It’s getting down to the end of summer – but it’s still not too late for some back yard summer fun!  And what’s more fun than a classic game, like Yahtzee?  Emily at Nap Time Creations made a super-sized version of the game out of a 4×4 post cut into squares.  (This would be a great use for post scraps left over after building a deck!)  And of course, you could also use these super-sized game pieces to play any of your other favorite dice games as well.  [how to make a yard Yahtzee game]

Project estimate:

• 4×4 post, on hand or about $7 and up
• Black Sharpie, on hand
• Dry erase board or chalkboard, on hand or $1 and up
• Bucket, on hand or $1

Total:  Free and up!

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What kid (or adult) doesn’t love bubbles?  My children have so much fun outside, blowing and popping bubbles.  We go through a lot of bubble solution!  To save money and clean up time, I came up with this solution.

I buy bulk size laundry detergent, and the dispenser it comes in is perfect for cleanly delivering liquids.  I painted the outside and filled it with homemade bubble solution for hours of outdoor fun.

Project estimate:

• Detergent dispenser, on hand
• Painter’s tape , on hand
• Spray paint, on hand
• Craft paint, on hand

Total:  FREE

Step one:  Cover the top and dispenser nozzle with painter’s tape.  Spray paint the container.  I was using a light yellow color, so first I had to paint the label white, so the label wouldn’t show through the yellow paint.

Step two:  Use craft paint to decorate the container.  I used a stencil to make polka dots and the add the lettering.

Step three:  Fill the container with your favorite bubble solution!  Our homemade recipe is 10 cups water, 4 cups dishwashing soap, and one cup corn syrup.  I doubled the recipe to fill this container.

Set the bubble dispenser outside, and provide containers (I used plastic tumblers) and wands.  The kids can fill their cups as needed and start blowing bubbles!  I also found that this dispenser makes it easier for me to fill my little bubble machine.  Less mess to clean up means more time to play!  Have fun crafting and creating!

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My kids are my life. I love hanging out with them and coming up with fun things to do together.  With it being summertime we are pretty much living outside from the time we get up until we are off to bed.  I noticed the kids were starting to get a little bored lately, so I had to come up with something quick to bring the fun back into our summer.  I had a bunch of poster board in my craft room which I had purchased on a recent Dollar Store trip and I decided to make an oversized memory game out of them.  It’s been an awesome way to help with my children’s memory skills as well as help my preschooler recognize his letters.

Project estimate:

• 10 sheets poster board, on hand or 2/$1 and up
• Pencil, on hand
• Sharpies, on hand

Total: Free and up

Measuring lengthwise, find the halfway point of each sheet – mark a line all the way down the center.

Cut each piece on the line to create two pieces.  This will give you 20 cards in total.

Once you have cut all the pieces write or draw a matching item on two of the cards.  I did the alphabet to help my preschool remember and recognize his letters.  When finish you will have 10 sets.

To play, mix the cards all up and lay face down.  Leave space around the cards so your children can walk around them.

Have your children take turns flipping over two cards at a time until they have a match.  If you get a match you get another turn, but if you don’t then it is the next player’s turn.  The game continues until all the matches are made.  Have each player count up their matches and the one with the most wins.

** Funny little side note about my silly 4-year-old:  We were playing this afternoon and a big wind gust came through our yard.  Two cards got flipped over.  We told our 4-year-old God was playing and it was his turn.  He giggled.  A little while later it happened again.  He yelled up to the sky and said….God you already had your turn!  How cute is that!

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This postcard paper cipher is placed over your postcard and can be used to encode a message, then decode the message after it’s been sent. The cipher code can be sent either in a separate transmission or hidden somewhere on the package itself, allowing savvy codebreakers a clue on how to decipher your message. Though this cipher is not as sophisticated as some digital ones, it’s a fun, low-tech and effective!

Project estimate:

• Measuring tape, on hand
• Postcards, on hand or $1
• Card stock, on hand

This paper cipher works by filtering out (or omitting) a portion of the plaintext to reveal the secret message (ciphertext). It may sound complicated, but it’s easy once you see how it works. I chose to make my cipher sophisticated and use all four alignments of my card (top/bottom facing up, and top/bottom facing down) ? four ciphers will be created from one sheet of cardstock. You can create more or less ciphers depending on the complexity of the message you want to send.

Start by measuring the width and height of the space you want to write your message. Transfer these measurements to your cardstock, creating a boundary box for your cipher to fit. Then, divide the width by four and draw vertical lines to separate the box into four columns (as we are using four ciphers to decode this message, which corresponds with the four alignments of our cardstock). Next draw horizontal lines about the height of your writing down the boundary box to create a grid, you’ll need an even number of rows. You should now have a grid of equally sized rectangles inside your boundary box. I’ve included a template for a grid that can be printed on your home printer (A4 / 8.5″x11″) that will fit the writable area of most standard post cards. Just “save as”, print, number and cut out your cipher.

Next, label the rectangles with numbers. Starting by labeling the four corner boxes with the number 1, then move towards the centre of the sheet labeling with numbers. Eventually the numbers will converge, at this point move on to the next column and continue numbering towards the centre. Continue until your grid is completely filled in.

Now cut out some rectangles and create the cipher. Using your hobby knife, carefully cut out one rectangle of each number shown on the grid. Soon you’ll have revealed your super secret cipher.
You can now label your decoder. I put a 1 on the top of one side, then flipped it over and placed a 2 on the top of the other side.

The decoder was rotated 180 degrees and the front and back were labeled again with 3 and 4. These numbers now represent the four ciphers you have on your cardstock. Starting with the 1 cipher, place the cardstock over the portion of your postcard you want to write on, then fill out your message in the cut-outs. When you reach the end of the cardstock, move on to cipher 2, align the cipher with the postcard and continue filling in the cut-out boxes. Repeat this process for ciphers 3 and 4.

After, you should have a block of plaintext nonsense. your encryption is now complete!
Send your postcard through the mail and it’ll be unreadable to all but those with the secret cipher (and brainy code breakers).

Maybe you can think of your own twist to make this even better. I’d love to see your results!

Have fun!

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Feathers are one of those things that keep coming in and out of fashion.  Luckily for feather lovers, they are in once again!  Misty from  Hello Brit used duct tape in bright, fluorescent colors (also on the “hot” list again!) to make funky, flirty feather earrings.  With duct tape available in such a vast array of colors and patterns nowadays, you can cheaply and easily make a pair to go with every outfit.  Or use them anywhere you would normally use real feathers as a fun, faux element!  [how to make duct tape feather earrings]

Project estimate:

• Colored duct tape, on hand or about $3 and up
• X-acto knife, on hand
• Wire, on hand or $1
• Earring findings, on hand or $1

Total:  Free and up

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Every kid loves a pizza party.  How can you make pizza even more fun to eat?  Turn the box into a monster! Kim from Today Is My Someday dressed up a box for her son and his friends and it was a huge hit!  Using some basic supplies that she already had around the house, it took her just a few minutes to give her box monster a set of scary teeth, flared nostrils, and creepy orange eyes.  Will your guests dare to reach between the rows of teeth to snag a slice?  [how to make a pizza box monster]

Project estimate:

• Pizza box, on hand
• Paper, on hand
• Marker, on hand
• Pom poms or googly eyes, on hand or $1
• Corks, on hand

Total:  Free and up

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I love when I have an “a-ha!” moment.  You know, the times where, if life were a cartoon, a little light bulb would appear above your head.  Maddie from Crafty Ingredients had a stroke of genius when she was looking at some glittery dots that she bought at the craft store and wondered if she could make the same thing herself.  As it turns out, they’re extremely cheap and easy to make!  Use them to embellish headbands, greeting cards, mirrors, notebooks…   the list  goes on and on!   [how to make hot glue glitter dots]

Project estimate:

• Hot glue, on hand
• Parchment paper or waxed paper, on hand
• Glitter, on hand

Total:  Free

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If you subscribe to the “bigger is better” school of thought, you’ll want to put these oversized dice on your to-do list!  Desirée from The 36th Avenue made a couple of variations on them, and I’m totally smitten!   If you’ve got scrappy odds and ends of lumber laying around, you won’t even have to fork out the money for the wood, which is the most expensive component of the project!  The traditional dice are really fun, but I’m excited about he possibilities of the ones with words!  You can use this idea to make almost anything into a game!  (Peter Pan syndrome, anyone?)  [how to make giant wooden dice]

Price estimate:

• 4×4 lumber, about $7
• Drill, on hand
• 3/4 inch drill bit, on hand or about $10
• Dice (for reference), on hand
• Paint, on hand
• Paper, on hand
• Glue, on hand

Total:   about $7 and up

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When Craftster user Burgz came across some reusable ice cubes at the dollar store, she immediately thought of a video tutorial she’d seen for making a necklace using bouncy balls and some hosiery.  She replaced the balls with cubes and tossed it in the freezer.  Now on the next too-hot-to-move day, she can pull it out for some stylish relief.  She even had enough materials left over to make a second necklace, and since she spends her work days outdoors in a garden, she has one for work and one for home!  [how to make a cooling summer necklace]

Project estimate:

• Reusable ice cubes, $1
• Nylons, $1
• Ribbon, on hand

Total:  $2

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It’s good to know I’m not the only one who buys things just because they are miniature and therefore adorable (and therefore I need them).  Allison from House of Hepworths fell in love with some miniature pinwheels she found at Dollar Tree and just knew she had to make something out of them!  Her tutorial even includes a video demonstrating how to attach the grass to the wreath.  The results are playful and bold and perfect for summer.  And making me want to buy a hula skirt…  Hehe!  [how to make a pinwheel wreath]

Project estimate:

• Wreath form, $1
• Burlap, on hand or $1 and up
• Bundles of fake grass, about $4
• Miniature pinwheels, about $3
• Hot glue, on hand

Total:  $8 and up

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