Monday, September 2, 2013

KIDDING AROUND SERIES - GHOST LEAVES

I have never done a kid craft on my blog.  I'll admit that it's possible some of my projects may have turned out to look like a kid craft, but it was not intentional.  So when the girls at the Inspiration Cafe wanted to do kid-themed crafts.....I totally freaked out.  Totally.  I mean, I've already told you that my 5 year old grandson has the attention span of a gnat, so crafting with him is almost impossible.  But, sometimes things just work out.  Last Sunday, my brother-in-law called and said my awesome nephew, Dain was wanting to come over to see me.  Always exciting! Seriously...this kid will pick up a huge snake.....


He will also make creepy faces in my corn maze for a photo shoot...
You will never be bored around a kid like this!
The wheels started turning in my head.  His attention span is bigger than a gnats...maybe like mosquito-sized.  I decided to ambush him into making a craft with me.
 To get a 9 year old boy to do a craft with you...you had better at least call it something cool...like Ghost Leaves. 
Gather up a few supplies...
You'll need 1 cute kid, some white craft paint, fake leaves,googly-eyes, magnets, a hot glue gun and some glue dots.
You'll want to paint one side those cheesy faux leaves with some white craft paint.
 I love the look on Dain's face when we first start out, but...he quickly warmed up to the whole leaf painting thing.
Paint as many leaves as the mosquito-sized attention span allows.  They dry really fast and are still very flexible. 
Flip them over and put a magnet on the back with a little hot glue.  Hold that magnet down for like 30 seconds and talk about googly-eyes.  Kids love them.  Just knowing they come next makes Dain smile.
Little glue dots are perfect for sticking on googly-eyes.  They're too small for a hot glue gun and you don't want to burn precious fingers that might be needed for picking up a snake.
You can tell that the attention span and picture taking tolerance are running low now, which is a good thing, because this project is over.  We have Ghost Leaves that will stick on your fridge...or your school locker.  Cool....
 .....and fun!
Don't have any googly-eyes??  No problem...a marker works just as well!  How do I know this?  Because after my nephew left I decided to play around and make one myself.  I opted for a Vampire Leaf....
 

Now go play! Please be sure to come back and join us for our Kidding Around link party coming up  Monday, September 16th.


32 comments:

  1. How fun! I don't have kids but I love stuff you can do with them, just in case someone gives me a kid. (I keep asking people if I can have their kids.)

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  2. Hey Danni! This is adorable! My son would love to make this :) You did an excellent job sharing your first kid craft - thanks ;) And by the way, is that a snake in the first picture that you're grandson is holding....? Hugs to you!

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  3. Cute craft and adorable nephew, Danni! I have everything except 1 x cool kid ;-)

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  4. Yup, you've done it again. Love these. No kids around to make these with, but they're happening here for sure. I, too, have a gnat-size attention span. That qualifies me for this project, right?

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  5. LOL...that is too cute! I love the vampire leaves!

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  6. What a cute idea and a cute grandson! I'll be back with a kiddy craft even though I have no kids around me. I love doing crafts for anyone!

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  7. Can Dain come over? ;-) He looks like a lot of fun! Those leaves are WAAAAAY cool! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  8. Haha What an adorable kid!! Looks like he had fun making them too. Such a cute idea!

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  9. The snake wrangler must have a few of his crafty aunt's creative genes! Super cute idea - even for adults. This would make a good party craft if you could trust multiple kids with white craft paint :>O

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  10. So fun! My nephews love Halloween and anything with the word ghost in it would work a magic spell on their willingness to try a craft. I love the vampire, too. Thanks for an adorable post (Dain is one cool kid!) and a great li'l idea full of kid friendly tips like glue dots.

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  11. Dain is so adorable, Danni! Did he just go and pick up that huge snake in the first pic?!!! YIKES! This is the cutest craft ever! What a fun creative idea! Love your vampire leaf...such a fun share and post!

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  12. I have been traumatized by the giant snake and the tiny wrangler...he's awfully cute, though. Dain, not that snake. Great idea and nothing I would have ever thought to do! I love the corn maze photo and he sure did warm up to the crafting and the camera, didn't he?

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  13. What a great idea - have to try this with the girls!!!
    And what a cutie Dain is! The attention span of a mosquito has me laughing out loud!!!
    XOXO

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  14. What a natural!! Your ghost leaves and vampire leaves are the cutest!! Gosh, that is such an fun and easy Halloween project for kids, Danni! If this is your first kid project, you're hired! Such a fun read ~ Amy

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  15. These are awesome! I love Ghost Leaves! I want to make some!

    Also - that snake!?!?! Gah! No thank you!

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  16. OK, so I can see some of these scattered all over my Halloween food table. With or without faces, fake or maybe real leaves.

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  17. Cute Cute project Danni! And that Dain is adorable! He is a natural at this, photo shoot and all! Was he named after you?

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  18. I LOVE googly eyes! I totally embarrassed my daughter one year at a school function when I made a 3-googly-eyed dolphin. I called it the toxic waste dolphin. Love the vamp leaf. That's something I can totally get into. Even without having small kids!!

    -andi

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  19. Danni! You should do more kids crafts. Not only is this craft adorable, this post is hilarious. How adorable is Dain. He seems quite the character. Thanks for sharing such a great craft with us. Totally pinning!

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  20. Perfect Halloween decorations, and it looks like Dain enjoyed the crafting as much as the posing for photos - too cute !!

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  21. That is GREAT! WHat a fun craft for boys. Or girls, but I know my boys would love this. Great job Danni!

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  22. These are so cute, and so is your nephew. I agree, googly eyes are the one thing that will get our grandsons into a craft session. Wonder if they'll want to try these? Hmmm...I have the leaves, paint, eyes, dots, markers...and yep, even magnet sheets I could cut down. Guess I'll have to pin this so I remember! (my memory is like their attention span!)
    Debbie :)

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  23. Love them! The vampire one is so cute!! Great job Danni and Dain!

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  24. These are very cute! I'm always looking for ideas to use in my classroom.
    This is a keeper. (So is your nephew! What a cutie!)
    Hugs,
    Patti

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  25. OMG these ghost leaves are A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Danni, you always blow me away!

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  26. Danni you must be the worlds best aunt!! That is brilliant and so clever and you nailed a craft for boys to which is something that can be a little harder to find in blogland well done!

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  27. I saw this on Mel's hop and clicked over. This is a great project and one my son would love, for sure.

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  28. oh that is cute! I would never have thought of doing this!

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  29. Very cute! This is one of my Featured picks for Tuesday with a Twist. Thanks for sharing at Tuesdays with a Twist. Looking forward to seeing what you share this week.

    Co-host
    Mindie ~ http://bornagainfarmgirl.blogspot.com/

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  30. What a cute adorable project even for adults, but I'll keep it filed away for my grandson when he's old enough. Thanks for sharing, Danni.

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  31. Very Cute! Thanks so much for sharing at Tuesdays with a Twist.
    Happy Tuesday! Come on over and share your latest posts.
    http://back2basichealth.blogspot.com/2013/09/tuesdays-with-twist-23.html

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  32. Congrats on your feature and I thought I'd better come back and pin this!

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