If your kids are obsessed with the Disney Channel just like mine, you will totally get the title of this post... if not, consider yourself lucky:) I don't know about all of you but I really struggle with keeping my kids entertained, especially places where they can't run around and are forced to sit for a long period of time (anything over 2 minutes), so lately I have been trying to put together some SMALL busy bags that I can fit in my purse and take with me when we go out to eat and stuff.
I threw this one together yesterday and the kiddos absolutely LOVED it, so I thought I would take a minute to share. I started off with some Jumbo Popsicle Sticks. They came in a bag of 75 at the Dollar Tree and I used 8 sticks to make two puzzles.
HELPFUL HINT: These were some VERY inexpensive "craft sticks" so there were a few that were warped and discolored. The paint fixed up the color issues, but if you are having trouble getting your sticks to lay flat, try soaking them in a bowl of water for about 5 minutes and then rubber banding them together, or laying them under something heavy. Once they dry they are PERFECT!
To get started, I laid down some paper in my garage because it was pouring down rain outside :( and I laid out the sticks. I put several coats of spray paint on each side, using different colors. (pink on one side and yellow on the other)
 |
Then I put some Mod Podge on the back of a 4X6 photo and attached it to the sticks. I used some heavy books as a weight to hold it there until it dried.
Then I flipped the sticks over and added a second photo to the other side, the same way. Once the photos were completely attached to the popsicle sticks and well dried (about 15 minutes) I put two coats of Mod Podge on top of each photo for a little added protection.
Then I used my handy dandy exacto knife and carefully cut through the photos, separating the popsicle sticks. I cut through one photo and then flipped it over and cut through the second, just so the cuts were a little more accurate.
 |
| Boy do I have some cute kids or what? :) |
And there you have it, 2 eight piece puzzles that can fit in a plastic baggie in your purse and take up very little space. (oh and this is a "snack" baggie too- not even a regular "sandwich" baggie! LOL )
Here they are inside of a tiny little makeup bag that I have. I am working on a few other "activities" for the kiddos that can fit in there. (I'll be sharing those soon) My goal is to always keep this little busy bag in my purse, for those emergency situations:)
 |
| see how small it is... littler then a bottle of Mod Podge |
My kids are LOVING the puzzles... they think it is awesome that they have there very own puzzles with pictures of themselves on them... and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out:) I guess the real test will be the next time we go out to dinner! I'll keep you posted!!!
share this on:: |
Digg |
Fun!!! I need to have this idea for my boys at church.
ReplyDeleteI love this, I hope you will come and share it on my first link party " Summer Bucket List Ideas" http://www.missinformationblog.com/2012/05/summer-bucket-list.html
ReplyDeleteThanks Kelley! I shared it on your linky party! There are so many fun ideas linked up! I will definitely be checking back to see what else is shared! Im a new follower an would love if you could follow me back! Thanks:)
DeleteThis is such a cute little puzzle and I think I have that make up bag lol! Thanks so much for sharing and I am a new follower!
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great weekend!
Michelle
www.delicateconstruction.com
Thanks Michelle! I love that make up bag... It was one of those Target freebies that came full of coupons:) thanks so much for following me... I'm now following back:)
DeleteWow I love it! Thanks for sharing! I'm a new follower from a blog hop, I would love if you followed me back at http://iheartpears.blogspot.com. Feel free to post this on my blog hop if you would like :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I am officially following you back and I'll be posting on your blog hop in just a few minutes:) Thanks for commenting and following along!
Delete