Father's Day Craft // Hand-print Sign From 2 Year Old

Hey ya'll!  This adorable, little, hand-print sign is Part 2 (see Part 1 a Father's Day card) of Gavin's Father's Day gift to Jesse this year.  I just LOVE the way that it turned out (besides the obvious thumb problem with the hand-print :-/ , but oh well.  It's still super cute!).  The precious rhyme paired with his darling hand is such a great gift and will end up as a keepsake for years to come I'm sure.

What You'll Need:

White construction paper

Green (or whichever color you'd prefer) finger paint

A scrap piece of wood (never very hard for us to come up with since we run a sawmill and are building our house)

A good black marker (or calligraphy pen if your good at that!)

Twine

Hot glue

A prepared craft area ready for  paint + toddler = MESS! :-) Have Fun!!!

...And one adorable 2-year-old's hand!

How To Make It:
1. Cut out the paper to fit the size that you want it to be on your board
2. Make the hand-print on the paper
3. Have fun using the rest of the paint with your toddler on other projects or just have fun with it while the hand-print is drying
4. Write the rhyme, child's name, and date
5. Neatly glue the paper to the board on the edges
6. Wrap and glue the decorative twine

Have Fun! :-)

What Father's Day crafts have y'all made?

Do you have any other special "hand-print" craft ideas?

See also:

Father's Day Craft // "I Love You This Much" Card

DIY Homemade Playdough Recipe

Father's Day Craft Idea // "I Love You This Much" Card

Hey y'all!  Father's Day is just around the corner and today's craft is so adorable and a really easy last minute gift to make from your toddler.

Here's what you'll need:

2 sheets of construction paper in different colors (we used blue and green)

A pen

Tape

...and a cute, squishy baby hand! :-)

Start by tracing the little hands and then cut them out.

Write on one (the front of the card) "I Love You"

and on the back of the card "Happy Father's Day! Love, (child's name) age and year" so

that you'll know when it was made in the years to come.

Now cut a strip from the other color of paper and write on it "This Much!"

Lastly, tape each side of the strip to each little hand.

That's it!  Now you've got a super cute Father's Day card!

What are some cute toddler crafts that y'all made recently?

Maternity Outfit // Gray Striped Maxi Skirt & Navy Blue

Hey y'all!  As I'm quickly approaching the 3rd trimester, maxi skirts have become a staple for me.  They are just so versatile!  You can wear them stylishly above your baby bump and tuck in your blouse, or comfortably under the bump, like I did here for church last Sunday, which also kinda holds up your heavy belly a bit and feels good on your back!  All of the maxis that I've been wearing throughout this entire pregnancy are actually non-maternity skirts, but because the material is so loose and stretchy they work great.  It's always a plus for me when I can make my normal clothes work without having to buy any new clothes! :-)

The greatest part about this outfit is that the entire thing cost less than $10!!!  As a young pregnant mom on a tight budget, that is a WIN!  I would encourage all of you pregnant moms to search your local "returns" stores for maternity clothes before spending full price on them new.  We have a store near us, where I got this shirt and skirt, that sell new clothing that people returned, were overstock, etc. and the prices are marked waaaaay down for the same clothes you would pay full price for at the mall for example!  It definitely pays off to take your time and find the best deals!

My sister-in-love, Chelsey gave these

sandals to me and I like them very much!  They go with basically

everything and give the outfit a classy look.

// outfit details//

Shirt: Bargain Hunt (for only $2)

Skirt: Bargain Hunt (for only $7)

Sandals: Given to me

Do y'all have any favorite places to buy discount maternity clothing?

What has been your favorite church outfits to wear this summer?

DIY Homemade Playdough Recipe

Hey y'all!  One of Gavin's very favorite things to do is play with playdough! I've tried a bunch of different "homemade playdough recipes", but have never been super pleased with them until this one.  This one has been amazing!  It lasts a long time, feels better then store bought, was sooooo quick and easy to make, and doesn't leave a messy film on your hands or play surface!

What you'll need:

1 Cup Flour

1/4 Cup Salt

1 Cup Water

1 Tbs Oil (we used olive oil)

2 tsp. Cream of Tarter (can be found in the spice section of most grocery stores)

About 4 Drops of Food Coloring (depending on how dark or light you want it)

Optional: A Couple Drops of Essential Oils  (We used peppermint essential oil in the greenish colored batch and ground cinnamon in the reddish colored batch to add a pleasant smell.  I want to try lavender and/or chamomile sometime for a calming playdough.  Just be creative!)

How To Make It:

In a saucepan mix all of the ingredients together using a wooden spoon (the order doesn't matter).  Stir well until mixed thoroughly.  Heat over medium heat and keep stirring the whole time until the "playdough" is one big thick clump.  Remove from heat and knead by hand.  Be careful 'cause it is hot!  Store in an airtight container.  That's it!

When cool, have fun playing!!!

Gavin really enjoyed getting to "help" me

make it and then of course getting to play with it! :-)

Playdough is a great learning toy for toddlers and

a good, quiet, busy, and constructive play activity that we use a lot.

Do y'all have a favorite homemade playdough recipe?

Are there any other DIY toddler "toys" you've made recently?