Dino Playboard and...

So, awhile back I was blown away by this awesome dino playland that Kaleen from At Second Street made. You can see it here. When we bought youngest some dinos for Christmas I wanted to make something to go along with it and I thought of her idea. However a suitcase was too big (and I didn't have one to use), so I decided to use a board instead.

I used a wooden board and made a smaller, easier to store version and here it is. Yes, it's not nearly as fancy as the one that Kaleen made but it'll work and it was made completely with stuff I had on hand.

I covered the board in grout left over from a bathroom project, and once dried I painted it. I sprinkled sand and painted over it to add some texture. I took a few rocks from the kids stash and hot glued them to the end, sticking some spanish moss in between the stones.

To make the "mountain" area I glopped up some grout and made a mound of it. I then hot glued some sand to the top once painted. I used green to make grass, and some grey and brown to vary it a bit. Very simple, but it'll work and I think that he'll enjoy this area to use for dino play.

On another note, I know I said I was done making ornaments but I couldn't resist showing this one. He's Frosty, isn't he super cute? I took three foam balls, covered them with hot glue and then stuck on quilt batting. His hat is made from black stacked buttons and his nose and arms are a twig from the backyard. I tied on a scrap of fabric and used white ric-rac for his hanging loop. I think he's perfect.

I was also drooling over some mercury glass ornaments I saw on a website. I love how aged and imperfect they are, and an idea popped up. I grabbed a plain gold glass bulb and took some sandpaper to it. The finish started coming off and it took on a great aged look. It's hard to tell in the picture, but if you click on it to enlarge you'll get an idea. This would really work with a darker ornament (like red, green or blue). Not mercury glass, but it's an improvement.

Please click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be sharing.

Four days until the birthday celebration...are you remembering to include the birthday boy in your thoughts and preparations?