This post and deal are sponsored by BabbaBox. Thanks, BabbaCo!

This month the cool people at BabbaCo are offering my readers 50% off the first box in a monthly or annual membership. Woot!

I love little girls who play in the mud and get dirty…in theory. In actuality, when my kid gets messy and sticky all I can think is, “DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING OMG!” This month’s BabbaBox was almost ALL messy crafts. And frankly, I put off doing it with Annie because of it. Finally Mike said, “Heather, it’s okay. She can get a little dirty and sticky.” Which was his nice way of saying, “Stop bein’ so crazy, girl!” So Annie and I tackled the box, which had an “art” theme this month.

First up, oil painting. We had oil crayons and you were supposed to smudge the paint to get that impressionist look. Smudge. Paint. With your fingers. Gah. Annie directed me to draw a pumpkin patch, and then we got to work…smudging.

smuding together

She was very proud of our pumpkin patch.

finished Pumpkin Patch drawing

Next up, painting a shirt to look like an Andy Warhol canvas. The box came with a kit to make your own fabric “stamp.” Annie told me to carve “an A for Annabel, and two stars and a little heart.”

making the pattern

Then you have to cover the stamp with fabric paint. Gulp.

painting the pattern

You press the stamp on the shirt…

putting the pattern on the shirt

…then pull the stamp off…

AMAZING

and repeat a few more times with different colors until you have your finished result. Eat your heart out, Warhol:

her finished shirt

The final craft was (thankfully) not sticky. We had a block of foam and some pipe cleaners, buttons, and feathers, and we got to create a sculpture. Annie loved it.

making a "sculpture"

IMG_9522

She hasn’t stopped playing with the finished product. She calls it her “house.”

proud of her sculpture

To redeem your 50% off coupon,  go to BabbaBox and enter SAM50OFF at checkout!