DIY craft kits- learn how to make your own

HOW TO PUT TOGETHER DIY CRAFT KITS

My best tips for creating DIY craft kits and how to package them for shipping

Craft kits are all the rage right now. I know when I started selling DIY craft kits for adults it took a little bit of trial and error for me to get them just right. I wasn’t sure what I should include, what I should leave out, how I should package the craft kits for shipping, and how I should write the instructions.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

If you found this post helpful be sure to check out my post on HOW TO SHIP MASON JARS WITHOUT BREAKING.

Over time I have not just figured out how to package them and what to include in them I have MASTERED it! And I want to share with you what I’ve learned so you can spread some crafty love and ship DIY craft kits too.

There really is no better time than now to send DIY craft kits to loved ones.

It gives people something to do, something to keep their mind off of the craziness of the world, and something to bring them joy!

If you are thinking about gifting someone a DIY craft kit, or maybe you want to start selling them I am here to share with you what I’ve learned over the years. My small business specializes in DIY CRAFT KITS. I can’t even begin to tell you how many I have sold even just this year. It seems like I’ve been making craft kits in my sleep these last few months lol!

But seriously, I have learned so much since the first DIY craft kit I boxed up and shipped out. Now, I have perfected my craft kits, gotten tons of amazing feedback from my customers and can’t wait to share so here I go…

Ps… We just moved and I have yet to find where to put all the things so things are a bit untidy lol! I almost didn’t post pictures/take a video of me showing what I put in my DIY craft kits but then I said to myself ‘Megan! Girl, this is real life, show the mess’ so here I am showing my mess of a crafting space.

1.KEEP IT SIMPLE

The very first thing is to decide what kind of craft you will putting together. Try to keep this simple. Something that seems easy, and may look easy too, but that is actually complex with a ton of steps might leave your recipient feeling frustrated. People love things they can accomplish relatively easily so keep it simple:)!

2. INSTRUCTIONS

Every good craft kit will come with written AND picture instructions. Something that my customers have raved to me about is that my instructions are clear and easy to follow.

My biggest tip for writing DIY craft kit instructions is to write them out like you were writing the instructions for a 6th grader to follow. That is in no way an insult either. If a middle schooler can understand what you are writing then an adult can too.

I know for myself, I don’t like instructions that are super politically correct anyway. I write my craft kit printables just how I would say them if my customer were standing in front of me. I also include pictures and a link where they can find my tutorial online.

3. WHAT TO INCLUDE

Here’s where I struggled a little in the beginning with my DIY craft kits. I wasn’t sure what I should include and what I should leave out.

Do I include every little thing? Brushes? Paints? Sandpaper? All the things? Really this is up to you. For me, I have some craft kits that include everything my customers need and other craft kits that just include the bases (the wood, canvas or any other type of base). I have a good mix of both in my shop and truthfully get the most orders for my hand cut craft blanks that don’t include any supplies.

Here are the absolute musts that you need to include in your DIY craft kits

• CRAFT BASE- this is a must. Examples of the base are: wood, stretch canvas, rocks, basically what your recipient will be crafting on.

• INSTRUCTIONS

Optional items to send in your DIY craft kits

• paint

• brushes

• sandpaper

• glue

• top coat finishes

• tape

• tools

• stencils

• etc.

You will need to decide how easy you want your craft kit to be for your recipient. Since I am in the business of selling DIY craft kits I do offer a variety of kits that range from blanks only to full on everything is included craft kits.

4. PACKAGING

If you aren’t shipping your craft kit then all you’ll need to do is put everything in a pretty bag with some tissue paper. But if you plan to ship your DIY craft kit to someone then you’ll need to do a little more work than that. Here’s how I package my craft kits up for shipping:

-I place all of my base pieces in a clear bag or wrap them in paper if they are too big to fit in the bags I carry.

-Then I place all the other materials in a separate bag and I leave a little air inside the bag, but not too much, so that the bag acts as it’s own cushion. That way the supplies don’t get smashed up during transit.

After everything is in a bag I place them inside a shipping box. I ship all of my packages via USPS and if I’m shipping anything over a pound it gets shipped USPS priority mail. I order all of my boxes in bulk online from the USPS website and have them delivered right to my door. It’s a wonderful thing to take advantage of!

Here are the plastic bags I use. I have never ordered from Ebay before but this was the closest thing I could find to what I use. They are cotton candy bags. Fun fact, my husband and I used to own a cotton candy machine and we would go set up at different locations, flea markets, auctions and things to make ends meet. Boy am I glad those days are behind us! We had thousands of these bags leftover after we hung up the towel on that and my husband had the genius idea to use them for packaging orders!

{So cute my 5th daughter, the furry one, made an appearance this snapshot!}

Most of the time I don’t have any extra space in the shipping box but if I do I will add either bags of air, thin packaging paper, or bubble wrap.

A little tip…if you order a LOT from online businesses like I do you likely have a TON of packaging materials. You can reuse those! I save all of the packaging materials that come in my packages so that I can reuse them for my online orders. There is no need to throw away perfectly good items when you can easily reuse them for their intended purpose:)!

Let me know if you have any questions about putting together a DIY CRAFT KIT in the comments below.

DIY western themed party table sign

How to make a sign for your western themed party table

Teacher appreciation week is coming up for our elementary school and I was asked to help throw it all together. One of the things I was asked to help out with were signs for the food table to go with the wild west theme. Being a busy momma of 4 and a handmade small business owner I didn’t have a ton of time to devote to the signs. I thought about just printing something up and sticking them in inexpensive frames but I didn’t want to have to spend money on frames I wouldn’t use again. And I wanted them to look a little more rustic/handmade than what a picture frame would look like.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

So I looked around my craft room and thought ‘why couldn’t I just glue the paper to a chunk of wood?’. And that’s exactly what I did! Gotta love Mod Podge! And of course burlap too!

You can use the printable I used for my project, it’s in my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY click here to get the free printable

DIY wild west sign for your party table

These table signs are SO easy to make!

Here’s what you’ll need

• 2x6 piece of wood

• wild west printable

• burlap or fabric

• matte finish mod podge

• paint brush

Helpful tools

• printer

• Ryobi miter saw

• Ryobi sander

• scissors

• paper cutter

ONE-

I printed off my printables, CHOW DOWN PARTNER, SNACK STAMPEDE, HAPPY TRAILS, and WATERING HOLE. Then I trimmed them down using my paper cutter. Even though these are not expensive at all it took me years to finally bite the bullet and buy one and I’m SO glad I did! I know it sounds silly but not having to stress about the lines being straight on things, especially on my orders, is priceless!

TWO-

Cut down your 2x6 to fit your printable. I already had several sections of 2x6’s leftover from a loft bed project we made for the three oldest daughters. So I used my miter saw cut two of those pieces in half. That gave me 4 2x6 pieces.

THREE-

I wanted the background to have a little more to it than just the wood I added a piece of burlap to two of the signs and a piece of red duck cloth fabric to the other two western signs. I had all of these materials on hand, I didn’t need to go to the store and buy anything. That’s the great part of holding on to scrap pieces.

I used MATTE FINISH MOD PODGE to glue the burlap and fabric on to the wood chunks. Paint on a thick layer of the mod podge (if you’ve never used mod podge it’s basically just fancy glue that comes in lots of different finishes and purposes). Cut your fabric or burlap down to size and press it down on the mod podge covered front of your sign. Smooth out any air bubbles with your hand.

FOUR-

I wanted the edges to be frayed a little so I trimmed down the fabric/burlap what hung over the edge then pulled out some of the treads on each end to fray them.

FIVE-

Then I applied mod podge to top of the burlap/fabric and placed a printable down on it. On the first ones. the burlap ones, I applied mod podge all over where the printable would go, not even thinking that it was going to bubble the paper because that’s what glue does to paper. So the next two I just applied the mod podge to the ends of the paper and I like that look a lot better.

SIX-

Let them dry and you’re ready to put them on display on your western themed party table.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and it helps you DIY your own easy and quick signs. As with all of my posts if you have any questions please feel free to ask away.

Want instant access to all of my free printables (like the one used in this post) files, and checklists? Fill in your info and I will send you will immediately get the password to all of my freebies.

DIY make a wood CUPCAKE base using your Cricut

Use your Cricut & scroll saw to make a wooden cupcake base in the shape of a mermaid tail

I love throwing birthday parties for my four daughters. I love the excitement in their eyes when they see all the work and thought that’s been put into THEIR big day! I love sitting with them and planning out the details. And when the oldest three were much younger I LOVED making their cakes. As the years have passed though, I found my self getting busier and busier and it was just easier for me to run to Sams club and grab a cake from there.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

But this year when the second oldest was planning her birthday she asked if I would make her cake. I felt so honored. Really? She didn’t want a store bought cake but one that momma made! Seriously bring on the happy tears!

She had been pinning on Pinterest for a couple of months and decided she wanted a MERMAID cake! As soon as she said those words I knew what I was going to do to make that happen… MERMAID PULL APART CUPCAKES! So much easier than an actual cake and less mess on the day of the party. Years and years ago I did a similar one for the oldest daughter when she turned 4. I made pull apart cupcakes in the shape of a 4 and it was ADORABLE and SOOOOOOO easy!

Thank goodness for tools like Cricut and Ryobi, if I didn’t have those then her cake might have turned out a little….less than edible looking lol!

If you want more little girl birthday party inspiration be sure to check out these ADORABLE UNICRON party centerpieces I made using my Cricut too!

Don’t feel like reading the full tutorial? Skip to the bottom to catch the video or go here ——-> MERMAID TAIL CUPCAKE BASE on my YouTube channel

How to make a wood base for pull apart mermaid cupcakes

Here’s what you’ll need

• CRICUT EXPLORE AIR

• CRICUT DESIGN SPACE

• RYOBI SCROLL SAW

• RYOBI SANDER

• 120 grit sandpaper

• CRICUT CUTTING MAT

• 1” thick pine board {or whatever wood you prefer}

• masking tape

• 12”x12” cardstock

• pencil

First select your design in CRICUT DESIGN SPACE. If you are like me and create a ton of projects each monthly I highly recommend signing up for CRICUT ACCESS. You will have access to thousands of images, fonts, and projects for a small monthly fee…and it’s SO worth it!

Here’s the mermaid tail I chose in Cricut Access. I just simply searched MERMAID TAIL and chose one that I liked.

I chose the pink one on the bottom row. I really like that this one had some movement in it. But I didn’t really like the white spaces on the mermaid tail. So after I added it to my canvas I used the CONTOUR function to hide those white spaces. I also adjusted the size of the mermaid tail so that it was 11.45” wide. I left the size lock on so that it would adjust the height for me so that everything would be proportionate.

Since I was using cardstock for my stencil and I didn’t have a piece big enough I butted two pieces together and taped the seam so that it would be like one big piece. Feed your mat through your Cricut machine and press GO when the button starts to flash.

I used a piece of scrap 1x12 to make my mermaid tail cupcake base out of. I had some plywood which probably would have worked just as good {and would have been cheaper to use} but I knew I most likely wouldn’t use this again and I wanted my daughter to be able to use it to hang in her room after her party.

Trace your mermaid tail cardstock stencil out on your piece of wood.

Then cut the mermaid tail out using your Ryobi scroll saw. You can use a band saw, and even a jig saw for this step if you don’t have a scroll saw.

Then you want to smooth it out using your Ryobi sander. I used 120 grit sand paper on mine. I also slightly rounded some of the edges so that it wasn’t so pokey.

Add your cupcakes and decorate. I just slapped a little bit of frosting on the bottom of each cupcake to stick them to the board.

. I used a combination of purple, teal, and white for the frosting colors and I didn’t even use any fancy piping tips {I was a little pressed for time lol}. For under $10 I was able to make the cake of her mermaid themed birthday dreams!

Watch the video tutorial below on how to make your own MERMAID TAIL CUPCAKE BASE

How to stencil on a canvas bag

Learn how to stencil on a canvas bag

Have you been wanting to learn how to stencil on a canvas tote? It’s actually super easy! Make it an even more fun with a DIY CANVAS TOTE PAINT PARTY. I’ve put together this DIY canvas bag craft kit to make it even easier. There’s no guess work for you. Just choose your stencil and I’ll send you everything you need to make your party a hit!

If you love this tutorial you’ll probably love this other stenciling project I did a tutorial on. I show you how to make a custom name canvas and it is one of my most popular posts on my blog AND one of the most popular craft kits I sell in my Etsy shop.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

What’s included in the DIY canvas tote craft kit?

If you don’t purchase the kit here’s what you’ll need

• canvas tote

• craft paint

• stencil

• xacto knife

• vinyl squeegee

• sponge

A tip before you start… to get the best outcome you will want to use a contrasting paint color so that your colors really pop.

Ok, let’s get started painting on this canvas bag.

1. Flip your stencil over so that the white paper backing is facing up.  Then using your vinyl squeegee {burnishing tool} rub the stencil  backing.

2. Slowly peel the paper backing away from the stencil and transfer  tape {the blue & clear pieces}. GO SLOW and work from one corner  across to the corner diagonal from it. Another tip is to peel it away  at a very sharp angle, it helps to glide it across itself.

3. Flip you stencil over so that the sticky side is facing down. Now  place it on your bag. Use your vinyl squeegee to help press it to the  bag.

4. Slowly peel off the clear transfer tape. Use the same technique that  you did when taking off the paper backing. GO SLOW and peel  from corner to corner at a very sharp angle

5. Run your finger along all the exposed areas of your stencil. This will  help control the paint bleed and keep it minimal. If there are any air  pockets just press them out with our finger or squeegee.

6. Before you start painting you need a barrier between the two layers  of your bag so you don’t have paint bleeding onto the other side.  You can do this by placing a plastic bag inside your canvas bag,  making sure it is in the same place as the stenciled area.

7. Put a small amount of your paint colors on your paper plate. Using  a stenciling sponge LIGHTLY dip the bottom of the sponge into  your paint. Dab it off. You want VERY LITTLE paint on your sponge.  Too much paint will cause paint bleed.

8. Using an up and down pouncing motion apply the paint with the  stenciling sponge onto the exposed areas of the stencil. You do not  want to rub or make a back and forth motion. This will force the  paint up and under your stencil. Repeat this step until you have  painted all the exposed areas inside your stencil.

9. After you have your entire stencil painted it’s time to peel it up. You  do not need to wait for your paint to dry for this step. Just like you  peeled the paper backing and transfer tape, start in one corner and  peel to the opposite corner. Be sure not to drop your stencil  material on your bag as you peel. Use your xacto knife to take up all  the middles out of your design. THIS STEP MUST BE DONE BY AN  ADULT.

10. After your design dries REMOVE the plastic bag. It is best to seal  your design with heat prior to washing it. You can do this by simply  ironing it, do not iron directly on the painted area always use a  pillow case or tea towel between the iron and your design.

5 awesome craft kits your kids will love

Craft kits kids will love

Kids love to create. They have creativity coming out their ears it seems like. Back when we had our brick and mortar craft studio we would sell these kits like crazy! And now we have them online so kids all across the world can enjoy them.

Don’t want to buy the kits but want to know how to make the craft? I’ve got ya covered! After the end of the descriptions I’ve included the link to the tutorial here on my blog.

Here are our top 5 craft kits that have been kid tested and APPROVED!

1. DIY glittery unicorn mason jar

This unicorn mason jar craft kit is one of our top selling craft kits we ship. Each kit comes with a pre-painted mason jar so you don’t even have to worry about that step {painting mason jars can be a challenge due to curing times in between coats}. Upgrade to a unicorn mason jar craft party size

Check out the DIY glittery unicorn jar tutorial

2. CUSTOM name canvas art

What kid doesn’t want their name on a beautiful canvas that they paint? This custom name art canvas craft kit comes with everything your kiddo needs to have a personalized canvas art. Your name of choice comes already attached to the canvas so it’s ready to go right out of the box. Once your kiddo paints their canvas you simply peel up the stencil to reveal the white lettering underneath. This custom name art craft is also available in party sized, actually this a great option for family get togethers to give the little ones something fun to do.

Check out the DIY custom canvas art tutorial

3. LOVE canvas art craft kit

Much like the craft kit above this canvas art come with the stencil already applied and ready to create right out of the box. This Valentine’s Day canvas art craft kit is always a big winner with moms and kids!

Check out the DIY canvas art tutorial

4. Mixed media canvas art craft kit

I can’t tell you enough how much kids LOVE this custom initial craft kit. The get to choose their own colors, buttons, rhinestones, and glitter and totally make it their own. This kit is so much fun and more!

Check out the DIY custom mixed media name canvas art tutorial

5. DIY light up fairy jar

Calling all whimsical fairy believers! This light up fairy jar craft kit will make a perfect gift for the fairy lover in your life. This kit includes a smooth mason jar, embellishments, cardstock fairy, glitter, twine, tissue paper, and a battery operated light. Full picture instructions are included.

Check out the DIY glittered light up fairy jar tutorial

There you have it our top 5 craft kits approved by kids! Each and every one of these kits was a top seller in our brick and mortar craft studio and they each continue to be top sellers in our online shop.

If you have any questions on the craft kits please feel free to reach out to me. Each one come will full picture instructions and materials to complete each craft. Please note tools such as a glue gun are not included inside our DIY kits.

DIY Unicorn birthday party centerpiece

Our third daughter had her 8th birthday party recently and had her big heart set on a unicorn theme. I had $50 to make it happen {decorations, cake, games, and invites} and I wasn’t about to disappoint her so I set out on Pinterest to find all the things I could for a DIY unicorn party. Here’s the pin that inspired this centerpiece. Super adorable right?! But I wanted hers to look a little different, a little more whimsical and I wanted to spend the least amount possible. Which meant I needed to shop my craft stash before getting started.

Here’s what you’ll need to create you own at unicorn centerpiece

• small bucket

• dowel rod

• rocks

• felt

• glitter

• white balloon

• black vinyl cut outs of eyes

• white spray paint

• cardstock

• LOW TEMP GLUE GUN

First spay paint your buckets and dowel rods with white spray paint. Let dry completely.

Fill the bottom third of your bucket with crumpled up paper, leaving space in the very center to place the dowel rod. Place the dowel rod inside and fill the rest in with your rocks. I just used what we had on hand that was left over from previous crafts.

Next, blow your balloon up but not all the way. You want to try to get as round of a shape for it as possible. Then tie it around your dowel rod.

I free hand cut the ears, flowers, and horn. Not pictured, I cut the horn out of cardstock, glued glitter to the entire thing, and let it dry prior to this next step. Using your LOW TEMP glue gun glue them to your balloon. Place the glue on the felt first, wait a couple seconds, then place on your balloon. It’s important you use a low temp glue gun as a hot temp will likely pop your balloon.

If you’d rather use paper flowers this DIY PAPER FLOWER TUTORIAL might help you. They aren’t the exact same style of flower as the ones pictured in this tutorial but they are super adorable and you just might like them better.

I cut out the vinyl eyes using my Cricut but you can free hand these with a sharpie.

And that’s it! Our birthday girl was completely happy and loved all her unicorn decorations but these were her favorite! She so wished she could have kept them forever but sadly they deflated {and honestly I’m totally ok with that because the birthday girl would never toss anything if we didn’t make her}.

I hope this inspires you to make your own perfect unicorn decorations.

Check out the UNICORN TASSLE GARLAND I made to go along with her theme.

How to host an adult Pinterest party

Hosting a PINTERST party is easier than you think!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

1. Decided on your project

To make this super easy the host should pick this. If you’re having a hard time deciding check out my Pinterest boards for inspiration. Seasonal crafts are usually a big hit!

2. Location

For most people their home works just fine for this type of party. If your house is a little too cozy you can always opt for the garage or backyard , if weather permits. If you plan to host a lot of friends for your craft party you can look into renting space at your local community center.

3. Invites

I wouldn’t go inviting everyone on my social media friends list but I would invite those that I actually enjoy spending time with. You can get super fancy and mail out invites or you can text, email, or do a Facebook invite. All are good options, personally I’m a texter so that’s the route I would go.

4. Getting crafting materials

Instead of asking Susie to bring this and Sally to bring that I would opt to getting all the materials and splitting the cost between everyone. That way you know everything will be at the party and you don’t have to run to the store just when the party is getting started because Sally didn’t let you know that she couldn’t make it {and since she couldn't make it the materials she was supposed to bring doesn’t make it either}. Remember to include any brushes or paint trays {paper plates are great for this} that you might need. These are all items you’ll need to provide depending on the project you pick.

5. Costs

Add up all the materials you had to buy then divide that by the number of people, including yourself, that will be attending the party. That will give you the cost per person. It’s a good idea to make everyone pay BEFORE you host the party. You can do this a number of ways.

• meet up with cash

• mail a check

• Paypal

• Facebook pay

• a number of other money accepting apps

6. Setting up

If not renting space you need to be sure you have enough seating for everyone. If you don’t have enough you can buy tables/chairs pretty inexpensively or you can always rent them from a local party rental company. I suggest using drop cloths for table covering as they are think and absorb spills but if it’s not in the budget plastic table coverings work well too. You might look into supplying aprons or ask your guests to bring their own. I am a very messy crafter and without an apron I wouldn’t have any clothes that aren't covered in paint. Here are the black aprons I use for my craft business. They have held up extremely well and nothing has yet to get through them.

7. Drinks

What’s a craft party without drinks? Ask everyone to bring in their favorite adult beverage. This will not only make for great conversations but this will ensure that everyone has a drink they like.

If you want to make your next party even easier try one of our craft kits or this paint party kit from Amazon.

Remember to have fun! Don’t go overboard on the details. I’ve found the less I stress about the small details of a party the more fun I have. So if you forget something it’s ok, it’s not the end of the world and it could just make your party even more fun and interesting with having to improvise a little.

---

DIY Glittered Unicorn Jar

DIY UNICORN MASON JAR

Looking for a fun UNICORN themed craft to do with your unicorn obsessed little one {or by yourself ;)}? These jars are such perfect little project! You can use them as a money bank, colored pencil holder, stick a battery operated candle inside to make a fun and unique night light or be like our girls and keep little trinkets you find inside your jar. Whatever you use it for it will be oh so cute!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

Here’s what you’ll need

• CRICUT cutting machine

• Pre painted mason jar, any size

• White & Pink acrylic paint

• White & pink cardstock

• Round sponge brush

• Black vinyl for eyes

• Glitter

• Rhinestones

• Mod podge

• Either tacky glue or low temp glue gun

• Sponge brush

Need a no stress craft kit for this project? You can purchase a UNICORN JAR CRAFT KIT in my shop. Everything you need to complete this project at home. It’s always an option to send this packaged as a gift. If you’re planning a birthday party here is my no stress UNICORN CRAFT PARTY IN A BOX.

You want to start with a PRE PAINTED mason jar. I always use chalk paint to paint my jars. It goes on nice and even and has great coverage. You can use regular acrylic paint but you will not get the same coverage as the jar above. Your jar will need to cure for at least 24 hours prior. If it does not get proper curing time the paint can peel from the glass jar. I used both pint and quart sized mason jars for this project and they both turned out super cute! This is also a great way to use up an empty sauce or salsa jar from the kitchen.

I used my CRICUT CUTTING MACHINE to cut out all the facial features. I used cardstock for the ears and horn and black vinyl for the eyes. If you don’t have a cutting machine you can cut these by hand and draw/paint on the eyes.

Paint a thick layer of mod podge on the bottom of your jar. A wide 3” sponge brush works great for this. You can use the width as a guide for how high up to go on the jar.

Place a piece of paper under your jar and sprinkle it with glitter. The paper will catch a good amount of the glitter that doesn’t make it on the jar so you can reuse it. You’ll want to work quickly so your mod podge doesn’t dry before you get done glittering.

Once that is dry you will paint on the cheeks. Dip half of your round sponge brush into the pink paint and the other half into the white paint. When you apply the paint you will make a slight twist motion to get the swirly effect.

After you paint is COMPLETELY DRY you can add the eye decals. It is important you wait for these to dry as the vinyl will NOT  stick to wet paint. Remove the white paper backing first, the clear transfer tape and the eyes are attached. Then place it on your jar. Give it a good rub with your thumb or a plastic card then slowly remove the clear transfer tape off. This works great if you peel it at a very sharp angle like pictured.

Glue the pink ear piece onto the middle of the white earpiece with your detail brush. Apply glitter to or paint the horn. Then attach the ears, horn and rhinestones above the eyes. You can apply these anywhere you see fit, have fun with it:)! A glue gun works best for this but you can use the tacky glue to attach these pieces to your jar

I hope you love creating this craft as much as my girls and I did! Don’t be afraid to veer off this tutorial and really make it your own.

Check out more craft kid posts below

DIY Tassel Garland, make your own for just pennies each

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

Raising kids is so hard sometimes. Nothing prepares you for having to console your child on days when they are feeling down about themselves. I think this is especially true for raising daughters. We have four little girls and life is a roller coaster of emotions with them some days. Recently we celebrated our third daughter’s birthday. We always celebrate before school lets out because she has a summer birthday.

We sent invites out two weeks in advance and this girl was SO excited to have all her school friends over for her unicorn themed birthday party. I’ll admit I’m a frugal person thru and thru. When I plan our girl’s parties my husband and I don’t spend an arm and a leg on the party. I try to keep it under $50 for the cake and decorations that way we still have room in our budget to gift them a decent gift that they’ve been wanting.

But this year I had to get super creative on my spending because I needed to throw her a fancy {as fancy as we get around here ;) } unicorn birthday party! It was just days before her party and she had only had one, yes ONE friend RSVP to her big day. Talk about tears falling and hearts breaking. I HAD to make up for the possibility that there be no one besides family at her party.

So I scoured all the pretty things on Pinterest and put together a few ideas of things to decorate her party with to make her feel extra special. Keeping it under $50 was a bit of a challenge but I was determined to make it work! Tassel Garland, among a few other DIY decorations, made the cut. These ended up costing than $4 to make two full strands of tassels PLUS extras to put around the unicorn centerpieces.

Thankfully two days before her party she had a couple more friends RSVP and she had a great party! They played some fun unicorn games, made tasty treats and loaded them down with EXTRA sprinkles, got to decorate their own cupcakes, and most of all the birthday girl felt so loved and special on her day!

After her party she got to hang the pretty garland in her room which made these tassel even better!

To make your own DIY tassel garland for your own special occasion…

Here’s what you’ll need

• RECTANGLE TABLE CLOTH

• SCISSORS

• ROTARY CUTTER

• LOW TEMP GLUE GUN

• SELF HEALING MAT WITH 1” SQUARES {mine measured up to 23”}

I was so surprised at how EASY these were to make! I was able to knock these out in no time. And our sweet girl LOVED them!

I’d love to hear your feedback below!

How to plan the PERFECT no stress art party for your crafty kiddo for less than $40

Has your kiddo been dreaming of that PERFECT art birthday party? Maybe they are like my older girls and have all of their out of budget party dreams pinned to Pinterest {yes, they really do this!}. After having 4 girls and LOTS of birthday parties I’ve learned a thing or two on how to pull off that perfect art party on a budget!

Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Here’s the a little truth, kids just want to let loose and be kids. They don’t care about fancy decorations, perfectly spaced plates and napkins, banners hung at just the right height. Let’s be honest, that’s for the adults. The kids are there to hang with their friends, eat cake, and have loads of fun, but that’s a whole different blog post.

So how to you plan a kids painting birthday party under $40? Yes, you read that right…. just $40!

First you need to decided how many kids will be coming to your party. Usually I will have a few extra supplies in case a kiddo RSVP’s at the last minute or if one shows up and doesn’t RSVP at all. A typical party we host at our craft studio has about 6-8 kids. Our kids, they usually have about 20…gulp! I know that seems a little ridiculous but they have lots of cousins and I always invite the party goers siblings to stay because I’m a sucker for feelings and don’t want any kids to feel left out. Honestly this is easier for the parents that want to stay for the party anyway.

Snag your FREE checklist below

If you don’t have anything at home here’s everything you will need

Most of these supplies are disposable to make this EXTRA easy and stress free for you!

-8”x10” canvas these come in a pk of 12

- acrylic paint set of 12 2oz paints
- paint brushes these you can toss when the kiddos are done

-paper cups used for holding water to rinse paint brushes

-paper plates used to hold the paint, one for each kiddo

-plastic table covering this you can toss when you’re done

All of these items can be shipped right to your door with amazon prime*, I told you this would be stress free. No going to 5 different stores to track down all the supplies you need only to get home and realize you totally forgot something {I do this all the time!}. Then the day of the party you kick yourself because I never made it back to the store to get that forgotten item. All of this will cost you less than $40, not including taxes or any applicable shipping*

*based off of when this post was published

So how do you host an art party? First, I always tell the parents to put their kiddos in clothes they can get messy. There’s nothing scarier than a pissed off momma because her child got their new clothes ruined by non washable paint. So try to avoid that at all costs. Next, you want to have everything set up before the kids get there. This is so much easier than trying to pass out all the materials with 10 little helpers gathered around. That means, plastic table cloth down, water cups filled half way, canvases, paper plates, and a couple of brushes at each table setting. Let’s talk about paint…paint goes a LONG way, you’d be surprised at how much paint gets wasted at parties like these. Before the party I always squeeze a small amount of each color of paint that’s available onto each child’s paint plate. Trust me, you’ll thank me for this stress saving tip!

I try not to let the kids sit at the table where they will be painting until we are ready to paint. Unless you have some kiddos that are great at following directions I would have the kids avoid the paint table till you’re absolutely ready.

Now for the fun! Once all the party guests are ready let em loose on their canvases. In my experience kids have WAY more fun when they can paint their own thing using the colors they pick out. Usually that’s what we do. You can see the joy it brings them and their creativity coming to life the second that paint brush hits their canvas. And they all make something totally different and it makes my heart so happy! That individuality is so beautiful!

I promise your kiddo will be so happy creating beside all their friends they won’t even notice the fancy decorations aren’t there.

Super FUN canvas art for kids, easy HOW TO create your own at home

A couple weeks ago we threw a birthday party for our 9 year old. We wanted to do something a little different than what we usually do in the shop for her special celebration. We were looking through pinterest to get some inspiration and came across these gorgeous mixed media canvas art pieces. She instantly loved them and wanted to make her own. The ones we found used fancy jewels…that’s not really our speed but we had rhinestones and buttons and knew the ones they would make would look just as amazing!

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

Mixed art kids canvas

What you'll need

• 8”x10” canvas

• acrylic paint

• cardstock letter cut out {I cut ours on our cricut but you can free hand this and draw it on the canvas}

• pencil

• paintbrush

• extra fine glitter

• assorted rhinestones

• assorted buttons

• tacky glue

---

Start by painting your canvas, I recommend a solid color or super simple design {i.e. polk a dots, paint splatter effect…}this will make your letter pop even more if it has a less distracting background.

Once the background color is dry, using your pencil trace your letter on your canvas. If you don’t have a paper letter cutout you can freehand this step, it will make it even more unique!

Now paint your letter, it’s ok if your paint gets outside of your lines, it’s art after all! You’ll want to use a color that is different from your background color. White is a good one and will really make the buttons and rhinestones standout.

Now the REAL FUN begins! After your letter is dry you can start blinging it out with all those fun rhinestones and buttons! Working in small sections at a time start gluing all that bling on! Painting it on the canvas with a paint brush works great for this. Just paint the glue on where you want to glue something down, you’ll want to use a fairly good amount of glue so everything stays in place. We use several different types of glue and Tacky Glue is hands down the best for projects like these!

When your letter is totally covered in buttons and rhinestones you’ll want to sprinkle it with glitter. That will fill in all the little spaces in between perfectly! We used extra fine glitter for this step.

Check out more craft kid posts below