And this is how we roll!

This what I woke up to this morning!  LOL!  Just making a santa sleigh because we can.  Let them have paint!!!  Mind you there is now paint on the garage floor and they are not happy about having to clean it up. I just love that my kids are creative and not afraid to just go with it.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Sharpie Art!

As promised I have put together a few ideas and inspiration for you to make your very own Christmas gift using the ever versatile Sharpie Pen.

You will need some Sharpie Pens.  I bought this packet for myself and the kids.  I am sooo very excited but have not made anything yet, so fingers crossed all these wonderful ideas work!! :LOL!

You will also need some white china.  You can use any white china you wish, mugs, plates, sugar bowls etc.
I have seen a great variety of inexpensive white china at my local Big W.

You will find a full tutorial right here at The Sweetest Occasion, so pop on over and get started.

Below I have included some great ideas to help you create your very own Sharpie work of art.  Have fun!

Please share over on our facebook page here any of your creations.  We would so love to see what you have been inspired to create.

Pinterest ~ Source unknown

http://herligheder.blogspot.dk/search/label/diy?updated-max=2013-01-16T12:58:00%2B01:00&max-results=20&start=18&by-date=false

Pinterest ~ Source unknown

Pinterest ~ Source unknown 

http://whoneedsacape.com/2013/01/diy-sharpie-ceramic-mugs-and-cups/

http://jipmagip.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/mug-shots.html?m=1

Making Christmas wrap with your kids.

Christmas is such a fun time for everyone and I have always loved getting my kids involved in the preparation for the Jolly Season.

One of our gorgeous christmas prints.

Last week I shared some easy and fun handmade Christmas card ideas to make with your kids.  This week I will share some gorgeous handmade festive wrapping ideas to make with your kids.  My kids wrap all the presents now and they just love it!!!!!!

First things first is to buy yourself some cheap rolls of brown paper.  They are soooo cheap and available everywhere.  I get mine from Woolworths.

Secondly, you are going to need some red, green and white paint!  This is essential.  However if you are not keen on paint, I have included great ideas that do not require any paint at all.  Oh yes, I can here some of you breathing a sigh of relief!  LOL!  I will convert you eventually, you know that don't you!  For this idea you will also need some festive cookie cutters!! Once again easily found at your local grocery store of choice.  You can see in the images below they have also used bubble wrap and doilies to print on their design on brown paper!

Source unknown Pinterest

Source Unknown Pinterest

Sticky spots and stars in festive colours are a great idea to use as well.  This guarantees no mess!!!!

Source unknown Pinterest

Sharpies are a great investment and can be used not only to create this super cute and easy gift wrap, they can also be used to decorate a unique one of a kind gift.  I will be posting about this next week!!! So stay tuned.  In the image below they have used a silver sharpie to decorate the paper.  Too cute!

Image Care of witandwhistle.com

 This is also a great idea to create polka dots or confetti using paint or ink pads.  Use the rubber on the end of a pencil.  What a great idea!

http://www.mohawkconnects.com/feltandwire/2011/10/14/do-it-yourself-confetti-cards-with-paper-craves-kristen-magee/

My favourite type of wrap for Christmas is brown paper with washi tape!!!!!  I am totally addicted to washi tape.  What is washi tape?  Washi tape is a decorative masking tape and it is fabulous!!!!!!!  It averages around $4.00 a roll and I use it in scrapbook and card projects but one of my favourite uses is to wrap presents!! I use washi tape and brown paper all year round!!!!!

Have a great week everyone and happy crafting!!!!  

Hand Made Christmas Cards!

When the kids were little and I was trying to fill our days with fun things to keep them occupied,  you remember those days before kindy, part time or full time work and school, one of my favourite things to do was get the kids making our yearly christmas cards to be posted off around the world.

I used to buy heaps of stickers and foam shapes, glitter glue pens and shiny pretty things to decorate with.  I would put it in a big pile in the middle of the table and let them go nuts!!!!  They used to love it and that kind of describes my parenting style.  As a teacher I saw way too many kids who struggled to make their own creative choices and so I was determined that my little peeps were going to be organically creative and independent.  Mind you I have not had a tidy house since!!!  Still to this day there is always some kind of art or craft mess spread all over the place.  Including mine!!!! LOL! My husband david is ever so patient with the whole thing.

So I have been cruising around pinterest!  What a surprise!  It is one of my favourite virtual places to be and I have found some great ideas to help you enlist the help of your little or big peeps in making your family christmas cards this year!!! Yes I am going to do it too this year.  We have not done it for a few years and I think it is time we started it again!

I just love these fingerprint picture ideas.  We will be doing these this year I think.  You can use ink pads or paint on coloured cardstock or paper.  I just love them!!!!

http://funfamilycrafts.com/fingerprint-candy-canes/

http://observando.net/post/12462762439

http://funhandprintart.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/fingerprint-christmas-art-for-kids.html

http://crafting.squidoo.com/fingerprint-snowman

http://handsonaswegrow.com/christmas-craft-fingerprint-homemade-cards/

http://withorwithoutnap.blogspot.com.au/2010/12/kids-craft-christmas-wreaths.html

http://happyhooligans.ca/lacing-tree-ornaments/

http://theverybusykindergarten.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/christmas-cards-for-elderly.html

http://www.livingonalatte.com/search/label/Christmas