Today’s craft comes to you from Laurel Smith of Mom’s Minivan, a site dedicated to providing you with a ton of road trip games and other resources for parents and kids. The original inspiration for this project is from her post ‘how to make a pirate treasure map’.
Laurel was kind enough to let me make a video out of this, so please show her some support and have a look at her site.
Here is a basic wrap up of what we did today:
Materials:
- Brown paper bag (from a grocery store)
- Permanent markers
- Scissors (optional)
- String or rubber band (in case you want to put the map in a bottle)
Cost:
This project cost me nothing to make. I already had the brown paper grocery bags, permanent markers, and scissors at the house.
Instructions:
Basically, you tear out the non-marked section of the bag, draw out your map, then saturate it with water and crumple it well. Once dry, you can use it immediately.
For full written instructions, please follow the link to MomsMinivan.com (above).
If you enjoyed this webisode, please tune back in next time where I will show you how to put together a crafting arsenal! We will discuss how to build up a good craft stock in order to facilitate future projects and be prepared for any rainy day that comes your way.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated! As always, feel free to leave comments or suggestions.
For your convenience, I answered some of the most common questions already:
~ No, the camera does NOT add 15 pounds, the holidays add 15 pounds.
~ Yes, I am looking into the best solution for reducing the glare from my nearly bald head.
~ Yes, I wet myself out of sheer terror was nervous making this.
This and future DC2 video can also be found on my YouTube channel.
About Brandon
OMG, I love it! Now loosen up dude, you’re awesome
Thank you. Really, thank you… talk about comfort zones? WAY out of mine on this, lol!
My favorite part? The answers to your FAQs. Hilarious.
Also, just realized I’m such a loser for not following you on Friend Connect already. It has been so hard to stay up with networking this week getting back to work, so I apologize for being such a sucky blogger/reader.
Good news: This comment is not calling you out!
Thanks, Laura, I had to do it…
No worries! Trust me, I completely understand how overwhelming things can get!
As for your good news? That just makes me want to throw you out there again, lol!
Thanks for stopping by!
It is good to step out of your comfort zone, growth happens. I think that kids tend to be better about it than adults.
Thanks man. I appreciate the support – this was scary! But it’s fun, and I get to do two things I love: spending time with the monkey, doing fun stuff and sharing cool things to do with others. Works for me!
Great video Brandon. I stink at crafts so all that folding would be tough. I never saw the washing or microwaving of the map coming. That is pretty cool though. I thought you did fine on the video. You were maybe a little nervous but that is understandable. Great job and thanks for the recommendation on Laura’s site. Will be checking it out now.
Thank you, Tim! I appreciate you taking the time out to watch.
Originally, I wanted to do tea stained paper, it looks much cooler, but it was way more in-depth. This works better in the long run, just for the durability.
Little nervous?! HA! No ‘little’ about it, lol!
Glad I was introduced to you. You are an awesome supporter. Really.
This is fantastic! I love the crafting, the family time and you totally rocked the vlog! Well done!
Thank you! I was looking for something that pulled me, the wife and kid(s), and the blogging together… this is sort of what happened!
I often look for that connection, too!
I think it’s important. Wouldn’t seem right to do a family man themed product without the family, lol!
Awesome job, Brandon! It is hard to talk in front of a camera…let alone remembering your lines!
Get ready for your close-up….because I see more of these in your future!
I never thought to use the microwave to dry crafts….thanks for that tip.
Thank you! Yeah, I will be doing this a few times… it will get better.
Be careful of the microwave… I used paper… no telling what it would do to other stuff! EEK!
Rock star.
I did something like this with The Cherubs a while back…we made it look weathered by crumpling it up. I also burned the edges of the map with a pocket lighter. I almost burned the stankin’ house down.
LOL! Yeah, the burning would help, but I would have probably done the same!
Love the idea of a video about doing crafts. This is great! So nice to put a voice to the voice, if you know what I mean. Felt like hanging out in your kitchen with you.
Well, you are welcome over anytime!
Thanks for stopping by!
Brandon! I love it! I feel honored that you chose my project for your first vlog episode. You did a great job, and you didn’t seem that nervous to me at all.
Take them on a long hike around your area while you “read” the map in order to draw out the suspense! When we staged our treasure map while my kids weren’t looking, they were beyond thrilled when they came upon this “real” treasure map hidden as a message in a bottle. The treasure its self was a stash of pirate bandannas and other fun piratey items.
Very fun. Great job. I hope your viewers enjoy. ~~Laurel
HEY! It’s you! I’m so glad you were able to watch (as painful as I’m sure it was, lol!)
Thank you for stopping by and for working with me!
***If you are just stopping by, Laurel is the inspiration and the lady behind Mom’s Minivan! (Did I mention that she’s been on PBS?!) Be sure to check out her site. It’s linked above!***
This is ridiculous! It took you 13 minutes to make a map out of paper? Look, in that same 13 minutes the kids and I would’ve been outside our tent with our iPhones and iPads in hand, found the treasure (yeah, there’s an app for that), and been back in time for a beer and a fire. Sheesh! I mean there wasn’t even GPS in that map you made!
Sure there was! It’s called a COMPASS! You know what’s even sadder than that? It took you 12 days to watch it!
Thanks for stopping by Josh.
(And, yes, I will be watching the time much closer in future episodes.)