Make It Monday: Pom Pom Critters

I have been wanting to make busy bags for quite a while. What is a busy bag? It's an activity that is small enough to be kept in a bag and is perfect for those times when you need to keep the kids busy and quiet (restaurant, church, doctor apt., nap time, car ride, etc.) They are so convenient and good for learning and imaginative play. And some projects (like this one) take very little time to prepare. So why did it take me so long to make up some myself? Oh, you know, it's just one of those things that gets pushed aside when there are always so many other things to do. Our recent vacation was motivation to finally start assembling some bags though. Yea!

I saw this idea here, and knew that I could easily make them myself. And so can you. Here's how:

You'll need googly eyes, pom poms, and something for feet (I used little plastic glob thingies. You could use buttons, foam, beads, etc.) You'll also need a hot glue gun and glue.

The directions really don't even need to be told:

1. Put a glue gun stick in the glue gun.
2. Plug the glue gun into a socket.
3. Once the glue gun is hot and the glue is melty,  squirt a drop of glue onto a googly eye and quickly place it on a pom pom.  Repeat as desired.
4. Squirt a drop of glue onto a "foot" and quickly place on bottom of pom pom. Repeat as desired. 
5. Repeat steps 3-4 as needed.
6. Play with your critters.

Easy, right???

Ok, so I had to try to make it as least sound as complicated as possible because they really could not be any simpler and I just had to have something to write. Seriously though, just throw some glue on a few embellishments and plop them on a pom pom. There. You're done.

 And aren't they so cute???

I made them one night after the kids went to bed so they'd be surprised. We were driving along, many hours into our trip, when I handed them the bag with the critters. They loved them! (I'm pretty sure the feelings were mutual, too.) In fact, when we came home, the kids asked if we could make more. They are so simple and so fun.

Plus, they're really super cute.

What more could you ask for?

Make It Monday: Polar Bears

Happy Polar Bear Day! The kids and I are really enjoying celebrating the silly and random holidays. So many times they'll ask when they wake up in the morning, "What national day is today?" There's just something fun about taking the time to enjoy the little things in life. Like polar bears. Not that they're little in size, but little as in not a big part of our life - thank God! One, they're too big to keep in an aquarium, which is about the only pet I want in my house. And two, I don't want to live in the cold region of the polar bears. However, that did not stop us from celebrating their cuteness. 

Here's our cast of characters: pipe cleaners, googly eyes, glue, pencil, construction paper, pom-poms, cotton balls, and a bowl.  This craft is so versatile though that you can use any supplies you have on hand. 

 Use the pencil and bowl to draw a template for the bear's head.

 Gently stretch the cotton balls to make them light and fluffy.

 Cover your circle in a thin layer of glue.

Fill in the circle with the cotton balls. Add 2 cotton balls for ears.

Little Zac did not care for this part. Every time he'd try to place a mush of cotton, he'd get glue on his hand and some of the cotton would stick to him. He was not thrilled with the "pider web" on his hand.

Bend a piece of pipe cleaner into the shape of a smile and glue it on the face. The polar bear's face, not your face. Please, flash your own smile.

Stop to play with the bag of cotton balls.

 Glue on a pom-pom nose and googly eyes.

Look at the cute, fuzzy polar bears! We're out of big googly eyes, and Jake thought the size we have is too small. He used white pom-poms and drew eyeballs on with a black marker. Part of the fun of crafting is making it your own! These little guys are hanging on the wall in our kitchen. Hmm, maybe that's why it's a little chilly in here . . .