Crafts: St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Sun Catcher

This post contains affiliate links. 

One of our favorite types of crafts to create are sun catchers using markers, coffee filters, and water. For St. Patrick's Day this year, we created a new one to display in our windows using the Magic Stix Washable Markers we were reviewing.

Materials 

• coffee filters
• markers 
• spray bottle or water dropper 
• tray 
• laminator and laminating sheets 

Steps 

1. Gather all your materials. I pre-cut the coffee filters into the shape of shamrocks.

2. Color your shamrocks.

3. Spray your shamrocks with water. Or drip water onto them with a water dropper.

4. After they are dry, you can laminate them and then hang them in your window.

I linked up with the following blog(s): 

T is for Time (Blogging through the Alphabet)

This post contains affiliate links. 

Some of my favorite stories, television shows, and movies over the years have involved the idea of time travel. While so many of the elements of time travel are perplexing and could even cause paradoxes that might destroy the planet, it doesn’t make the idea any less appealing.

I fondly remember sitting down each week with my mom to watch Quantum Leap with Scott Bakula. It brought together two great elements for me – history and time travel. Some of my favorite episodes included those where Sam (Bakula) leaped into individuals where he could display his singing talents like “Memphis Melody” where Sam leaped into Elvis, “Glitter Rock” where he was a member of a rock band that wore makeup similar to KISS, and “Catch a Falling Star” in which he portrayed an actor performing in “Man of La Mancha.” I enjoyed this part of the show so much I even bought the CD.

Some of the time traveling movies I like include the Back to the Future series and The Time Machine with Rod Taylor based on the H.G. Wells’ book of the same title. Both offer different ideas in relation to time travel while Doc Brown’s DeLorean primarily travels to the past with a short trip to the future, the narrator of The Time Machine goes millions of years into the future to see what has become of the earth. (Oddly enough the trip Doc Brown took to the future in the second movie would have already taken place in our real time line. Sadly, we have no flying cars but we do have approximations of hover boards and self-lacing sneakers.)

“Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Doc. Ah…Are you telling me that you built a time machine…out of a DeLorean?” – Marty McFly

And with the revival of Doctor Who with the Christopher Eccleston in 2005, I found another time traveling series to enjoy. (Although I have to admit, I stopped watching with the introduction of Matt Smith as the Doctor.) I collected the books, DVDs, and some of the figures for several years. I also read several of the comics from the series. I really liked the idea of a hero, even if he was not human, who helped protect others.

What about you? Do you enjoy time traveling series? Do you think you might want to travel through time? Wouldn’t it be great to travel back in time to right a wrong like Sam in Quantum Leap? Maybe we could prevent a war or an assassination. Or even just provide encouragement at the right time to a loved one to help them make a better decision. 

Or…

Just maybe everything has worked out according to a plan. Maybe traveling through time should be left to the world of fiction. After all, how many times in time traveling movies and television series do we see characters making as many mistakes as those they are attempting to correct?

Would you travel with Doc Brown or the Doctor? Sometimes the answer seems really clear for me but then there are days when, even with things going wrong, life is perfect.

Note: As part of my reading challenge for 2018, I read Doctor Who: Twelve Doctors of Christmas. I enjoyed the majority of the tales in the book but I think I would have been able to appreciate all 12 stories if I was more familiar with all the Doctors from the series. I think my favorites were “Sontar’s Little Helpers,” “The Red Bicycle,” and “Loose Wire.”

I linked up with the following blog(s):

An Honest Review of The Pencil Grip, Inc.'s 24-pack of Magic Stix Washable Markers

My daughter just *had* to take all the markers out on the very first day. 

One of the principal tools in our box of craft supplies are markers, so I was very excited to review The Pencil Grip, Inc.’s Magic StixWashable Markers with my family. As soon as we received the markers, my kids started using them right away for almost every project. From drawing on scratch paper to completing more extensive craft projects, Magic Stix markers are a fantastic resource.

Unlike other companies, The Pencil Grip, Inc. offers a seven-day guarantee that their Magic Stix markers won’t dry out if you leave the cap off. We completed the seven-day #nocapnoproblem test. I shared each day’s results on my Instagram and here is the completed test. The only changes I noticed were that the colors actually seemed deeper than the first day or two and they had more of a tendency to bleed on the paper than the early days. Neither result would prevent me from recommending them as a great marker. For parents and teachers, this is great – because how many times have you put away markers that look like the cap is on but only find out later it was off enough to dry out the marker? Now you don’t have to worry. (Kwik Stix Paint on Instagram made it to 100 days with the #nocapnoproblem challenge!) After all, who hasn’t found a dried-up marker under the sofa with no cap on it? 

We have completed so many projects over the course of the review period with the Magic Stix markers: My sons made Valentine’s Day cards, my two younger children decorated fire trucks, I used them while Bible Journaling, and all three of my kids colored in some knights. For all of these projects, they were fantastic. The only items with which they don’t work well are the $1 coloring books because the color bleeds through the paper. 

The color will bleed through on cheaper quality paper.

However, the color bleeding through the paper resulted in creating a really neat effect on some knights we were coloring while listening to an audio drama.  

The reverse side of the children's knights.

When we first started using the Magic Stix markers, my two-year-old daughter was determined to draw on herself, her clothes, and the markers rather than on the paper. I am pleased to say that if you draw on one markers tip with a similar shade neither lose their original color. (She used a darker purple shade to color onto a lighter purple shade’s marker tip.) One washing of her hands, though, did not remove the marker from her fingers but that is not uncommon with markers. So, it would not deter me from letting my children use them again and again. On other occasions the marker came off her hands more readily than the first time. Consequently, I would recommend washing hands right away rather than waiting till the craft is completed.

One thing I love about the Magic Stix markers is that they don’t have an odor or smell. I find that when I am coloring I tend to get close to the paper and – with other markers – you might notice an odor as you color but not with Magic Stix. 

One of my favorite crafts to complete with my children is with coffee filters, markers, and a spray bottle of water. In the past, I have used a competitor’s brand of markers but I thought I would try the Magic Stix markers and see how well they blended when sprayed with water. I was very pleased with the result. It looks better with more ink on the coffee filter but I think I would still choose the Magic Stix Washable Markers over other brands for this craft technique in the future.

 

The Pencil Grip, Inc.’s Magic Stix Washable Markers are a great addition to any family’s craft supplies. They are odorless, non-toxic, and available in 12- and 24-packs of bright, bold colors.

For more information about The Pencil Grip, Inc.'s products, please visit: 

The Pencil Grip, Inc.

The Pencil Grip, Inc. on Facebook

The Pencil Grip, Inc. on Twitter

The Pencil Grip, Inc. on Instagram (Kwik Stix Paint) 

Journaling Through the Bible: Joseph's Cup

"'Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the 

sack of the youngest, and his grain  money.'"

Genesis 44:2 NKJV 

After the brothers made the journey back to Egypt to get additional food for their families, they returned to Joseph with their younger brother, Benjamin, the original money for the provisions that they had 'purchased' from Joseph, and gifts for Joseph. When the feasting was complete, Joseph asked his steward to fill his brothers' sacks with food and their money. He also instructed his silver cup be put into the sack of Benjamin.

Is Joseph setting up the brothers? This seems very sneaky and underhanded on the surface. Why would Joseph put his cup into Benjamin's sack? I cannot help but wonder if he saw himself, his mother, or his father in Benjamin.  Perhaps that is why he was so upset when he saw his younger brother.



The brothers believe that if Benjamin does not return with them, their father, Israel, will fall ill. Or some other evil will befall their father. Has the father chosen Benjamin as his new favorite or are the brothers merely exaggerating to gain freedom for their brother? If Benjamin is the new favorite, are the brothers okay with this fact? Are they remorseful for sending Joseph into slavery?

When I was thinking about Journaling this event, I thought it would be an interesting idea to write out Benjamin's name with a cup to replace one of the letters.  After several attempts, I am still not very happy with the result.

I used MagicStix Markers for my Journaling this week. 

This week I joined up with the following blog(s):

Kids, Crunch, and Christ: Journaling Through the Bible
Spiritual Sundays
Create with Joy's Friendship Friday Blog Party

Crafts: Valentine's Day Tree

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

My children always enjoy using multiple materials when creating crafts, so for one of our Valentine's Day Projects we made a tree using Magic Stix Markers and hearts cut from recycled wrapping paper.

Materials 

• Paper
• Magic Stix markers 
• White glue
• Hearts of various sizes

Steps 

1. Gather all of your materials.

2. Trace your child's arm and hand on the paper.

3. Allow your child to color the tree.

4. Have your child glue the hearts onto the tree in place of leaves.

5. After the glue has dried, proudly display your child's tree in your home. 

Resources 

Nifty Mom's Heart Tree Craft for Kids 
Our Everyday Harvest's Valentine's Day Heart Tree (Preschool Craft)
The Art Kit's Valentine's Day Paper Chain