DIY: Makeovers

Though I'm not doing the "Summer Diary" series this year, I am taking every advantage of breaks between packing & moving to come up with something fun to do with the girls. Today I let my girls go wild with my makeup. More specifically, we gave each other makeovers. The picture at the top is "Before" & "After" the 10 year old attacked my face. As she was applying the makeup, Zoey asked me, "Mom? Do you think zombies are pretty?" 

Then, to keep the fun going, I decided to draw faces on some plain white paper with a permanent black artist marker. A sharpie will work just as well too. As I sketched, the girls had many requests: 

"Give mine freckles!" 

"Can that one have a double chin?"

"Zig-zag hair, please."

The girls spent a couple hours playing the part of makeup artist.

And they made a fine fun mess!

♥

DIY: Talking Cans

One of my favorite things is to remember the fun from my childhood & then share that with my own kids. Do you remember making a telephone with cans? I sure do. It was actually Zoey's idea to make these & we had so much fun!

The how-to is so simple:

Hammer some holes in 2 cans. (Use large nails or a screwdriver to make the holes.)

Thread some string or yarn through the holes. (We used a large knitting sewing needle to help with that step.)

Tie a knot. (Or 3.)

Pull taut & talk.

Of course you could paint the cans or decorate them with stickers & such. 

But we kept it simple.

We experimented with different lengths & ended up with a string that reached about 28 feet long.

This simple toy has kept my girls entertained for hours.

And no roaming fees? Bonus.

♥

DIY: Mini Memory Matching Game

As I'm packing up boxes, getting ready for the upcoming move (in 3 weeks!), it's giving me a chance to downsize/purge/donate/trash a lot of things. I'd like to think that in these last 3 1/2 years, through 3 moves, the amount of things & stuff I own has decreased significantly.

Anyway, in all my shuffling about through cupboards & shelves & drawers, I came across 3 Scrabble games. Three! I once used the tiles for crafty ring making in the past.
I was able to piece together 2 complete games--one for donation & one to keep. With the leftover tiles I decided to make an easy Matching Game. Perfect for travel. More specifically, perfect for airplane rides or long 3+ hour layovers in the Denver airport. Which will be the story of Zoey, Pazely & I in a few weeks.
This is one of the girls & my favorite games to play!

To make your own, you'll need:

•scrabble tiles (The more tiles you have, the more challenging the game. I ended up with 23 pair of tiles.)

•pencil
•ruler

•scissors (or paper cutter)

•Mod Podge

•small paint brush

•scrapbook paper (Find as many different styles/patterns of scrapbook papers as you have pairs of tiles.)

First you'll want to cut your papers. I cut the paper rectangles small enough so that they fit just inside the tile, without any extra stuff hanging off the edges. In fact, I measured & cut out one piece of paper & then used that paper as a template to cut the rest. 

Apply Mod Podge to the back of the paper. 

Place the paper piece onto the letter side of the tile & press firmly in place, being sure to get the edges secure.

Once that is dry, apply one or two more coats of Mod Podge.

When THAT is dry, play away!

♥

Summer Diary 2011

If you're a WhiMSy love facebook fan, then you've already heard the news: I have officially decided to conquer another summer packed full of projects with the girls!! Remember the Summer Break Diary on the blog last year? Well, I'm already planning our fun-filled days for Summer 2011!!!

I looked through last year's Summer Break Diary & it was so fun to see it all again. It really got me pumped for this summer. You can find the button on the right side of the blog to view all the 2010 Diary entries.

The girls get out of school fairly soon: May 20th! That means they have exactly 22 days until summer break, which include only 16 days of actual school. Crazy, huh? And that means I've got to get my tushy in gear if I want to get a head start on planning ideas.

We'd love if you followed along! (I'll be creating another blog button for 2011 in the next few weeks.) AND, if you have a craft or activity you'd like to suggest, we'd be happy to take a peek & possibly give it a go.

♥

Chalk Portraits

I totally heart sidewalk chalk. And chalk portraits are a fun idea to try! With school just about out, I'm racking up the boredom busters. And this is on my list!

I traced my girls as they lay on the ground.

Then, simply have them fill in all the details: clothes, accessories, etc.

They had a ton of fun!

Here, my 4 year old poses with her portrait.

Later on, Zoey (6) came along & added a bike to her sister's drawing. Oh, & a tree stump. She's flying over a tree stump.

Here's Zoey's portrait. Sassy sandals huh?

Celebration S'mores!!

Smores are one of my most favorite things in the world! Today the girls & I invited some friends over for some afternoon indoor smores. We're kicking off the upcoming days of summer fun!!!I'm planning a few projects & fun ideas each week for my girls & I'll be sharing them here, so stay tuned. I know you'll want to play along with us!

• Click HERE to find a link to the Hershey's S'mores website---full of recipes (including a s'mores milkshake!!), games, fun facts & crafts.
• For more insight into this super yummy treat, visit Wikipedia.
• S'mores History & Stories has a really cute bit about "How Girls Make S'mores vs. How Boys Make S'mores".

Yay for sticky delicious treats!!!

UPDATE: I have been asked by several people where I got my indoor s'mores maker. I have had it for about 5 years & received it as a gift. I've looked online at several large retail stores & they are hard to find! I did find a link HERE for a search I did on "s'mores" at amazon.com & I came up with several options!

Summer Fun, Here We Come!

The girls & I are celebrating the end of a school year & the beginning of summer break--even though it's not OFFICIALLY summer yet. Preschool is over this year for my wee ones. We are now on our own to come up with ways to make the summer fun. And first on the agenda is paper umbrellas in our breakfast milk. These are not just for fancy drinks anymore. No sirree Bob.