crafts with kids Archives

Mosaic Corn Art with Kids!

November 16, 2016 By Taylor 3 Comments

Today I have a super fun Thanksgiving craft to share with you guys. I can hardy believe that I am typing the word “Thanksgiving”! It’s still back-to-school time in my head. I guess I need to catch up… and this craft will help :) I found this kids craft for Mosaic Corn Art on the Imperial Sugar website and fell in love! I remember doing something similar when I was little… it’s a little old school and a little modern. If you had everything ready ahead of time this could be something fun to have on the kids table on Thanksgiving Day. Imperial Sugar has a ton of kid crafts and recipes on their site and the best part is they are organized by holiday (look at how many Thanksgiving crafts they have!). We made the Salt Dough Leaves a few years ago and I’m thinking about trying the Glitter Leaf Votive Holders next!

For this craft you need:

-gel food coloring
-popcorn kernels
-white vinegar
-sugar
-flour
-water
-cardstock

My kids loved this project because it was almost three different mini projects in one. First, you make the sugar paste (that will be your glue for the final project).

Mix the following ingredients together in a mixing bowl:

1 cup flour, 3 tablespoons Imperial Granulated Sugar, 1 cup cold water and 1 cup boiling water.

Mix until smooth, bring to room temp, then store in an air-tight container.

Second… time to dye the popcorn kernels, which also happens to be our personal favorite. My kids LOVED doing this for some reason. Actually I did too haha. We used clear plastic cups for this step which I think made it even more fun. Add 1/2 cup water and 1 tbsp white vinegar to some small cups. My two year old measured all the water and my 5 year old got to do the vinegar :)

Next add a few drops of gel food coloring to each cup. They gel is really fun to watch… we had clapping and shrieking! Then add 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels to the cups. Let them sit for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

The next morning I took the kernels out and placed them on a pan to dry, that also takes a few hours.

After they were completely dry I got some cardstock and the kids started planning. I showed them the original Mosaic design that I saw on the Imperial Sugar website but they went rogue haha. I put some sugar paste in a baggie and trimmed the end to make it easier to handle. You could also use a paintbrush to apply the sugar paste.

We had a sun, dots, stripes and an abstract scene. After we finished we had some colorful kernels left over and now I’m thinking about placards for the Thanksgiving Day Table??

Imperial is having a Holiday Baking kit contest so check that out HERE! And be sure to also visit them for so many more Thanksgiving crafts, recipes and even printables! Check them out HERE.

Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn

October 20, 2015 By Taylor 1 Comment

It’s finally fall! My favorite season full of pumpkins and parties and costumes and crafting! Today I have the pleasure of sharing a tutorial from Imperial Sugar, Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn in Stuffed Paper Pumpkins! It’s fun, kid friendly and delicious. Imperial Sugar has a ton of fun edible Halloween crafts to make with your kids so check them out HERE. As usual, my boys did most of this project alone, I just was the supervisor ;)

We made the homemade Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn together in the kitchen then we decorated pumpkin faces and stitched them up. These would make a fun gift but we just kept them for ourselves!

Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil (or canola)
2/3 cup popcorn kernels
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoons Imperial Sugar Cinnamon Sugar Shaker (this wasn’t available at my grocery store yet so I mixed my own but I’m excited to find the shaker!)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Directions for the Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn:

1. Add the coconut oil and three popcorn kernels to a large pot with a tight fitting lid. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until all kernels pop. Take the three kernels out of the pot.

2. Add the rest of the popcorn kernels. Cover and take the pot off of the heat. Wait 30 seconds. Put the pot back on the heat.

3. Cook, shaking the pot occasionally until the popping slows down. After about 2 minutes, take the lid off of the pot. This lets the steam out and keeps the popcorn crisp.

4. While the popcorn is popping, melt the butter.

5. Pour over the popcorn and sprinkle with salt and cinnamon sugar. Toss until completely coated. You could also do this in a large paper bag. Let cinnamon popcorn cool completely.

Supplies for Treat Bags:

Colored yarn or string
Hole punch
Heavier weight brown craft paper, colored paper or white paper (we used orange cardstock)
Scissors
Colors, markers or colored pencils (optional)

Directions for Treat Bags:

Print out the Pumpkin and Apple Stuffed Paper Bag Patterns. You can print directly onto brown craft paper or you could use colored paper, or white paper that you hand color. Choose a heavier weight paper if your printer will allow it, as super thin paper will tear when stitching up the sides. We used orange cardstock then decorated them like jack-o-lanterns.
Cut out the pattern. Use a hole punch to punch holes where indicated.

Remaining Directions:
While popcorn is cooling, begin stitching up your paper patterns. Using colored yarn, stitch the front and back pieces together. Tie a knot in both ends of the yarn to keep it from coming loose. We started from one side (at the bottom) then went around to the other side across the top then stopped.

Leave the bottom part of the pattern open. Before sewing it entirely closed, fill with Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn.

Once it is full, stitch up the bottom of the stuffed paper bag and tie off ends of yarn. Cut off any excess yarn. Now you have a fun treat to take to your party, give to a friend or eat!

When ready to eat, just tear the stuffed paper bag open and enjoy.

This post was sponsored by Imperial Sugar but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Salt Dough Napkin Holders

November 18, 2014 By Taylor 3 Comments

It’s almost Thanksgiving here in the States so that means it’s time to fill your calendars with family, food and crafts :) These adorable Salt Dough Napkin Holders are not only a pretty way to set the table but also super fun to make! My boys are only 3 and 5 and they did almost everything here. I found the salt dough “recipe” at Imperial Sugar. They have a whole section of their site dedicated to holiday crafting and baking with your kids, not to mention a million great recipes. They also have free coloring and activity sheets for your kids to do over the break!

Ingredients:

2 cups salt
1 cup water, divided
1 cup cornstarch
Tin foil covered baking sheet
Red, yellow and orange food coloring
Leaf shaped cookie cutter

Directions:

Stir salt into 1/2 cup of water in a medium saucepan. The boys LOVE measuring so this craft is right up their alley! Cook over medium-low heat until hot then remove from heat.

In a bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 cup of water with the cornstarch until smooth.

Add the cornstarch mixture to the salt mixture. Return the saucepan to the stove and cook, stirring constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens into the consistency of stiff mashed potatoes.

Turn mixture out onto a glass plate and cover with a damp towel.

Allow to cool, then divide dough into 3 equal parts. Add red food coloring to one, yellow to the second and orange (often a combination of red and yellow) to the third batch.

Flatten the dough with a rolling pin or with your hands. Use the leaf cookie cutter to cut out multiple shapes.

Bake the leaves on a tin foil lined baking sheet at 250 degrees for 2-3 hours until completely hard.

Let cool, then attach to cloth napkins with ribbon, twine, or tulle.

The boys and I had so much fun making these!! They even helped me set the table for our Friendsgiving that we are having this week. It will be a cute little favor to take home too! Hope you all have a fun and safe Thanksgiving!

This post was sponsored by Imperial Sugar, all thought and opinion are my own.

Halloween Crayon Bats

September 29, 2011 By Taylor 5 Comments

Are you in the Halloween spirit yet? Me either, could be because it is still in the high 90’s here in Texas. I usually look forward to October 1st because that is when I break out the Halloween Decor. I keep forgetting that is in one day…. It literally feels like the middle of summer :(

In hopes of feeling fall-ish, I turned to my trusty craft supplies. I remember doing this craft when I was little and making “stained glass”. Martha makes Valentines Hearts this way too. But today friends we are making Bats, or according to my 2 yr old son- “Batmans”. This is a great craft to do with the kids, actually- if my “active, just turned two, independent boy” can do it, then your dog can probably help you.

Supplies:

old crayons

wax paper

scissors

iron

paper towels

(I would like to tell you that this is just my craft iron and I have another one for clothes but this is just my craft iron… I don’t iron clothes for real life)

Break your crayons and remove the wrappers. This is the best job for kids, who doesn’t love to break stuff?

Use the scissors and make shavings from the crayons. Place the shavings on a piece of wax paper. Let the kids arrange the shavings and pick the colors. Then cover it with another piece of wax paper.

Make sure to use 2-3 paper towels under the wax paper and over it. The shavings kind of seeped through and I wouldn’t want your iron to look like mine. Melt the crayons for a few seconds.

Here is what we came up with:

Use the Taylor Made Bat Template found HERE and cut out a few bats from the paper.

You can hang them as is or make them fly. Use Bamboo skewers, fold the bat in half down the middle, then push the skewer through the ends of the wings.

Use thread or fishing line to hang them.

Spooky Batman. Have you decorated for Halloween yet? And please give me some fall-ish details :)

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