Birthday Bug Theme Fun

Two years ago now (hard to believe) we celebrated my son's 3rd birthday with a "Bug" theme - We used different colored fondant - also used some plain white that we colored with food coloring- here's our little "how to" :

Treat it just like play-dough - roll it into little balls and then shape it however you like. I rolled out a couple of long strips - placed them together, one on top of the other- and then rolled them up in a spiral to make some of the cutest little snails ever!

We used cookie cutters to cut the flower shapes and the frog as well. It is so much fun - you can't loose! Oh, one tip we learned the hard way is that you don't want to use tootsie-rolls in the bodies or eyes - or at all- turns out that they melt! You can however use other fun candies to make any bugs you like!

 Lay them out ahead of time on a tray and practice putting them together- you can save them in the refridgerator overnight covered with plastic wrap- then after icing your cake- just transfer your little critters to their new home!

I have recently learned that fondant can be left out to keep any moisture off because that is not a good thing with fondant. If I have to keep it overnight and I have an iced cake- I'll wait to add the decorative fondant pieces. They are made of powdered sugar, marshmallow, and Crisco- so you can just cover with plastic wrap to keep off the air.

The point is- anything you can shape out of play-dough....... you can shape out of fondant! I posted an easy fondant recipe on Adventurez In Child Rearing - I'll have to dig it up and post it here as well.

Have Fun!

Clay Toys- Fun & Educational Craft

Step 1: preheat oven according to Sculpey directions

Step 2: soften clay to make it more pliable
Step 3: just like playdough! form shapes of the people & things you need for your project

(we are studying the journey of Lewis & Clark with Sacegewea across the country so this was our theme for the project, but you can use any theme from a book or movie of your choice)

Step 4: cook pieces according to Sculpey directions (the pieces won't harden until cooked!)

and let them cool

Step 5: while the pieces are cooking and cooling you can prepare your box for the diarama- we painted on our river, sky, & clouds - we also glued some dirt & mulch into place for the land

* just a hint about making the larger mountain pieces- I used tin foil for the base & rolled out a layer of thin clay to lay over the top - it cooked faster & wasn't too heavy (not to mention that it doesn't waste so much clay)

Step 6: use paint brushes, tooth picks or any other tool you like to paint and put details on your pieces and let them dry

*play with the colors, try sponging on some layers of color & paint for depth

Have Lots of FUN!!!

Customized Theme Frames Make Great Gifts

Super Easy and Rewarding- not to mention Affordable Craft! Makes a great gift!
buy inexpensive frames when you come across a deal. it is more important that you buy frames that are at least fairly well made than for them to be beautiful. You can make them beautiful by painting them any way you like. This frame was actually black to start with. I found the little wooden sailboat (already painted in such cool colors) I choose one of the colors from the boat and applied a coat of a closely related blue to the frame. Get out the hot glue gun and bada boom- you can have a totally custom gift for pennies! Take the glass and backing out and let kids help by painting the first coat on the frame- you can clean it up with a second coat- just make sure there are no "blobs" of paint left by running your brush over it after they are done and before it dries.
You can find the little wooden decor items at craft stores, dollar stores, and even wallmart. There are usually options with animals, flowers, cars & trucks. Paint them yourself or buy them already painted like I did for this one. hint: if you paint your own - you can use a thick tipped black marker to outline your finished piece- it cleans up the lines and looks very professional!! have fun-