Tag: Minecraft

No-Sew Chair Cover and DIY Valentines

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when pinterest fails are a Win

It all started when my son – my oldest and least crafty of the crew – announced he wanted to DIY his valentines this year. This boy not only NEVER requests to craft, but he  also wanted to re-use the Minecraft valentines I’d created for him last year. This, even after I offered to buy the store bought kind. Be still my crafty heart! This called for a celebration!

I decided that over the weekend I’d surprise all the kiddos with a sweet valentine breakfast and then have a crafting workshop. Okay, I have a way of getting a little carried away…but food is my son’s love language and I wanted to have a little fun with this rare opportunity.No-Sew Chair Cover and DIY Valentines | Five Marigolds

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No-Carve Family Halloween Pumpkins

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Family Halloween Pumpkins

Do you want some pumpkin decorating ideas that do not require you to carve them up first? I have the best no carve pumpkin decorating ideas the whole family will love! 

At our home, we don’t really “do” spooky Halloween. We have fun, dress-up, and eat lots of sweets on Halloween. So this year, I thought it would be fun to make a pumpkin representing each member of our family that we could bring back out year after year – in addition to carving Jack-O-Lanterns in real pumpkins, of course.

THE BEST NO CARVE PUMPKIN DECORATING IDEAS

Frozen (or cinderella?) no-carve pumpkin

For this pumpkin, you will need:

5 No-Carve Pumpkin Ideas that don't suck! This Cinderella / Frozen pumpkin is super easy to make!

You will want to paint the pumpkin with the aqua matte spray, and allow it to dry.

Then, spray a light coat of the diamond dust spray, and allow it to dry. 

To make it, I used Krylon aqua matte spray paint to painT a white craft pumpkin.

I then layered  Krylon opulent opal glitter spray paint on top.  I was super bummed with this though. It was gorgeous going on, but within moments it stopped working. I figured the glitter was clogging the nozzle and I tried multiple solutions to no avail. What a waste!

Frozen Cinderella Halloween Pumpkin | Five Marigolds

I went back and purchased Krylon glitter blast diamond dust spray paint. It was also beautiful and the can worked much better.

Once completely dry, decorate as desired with self-stick rhinestone gems. Top with a fun princess tiara, if desired.

Hello Kitty no carve pumpkin

For this pumpkin, you will need:

  • Pinter
  • Clear contact paper
  • Black and pink acrylic paint
  • Hair bow

Simply print out a Hello Kitty face on the printer, and place it over the clear contact paper as a stencil. 

Paint the stencil in with the paint and allow it to dry. Add a fun hair bow to complete this look.

Hello Kitty Halloween Pumpkin | Five Marigolds

Minecraft Creeper NO CARVE pumpkin

For this pumpkin you will need:

  • Black craft pumpkin
  • Krylon emerald green spray paint
  • Printer
  • Clear contact paper
  • Black acrylic paint
  • Black craft pumpkin

To make this painted pumpkin, cut out a square in the black craft pumpkin, and paint the inside green with the green spray paint. Print out the Creeper face, and place it over the contact paper to use as a stencil. Place the stencil inside the dry pumpkin and paint on the Creeper face with the black acrylic paint.

Minecraft Creeper Halloween Pumpkin | Five Marigolds

Stud NO CARVE Pumpkin

For my pumpkin, I just picked up this black studded pumpkin from JoAnn’s I just love it!

Black Stud Halloween Pumpkin | Five Marigolds

For my husband, well…

Decorating Family Pumpkins | Five Marigolds

He’s a long-suffering Chicago Bears fan (as am I). Da Bears!

What do you think of our no-carve Family Halloween Pumpkins? Looking for more easy Halloween ideas? Check out my Lazy Mom’s Guide to a Halloween theme dinner.

Lazy Mom's Guide to Spooky Halloween Theme DInner | Five Marigolds

Then, check out my free printable Halloween emoji nail decals here.

What a neat idea! Use tattoo paper to make nail art. Halloween Emoji nails.

 

Halloween Treats Round-Up

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Spooktacular Halloween Recipes

Halloween may not be my favorite holiday in the world, but I do love getting festive with my food! Here is a round-up of some of my Halloween treats and recipes.

Mean, Green Halloween Punch with Spooky Skewers This refreshing punch with fun and spooky drink stirrers is sure to please at your Halloween gathering!

Make this mean, green, Halloween punch with spooky skewers | Five Marigolds

Skeleton guts made with little smokies and your favorite barbecue sauce make a fun Halloween party appetizer.Lazy Mom's Guide to Spooky Halloween Theme DInner | Five Marigolds

Monster Mix Simply toss whatever you have on hand: I use popcorn, pretzel sticks, Cheerio’s, M&M’s, candy corn, and a few mini Oreos. Just a little effort goes a long way with this snack. I once brought it to a cross country meet in a ziplock with some plastic cups for serving, and I don’t want to brag here – but phrases like “awesome mom” and “best cook ever” got thrown around by my kids and their friends quite a bit. No need to tell them this took all of 2 minutes to pull together.
Monster Mix Halloween Trail Mix Recipe | Five Marigolds

Monster Mix Halloween Trail Mix Recipe | Five Marigolds

Frankenstein Pudding This one is as easy as mixing a few drops of green food coloring in your vanilla cook & serve pudding and crumbling some Oreos on top. Draw a Frankenstein face on the outside of your clear container with a dry erase marker.

Halloween Treat Round-up: Frankenstein Halloween Pudding | Five Marigolds

Mummy Pizzas and Hot Dogs It doesn’t get any easier than wrapping strips of crescent rolls around a hot dog and baking them, or DIY mini pizzas using string cheese for the mummy wraps, but it still gets me some serious street cred with the littles.

Halloween Treat Round-up: Mummy Mini Halloween Pizzas | Five Marigolds

I made the eyeballs for the Mummy Hot Dogs using slices of string cheese and cutting out a hole using a straw. Then, using the same straw to place a perfectly sized olive slice in the hole. I really did that. Should I be ashamed right now?

Halloween Treat Round-up: Mummy Hot Dogs with Mozzerella and Olive Eyeballs| Five Marigolds

 

Jack-O-Lantern (and Minecraft Creeper) Stuffed peppers are a regular meal on our rotation, so we love to make it a little more festive in October. We sometimes also stuff them with spaghetti when we’re trying to make our monsters a little more gory with guts.

Halloween Treats Round up: Stuffed Pepper Jack-O-Lanterns and Creepers | Five Marigolds

This year, I even made a Creeper Stuffed Pepper for my Minecraft – obsessed son!

Minecraft Creeper Stuffed Pepper | Five Marigolds

Candy Corn Jell-O Parfaits These are as easy as they look. Layer orange Jell-O over cooled, firm lemon Jell-O gelatin.  Top with whipped cream and serve!

Halloween Treats Round up: Candy Corn Jell-O Parfaits | Five Marigolds

Monster Cookies First, get these fun Wilton eyeball candies and then follow this recipe.

Halloween Treat Round-up: Monster Halloween Cookies | Five Marigolds

Caramel Apple Bar Okay this one isn’t Halloween, per say, but what a perfect treat for a Halloween Costume party or Autumn gathering? Learn more about how I pulled this together, here.

Halloween Treat Round-up: Caramel Apple Bar | Five Marigolds

Even better, make your own to-die-for salted caramel dip!

Halloween Treat Round-up: Salted Caramel Dip | Five Marigolds

Lots of ideas for fun and spooky Halloween treats and recipes | Five Marigolds

Free Back to School Printable: Minecraft Lunchbox Jokes

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It’s almost time to send the kids back to school! And while that may be an exciting time for moms, kids sometimes need a reason to smile during the school day. Enter these sure to make ’em giggle lunch box jokes. If you have a Minecraft lover in your family, print this free Minecraft printable out today!

Minecraft Jokes Free Lunchbox Printables | Five Marigolds

Why I Love These Lunch Box Jokes

Dub just loves clever jokes and puns. When I asked him what he most wanted me to pack in his lunch box for his first day of school, he told me he wanted a Minecraft joke. Your wish is my command, kid.

I love the idea that my guy is enjoying a laugh at lunchtime with the Minecraft characters. Maybe he even shares them with his friends and they talk about how hilarious they were. I don’t know, it could happen.

Minecraft Jokes Free Lunchbox Printables | Five Marigolds

Lunchbox: Happy Jackson

Minecraft Printable Lunchbox Jokes for Kids

After searching Pinterest I found there aren’t many options out there for Minecraft lunchbox printables, so I created one on my own. And today I’m sharing it with my wonderful subscribers!

Here’s a few of the “punny” jokes included:

Q: How does Steve chop down trees with his fists?

A: How wood I know?

Q: Have you heard of the creeper who went to a party?

A: He had a blast!

  1. What is a cobblestone’s favorite music?
  2. Rock music!

Okay, okay. Even if you don’t get these hilarious jokes (humble brag), your little Minecraft lovers will. Let’s be real, anything we can do to make their day go a little better is worth its weight in gold. Or is it goldfish? You get me.

Minecraft Jokes Free Lunchbox Printables | Five Marigolds

How to Make Minecraft Lunchbox Jokes

To use these kids’ lunch box jokes, just click the link below and save the file to your computer. Then print the cards out and trim them.

If you want your printable lunchbox jokes to be a bit more sturdy, and be an excellent weight for a mini airplane for the playground, use cardstock to print them out.

Add one of the jokes to your kid’s lunch and voila! Mom of the Year!

They also make great notes for afterschool snack time, to tape over the bathroom sink, or for a long car ride. Jokes are always appreciated.

Click the above image or use this link to grab your copy of the Minecraft lunchbox jokes freebie.

Want to see more printable resources like these? Let me know in the comments below!

Minecraft Printables and inspiration:

Like these printables? Be sure to check out my other free downloads and inspo:

Minecraft Lego Steve Favors | Five Marigolds

DIY Minecraft Lego Steve Favors

Be Minecraft Valentine's Day Printable

Be Minecraft Printable

Minecraft Birthday Party on a Budget | Five Marigolds

DIY Minecraft Birthday Party

 

Minecraft Steve Lego Birthday Party Favor

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For Dub’s birthday this year, he wanted everything Minecraft. He also loves Legos so, naturally, Lego Steve from Minecraft seemed like the perfect party favors.

I did a lot of research trying to find an easy way to do this. To be honest, I was hoping there would be a sale of Minecraft Lego lots on ebay that would allow me to phone this one in, but it was not to be.

So, I ended up making a Minecraft Lego Steve myself using the Lego Pick-A-Brick feature.

Minecraft Steve Lego Favor | Five Marigolds

While you can do this in-store if you have a Lego retail location near you, they have a varying selection, so I saved myself the trip and did my shopping online. I wanted to be able to have all the pieces I needed for Minecraft Steve! This is where I insert my Lego PSA – I found out after I placed my order that Pick-A-Brick orders can take up to 18 business days! That’s almost a month! So, this Lego Minecraft Steve favor only really works if you are planning out by at least a month to ensure your Bricks get to you in time.

Here’s what I ordered to make 15 favors:

Item#, color  – quantity

  • 300423, blue – x30
  • 4113915, yellow – x15
  • 4155708, yellow – x15
  • 4163696, light blue – x15
  • 4179833, light blue – x15
  • 4211210, brown – x15
  • 4243821, green – x15
  • 4271949, brown – x15
  • 4579260, yellow – x15

For the pick axe, I had to go to Ebay where I got a great deal paying $1.47 total for 15 axes. That brought the total to $26.21 for 15 favors, or $1.74, each. (I didn’t see any swords or pick axes in the Pick-A-Brick section when I was ordering. They do have a “mini Fireman’s axe” or a “warrior weapon,” though.)

Then, I went to work making  a face for Minecraft Steve in PhotoShop. I measured it to the size of the 2×2 Lego and then I printed it on Avery label paper. Removing the paper backing first,  I cut down each face sticker to the exact size and then replaced it on a small square of the paper backing to place in the favor bag.

Steve Lego Face Free Printable | Five Marigolds

I took a photo of the complete Lego Minecraft Steve to include with all the kits. The kids had a lot of fun putting Lego Steve together while they were still at the party, and had a great time showing off their new toy when they were done.
Minecraft Steve Lego Favor Insert Printable web| Five Marigolds

I placed the Legos in a small jewelry ziplock bag. Then, I made a simple tag that I stapled to the top of the sealed bag as a finishing touch.

Minecraft Lego Steve Favors | Five Marigolds

This was a huge hit among the 6 and 7 year old crowd!

While this Lego Minecraft Steve party favor does take a bit of advanced planning, you and your child will will have so much fun sharing these unique and fun activities for the kids to do!

Thinking of making a Lego Steve for your Minecrafter’s party? You can get a head start by downloading Steve’s face here (compatible with Avery 5260* labels), the finished Steve image inserts here, and the favor tags here.  Enjoy!

MORE FREE MINECRAFT PRINTABLES: Like these printables? Be sure to check out my other free Minecraft Printables here and here.

Find my other Minecraft Birthday Party posts here:

Minecraft Birthday Party on a Budget | Five Marigolds

DIY Minecraft Birthday Party

Minecraft Birthday Party Tinsel Tassel Banner Tutorial | Five Marigolds

Minecraft Tinsel Tassel Bunting Tutorial

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minecraft Birthday Party

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This year, Dub wanted his party to be all about Minecraft. I didn’t want our home to look like it threw up Minecraft-licensed decor, so I went with something that we all could get excited about. We weren’t having a big celebration at home either, so I wanted to keep this simple and fairly inexpensive. Minecraft Birthday Party | Five Marigolds

First: the centerpiece du jour: his Minecraft cake. Kind of a boring concept, but this is a representation of THE pixelated cake featured on the video game. I was more than happy to outsource this portion of the party and Dub was in love with how it turned out. It was exactly what he wanted!

Minecraft Birthday Party Cake | Five Marigolds

Next, I created the theme using a brown dollar store tablecloth and some tissue paper “grass.” Super inexpensive for one package to cover this table, and the kids were fascinated by this!

I created a simple and inexpensive tissue paper bunting that added some visual interest in the party theme color (tutorial here).

Finally, I like to decorate with party favors, because it’s the decoration that cleans itself up as the guests leave.

I bought some green lunch bag sized paper bags and cut felt into the shape of a Creeper face. Really, this would have been so much easier with black construction paper and my Silhouette SD, but black felt was what I had on hand so that’s what I used.

Minecraft Birthday Party Favors | Five Marigolds

I filled the bag with goodies like gold and silver ore, Mike & Ikes, a growing green bug, and I repurposed my Minecraft Valentine printable to wrap boxes of Nerds candy.

The highlight of the goodie bags was a Lego Steve creation I made with the help of Pinterest and the Lego Pick-A-Brick tool.

Minecraft Birthday Party Favors. | Five Marigolds

*This post contains affiliate links. Please read the full disclaimer on the right sidebar. Thank you for your support!

Find my other Minecraft Birthday Party posts here:

Minecraft Birthday Party Tinsel Tassel Banner Tutorial | Five Marigolds

Minecraft Tinsel Tassel Bunting Tutorial

Minecraft Lego Steve Favors | Five Marigolds

DIY Minecraft Lego Steve Favors

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tutorial: Tinsel Tassel Party Banner

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I absolutely love the look of these tinsel tassel banners for party decor. Even better? They’re super easy and inexpensive to make.

Dub really wanted a Minecraft-themed birthday party, but I didn’t want a licensed decor explosion, so I began thinking of ways to decorate with color. With lots of Pinterest inspiration, I decided I wanted to give this a try. However, I was surprised to find there aren’t a lot of tutorials out there so I am sharing a quick and dirty tutorial of my own.

I set to work on this particular banner with four colors of tissue paper, green, lime green, chevron and silver metallic (I linked to some examples because I initially had a hard time finding these).

1) First, I took a stack of 8 sheets of tissue in each color and cut them the short length of the pre-cut sheets (approximately 20″) and cut them about 8″ wide.Tinsel Tassel Banner Tutorial | Five Marigolds

2) I then folded the stack of sheets in half and began cutting them in 1/4″ strips, stopping about 1″ from the fold. I used a rotary cutter and mat to make quick and more precise work of this, but regular scissors will do.

Tinsel Tassel Banner Tutorial | Five Marigolds

Tinsel Tassel Banner Tutorial | Five Marigolds

3) I then unfolded the papers and, taking 2 sheets at a time, began rolling them tightly at the center. Once each set of 2 was rolled at the center I began gently twisting the rolled portion. Once it was lightly twisted I folded it in half and began twisting the rolled portions together. When you’re done it will look something like this. Perfectly imperfect.Tinsel Tassel Banner Tutorial | Five Marigolds

4) Thread the tassels through a string or ribbon. I made a single simple knot at each tassel to keep them in place.

Tinsel Tassel Banner Tutorial | Five Marigolds

All in all, this was a pretty quick and easy project that took me maybe 20 minutes total to complete. I also love that if you source your papers from the dollar store, you could complete three of these banners for just $4! (meaning, each banner is just over $1, with plenty of paper to spare for favors or gifts). I have a feeling various themed tinsel banners will be showing up at more parties around here!

Dub’s party is not for a few more weeks, so I’m letting it hang on our mantle for St. Patrick’s Day. How’s that for multi-purpose party decor?

Find my other Minecraft Birthday Party posts here:

Minecraft Birthday Party on a Budget | Five Marigolds

DIY Minecraft Birthday Party

Minecraft Lego Steve Favors | Five Marigolds

DIY Minecraft Lego Steve Favors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free Valentine’s Day Printables

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44I just love Valentine’s Day! Such a fun day for kids to express friendship to one another. Dub loves tearing open the goodies, but EClaire really loves to see the creativity of the Valentines and read the messages from her friends.

Today I’m sharing printables and ideas for Valentine’s Day.

Candy Necklace Valentine

Candy Necklace Valentine Printable | Five MarigoldsI designed these for EClaire’s princess party this summer, and adapted them again for Valentine’s to be more inclusive of boys in her class.  Just print these out, cut two slits,  add the candy bracelet (I get mine at Dollar Tree 10/$1) and sign the back. Find the original post and download here!

 

Be Minecraft Valentine

Be Minecraft Valentines Printable | Five MarigoldsDub is obsessed with Minecraft! So, I created this “Be Mine (craft)” printable to wrap a box of Conversation Hearts for an inexpensive Valentine. Just seal with some stick glue and sign the back.  Find the orignal post and download here.

Straw Valentine

This Valentine by Paging Super Mom was a hit among the preschoolers Dub gave this to years ago – and their parents who loved the non-sweet Valentine. I used the heart shaped curly straws from Hobby Lobby (10/$1) and signed his name on the printable in PhotoShop. Super cheap and easy.

Kool-Aid Valentine

Kool-Aid Valentine Printable | Five MarigoldsLast year EClaire had so much fun putting these Kool Valentines together! Simply download the printable here and affix to the back of Kool-Aid packets with a heart sticker. I digitally added her name, but you can sign yours for a more personalized touch.

Candy Buttons Valentine

Valentine Candy Buttons | Five MarigoldsI absolutely loved the candy button favors I made for EClaire’s princess party this summer, so I recreated them for some homemade and very inexpensive Valentines. The kids think this is such a novelty that it’s always a hit! Find the full instructions here.

There you have it, just a few of the Valentines we’ve given over the years. What do you think? Will you be using any of these this year? Please take a moment to tell me about it, below!

Free Valentine's Day Printables | Five Mariolds

 

In addition to being featured in the fab blogs shown on the buttons to the right, this post was also featured on Huckleberry Love.

Be Minecraft Valentine’s Day Printable

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Is your little one obsessed with Minecraft? I feel you. Dub has the game, the app and the collection of hardcover books that he studies relentlessly. It’s Minecraft hysteria up in here.

Be Minecraft Free Printable Valentine | Five Marigolds

I knew I had to make his Valentine Minecraft-themed. I just wasn’t finding the right thing, so I had to create it myself. I was most inspired by this adorable candy wrap by Simple as That, but really didn’t want to buy a full box of Mike & Ike candy for each of his classmates *cough*cheap*cough* and I was too lazy to cut out those adorable tags of hers. I know, this says a lot about me.

So I went to work creating a wrap for a standard box of conversation hearts. Once it’s printed, I helped cut out the wraps, and then I put Dub to work wrapping the box, using stick glue to seal it on the side, and he signs the back. Done (I love when a good plan comes together).

Want to use these for yourself? Download the free printable here.

What do you think of these Be Minecraft Valentines?  Tell me about it below – I love your feedback! Minecraft Valentine | Five Marigolds

MORE FREE MINECRAFT PRINTABLES: Like these printables? Be sure to check out my other free Minecraft Printables here and here.