Guest Post- Jen from imanimama.com: Bug Jug Craft

Today I have a dear friend of mine sharing a fun

DIY Project for some summer fun or as a gift or craft for a boy!

Jen from imanimama.com lived across the street from us( 2 houses ago)

and we have stayed in touch. We had babies together.. shared christmas morning breakfasts...

put our husbands to work helping each other with projects..

When I needed a million boxes for the girls' sweet shoppe party her home depot working hubby gave me the hook up by letting me know their trash compactor broke. true friends. ;)

She made up a really fun Craft Tutorial for you.. A Bug Jug!

My girls have a love hate relationship with bugs..

But I think they would totally be into this(contained bugs are ok).. ;)

I KNOW my nephews would love this!

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I’m super excited to be guest blogging for my good friend Natalie. Hi to all of you and thank so much for having me! My name is Jen and I blog over at imanimama.com, and am in the process of launching a fun little business called big {happy} wall.

Today I want to share a little craft tutorial. But not just any craft tutorial…a BOYS’ craft. Yeah, I know. They’re hard to come by, right?

Well this one is super cute and super easy and super…budget-friendly (cue the slow-clap). See, we (like many of you) are a single-income family. And we have lots and lots of kids in our world.

Lots of kids = lots of birthday parties. Oy VEY, are there a lot of parties! Personally, I think girl gifts are easier. Probably because I AM a girl. Boy gifts? Not so much. And a cool craftfor a boy? Fahgeddabahtit.

And then it hit me. Dirt. Outside. Bugs. YES!

So I made this sweet little Bug Jug, and now I’m all about sharing it with you.

I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos. Not a very good first impression of my photography skills, but with two kids getting all up in my personal space, I did what I could with an iPhone. LOL

Without further ado, I give you, The Bug Jug

Supplies (& what I paid for each item):

·       Craft bucket with handle ($4, craft store)

·       Tweezers ($1, dollar store)

·       Magnifying glass ($1, dollar store)

·       Rubber bug (50¢, craft store)

·       Preserved moss ($4, but I had enough to do 2 gifts!)

·       Butterfly net ($1, dollar store)

·       Twine (on hand)

·       Hammer + nail (on hand)

·       Hot glue gun (on hand)

·       Dirt, sticks and bark (on hand)

Total cost for 1 gift: $9.50 (you could get that price way down by preserving your own moss or using a smaller bucket)

Directions:

1. First thing’s first. A bug’s gotta breathe. Remove the lid from the bucket and place it on a hard surface that won’t break or get punctured by a nail (don’t say I didn’t warn you!). Hammer the nail through the lid in several places, creating small air holes for the critters. 

2.  When you’re done, you’ll notice that the backside of the lid has super sharp edges now, from the nail holes. No worries. Just tap those babies lightly with your hammer and it will smooth everything out.  3. Next, we need a way for the lid to stay put. Kids are forgetful, no? They lose things, and you KNOW you don’t need no creepy crawlies running around your house! String a bit of the twine through a hole in the lid, and secure it to the handle of the bucket.

4. Now that you have the lid secured, you can get creative with building the environment. I used preserved moss (from the floral section of a craft store), mulch pieces from our garden and sticks, and just hot glued everything down. Just be careful not to hot glue your finger (ouch…I still have a blister). Have fun with it…it’s a little bug playground!

6. To finish it all off, I popped the magnifying glass and tweezers into the bucket, and wrapped it all up with the butterfly net sticking out of the bag.

Oy, I really wish I had gotten better photos of all the steps, but like I said…the kiddos were cray-cray. But yay, when it’s all done, it’s so stinking cute! And? Huge success! Our little friend Noah loved it, as did his parents. And my little one? Well I got the vibe that I needed to make her one, too.

{in all my free time}

Have fun making little Bug Jugs for the boys (and girls!) in your life. Get creative…there is so much more you can do to customize a gift like this super quickly and inexpensively. Drop me a comment if you make one…I’d love to see pics!

Thanks again for having me, and I hope to

see you over at imanimama.com and big {happy} wall soon.

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Thanks Jen for the fun Craft!

It feels like just yesterday we were talking in the middle of the street after your water broke

and I took you and sean's photo before you went off to have your first sweetie!

Now look at us... we are juggling a babe in each arm!

and occasionally on our backs..legs..etc. ;)