Easter Egg Glow Bugs for God's Backyard Bible Camp Under the Stars

Standard Publishing posted a cute picture this morning.  Some crafty person made little glow bugs from Easter Eggs and some other craft supplies.

I realized that I have everything to make a couple.  So I went digging in my craft supplies to find the googly eyes.

So I went out to the garage to find the perfect colored egg, ummm yes I do have an abundance of eggs.

You also will need some
Pipe Cleaners
Craft Foam
Googly eyes
Fishing line
Glue Dots
Hot glue gun
Sharpie
Battery Operated Tea light.  I picked up a back at Dollar Tree months ago thinking I would make a little camp fire for Miss V's AG Doll Kathleen.

 

Use glue dots to attach the googly eyes

Draw a happy smile on your glow bug

I didn't measure the pipe cleaner, just kind of guessed what looked right and hot glued them on.

Curve over the top of the pipe cleaner

 

For the wings I used another egg and traced a circle then cut it in half and hot glued them on.

 

I couldn't get a good picture, but I hot glued the end of a length of fishing line to the inside of the head part of the egg.

 Add the tea light and turn on to check it out.

It came out cute!!!

I even made a quick video.  I had to shut the blinds, curtain and lights off.  I had the ceiling fan on so that it would spin around a bit.

Paper lantern owl

I saw these all over Pinterest and not one had any real directions. I bought a pack of 5 small lanterns at Target the other day. So I kind of winged it this morning. 

I used the small purple lantern
Orange craft foam for the feet and beak
Purple craft foam for the ear tufts
Patterned scrapbook paper for the wings
White and Black Card stock

I think it came out pretty cute and I will attempt to make a few more to hang out at our VBS program, God's Backyard Bible Camp Under the Stars.

Free and almost free things to do this summer

What are your summer plans?  Ours is to relax, but also have some fun at a slower pace.  I am always looking for things that Miss V can do during the summer.

Miss V loves to read.  She participates in our county's summer reading program.  They give incentive prizes throughout the summer.  I do not know what they will be this year.

Books A Million has a summer reading program too.  Read any 6 books from their list and your child will receive a free Carl Hiaasen Backpack, while supplies last.

Barnes and Noble also has a summer program.  There's is read any 8 books and your child will receive a free book.

Another thing we sign up for is the Kids Free Bowling at AMF Lanes.  All you have to pay for is the shoe rental.  Miss V loves doing this with her friends.

Workshops at your local library!  Our county has such great programs through the whole summer for all different age groups.

Summer Movie Express from Regal Cinemas.  We loved doing this last summer.  You do have to get to the theater an hour or so before show time to wait in line.  We noticed that last year that towards the end of the summer the crowd changed from nice polite people to families that decided to cut in line and just plain disrespectful.  It kind of ruined it for us.

Miss V also loves doing crafts and science experiments.  Eduation.com has some great ideas.

What are some of your favorite things to do in the summer.

Simplicity 2296 Jumper, another version

So I quickly whipped another jumper up last night.  This time, I did cut it about an inch longer.

I am really liking the bright flowery fabric.  It is so summery and Miss V was so excited to see Kathleen in her new dresses.

Simplicity 2296 - First attempt

So I have this Simplicity Pattern 2296.  I thought I would try it out this afternoon.

It is supposed to have trim down the front and two pockets with trim.  Well Miss V isn't into fancy trims so I thought I would just show off this beautiful fabric that I have had for years.

I followed the directions and didn't like the way the back seam looked so I ripped it out and used Velcro from the neck to the hem.  Yep...that works much better for me...

It is kind of short, but really cute!  I think next time I might cut the fabric just a bit longer.  Or find some way to make tiny shorts or look for them on eBay.

Patriotic Color block Dress

This morning I was listening to Mouseworld on Live365 and the Voice of Liberty came on.  It inspired me to make a patriotic dress for Kathleen that was similar to Miss V's dress from last summer.

I have been having my own issues with the pattern fitting right, so I cut the top pieces a bit wider.  This time they were just a bit to wide, but I can always make a cute necklace to help disguise the loose top.

 

Camo Safari Hat

I also have had this pattern for a Safari Hat for a very long time and was to afraid to try it.  Well, I am slowly getting over my fear of doll clothes.  The worst that can happen is I mess up and use up a bit of fabric.

It actually came out pretty good on the first attempt.  It definitely works better with a thicker material. Oh and it is lined in thin black fabric.

So what do you think?  Cute huh?  Miss V was very happy with it.

Camo Outfit

I made this as a surprise for Miss V.  I had been hiding the fabric at the bottom of my stash so that she wouldn't see it.  I use the Trendy Tank Pattern for the top and cut it a bit wider than the pattern since the material does not stretch.

The bottoms were just a basic pant pattern.

Urban Handbag, another version

I am just having to much fun making these cute little Urban Handbags to go along with each different outfit.

Suncatchers + Pony Beads = Cute idea for VBS Under the Stars

Last night I was sitting on the loveseat watching the sun catchers that Miss V and I made last year.  It was gently spinning around from the ceiling fan breeze.

Then it hit me...I could make giant stars!  I bet Hobby Lobby would have a star shaped pan so off we went.  Sure enough they had one and I used their App and got 40% off.  I also picked up some more pony beads.

So I preheated the oven to 400.  While it was heating, I sorted the clear and yellow beads and put them in the pan.

I put the pan in the oven and let the beads melt for about 22 minutes.  Be very careful when you take it out of the oven, it is extremely hot.  Let cool and you will know when it is ready to be popped out of the pan.  It will make little popping noises as it cools and contracts.

It didn't look "bright" enough for me so I tried another one and used opaque beads around the edges and put in a few glass pebbles.

This one had to melt for about 25 minutes.  This is a very stinky craft and make sure you have your exhaust fan running and a window open.

When they were cooled I drilled a tiny hole in the tops and strung them up with clear fishing line.

It was hard getting a good picture of them since they were moving around a bit. I am not really sure if I like the opaque border around the second one.  I do love the glass pebbles in them.  I am going to make a couple more and see how they look. 

These will be used in doors during our VBS program called God's Backyard Bible Camp Under the Stars.  I think I will hang them from the ceiling and they will twirl around from the AC.  Or at least that is what I hope happens.

So what do you think??????

More new outfits for American Girl Doll Kathleen

I was on a roll yesterday between making new little food items and outfits for Miss V's American Girl Doll Kathleen.

First thing I did was make a cute white sleeveless top in white cotton to match a lot of skirts that I have made in the past.  I used the Free Trendy Tank pattern from Liberty Jane.  Since the material wasn't stretchy, I did cut the back pieces a bit wider.

I also whipped up three simple skirts from Simplicity Pattern 4297. 

Then I cut out three more bags to sew up the Urban Handbag from Liberty Jane. The bag linings match the three skirts.  I thought it was a cute way to finish off the outfits.

 

I only had time to finish one bag last night and put the interfacing on one other.  I need to get another yard.

 

Aren't the outfits adorable?  Miss V things that they look cute!  She loves how the bags match Kathleen's new skirts.

Polymer Clay Hot Dog and Veggies

I spotted the idea for the hot dog also on Theresa's Mixed Nuts.  Then I thought of some veggies like carrots and broccoli which happen to be favorites of Miss V.

 Make sure you bake your items at 225 for 25 minutes so they will harden!

 

Polymer Clay Cookies for your American Girl Doll

I also saw on Theresa's Mixed Nuts, the idea to make peanut butter cookies.  Well I figured I could make those along with Chocolate Chip cookies and cookies with sprinkles.

 While at Hobby Lobby this morning, I was trying to figure out how I could make a little serving tray when I happened to wander down the painting supply aisle.  I spotted this cute palette for $1.99.  It actually looks like a ceramic one that I have.

 So here is Kathleen's serving tray with lots of cookies to share with her friends.