The 5 Days of Spring Break {day 3. popsicle stick bracelets}

H and I had a great time making these bracelets together.  These are the perfect size for her {she's going on 10}, and if I can find some craft sticks big enough, I'll be making some for me too :)

I've seen some tutorials around to make these using a drinking glass to mold them.  Honestly, it didn't work out so great for me.  One, I don't have drinking glasses that small, or that have straight sides.  Two, I had a problem with them not staying put & popping out.  I really wanted to make these with H, so I set out to find the best way & after a couple attempts, here is what I came up with:

Supplies:

*Wooden craft sticks (we used 6 x 3/4 inch)
*Saucepan & water
*rolling pin
*zip ties that are a few inches longer than your craft sticks
*Strips of paper cut just slightly longer & wider than your craft sticks {it's always easier to cut away excess, then try to line up perfectly}
*Decoupage glue {such as ModPodge}
*Scissors




1. Place your craft sticks in a large sauce pan, cover generously with water.  Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for at least 15-20 minutes {the longer you boil, the softer the sticks become}
Drain, and allow to cool slightly {they cool off rather fast}.



2. I used a rolling pin to mold the initial curve, by wrapping the craft sticks around then letting them go...just made it a little easier to bend them in the next step.

3. Loop around a zip tie & secure on the first notch (biggest loop) possible.  Mold your craft stick into the zip tie, try to overlap the ends just slightly so that the ends curl around too.  Tighten the zip tie.  You want to mold these on the small size.  They will expand when you un-mold & decorate them.

4. Allow to dry over night-24 hours...make sure the are good and dry.











5. Un-mold and decorate.  It's best to follow the directions on your decoupage glue, but here's how I do it: brush a thin layer onto the craft stick; adhere paper, then trim excess; add multiple layers of glue on top using a brush, allowing to dry in-between each; sand lightly if necessary.


**if the bracelets expand a little too much after decoupaging, just slide them back into the zip tie {carefully!} after they are dry to the touch and leave for a few minutes, it doesn't take long to get them back into shape.**

You don't have to stop there, try decorating them other ways :) Instead of decoupage try wrapping with thin ribbon, yarn or string.  Glue all sorts of rhinestones and gems on...or simply color with markers (just don't use washable).  Have fun creating!

The 5 Days of Spring Break {day 2. pinwheels}

Pinwheels are perfect for a sunny spring day...and making your own is as easy as it gets. Simple enough for almost any age, if you can use scissors, you can make a pinwheel. Here's how...  

Gather your supplies.  You will need:

*squares of paper, ours are 6 inch squares

*un-sharpened pencils

*ball head straight pins

*scissors

*paper piercing tool (optional)

*sharpened pencil

*ruler

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1. Draw a line from each corner about 3 inches long toward the center.  Regular weight paper works best for this project.

2. Cut along drawn lines, erase pencil marks.

3. You now have 8 points on your square.  Pierce every other corner {one per section}.  This step is optional, but it makes it just a bit easier when pinning.

4.  Working  with the wrong side {white side} of the paper towards you.  Curl around the first point and stick your straight pin into the first marked corner, from the printed side of the paper. {The head of the pin should show on the printed side}.  Continue with every marked corner, holding the paper on the pin as you go around.

5. Push the pin through the center of the pinwheel and into the eraser of an un-sharpened pencil.  Place the pin in to the eraser near the metal, then push the pin downward until it hits the metal on the opposite side, so that the pin cannot poke through & hurt little fingers :).  Bend the pin slightly so that the pinwheel is parallel with the pencil.

And your done...have fun!

Easter Re-Post {sugar eggs for easter}

For the eggs, you'll need:

1. Mix 1 cup sugar with 1 tsp. water and a few drops of food coloring.  Mix well with your hands until all the sugar is dyed (you can wear gloves for this if you like, but the sugar keeps your hands dye-free).

2. Press sugar firmly into your mold.  I used large, plastic easter eggs.  You can also use egg shaped molds found in the cake decorating or soap making aisle at your craft store.  You can also find them on Etsy.

3. Gently scoop out some of the sugar from the center, making sure you leave a good edge.  You will be able to make the egg thinner in the last step.  Make sure the sugar is still packed into the mold tightly.

4. Carefully turn eggs out onto wax paper (like you are building a sand castle).  Allow to dry for a few hours to overnight (I think overnight is best).

**Each batch of sugar made two of my easter eggs with a little left over...It made one large egg. If you like you can use the leftover sugar to make marbled eggs, by just packing in 2 or 3 colors**

5. When the eggs are comletely dry, use a table knife to clean up edges and scrape out the center of the eggs a little more.

Now we're ready to decorate, for the Royal Icing you need:

1. In a large bowl, with a mixer fixed with a whisk attachment.  Slowly mix together 1/4 cup meringue powder (available in the cake decorating aisle) and 6 Tb. of water.  Scrape down the sides as needed.  When mixed well turn mixer up to high and beat until stiff peaks form.  Add powdered sugar and beat until thick and fluffy.  It should look like this <---. 

2. Add coloring to your icing if you like.  Fit your pastry bags with couplers and decorating tips.  Fill bags with icing.  Royal icing dries very quickly, cover any leftover icing with a damp cloth.

3. Decorate...have fun and be creative :) I added little sugar pearls to mine...there are lots of sprinkles and decorations that would be fun to add.  Allow icing to dry and fill with jelly beans or small candies...Although the eggs may look tasty, I don't recommend eating them :) 

Happy Easter! 

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