead of the box but you will still need the cardboard for the heart.

Cut a rectangle in the size that you want. (I used a credit card to measure the width and left the length as the size of a normal sized gummy box - 5 1/2 to 6in is a good bookmark size) 

Cut a Heart shape that is a little bit bigger than the width of your bookmark. 

Trace your bookmark shape onto the color of paper you chose. If your bookmark has writing or pictures on both sides and you don't want those pictures to be a part of your finished bookmark then trace the bookmark twice, side by side. Make sure you have a double bookmark drawn onto your paper (Like the photo)

 Trace your heart onto the color of  Paper you chose. It's best to trace it twice. One on each side (trace once, flip it and trace again) so that your colored paper will fit perfectly on both sides of your heart. 

Glue the paper to your templates. Make sure that if you doubled your bookmark color then you need to fold on the center line and glue the bookmark in between the fold to cover the whole rectangle. 

 Glue your heart to the top of your bookmark.

 You can leave it the way it is now and be finished or you can decorate it.

 If you would like to add a photo then all you have to do is cut a small rectangle that covers your photo and fits on your bookmark. 

Cut a small square in the center of your  rectangle and place it over your photo. (You just made a frame)

Glue the photo to your bookmark (acid-free glue works best with pictures) 

Once your photo is glued down, glue the 'frame' over your picture and your DONE!! 

This craft takes all of about 10 or 15 minutes and it helps get kids wanting to read so they can use their new bookmark!  


Other posts you may enjoy!

 Getting Ready for Valentine's Day
 Easy To Make Valentine Rings out of Chocolate Kisses
Valentine's Day Heart Dog Craft



Need a Valentine's gift for that special someone in your life? Or do you want to get your kids a one of a kind Valentine's Gift that they will never forget? Check out what Art Town Gifts has to offer this Valentine's Day! The prices are great and I LOVE the look of the Gold Dipped Roses!

Valentine Cookie Bouquets and Bakery Treats

Gold Dipped Roses

Valentine Gift Basket Towers and Wine Gifts

20% Off Already Reduced Valentine's Day Cards and Party Invitations at Tiny Prints

Join The Treat Card Club - Save More Than 40%

Valentine Bling Rings with a Kiss of Chocolate

This post may contain affiliate links


**DIY Valentine Bling Rings**

While scanning the web looking for Valentine's Day ideas, I ran across this really cute ring on the blog Mom On Time Out that would be super simple to make for any age! The only supplies you'll need is pipe cleaners (red and silver were used but you can use any color you like) and Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses! If anyone else makes these cute little valentine rings, please post pictures, I would love to see how these come out. My Step By Step picture instructions are below.

Items Needed:
(per ring)
2 pipe cleaners
1 Hershey Kiss

Twist the pipe cleaners in to an X

Place the Kiss in the middle of the X



Bend up the ends on the pipe cleaners around the kiss and twist them together.
 Split and bend the 4 ends in half with 2 on each side

 
Make a circle ring shape with the ends.
You can either twist the ends around the ring shape or twist around the top right below the kiss.
(We twisted it around the ring)

YOUR DONE!!!!!
My girls fell asleep before I could get a picture of them with the orange ring so I made their daddy be my hand model for the night! :-) He did so well for a first timer haha

  

I hope to talk to you all in future posts very soon! If you enjoyed this post please share with your friends through. I just made a Facebook Page for my blog, I'm calling it 'The Realm of Freebies, Deals & Fun'. It's kinda new but I'm making sure that it's full of interesting and helpful posts!
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Homemade - Edible Finger Paint

Perfect for Toddlers but Great for any age!

This Homemade Edible Paint can be used as finger paint or regular paint with a brush. It works great either way. It's also very good for toddlers since if they decide to taste the paint, it won't hurt them due to all the safe cooking ingredients. It's very simple to make and only takes about 10 minutes max! I made this for my daughters and they LOVED it. They had so much fun painting lots of pictures this afternoon before bed!!

Here are the directions, I took a few pictures also!!

1. Mix 2 Table-Spoons of Sugar and 1/3 Cup of Flour in a pot.

2. Add 2 Cups of water and Turn up the Heat.

3.Mix together until it starts to get thick.

4. Pour into Different Cups and Add colored drink mixes or Food Coloring until you get the shade you like.

*Mix Well!!*

*Let the paint cool off before you let your little ones stick their hands or brush in!!*

*I used Pre-Made Grape Kool-Aid Powder for the Purple, Tang for Yellow, Pink Lemonade Powder for Pink (my girls had me add some red food coloring later to make it hot pink), Food Coloring for the blue, and I Mixed Tang and Blue Food Coloring for the Green*

View and Purchase the list of supplies with the button below!
You can pick and choose the items you do and do not want to buy.

Here are a few pictures of my girls having fun with their paint!

Loran painting

Jade painting

Going after the paint at the same time :0)

Enjoying playing inside.... For once lol :0)

I hope you enjoyed the step-by-step directions and pictures on how to make Edible Paint for Kids of All Ages.

Interested in viewing more of the Crafts and DIY Projects on My Kind of Introduction? Visit the Crafts and DIY tap above, we have all kinds of cool activities and crafts to keep your kiddos busy for days!!

Written By:
Autumn B with Thru My Eyes Photography @ My Kind Of Introduction

Crock Pot Apple Butter

 

 CROCK POT APPLE BUTTER

 

Living in the south (North Carolina), you have to have alittle taste of the mountians! What better way to taste the Appalachians then to make some Yummy Apple Butter!?

 

Approximately 3 lb. apples
3 cups sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
Dash of salt
3/4 cup water or fresh apple cider

 

Fill Crock-pot 3/4 full with peeled, cored and sliced apples. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Cover and cook on low setting overnight or until the butter is of a thick, spreadable consistency.If apple butter has too much liquid, remove lid and cook on high until thickened. Stir often as butter thickens to prevent scorching.
Store in refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Freeze for longer storage.
Variation: For a less sweet apple butter, substitute 1 cup honey for the sugar.
To can the apple butter, pack into hot jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Recipe found at Cooks.com

Make your own Pre-Sliced Apples that don't go Brown

No-more Brown Sliced Apples

Those packages of pre-sliced apples you can buy at stores are a great healthy snack for lunches and school snacks, but it can get pricy!

Make your own by slicing apples, soak in cold water for 3-5 minutes, then soak in a lemon-lime carbonated soda (such as 7-up or sprite) for 3-5 minutes. Divide into snack size portions and store in Ziploc bags in the fridge. The lemon-lime soda will keep the apples from browning and make them last longer

DIY Shurg Shirt

I found this DIY Shrug Shirt online and I'm so excited about getting some old T-Shirts and making these for me and both my little girls!!! I'll post pictures as soon as I make one!! If you make one PLZ post pictures so I can see them!! :0)

1. Grab a Shirt

2. Cut along the dotted line and cut off neck band.




3. Turn shirt inside out and fold in 1 inch to form the casing

4. Pin and Sew


.5. Pull the ribbon through the casing using a safety pin. Pull tight and tie.

Strawberry Snake

Strawberry Snake!

What you'll need

• SHORTCAKE BISCUITS:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
• 1 cup milk
• STRAWBERRY FILLING:
• 1 quart strawberries
• 4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING:
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• GARNISHES:
• 4 whole strawberries
• Green fruit leather
• Mini chocolate chips or M&M's

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the margarine with a pastry cutter. Or use a vegetable grater to grate the stick into the mixing bowl and let your kids take turns blending the margarine into the dry ingredients with their fingertips. Once the dough is crumbly, slowly stir in the milk.

2. Turn out the dough onto a floured working surface and gently roll or pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick rectangle (it should measure about 6 x 8 inches). For the best results, handle the dough as little as possible.

3. Slice the rectangle into four 1-1/2- x 8-inch strips. Place the strips on an ungreased baking sheet, then let your child mold and curve them into S shapes that resemble snakes. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Transfer the baked shortcakes to a wire rack (a parent's job) and let cool. Carefully slice the cooled shortcakes in half lengthwise or split them with a fork and then set aside.

4. Wash the strawberries and let your kids select four to use for the snakes' heads. Slice the rest of the berries lengthwise into a mixing bowl. Toss with the confectioners' sugar and let stand while you prepare the whipped cream.

5. Combine the whipping cream and confectioners' sugar in a chilled bowl and beat with an electric or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.

6. Just before serving, arrange berries on the bottom half of each shortcake, then cover with the shortcake top. Spread on whipped cream and add a layer of sliced strawberry "scales."

7. For the snakes' heads, cut mouth openings in the tips of the whole berries and place one at the end of each shortcake. Press a pair of mini chocolate chip or M&M's eyes into the sides of each head and add a forked tongue cut from green fruit leather. Serves 4.

Mini Lightning Bug Jars

Outside Summer Fun

Whats more fun than running around outside on a summer night chasing lightning bugs?? Catching them and putting them in jars for safe keeping! Most of the time you would use one of the gallon mason jars... I have a new idea for you. How about Mini Lightning Bug Jars? Easy to hold in small hands and not likely to be dropped when running thru the yard. These can be made by the child, with your help with the knife, or you can make them for your kids yourself. The choice is yours!!!!!!

All you need is :

• Baby Food Jars
• Knife (Adult help/supervision is needed for putting the holes in the lid with knife.)
• Permanent Markers *I used black and orange for stars and fireflies*(optional)
• Stickers (optional)

Instructions :

Step 1 -->  Make sure the jars are clean and dry.

Step 2 -->  Get an adult to poke holes in the top of the lid so the lightening bugs can breath.

**If you would like then your jar is finished. Or you can go on to Step 3**

Step 3 -->  Write your name on your jar if you would like and decorate with stickers or draw fireflies with black and orange markers.

**Our Finished Lightning Bug Jars!!!!**