Our sweet angel babies are off to school again, and whether you are a mama who is crying during this inevitable event or a mama who is kicking back on the sofa with her favorite Netflix show on to celebrate, here are some simple crafts to help you fill your alone time mug all the way to the tippy top.
Our Family Tribe “Love at Home” Wall Art.
Items needed:
- One canvas (get a variety pack from Amazon or go to your local craft store to choose your desired shape and size mine was 8″x24″)
- Black tempera paint (matte) and a paper plate for pouring.
- Grocery bags (enough to protect your painting surface and one to stamp with)
My husband asked, “why the teepee? We aren’t Indian.” And to be honest I only did a teepee because it fit in the space I had left and matched the style of font I had chosen. But now I like it because it says we are the Simmons tribe. Love is at home in our tribe.
Also, I could hang it in a future camp trailer one day and just go with that theme.. nature and all that.
Bake and Decorate.
Whether it be a celebration for your kiddos going back to school, or you just want to do something artistic that involves food (and sugar. yum.), bake a cake and decorate it to your liking.
Items needed:
- Marshmallows (for this amazing marshmallow fondant) and other ingredients needed from the link provided.
- One cake recipe of your choice and ingredients. (My favorite recipe here)
- Food coloring.
- This frosting recipe for the base.
- And your favorite design. Whether it be a penguin, a duckling, Star Wars themed or Game of Thrones, get creative!
Bake. Cool. Frost. Make the fondant. Color. Cut, and decorate! I even took a sandwich bag and practice some piping just for fun!
Add more Cushion to your Life.
This might be the perfect time to start those homemade holiday presents for your neighbors or relatives. You have some free time while kids settle into their new classes to pull out that rusty sewing machine (or get a new one) and make some Halloween, Harvest or Christmas themed pillows that are adorable and so simple to create.
Items needed:
- Fabric of your choosing (less than one yard is used for my 13×13 pillow, about two feet of fabric per pillow this size)
- One sewing machine
- Thread to match your fabric design. Here are some holiday ones I found that are adorable! Especially this trendy flannel.
- Pillow insert for the size of pillow you desire. (Buy a pack to save money!)
I would love to take all the credit for creating simple, cute and quick pillows that look fabulous and don’t take forever to create, but the credit goes to Treasurie’s post about this simple envelope pillow creation. I’m so impatient so this tutorial was perfect for me. I had my fabric all set and just needed the guidance to sew, and I have to say my first pillow turned out pretty fabulous if I do say so myself.
As you can see, you can make the pillow two-thirds one fabric on the face and the other two-thirds another fabric. I’ve thought of doing this same pillow with the Flannel fabric and the Trucks with snow fabric. Adorable, yes? I’ll have to post pictures after.
Here’s to hoping these ideas occupy your days and keep you from being too lonely of a mama while the kids are at school! Also, having these artistic outlets really help me to connect with my inner self and reminds me of who I am. If these projects don’t speak to you, be sure to find something that can be your mama outlet, it’s so good for you body and soul!
