- crafting with caitlin vol 1

Huzzah! A new post and a new feature! I know I've done a craft on here before (see Finger Paints: Puppy Edition) but we'll call this "Crafting with Caitlin vol 1."  I know it's been a while since I updated, so because my readers are incredibly lovely and patient, I decided why not do TWO crafts instead of one? So that's what I did and I made it super easy for you to follow along. * BTW who loves the deer head and spot light on my face from the sun in this picture? I felt it added character, so I left it!

* A book of some sort (I chose my Bible because it definitely needed a makeover), some permanent markers, buttons & ribbon (if you want to decorate your book like I did), a white mug, hot glue gun, Mod Podge, & some scrap fabric.

* Baking this makes the permanent marker safe to wash without the worry of it rubbing off. A tip for when you decorate the cup - if you happen to mess up (which I did many times) take a Q-tip and some nail polish remover, the marker will come right off and you can start over. 

* I used both Mod Podge and hot glue when securing the edges, just for some extra strength. At the end I added a ribbon by putting a dot of hot glue on the top and tucking it into the gap of the binding on the spine, just as you did with the fabric. The buttons were hot glued as well.



I hope you enjoyed these two crafts and get the itch to try them out. If you do, link me to a picture, I'd love to see how yours turned out!

- finger paints: the puppy edition

Happy Monday! So, I assume many of you have seen Jenna Marble's latest video Dog Finger Painting, and if not you should probably go watch it because it's hilarious. Anyway I was super inspired to make a little artistic creation of my own with my dogs after watching it so that's exactly what I did. Jenna pretty much outlines what you need to do in her video, but I'm going to show you what I did!

Supplies: Canvas (any size), Washable Kids' Finger Paints (I chose Crayola, I doubt brand matters), something to put the paint on (I just used some random plates), and a tarp or sheet to put over the area you're using. Oh and don't forget treats. Those are the most important.

I planned this out carefully - the left are Cleo's colors and the right are Oliver's so I would know which paw prints were whose. As you'll see that really didn't turn out too well.

Oliver looking quite enthused with a yellow eyebrow (which was supposed to be Cleo's color!)

Cleo just looking exhausted.

The final piece. It's like a puppy Picasso!

I have to say, the dogs were less than cooperative. I think I was more excited about the project than they were, even with the jar of treats I brought out. Most of the paint ended up on the grass and the old sheet I was using. All in all though, it was a fun way to spend some time outside and let the pups channel their "creative sides." Haha! I'll definitely be hanging it up once it dries. Let me know if you end up doing this and link me up to your blog or some pictures!