Category Archives: DIY

chalk spray art for your kids

Posted on August 14, 2014 | Leave a comment

It’s a definite outdoor activity; so much fun but so messy, I am telling you! (but since it’s a washable paint don’t worry).

Lucky us we have a beautiful space at jeddo and teta house, but still my little artist manage to spray the walls, plants, curtains… leaving behind memorable pieces of art.

To make the chalk sprayable paint you need:

spraying bottles
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup baking soda
3 cups warm water
food coloring gel (wilton as i always recommend)

You have to really mix well until all dissolved, and shake it before starting to spray.

The world of water, colors and art provides a soothing sensory experience and it’s an excellent avenue for children to learn physical, cognitive and social skills. I love those kind of messy activities, It’s an important part of early education. Children will be given the tools to develop and practice fine motor skills, for instance, spraying bottles are great for developing kids tiny hand muscles.

Get down on the floor with your child. You are the ultimate plaything, and any activity will seem more fun if your child can share it with you. Introduce the game and let your child improvise. But always talk to him while you play and you’ll help boost his language skills.

Chalk spray art develops concentration, problem-solving and planning. He learns how to aim correctly, but trust me in the beginning he will spray everywhere.

This game is open ended. You can introduce the brush or your kid favorite play thing. Nady decided to spray the balloons, his favorite toy. He was extremely happy!

Small tip: If your bottle nozzles are clogging, means the inner tubing is touching the floor of the bottle. You only need to snip off a small piece of the tube so it doesn’t sit in the residual corn starch and get clogged.

Happy playing!

water balloons pinata

Posted on August 13, 2014 | 6 comments

The perfect fun game for hot summer days. We are taking advantage of still being in lebanon to enjoy the outdoor plays. Fill up some balloons and tie them to a rope. Give your child a stick to whack them and let the fun begin!

Splashing fun is always a success, you can increase the fun by adding colors to the water or hiding a small object in the balloons, kids love surprises and having small things in bigger.

We used helium strength balloons, so the popping itself wasn’t easy for Nady (19 months) but he really enjoyed the gush of water, he was really soaked. I was so proud of him trying to pop the balloons, whacking hard at them which develops problem solving and fine motor skills.

This game will be spectacular for a birthday party! I highly rate this game for a large group of kids of all ages.

6 Comments

Posted in DIY, way to play

Tagged blog, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, pinata, summer activity, water activity, water balloons, water balloons pinata, way to play

homemade paint to my little artist masterpiece

Posted on August 6, 2014 | 4 comments

This homemade paint recipe is closer to paint dough due to the thick texture you get. But it all depends on how much you want to dilute it!

The original recipe calls for:

3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup salt
3/4 cup water
coloring gel (wilton as i always recommend)

Whisk together the water, flour, and salt, then add the coloring gel. The dough will be just barely pourable, if you want it less thick, add 1/4 cup of water. Pour the dough into squeeze bottles.

To take advantage of the nice weather (before going back to doha heat), we took everything we might need and we head to the closest parc to let my little artist create his colorful chef d’oeuvre!

To kick off the play, i handed him sponge cut outs to paint with. Knowing that after 5 minutes he will go excited and use only his hands. Let your child choose how to play, you can suggest new things or present new options, but he should be the boss. The most important is to talk to him while you play and you’ll help boost his language skills and widen his imagination.

Time for a messy play! I just sat down and watched him while naming the colors, textures, and things around us. He was enjoying squeezing the paint out of the bottles and mixing! Lots of mixing!

As always Nady likes to taste everything! That’s why i always prepare homemade recipes with edible ingredients to play with.

When we first played with noodles and playdough we had doubts he inherited my OCD tendancies, but this time i am sure he does 🙂 look how he always tidy the sponges!

After 45 minutes of painting, here is Nady’s chef d’oeuvre! I am really impressed!

Drying times will vary depending on the dough’s thickness!

It was such a fun and quality time together. Always spend time with your kids, this is the best you can do to them.

4 Comments

Posted in DIY, way to play

Tagged blog, DIY, homemade paint, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, paint, recipe, way to play

DIY- suave lavender sachets

Posted on August 4, 2014 | 4 comments

The English word lavender is derived from the french word lavande, ultimately from the Latin lavare (to wash).

It is grown as a condiment and used in salads and dressings. The flowers yield abundant nectar from which bees make a premium honey.

Lavender is used extensively with aromatherapy. Infusions are believed to soothe insect bites, burns, and headaches. Lavender aroma repels insects. In pillows, lavender seeds and flowers aid sleep and relaxation.

Since i was a kid i always found between my cloths sachets of lavender. My grandmother used to sew them to scent the cloths, drawers and pillows. Not only does it smell good, but it’s also a natural bug and moth repellent.

This craft held a sweet nostalgia to these old days, and especially to my grandma rose, god bless her and keep her!

To make these beautiful sachets, cut two same-sized pieces of fabric, preferably linen (mine are about 12x10cm ).

Place them back-to back inside out and sew them together from three sides. Keep one side open to fill it with the lavender seeds.

If you don’t know how to use the sewing machine, just handle the job to someone professional to make it for you. I used the help of my friend.

Lace, ribbons or bows will give it this elegant touch. You can even use colorful textile, but always remember it should be a breathable one to let the scent come out, linen is the best!

Then turn them the right way out and fill with dried lavender through the side you have left open, then sew it to close it up.

These sachets turned out to be so beautiful that i feel bad to just put them in the closet or the drawers! Don’t you agree?!

4 Comments

Posted in design, DIY

Tagged blog, DIY, jaymmy, lavender, marmite et ponpon, pouches, sachet

chocolicious hershey’s pudding popsicles

Posted on July 30, 2014 | Leave a comment

The ultimate combo; popsicles, chocolate and kids, couldn’t be more joyable. A day spent with the chocoholic cousins, joe-marc (my lovely god son) and the exceptional elie-antoine!

In this scenario, impatience is the key for fun! Can you imagine a 6 year old waiting for the pudding to be done or getting frozen? Infinite of whys, hows and whens will shower your head.

To prepare the hershey’s pudding for 8 popsicles, you need:

2 cups water
2 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour (all purpose)
1/4 cup hersehy’s cocoa powder

Whisk all over a medium heat until it thickens. Let it cool a bit then pour in molds and freeze for overnight, for a better result.

To remove the popsicles from the molds, run under warm water until they are easily released.

A finger lickn’ pudding! If you like chocolate pudding, you can double the quantity and pour the remaining mix in cups. Let it cool in the fridge (2-3 hours) and attack it!

Chocolate for kids is perceived as a reward. Give to your child a healthy homemade one with no regrets! I wish i can offer it daily to my most loved cousins. We missed the beautiful elder sister rita-maria that day, but we promised to leave her some! I love the three of you so much (je vous aime beaucoup).