Classy and Opinionated Lifestyle Mom Blog
Mason jar lids (seals) make the perfect painting surface for kids. They can paint designs on the lids and use them as holiday ornaments, refrigerator magnets, turn them into garden decor, etc. My grandchildren love painting and this project doesn’t cost a lot of money …
Ladybugs are one of those insects that I love seeing in my backyard! In our area we have red and orange colored ladybugs that like to hang around in my garden. Some people swear that when they find a ladybug that it always brings good …
All of my friends and family members know that I’m a crafter and collect just about anything to be upcycled into a new craft project. Needless to say, I have an entire shoebox full of broken jewelry that people have given to me over the years. Yes, I have a lot of broken necklaces, single earrings, pendants, bracelets, pins, brooches, neck chains, etc. A LOT!
* This post contains affiliate links.
Last weekend my 11 1/2 year old granddaughter came up with a brilliant idea to take some of those jewelry pieces and turn them into simple bookmarks using satin ribbon. What a great idea! We then got busy picking out the pendants and single earrings that she wanted to use.
Upcycled Broken Jewelry Ribbon Bookmarks
Pendants or Dangle-Style Earrings
Ribbon to Coordinate
Scissors
Pliers
Wire Cutters
You’ll need to use pliers and/or wire cutters to remove chains, jump-rings, clasps, earring posts, etc. from your broken jewelry pieces. You don’t want anything sharp sticking out, so make sure you clip them off closely and smoothly.
In our photos you’ll see an olive green faux gemstone that used to be an earring. We clipped off the stud portion and the post. We left on the tiny o-ring at the top. We used some coordinating ribbon from my scrap box that measures 14″ in length. We threaded one end through the o-ring and then knotted the two ends together. Make sure your ribbon is long enough to stick out of a book.
The nice thing about using ribbon is that it’s thin and won’t bend-up the book’s pages or cause the book to not close properly. Plus, they’re light-weight. You can hand them out to your friends or better yet…give them as an inexpensive birthday gift to that book reader on your gift list. They fit easily inside a Birthday or Christmas greeting card.
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!
These felt beverage coasters are quick and easy to make. Kids can sit down and make several of them in one afternoon. Plus, they only cost pennies to make! We made them with a group of kids age 4 years to age 7. They can …
This hand painted Safari Elephant Seashell is really easy to make! It can be made by older children and/or adults. You’ll need large clam seashells and acrylic craft paints to make it. Don’t have seashells laying around? You can do the same design painted onto …
This hand painted hungry shark pet rock is a great craft project for the kids to do! It’s easy and you can make several of them in just one afternoon. All you need are smooth river rocks, acrylic craft paint, a paint brush, water dish, and paper towels. No template/pattern is needed!
You’ll want to look for triangular shaped smooth rocks along the river, pond, lake, ocean, or other waterway. We found 7 triangular shaped rocks on our walk along the bayside of the beach. Bring them home and wash them in warm soapy water (I like using Dawn Liquid Dish Soap) to remove the sand, dirt, debris, and fishy odors. Air dry for 24 hours.
We like a shiny look to the shark so we opted to use a silver metallic acrylic paint to base coat all of the rocks on all sides. We did have to give them 2 coats of paint with 40-45 minutes of drying time between coats. Let dry until the paint is no longer tacky.
Find the position on the rock that you like best to form the shark’s head. You’ll paint a white triangle shape with rounded corners as shown in the photograph. Again, 2 coats of white paint were used. Add 2 oval shaped black eyes. Let dry. Inside the white triangle you need to paint a red triangle with rounded corners to serve as the inside of the mouth. Again, 2 coats of paint were needed.
Once the paint is dry you want to finish up the shark rock by adding the white teeth and the white inner portion to each eye. Let the rocks dry for 3-4 hours or until the paint is no longer tacky.
If you want to protect the painted finish you’ll want to take them outside and spray them with 2-3 light coats of a clear acrylic spray sealer. We used one with a glossy finish. Let dry for 6-8 hours. You can now use them as small decor accents inside and outside your home. I have a few placed in my one flower bed and they add a nice pop of color! My grandson has a few that he made displayed on a bookcase in his bedroom.
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!
Last weekend my 2 grandchildren came over for a crafting with Nanny date. We decided to make ladybug and bumble bee refrigerator magnets using old puzzle pieces! Along with cardboard puzzle pieces, you’ll need acrylic craft paints and a few other basic supplies. Here’s how …
My kids enjoy painting their own suncatchers to hang up on the windows. We can often buy the plastic suncatchers at Dollar Tree or other discount retail stores. However, buying the translucent paint to paint them can get expensive. Instead…we make our own which work …