Paper Pizza Craft

Our little one made this Paper Pizza at story time at the public library the other day and I thought it was so cute I wanted to show you all.  The story time lady read several pizza-related stories and then had the kids make their own paper pizzas to bring home.  The kids really enjoyed this project and I think it would make a great activity for a pizza-themed kids' party.  

They gave the kids paper plates and a brown crayon to color the "crust" (our daughter skipped this part), then a paper red circle "tomato sauce" to glue down, shredded yellow paper "cheese", as well as paper mushrooms, pepperonis, and meatballs.  After the pizzas were done, the kids took them home in actual pizza boxes which was the perfect finishing touch to the project.  These brand new boxes had been bought ahead of time at the local pizza shop for a few cents each.  

I don't remember the actual books she read before the project, but I've linked some cute-looking pizza stories here (affiliate links):  

• Curious George and the Pizza Party by Margaret & H.A. Rey
• The Pizza Delivery Mystery by Natalie Shaw
• Pete's a Pizza by William Steig
• Pizza for Paul by Schneider Deve
• Little Nino's Pizzeria by Karen Barbour

Calling all Massachusetts-Based Makers!

I'm looking for up-and-coming Massachusetts based makers and crafters.  Please feel free to tag your favorites in the comments or shoot me an email with links!  Thank you. 

Okay, so I totally framed it..

Okay, so I totally framed the December issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine along with the little feature of my Hand-Etched Maple Snowflake Ornaments.  

I felt a little silly about it at first but being featured was a huge honor and having it hanging in the craft room is just more motivation to keep at my little Etsy business and blog.  

And I have to confess.. it is fun seeing it hanging up :)  It's always been a dream to get into a big publication like Martha Stewart or Country Living and even though the feature was small I can now say I've done it. 

So tell me, would you have framed it too..? 

Toddler Art Valentine's Cards

We decided to try our hand at making our own toddler art Valentine cards to send to family and friends - it was so easy and a lot of fun!  
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Materials:

• non-toxic, washable finger paint

• paper (we used special finger painting paper as well as white stationery for the card)

• heart-shaped stencil (I just used a cookie cutter from the kitchen)

• glue

How-to:

For our little one to make her art, I taped some big sheets of finger painting paper to our kitchen floor and let her go to town!  This was also her first painting experience, and it's safe to say that she really enjoyed it... though I think she may have been just as interested in trying to pull the tape off the floor.  

Even though I was an art education major, I'd never used special paper for finger painting and I was a bit skeptical at first.  The paper touts being "glossy and non-absorbent" and I wasn't sure how the paint would stay on the paper or if it would dry well.  Nevertheless, it worked great!  The non-absorbency and glossiness is perfect for finger painting - a little paint goes a long way since it isn't absorbed into the paper and the smooth glossy surface makes it easy for little fingers to move the paint around.  Drying time was pretty fast too and the paint stayed well on the paper, no flaking or peeling.  

| Crayola Finger Paint | Melissa & Doug Finger Paint Paper |

Once the paintings were dry, I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to trace out the hearts and cut them out.  

I glued the hearts onto a folded piece of white stationery from C.R. Gibson, then added a little handwritten note inside and they were done.  Now to mail them off to family and friends!

Happy Valentine's Day!  

Check out our other Valentine's posts:  

• DIY Valentine Postcards

• Apple Rose Tarts for Valentine's Day

Craft Fair this weekend!

This Saturday we'll be at the LRGH Craft fair with the awesome Treacy Homemade, and we'll also have a few items for sale from The Little Snowflake!  Hope to see you there!