Use polymer clay to create your own miniature potted Harry Potter-Inspired Mandrake Roots!
Oh, how I love making Harry Potter-inspired crafts. Polymer clay is a lot of fun to work with, and is the perfect medium to make these grumpy, little, potted mandrakes! Like Pygmy Puffs, Mandrakes are also creatures that are briefly mentioned in the Harry Potter books. This is probably one of my favorite projects that I've made. I start laughing every time I look at them on display, which is just what this Potterhead needs!
Make your own plush Pygmy Puff pet, a fluffy, magical creature from the Harry Potter books!
Back again with another fun Harry Potter project! Today is all about Pygmy Puffs, which are a fluffy, magical creature that is briefly mentioned in Harry Potter. My daughter loves the idea of owning her own Pygmy Puff, so we decided to make one ourselves! We had a lot of fun picking out *just* the right fabric and working together to create this little puffball creature that immediately stole our hearts.
For those who haven't read the books, here's the description according to Harry Potter Wiki: “A Pygmy Puff is a miniature Puffskein, bred in the back of Fred and George Weasley’s shop Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes at 93 Diagon Alley in London, and sold there as one of the known products in the WonderWitch range. It is one of their most popular products, as George said they were having trouble breeding them fast enough for the demand. Ginny Weasley bought a purple Pygmy Puff named Arnold in 1996, which she frequently played with at Hogwarts.”
So, what are you waiting for? Let's make some Pygmy Puff plushies!!
Show off your Hogwarts pride with this Hogwarts House Coaster Set!
Harry Potter's birthday is coming up, so I think it's necessary to share some Harry Potter-inspired crafts! These Hogwarts house coasters are the perfect place to rest your goblet while showing off your Hogwarts pride. Using my Cricut and a few little tricks, this coaster set is easy to make for your home decor and would also make a great gift idea for fellow Harry Potter fans.
This post is sponsored by Disney Book Group and contains affiliate links. As always, I only share things that I use myself and truly recommend!
Learn how to make your own two-colored paracord bracelets!
Last summer we took on the Percy Jackson Challenge, and my daughter has been obsessed with Greek mythology ever since. She has read The Trials of Apollo series from Rick Riordan multiple times, and is SO excited for the release of book #5 coming this October!
With so many summer camps cancelled this year, young readers can still go to camp - at Camp Half-Blood! We did all kinds of fun activities at our at-home camp, like reading books and making paracord bracelets to represent Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter from The Trials of Apollo series!
**Don't forget to scroll to the end of the post for an awesome giveaway!!**
You don't need to be a gamer or a geek to have hours of fun with these DIY Tetris Magnets!
I'm a 90's kid, so of course Tetris is one of my favorite games! Just for fun, I decided to transform this totally tubular game into magnets. It's such a fun way to keep kids entertained, keep you busy while waiting for water to boil, and basically just looks RAD! These magnets are also the perfect size to keep on your fridge, in lockers or maybe even in the office! Check out the rest of the tutorial to see how to make a set for yourself!
This post is sponsored by Disney Book Group and contains affiliate links for your convenience. As always, I only share things that I use myself and truly recommend! #PercyJacksonandtheOlympians
We've made it our goal to read through Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series this summer. We've been tracking our progress using our Percy Jackson bookmarks and just started the fifth and final book in the series, The Last Olympian. It's a little bittersweet finishing the series, but it was wonderful to spend some quality time together reading good books filled with entertaining Greek mythology adventures. To celebrate completing our goal, I designed this "Demigod in Training" shirt with a FREE cut file to share with all of you!
Show off your favorite Harry Potter figures with this DIY Harry Potter Funko Pop Display!
One of my favorite things in life is Harry Potter. This last Christmas, I decided to get myself a gift: the Harry Potter Funko Advent Calendar! It comes with 24 Harry Potter Funko Pop mini figures that you get each day as you count down to Christmas. My daughter keeps trying to steal the figures for herself, so needed to find a way to display these beloved figures and keep them safe. After finding some house-shaped shadow boxes, the idea for this display came together like magic and I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out!!
This post is sponsored by the Disney Book Group. As always, I only share things that I use myself and truly recommend! #PercyJacksonandtheOlympians
This summer, our goal this summer is to read through the entire Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. We've been using our Percy Jackson bookmarks and are just starting on the third book, The Titan's Curse. While reading, we were inspired to make a Percy Jackson-inspired Camp Half-Blood Necklace. It's such a fun book-inspired project and we're sharing the tutorial (and free printable templates) so you can make one for yourself!
Share your love of "Seagulls! (Stop It Now)" with this Yoda Seagulls Shirt + Free Cut File!
Needless to say, we are obsessed with "Seagulls! (Stop It Now)", from Bad Lip Reading. It's from a lip-read segment from Empire Strikes Back paired with a catchy tune that gets stuck in your head for days on end. Now, I'm not complaining - it's one of my all-time favorites. So much so, that I decided to share this comedy gold with the world by making this Yoda Seagulls Shirt with a Free Cut File for you to make your own!
This post is sponsored by the Disney Book Group. As always, I only share things that I use myself and truly recommend! #PercyJacksonandtheOlympians
My daughter and I love to spend time together reading books. We try to make time to read at least one chapter a day, and before we know it, we're finished with the entire series! Our goal this summer is to read through the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. To remind us to take this challenge one chapter at a time, I've designed some Percy Jackson Reading Challenge Bookmarks to pair with the books to see our progress as we work through the series!
Fans of Stranger Things are going to flip upside down for these Free Printable Stranger Things Valentines!
When it comes to binge-worthy things to watch on Netflix, Stranger Things is at the top of my list. A spectacular mix of sci-fi and suspense with truly lovable characters, this show has me obsessed. Because of my adoration of this show, I designed some Free Printable Stranger Things-themed Valentines for you to share with your BFFs this Valentine's Day!
Dress up like your favorite Disney character with OVER 50 *magical* DIY Halloween costume ideas!
Halloween is all about being whoever you want to be, and who wouldn't want to be a part of the magical world of Disney? I've found OVER 50 of the best Disney-inspired costume ideas for kids, adults, and groups that you can DIY to wear on Halloween, or even to the Magic Kingdom itself!
Create your own Harry Potter character peg dolls to play with, collect, or give as gifts!
This post contains affiliate links. So if you use my links, I’ll get a bonus to help keep projects like this coming your way. As always, I only write about things I’m passionate about and truly recommend!
These Harry Potter Peg Dolls have been on my to-do list for years, and since this is the 5th Annual Happy Harry Potter series, it gave me the perfect opportunity to finally make them! Making peg dolls are a lot of fun and is totally relaxing for me. I have made quite a few peg doll sets for my daughter over the years, and she still loves playing with them all. When I told her that this time, we were going to make her favorite Harry Potter characters, she couldn't have been more thrilled! I even threw in a special surprise for her in this set...
Celebrate your love of Star Wars with this Free Printable Star Wars Word Search!
Star Wars Day, or May the 4th [be with you] is coming up! It's such a fun holiday for Star Wars fans around the world to celebrate this iconic franchise. My daughter loves word searches, so I put together this Free Printable Star Wars Word Search. It will be such a fun and non-stressful way to celebrate this official holiday with friends, classroom, or family.
There are 30 Star Wars character names and vocabulary words to look for that will be horizontal, vertical, diagonal and backwards. The printable download also includes the solution to the word search.
Not only do we have a ton of fun with these at home, but my husband also loves taking these kinds of activities to school to entertain the students and keep them busy. This is the perfect worksheet to have a little bit of fun on Star Wars Day!
This post is sponsored by LEGO and contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own.
Surprise a LEGO fan with a unique DIY LEGO Easter Basket!
As much as I love Easter candy, I have been trying to lessen the sugar when it comes to the Easter basket. Themed Easter baskets are so much fun to make, like this LEGO Elves Easter Basket I made for my daughter a few years go. This year, I decided to put together a LEGO-themed basket full of amazing LEGO goodies that every LEGO fan is sure to love.
The star of the LEGO Easter Basket is the LEGO BrickHeadz Easter Bunny! Recommended for ages 10+, this 126 piece character is the perfect seasonal gift. The set features decorated eyes, movable ears, a detachable carrot and bucket, 2 Easter eggs and flowers. Best of all, it stands on a buildable collector's baseplate for easy display in the home, office or anywhere you'd like!
Another fun surprise for the basket is a LEGO Friends bagged set and the LEGO City Hot Dog Cart and Vendor! Each set comes with instructions, and all the pieces you need - including a minifigure. These kinds of sets are very affordable and quick for kids of all ages to build.
Instead of just tossing the bagged set into the basket, I opened the packages up (separately) and got some shimmery and colorful plastic Easter eggs.
Grab a few of the pieces and place them into the eggs. Make sure that you include the instructions. Since these sets can be a little more of a quicker build, you can make the fun last by building a little bit at a time! I plan on putting the eggs right into the basket, but you could also use this idea in an Easter egg hunt for a fun surprise.
Minifigure blind bags are also a fun surprise to add to a basket AND pop into Easter eggs! Each LEGO Batman Minifigure Mystery Bag contains 1 of the 20 characters available in this collection to build to play with! Every bag also includes one or more accessory elements, a collector's leaflet and a display plate with a printed Batman logo.
Last, but not least, I added in the LEGO Friends Stephanie's Bedroom set. This 95 piece set is built on a blue heart-shaped base, which perfectly reflects Stephanie’s sporty personality! Stephanie can hop into bed to relax after a hard day’s training while her dog, Dash chills in the doghouse. The room even has its own mini golf putting green with a ball and golf club! Other accessories include a mobile phone to call friends, an alarm clock and a trophy to show Stephanie's sporting achievements.
I found a blue metal basket for $3 that works great for an Easter basket as well as for a way to organize LEGOs later! I tied a blue ribbon around the basket and filled it with some yellow tissue paper and Easter grass to dress it up. Last, arrange all of the LEGO goodies and filled Easter eggs and the basket is ready for the big day!!
For kids who aren't into LEGO Friends, simply switch out the set. Kids will be playing at micro lightspeed with the LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon Microfighter! Recommended for ages 6-12, this 92 piece set features lots of authentic detailing, 2 stud shooters and seat on top of the Millenium Falcon for the Chewbacca minifigure to sit with his bowcaster.
This LEGO Easter Basket is such a fun gift idea that will spark more imaginative play for the LEGO fan in your life! Not only is it a fantastic Easter basket, but it's also a great gift idea for other occasions like birthdays and Christmas. Be sure to visit the LEGO website to find everything you need for your own LEGO Easter basket!
Print out these Free Printable Star Wars Bookmarks to save your spot in your favorite book!
To all of my fellow Star Wars fans, this one is for you! I originally created these bookmarks as incentives for my husband's 3rd grade class, but I knew that you would love them, too. It's no secret that reading can take you to galaxies far, far away. Reading is our only hope, so use these bookmarks to encourage young Jedis to use the Force and keep reading!!
Download and print out the bookmarks on cardstock. Use a paper cutter or scissors to cut out the bookmarks.
Lucky for us, our daughter is a nerd just like her parents. She helped me throughout the process of making these bookmarks to make sure they turned out right. There are four characters included in this printable. Just in case you are *gasp* new to Star Wars, they are: Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Chewbacca!
*Artsy-Fartsy Mama printables are for PERSONAL USE ONLY (home, school, libraries, etc).
*You may NOT modify, sell, redistribute, or claim the design as your own.
*Please do not remove the credits/watermarks.
*If you'd like to share this project, you may use ONE photo and credit must be given to Artsy-Fartsy Mama and linked back to this post.
The bookmarks are now ready to save your place when you take a break from reading your favorite book! You could also cut some out to share with your friends or classmates as a reminder to use the Force and keep reading!!
Who is your favorite Star Wars character? Let me know in the comments!
This post is sponsored in partnership with Paramount Pictures. As always, all opinions are my own.
When my daughter first got interested in acting, she learned all about the Shakespeare classics. One of her favorite plays was Romeo and Juliet and loves the movie Gnomeo & Juliet. It is now one of our favorite movies that we watch together as a family. A sequel to Gnomeo & Juliet has been announced, and we can't wait! Sherlock Gnomes is sure to be another family favorite, and it's in theaters March 23rd.
To celebrate our excitement for the movie, I wanted to make some handmade wooden peg dolls inspired by the Sherlock Gnomes characters. While it can take some time and effort, peg dolls are one of my favorite things to make. When I see how my daughter loves playing with every set I've made over the years, it makes every moment of work worth it.
After a string of garden gnome disappearances in London, Gnomeo & Juliet look to legendary detective Sherlock Gnomes to solve the case of their missing friends and family. This action-packed sequel to Gnomeo & Juliet features the voices of returning cast James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Stephen Merchant and Ozzy Osbourne, plus Johnny Depp as Sherlock Gnomes, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Watson, and Mary J. Blige as Irene.
To make your own set of Sherlock Gnomes Peg Dolls, you'll need to start with these supplies:
• Wooden peg dolls: 4 large, 3 medium, 3 small
• Wooden box with hinges - mine measures about 6x4x2
Have some images of the characters you want to make on hand to refer to. Since the dolls are so small, I simplify the characters by taking out the smaller details (nose, mouth, etc), but keep the main details (clothing, hair color, etc). Use a sharp pencil (I prefer a mechanical pencil) and lightly draw the simplified characters on the wooden peg dolls.
After everything has been drawn onto the peg dolls, the next step is to paint them. When it comes to paint, I recommend using Americana acrylic paints. Good quality acrylic paints like these will have brighter colors, and you'll only need 1 or 2 coats, which matters when you're working on a project like this. You'll also need a few small paint brushes in different sizes and styles to paint details on the peg dolls.
Getting started is the hardest part of making peg dolls. To make it a little easier, I choose one color and paint all of the parts on different dolls. This will also save you on time since you won't need to wash your brushes in between and get the paint out again later!
A few tips:
* If the color seems a little dull or you can see the wood grain through it, add another coat. Just make sure that the first coat of paint is dry before you add another.
* For the eyes, dip the non-brush end of a small brush into some paint and dab once or twice on a piece of scrap paper. Then carefully dab the brush on the eye pencil marks on the peg doll.
* You can use a thin Sharpie marker to add on thin details that a brush wouldn't be able to do (glasses, eyebrows, clothing details).
* After you're done painting, use an eraser over the peg dolls to remove any pencil left behind.
After all of the dolls have been painted, spray a coat of clear spray paint over the peg dolls to give them a glossy finish and to protect the paint. I painted a few coats - but make sure each coat is completely dry before adding another.
While going through my stash, I found some small wooden knobs. I painted the tops red and blue, the bottoms white and added spots to make them look like mushrooms. Gnomes and mushrooms are perfect together! Be sure to paint a coat or two of glossy spray paint over the mushrooms as well.
In the movie, Watson wears a bowler hat. I painted a small wooden cap to match his hat brim and suit. I finished it off with spray paint, then glued it to the top of his head with a strong craft glue.
The hats for the gnomes are a little more complex, so I decided to mold them by hand with clay. These were both a success and a fail, and I'll tell you why...
I used a polymer clay that was the perfect red color to match the gnomes. After warming a small ball of clay in my hands, I was able to mold the clay to the shape I wanted and they fit the gnomes perfectly. This is the success!!
A thing to know about polymer clay is that it has to be baked to permanently set the shape. I thought that since the peg dolls had a glossy finish, that the clay would come right off. Not so much. I carefully used a fingernail to loosen the hats around the heads and I completely ruined one of them. I remade the hat and put the peg dolls in the freezer for about 30 minutes. This stiffened the clay and made it a little easier to work with, but they put up a fight. I was finally able to remove the hats after using a fingernail and slowly working them off. I baked them according to package directions, and everything turned out okay in the end.
What I would have done different is tried an air dry clay instead. That way, I could have made the hats and let the clay set on the peg dolls. Then you can just paint them and be done! I'll try it next time and keep you updated.
After being baked, I let the clay hats cool completely. I added a drop of strong craft glue to the inside of the hats and attached them to each of the peg dolls. I repeated the same process for the characters with blue hats.
After the glue dried, I sprayed one last coat of clear spray paint to the hats to give them a glossy finish. The final step is to line up all the peg dolls and admire your work. They make me smile every time I look at them!
The wooden box will serve a few purposes - it's a great way to keep your peg dolls in one place and stay in great condition. It's also going to be a fun play space for the peg dolls!
Measure the inside of the box and cut a piece of green felt to fit. Use a glue gun to attach the felt to the bottom. Cut more green pieces of felt to cover the other four sides of the box and attach them with glue.
I wanted to make the box look like the gnome garden, so I cut out some little flowers and a cute pond out of felt. I also cut a rectangle of blue felt to add to the top of the box for the sky. Get creative and add as much or as little as you want!
You can also paint the outside of the box to look however you want. My daughter wanted to keep the wood look, so we just painted a thin coat of sealant on the outside to keep it looking nice.
Now that the box is complete, it's time to play! Take the gnomes in and out of the box to re-enact scenes from the movie - like this one from the trailer where one of the goons gets stepped on in the garden!
After the kids are done playing, lay all of the peg dolls inside the box. The felt will keep them from getting scratched up, and you can easily find all of the dolls again the next time you want to play.
This project has made us even more excited to see Sherlock Gnomes on March 23rd. Until then, we are going to be having a ton of adventures of our own, and probably re-enacting some of the scenes from Gnomeo & Juliet!
For all of the Sherlock Gnomes news and fun, visit the Official Website, Like on Facebook, and follow on Twitter and Instagram. You can also share and follow along with #SherlockGnomes!
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