DIY- Superhero Wooden Cutouts!

Way back in September we had a Super Why themed first birthday for the Grayson Boy.  Like, for real, the kid was obsessed with that show so it was the only reasonable option for his big my-parents-kept-me-alive-for-a-whole-year shindig.

 

I did alot of DIY projects for the party- a birthday banner, a high chair re-do, custom superhero capes, cupcake face toppers, and these wooden cut outs for the kids to pose with and have their picture taken as a Super Reader.  I created tutorials for alot of the projects, but recently Ive been contacted alot about how I made these guys- so I decided to post directions on how I made them.

 

 

First, I have to let you in on my dirty little secret. I can NOT draw. Seriously, stick figures are as good as it gets.  When I try to draw diagrams on the board in class my students are often like, please just stop. Its that bad.  So how did I manage to make these guys look so darn good?

 

With this guy.

 

 



 

Yep, the overhead projector the teacher used in school to put notes up on the board.

 

I found one at a yard sale for $15 dollars and brought that little guy home, because I knew it would come in handy one day.  It just so happened that I was right.

 

First I went onto Sprout and printed out some coloring book pages of the characters.  Then I took them to a local copy store and ran them off on transparencies (clear plastic paper).  If you have a laser printer you can probably print right onto the transfer paper, but I have an ink jet so it would just smear like crazy on the transparency.

 

Then I had to pick up my board.  I used 4 x 4 Luan- which is a is a thin layer of plywood veneer made from tropical wood. Plywood is a wood panel made of thin layers of wood veneer glued together, but Luan typically has a solid core of wood between two layers of veneer, though the solid core may have problems with voids and dry spots in the glue of the veneer. It tends to be softer and lighter than most plywood. It cost me around $6 per sheet and I knew I could get two characters on one board- so roughly $3 per piece.  You can always get thicker plywood, its just up to you. 

 

I primed the Luan and set up the projector in the front hallway and got to work.  I positioned the first character on the overhead projector and fiddled until it was taking up the left half of the board.  Then I got to work with my Sharpe marker tracing the projected image.  I knew I would go back and paint over the lines with black craft paint, so this was just a quick trace to get the picture transferred.

 

 

 

 

 

Once I got one traced, I flipped the second character over and positioned it on the other side and repeated the process. Then I went back with a small paint brush and black craft paint and filled in all of the lines.

 

 

Once the black lines were dry it was time to bust out the craft paint.  I actually printed the characters out in color, then took that paper to the paint aisle at JoAnn's to match colors.  It was also really helpful to have them in color while I was painting, so that I didnt make any mistakes like mixing up two colors. Then I started painting.  It took maybe an hour and a half to paint both characters fully, then I let them dry and went back over the black edges again to clean up any painting out of the lines.

 

 

I will tell you that when you do this on your own you will look at it and see all of these little imperfections, but when you take a picture of it you will not see them at all- so don't freak out.  Once its all dry you send the husband out to the garage with the jigsaw to cut the characters out and build a small three sided box to affix to the back with some glue.  Then all you have to do is drive a garden stake into the ground and they stand up perfectly!

 

 

Then you just stick the birthday boy behind the Super You and take as many pictures as he will let you- which if you have my child, is about two before he runs away.

 

 

All total the project took maybe five hours total, from tracing to cut out and the total cost was somewhere around $35.  Not too shabby, but if you didn't already own the transparencies or most of the craft paint it could cost a bit more.  Even still, people on Etsy charge upwards of $50 per character, so it was a smart DIY choice.

The Ultimate Blog Party 2013

One of my favorite things about blogging is getting to meet and know some fantastic ladies that live all over the place.  Even though we cant be in each others lives physically day to day, I love that I can sit down after the Bean goes to bed and visit with each of you and hear about your days.  Of course to be present you have to comment- after all you can't form friendships silently! That's called stalking, and its technically illegal in all 50 states- I kid, I kid! :)

 

So in an effort to get to know even more wonderful bloggers, I've decided to join up with the Ultimate Blog Party.  Its all about reaching out, meeting new people, COMMENTING, and forging new relationships.

 

So if you're new to these parts, welcome! I'm Bethany, the voice behind this little chunk of the blogosphere.

I'm a wife to the Hubs and Momma to my sweet baby boy, Grayson. By day I'm a professional teenage wrangler/high school science teacher who loves nothing more than a good laugh, cozy yoga pants and a really good caffeine buzz. 

This blog is filled with all of the crazy that is my life. Here you'll find everything from my parenting wins and fails, food I can actually cook, DIY projects, tips and tricks to make life easy and various other random things. I type it all up with a bit of humor and the occasional touch of sarcasm and hope you laugh along with me.

So stop on over and visit, I'd love to meet you!

Happy Easter 2013!

Happy Easter Lovelies! Hope you all had a wonderful day with your families! Here is a little photo recap of our day.

 

 

We woke up this morning to find that the Easter Bunny did in fact come to see us! I spent last night stuffing eggs for Grayson to hunt down outside, only to realize that it was raining this morning so we did our hunt inside.

 



 

Finding his basket

 

Checking it out

 

My two handsome boys

 

Mooches- this picture melts my heart

 

Home from lunch with Nana- and ready for a nap!

 

Super excited to dye some Easter eggs

 

Okay Dad, how do we do this?

 

Alright, I got this.

We let him put the eggs in and take them out- I didn't care if the table was covered in dye or if he broke nearly every egg he put in, he was having a ball.

 



 

End result!

I finally figured out that my kid eats cupcakes like this because he doesn't like to get his fingers dirty.

 



 

Give him a fork and he's one happy dude.

 

The only downside to today was not taking a single picture of Grayson and Mommy together. I really need to work on that. Hopefully all of you enjoyed today with your families!

 

 

A Day In The Life- 18 Months

 

 

 

 

Life Lately

Life round here has been a little crazy- much like the weather these days. Here's some random things that have been happening.

 

 I've been working on re-doing the front entry hallway and cant WAIT to share pictures with you guys...you know, since we only started the project at Christmas time, its about dang time its finished. Why is it that sometimes projects come together in days and others seem to never be done.

 

I picked up a little armoire on Craigslist and I CAN.NOT.WAIT to get it painted. However it needs to stay above 30 degrees in order for me to get it done and the weather will not help a sister out.  I need to get that thing painted and hauled upstairs so I can permanently kick the hubs out of the closet. Its nothing personal, its closet space.

 

Grayson came down with Croup last weekend and let me tell you that wasn't fun. Another reason I haven't been so active round the old blog is Ive been trying to catch up on sleep from the 4 nights that no sleep occurred. Its amazing I managed to get to work and that my shoes matched each day.

 

I've been on the hunt for a new rug for the kitchen...lots of late nights up and shopping.

This is my current favorite from Rugs USA- but I'm a little leery to put a rug down in the kitchen. I have a child, two dogs and a husband that are messier than all get out and I may cry if they ruin such a pretty rug. Anyone have thoughts on this? Id love to hear them!

 

I'm currently dreaming of vacation spots. Last year we didn't really see a beach and the year before that I was too preggers to head to the shore so I'm itching for some sand between my toes. The other day the hubs emailed me at work to see what I wanted to do that evening and all he got as a response was "fly here" with this picture:

He thinks I'm joking. I am not.

I doubt Barbados is in the family budget, but I need to go somewhere or I will shrivel up and die from Vitamin D deficiency.  I love this city, but we get like 53 days of sunshine per year and that sucks.

 

 

So thats life around these parts, whats going on with all of you?

 

 



Things to do in Pittsburgh with Kiddos!

I've said it before, I love, love, love my job and I love waking up (even if it is wayyy to early for my taste) and going to work every day.  However, a huge bonus of my job is the fact that I get to hang with my favorite little man for three glorious months every summer. 

 

Last year we kind of got into a funk- like a hey.daddy.comes.home.in.20.minutes.time.to.get.out.of.our.pj's! funk.

Don't judge.

 This year I am determined to not have a repeat, and since Grayson is older and can do so much more I don't think it will be a problem. I've been chatting with the people I work with, tossing around ideas for summer fun and making play date arrangements, and searching pinterest for ideas and I've come up with a schedule.

 

 

 

With such a hefty undertaking I needed a list of resources- so I started googling and compiling. I wanted to post it here in case any of you lovelies were local and needed some fun ideas yourself for when we need to make summer fun again. As I find more I will add them, and if you know of anything Im missing, let me know!!

 

Gymsport Preschool Playtime

Ages 5 and Under

Monday-Friday from 9-12

Bridgeville, PA

Gymsport has opened its doors for parents to bring in their preschool, or younger, aged children for parent-supervised playtime on the Jungle Gym and on super fun preschool equipment. This playtime is open to gym members and non-members alike and costs $5 for one hour of play.

 

 The Little Gym of Pittsburgh- Parent's Survival Night 

Kids from 3-12 

Washington Rd, McMurray PA

Parents call it a break from the kids. Kids call it a break from their parents. That sounds like a win-win situation to us. The Little Gym of Pittsburgh-South Hills Parentsʼ Survival Nights let you enjoy some adult time to see a movie, catch up with friends or enjoy a meal without the kiddos! Meanwhile, your children get some quality “kid time” in a safe, fun, familiar place with trained instructors who lead them through games and music-filled activities. Parent's Nights are on select Friday and Saturday nights, so check the website or call for info.

 

BounceU

Preschool Open Bounce for kiddos 7 and under. The baby beans get to bounce like crazy on assorted inflatable objects for $8.25 a session.  They also offer family open bounce for older kidlets and have franchises all over the US- see website for schedule.

 

Fun By The Pound

Sewickley, PA

They call themselves a toy store with a difference, because this super cute shop in Sewickley allows you to try out and play with all of the toys in their huge playroom for $2.75 an hour or $1.50 for a half hour.  But here's the really cool part. If you build something with the legos or any of the other cool toys they have back there, you can buy it! All you have to do is take it up to the register and pay by the pound! They also offer birthday parties and I've been to one- they are fantastic.

 

The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh

 

The National Aviary

 

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

 

Carnegie Free Library of Pittsburgh

 

Toys 2 Try
Scott Town Center
Pittsburgh, PA
Another toy store with a playground located just outside the city limits this place has an amazing wooden pirate ship as well as tons of other toys to climb over and play with.  For $8 per child play as long as you would like in their large play area.  They also offer birthday parties and another added bonus of this place- they offer free local toy delivery!

Just Ducky Tours of Pittsburgh
Station Square
If you haven't seen these cool boats, you simply have to check them out. Parents love the cool facts that that tour guides give, kiddos love riding in the huge u-boat that goes from downtown city streets to a dip in the river.

Carnegie Science Center

Water Steps at PNC Park

Cranberry Splash Pad
Perfect for toddlers, this splash pad is soft and huge!

Duquesne Incline

Round Hill Park
Elizabeth, PA
A park that has a full working farm that kids can walk through and meet and greet their favorite farm animals.

Pirate Game at PNC Park
Sundays are Kids Days- where kiddos get to run the bases after the game


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



15 More Tips and Tricks

Its been awhile since I did a big post on Tips and Tricks- so here goes nothing!

As always, click the picture to go to the original source for the idea :)

 

 

1.  Via Lifehacker , use a paper clip to help clasp bracelets. Perfect for when the hubs isn't home!

 

 

2. This one comes from Susan Branch Place your pillows in the dryer with a few tennis balls to kill any nasty germs/molds inside of the pillow and return them to their original "fluff" state.

 

 

 I received a wonderful list from one of my lovelies, Brittany, on all of the amazing uses for coffee filters.

 

3. Use a coffee filter for individual popcorn servings- soaks up the grease and makes a perfect portion size!

 

4. Want to keep your fine china chip free? A well placed coffee filter between plates will keep it looking pristine and is a cheap and perfect way to ensure you can pass it down from generation to generation.

 

5. Use a coffee filter to make individual shoe deodorizers. Simply put some baking soda in the center of a filter, make a bundle and secure with a rubber band. They are small enough to fit anywhere and should take the smell out of your favorite tennies!

 

6. Use a piece of coffee filter to blot excess oil from your face- instead of buying the expensive blotting papers!

 

7. Use a coffee filter to help little hands hold tacos together while eating. Ive seen this done in the Mexican restaurant by our house, they simply give the kiddo their taco wrapped in the filter, then you can peel it back as you eat.

 

8. Possibly the best idea EVER- changing diapers is bad enough, but potty training kids on a potty is equally messy. Line the potty with a coffee filter so you can just lift out the number two and deposit in the toilet.

 

9. ZPanda emailed me how she keeps her plastic storage containers looking like new after 20 years. No more spaghetti stains! Rinse your plastic container in cool water and shake water off, then pour sauce in container and cover. You can freeze these if you like. Take frozen sauce out of plastic and place into a glass bowl to heat.

 

10. Real Simple had a tip that saves tons of time when trying to clean your box grater. Coat your Grater w Cooking Spray BEFORE using. Easier to use on food because the food doesn't stick in the inside!

 

 

11. I found this on Pinterest- but the link is blocked- so if its yours let me know! Use a window squeegee to remove pet hair from the carpet and furniture.

 

 

12. Use a whisk to help little hands dye Easter eggs- no colored fingers!

13. To remove a stuck on band-aid, use a few drops of shampoo to loosen the adhesive before you attempt to peel it off.  It should come off clean and easy.

14. This one is all over the pinterest world and I've always done it.  You can pay for the paint pan liners, but lining your paint pan with aluminium foil makes for cheap and easy clean up for a fraction of the cost of the plastic liners.

15. Erin from over at Domestic Adventure shared an amazing tip for when you want to re-paint your baseboards or need to paint them after they are installed. Simply use a large Spackle knife and you wont need to tape anything off!  You need to head over to her blog and look at her large collection of tips and tricks- you won't be disappointed! I'm off to the store now to find a microfiber shower curtain liner, as I didn't even know they existed!!