Family Crafts For The Long Weekend (Video)
The Morning Show
I stopped by The Morning Show before the last long-weekend of the summer to show host Jeff McArthur and guest co-host Jennifer Valentyne some easy, fun projects for the whole family.
- Salt art using Great Value products from Walmart
- DIY puffy paint using Equate
- Custom Post-it boards
Watch here…
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Host, Jeff McArthur:
Coming up with fun activities with the kids all summer long is no easy task. So we’re going to help you hit the finish line with some fun crafts that you can do at home over this long weekend, and here’s DIY expert Denise Wild with more. Denise, good morning.
Denise Wild:
Hi, good morning. Yeah, it’s the last long weekend. We need to keep the kids busy and it’s almost time for school. So let’s have them doing things that are going to get them ready for back-to-school, but also that will get us creative and have us hands-on. So, I’m getting you guys hands-on too.
Host, Jennifer Valentyne:
I’m ready.
Jeff:
Let’s do it. Okay.
Denise:
Who are going to get nice and messy here. So the first thing we’re starting off with is Post-it notes. Organization: you have to stay organized. You need to keep your Post-it notes handy, but let’s put them together in a more creative way. So, let’s create little frames for them. I’ve got a little frame here for you. You can just pick this up at the dollar store, pop some card stock in – Jen, you want to jump in?
Jennifer:
Yes. So, do you just put it in the frame like this?
Denise:
We’ll just put it in the frame like this.
Jennifer:
Okay.
Denise:
And then we have these Scotch Expressions Tape, which are decorative tapes you can put this around.
Jeff:
Okay.
Denise:
So, this one’s easy; it’s on a dispenser. You can just peel it off and decorate it around the edge.
Jennifer:
Let’s see how creative you are.
Jeff:
Oh, yeah, I’m ultra-creative.
Denise:
So, what you’re doing now is you’re just creating a nice different backdrop for your Post-it notes. We’re going to take a glue gun once it’s –
Jeff:
So, is this, then making the border; is that what-?
Denise:
Exactly, yeah! You can use that as a border. You can do stripes. You can do some diagonals. However you feel like getting crazy in there. Here, I’ll help you out too.
Jennifer:
This is a great idea, because I have these all over the house.
Denise:
Exactly!
Jennifer:
Yeah.
Denise:
You need to keep them somewhere where you can actually use them instead of searching around and finding them, and this way it’s more of a decorative detail too. So, you can have everyone kind of dress up their own.
Jeff:
Yeah, okay. Got you.
Jennifer:
Um, hum.
Denise:
You’ve got something going on.
Jeff:
There you go. Let me hold this up so– people can see that.
Denise:
You’ve got something handy.
Jeff:
Alright, so it doesn’t just have to be like your typical straight border that just –
Denise:
Exactly. It will be, like, cool.
Jeff:
Have some fun. Be creative.
Denise:
Geometrics, zigzags here.
Jeff:
Yeah.
Denise:
Also, there is this amazing dry erase – yeah, there.
Jeff:
Yeah, by the way, while we’re making this, mom, we need some groceries–
Denise:
We do need those.
Jeff:
–if we could, please?
Denise:
Also, Post-it notes has this great, sticky dry erase paper that you can – you know, obviously, you can use on the wall as a regular dry erase, but you can get really creative with it. Lay it across a table and draw on it with a Sharpie or a Jiffy, and then you’ll have your own coloring book that you can reuse again and again–
Jennifer:
Aw.
Denise:
–by coloring on it with dry erase markers. Or you could do like a little busy book for your kids; cut them out – you can cut it, stick it. Cut them out into little sheets and then, again, give them something to do while you’re driving on the road.
Jeff:
Okay.
Jennifer:
Good.
Denise:
Okay. So, let’s jump into some really nice and messy stuff. We are going to do salt art.
Jennifer:
Oh, fun.
Denise:
So, I’ll slide this over and, Jen, I’ll have you –
Jennifer:
This is great. My kids are a little older now. Not that they wouldn’t still like to do this–
Denise:
So, you– maybe you want to do this?
Jennifer:
Yes, we made shrink art, but this is a lot of fun.
Denise:
Exactly. So all you’re doing is, with white glue, you’re just drawing on- creating your own design; whatever you’d like to do. And then while that’s still wet, you’ll use some table salt to put overtop.
Jeff:
Check out Jen Valentyne. She’s like a Picasso with–
Denise:
She’s an artist.
Jeff:
–Picasso with a glue gun.
Jennifer:
I’m a doodler.
Jeff:
Yeah.
Jennifer:
So I doodle everywhere. I usually doodle flowers.
Denise:
Perfect.
Jennifer:
So salt?
Denise:
So, yeah. This is Great Value Salt. It’s from Walmart. It’s very, you know–
Jeff:
Regular old table salt?
Denise:
Regular old table salt, and you just sprinkle it overtop and then you can –
Jennifer:
Over your shoulder.
Denise:
–with the extra – yeah, exactly. Shake it off.
Jeff:
Wow! Look at that.
Denise:
Voilà!
Jeff:
That’s awesome!
Jennifer:
Woo!
Denise:
You can use paint to decorate it up and color it up however you want. And this is something really fun for everyone to do and you don’t have to have a lot of skills. You’ve got some really good skills, but–
Jeff:
No kidding! Wow!
Denise:
–you don’t have to be that talented.
Jennifer:
Stop it.
Jeff:
Alright. And over here?
Denise:
Okay. So, this is DIY puffy paint! You can use Equate brand shaving cream. Any shaving cream, white glue, and you just mix them together. Do about a 50/50 ratio. You just–
Jennifer:
Did you think of this?
Denise:
Oh, no. This is–
Jennifer:
I have never heard of this.
Denise:
Yeah. Well, you can pretty much– if you have any ingredients, mix them together if your kids are playing around, and all of the sudden you realize that you have puffy paint, right. Um, this–
Jeff:
Actually, I think making the–
Denise:
–one is scented.
Jeff:
–paint is half as fun as doing the–
Denise:
Exactly.
Jeff:
–the art work.
Denise:
Exactly. So, you mix it together. You can just change it up based on the consistency that you want.
Jeff:
Okay. So, this is, again, just glue and–
Denise:
Just glue and–
Jeff:
–regular old shaving gel?
Denise:
–shaving cream
Jeff:
Yeah.
Denise:
And you can go to Walmart. You don’t have to spend a lot on your supplies. You know, they’ve got craft supplies and back-to-school and of course beauty supplies that you can turn into crafts.
Jeff:
Um, hum.
Denise:
So, once you’ve got this done, we’ll put some a– colouring– a–
Jeff:
Food colouring?
Jennifer:
Food colouring, yeah.
Denise:
Yes, food colouring inside. And then you create little works of art. So you keep them busy.
Jennifer:
Aw!
Denise:
Use up your, you know, your– all your products that you have lying around.
Jeff:
Like this little– is that a tomato or an apple?
Denise:
Um, you know, apple, strawberry.
Jeff:
Okay.
Denise:
Whatever.
Jeff:
That’s what I meant: That beautiful strawberry!
Denise:
Exactly. It starts as one thing and then turns into another.
Jennifer:
And then you display it all over your house.
Denise:
Exactly, exactly.
Jeff:
Yeah. And it’s puffy, because of the glue? So, that’s going to be interesting.
Denise:
Yeah, it’s because of the glue and the shaving cream that kind of mix together–
Jeff:
Yeah.
Denise:
–and give it that– that texture.
Jennifer:
Yeah.
Jeff:
Okay.
Denise:
It just gets nice and thick, and then if you want to be different, just add more of one or of the other. And this one is scented.
Jeff:
Very nice. Alright–
Jennifer:
Good to use on your legs.
Denise:
Yes.
Jeff:
–before we’re done, we’ve been waiting for the glue gun– the glue gun to heat up.
Denise:
Oh, yes.
Jeff:
What’s going with the glue gun?
Denise:
So, the glue gun. We’re going to take our Post-it note and we’re going to glue it on top so that it stays and you have more than just the one sticky.
Jeff:
Oh, okay.
Denise:
So, just a whole bunch of glue across the back here. And this is from their new Miami Collection. Oh là là. Nice and bright.
Jeff:
Okay. Don’t put too much there.
Jennifer:
Have you ever used a glue gun before?
Jeff:
No. Is this a joke?
Denise:
You’re doing this all wrong!
Jeff:
What?
Denise:
Okay, put it all on the back.
Jeff:
Wait! On the entire pack? Oh, okay. I thought we were doing it on individual Post-it notes.
Denise:
No. We aren’t, no. That’s okay. That’s why I’m here.
Jennifer:
I get it. And then you put it on your frame and–
Denise:
Exactly.
Jennifer:
–then you–
Denise:
I know, it’s okay. It’s distracting, because I made a bit of a mess with the washi tape.
Jennifer:
This is a good idea.
Jeff:
Okay, gotcha! So, now, I see where we’re going.
Denise:
You have to glue the whole pad on.
Jeff:
I put that on there.
Denise:
Exactly.
Jeff:
And then Jen can make her eggs and bread notes and–
Denise:
Exactly and then you whip them off and then–
Jeff:
And there’s no excuse to miss it.
Denise:
Right.
Jeff:
Because it’s on this lovely frame. So –
Denise:
You got it.
Jeff:
Denise Wild, some great ideas.
Denise:
Thank you.
Jeff:
For the last weekend off–
Denise:
Yes.
Jeff:
–before the kids go back to school.
Denise:
Exactly. Keep everyone busy.
Jeff:
Great to see you, as always. Thanks.
Denise:
Thank you.
