Categories
Craft crafts Infant/Toddler Learning Kindergarten Age Toddler and Preschool Age Fun Toddler and Preschool Age Learning

Fall Crafts for Kids – Handprint Leaves

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You guys, fall is RIGHT around the corner. Can you believe it? That means it’s time to get started on our fall crafts for kids!

I love so many things about fall. Bonfires, the smell of October, crisp fall air, and the falling leaves in bright colors are just a few of my favorite things. My all-time favorite part, however, is making memories with my kids.

Fall is the perfect time for family traditions and fun. Doing crafts is something we do for each season or holiday, so of course, there will be fall-inspired crafts.

This handprint leaves craft is one I first did years ago. I loved it so much I started doing it every year. I love seeing how much the kids’ hands have grown each year, and I can update their scrapbooks with the handprint leaves.

How to Make Handprint Leaves With Kids

This is a super simple craft that you can do with kids of every age. The required materials are minimal, and there isn’t much mess involved.

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Required Materials:

Directions:

  1. Begin with a blank piece of white paper.
  2. Using a clean paintbrush, paint the child’s hand orange.
  3. Quickly and firmly place the child’s hand flat onto the white paper.
  4. Carefully lift their hand, being careful not to smear the handprint leaf.
  5. Repeat steps 2-4 for the red paint and yellow paint.
  6. Allow the paint to dry.
  7. Using a thin paintbrush and brown paint (or a brown marker) draw the stem lines onto the leaves.

What Do You Think?!

Tell me what you think of this easy fall craft! Which fall crafts do you plan to do with your kiddos?

Share pictures of your fall crafts for kids in the comments! Feel free to drop a link to your fall craft blog posts in the comments, too! I’d love to see them!

Check out other fall crafts and activities by clicking the following links:

Simple Fall Handprint Crafts for Kids

Easy Fall Sensory Bin With Dyed Rice

Foil Printed Fall Art For Kids

Fall Bucket List – Free Printable 

Other Important Fall Tasks

While we’re on the topic of kids and fall, I want to remind you to label all of your child’s coats, jackets, snow pants, and anything else they might lose. I’ve spent too much time and money looking for or replacing these items, so I label them each year. If you want a label that will last, I urge you to visit dutchlabelshop.com. They offer custom labels that you can sew onto your child’s clothing and outdoor gear. You can even choose a label with your child’s photo.

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Categories
Adulting

How To Regain Control Of Your Wellbeing Amidst COVID-19

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Image Credit – Pixabay CC0 License

Let’s face it; COVID-19 has taken its toll on all of our lives. Even if you haven’t been directly affected by the virus, the lockdown and social distancing rules have disrupted your year. Now is the time to regain control of your life situation once and for all. 

The key is to build a winning strategy that focuses on the main areas where the restrictions have caused problems. To regain control here’s all you need to know:

Maintaining A Social Life

We all have a responsibility to take care of ourselves and others in relation to the virus. Unless you fall into the greatest risk category, though, small social gatherings are ideal. Wine and painting parties are a great example of activities that can provide hours of fun and entertainment.

It’s safer than hitting public spaces while you still get to spend time with loved ones. While the video calls and quizzes were fun at the start of the lockdown, real contact is essential. Just be sure to do it in the safest manner.

Maintaining Your Health

COVID-19 has put medical teams under a lot of stress, while various health centers have been forced to close or run limited services. However, those challenges cannot stop you from gaining the support needed to maintain your health. Video GP appointments allow you to diagnose any problems that may have surfaced.

Meanwhile, great quality eyeglasses are the best solution when you’re unable to get to the eye doctor for replacing your broken pair. The simple solution will make a big impact on your life.

Maintaining Your Look

Looking good has a telling impact on your overall wellness. Some of the health-related items can certainly boost your appearance as a byproduct. Still, you must not forget to invest in your look.

Salon quality nail kits are a great way to gain an instant improvement. Meanwhile, a new hairstyle can work wonders too. Additional steps, such as buying new clothes or revamping the outfits you already possess, are equally rewarding.

When you look good, you feel good. Do not ignore it any longer.

Maintaining Fitness Levels

Good fitness levels can feed into each of the two points above. However, even if you’re not bothered about body image, it’s vital that you stay active. All of us are forced to spend more time at home than usual, and it has seen a reduction in step counts.

Whether it’s cycling, running, or playing sports under the right conditions is up to you. Either way, keeping your fitness levels high is vital in this testing time. Besides, if you allow them to slide right now, it’ll be difficult to rediscover them later on.

Maintaining Sleep Patterns

Sleep patterns are the foundation of a winning lifestyle. Not only do they account for a third of your life, but they also influence everything from your mood to energy levels. The strange routines will threaten your sleep patterns, but you can fight back against these issues.

Preparing your body for sleep and avoiding the blue light of smartphone screens before bed will bring quick changes. Once you have rediscovered a healthy approach to sleep, your entire life will feel under control. Perfect. 

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Categories
Gifts Holiday Kindergarten Age Learning Parenting Toys and Games

12 of The Best Board Games for Kids: Meaningful Gift Ideas

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I don’t know about you, but I start my Christmas shopping in August. With five kids, it’s essential to begin early and to make sure all my gift plans are in place. My kids love games, so I have been researching the best games for kids.

While I know some of the games they would enjoy, there are so many games out there that I have never heard of. I like to buy games for kids that help develop their skills, and all of the games in this post are ones that do just that.

This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.

Best Games for Kids

1. Race to the Treasure

I love this game because instead of playing against one another, the kids work together to beat an ogre to a treasure. While playing Race to the Treasure, kids will learn strategy, math concepts, making decisions as a team, and cooperation.

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2. 5 Second Rule Jr.

This is a family-friendly version of the 5 Second Rule adult game. When playing 5 Second Rule Jr., kids will read a card and give an answer within 5 seconds. Since it involves quick thinking, funny answers are bound to happen.

With good laughs and light-hearted fun, this game is perfect for family bonding time. If the child can’t quite read yet, playing on teams is fun, too.

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3. Pie Face Showdown

Pie Face is such a fun game, even if it is a little messy. The original game involved players passing the whipped cream covered hand around the table and turning the crank, hoping to not get hit in the face with whipped cream.

Pie Face Showdown is an upgraded version of the original. This one requires two players to both have their faces in front of a whipped cream covered hand. The players have to push their buttons faster to make the whipped cream hit their opponent.

4. Guess Who?

Guess Who is a classic, and it’s one of my favorites. Each player has a card with a person on it, and their opponent has to figure out which character the other one has. The first to figure out their opponent’s character wins the game.

The way you eliminate characters is by asking descriptive questions. These questions can be “Is your person wearing a hat?”, “Does your person have a mustache?”, or anything else that can help eliminate characters and lead you to your opponent’s character.

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5. Buggaloop

This game features a Hexbug that crawls underneath the “backyard” (the game board). It can climb vertically, horizontally, turn corners, and go through loops and tubes. You have to try and get your game piece all the way across the board before the Hexbug appears and takes you out.

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6. Uno

This simple classic card game is perfect for kids because it teaches so many things at once. Color and number matching, taking turns, and paying attention are all skills they can develop while playing.

I play this game often with my 3 and 4-year-old, as well. The only change I make is that we can see each other’s cards so that I can help as needed.

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7. Rush Hour Jr.

To play this game, kids will shift vehicles out of the way to clear a path to the exit. There are 40 levels, allowing for endless fun and brain stimulation. Rush Hour Jr. can help improve logical and spatial reasoning, planning skills, and problem-solving.

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8. Operation

Another classic, the game of Operation has stood the test of time. Kids love this game, no matter which era they were born in.

It helps develop fine motor skills as kids use tweezers to remove ailments from the patient’s body. If the child misses and hits the side of the opening, the game buzzes, and the patient’s nose lights up. The player who can remove the most ailments wins.

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9. Ravensburger Labyrinth

I am so excited to get this game for my son for Christmas. The game changes each time you play it because the tiles move. This ensure that the child won’t get bored with it, since it’s pretty much a different game each time.

They will move their piece around the board, working their way to a treasure. On each turn, the child will also have the chance to change the path of the maze. It’s the perfect game to teach strategy.

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10. No Stress Chess

This game offers a chance to teach kids how to play chess with little frustration on their part. It comes with a deck of cards that teach the rules of the game and strategies that should be used.

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11. Skillmatics Educational Game: Brain Games

This is a game that is fun for the whole family, as the age range is from 6-99 years. It teaches thinking and reasoning, plus logic and problem-solving skills. As the game is played, the boards can be wiped off and done again.

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12. SpringFlower Sight Word Game

My son isn’t a huge fan of working on his sight words the traditional way. I’m always looking for new activities to help him learn them. When I found this game, I was so excited. I only wish I had come across it sooner!

The kids will use the fly swatters to smack the appropriate sight word when it is called out. It’ll help them recognize the word more quickly, and it’ll be fun, helping to commit it to memory.

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Final Thoughts on 12 of The Best Games for Kids

With as much as my kids love games, I always want to choose the ones that they will love. The best games for kids are the ones that offer a learning opportunity or help develop skills.

What are some of the games your kids love? Do you have any games for kids that you want to buy as a Christmas gift this year? Leave me a comment and let me know! I’d love to hear about it.

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Posts Related to the Best Games for Kids

Categories
Craft crafts Infant/Toddler Learning Toddler and Preschool Age Fun Toddler and Preschool Age Learning

Paper Plate Sunflower Craft – An Easy Craft For Kids

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I don’t know about you, but sunflowers just make me happy. They remind me of long, sunny, relaxing summer days. That is why I decided a paper plate sunflower craft was the perfect one for us this week.

How to Make This Easy Sunflower Craft

Materials

Directions

1. Cut out the petals.

I created a template for this so that we would have the correct shape. You can cut them out without a template, but I always need a guide. There are three different sizes for the petals because the petals on a real sunflower are always different sizes.

I printed the template onto white paper and then cut the leaves out. Then, I traced the cut outs onto a piece of yellow construction paper. Once I had covered the construction paper with traced sunflower petals, I began to cut.

I didn’t cut just one yellow page at a time. Instead, I put five pieces of yellow construction paper in a small stack and cut through them all at once.

sunflower petals template, sunflower template

2. Glue the petals to the paper plate.

You will want to put the paper plate upside down for this part. Glue the petals to the edges of the bottom of the paper plate so that they stick out from the back when you look at the front. Do this all the way around the plate.

3. Cut out squares of yellow paper and glue them to the center of the plate.

Glue small squares of yellow paper all over the middle of the plate on the front. This will be the yellow center of the sunflower.

4. Make black dots on the yellow center to show the seeds.

Use a marker to make random black dots all over the yellow squares in the center of the plate. These are supposed to represent the sunflower seeds.

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What do You Think About This Paper Plate Sunflower Craft?

This paper plate sunflower craft was so easy, and the kids loved it. Plus, it’s super cute so I can hang it up for a while!

What crafts have you been doing with your kids lately? Tell me about it in the comments!

Categories
Adulting Wine

What Are the Benefits of Wine and Painting Parties?

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Art is one of the oldest types of human communication and is a popular way to unwind. Wine and painting parties offer a great chance to learn how to express yourself artistically while enjoying a glass or two of wine.

In addition to having fun at wine painting Denver parties, there also are the following benefits:

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Boosts Your Emotional Health

Many noted experts have talked about the many benefits of art therapy to help with stress, depression, and anxiety. Paining classes provide you a safe and non-judgemental place where you can put your energy into your artwork and release tensions. Many people also find that they can effectively express their emotions through painting, which is highly therapeutic.

Makes People Appreciate Art More

People who have wine and painting classes or parties can make enjoying art and its history a lot of fun. If you are at an event with a knowledgeable person, they may talk about the type of artwork they are doing, as well as the artists that inspire their work. You can be encouraged to take part in more art-related activities. This provides a lot of personal enrichment.

Increases Self-Confidence

Many people may feel self-conscious about their artistic ability and may feel they do not have the ability to create something memorable. Wine and painting disprove this idea by being for everyone and intended to be enjoyed by people with many levels of skill in art. You will feel a sense of self-confidence and pride as you finish your piece.

Improves Your Fine Motor Skills

Learning to hold and use a paintbrush properly helps to regulate wrist and hand movements. It also helps with the connection between your brain and muscles. This is helpful for older adults as well as people who have health problems that affect fine motor skills.

Helps Socialization

Painting as you enjoy wine helps you to relax and talk to other people at the event. Those who go to these parties or classes alone often find it a breeze to make new friends. Those who go with friends find doing wine and painting classes and parties as a way to improve their current friendships.

Improves Your Mood

Creating art has many benefits, including on your happiness. Painting has been shown to make people live happier lives. Those who get involved in art are more likely to feel good about themselves. Also, think about the sense of pride that will flow through you when you finish an artwork!

In our face-paced world where there never seems to be enough time to get everything done, it is helpful to have a fun activity that gives you the chance to finish something memorable.

Helps with Concentration and Healing

People who work on paintings tend to enter a purer space where, in a strong state of concentration, they can make time pass without being aware of it. Physical pain often fades; many say it is almost like entering another dimension without leaving the body.

This is a concentration state that is called Alpha. One part of your brain is conscious while the other part is bringing the unconscious out. There is a higher level of creating because energy is being put into what is created. It is possible to spend hours on a piece and not get tired. Drinking wine while you paint can make you even more creative.

There are many benefits to wine and painting parties and classes that millions of people have come to enjoy in the last few years. Give it a try and you will see just how fun and beneficial wine and painting can be!

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Categories
Parenting Teenager

World Emoji Day – Do You Know What These Popular Emojis Really Mean?

World Emoji Day, What emojis really mean, what emojis mean to teenagers, online safety

July 17th is World Emoji Day, so what better way to celebrate than learning all about what these popular emojis mean when teenagers use them! As a mom (step-mom, whatevs) to a 16 and 12-year-old, I’m always trying to keep up with what they are talking about.

Emojis made this especially hard because what they meant to my teen and pre-teen was completely different than what they meant to me. This made for some awkward text conversations when I sent something innocent and they got offended. Oops.

Anyway, our teenager was kind enough to fill us in on some of these. Other ones I had to learn on Google. I put together this useful guide to help you understand what your teenager is saying when they use emojis.

What These Popular Emojis Mean

🐍 The snake emoji can indicate a real snake, or it can be an insult. Used as an insult, this character means that someone is being a backstabber, deceitful, or duplicitous.

🍆 An eggplant emoji is sometimes used to reference male genitalia. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it used to represent an actual eggplant, honestly.

🍑 The peach represents a butt. To be honest, I don’t think it’s even shaped like a peach, so I’m sure the butt representation was intended all along.

❄️ When a snowflake is used when it’s not winter, it’s likely an insult. This insult means that someone believes they are more unique than they are, feels entitled, or is overly-emotional. It also indicates that someone is easily offended and unable to accept opinions that are different from their own.

💨 I always thought this emoji was smoke, but I found it in the ‘nature’ section so maybe it’s supposed to be wind. Either way, teenagers use this emoji to represent vaping.

🐸 A frog means something or someone is ugly. This emoji is never a good sign unless you’re talking about a real frog.

🎥🍿❄️ If you see these three emojis together, it means Netflix and chill….. and we all know what that means.

It can be hard to keep up with our teenagers in a world that offers them so many communication methods. One of the best ways to get around that struggle is to understand their forms of communication. Then, you’ll be able to watch for red flags and keep your child safe on the internet.

Check Out This Emoji Book to Learn More

This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.

What Emoji Did I Miss?

I didn’t cover even close to enough emojis in this blog post! Do you know any hidden meanings of your teen’s favorite emojis? Tell me about it in the comments!

Before I go, I want to share my favorite emoji (no hidden meaning here!). I love this 🤣 laughing emoji because I’m always laughing and telling jokes. It also reminds of me Cartman from South Park, but I think that’s just me.

What’s your favorite emoji? Tell me about that in the comments, too!

World Emoji Day, What emojis really mean, what emojis mean to teenagers
World Emoji Day, What emojis really mean, what emojis mean to teenagers

P.S. Check Out This Blog Post to Help Keep Your Teen Safe Online

Teenager Cell Phone Contract

Categories
Craft crafts Infant/Toddler Learning Toddler and Preschool Age Fun Toddler and Preschool Age Learning

Tear Art – Little Red Riding Hood

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This tear art based on the book Little Red Riding Hood was so much fun for my daughter! It was easy, allowed her to be creative, and can be done over and over again with different books. Before I get into the details of that craft, let’s catch up!

I hope you are all having an amazing summer! I know things are a little different this year since lots of things are closed/canceled. Plus, the things that aren’t canceled or closed likely have new rules and guidelines to follow.

It definitely takes some getting used to, but we’re still enjoying all of our favorite activities! We’ve spent a lot of time at the Lake (Lake Michigan is our favorite), and spent time exploring places we’ve never been before.

The kids have loved it and they haven’t even complained about missing out on things we would normally do.

It’s been rainy here lately, though, so we have been stuck inside a little more than we’d like. That’s been fine, though, because it gives us plenty of time for reading stories and making crafts.

Little Red Riding Hood Tear Craft

My daughter is obsessed with wolf stories, which has been a theme for her for more than a year now. Lately, we’ve been reading Little Red Riding Hood over and over again.

So, when she wanted to read it for the fourth time in a row the other day, I came up with a better idea. We decided to make a craft based on the book! I love to do that anyway, so this was a perfect time.

My little lady is currently grounded from scissors (a few too many mishaps with her hair, her Barbie’s hair, and now her toy horse’s hair… along with clothes and anything else she found). I wanted to stick to my guns on this one, so we settle for tear art.

Tear crafts are awesome anyway because they help with fine motor skills and using pinching skills. This one was even more fun because we had to copy the book while tearing our paper.

Plus, when you do a craft based on a book, it will help the child remember the book better. That means, if there are any lessons involved in the book, the child will remember those better, too.

Materials:

Directions:

  • Read the book
  • Choose a part your child wants to re-create
  • Gather the necessary colors of construction paper
  • Begin tearing out the shapes
  • Glue them to the paper
  • Use crayons, a pen, or a marker to add final details if necessary
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Use Tear Art to Occupy Kids While You Work From Home

So, I’ll be completely honest here. One of the reasons I’m trying to get my kids to enjoy tear art based on books is because I often work from home. As many of you are probably realizing, working from home when you have kids is incredibly difficult.

I did this craft with my daughter, but I’m hoping that it’ll help her stay occupied on her own when I’m working. Since the materials are basic, you’ll be able to feel comfortable that your child won’t hurt themselves without your guidance.

They can choose any book they want, even ones they haven’t read before. This opens the door to so many ideas and possibilities. You’ll be able to suggest tear art next time your kids are bugging you while you are busy with work.

Your kids don’t have to only create the characters in the book, either. They can re-create the scenery or any other aspect of the book. I think rainbows and other nature-related themes would be so much fun to re-create!

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Final Thoughts on Tear Art – Little Red Riding Hood

This is a craft that kids of all ages can do. They get to use their creativity to create what they are seeing in the book.

It doesn’t matter how close your child (or yourself) gets to an exact re-creation. Just going through this process will help them remember the book and the lessons it has taught.

It’ll also keep your kids busy for a while, and they can do this craft without scissors.

What book would you want to recreate with your child? Tell me about it in the comments!

Check out this similar craft:

Big Bad Wolf Paper Plate Craft

Categories
Adulting Life Organization Printables

2020 Calendar Printables – Free!

Hey guys! I have definitely been slacking on posting regular blog posts since the quarantine started! So, to make up for it, I’m giving you guys free 2020 calendar printables for the rest of the year!

Am I the only one who feels like they can’t keep up even though we’re home literally all of the time? I hope not, because I’ve been SO overwhelmed. Between working from home and having all of the kids home, it’s been chaotic around here.

I’ve honestly been enjoying it, though. We’ll likely never get another chance to be home with our families for so long. I’m trying to embrace every minute of it, although that’s easier said than done.

Even though I’ve been feeling overwhelmed, I have still been super productive in other ways. These 2020 calendar printables are one instance of my productivity. Normally I’m making them the week before the month begins!

Free Calendar Printables

Alright, here are the next seven months worth of 2020 calendar printables. No download necessary, you can just right click and save the image. Feel free to share them with everyone you know, too! 🙂

June 2020 calendar printable free, free 2020 calendar printables
July 2020 calendar printable free, free 2020 calendar printables
August 2020 calendar printable free, free 2020 calendar printables
September 2020 calendar printable free, free 2020 calendar printables
October 2020 calendar printable free, free 2020 calendar printables
November 2020 calendar printable free, free 2020 calendar printables
December 2020 calendar printable free, free 2020 calendar printables

Use The Calendar Printables For Many Purposes

The reason I make my own calendar printables rather than just buying a calendar is because I use them for multiple purposes.

Each month, I print four copies of the same calendar. I use one to track our monthly bills, then another to track my blog schedule. The third copy is to keep track of parenting time, and the fourth is to plan dates with parents.

I’ve been thinking about doing a 5th calendar to keep track of freelance writing deadlines and things for my regular job. I keep all of these inside of page protectors in a small binder to stay organized.

What would you use the 2020 calendar printables for? Which one is your favorite? My favorite is definitely July! Drop a comment and let me know. 🙂

Categories
Adulting Guest Post How To Life Wine

Alternative Methods of Opening Wine Without a Corkscrew

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You are so excited to attend your best friend’s party! You arrived early to help prepare and set up. However, while doing an inventory of needed party materials, you realized something: your friend doesn’t have a corkscrew! And the party will start soon! What should you do?

In times like these, creativity is your greatest asset. You must find a solution – not drinking the wine is not an option. We will tackle some methods of opening wine without a corkscrew to prepare for similar problems in the future.

Before we start, let us first review how a typical corkscrew works.

Steps in Opening a Wine Bottle Using a Corkscrew

Typically, opening wine only requires two materials: a bottle of wine and a corkscrew. The most popular type of corkscrew is called a waiter’s key. To open the wine, you need to:

  • First, remove the foil or the covering. Place the knife part of the corkscrew underneath the bottle’s lip. Turn the bottle to slice the foil and then remove the cover foil.
  • Push the corkscrew through the middle of the cork and turn clockwise. Stop when most of the corkscrew has penetrated the cork.
  • Pull the handle until half of the cork is out of the bottle.
  • Repeat if necessary.
  • Pull the cork until only a small part remains in the bottle.
  • Using your hand, pull the cork out.

The instructions above are quite easy to follow. But what if you don’t have a corkscrew? What can you do?

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Other Ways to Open a Wine Bottle

Opening wine without a corkscrew will require different materials. Take note of them in the list below:

  • Use a screw, screwdriver, and hammer
  • Get a long screw and using a screwdriver, screw it to the cork. Stop pushing when you only have around one inch of the screw visible. Pull out the cork using the claw (the backside) of the hammer. This method requires a little strength, so you better prepare.
  • Use a wooden spoon
  • You can use the handle of a spoon to push the cork until it goes inside the bottle. You’ll need to hold the bottle steady, as it can easily slip using this method.
  • Open it with a bike pump
  • Punch the needle through the cork until it reaches beyond the cork. Then pump air and watch the cork move out from the bottle.
  • Use a serrated knife or keys
  • Opening wine without a corkscrew is also possible if you have keys or a serrated knife. Push the knife or keys into the cork at an angle (around 45 degrees). Then move the item in a circular motion, slowly removing the cork. After a few rounds, the cork will come out.
  • Use a towel and the wall
  • Wrap the bottom of the bottle with a towel and then hit it repeatedly against a wall. Use just enough strength to move the cork but be careful with the glass bottle. Continue until the cork slides out of the bottle, and you can pull it free. Practice caution when using this method. You don’t want to break the bottle, so make sure you form an adequate cushion with the towel before hitting the wall.
  • Use a shoe
  • If you’re afraid of using the wall, you can use a shoe to slap the wine’s bottom. However, before doing this, you must wrap the wine bottle with a towel and then place it upside down between your legs. Continue slapping until you notice the cork sliding out of the bottle.

Now, you know some techniques used to open wine bottles without a corkscrew. If ever you find yourself missing a corkscrew, then you can utilize one of the above techniques.

This guest post was written by Bill Marcia at Stags’ Leap Winery.

You can follow Stags’ Leap Winery on social media at:
https://twitter.com/stagsleapwines https://www.facebook.com/stagsleapwinery https://www.instagram.com/stagsleapwinery/ https://www.youtube.com/user/StagsLeapWinery

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Adulting For the Home Home How To

How to Paint Countertops

With Giani Countertop Paint Kit

With Giani Countertop Paint Kit

Since we moved into our home 7 years ago, we’ve been living with terribly ugly orange countertops. It’s been the thing I hated most about our home, but it’s always gotten put on the back burner for more important things. We’ve read about how to paint countertops but were always a little skeptical.

We weren’t sure how it would turn out. Plus, since we have five kids at home, we needed something easy because we couldn’t have our kitchen out of commission for too long.

We’ve been spending so much time at home during quarantine that curiosity finally got the best of us. I figured that anything was better than the orange countertops we’d been living with.

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Sooo…

Painting our countertops was easier than I thought it would be! It took around a total of four hours to complete over the course of two days. The best part is that it doesn’t look awful! I actually really like it.

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How to Paint Countertops

1. Order the kit

After researching multiple options, we decided to go with the Giani Countertop Paint Kit. This is the one that had the best reviews and outcomes, plus it was easier to use than other options.

The kit contains:

  • A 16-ounce can of primer
  • 6 ounces of mineral colors paint
  • 16 ounces of topcoat
  • A Giani sponge
  • A foam brush
  • A roller handle
  • 2 roller covers
  • A practice board
  • Step-by-step instructions

This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.

2. Prep your countertops

Your countertops should be smooth before you being. If there are any chips or uneven edges, you should fill them in. Next, sand your entire countertop lightly to make sure that everything can adhere to it.

3. Roll on the primer

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This part was pretty crazy because we had black countertops for eight hours. That’s when I knew there was no going back.

4. Sponge on the color

Each color kit is different. We used the White Diamond kit, so we first sponged on gray. After the gray dried, we sponged white on top of it. This is the part that took the most time.

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The other color options for when you paint countertops include:

5. Roll on the topcoat

We did two coats of this. It was easy and dried quickly. They do recommend that you avoid putting small appliances on the counter top for three days.

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Final Thoughts On How to Paint Countertops With Giani Countertop Paint Kit

This countertop paint kit was great. I’m mad that I didn’t do it sooner, actually. It was easy enough that anyone can do it, and it looks so good!

Now we need to paint the cabinets!

Have you ever used a countertop paint kit or have you thought about using one? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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