It only took about 24 hours for us to settle into the summer mindset around our casa. Woohoo!
I mean, I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a really strange kickoff, with the missed last day of school, the hubby’s COVID, now a separate bit of viral gunk for Little Man, a canceled trip, a skipped-over holiday weekend, and blah, blah, blah.
BUT.
What always gives us a happy diversion ‘round these parts??
Some project time!
Enter: our first official project of the summer season! These super-adorable DIY mosaic stones. :)
As soon as Tarjay began to stock their summer crafting supplies a month or so ago, I honed in on these bad boys, and the kiddos were SO game.
It seems like we have a major project surge in the Fall (for Halloween) and the holidays, of course. And then another small burst at Valentine’s and Easter, but never the kind of devoted time we’d prefer. Life (and school and extra-curriculars) just gets too crazy.
So by the time summer rolls around, we’re ready to get back at it. And this project was a perfect start.
Full disclosure: these took a complete 48 hours, and involved several steps, so this wasn’t a one-and-done kind of craft. But the finished product was totally worth the effort.
We began with the mixture for the molds—definitely the messiest part of this endeavor.
Then we had to wait all day (thanks goodness we mixed the clay in the morning), and by dinnertime, the shapes were dry enough to pop out of the molds. Chicklet, in particular, was chomping at the bit, ha.
Next up: painting!
After the painting, we let the stones dry overnight, and came back for the next step in the process later the next day. Definitely the most unique step, in my humble opinion: adding a plethora of colored, decorative stones. :)
The kiddos and I have actually done one or two of these DIY stepping stones over the years, and they often involve painting and perhaps some gems to press into the clay as the molds are drying.
After the painting, we let the stones dry overnight, and came back for the next step in the process later the next day. Definitely the most unique step, in my humble opinion: adding a plethora of colored, decorative stones. :)
The kiddos and I have actually done one or two of these DIY stepping stones over the years, and they often involve painting and perhaps some gems to press into the clay as the molds are drying.
But this particular kit involved some sections to the mold that provided natural cavities for handfuls of these decorative stones. It was definitely a fun way to jazz things up a bit.
After the kiddos placed the oodles of stones where they wanted them, it was glue time. Lots and lots of clear glue to eventually dry and set the colorful stones in place for good.
We let things dry overnight—again—and by morning, the stepping stones were complete and adorable. They pop so well against the vibrant grass (IF I can get the kiddos to let us leave them outdoors, ha).
Despite the strange start, I’m starting to appreciate the switch we’ve flipped as we enter this new season.
Today, we kicked off our “summer school” lessons we always tackle at home. We’ve been doodling and watching movies and spending some fun evening time outdoors (more on that later), and have SO much planned for this summer (also more on that later).
The hubby is continuing his recovery, and I’ll be watching Little Man closely for the next few days as we try to clear out ALL the germs. And then it will be full summer steam ahead!!!
More mañana, peeps!
Over and out.
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