Last year for fathers day, my kids made Superhero sun catchers. They turned out to be a hit, this year we decided to go with Plaid Gallery Glass,a more expensive way to make a sun catcher/ window cling.
Gallery glass is a product that I used years ago before I had children. I used it to add privacy to my bathroom windows so that I didn't have to add blinds or curtains. Plaid makes all kinds of patterns for you to chose from.
This time, I decided to make my own. The kids and I made 2 window clings for daddy and o-pop (my dad)! You can buy Plaid Gallery Glass at any craft store, they come in kits and you can purchase separately.
1) Print out the image you want to use.
2) Place a Plaid plastic blank OVER your printout before you start
3) Squeeze out the black liquid leading to outline the image (I did this part myself, I assumed that the kids did not have the strength or the precision to do the outline)
4) Let it dry overnight before putting in the color
5) Let the kids squeeze different Gallery Glass colors in-between the leading. If you want to get fancy, you can add two colors in one spot and swirl them around with a toothpick, giving a interesting look to your fake glass
6) Try to pop as many bubbles as you can with a toothpick or bamboo skewer
7) Let it dry for 2 days, just to be safe
8) Peel it off an stick on a window
Instead of doing a window cling, you can also create your art directly on plastic. Plaid sells flat plastic sheets or you can go through your trash can or recycle bin and get the plastic out yourself. Just make sure that your trash is thoroughly clean and dry before you try to decorate it.
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| Print Me |
Grade: A
Skill Level: Low
Difficulty Level: Moderate (needs parental assistance)
Frustration Level: Moderate (kids always make a mess)
Cost: $$
My son is absolutely in love with the Mindcraft Creeper, so it was no surprise that he wanted creeper cupcakes for his birthday party at Pre-K.
1) I made square cupcakes, from a box mix, with an individual brownie pan that I found in the local grocery store. The pans run around 9 dollars. You can also just use a regular square pan and cut the cake into squares.
2) Its important to cut the top of the cupcake off to make the cupcake flat because the creeper does not have a round head. This gives you an opportunity to eat all the discarded pieces and pretend that you are still on your diet.
3) You can color store bought icing with jello mix to give it the green color. I used just enough jello to make the icing green. Ice the cupcakes and add green sprinkles. The sprinkles give it a pixelated look, at least that is how my daughter convinced me to add the sprinkles. Before you move onto the next step, you have to wait about an hour for the icing to harden.
4) Print out the creeper printable below and place wax paper over it. You can use a razor blade to cut out the eyes and mouth. Make a few of these as they do get soggy and unusable after about 4 cupcakes.
5) Place the wax paper over the cupcake and smear chocolate icing on top of your wax paper stencil (use an unused, washed, small craft paint brush or finger), then instantly take it off and it will reveal your creeper face.
See printable below.
Grade: B
Skill Level: Low
Difficulty Level: Easy
Frustration Level: Easy
Note: Lime and chocolate are not a great paring in flavor, but the kids ate them anyway. You could use food coloring instead if lime cupcake icing grosses you out. On second thought, you should still use the lime icing if you don't like it, you just ate all those cupcake discards so you've really had enough cupcakes until next birthday.
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| Print Me |
