[project] puzzles

Elle loves puzzles so I decided to make her a set of puzzles that would be a fun activity for her to work on during one of our meetings at church. They're the perfect size to put together right on top of a hymn book.

If you have a QuicKutz Revolution or Epic tool, I used the 4x4 puzzle die to create each puzzle. However, I'm sure you could create the same concept by just cutting out pieces that fit together.

Print out a photo and cut to 4x4. I just printed mine on plain copy paper so it would be thin enough to cut using my die-cutting tool. Adhere the photo to a thick material like chipboard. I used QuicKutz adhesive-backed white chipboard which made it really easy...no glue required.

Die cut or cut the photo mounted on chipboard into a puzzle shape. If you want the puzzle pieces to be thicker, die cut or cut an additional piece of chipboard and see step below. If it's thick enough for you, skip the next step.

Turn the photo/chipboard piece over and layer the other die cut puzzle pieces on top to add thickness. Be careful to line up the pieces exactly so the puzzle will still fit together nicely.

Take the puzzle apart and spray each piece with a clear acrylic coating to help make the printed photo more durable.

Create and print a label for the puzzle and place in small ziploc bag.

Repeat process with more photos - you're going to need more than one to keep her entertained during that hour of church.

Place puzzles in small clear file folder. I found mine in the dollar section at Target a while ago.

This project seems a little labor intense, but it was so fast and easy. I made the entire thing in less than an hour. She loved it and really enjoyed putting together the puzzles which had her picture.

tiny chocolate kisses

Found this idea via my cousin's blog. Just wrap chocolate chips with foil to create mini chocolate kisses.

another tiny two party

Elle's birthday is this month, and I've been trying to decide what to do...last year's Tiny Two party was so much fun to create. I think we're leaning towards a Pinkalicious theme.

Check out this Tiny Two party inspired by Elle's party. I love the mini caramel apples and tiny pennant bunting.

[project e] mr. or mrs. holiday man

This project is designed and created by Elle. I love this little crafter.

I have an app on my iPhone from Michaels which has craft project videos. She loves to watch them. The other day while I was working, she sat on the couch next to my desk watching these videos. Later she asked me if we could make a heart with arms and legs (one of the videos she watched was a bag for collecting Valentine's Day cards decorated with a heart that had a whole cut in the middle for a mouth and legs and arms attached). She told me what she needed, and I helped her with the cutting and gluing. She carried her "Mr. Happy Valentine's Day Man" around for the rest of the day. She loved the project so much she decided she needed to create an Easter egg man and another Valentine girl the next day.

To create:

1. Cut a shape out of cardstock. Draw a face with crayons onto the shape.

2. Cut strips of paper and fold accordian style.

3. Glue accordian strips to shape for arms and legs.

4. Cut clothing accessories like shoes, ties, hats, flowers, etc. and glue to shape.

5. Spend the rest of the day carrying your new friend around the house involving them in all important activities like dancing, putting together puzzles and snacktime.

[project] ABC eggs

For any QuicKutz crafters, here's a great way to use alphabet dies and any leftover vinyl scraps to dye Easter eggs. You see this egg dyeing technique all over the place typically using stickers or craft punches to create shapes.

Pick an alphabet die (I used Moonlight) and die cut the letters you need out of vinyl or contact paper. For our Easter eggs, we decided to make ABC eggs with the capital letter on one side and the lowercase letter on the other side. This gave Elle a great chance to practice finding both versions of the letters in the alphabet.

Stick the vinyl letter to the hard-boiled egg. Make sure you really rub the letter securely to the egg. We found that if we didn't the dye would seep in and ruin the image of the letter.

Place eggs in dye and wait excitedly to see what they'll look like (see Elle for example). We just used the basic food coloring drops from the grocery store with water and a little vinegar.

Remove the egg from the die and peel off the vinyl sticker. Place the egg back into the dye to color the letter or just leave the letter white if you want.