Oscar Stew

This has been quite a week in preparation for All Hallows Eve. D&B have been busy at home and with our friends doing all kinds of tasty and crafty things that make the Fall season fun. The weather has even been pretty nice! Somebody knock on wood…Ryan, where are you when I need to knuckle your head? 😉

We made caramel apples a la Annie. They were yummy!

We painted some cute Jack-O-Lanterns from Kari.

The persnickety painting princess. She painted the other side of her pumpkin pink with sparkles.

That Jack-O-Lantern has the same number of teeth that Drew is missing. Big money!

The march of shame. Don’t touch ANYTHING until you get in the shower!

The other night Brinley whipped up this “scary monster.” I was quite proud of her spur of the moment craftiness.

This is the best way to use up extra frosting. That way I’m not tempted to lick it off their faces.

I don’t know what it is about black paint, but the kids were covered in it.

Brinley ended up with black paint on her hiney. She must have had an itch.

Precise placement of the pipe cleaner legs and googly eyes is required.

Our spiders ended up with a major case of conjunctivitis. Next time we’ll splurge for some clear glue.

Our cute little spider spawn. These little guys live on the kids’ bedroom doors. Maybe they are the reason Drew ends up crawling into Brinley’s bed in the middle of the night?

And finally, our collection of constuction paper scaries…

It will be a sad day when these come down.

The days that are warm enough for outdoor craft activities are quickly disappearing, but we were able to squeeze in some driveway art classes. 1 part cornstarch + 1 part water + a few drops food coloring = cheap sidewalk paint.

Rowan was completely bored with the process, but the big kids enjoyed mixing up the recipe all by themselves.

ready, set, PAINT!

Many much stick figures, living together in harmony…

Crack shot. She’s totally outgrown these jeans, hence the über-crack, but I made her wear them because I don’t care if they get stained.

Rowan watched the kids as they changed the driveway from a boring slab of grey concrete to a high-definition mural. The chin bubbles must mean she approves. 

Drew knows what to do when being shot. Nice cheese Scoob!

We thought this paint was better than the crayola brand. Just watch out – when the cornstarch dries it does make surfaces kinda slick. Drew has a fat-lip to prove it!

I’m sure you have all figured out by now that I am a sucker for all things cheap and homemade. I have to give credit to my mom for teaching me how to get my hands dirty, and my dad for the cheapskate genes. I think I got the best of both worlds!

When the thunderstorms roll in, I love to gather the kids around the kitchen table and get crafty. We have several sets of store-bought watercolors, but I wanted to try this recipe to see how it compares. Plus I knew the kids would enjoy mixing it up themselves. Recipe courtesy of Kid Concoctions.

3 tbs corn starch
3 tbs baking soda
3 tbs vinegar
1 1/2 tsp of corn syrup
food coloring
small containers

Mix the cornstarch, baking soda & corn syrup, then add the vinegar. Divide into small containers and add 7-8 drops of food coloring.

Drew really enjoyed watching the vinegar and baking soda fizz up, Brinley wasn’t phased at all until we mixed up the pink paint.

We used the watercolors to paint on sturdy chipboard that I had previously cut up and made into postcards. (if you think you might be on our mailing list, act surprised when your postcard arrives!)

Rowan was chillin’ in bouncer on the table (gasp!) while we worked. Before I know it, she will be old enough to join us…

Drew and Brinley were both quite serious about their work…

Ever since Drew started Kindergarten, he is all about drawing/painting flags.

So, my review? The water colors were MUCH more vibrant than the store bought variety, easier to use too. When the paint dried, it left a powdery residue on the paper that brushed off easily. And you do have to stir the containers every once in a while because the cornstarch starts to settle at the bottom. After the kids were done I let the watercolors dry up in the containers, so all we need next time is a wet brush and we are good to go. I’d say it was a success!