I know this doesn’t sound very exciting, but we got a surprising level of thrill this weekend from making pet rocks–so much so, that Lainey woke up early this morning–her eyes barely open–to ask if we could play pet rocks again. I know we parents are very good at pretending we are every bit as excited as our kids for things like watching garbage trucks out front or finding the moon in the sky, but the more you play along, this amazing thing happens. You actually do find these things thrilling. I felt like an 8-year-old this weekend, digging through the craft bin looking for anything that might make good rock hair (pipe cleaner! yarn! felt!) and felt a wave of endorphins kick in watching Lainey write down personality traits for each of her rock pets. Getting swept up by imagination is about the best thing that can happen to a little brain.

But first, snow cones–a cheery prequel for coming months and a refreshing end to our Farmer’s Market morning yesterday.

Who has time for spoon straws anyway? Dig. In.

On to pet rocks. They provided hours of entertainment this weekend–both from creating them and imagining stories for their characters.

What You Need

rocks
acrylic paint
small paintbrushes
glue
googly eyes

We dug through junk drawers and craft bins and used what we found to make clothes and accessories. A few ideas:

For clothes & accessories: wire (glasses), yarn (hair), pipe cleaner (hair), felt (hair or clothing), cotton batting (grandma hair), paper doilies (clothing trim), lace (clothing), fabric (clothing), thin ribbon (hair bows), small silk flowers (hair accessory), doll house/Barbie hat, small pearls (necklace)

For Pet Rock house: shoe box, x-acto knife (for cutting door and windows), decorative scrapbook paper (we found a brick print for outside of house and floral for the inside wallpaper), scissors, spray adhesive (for adhering wallpaper), moss (for floor), glue (adhering moss). Furniture and home accessories: dollhouse/fairy garden accessories or make your own

They transform from dumb ‘ol rocks to real characters when you add a mouth. I saw it happen.

This is Grandma Lou Lou. She’s my favorite.

I love watching my kids name things. There’s no rhyme or reason to any of it: Mia, Zappy, Pinto Beans.

Grandma Lou Lou looks like she’s about to do something crazy.

Making bed sheets.

And then she took it to the moon by creating personalities, and I died. Of course Grandma Lou Lou is a gem–I mean, with a face like that, how could she not be?

Watch out for Malloy though. She’s a real starts-with-b, rhymes-with-itch. 

If reincarnation is a thing, then I want to come back as a pet rock.

Sneaky face.

Imagination seemed to be the theme of the weekend because our bunnies also became alive.

And this is why you don’t walk bunnies in real life.

Happy Monday!

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” ~Dr. Seuss

In the story of the nativity, the wise men brought frankincense, gold and myrrh, but I have one question: did they hot glue somethin’ for Jesus? Didn’t think so. Because if I were living B.C., I would have gone homemade and carved some wood into a teether and stained it with figs because Lord knows (literally) the homemade gifts get you front row manger seats. I kid, I kid–everybody loves gift cards. But, if you like to craft, can’t afford gold and myrrh or have kids in your life that might not be enthused over a decanter of frankincense, here are a few fun crafty gifts that are easy to make (promise) and allow you to scratch your paint itch without changing your living room walls and eliciting another eye roll from your husband.

Enter Exhibit A.

Funky Hangers

This isn’t necessarily a big wow for kids (unless you tie chocolate onto them), but if you’re buying clothes for a baby who doesn’t know the difference this holiday, this is a fun really inexpensive way to add some personalization to a clothing gift, and mamas will love it.

Also, all that doodling was unnecessary, but sometimes I get carried away with my Wacom pen.

Here’s what you need.

Wooden Children’s Hangers (I ordered these nice heavy duty ones–a 6-pack for less than $10)
Sandpaper
Acrylic Paints
Small Paintbrushes

The hangers I purchased had a glossy finish to them, so I lightly sanded them before I painted. Here’s where the super difficult instructions come in. Ready? Paint hangers. Let dry.

Exhibit B:

Restaurant Blocks

Technically, they’re just block blocks but “restaurant blocks” make them sound like an official toy. Plus, they are perfectly packaged to slip into a mama’s purse for a family night out, providing table-sized entertainment for a restaurant. Or you could go our route and let your kids just poke the creamers and jellies left out at the restaurant. Either way, here’s what you need:

Unfinished Blocks (like these)
Acrylic Paints
Gold Leaf Paint (if you want add some geometric metallic flair like the ones shown)
Small Paintbrushes
Small Burlap Bag for storage (available at craft store)

*These are more toddler friendly–if you are making these for babies who might put them in their mouth, I’d get a bigger block (these are 1.5 in.) and use beeswax for a wood finish.


Again, really detailed instructions here, so pay close attention. Paint blocks. Let dry. Put in bag.

I let Nella play with hers early, and she loves them.

And now, my favorite. Exhibit C.

The (insert fancy made-up official name) Spoon Dolls Collection

I’m super excited to give this one to the girls this year, and these were a blast to make. I suggest watching a Christmas movie while you make them because I suggest doing that with everything. Here’s what you need:

Wooden Spoons (I ordered this 12-pack for around $5)
Acrylic Paints
Small Paintbrushes
Sharpie Markers
Collector’s Cards: Printed with some other photos at Social Print Studio.



I started with a white base coat on each of the spoons and then painted different hair styles on each and decorated the bottom stick part of the spoon with shapes, polka dots, stripes, etc. The faces and outfits of each doll I finished with colored Sharpie markers because they made drawing tiny features much easier. I finished the dolls, loved them and decided to up the ante with collector’s cards to give the dolls personality. I was printing some Instagram prints with Social Print Studio, so I just took some pictures of the spoons and added them in my order (and they came three days later!). I think Lainey will love adding to this collection later and creating her own personalities for new dolls.

Want to take your gift to new levels? Print some of these stickers and slap ’em on a few.

A little lesson from the Shopkins, eh?

Craft away, my friends. Craft away.

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Want to skip the crafts and go right for the hot chocolate?  I’m over @eHow this week with how to set up a hot chocolate bar for a holiday party or a fun after school get together.