Proud of their shirts!

If you missed it when I shared it last week on Facebook, the kids and I had some fun doing a Halloween craft — we made glow-in-the-dark handprint ghost t-shirts — so I’m resharing the post I wrote for CraftyChild.com (formerly KidsCraftsFunandGames.com).

So yes, I did this craft, so technically I can’t claim I am (or was) too tired to try, but hey, I’m too tired to find something else to share, so that’s gotta count for something, no? Ahhh, laziness. 😉

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Solid-colored, long-sleeved t-shirts (We grabbed some from our dressers.)
• Nontoxic glow-in-the-dark gel paint (Found this in the crafting paint aisle at Wal-Mart.)
• One paintbrush (We happened to have a paint sponge on hand, and I found this worked great.)
• Puffy paint in various colors (In keeping with the Halloween theme, we used white, black, orange, and a glow-in-the-dark white)
• Baby wipes (or wet paper towels/any other wet cloths) to wipe off hands
• Newspaper or butcher-type paper to cover the table/floor (optional)

To see the complete tutorial with step-by-step instructions and photos, please click here.

As always, if you try it, let us know how it turns out. And send some pics!

I’m no cooking or crafting guru, so I started these Too Tired to Try Tuesday posts to share craft and recipe ideas that I’ve come across and would really like to try but am just too damned tired (that sounds better than lazy, right?) to get around to. In addition to ideas that I find, I am open to submissions from you–either something tried and true or something you want to try but haven’t had the time to. Just send me an email at raisingwildthingsblog@gmail.com with your ideas, and I may share them here. (And by “may” I mean “will definitely”! I just confessed how lazy tired I am, so if you take the time to send me something to share, I’m going to share it!)

Ok, ok. You see “costume” in the title and you’re thinking, “No way am I actually making a costume!” Right? Well no worries, my friends. Not only is this costume easy peasy to make (ok, you do need to be able to make a stitch, but there’s just a few, I promise), but the directions are easy to follow, and Robyn from Hollow Tree Ventures is hilarious, as usual.

Photo courtesy of Robyn at Hollow Tree Ventures.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• One pair of thick, brown opaque tights (adult size)
• One white child-sized t-shirt
• Scissors
• Needle and brown thread

Then there’s mostly cutting involved, with some rolling and twisting and a few stitches thrown in. And then you’ll have this adorable baby Princess Leia costume.

To see Robyn’s complete tutorial with step-by-step instructions and photos, please click here.

As always, if you try it, let us know how it turns out. And send some pics!

I’m no cooking or crafting guru, so I started these Too Tired to Try Tuesday posts to share craft and recipe ideas that I’ve come across and would really like to try but am just too damned tired (that sounds better than lazy, right?) to get around to. In addition to ideas that I find, I am open to submissions from you–either something tried and true or something you want to try but haven’t had the time to. Just send me an email at raisingwildthingsblog@gmail.com with your ideas, and I may share them here. (And by “may” I mean “will definitely”! I just confessed how lazy tired I am, so if you take the time to send me something to share, I’m going to share it!)

When I came across these adorable little lanterns from Valarie at A Place Like This, I just knew I wanted to share them with you. Fair warning that this craft is a little more involved than the ones I have shared in the past, but the end result really is fantastically cute and perfect for fall.

Photo courtesy of Valarie at A Place Like This

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 18 x 12 manila drawing paper
• Tissue paper in a variety of colors
• Double stick tape
• Scotch tape
• Glue or Glue Dots
• Scissors
• Leaf or other pattern for tracing and cutting into lantern
• Poster board
• Pencil
• Variety of color crayons
• Flickering LED light (optional)

Then you do some scribbling, folding, cutting, tracing, and gluing, and you’ll end up with this adorable lantern. For added fun, add a little flickering LED light!

To see Valarie’s complete tutorial with step-by-step instructions and photos, please click here.

As always, if you try it, let us know how it turns out. And send some pics!

I’m no cooking or crafting guru, so I started these Too Tired to Try Tuesday posts to share craft and recipe ideas that I’ve come across and would really like to try but am just too damned tired (that sounds better than lazy, right?) to get around to. In addition to ideas that I find, I am open to submissions from you–either something tried and true or something you want to try but haven’t had the time to. Just send me an email at raisingwildthingsblog@gmail.com with your ideas, and I may share them here. (And by “may” I mean “will definitely”! I just confessed how lazy tired I am, so if you take the time to send me something to share, I’m going to share it!)

Today’s craft is by far the easiest craft I have ever shared. E.V.E.R. There are only two ingredients (or three if you’re feeling wild and crazy), and it takes no time at all to make. But, it will likely keep the kiddos entertained for a while. And it’s a cinch to clean up. So? Win, win, win, win! Thanks to Mom Trusted for sharing such a great craft idea!

Photo courtesy of Mom Trusted

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Shaving cream
• Corn starch
• Food coloring (optional)
• Cups, bowls, spoons, play dough tools, etc. (optional)

Then you’ll do a little mixing and be done. Yup, I said done. Within minutes you’ll end up with a “soft and silky” moldable dough that’s ready to go. (Warning: Make sure your kids don’t eat this because of the shaving cream.)

To see the complete post with instructions and photos from Mom Trusted, please click here.

As always, if you try it, let us know how it turns out. And send some pics!

I’m no cooking or crafting guru, so I started these Too Tired to Try Tuesday posts to share craft and recipe ideas that I’ve come across and would really like to try but am just too damned tired (that sounds better than lazy, right?) to get around to. In addition to ideas that I find, I am open to submissions from you–either something tried and true or something you want to try but haven’t had the time to. Just send me an email at raisingwildthingsblog@gmail.com with your ideas, and I may share them here. (And by “may” I mean “will definitely”! I just confessed how lazy tired I am, so if you take the time to send me something to share, I’m going to share it!)

If you opened this post hoping it had something to do with actual snow to help you continue to fight this summer heat, I’m sorry. This dry sparkle snow craft from Jeannette at Mommy Needs a Martini won’t do that. (Well, unless you do it inside with the A/C blasting.) BUT, it will be fun. And, if I’m going to be completely honest? Messy! This craft will be very, very, very messy. But still, fun!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Large bowl or bin for mixing
• Flour
• Baby oil
• Glitter
• Spoons, measuring cups, small Tupperware containers, etc.

And after you mix it all up, you’re left with some pretty, sparkly dry snow that your kids will have a blast molding, and shaping, and digging in. But hopefully not using for snowball fights! (Although if you’re really concerned about the mess, you could always do this outside.)

To see the complete post with full instructions and photos from Mommy Needs a Martini, please click here.

As always, if you try it, let us know how it turns out. And send some pics!

I’m no cooking or crafting guru, so I started these Too Tired to Try Tuesday posts to share craft and recipe ideas that I’ve come across and would really like to try but am just too damned tired (that sounds better than lazy, right?) to get around to. In addition to ideas that I find, I am open to submissions from you–either something tried and true or something you want to try but haven’t had the time to. Just send me an email at raisingwildthingsblog@gmail.com with your ideas, and I may share them here. (And by “may” I mean “will definitely”! I just confessed how lazy tired I am, so if you take the time to send me something to share, I’m going to share it!)

So my cousin messaged me yesterday to share a fun colored rice sensory activity she found from Powerful Mothering that she was going to do with her boys and thought it would be a good fit for a Too Tired to Try Tuesday post. I thought the activity looked fun, plus I was stoked she’d done my crafting research for me this week. So? Sold! How much lazier can I get than that? (Side note: if you have a fun craft or recipe that you’d like to share in a Tx5 post, please send it along — I’m always looking for ideas!)

I can already see the gazillion grains of rice you’ll be finding all over your house after letting your kids have at this stuff, but it’s probably an even trade for the amount of time you’ll gain while they’re busy playing with it! (Or even better idea, let them play with it outside!) And it’s gotta be much better to deal with than sand, right?

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Rice
• Vinegar
• Various colors of food coloring
• Zip lock bags
• Measuring cup and spoons
• Wax paper
• Various containers (e.g., funnel, cups) for playing
• Storage containers

Then you do some mixing and drying, and you’re left with your colored rice. Couldn’t get much easier than that really. Add some fun containers and imagination to the mix, and your kids could be entertained for quite some time.

To see the complete post with full instructions and photos from Powerful Mothering, please click here.

As always, if you try it, let us know how it turns out. And send some pics!

I’m no cooking or crafting guru, so I started these Too Tired to Try Tuesday posts to share craft and recipe ideas that I’ve come across and would really like to try but am just too damned tired (that sounds better than lazy, right?) to get around to. In addition to ideas that I find, I am open to submissions from you–either something tried and true or something you want to try but haven’t had the time to. Just send me an email at raisingwildthingsblog@gmail.com with your ideas, and I may share them here. (And by “may” I mean “will definitely”! I just confessed how lazy tired I am, so if you take the time to send me something to share, I’m going to share it!)

In all of the hubbub of moving, I forgot to scout out an activity or recipe to use for today’s Too Tired to Try Tuesday post. So I’m sort of cheating with this one. Because I’m sharing a craft that I came up with and did with the kids and published over at Kids Crafts Fun and Games.com yesterday. So I guess I’m not really cheating because not only did I come up with the craft, but I also, like, actually did it, which goes against the whole lazy tired part of my Too Tired to Try Tuesday posts.

What is this grand craft I came up with, you’re wondering? Dooo dooo dooo dooo (*trumpet sounding*) . . . handprint fireworks t-shirts! Perfect for the 4th of July.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Plain solid-colored t-shirts (We happened to have red and blue on hand.)
• Craft paints in various colors (In keeping with the 4th of July theme, we used red, white, and blue acrylic paints; you can also use fabric paints.)
• Small containers to pour the paint into (We used a few small paper plates.)
• Paint brushes
• Baby wipes (or wet paper towels/any other wet cloths) to wipe off hands

Then you do a little palm painting (with various colors) and pressing, and voila, you have handprint fireworks t-shirts. I warn you, this craft was messy, but it was easy and fun.

To read step-by-step instructions, get some helpful hints, and see some more of my photographic magic, please click here.

Oh, and a fun note: I’m going to be a regular contributor over at Kids Crafts Fun and Games.com, so you can check out all my crafty stuff here. (So far there’s only two posts.)

As always, if you try it, let us know how it turns out. And send some pics!

I’m no cooking or crafting guru, so I started these Too Tired to Try Tuesday posts to share craft and recipe ideas that I’ve come across and would really like to try but am just too damned tired (that sounds better than lazy, right?) to get around to. In addition to ideas that I find, I am open to submissions from you–either something tried and true or something you want to try but haven’t had the time to. Just send me an email at raisingwildthingsblog@gmail.com with your ideas, and I may share them here. (And by “may” I mean “will definitely”! I just confessed how lazy tired I am, so if you take the time to send me something to share, I’m going to share it!)

I think we can all agree that the worst part of doing crafts with kids is, doo doo doo doo . . . the cleanup! Amiright?

Well, I have just found my newest favorite crafting website: Bath Activities for Kids. That’s right, this site shares all sorts of fun activities that your kids can do right in the bathtub. Mess contained, then rinsed away. Bingo bango. I know, right?

With so many fun activities, it was hard to pick just one to share, so you’ll likely see more of these in the future. But for now, I give to you Erupting Kool-Aid Paints.

These paints promise to look pretty–just imagine the vibrant colors–and smell good, too.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Baking soda
• Shaving cream (preferably unscented)
• Kool-Aid packets in various flavors
• A spray bottle filled with vinegar
• Containers to hold your paints

After mixing up the baking soda, shaving cream, and Kool-Aid, your kids will be ready to start getting all Picasso-like in the tub.

Then, once they get bored with that, give them the spray bottle and have them spray their masterpieces. This is where the fun will really begin, as their paintings will erupt right before their eyes.

Sounds pretty fun, eh? To see the complete post with step-by-step instructions and absolutely adorable photos, click here. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for some other fun suggestions for playing with Kool-Aid. And while you’re there, check out all of the other bath activities too.

As always, if you try it, let us know how it turns out. And send some pics!

I’m no cooking or crafting guru, so I started these Too Tired to Try Tuesday posts to share craft and recipe ideas that I’ve come across and would really like to try but am just too damned tired (that sounds better than lazy, right?) to get around to. In addition to ideas that I find, I am open to submissions from you–either something tried and true or something you want to try but haven’t had the time to. Just send me an email at raisingwildthingsblog@gmail.com with your ideas, and I may share them here. (And by “may” I mean “will definitely”! I just confessed how lazy tired I am, so if you take the time to send me something to share, I’m going to share it!)

So a few weeks ago, the kids and I actually found some time to do a fun craft. We made personalized umbrellas, and I shared our experience over at Kids Crafts Fun and Games.

I will be the first to admit that I actually had a good time doing that with them. It wasn’t extremely messy, we ended up with something functional that they’ll be able to use for a while (or until it gets broken when it’s being used as a boat or something), and the kids were super proud of their creations. And that made my heart happy.

So I’ve been looking for something else to do with them that sort of fits the same bill. And yesterday, I found it: handpainted sneakers. I’m not sure why I didn’t think to do something like this on my own, as I was a huge decorate-your-own-clothes-with-puffy-paint kinda girl in middle school. Oh yes, that girl walking around with neon-colored handprints on her ass. Yup, that was me. (Hey, don’t judge, it was the early 90s.)

Anyhoo, I came across the idea from Jen at Jen Loves Kev and decided to add it to my I’m-actually-going-to-have-to-find-time-to-do-that list. (Wow, two longly–yes, that’s a word–hyphenated modifiers already. I promise I’m done.)

I mean, c’mon, look at these cute little things . . .

Photo courtesy of Jen at Jen Loves Kev (http://jenloveskev.com)

What you’ll need:

• White canvas sneakers
• Craft paint
• Paint brushes
• Containers to hold the paint
• Smock
• Water (optional if you want to thin out the paint some)
• Permanent marker (optional)

Then, let your kid unleash his or her inner arteest and go to town! (To see Jen’s full post, complete with instructions, and some more adorable photos, click here.)

Looks fun, no? I bet it’d also be fun to add other embellishments like, say, puffy paint!! The one problem I can see encountering with this is the necessary drying time. I have a feeling my kids won’t want to wait to wear their pedi-art. Looking forward to giving this one a go, though.

As always, if you try it, let us know how it turns out. And send some pics!

I’m no cooking or crafting guru, so I started these Too Tired to Try Tuesday posts to share craft and recipe ideas that I’ve come across and would really like to try but am just too damned tired (that sounds better than lazy, right?) to get around to. In addition to ideas that I find, I am open to submissions from you–either something tried and true or something you want to try but haven’t had the time to. Just send me an email at raisingwildthingsblog@gmail.com with your ideas, and I may share them here. (And by “may” I mean “will definitely”! I just confessed how lazy tired I am, so if you take the time to send me something to share, I’m going to share it!)

Ok folks, this idea from Tot Treasures is super easy, and I bet it’ll keep your kids entertained for a while and help them learn, all on the cheap. What can be better than that, right?

What you’ll need:

• Craft sticks in various colors (or if you want to get extra crafty, you could get plain and paint your own)
• Velcro circles to fit on ends of sticks (or you could get strips and cut to fit)

Here’s what you do:

• Add Velcro circles to the ends of each stick on both sides.
• Give said sticks to your kids to combine into various shapes, letters, numbers, or whatever other creation they can come up with!

Photo courtesy of Tot Treasures (http://tottreasuresnorthbay.blogspot.com/2012/01/easy-and-fun-diy.html)

Simple, right? Plus it’s fun AND educational. (For complete post from Tot Treasures, click here.)

And if you want to make this project a little extra special, grab a plastic pencil box and either decorate it for your little ones, or if they are old enough, let them decorate it, and voila, they’ll have an activity box to store their craft sticks.

As always, if you try it, let us know how it turns out. And send some pics!

I’m no cooking or crafting guru, so I started these Too Tired to Try Tuesday posts to share craft and recipe ideas that I’ve come across and would really like to try but am just too damned tired (that sounds better than lazy, right?) to get around to. In addition to ideas that I find, I am open to submissions from you–either something tried and true or something you want to try but haven’t had the time to. Just send me an email at raisingwildthingsblog@gmail.com with your ideas, and I may share them here. (And by “may” I mean “will definitely”! I just confessed how lazy tired I am, so if you take the time to send me something to share, I’m going to share it!)