Crayon Initial Craft - Great for teacher gifts!!

Guest Blogger: Morgan from Bouts, Pouts and Shouts

So the end of the school year is coming fast upon us and I wanted to make something for my daughter's teacher like I did last year for her other teachers, but I wasn't sure what to do. Well I came across this blog months back about doing the initial of the teacher's name with crayons. I thought it was really neat and filed it in the back of my mind for later use. Well, now is the time for later use. I used her basic concept, but did a few things differently.

To start: gather your supplies for the main frame. I have my 10x10 shadow box, 2 sheets of felt, pack of foam letter stickers, scissors and double sided tape (not pictured).

I laid the pink down first, that's where I wanted to stick the letters for her teacher's name. I decided to use double sided tape because I thought it would look cleaner. I wasn't sure if glue might bleed through and then look like a mess....so I stuck with the tape. Then I put the foam stickers on to spell her teacher's name.

Once I thought it looked right, I added the other sheet of felt with double sided tape.

Now comes the more tedious part....Gather supplies again: I used 2 boxes of new crayons (snagged up at back to school time for .25/ea!!), white glue, sandpaper, knife, scissors, and the initial printed on paper (choose a font you think would look best shaped out of crayons).

You can cut out the letter if you want (I couldn't since the white would show through instead of the gray felt but if you do this with just paper, it should work out fine.). I chose to cut the crayons and lightly glue them on the letter as I went to kind of hold them in place while I shaped the initial.

I found that marking them made it easier to know where to cut. I also alternated the direction of the crayons and followed a basic rainbow pattern; but it looks awesome when done haphazardly as well :o)

And here's the finished crayon letter!

Now I just transferred each crayon onto the gray felt, individually. And here's my finished product.....I bet my daughter's teacher will love it!

And for those cut off stragglers.....

Just peel the paper off and place in a nonstick pan (I chose a star shaped one)

Bake for about 10 minutes in a 300ºF oven.

Let them cool for about 15 minutes and then pop them out

And there you go, awesome crayons!

Have fun crafting!!

(This post has been written by a guest blogger. The opinions and views expressed by the guest blogger may or may not be those of Everyday Mama. If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Everyday Mama.)

We have a winner!!

Apologies for not posting this sooner. But as the saying goes, better late than never, right?

The WINNER of the Red Gold Tomato Products giveaway is......

#16 Jessalynn who said:

"I Like you on FB"

Congratulations!! Contact Everyday Mama within 48 hours to claim your prize. If Everyday Mama is not contacted within 48 hours, another winner will be drawn.


(This post has been written by a guest blogger. The opinions and views expressed by the guest blogger may or may not be those of Everyday Mama. If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Everyday Mama.)

Treats For Your Sweethearts

Guest Blogger: Morgan from Bouts, Pouts and Shouts

Hey guys! I wanted to do a little guest post for my friend here at Everyday Mama and I got the idea from a fellow blogger over at Funny Days with Mommy and Maddie. I did basically everything the same. Here's my ingredient list:

1 bag milk chocolate chips (you can use whatever tickles your fancy)
1 bag heart-shaped marshmallows
Valentine sprinkles
Lollipop sticks
Wax paper
Crisco
1/2 package almond bark

It's pretty simple really, prep is important though. First you can cover a couple of cookie sheets with some wax paper. Then it's time to skewer the marshmallows on the lollipop sticks. Now, after trial and error, I found that it you dip the stick in water, the marshmallows will just glide down the stick instead of getting caught and ruining the heart shape.....sometimes even destroying it. I also let them sit out for a good hour to they harden together just a tad. I find this helps when dipping - if you don't wait, it'll make it easier for the hearts to come off the stick.

Look how clean! Wish I had figured this out before I started....

Now you can melt your chocolate (I add a little Crisco to thin it out) and dip away. I dip 4, add sprinkles, dip 4 more, add sprinkles, etc. It's easier for the sprinkles to stay on the pops; you don't want the chocolate to harden because the sprinkles won't stick. After you're done, just pop in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour and there you go, the perfect treat for your Valentine :o)

All wrapped and ready to go for my daughter's classmates

Now I ventured off and did my own thing here. I melted some almond bark to do pops in a different flavor. I also coated some Teddy Grahams and they were scrumptious!! Tasted WAY better than store bought iced animal cookies. So just have fun with it :o)

And of course it's delicious dipped in some hot cocoa :o)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

(This post has been written by a guest blogger. The opinions and views expressed by the guest blogger may or may not be those of Everyday Mama. If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Everyday Mama.)

Red Gold Tomato Products Giveaway Ends Tomorrow!!

Hurry, hurry, get your entries in! The Red Gold Tomato Products giveaway will end at 10pm EST on Sunday, February 13th (depending on what time zone you're in it could be today or tomorrow). There are only a few entries so the chances of winning are pretty high. Good luck guys :o)

Also, be aware that the M.A.Z.E. Cord Blood Banking giveaway will be ending in just under 2 weeks, on February 25th. It's a really great opportunity to get a discount on cord blood banking. If you are pregnant or know anyone who is expecting, this is really something to consider. Remember, there will be TWO winners.

So spread the word!! And enter to your little heart's content.


(This post has been written by a guest blogger. The opinions and views expressed by the guest blogger may or may not be those of Everyday Mama. If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Everyday Mama.)