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Feb 22 2018

a collection of caps

Posted by hayley
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As little boys do, Bug collects things; sticks, rocks, hotwheels cars, those fake junkmail credit cards. But one thing he’s passionate about acquiring is bottlecaps. He finds them on the beach and in parking lots – all sorts of unsavory places. They each get an immediate “bath” with the hand sanitizer I keep in my purse and then go into a little cardboard box in his closet.

It’s like legit treasure every time he spots a new one and his excitement for the hunt hasn’t waned. So I wanted to find a fun way to display them in his new room. I considered a shadowbox or one of these bottlecap displays, but both of those options would restrict his love of handling them.

I decided to turn them into magnets. And if you have some bottlecaps laying around, you can too!

Pick up a pack of these 3/4 magnetic buttons. I found mine at Walmart, but I’m sure craft stores and Amazon have them too. There is foam adhesive version of these that I tried first, but found that it doesn’t stick well to the back of the cap.

Using industrial strength adhesive (I like E6000), first glue 2 magnets together. The depth of one magnet was juuuust shy of being tall enough to really magnetize the cap properly and stacking 2 of them keeps the sharp edges of the bottlecap up off the surface – preventing scratches.

Now glue your magnets inside your bottlecap. Be sure to read the adhesive instructions: with E6000 you put glue on each piece first, wait 2 minutes, then marry the surfaces. Give them 24 hrs to dry.

So stinking cute. But these aren’t just cool magnets – they have a purpose! Come back tomorrow to find out exactly how we’re using them in Bug’s room.

Tags: bug, bugs room, diy, diy crafts, kid stuff
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Mar 16 2016

leprechauns are real

Posted by hayley
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I never made a leprechaun trap as a kid – it just wasn’t a thing. Yet somehow, after stumbling upon this idea 2 years ago, it’s become a new family tradition. The first year, Songbird was 5 and I did the majority of the construction.

Not this year.

The kids raided our recycling bin for potential materials and started with a serious brainstorming session.

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

They remembered how last year the leprechaun evaded capture with a grappling hook and easily cut his way out of Bug’s cardboard trap. They re-evaluated their tactics, discussed construction pros and cons, and drew diagrams of new ideas. It was pure entertainment to sit and listen to them hash out their battle plans.

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

This year the roles reversed. Now I was the one helping Songbird figure out how to make her vision a reality.

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

Bug insisted on handling the rainbow painting himself, too.

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

After much deliberation, Songbird decided on a rather imaginative course of action. Having seen the leprechauns work their way out of all our traps thus far, she decided to catch them with kindness. She figures that after a long night of hunting for gold, they may be in need of rest. A tiny hotel would be just the place they can kick up their feet and stay awhile – maybe even until morning when she can politely ask for a pot of gold.

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

She spared no details, thinking they would love a swing!

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

The best part is that the entire front folds forward to reveal a carefully curated interior including wallpaper, furniture, carpet, a fireplace and some hand drawn wall art.

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

Bug decided a zipline would be fun, especially if it leads to a canister full of golden treasure.

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

We had to complete a proof-of-concept with the help of Mr. Legoman, of course.

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

Songbird came home from school today and said, “Mom, some kids in my class don’t believe in leprechauns. AND they don’t believe in Santa. They think the parents fill all the stockings!”
Oh yeah? What do you think?
“I think that’s crazy. I mean, I’ve seen the damage a leprechaun can do to a trap and I know flying reindeer are totally real.”

There are only a few short years that children delight in the imaginary. My parenting philosophy is let them be little. Build creative memories every chance you get because those sweet moments will soon enough be replaced with eye rolls and earbuds. I feel zero need to rush my children into logical adulthood – growing a robust imagination is so much more fun.

Traps (ahem, excuse me… hotel – she keeps reminding me “it’s not a trap“) are set! Songbird even stoked the flameless candle fire for her potential guest. Good-luck, sweethearts!

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

leprechaun traps 2016 | greyhouseharbor.com

Tags: holidays, kid stuff, Leprechaun traps, St. Patrick's Day
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Oct 30 2015

monster apple bites

Posted by hayley
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monster apple bites  greyhouseharbor.com

When I saw these hilarious apple monsters, I knew they would be perfect for Songbird’s Halloween class party. Creative credit is due to Cara who blogs over at Fork and Beans, but her instructions lacked step by step photos. Being a gotta-see-it person, I thought I’d post my sequential pics here in case you’re a visual learner too.

My ingredients differ slightly from her originals as well: granny smith apples, cookie butter, strawberries, candy eyes, and sunflower seeds

1. Cut one green apple into quarters and remove the core bits.

monster apple bites  greyhouseharbor.com

monster apple bites  greyhouseharbor.com

2. Carefully cut into the center of the apple slice to remove a mouth-shaped section. This is the hardest part. Just go slow and carve carefully.

monster apple bites  greyhouseharbor.com

3. Fill the mouth area with cookie butter. You could use peanut or other nut butter, but the cookie butter is sweet deliciousness and allergen-friendly (look for it in the peanut butter aisle).

monster apple bites  greyhouseharbor.com

4. I bought commercial candy eyes cause they were cheap and easy. Attach them with a smidge of the cookie butter.

monster apple bites  greyhouseharbor.com

5. Slice a strawberry vertically and stick one piece into the mouth for the tongue.

monster apple bites  greyhouseharbor.com

6. Final touch is some sunflower seed teeth!

monster apple bites  greyhouseharbor.com

The trick to getting them to stand up straight is to use the wedge you removed from the mouth to prop it up from behind.

monster apple bites greyhouseharbor.com

I just love playing with my food, don’t you?

monster apple bites  greyhouseharbor.com

Tags: halloween, kid stuff, recipes
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Oct 29 2015

spider hat craft

Posted by hayley
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This year I am moonlighting as Songbird’s 1st grade class “room parent.” Which basically translates into Holiday-Class-Party-Planner-Extraordinaire. Any excuse to get crafty is a good one in my book.

So today I worked on a sample of the spider hat craft that the kids will be constructing during their Halloween party tomorrow. It was so easy and cute I had to share!

Start by tracing a circle approximately 6.5″ wide onto black paper. Cut out.

spider hat craft for kids greyhouseharbor.com

Cut 8 legs about 5″ long by 1″ wide.

spider hat craft for kids greyhouseharbor.com

Have your child glue 4 legs to each side of the circle.

spider hat craft for kids greyhouseharbor.com

Then flip the spider over for them the decorate the face to suit their fancy. Colorful cut paper is best, since markers or crayons wont’ show up well on the black paper. Google eyes aren’t required, but they’re fun!

spider hat craft for kids greyhouseharbor.com

Fold a paper plate in half. Cut just below the ribbed edge about 4/5 of the way around, stopping about where my thumb is.

spider hat craft for kids greyhouseharbor.com

Cut away about a 1/4″ more from the inside of the plate until it looks like this.

spider hat craft for kids greyhouseharbor.com

When you open the plate you should have a circular center similar to this.

spider hat craft for kids greyhouseharbor.com

Glue the completed spider to the center of the plate-hat.

spider hat craft for kids greyhouseharbor.com

Rock on, spider heads!

spider hat craft for kids  greyhouseharbor.com

Tags: crafts with kids, halloween, kid stuff
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I'm Hayley. Wife and mother by day, DIY enthusiast by night. Fueled by sweet tea and jelly beans, I own power tools and know how to use them. Consider yourself warned.

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