It seems that rock painting is all the rage now. I certainly was ahead of my time and ahead of this craze. I love painting rocks, river rocks are my favorite. Gathering them is a fun family adventure we all look forward to.
Sometimes I know exactly what size and shape rocks I want. This is due to the fact, that I have a specific project in mind. Other times, I try to find rocks that inspire me. You might not think rocks can inspire people, but they can! I see them as a blank canvas and they speak to me…well, some of them do.
I can clearly visualize the masterpiece they can become. Sometimes it is a fish, ladybug or owl, and other times it is a heart. One of my favorite projects was making rock candy corn.
It was so much fun to find the shapes I needed. Since I wanted to make a candy corn family that represented ours, when I found the especially tall and thin triangular river rock, I literally squealed with delight. That rock clearly represented my son Michael, it was so easy to see. I asked my youngest sons, who were gathering rocks with me, and they wholeheartedly agreed. It was definitely Michael, no doubt about it.
All you need is some acrylic craft paint, paint brushes, paint markers for detail painting and ModPodge sealer. If you want you can paint your rocks white on both sides first. It will take at least 2 coats of paint to get nice coverage.
When the tri color rocks are dry, you can then add personality with the paint markers.
Use ModPodge to seal and protect your creations.
Please let me know if you try this project, I would love to hear about your results.
I bought some long sleeve cotton shirts and then visited the craft department for some fabrics. The first shirt I was going to try to make was a turkey for Thanksgiving. I planned to make the turkey body in brown flannel fabric so I bought a yard of that since I also planned to use it for the Christmas shirts, then I picked several other fabrics for feathers. I also purchased some polka dot fabric for the antlers and solid red, yellow, black and green for various accents. Armed with my array of fabrics and some notions like colorful buttons and embroidery thread, I was ready.
I drew my turkey template free hand onto some card stock and cut it out. I thought I would do feet too but did not end up putting feet on the design.
I washed the shirts and all the fabrics prior to sewing anything. After I ironed the fabric I cut the pattern shapes and laid them out how I wanted, then when my design was the way I liked, I secured the fabric pieces with a sewable heat bond. After that it was off to the sewing machine where I sewed around the pieces with an applique stitch. The first shirts were a bit laughable but my little ones thought they were great and with every shirt I got better.
For the Christmas shirts I did the same thing except I made a moose template which honestly ended up looking more like a reindeer but nevertheless is still cute. I was in a rush because we were using them for a picture but would like to add bows on my daughter’s shirt and mine as well. For all the boys I want to add a bow tie.
I made 9 shirts in all (2 turkey shirts and 7 Christmas shirts). It really gave me confidence to make friends with my sewing machine and if I could do this, anyone can. I know they are far from perfect but they are made with love and to me that is what matters the most. If you would like any more specifics please ask.
Thanksgiving will be here next week! I put together some crafts, cookies, treats and fun activities you can do with your family to celebrate! Enjoy!!!
Thanksgiving Place Cards will let you make your guests feel special and are cutomizable with names and photos!!! Click on the picture below for the link. Click HERE to get started!!!
Thanksgiving Paper Chain is a great activity for kids that can start a thankful tradition. Pick a color scheme and personalize the links, then print, cut, and assemble. Click HERE to get started with your chain.
Thanksgiving Fill Ins and More Thanksgiving Party Decor printables, customizable photo prop and more! Click HERE to start!
Timothy Turkey Activity Sheet Download HERE!
Make A Turkey Kid’s Activity Sheet (I love this one!) Download HERE!
First Thanksgiving Educational Crossword For Kids, Download HERE!
Thanksgiving Treats:
Visit Living Locurto for more on these great treats!
More Yummy Ideas!!!
Visit Lucky Boy for these and more delectable Turkey Day Treats!!!
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