Pinterest Fail - Father's Day

I haven't had an epic fail of a project in a while so I was long overdue. And of course, being me, it had to be a gift. AND on a holiday. So I encourage you to sit back, grab some popcorn, and watch as I royally screwed up a sand footprint keepsake, original instructions from this post by PagingFunMums.

It sounded easy enough at first, you just need:

1. Some sand
2. A picture frame
3. Plaster of Paris (I read this article on how to make your own. Big mistake.)

So to start, you take the cardboard and glass out of the frame, put the cardboard on top, flip the frame over, and now you have a nice space to pour your sand into. Note that I tried using plastic bags to cover my workspace.. lets call this Mistake #1: You need to cover the entire surface you're working on. If you're doing it on the floor, cover every inch of the floor. If the table, cover the entire table.

Why cover the entire surface, you ask? Because you're going to get sand everywhere! Sure, you'll try really hard to keep it all in the frame, but the sand will laugh at you and go where it pleases. If you manage to keep it in the frame, try to level it out as best you can. A ruler would be great, however I just used a leftover piece of cardboard.

If you want to use a kid's handprint or footprint, be prepared to use that ruler often. You're going to be smoothing out that sand at least 5-10 times. I tried with both a 1-month old and a 3-year old and both weren't easy. The 1-month old was a two-person process: one person to hold the baby, the other to plant the foot. The 3-year old wanted to play with the sand. You know what? This would be a great project for... fish. Dead fish. Do this with a dead fish.

See that hole in the footprint's heel? The frame had a hole.
Don't buy a frame with a hole in it.

So here's where Mistakes #2.. #3... #953 occurred: trying to make DIY Plaster of Paris. Just skip the hassle and go buy some, people. Really. Because the first time, I did two parts water to one part glue, which is made it very runny. The second time I tried one part water to two parts glue but only had 1 bottle of glue, which wasn't nearly enough.

The third time I bought more glue but it still didn't reach the edges and the glue started to seep out, which is why you now see a garbage bag underneath. But really, I should have used a tarp. Because the glue and sand was now everywhere... sigh...

And then you're supposed to wait. And wait. And supposedly, after 24-28 hours, you wipe off the excess sand, spray it with sealer, and ta-da! It's supposed to look like this!

Instead... well... you're not supposed to be able to see the footprints, but you can clearly see the here... in the garbage bag...

But of course, it started to fall apart in my hands once I tried to remove the cardboard. See, this is why DIY Plaster of Paris is not a good idea.

And into the trash it went! Perhaps someday I'll try this again with store-bought plaster, though I think it won't be on a holiday and it won't be a gift. Happy Father's Day!

TOTAL COSTS: About $20 for this fail
$8.00 for frame from Michael's
$6.58 for sand from Michael's
$4.77 for 3 bottles of Elmer's glue from CVS

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 24 hours +30 minutes of prep
Or in other words, a big waste of time..

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 5 out of 5
If I hadn't of used DIY Plaster of Paris, this would have worked out much better. As it was, though, it was a big, grainy, slimy mess. You're better off just buying some sand and playing with that. The 3-year old was right all along!

Father's Day - Baseball Edition

I think it's fair to say that most fathers like sports, whether it be golf, baseball, football, or hockey. With baseball season upon us, I decided to do give my own father baseball-themed gifts, some bought and some made. If your want to hit a home run this Father's Day, why not try these DIY gifts sure to make your pop feel like the MVD -- most valuable dad!

Ball #1 - The Card!
Want to make your dad a card instead of spending $7 for a Hallmark card thousands of other dads are going to have as well? Grab some white card stock, some red embroidery floss, a needle, and a pencil. You can grab a ruler too if you're super ornery like me.

Start by cutting your paper to be 5"x7" and draw a half circle on one side. Draw dots on either side of the line so you know where you want your "laces" to be. Mine were approximately 1/2" apart.

Poke your needle through all the dots, so it'll be easier to thread the embroidery floss through. Starting at the top, thread your floss through all the holes to make them look like laces. I went right to center, top to center, left to center, then onto the next row.

This is what the back look like, which you can cover with red paper or felt, if you like.

Write something witty on the front and your card is complete!

Ball #2 - The Baseball!
If you have a child, this is the easiest project I can think of. Baseball + ink pad + child's hand = lifelong memento. I recommend doing this if the child is a little older, though, as I tried doing this with my month-old nephew and it took three people to get his hand to open up enough to place on both the ink pad and the baseball, hence why it's a bit smudged. Still, it's the thought that counts, right?

Ball #3 - The Cookies!
Does your father have a sweet tooth? Make a batch of sugar cookies and top with royal icing (I made mine from scratch from this recipe on AllRecipes and they turned out ah-may-zing).

Once they're frosted and hardened (I let mine set overnight), take some red frosting (I cheated and used Wilton sparkle gel) and pipe on the laces. It's that easy!

Try not to eat these before giving them to your pops - maybe he'll be nice enough to share!

Ball #4 and a Home Run - The Snacks!
You can't go the ballgame without peanuts and Cracker Jacks! You can find both in your grocery store with the popcorn/peanuts/snacks. They make great filler in a box or a gift basket!

TOTAL COSTS: Depends on project
$.39 for embroidery floss from Michael's
$5.99 for baseball (3-pack from Toys 'R Us)
$1.99 for ink pad from Michael's
$2.99 for sugar cookie mix from Vons
$2.99 for red Wilton piping gel from Vons
$1.55 for 3 boxes of Cracker Jacks from Vons
$1.99 for peanuts from Vons

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: Depends on project
1 hour to make the card (however I was very picky as to the placement of the laces)
Less than 5 minutes to make the baseball handprint
Overnight + 10 minutes to bake + 30 minutes to decorate cookies

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): Depends on project
If I had to rate these, I'd say the baseball is the easiest to make, followed by the cookies and then the card. Overall, though, I'd say the hardest is a 3 out of 5. You just have to be patient and have a steady hand with all of these, but know that your dad will be amazed by your creativity and thoughtfulness!