Cupcake Liner Dumpling Craft (and our 10+ favorite Asian Food Picture Books!)

A couple of weeks ago, our family celebrated New Year (and made a ton of Chinese New Year Crafts.) Even though the celebrations are over, I've still been in the mood to eat lots of yummy Asian food. The boys and I recently tried making dumplings (using this super easy recipe). Today I thought it would be fun to put together a fun list of Asian food inspired picture books + share a cute cupcake liner dumpling craft. Enjoy!

10+ Awesome Asian Food Inspired Picture Books AND a Cupcake Liner Dumpling Craft

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Rain, Flower, and Tree Paper Pull Crafts for Spring!

Last week I shared this really cute St. Patrick's Day rainbow paper pull craft on the blog. Since everyone seemed to enjoy that craft so much, I made these similarly adorable spring-themed paper pull crafts. So you can pull some animals into a tree, raindrops from a cloud, or animals on and off of flowers. Doodle your own images, or like last time, just print and use my doodles.

Let's make Cloud, Flower, and Tree Paper Pull Crafts with Kids!

This post contains affiliate links. This means I make a tiny bit of grocery money from each purchase made. Thank you for your support! For my full disclosure policy, click here.

St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Paper Pull Craft (Free Printable included)

If you like St. Patrick's Day crafts or rainbow crafts, then today's post is for you! We're making these adorable Rainbow and leprechaun paper pull crafts. Kids can color the images, cut them out, and then make these fun moving crafts just in time for St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day Rainbow and Leprechaun Paper Pull Craft

(Free printable included!)

This post contains affiliate links. This means I make a tiny bit of grocery money from each purchase made. Thank you for your support! For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Smiley Sun Popsicle Stick Weaving

Sometimes it feels like we go in craft cycles.  Before, my son and I were really, really into origami projects. Now I'm starting to dream about doing more weaving projects.  There's something really beautiful and relaxing about the process of weaving.  There's a lovely pattern of movement and you always seems to get beautiful results. 

So, in celebration of the sunny and warm weather, I recently made this really cute smiley sun popsicle stick weaving.   If you enjoy weaving God's Eyes, you'll really enjoy this craft too!

Smiley Sun Popsicle Stick Weaving Craft

This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a teeny tiny bit of money from any purchases made through the Amazon links below.   Thank you for your support! For my full disclosure, click here.

Awesome Chinese New Year Dragon Kite Puppet

Happy belated Chinese New Year!  This past week I visited my son's classroom and did some Chinese New Year themed crafts with his friends.  I'd love to claim today's craft as my own because it's so awesome.  But, I can't take any credit.  My son actually made it in his class.  (The teacher found the idea in  The MailBox and graciously allowed me to share it here.)  Isn't it super neat?

Awesome New Year's Dragon Kite Puppets!

This post contains affiliate links.  This means I make a small portion off of any purchases made through the links at no additional cost to you.  Thank you for the grocery money!  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

20+ Cutest and Super Fun Popsicle Stick Crafts

We love popsicle stick crafts! (Or do you call them craft stick crafts?)  Whatever you call these wooden sticks, I think we can all agree that they offer endless opportunities to create.  Stuck in a rut about what to do with them?  Well, here is a list of over 20 easy, cute, and fun popsicle crafts!

Popsicle Stick Boxes for Easter and St. Patrick's Day

Last week I received a box of goodies from Oriental Trading company.  And you know what craft items excited me the most?  The popsicle sticks.  I love popsicle stick crafts.   Some of my favorite crafting memories were making popsicle stick boxes in summer camp.  Today I'm sharing popsicle stick boxes that we made for Easter, St. Patrick's Day.... and Pokemon Day! (Ok, I made the last  holiday up. We're just seriously crazy about Pokemon right now.)

Weaving Cute Baby Turtles Using God's Eye Weaving Pattern

Looking for some fun and unique summer crafts to do with the kiddos?   Me too! School is almost over and I've got summer crafts on my mind!  Today I'm sharing this fun twist on a God's Eye weaving craft.  (Remember collecting sticks and making those in summer camp?)  But, instead of making the traditional 2 stick version, we recently made a fun 3 stick version.... that also happens to look like a tiny baby turtle!

(Aww, aren't they cute?  My preschooler was in looove with these.)

Weaving Cute Baby Turtles Using God's Eye Weaving Pattern

This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for your support!  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Easy Washi Tape Thanksgiving Banner

This colorful and beautiful Thanksgiving Banner is easy to make and will look beautiful hanging up this holiday season!  And guess what?  It's made from everyday materials like washi tape, paint chips, straws, and popsicle sticks!

Easy Washi Tape Thanksgiving Banner

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Super Easy Cardboard Biplanes

The plane obsession continues over here!  Just when you think we're done with transportation crafts... oh no... we've got another one up our sleeve.

Awhile back Chuck and I made this toilet roll biplane.  But sadly, that plane broke.  Chuck still loves biplanes, so I came up with this super easy practically unbreakable cardboard biplane craft for him to make and then fly.

Super Easy Cardboard Biplane Craft

This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for your support!

Ice-Skating Popsicle Stick Dolls

I LOVE popsicle sticks.  Today I'm over at MollyMoo sharing these easy-to-make and adorable ice-skating popsicle stick dolls!

 So be sure to pop on over there and check the tutorial out.  Weeeeeeeee!  (I'm pretending to ice-skate away.)

Let's keep in Contact!

Like this idea?  You can always find other fun ideas on my Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts!  Or, sign up for the weekly newsletter in the pink bar at the top of the site. 

Keep creating, friends!

Toilet Roll Biplane Airplanes Craft

Although Chuck isn't always so keen to craft with me (sad, I know,) he fortunately loves making cardboard toys with me.  (Yay!)  Currently he loves planes.  But since we've already crafted toilet roll planes, toilet roll helicopters, and cardboard roll space shuttles... I was at a loss as to what we could make together next.  One day he suggested that we make a biplane together.  So we went with his suggestion and did this toilet roll biplane craft!

Toilet Roll Biplane Craft

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you so much for your support!

I think he looks a little like Leadbottom from the movie Planes, don't you?

Check out how we made this simple plane from recycled materials below!

3 Easy Bear Hunt Activities (with printables)

I love making beautiful things with kids.  But I'll be honest with ya.  Often times making beautiful things takes time to plan and prep... and I just don't have the energy.  Often times I'll find myself at 11pm at night thinking, "Now shoot.  What craft are we going to do tomorrow?"  That's when I resort to fast and easy no-prep activities for the kiddos.  And that's how these 3 "Going on a Bear Hunt" themed activities came about.  Chuck and I love reading the book, so I came up with 3 really easy crafts to go along with the bear hunt theme.

3 Super Easy Bear Hunt Crafts

(This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for your support!)

If you find yourself semi-scrambling for an easy craft idea too, then perhaps this activity is for you!  (And here's an added bonus, if you don't want to do your own drawings, you can always just printout my doodles.  I've included pdfs of those too down below. )

Ready to go on a bear hunt with us?  Ok.  Let's start crafting!

Make a Folding Popsicle Stick Fan

So our move is currently underway!  Eeek.  The movers just took away our boxes and we're doing some "urban camping" in our apartment (aka sleeping on air mattresses and living without a tv and toys) for the next week. While this is happening, Chuck and I are still trying to find moments to create.  Today I'm going to share with you a super easy tutorial for a folding popsicle stick fan that we recently made.  Yes.  It really folds.  Pretty neat, right?

Make a Folding Popsicle Stick Fan

(This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you for your support.)

The idea came to me after watching a tv show explaining how women make traditional folding fans in Asia. After the episode ended I knew I had to adapt the steps for a kids' craft.  This fan doesn't open as smoothly as its real counterpart.  But it's still a neat kids' craft because it highlights a traditional art form.   Now let's get making!

Summer Paper Plate Crafts

It just hit me this morning that July 4th is next week.  Next week. Summer is just flying by!  Ahhhh!  So I feel the need to do some summer crafts and that's why I made these super easy paper plate crafts.  I dunno about you, but when I imagine summer, I see outdoor picnics, grill outs, and beach adventures.  These activities usually involve disposable paper plates... which are such a great item to craft with because they're super cheap and super versatile.

Fun Summer Paper Plate Crafts for Kids

(This post contains affiliate links.  Thank you so much for your support!)

So these are my summer inspired paper plate crafts.  They're super easy to make, colorful, quirky, and just scream SUMMER FUN!

DIY Magnetic Fishing Game

Currently, one of Chuck's favorite books is 10 Little Fish by Audrey and Bruce Wood.  It's a cute book about subtraction.  Kids count colorful fish on each page as they leave one by one.  And (my favorite part), it has a fishy romance at the end (What can I say?  I'm a closet romantic... tee heee hee.)  To accompany his love for fish, we recently made this DIY Magnetic Fishing Game. 

DIY Magnetic Fishing Game

It's cute and colorful and really fun to make and easy to play.  Want to make your own fishing game?  Keep reading to see how we made ours! 

DIY Double-sided Popsicle Stick Puzzles

I'm not sure when it happened... but Chuck went from being a "sparkly-pink-bracelet" wearing boy to being a "rough-and-tumble-loves-cars-and-trucks" kind of boy.

It happened so suddenly.  *Sigh*   (Strange, I'm humming "Sunrise, Sunset" right now...)

Anyway, with Chuck's new love for cars with eyes and Bob the Builder, I made him this set of popsicle stick puzzles. There are tons of tutorials out there for these things, but I used the one from Repeat Crafter Me because she made double-sided puzzles.  (Two puzzles for the price of one?  Love it!)

Here's a photo of one puzzle set.  It's got Bob the Builder on one side and Scoop on the other.  (Yup, I know the names of the machines.  I can't remember what day it is sometimes, but I can name most of the characters on that show by heart....weird.)

Let's get crafting!  Can we build it?  Yes, we can!  (Tee hee, I couldn't help it.)

Materials:

• Popsicle sticks
• Images (two of each)
• Sandwich bags
• Packing tape
• Clear tape or masking tape 
• Mod Podge*
• Sponge brush
• Cutting Mat
• Exacto knife
• Scissors
• Optional:  Markers / Crayons

 *Note:  Some people just use Elmers glue.  I had a ton of Sparkle Mod Podge, so I just used that.  That's why they came out rather.... sparkly.... Next time I'll just use normal Mod Podge.

Directions:

1.  Print and cut out two of each image.  One copy will go on your puzzle and another will go on your sandwich bag. (I don't own a colored printer, so I had to color my images in by hand.  I don't really recommend that because it was pretty time intensive...)

2.  Figure out how many Popsicle sticks your image will need.  Then, line up your sticks against something straight.  Tape the sticks together so that they'll stay together for step 3.


3.  Turn your sticks over so that the taped side is on the bottom.  If you'd like, label the sticks with numbers.  Use Mod Podge to glue your images onto the non-taped side of your Popsicle sticks.

4.  Let your images dry.  (I moved mine to parchment paper so that the Mod Podge wouldn't stick to my work area.)

5.  Once your Mod Podge dries, turn your puzzle over so the taped side is facing up.  Take off the tape and use an exacto knife to cut the sticks apart.  (Make sure to work on a cutting mat and cut from the back/ non-image side.)

6.  Optional:  To make a double-sided puzzle, tape the sticks together again, Mod Podge another image on the backs of your puzzle, and then cut the sticks apart again.

7.   Use packing tape to label sandwich bags with the images.  This will make clean-up easier and help the user to put together the puzzle.

Happy crafting!

Super easy DIY Toddler Dominos

Do you love dominos?  With the daylight hours getting shorter, sometimes Chuck and I find ourselves twiddling our thumbs, wondering what to do to pass the time.  Lately I've been making him new playthings out of random stuff that's lying around the apartment.  Here's one super easy toy that was made using mini craft sticks and Sharpie markers.  

Super Easy DIY Toddler Dominos

 

Materials Needed to make DIY Dominos Game:

• Mini Craft Sticks (I used 21)
• Distinctly Different Colored Sharpie Markers (I used 6 colors)
• Plastic Sandwich bag
• Scrap paper

Directions to Make DIY Dominos Game

1.  Cover your work area with a piece of scrap paper so the Sharpie markers won't stain it.

2.  Color the ends of your craft sticks different colors.  (I used 6 different markers to color 21 craft sticks.  I tried to make sure that each color was used the same number of times.  So, each marker colored one end of 5 mini craft sticks and both ends of 1 craft stick.  Does that make sense?  Erm... there must be a mathematical equation to explain that....)

3.  Place your sticks in a plastic bag until you're ready to play!

Yurp.  Suuuuuper easie peasie.

To make it easier for my 2 year old, I first placed the sticks in rows, colored sides up.  I wanted him to be able to see all of his choices as we played.  Once I explained the game, I had to do quite a bit of prompting to get him to find matching colors.

At first he didn't seem to understand that we had to place our sticks a certain way.  But once I told him that the two matching colors had to "kiss" each other, he got it.  (Not sure why, but he got a big kick out of making his two sticks "kiss.")

Overall, our game lasted a couple of minutes... and then he ended up using the sticks to make a house for... you guessed it, one of his beloved cars.     

Happy toddler toy crafting!

Sparkly Ombre Popsicle Stick Star Garland (using Mod Podge)

Note:  This is a post sponsored by Plaid, but the opinions are 100% mine.

Halloween is finally out of my mind and I'm now looking forward to the next set of holidays.  Even though I don't really like winter (boo, shortened daylight hours), I do appreciate that we're entering a special season filled with cozy sweaters, yummy food, family get-togethers, yummy food, twinkly lights, yummy food and of course... holiday crafting (and yummy food)! Right now I've got an itch to add more glitter and sparkle to my life.  Luckily for me, Plaid sent me a couple of holiday-themed crafting items, including Mod Podge Sparkle, which will help me to do just that.

Psst-  If you're new to Mod Podge, here's a bit of an introduction to their line of awesome products

• Mod Podge is an excellent all-in-one glue, sealer, and finish.  It's available in a ton of different formulas, making it a perfect to use for your holiday (or everyday) gift giving projects.
• You can buy Mod Podge at tons of retailers nationwide or directly from Plaid's website as well
• Not sure how to start using the product?  No worries.  Plaid's website has a ton of great tips and tricks for using all their products:   http://www.plaidonline.com/decoupage/dept/basics.htm

So, inspired by the upcoming holiday season and my love of the nighttime sky, I made this sparkly, ombre, popsicle stick star garland. 



Wanna make this simple and sparkly garland?  Well, put on your favorite holiday song and let's get started!

 Materials:

• Mini Craft Sticks
• FolkArt Multi-Surface paint 
• Plastic Artist's Palette
• Paint Brush
• Scrap paper 
• Mod Podge Sparkle
• Mod Podge Spouncer (an easy to use sponge brush)
• Hot Glue Gun
• Parchment Paper
• String
• Scissors

Directions:

1.  Decide how many stars you want to make.  Then, take that number and multiply it by 5 to figure out how many craft sticks to paint.  (Each star will be made out of five craft sticks.)  Now it's time to paint.  To create an ombre effect, first paint five stars your darkest color.  (Be sure to paint the sides of your sticks too!)  Then, add a bit of white paint to your original color to lighten it just a bit.  Paint five more sticks with this lighter color.  Keep repeating this procedure and mixing in white paint as you paint each new set of five sticks.  Your original color will become lighter and lighter, creating an ombre effect. 

2.  Once your paint dries, use the spouncer to apply Mod Podge Sparkle to your sticks.  This will protect your paint job and add just a bit of lovely sparkle.  Lay your sticks on parchment paper to dry.  (The parchment paper prevents the sticks from sticking to your work surface.)  Try to make sure that your sticks don't touch one another as they dry

3.  Once your sticks are dry, it's time to make your stars!  (If you have a bit of excess Mod Podge around the edges, use your scissors to trim it off.)  To make sure that your stars look similar, first make a practice star and then use a pencil to trace your star's five points.  Use these pencil marks as guidelines when you hot glue your stars together.

 4.  Arrange your stars in order.

 5.  Cut out your desired length of string.  Then, tie your stars on one by one to the string, starting from your darkest color and ending with your lightest color.  To make sure that the stars don't slide off, tie your string through the center of each star and not through one of the arms.   

And voila!  A lovely star garland, just perfect for the holiday season (or really... everyday!)

(To see how I painted the star painting, click here.)

If you'd like to learn more about Plaid Products, you can always connect with them on Facebook, check out their Paint Me Plaid Blog, or sign up for their Newsletter.

And.... Happy crafting!

DIY Honeycomb Hexagon Popsicle Stick Wall Art

Did you ever make things out of Popsicle sticks as a kid?  I have fond memories of making popsicle stick picture frames and jewlery boxes in summer camp.

Today's craft is a slightly more sophisticated version of this beloved childhood activity.  (Maybe that's why I enjoyed making it so much?) This hexagon wall art is graphic, super easy to make, and (bonus!) covers a large space for relatively little cost.   If you have a wall that you'd like to easily decorate, why not give it a try too? 

Materials:

• Popsicle sticks
• Paint
• Paint brushes
• Hot glue gun

Directions:

 1.  Practice arranging your Popsicle sticks.  When you're pleased with your arrangement, take a photo so you'll remember it. 

2.  Paint your sticks.  (I initially painted them yellow, but thought they looked a little too flat.  Hubby suggested that I add a gold stripe to them to give them more depth.)

3.  Hot glue your sticks together.  One easy way to ensure that your hexagons have similar angles is to draw out a hexagon shape and use that to guide your gluing. 

And that's really all you have to do to create your own honeycomb wall art.

Happy crafting!