Gumball Machine Candy Dish

Valentine’s Day is almost here and if you are still looking for a cute gift that is pretty simple to make look no further.

I remember making these one year when I was growing up and they couldn’t be easier. So this year I decided to have my 5 year old help me make one for her teacher for Valentine’s Day.

There are so many variations for this craft so change it up to fit your needs. What you need to make this is a terracotta pot and saucer, glass candle holder, wood knob for the top, wood wheel for the front, paint, and paint brush. I have been able to pick all of this up at the local walmart so don’t be worried about finding what you need. I have also used the candle holders with the scalloped tops and they work just fine, this time I decided to try something different.

Once you get all your supplies paint the pot, saucer, knob, and wheel all the color of your choice. I picked red because it went with Valentine’s Day and because it reminds me of the red gumball machines.

Make sure you give the paint plenty of time to dry. Mine sat for a couple of hours. Then you need to glue the knob to the bottom of the saucer to make the lid. Then flip the pot upside down and glue the candle holder to the top of that. Finally glue the wheel to the front to look like the place where the gumball drops out once you pay your money.

Now in the past I have used hot glue to glue this together and for some reason it just doesn’t stick well. So this time I used Weldbond and it seems to have done the job. What ever glue you use make sure that it has time to dry.

Once everything is dry fill it with candy and tie a ribbon around the middle. We filled ours with Hershey Hugs and Kisses again to go along with the Valentine’s theme. Hope you have fun crafting and have an extra special Valentine’s Day.

Peeps S’mores

I know it is the day after Easter but I just had to share this. I made these cute little packets for all of the kids in my daughters preschool class. I thought it was such a cute way to use Peeps, which I am not a huge fan of.

I stuffed bags with a peep, 2 graham cracker halves and a mini Hershey’s bar. Just enough to make one Peeps S’mores.

Then I printed of labels with the directions for how to make the Peeps S’mores in the microwave and sealed the bag closed. I think that all the kids loved them and they were a cute Easter gift.

Below is an attachment for the labels that I used. They Print on 3 1/3” x 4” label size.

Peeps Smores labels

Squeeze Santa’s Cheeks for a Kiss . . .

As I was digging through a box of ornaments I discovered a bunch of older ornaments that I had gotten over the years from family members. I found one in particular that my grandma had made me that was a Santa. Attached to him was a tag that read “If you squeeze my cheeks I’ll give you a Kiss. . .” Once you squeeze Santa’s cheeks his mouth opens up to reveal a Hershey’s Kiss.

I thought that this was a super cute idea and so after looking mine over I figured out how to make them. Now I am in a hurry to get enough made for my daughter’s preschool class. She is super excited to hand then out at school. They don’t require much and they go together with out much of a headache.

First you need the plastic canvas. I was super surprised to find it at the only store in town, the local Wal-Mart. Once you have the plastic canvas you need to have 3 squares that are 10 by 10.

Start by taking one of your 10 by 10 squares and using white yarn stitch diagonally from top to bottom. I also leave a pretty long tail at the beginning so that I can use that later to stitch the pieces together. When you are done the front and the back should look the same. Side note: I used a tapestry needle so that the yarn was easier to get through the holes.

Put that piece to the side and now we are going to work on the back of Santa’s head. To do this you will again use white yarn and stitch diagonal over half of the plastic canvas. Since you are working diagonally you will get a zig zag pattern

Next get some red yarn and stitch across the top of the white in the opposite direction. Again I left a long tail once I was done so that I could use it to stitch the pieces together.

Now it is time to work on the final piece, Santa’s face. First I start off with white and stitch 3 high along the bottom of the square.

Then using some flesh colored or tan yarn stitch along the middle.

Next use red yarn and stitch along the top for his hat. After I got done with the hat I run my yarn under the back and do the mouth and nose before finishing off my thread.

Now for the eyes. A little bit of black yarn for the eyes.

To do the puff on the top of Santa’s hat I just made two stitches that I didn’t pull all the way tight. After they were secured I then messed with them a tried to pull the yarn apart a bit.

So now you should have three pieces that like like the ones above. Now comes the fun part, stitching them together.

I start with the red part of the hat. Place the back and front of Santa’s head wrong sides together and using the tail you left out begin stitching them together. Once you get all the way around weave your yarn under on the wrong side and secure.

Now it is time to start stitching on the bottom of Santa’s head. Using the tail that you left stitch the back of Santa’s head to the all white piece. Make sure you only stitch those two pieces together and not stitching the front together.

So that you don’t have rough edges from the plastic canvas finish the mouth off by stitching around the edges. Make sure you don’t stitch these together or else you won’t be able to open Santa’s mouth. Once your done run your yarn under the wrong side and secure.

Now that your done, all you have to do is stuff with Kisses and squeeze Santa’s cheeks for a Kiss!

Below is the printable tags to attach to the top of Santa’s head. Happy crafting!

Squeeze Santa’s cheeks Tag

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

Every year when Christmas rolls around I like to make something homemade to give to those special people in our lives. Teachers, co-workers, or friends. This is a great homemade gift that is fun to make, fun to give, and fun to enjoy.

I make up the cocoa following the recipe below. Then I fill up mason jars with the cocoa. Find some cute Christmas fabric or the one I found had cute Candy Canes on it which I thought was fitting since the cocoa has crushed up candy canes in it. Attach a tag and there you go you have a cute handmade gift.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

~ 3 cups powdered sugar

~ 1 cup non-fat dry milk

~ 2 cups instant hot chocolate

~ 6 candy canes, finely crushed

Unwrap your candy canes and place in a freezer bag. Take a hammer and gently crush up your candy canes. In a large bowl add the powdered sugar, non-fat dry milk, hot chocolate, and crushed candy canes. Mix well then add to an air tight container to store.

To make Peppermint Hot Cocoa just add 6 teaspoons to 1 cup of hot water. Stir to combine and then enjoy.

Click Below to Print Recipe

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

Peppermint Cocoa Tags

Ribbon Storage

Any one who does any kind of crafting has a few spools of ribbon. They tend to be a pain to store and keep track of. That is why I loved this idea that my friend over at I Think I can Moms had.

She took a pretty inexpensive plastic bin and used a dowel to make a ribbon holder. Then end result is quite handy and keeps all your ribbon in one easy place!

First you need to get a plastic bin that has holes around the outside and a 1/4 inch dowel rod. I got both of these things at the local Walmart (they only place in town to shop). I then cut the dowel in half. Then just insert the dowel through one side of the bin, place your ribbon on the dowel, and then insert the dowel through the other side of the bin.

Slip your ribbon through the holes in the bin and then when you need to use the ribbon just pull out the desired amount and cut! Keeps things in order and all in one place.

Mason Jar Lanterns

I don’t know what has gotten into me lately but I have been feeling a bit crafty. I saw the cutest Mason Jar Lanterns over at Our Best Bites and immediately wanted to give them a try. So one afternoon while the kids were down for their naps I started working on them. I had never used Mod Podge before but it was super simple to use and and had a lot of fun!

Mason Jar Lanterns

~ Mason Jars, any size

~ Tissue paper, any color

~ Mod Podge

~ paint brush

~ glue

~ ribbon or paint for the tops

1. Cut your tissue paper into strips about 1 to 2 inches thick and long enough to cover the side of the mason jar. Brush a thin layer of mod podge onto the glass jar and stick a strip of tissue to it. Then brush with more mod podge sealing it onto the jar. Work one strip at a time until the whole jar is covered. Place your jars upside down to dry.

2. While your jars are drying cut out faces from black paper and once the jars are dry glue onto the jar with a glue stick. Here are some templates for the faces. Faces 1, Faces 2, Faces 3 Be creative!

3. Once your faces are on you can either paint the rims green or black or you can glue ribbon around the rim. Once they are done you can use lights or candles inside them to illuminate. Caution, if you use candles the jars will get very hot.

Halloween Wreath

Since I left my job as a teacher to stay at home with my two small children I have missed some of the fun holiday things that happened around school. For each holiday or month I would decorate my room for the occasion. Sometimes it would be just a few things and depending on the holiday it would be a bit more. I also miss the fun activities and crafts that went along with it.

Once I saw this lovely tutorial on how to make a Tulle Wreath over at Our Best Bites I just knew I would give it a try. Since I don’t have a lot of time with swim season going on it looked simple enough to pull together.

I cut the tulle and tied it around a 8 inch foam wreath while watching TV one night. Today while catching up on some DVR during nap time I decorated the rest of the wreath. I think it turned out super cute and very festive for the upcoming Halloween Holiday!

The other fun thing about this is you can make a wreath for any season, holiday, or occasion by switching up your color scheme. The possibilities are endless. Have fun crafting!

Supplies

~ 8” wreath forms

~ 2 spools of Tulle (50 yards each)

~ ribbon, flowers, or anything else you wish to decorate with

1. Figure out how long you want your strips of tulle to be and then cut multiple strips at that length.

2. Tie the pieces of tulle around your wreath using whatever knot you wish. As you finish the knots push them together to the desired coverage.

3. Decorate your wreath with bows, flowers, ribbon, etc.