These are so cute, huh? They are truly a labor of love for my baby boy. They are not going to look like this over time. But that's OK. I had fun making them. And that's the point of crafting for me.


For this project, you will need:
-10 1 1/2" wooden cubes
-3 sheets of scrapbook paper (each with a different, but complimentary design)
-Mod Podge
-Paintbrush
-Scissors/Paper cutter
-Ruler
-Pencil
-Krylon Matte finishing spray (optional)



For the wooden blocks themselves, there are a couple of ways you can get them. You can buy them on Amazon, this is what I got: Wooden Cubes (there are no affiliate links, just sharing the love). Or you can go to Home Depo/Lowes and order a 2x4 and have them cut it up for you, which is the cheaper option. The wooden cubes are $9, but the 2x4 would be much less. But seeing that the wooden cubes on Amazon were pre-sanded, I went ahead and bought ones that were already cut out. Ain't no mommy got time for sanding!
The next thing you do is cut out your scrapbook paper. I went ahead and measured out the entire sheet of paper in 1 1/2"x1 1/2" squares. This was a mistake. I found out that I didn't want the paper to be the exact size of the face of the cube. I realized that would be much easier to peel off the paper if they were this size. So I ended up having to the cut them anyways as I was putting on Mod Podge. So suggest doing 1 1/4" x1 1/4" sqaures instead.

But here's how I cut them out. I measured it out and then cut it. I had a paper cutter help me do the job. So here's the problem with measuring and cutting it out this way, you have enough paper squares to make 40 blocks. I'm only making 10.... oh well, I can now make baby shower gifts!

So now I'm all ready to podge the paper onto the block. I did it one color, one square at a time. I started off with green. Put one square on with a good amount of podge, rubbed it in, then flipped it over to the opposite side and did the same thing. Then I'd wait a minute or so for it so set in before I worked on the next color.

Then I did the second and third color, doing the same thing, until all the sides were completed. Then you set it to the side to dry. I waited a half hour after I finished all of the blocks before I started to put mod podge over the entire block.

Next, you put the mod podge over the entire block. Here's how I did it: I covered one of the blue squares and the two green squares on the sides with the podge and let it dry. After I finished all of the blocks and waited about 10 minutes, I did the other blue square and the two comic book squares. Then I let those dry.

I put two coats on the blocks.

And there you have it. 10 super cute wooden blocks for your little one to enjoy. My baby loves to bang them together to make sounds. And so far, they have stayed in good condition.

In my research for this project, I found some with concerns about babies who chew on the blocks. So here's the thing about Mod Podge and babies. Mod Podge is non-toxic when it is dry. However, when babies chew on them for a while, the podge becomes gummy. You can spray Krylon Matte Finishing spray on them to prevent the blocks from becoming gummy. It will also be non-toxic when it's dry. If you've found that your baby doesn't really chew on them extensively, you don't need to do this step.

I love how these turned out! It was such a relaxing project. Thanks for reading. If you've enjoyed reading this, please subscribe to my email list. Or you can follow me on Facebook. See you next time!

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I'm really excited for this post today! It's so easy to make!! Like seriously. So easy.

This all started because my 8 month old son now enjoys making sounds. We've been playing the piano, trying out my ukulele, and now playing with drums. I am a musician and so I've been acquiring a few instruments. I guess you can say that I have a collection. Either way, my son loves it.

This little idea just came to me. My son was playing with a snare drum I have and I thought, "Wait a minute! I have an empty formula tin, I can make a drum!" And that was that.

It took some tinkering, but it turned out great. At first, I wanted the sound to be more resonant, then the scrapbook paper wouldn't stay on the tin, etc.... I'll guide you through the process.

What you will need:
Formula tin can (or any cardboard tin really, a Nesquik tin is about the same size)
12X12 scrapbook paper of your choice
Craft knife
Box Cutter
Regular Tape or Glue
Colored Electric Tape of your choice for decoration


Sorry I don't have step-by-step pictures. There are so many times I get caught up in making the craft, solving the problem, that I don't remember to take pictures. But if you skim through tutorial posts, like me, I'll do this: I'll enlarge the title of the step and then write a description if you need more details. (If you're also like me, you've probably already figured out how it's done...)

Cleaning the tin is obvious, but this is a tutorial and that was the first thing I had to do.... On to cutting the sound holes!!

Your drum is already going to resonate (create a sound) without the sound holes. However, your drum become more resonant with them (meaning they bang louder). I really liked the tin sound it made when I banged on the tin without the cover, but I wanted to be able to have that sound all the time, sound holes make that possible. Creating sound holes allows the sound to come out wherever the drum is positioned.

So this is where you need your box cutter.

Simply draw 3 half circles around your tin where you plan to cut your hole. Then cut it out with you box cutter. Leave the metal rim on. You're going to put the lid back on later.

I made three sound holes and I simply eyeballed where they should be placed. Remember, this is for a baby. He's played with it for 20 minutes and he's already tried to eat it.

You'll need to cut it out to make sure its the right size. With your tin, measure out the height of your tin. Once your paper is the right height, you'll notice it's not wide enough to cover your tin. Use your excess paper to cover the rest. Cut that out the correct height and tape it on.

This step you will need your craft knife. It's a little more precise than a box cutter. I guess a box cutter could work too. Leave the lid off and cut the scrapbook paper from the inside of the tin, using the edge of the sound hole as a guide. I also left paper to cover the rim as well. I'm sure your drum will look fine without that detail, but I like that little touch.

You don't have to do this part. I just hate glue and my paper wasn't staying on like I wanted it to. This wasn't what I originally wanted the drum to look like. But then on the other hand, it looks more like a drum.

I ended up with four of these taped lines on my drum. You can do more or less. Just make sure the tape you chose is opaque enough. I originally used yellow and you could see right through it. So I went with blue.

Pull out some tape and lay out on the length of your drum, the end lining up to the rim. Then cut it off at the rim on the other side. If your tape is going over a sound hole, cut it at the edge of the sound hole (like you see in photo above).

Once you have finished, place on the cap.

That's it! Give them a kitchen utensil and watch them bang happily away! With the plastic lid and the tin bottom, they have two different ways to make sounds with their drum (technically three when they hit the sides). Makes things more interesting.

Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, follow me on Pinterest or Facebook. The links are above and below. See you next time!

 
Disclaimer: If you are someone who needs to measure and/or have a template, this is not the post for you. If you like to have a bit of freedom and don't mind “eye-balling” it, welcome! Also, this isn't made to be sold, therefore it is a little amteaur-ish. It's made for a baby who will probably end up getting drool all over it. It's a fun little extra flair that only took an hour to make - and only costs $0.25.
 
Ok, now that's over with, let's get started. I got this little frog as a gift from one of my former students. I've decided that this frog and my baby are going to be best friends. I named it, Lil’ Joey. If you’ve seen my other post, my nursery is Superhero themed. So why not create a superhero costume for this adorable stuffed frog?
 
It was one of those mornings where you wake up and are super ready to get things done. I was determined to make this costume. I started by making a stencil for the mask. I marked where his eyes were against the paper and drew out the stencil for the mask from there. I adjusted the shape to where I was satisfied and then cut it out.

I would’ve then used the stencil to cut out the mask on a piece of felt, but I didn't have the color I wanted. I got it later on that day at Walmart for $0.25 (including sales tax).
 
Then I moved on to the cape. This was longer/harder part. First, I made sure the felt was able to be wrapped around his neck. After that, I used a spool of ribbon to cut out a round shape for the felt to wrap around the back of its neck.

From there, I “eyeballed” how much of the felt I needed to cut off so the front looked more like a neck strap, thus creating a cape look rather than a cloak look.
 
With a sharpie, I marked where I should cut to create the neck strap in the front. Then I marked where his shoulder was and angled it out to meet with the corner at the bottom for an A-shape. Then I cut it out.