As a result, we only got one craft done. We decorated flip-flops. I'll show you how cute they are first, and then we'll talk about how durable they are.
The boys glued these lizards onto their flip-flops. They really seemed to like them!
The girls made big flowers for their flip-flops from craft foam, my Cuttlebug, and my scallop circle Nestabilities. I manned the Cuttlebug, but it still generated a lot of interest -- even from the boys! Pictured above are the flowers on a little girl's flip-flops.
Here are the flowers on a regular-sized girl's flip-flops. (Since when did my 9- and 11-year-old nieces get feet larger than mine??)
The kids really, really liked them. I did, too. Until the decorations started to fall (or peel) off. All the online instructions say to use a low-temp glue gun, so that's what I started with. When that didn't work, I switched to a high-temp glue gun (I was dispensing the glue). And when that didn't work, I brought out the big guns - E6000, the industrial-strength glue that will even hold heavy glass items together. It's a lot like Gorilla Glue.
I was certain that would hold them, and I left them clamped with clothespins through the night. We needed the flip-flops for the beach the next day, so I pulled the clothespins off the next morning ... and the decorations were falling off in no time.
I was more than a little irritated since these flip-flops are sold specifically for crafting purposes. Something is supposed to hold things onto them, but I have no idea what that might be. In short, I wouldn't recommend trying to decorate them. Feel free to comment if you've had success with any glues on this style of flip-flops.
The day was enjoyable, craft failures aside. The kids played together very well.
My sister and I had to make a run to the store for hand soap, tea bags and a few other necessities. On our way back, my sister asked about our favorite local thrift store, Harvest Ministries. We stopped in quickly, and we both walked out with more than we could have ever hoped for!
My sister got a Bob the Builder tent (the kind with PVC-type poles) and several pair of name-brand jeans for her boys for less than $5. I'm pretty sure she got something else, but I can't remember what at the moment.
I struck gold with craft supplies. Some lady had gotten rid of all of her craft supplies, and I was able to purchase adorable clay molds and soap molds for $0.25 each. I'll have to share a picture sometime (maybe later today, if I remember).
The things that excited me the most, though, were the 2-lb blocks of glycerin soap, still brand-new in their packaging. I had priced that very same soap at Michaels the week before, wanting to make some cute soaps for the kids (for Cousin Camp) in the hopes that it would remind them to wash their hands and face more often during the week. It was $10 for a 2-lb block of soap, and I just couldn't justify it after the t-shirt fiasco. So I left it, thinking maybe I could do it next year.
Well, thanks to Harvest Ministries, I can -- and it only cost me $0.50 for each 2-lb block of soap!! (They had two, and I got both.) If I'm figuring my math correctly, that's about 95% off. :)
Stay tuned tomorrow for details of our trip to Assateague on Thursday!
2 comments:
This is the second year I have been reading about your cousin camp. It sounds like a really fun thing to do. Its so nice to see families getting together.
I have also enjoyed reading about your shopping finds. I have figured out we live on the same penninsula. Now I am trying to pinpoint where some of the shops are, especially Harvest Ministries. Is it De, Md or Va?
I'm looking forward to reading some more of your blog.
Harvest Ministries is in DE, but just barely. You're pretty good at detective work! :)
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