Spoonful of Imagination

Add it to a Family for Something Beautiful

  • Home
  • Our Family
    • Our Home
  • Courses
  • Shop
  • Contact

It’s winter, so let’s build a snowman!

February 4, 2022 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

We’ve been enjoying a winter storm here in Indiana. The kids are going on day three of school moving from in person to e-learning for the amount of snow we have had. They estimate we have had more than a foot of snow in 48 hours.

Our family has been able to get out and walk, play, and even scrap the driveway a time or four now.

Although we love the outdoor play, we have had more indoor play as well. It got us thinking that others might be looking for some indoor fun too. We thought we would share this fun and multiple step snowman project with you to encourage some creative fun in your home this winter. Gather a few supplies from around your home and join us to build a snowman!

Supplies:

base canvas (we used white cardboard)

coloring tools (we used pastels)

paint supplies (we used tempera paint and a brush)

scrap paper (card stock, construction paper, etc)

scissors

Elmer’s glue

Once you have the supplies and are ready to create, the first thing you do is draw a snowman! I love how Reagan drew a two circle snowman and Jeremiah drew a three circle snowman that is zoomed in on, as part of his shape is “off” the page.

After you have used your drawing tools to draw the snowman, then you are ready to paint a winter scene for the snowman to live in! Paint the background surrounding the snowman. You can ask your artist why you should NOT paint in the snowman. Hopefully, they value clean, white snow too.

The final step is to embellish and add details to that snowman. We used scrap paper to cut hats and scarfs to dress our snowmen. You can also use your drawing tools from step one to add more details to the snowman or background.

Wasn’t that super easy? This is such a fun project to do with a few students or a whole class! Just as a review the steps are..

  1. Draw a snowman
  2. Paint around the snowman
  3. Embellish by gluing and drawing to add details

We love that no matter the same steps taught or supplies used, every project can look different. If you keep the rules “open ended” like they are listed simply above, each artist will take their own interpretation and be able to use his/her imagination to bring their own ideas to life. How cool is that!?

We had so much fun creating some indoor snowman. Jeremiah suggested that real outdoor snowmen are more fun to create. It’s hard to compete with snow, right!? But, if you too need some indoor fun, try this fun project. My artists are in 5th and 7th grade and they still had fun. We are never too old to play with creative tools! The pieces don’t have to be saved for forever. Stick them on your mantel for the season like we did, and then feel free to toss them out. The most important part is to to HAVE FUN!

What kind of snowman will you create? Imagine the possibilities!

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Easy DIY Satin Flower

February 26, 2019 By Erica Deuel 2 Comments

Satin-Flower-Featured

As I mentioned in my last post, we are READY for spring around here. Sunshine. Warmth. Color. Anything to get beyond this cold grey reality. While the weather around here isn’t totally cooperating with my desires, I’ll continue to take matters into my own hands and create something to introduce a little warmth and pop of color. Take that Old Man Winter.

If you’ve been around here for a while you know that I love to make flowers out of all kinds of materials for different projects. Burlap. Felt. Chiffon. Today I want to walk you through one of my all-time favorite projects, the Easy DIY Satin Flower.

If you like to read the step by step, carry on, my friend. However, if you’d like to get your supplies and create along with me – you can do that too! Our latest YouTube video is me walking you through this tutorial step-by-step. Enjoy!

Supplies:

  • Your favorite colors of satin fabric. (An 1/8 of a yard will go a long way. The more satin flowers you want to create and the more colors you would like to incorporate, the more satin you should purchase.)
  • Sharp scissors
  • Needle and thread (thread color doesn’t matter because it won’t be seen)
  • A multi-purpose lighter
  • Fun embellishments of your choice, i.e., buttons, beads, scrapbook charms & hardware, jewels, etc.
  • Hot glue and hot glue gun
  • Once you’ve created your flower it can be used in dozens of different projects. In the YouTube video, I use mine for hair bows and headbands. You can get a variety of those from the dollar store.
  • Alligator clips (If you’d like to have a flexible way to attach your flower without permanently connecting it to a hairband.)

Tutorial:

For this tutorial, you are going to cut your satin into 6 circles. When you branch out to make your own, feel free to adjust the number of layers for your own unique look. Before starting on your circles you may want to cut the satin into manageable squares/rectangles to making cutting the circles easier.

satin-fabric

The circles do not need to be perfectly round and you’ll see why in a moment. The first circle should be the largest. You can decide how large you’d like for your flower to be but I’d recommend 3-4″ round for the first one. Now cut 5 more circles making each one a little bit smaller.

satin-circles

satin-circles2

Now being very careful, use your lighter to singe the edges of your satin circles. As the flame is applied to the satin, the heat will cause the edges to begin to curling up. The longer the heat is applied the more the satin will curl. Test it out and find the look that you prefer. This step will also help to seal the edges of the fabric and keep it from fraying in the future. The satin flower should not catch fire. If it does, you are holding the flame to the fabric too long.

burn-satin

Once all of your satin circles have been curled with the lighter, stack them largest to smallest. Get your needle and thread and go ahead and thread your needle. I like to double thread mine to make it extra strong. Give yourself about 18-24″ of thread and double knot it at the end leaving a few inches of slack past the knot.

Now sew your needle through the bottom of your satin flower petals all the way through to the top of the smallest one. Because you are going through 6 layers of satin you may want to use a table or hard surface to help push your needle through. Be careful and watch your fingers! Don’t ask me how I know!? 😉 Pull your thread through so that the knot presses against the bottom of the satin petals. Now sew back through the top down to the bottom. Repeat this step 5 to 6 times to make sure that your satin flower petals are securely fastened. Finish by sewing through the bottom. Take the remaining thread and the slack from your first knot and tie them together with another double knot. Your flower is now secure you can cut off the slack, being careful not to cut through the knots.

sew-satin

sew-satin2

Pick out a fun embellishment for the center of your flower. Sew or hot glue it to the center of your flower depending on what you choose.

embellishment

At this point, your satin flower is done. Now the question is, what are you going to do with it?
The possibilities are endless. Make several and sew them to a pillow. Hot glue it to a frame or table display. Sew or clip it to a handbag. Or you can do like I did and incorporate it into a hair bow.

satin-flowers

If you are going to use it in a hair bow for a little one and you’d like to add some flexibility and longevity to your flower, I’d recommend hot gluing one of the alligator clips to the back. That way the flower can be attached to the perfect newborn headband for those itty-bitty newborns… but as they grow, it can be moved to a bigger hairband to grow with them!

alligator-clip

alligator-clips2

reagan-satin-flower

You can do this! This project is easy, fun, and a GREAT way to give an inexpensive but super special gift for a variety of occasions. Share your projects on social media using the #spoonfulofimagination hashtag so that we can be inspired by your creations. Keep checking out our YouTube Channel for new videos and projects. We’d appreciate it a ton if you’d subscribe and share with your followers. Have a great week that hopefully filled with lots of warmth and color!

 

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

DIY Pot Holder Puppet (Turkey Craft for Thanksgiving!)

November 8, 2017 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

DIY Pot Holder PuppetDo you have a child who is fascinated with things in the kitchen? How about the pot holders? We do. Random, I know. What can I say? One of our sons uses them anytime he is warming up stuff or toasting things in the kitchen. I’ve tried to show him he’s not in a real danger zone with his warming duties, but he loves the pot holders.  Maybe it makes him feel like a real chef!? It’s one of those easy parent-child issues that doesn’t really matter, so we’ve embraced the pot holder fetish.

One day while watching him wait for his toast, inspiration struck! Those potholders would make cute puppets! I set out to try my idea. Here are some supplies I used, but you can use really anything you have on hand that would be a cool embellishment!

Supplies:

  • Pot Holders (I got mine for $0.88 each at Walmart)
  • Hot Glue Gun with glue sticks
  • Scissors
  • Felt
  • Craft Feathers
  • Yarn
  • Googly Eyes

DIY Pot Holder PuppetI started out by gathering a ton of supplies. Next, I had to consider what type of animal or creature to make! A monster or dinosaur were my first ideas because you could get super creative with colors and textures. With Thanksgiving coming up, I decided to make a turkey (knowing my first grader would have a blast with him).

DIY Pot Holder PuppetI started by cutting out the turkey’s beak. After placing it where it should go, I decided it needed to be a bit bigger. It helped me to cut out several of my pieces from the felt and just place them where they would go, before hot gluing them in place. This checked scale and placement before I committed to it.

As you can see in the pictures below, I also folded and hot glued part of the potholder mitt. This helped me to shape my turkey head a little more to my liking while still keeping the majority of the glove/puppet functioning.DIY Pot Holder Puppet

DIY Pot Holder PuppetAfter I had my main design, I hot glued the felt pieces in place and started playing with more materials. I added googly eyes and feathers for more fun textures.

DIY Pot Holder PuppetDIY Pot Holder PuppetI loved it so much, I started snapping pictures to send to my husband immediately. I knew this turkey needed someone besides me to talk to, so I whipped up a horse to be his friend.

DIY Pot Holder PuppetDIY Pot Holder PuppetMy favorite part of the horse is the eyelashes! They are the side of a feather.

This project was so easy. It literally was a little bit of cutting and hot gluing. My kids came home from school and were so excited to play with them and now want to make their own. We will add pot holders to our shopping list.

The components to keep in mind as you create are:

  1. Help your child to hot glue, if they are uncomfortable with a glue gun.
  2. Watch what side you of the puppet you are creating your little guy. I only created one side of each of my pot holders. I created on opposite sides so that the puppets could face each other to communicate. You could, of course, design both sides of your puppet. You could let your imagination fly and even make an angry/surprised version of your puppet face on the back to use in your puppet shows!

DIY Pot Holder PuppetDIY Pot Holder PuppetDIY Pot Holder PuppetWhat do you think!? Do you need to create some pot holder puppets as well!? I don’t think these will be used with our toaster oven, but they sure make a fun toy! Let your imagination go wild! What creature would you make??

If you use this idea, please tag us on social media so we can see your fun creation! Use #spoonfulofimagination to find us on Facebook and Instagram.

 

 

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

You are My Sunshine (and finding inspiration)

April 3, 2016 By Erica Deuel 1 Comment

wood_sign_tutorialThe creativity in this world amazes me.

There are times when I’m out or browsing online and I see something that stops me in my tracks. I can’t help but think how beautiful that creation is. I may not need that item, but there is something about the colors, design, uniqueness that caught my attention.

Creativity comes in all different ways, as I mentioned before in this post.

I love being inspired by other artists.  Sometimes either the placement of their design, the colors they paired together, the shapes they use spur an idea in me. I found a wrapping paper the other day at TJMaxx that did this to me. I instantly fell in love with the paper and knew I needed to bring it home with me, if only to continued to be inspired by the design.

I wrapped a few presents with it and then taped a piece to the wall. Could wrapping paper be turned into wall paper? This I’m not sure, but I may want to try it.

wallpaper_room_inspirationWhile the wrapping paper was taped to the wall, I looked at it off and on and thought how much I loved the print. I decided I wanted to try my hand at painting some flowers inspired by this design. I had a base wood sign that I had already built and painted white. It was a blank canvas waiting to be embellished and make into something. I came up with this idea to create a sign off a phrase that I have done a couple of times before (like in this wood sign post), but this time to embellish the sun with flowers inspired by this wrapping paper.

I painted the words, the sun, and then was ready for the fun part. I picked out my own colors for the flowers and just started having fun and painting away.

finding_sign_inspiration

painting_flowers

painted_flowersIt was so fun just going for it. I loved laying my colors on top of each other and adding some details to the flowers to add another depth and color to the painting. It took a little while to wait for colors to dry before I could build on them. In between homeschooling and life I would capture a layer or two, so this part of the sign alone took about three days. It was worth it. I love how the sun was so much more fun and unique because of these flowers and to think it was all inspired by a piece of wrapping paper.

I was super nervous to add my rustic touch to the sign after spending so much time painting the flowers. I had a piece of art I loved and I was afraid I might ruin it to sand and stain the whole sign. I wanted to take that risk though. I knew the potential of the sign being even more beautiful with that light rustic/warm touch, so I slowly started sanding my creation very lightly.

you_are_my_sunshine

sanding_a_sign

making_a_rustic_signAfter I sanded, I painted on Minwax’s Early American stain and rubbed it off with an old cloth.

sign_tutorialI loved what this step did to the sign. My last step was to add the frame and stain it as well. I quickly measured the pieces and nailed them into place. My sign was finished, and I just adore it!

you_are_my_sunshine_sign2

you_are_my_sunshine_sign3

you_are_my_sunshine_sign5I think it is a beautiful combination of color with a rustic/artsy edge. It’s so fun. This popular phrase has been made into all kinds of signs, but a small piece of wrapping paper helped me create a sign that I had not done/seen before. I love that we can find inspiration in the craziest of places.

you_are_my_sunshine_signThere are items that we can expect to find inspiration. Magazines, blog posts, and Pinterest are just few normal places to find inspiration. What are some of the weird ones you have found inspiration?

A worn down barn?

The way a creek trickles over shallow rocks?

Weathered chairs?

What else?

What is something that has inspired a creation of yours?

wood_sign_tutorialIn a world that is constantly changing, evolving, and inspiration can be found everywhere, I think it is so important to lean into some of that to the next level of depth. Rather than just seeing something you love, figure out why you love it and do something about it. I loved the shapes of the flowers, so I took this inspiration and made something of my own with it. Instead of just looking, I used my hands and made something. Try it!

Thank you so much for joining me here today. If you may be interested in purchasing this sign, please check my shop to see if it is still available.

signature

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
Next Page »
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
YouTube-Channel
Erica Deuel

Subscribe for Weekly Updates!




Most Popular Posts

Painting Flower Pot Party Tips
DIY Paper Butterflies- Spring decor for cheap
DIY {easy} Burlap Wreath
The Encanto, Madrigal's House Craft For Kids
Repurpose Old Kitchen Chairs
School Desk Makeover
Cheap lamp to Industrial Beauty
DIY King Size Rag Quilt {Repost}
Engraved Wood Sign Tutorial (and Dremel Micro)
DIY Fabric Bunting

Categories

  • All About the Kids
  • art journal
  • Blogging
  • Christmas
  • Craft Projects
  • Dancing Zebras
  • DIY
  • Eddy's postcards
  • Embroidery Journal
  • Family
  • Featured
  • Fireside Chat
  • Foster Care
  • Giveaways
  • Guest Posts
  • Home
  • Homeschooling
  • Kid Activities
  • Kid Craft
  • My Heart
  • Our Outings
  • Project Spotlight
  • Send Out Love
  • Shop
  • Sponsored Posts
  • Spoonful Lab
  • Spoonful Tribe
  • Tips + Tricks
  • Traveling
  • Uncategorized
  • Vlog

Favorite Categories

Subscribe for Weekly Updates!

Favorite Categories

© 2023 Spoonful of Imagination, Inc.