Thanksgiving crafts the whole family can do

Here are a few Thanksgiving crafts that we have done in years past.
These are all pretty simple and can be done with things you probably already have.

Here's our family of turkeys!!

What you need:
cardboard cereal box (or any kind of cardboard)
red, orange, yellow and brown paint
a paintbrush
googly eyes
brown pipe cleaners

Just paint the palm of your hand and your thumb brown,
then paint your other fingers with the red, orange and yellow
put your hand print on the cardboard,
cut it out, add the pipe cleaners for legs and the googly eye and you're all set.

Some corn on the cob!!

What you need:
cardboard
popcorn brown paper glue

Cut out the basic corn on the cob shape from the cardboard,
pop the popcorn and glue in onto the shape.
Cut the brown paper in waves, crinkle the paper and then put
the "husks" on the back of the corn.

And some pumpkin pie!

What you need:
paper plate
brown paint
cinnamon
cotton balls
glue

Just paint the paper plate brown and before it dries sprinkle the paint with cinnamon.
When the paint is cut the paper plate into 8 pieces,

then glue the cotton balls onto the edges of the pie pieces.

See, I told you they were pretty easy!
Have fun crafting...and have a

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
(even though it's still two weeks away).

Freezer Paper Shirt Ideas & Tutorial

Jamie had a wonderful tutorial a few weeks ago about freezer paper stenciling. You can see it here. Well I took her tutorial and made some fun shirts for my kids. This was my first attempt at freezer paper  stenciling. Thank you Jamie for making this so easy and fun.

lil poser had to get in there. What a cutie. Hence the shirt idea. LOL

So here is what we did.... First I wrote down ideas of what each of my kids favorite things are. Then I searched online for clipart ( I am not the best artist ) that matched the ideas. Printed them out and traced them onto the freezer paper. I took a utility knife for the smaller areas that needed to be cut and then scissors for the rest. 

Before Ironing the Freezer Paper on, I had started with 3 pink shirts for the girls and 2 blue shirt for my son. I hung them up on hangers and took them outside and gave them a spray bleach bath. LOL That sounds weird. Let them dry and gave them a quick bath (as the kids would say) in the washer. Dried them and they were ready to go. I am glad I did that because it gave them a kind of unique look.

Back to the Freezer Paper Fun.... we then ironed the freezer paper (shiny side down) to the shirts. 

Now comes the fun part of decorating with paints!

We bought a sponge and cut it into a bunch of small pieces. These were our little paint sponges. I found some fabric paint on sale at JoAnn's. Grabbed a paper plate to squeeze the paint onto and started sponging away. Let the paint try and then just peel off your freezer paper. You can either do another quick wash (which I recommend) or let the kiddos try them on for a bit before the wash. You know, because they are going to be anxious to put on their favorite things shirt!

~ So here are their shirts ~

My sons is pretty cool. He has a bmx stunt shirt. It starts on the back of the shirt and then comes around to the front. What's cool is the stunt stencil starts out riding then going up on the bike, back down again and finally the arms up in the air screaming "I DID IT" Well it doesn't say that, but I like to think it. LOL We loved the saying "I DO MY OWN STUNTS" So that had to go on there as well. He loves it.

My oldest daughter is our reader. She loves to read anything and mommy is loving that she loves to read craft and sewing books. Hint! Hint! Someone to create with. So her shirt was easy. We found a tree and placed a girl reading under the tree. Then of course it had to say love (we made a heart as you can see) to READ. 

My middle daughter is our little bashful cutie. She loves to be a princess but is very sporty too. So she chose a princess wearing a crown with the saying "LIL CUTIE" princess was too long. Eeeeek. My favorite part of her shirt is the back. We added the same princess only larger and she is blowing a kiss with her high heals on. Too Cute.

Last but not least my youngest daughter is in love with elephants so I had to use them someone. But I found this adorable image of a girl blowing bubbles and loved that too. So here is what we did.... we have the girl blowing bubbles and her imagination (wink) turns her bubbles into her favorite things. So we have the elephant, butterflies, hearts and bubbles. Added "LOVE" and we were done.

These were so much fun to make with the kids. They thought they were the best because they were what they picked out, colors and all. I would love to see what you come up with. So please share.

Hope you enjoyed our fun lil project.

Peanut Butter Bird Wreath Recipe & Tutorial

This is a fun and quick project you can do with your kids this summer. The girls were playing with their Giant Dollhouse (LOL) so Cordell and I decided to make a 

"Bird Feeder with a lil Bath"

What we did was take the basic Peanut Butter Play Dough Recipe and added a few things to make this adorable Bird Feeder that will last for days.

Here is what you will need....

• 1 cup Peanut Butter
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 cup Karo Syrup
• 3 cups of Powdered Milk
• 1 loaf of bread (we used wheat, but it really doesn't matter
• 1 cup Birdseed

~ How to make this ~

First, mix together your peanut butter, powdered sugar and karo syrup. Mix until all the powdered sugar is gone.

Add in 3 cups powdered milk, mix well.

Remember to have your kids help you put things away as you use them. So there is less of a mess as you are working. 

Once everything is mixed together have your child shape the mixture into a wreath shape on a baking sheet. Make sure to spray your sheet with a non-stick spray first. While they do this set your oven to 450°

Next you want to grab some bird seed and start pressing onto your peanut butter mixture. Keep adding birdseed until you have most of it covered. 

Then place in the oven for 18-25 minutes. Depending on your oven.  Just keep checking until the outer edge is firm. Once done, let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Your finished bird wreath made this way is heavy so this is what you want to do. Take out and place on a rock, table or tree, add in a small bowl in the center of the wreath. Add water to make a little bird bath. The kids will have fun watching the birds play in the water. It's hot here, so we have to fill our water quite often.

There you have it. A simple fun activity you can do with the kids this summer.

I have another recipe for a birdseed wreath that I will share soon. This one you can hang in a tree.

Check out my son outside with his creation. Bad lighting, sorry. LOL

Have fun and as always, we'd love to see what you came up with. So please share.

Twin Sisters Productions Review & Giveaway~CLOSED

Fraternal Twins Kim Thompson and Karen Hilderbrand have always been close, and have always worked well together. This company was born out of a love for children and seeing the wonderful look of pride on their faces when they have mastered a concept, and have had fun doing it!

Since the beginning, we have been blessed with continual growth. Our MISSION is to be The Leader in Children's Educational Music.  We have worked very hard to create excellent products that children will enjoy, and to make learning effective and fun for the lives that we touch through our music.

★ I have been enjoying Twin Sisters wonderful products for almost 5 years now! My daughter had an overnight stay at the hospital and she had a hard time staying in her crib. One of the nurses brought us a cd (Quiet Escapse) and she was calm the whole night through. We have been enjoying that CD for years. I even listen to it. My hubby and I got addicted to the calming music at night. LOL I knew Twin Sisters would be a great company to work with for a review. I love everything they have to offer. Not only do they have great music for babies, but they have an amazing selection of educational music for kids. 

I especially love their "Songs that Teach". Ask any mom and they will tell you that is how their kids learned the Alphabet. Why stop there.... am I right? Well Twin Sisters went above and beyond with their amazing line of educational music. Starting with SPEECHercise and going to something as exciting as SCIENCE. WOW! Songs teaching kids about school subjects. What mom wouldn't love that! Your kids can learn about addition, subtraction, zoology, marine biology, states and capital, foreign languages and more all through song!  Kids learn fast through song.  

They didn't stop there.... they offer a large variety of songs for Toddlers, Preschool, Baby, Classical Music, Christian Music, Relaxation and so much more. Did you know that they even sell "School Musicals". How fun would that be to see your kids play become a musical. I can't wait to tell our teachers. I know our Kindergarten teacher will love hearing about this. She does amazing plays every year. 

Not only does Twin Sisters offer great music, but they also offer "Digital Audio", "Floor Puzzles", "Pre-Loaded Players", "Books" and more! We were so excited to review some Pre-Loaded Players as well as a couple board books. They are amazing. The players are great because all you need to do is turn it on. The kids listen to the pre-loaded music. When the battery runs out, just replace it. It's that easy. It's like their own personal music player. My kids love them. I have already changed the batteries twice. 

I have been very impressed with the quality and variety of products that Twin Sisters Productions have to offer. I recommend them to everyone. If you are wanting an exciting way for your kids to learn and enjoy music, this is the site to go to! Hands down!!! ★

Twin Sisters has a great partner site where you can download kids music. Sign-up for FREE and become a part of the downloadkidsmusic.com community! Members have access to thousands of songs with linked content including music, worksheets, sheet music, fun activities, and more…

Twin Sisters also has another great site called Learning Horizons! It offers.... hands-on learning materials to excite, stimulate, encourage and teach children from pre-school to grade six. Like Learning Horizons on Facebook too!

Are you ready for this? 

Now through 6/30/2010 you can get....

25% off at checkout when using code: TRENDY 
Make your order today!

What I love....

• Fun educational music for all ages
• Offers fun musicals for school age children
• Cool Pre-Loaded Players for kids to have their own music
• They also have books, puzzles, greeting cards and many more great products
• A partner company that offers downloadable kids music! WOW!
• Learning Horizons hands on learning site ~ stimulates learning
• Homeschool Resources
• Great for gifts for anyone with a family!
• Perfect resource for teachers
• The best educational music out there! Says ME!

<center><a href="http://www.twinsisters.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="TwinSistersProductions" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4662130439_dc883d6765_o.jpg"/></a></center>

Twin Sisters is offering a great giveaway to 1 very lucky FAN!

1 ~ Little Tunes Player along with 20 Free Downloads

Totaling $59. What an amazing Giveaway! Thank you Twin Sisters Productions!

Mandatory 1st Entry - Like Twin Sisters on Facebook!
Must enter Mandatory entry or all others will be deleted. Thanks! Additional Entries... Eligible after completing mandatory entry above. Please fill out a separate entry form for each entry that you have done. Thank you! 

• 3 entries - Follow Twin Sisters on Twitter
• 1 entry - Grab the Twin Sisters Button for your Blog (Grab the Code Above)
• 3 entries - Add Twin Sisters Productions to your Link List  http://www.twinsisters.com/
• 10 entries - Buy anything from Twin Sisters
• 2 entries - Register for an account with Twin Sisters and get benefits
• 1 entry - Visit Twin Sisters and share with us what you love about their products!
• 1 entry - Subscribe to Trendy Treehouse
• 4 entries - Follow Trendy Treehouse via Google Friend Connect
• 3 entries for each - Follow Trendy Treehouse on Facebook & Twitter
• 2 entries - Follow Trendy Treehouse via Network Blogs
• 1 entry daily for each - Blog, Tweet & Post about this giveaway including @trendytreehouse & @twinsisters

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED~THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO ENTERED
Congratulations to
Liz Lane
Your info is being sent to Twin Sisters. Please notify us when you get your prize. Thanks for entering!


You will have until June 15 @ 9:00 p.m. Pacific Standard time to enter this giveaway. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here. If the winner has provided an email address I will contact you. If you don't provide your email, you will want to check back here and see if you are the winner. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to those living in the US. You must be 18 years or older to enter. Thanks for entering at Trendy Treehouse. Good Luck and Have Fun!!

The featured product {s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. By entering this giveaway you agree to Trendy Treehouse Disclaimer/Terms of use.

Hand Stitching Memories Tutorial

I wanted a unique handprint of each of my kids. I had seen it done before where they just stitch a traced handprint on plain muslin. It was very cute, but I wanted a little something different. So this is what I came up with. Hope you like it and you can find inspiration for some of your own.

What you will need....

• 3 types of fabric (my largest fits in an 8 x 10 frame)
• Black embroidery Thread
• Embroidery needle
• Pencil and Tracing Paper
• Your child's handprint
• Scissors
• Spray adhesive
• Pencil

How to make this....

1. Set aside the largest piece of fabric. This will be what you stitch the hand and name to. 
2. Grab your adorable child and trace their hand onto a piece of paper. Cut out.
3. Use the paper pattern you just made and cut out a fabric hand. Next, use Spray adhesive on the back and place onto your large fabric piece. You could also pin it if you don't want to use the adhesive spray.
4. Take your needle and thread and begin stitching around the whole hand. You can use any type of stitch you like. I just kept mine simple. I liked the way it looked with this one. X's would be cute and so would a blanket stitch.
5. Now take your third piece of fabric. I cut mine in a rectangle shape and fit to the length of my daughters name. Yours may be smaller or larger depending on the name. (but you could also leave this part out if you didn't want to add the name) Stitch just below the hand print. I think it would be cute to add their age too!
6. Adding the name.... I used a pencil and wrote out her name in cursive and just stitched over the pencil markings. It would also be cute to have your kids write their own names. If they are old enough.
7. Place in a frame or glue to a canvas board and hang on the wall. Enjoy it for years.

These would make great grandparents gifts too! I can see 9 of these in line at my moms house. I know she would love it. If you make any of these or have your own version, I would love to see them and even share your photos in this post. Thanks!

Check out where I am linking this fun project here!

♥ Guest Blogger ♥

Are you ready for a really fun Tutorial for kids! Well, this guest blogger has a great one!!! I can't wait to make these with my kids and proudly display them in my house.

Kalleen from Second Street is here to share Mod Podged Hand Trees. They are amazing. Make sure to stop by her blog for many more amazing ideas and crafts. She is a very talented "Momma"


Hi Everyone, My name is Kalleen from "At Second Street". I'm a mother of four who loves to create and design for my family and home. I grew up in a super creative family with parents who taught me from a young age the joy that comes with creating. I want my own kids to feel that joy and have tried to encourage them to make things themselves. This is my favorite kids craft we've made together, and I hope you and your kids enjoy making them too.


"Mod Podged Hand Trees"

I have to be honest. I love my kids. I love crafts. But I hate kid's crafts. The thing that I hate about them is that five minutes after they have created something, I want to throw it away. I just don't like the clutter.

I knew I had to come up with something I would treasure instead of trash. My kids and I created these beautiful hand trees.

They are personalized with trunks made from their arm and hand. I really enjoyed spending one on one time with each kid as we put these together.

Mod Podge is the perfect medium for kids crafts. You can't mess it up. Since it dries clear you can't see all the mistakes and spills. My kids kept commenting on how much the loved "painting".

What I used:

-Wood Picture Boards -I got mine at Tai Pan Trading Co., they were damaged and 75% off. You could also use a canvas.

- burlap

-scrap fabric

-scissors

- Mod Podge- I used matte, but I think anything you have is fine.

-Permanent marker - to sign name at the end

These are the boards I used. I needed more surface area so I used the back side as my front.

Some of the Fabrics I used: I liked using a heavier fabric, but anything would work. Make sure you have lots of variety. You want the fabrics to work together while still having as many different colors as possible. You don't want all the fabrics to blend together. I used eight different fabrics.

Here is how we made them:

Step 1: I removed the hanger and stickers from the back of my board. I saved the hanger and placed it on the other side when it was time to hang my pictures.

Step 2: I covered the entire board with Mod Podge and layed a piece of burlap, bigger than the board, over the top. Then I used my sharp sewing scissors to cut away the excess burlap till it was straight and flush with the board. If you are using a canvas I would try wrapping the canvas and stapling it to the back instead.

Step 3: Cutting the leaves and hands out. I did all the cutting. I didn't trust my kids with my sharp sewing scissors. I was afraid someone would lose a finger. If your kids are older you might want to let them do this part.

I cut three different sizes of leaves for each pattern.

Tracing and cutting the hands before starting with the Mod Podge, make things easier when everything is covered with goo.

Step 4: Glue everything down.

I helped glue the first four leaves down so my kids had an idea of which direction the leaves should go. Then they took over. They painted the Mod Podge onto the backs of the leaves then placed them were they wanted. I reminded them to cover all the empty spots and to use all the different colors.

Step 5: Once all your leaves are on. They plastered the back of the trunk with Mod Podge and placed it on the picture with the hand in the center of the leaves. You might need to trim some of the trunk so that it is flush with the bottom of the board.

Now they can finish it off by painting over the entire tree with the Mod Podge. It dries clear so don't worry if it looks a little messy.

The leaves dry stiff and look cute if they start to come off the board.

Worthy of being hung in a prominent place my kids are more than happy to show off their handy work. Each tree is different just like my kids.

Thanks you Kalleen for such an amazing tutorial & project to do with kids. I love it. 

Make sure you all stop by and tell her how terrific she is and check out all her fabulous posts!

Grab her button too!

~ What our Readers are Making ~

Thanks for sharing

Look at What "The Cottage Momma" Made!