Wordless Wednesday 12/5/12

Make It Monday: Magnetic Sticker Set

This is another busy bag that I made for our recent vacation. I've seen magnetic sets in various stores and have wanted to buy them all. There's just something so cute and fun about little magnetic scenes. 

The problem? 

They are way too pricey. 

Easy solution? 

Make your own.

I looked through my oodles of stickers from my scrapbooking days. I found 3 sets that worked well together. Then, I bought a box of magnetic sheets at Michaels. After that, I simply placed the stickers on a sheet.

I shouldn't really say simply. It was more like strategically. I wanted to get the biggest bang for my buck, you know? I fit the pieces in as tightly as I could while still leaving room to cut.

 

The box I bought came with 3 magnetic sheets. All the stickers didn't even cover half of 1 sheet. I bought the sheets nearly 2 months ago, so I don't remember the exact price, but I think they cost somewhere around $3 after my coupon. That means that the sheets cost about $1 each. (See, this is why I'm qualified to homeschool my children. Ha.) Between the stickers I had lying around for years and using a portion of 1 sheet, this activity cost less than $0.50 to put together. Now that's worth my money! 

I picked up a couple little metal suit cases, also from Michaels on clearance for $0.20 a piece. (Have I ever mentioned how much I love that store???) We store our magnets in one, but you could also use an Altoids tin, Ziploc bag, pencil pouch, etc.

The container doubles as a playing board! It's the perfect size to throw into a purse or diaper bag.

But when we want a bigger playscape, we play on a cookie sheet too. If you're using this as an on-the-go busy bag kit, you could also use a small pie tin if you don't want to lug around a big ol' cookie sheet. I just keep a cookie sheet next to my seat in the van for all our magnetic activities. It doesn't get in the way (in fact, you don't really even notice it) and it's always ready for fun. You can also use these magnets at home on the refrigerator or a metal filing cabinet. 

The kids love playing with these! I am very pleased with how they turned out. They were incredibly easy to make and very cost effective. I already have lots of ideas for more sets that I want to make!

I may still be drawn to the sets in the store, but no more do I have to lament not buying them. From now on, I'll just head home and make them myself!

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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?