Tag Archives: tree

Easter tree decoration – homemade clay recipe for kids

Posted on March 28, 2017 | Leave a comment

Hop in Easter mood with us and let’s start the decoration with this beautiful tree. Let your kids DIY the ornaments with a homemade clay recipe, ready in less than 10 minutes and with only 3 ingredients:

1 cup cornstarch (cornflour)
2 cups baking soda
1 1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to medium heat. Whisk continually until it starts to thicken. It will take couple of minutes to look like mashed potato in consistency, remove it immediately from the heat. Place it in a bowl and cover it with damp cloth until it’s cool.

Knead it on a smooth surface, adding cornstarch if it feels a bit sticky, hand it to your kids and let the fun begin!

Cut out eggs and bunnies, using the cookie cutters and let them dry overnight. I am sure not all kids will have this patience, you can dry it in the oven for couple of hours on very low, so your kids can color them in the same day.

Don’t forget to make small holes (with a straw) before they dry, to be able later to insert a thread and hang it on the tree.

This year the fun is double, i am crafting with my two boys! Let me be honest and say it’s beautifully insane 🙂 i need to tame my 19 months old boy excitement who is still discovering, exploring and creating that artistic mess, so overwhelmed with colors and beauty, he doesn’t believe rules exist and everything for him is edible! While my 4 years old boy, my charming little artist, who’s been doing this for a quite time, doesn’t fail to show me his passion and innate artistic skills. They both have it actually and i am so happy about it!

Back to our decoration, and while the paint is drying, get some dry branches and fix them in a pot (fill it with sand or pebbles not to fall) to have a tree like shape. And let the kid enjoy hanging up their handmade deco when they are completely dry.

By the way, we prepared a lot more ornaments, but before having our final tree up, my little monkey dropped it 3 times and broke some! Well let me tell you this is part of the game, part of the fun and part of the learning. The most important is to be patient, and try to enjoy with them!

easter tree decoration | marmite et ponpon

Those cracks make it more beautiful and real, and they will tell you later million story and laugh. Crafting with kids is not about the final outcome, the least you care about is working for the end result, let them enjoy the creative process, be patient again and enjoy as much as you can those priceless moments.

If those bunnies and chick are striking your attention, they were made last year by my eldest son. You can check the link to that post.

If you like this post give it many likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.

Savoury Christmas tree – feta and thyme filling

Posted on December 23, 2016 | Leave a comment

I bet on a Lebanese Christmas dinner table you can find 10452 kind of food, it’s not that we eat a lot, but we love and cherish good food. And since it’s a night for family reunion, all tastes should be satisfied!

I am someone who likes entrées, amuse bouches, salads…. and i like to add the festive look on the presentation for this special night that i believe it’s like no other! This year, I will be celebrating with my small family as we are not going home for this Christmas. My tiniest fans who are the most sincere fans and speaking the truth straight forward; it’s either yummy or yaki. So i had to try this feta zaatar (thyme) tree to see how many thumbs up i will get from Nady and Joud to avoid disappointment on Christmas eve! And lucky me I got 6 thumbs up counting in my husband 🙂

It’s very easy to prepare and can be presented in less than 20 minutes, to be eaten in 2 minutes 🙂 Few ingredients are needed, as: puff pastry, zaatar, olive oil, feta cheese crumbled or cut in small cubes, and one egg for the wash.

Roll out the dough on a parchment paper and cut 2 equal tree shape. Brush one tree with zaatar and olive oil, sprinkle the feta and cover with the second tree. Cut parallel and equal lines on both sides of the tree as the photo shows. Twist each part to do the branches and press it down to the parchment paper. Brush with the egg wash and bake on 200°C for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

There is no accurate amount for the ingredients, as you can make the tree the size you want, and put zaatar and cheese as per your taste! I told you it’s very easy and quick. Try it, i am sure it will add more fun to your Christmas table, and more yummy to your tummy.

Don’t forget to add some decoration on the side. Beauty is in details!

If you really like this post give it many likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More festive posts are yet to come. Ho Ho Ho!

kids want to have fun! Kit Kat Christmas treeTs

Posted on December 22, 2016 | Leave a comment

It’s the season to be jolly … I think it can be also it’s the season for serious chocolate lovers! When you say Christmas you think chocolate, they come together like best friends. Kids and adults indulge in all kinds of chocolate desserts with no guilt, it’s Christmas!

This is an easy kit kat chocolate dessert with lots of fun preparing it with your kids. Not just looking cute, but it tastes nice also.

You will need Kit Kat chocolate bars (the one of four parts), as many as you want, depending on how many piece you want, keeping in mind each one makes 2 to 3 trees.

White chocolate melt colored green.

Confetti and stars (made of sugar), you can also have any small sugar Christmas decoration, as cane, santa, snowmen….up to you.

Cut 2 or 3 triangles out of each Kit Kat bar, keep the trimmed edges to make the tree trunk. Place on parchment paper. Put the green chocolate melt in a ziplok bag and make a very tiny cut at to pipe the garlands. Sprinkle the confetti (and the decorations you find), and finally place the star.

PS: to attach the trunk to the tree put a little chocolate melt

Place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before placing them on a tray, using a little chocolate melt that serves like glue to prevent the trees from falling. Sprinkle coconut powder to look like snow between the trees.

So cute to be eaten! Try it with your kids and have fun, these are the best moments spent with your kids especially during the magical Christmas season. Enjoy!

Handmade Christmas tree ornaments- crafts for tiny hands

Posted on November 24, 2014 | 5 comments

Christmas is my favorite holiday; so joyful, festive and special for what it represents. When you say Christmas you immediately think of the decorated trees, shopping for gifts, lights, beautiful decorations, happy family gatherings, jingle bells, yummy food, midnight mass, visiting friends and family, kids waiting for Santa… and by the way my husband proposed to me on the Christmas eve! I always thought it can’t get better until my love Nady was born, he became the Christmas and the joy of the family! I admit that kids take Christmas to another level of feelings to discover that happiness is a small word to what you actually feel. He changed the whole concept and added more magic and excitement to this season. This year, we are decorating the house together, and specifically the tree. Handmade ornaments with salt dough! I love when he is involved in the crafts, it’s a quality and fun time together! Mon amour d’artiste! Very simple craft, doesn’t require a lot of ingredients and the outcome is wow! With just flour, salt and water you can do these beautiful ornaments! Mix:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup water

and knead until smooth. If your dough is still crumbly you can add more water, or if it’s sticky you can add flour, you can always correct flour and water to get the consistency you want. Add coloring gel to the dough or paint it later if your kids are old enough to create designs on them. I love working with this dough, it’s so versatile; you can bake it for 15-20 mns on 200ºC or leave it to air dry for 2 days, if you are using decorations that can’t be baked. If you are leaving it to air dry i suggest to flip it after one day. For instance, we used colorful plastic pieces to decorate the tree shape ornament, and kept it to dry without baking. Nady was so happy rolling the dough, cutting, and poking the colored plastic bits. Grand garcon (big boy). He got so excited, he sat on the table! This is how they look on the tree after they dry! The sky is the limit, you can do any Christmas related shape you want! We used a straw to make the small hole, where we inserted a golden thread to be able to hang it on the tree. After baking these stars, i brushed them with little oil for a shiny look! We used the whole set of Christmas cookies cutters, so we did many shapes! And finally the colorful Christmas balls! I loved the outcome, the color blend makes you happy 🙂 You can be as much creative as you want, all depending on the material you have and the age of your kids. You can paint, use glitter, beads, pompoms……Let them unleash the artist inside them! These ornaments last for years if well stored in a dry container and not exposed to moisture in any way. Et voila our beautiful Christmas tree for the year 2014, done by Nady and the help of maman. 3a2bel kel seneh! This is how we wish you (in arabic) a long life to celebrate more christmases in the coming years. One month until Christmas, it’s never early to start celebrating, We did! What about you, did we put you in the mood?! If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page. More posts yet to come, stay tuned!

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Posted in design, DIY, special occasions, way to play

Tagged blog, christmas, christmas tree, crafts, DIY, handmade, how to do, kids craft, marmite et ponpon, ornaments, recipe, salt dough, step by step, tree

Tree with homemade fingerpaint

Posted on September 18, 2014 | 2 comments

Today’s post is so colorful and fun, not just because of the art project, this time Nady is sharing it with his friend Fouad!

Two days ago Nady came from the nursery with a painting made of dots. I knew then they are exploring circles and dots. As i mentioned once, my son is my inspiration for the activities, so lets paint a tree practicing dots!

To prepare this easy recipe you need:

1 cup flour
1 tbsp salt
2 1/2 cup water
food coloring

Mix water and salt in a pot. Set the heat on medium, slowly add the flour and mix with a whisk to not get lumps. Once it starts thickening, put down the heat and keep stirring until you get the right consistency, custard like.

Leave it to cool, then divide it in containers as many colors you want to have. Add your colors and mix well. And here is your homemade fingerpaint!

With a brown paper i made the cut out of the trunk shape to set the starting point.

Nady, already familiar with this type of painting couldn’t wait to start, Fouad (should mention he is 7 months younger) was exploring this messy art for the first time, but all what mommy needed to do is dump those tiny fingers in the paint and let the fun begin!

There are plenty of activities you can do to encourage creative play at your home. Painting is so tempting, one of the creative plays that offers many skills to learn especially when freedom is left to explore.

Children love being creative if they are given the chance, such activities develop a love for the creative process, enlarge their brain and set them up as creative thinkers in all walks of life.

Don’t hesitate to do such messy activities at home, children love the paint! Try not to stress about the mess and let them enjoy being creative. Of course shouldn’t be a war zone as well, set the rules and boundaries and let them enjoy! Homemade recipes are always the safest and easiest to be cleaned with less risk of stains.

The physical, emotional and social benefits and skills gained from such activities are worth the mess!