Thursday, October 21, 2010

Aqua Gem Halloween Fun

 
Our mom went to a luncheon and saw the cutest game themed centerpieces. Small square vases were filled with game pieces and sat on a checkerboard. Our mom was commenting on how cute everything was and the ladies told her to feel inside the glass jar.  She was surprised to feel that it was full of tiny gel balls.  The gel balls helped to stabilize the game pieces but from afar gave the appearance of water.

We thought it was pretty cool so we headed off to Jo-Ann's to pick up some Aqua Gems.  They are about 5.00 a bag- but make a lot!  Have any of you tried these?
Add water and they start expanding!  I ended up filling about six good sized jars with two little bags. The longer they sit in water the larger they get...up to 1/2 inch in size.
The best part is.. the color won't bleed.  Say....if your 3 year old knocks them over...all you have to clean up is water and a gazillion balls! :)
We decided to fill our vases with scary little plastic creatures.  My boys were in heaven!
They thought this was the "coolest" craft we have ever made!
They couldn't keep their hands out!  The little balls shrink when left out of water and they had so much fun testing it out. 
**I do have to warn you**
If you have kids that are prone to sticking things up their nose...this little project may not be a good fit!
My older sons were teasing with some of the longer malformed balls, holding them up to their nose....you know...because they're green and all....while my three old was observing.
A little bit later I heard the three year old  say, "Look Mom!" 
"Honey...don't stick things up your nose!!!"
~Sniff~
Uh-Oh!!
Several sneezes later and some frantic crying the little green ball shot out!  It could have been much worse.
They feel so squishy and slimy...perfect for a Halloween party or haunted house.  At Jo-Ann's they also have waterproof tea lights to light up your aqua gems.  They were seventeen dollars for a pack....so I passed.  But they would be cool!   
 We made a little spider arrangement using some spray painted thrift store flowers
 and branches from the yard.
The brighter bugs I found at Walmart in the party favor section. 
My kids were so excited to fill the vases with creepy things and hunted the house down for extra eyeballs and spiders. I knew that plastic eyeball from the dentist office would come in handy!

The gems come in many colors, like orange and purple. We sound like an advertisement....but they are so much fun!  We love how they keep all the objects in place.

They are so fun I don't think YOU will be able to keep your hands out either! :)

Join us Saturdays at tatertotsandjello.com for the weekend wrap up party!

15 comments:

ScrappyWyf said...

Oh, this looks like fun!!! I can't wait to try it out for our Halloween party! Thanks. Now I have to hunt down the stuff!!!

Daisy said...

Love it! Such a great idea!

Adams Family Album said...

That is one of the coolest things I've ever seen! Gonna have to file it away for future use :) My sister will be getting married soon and I bet those would also make AWESOME centerpieces :) You guys are so great!

Sarah Crank said...

Love it! What an easy idea and it looks amazing!http://crankhappenings.blogspot.com

Cupcake Dessert said...

Love love love!!

Tracey said...

This is the coolest post ever. I have to go to Jo-Anns before next week.

JC's Loft said...

Oh how fun!

Carri said...

That is such a fun idea!

Amy A said...

Stopping by from Tatertots and Jello, this looks like a lot of fun! Great holiday idea!

Our Hopeful Home said...

My kids would love this! Found you on TT&J.

Marina said...

That is so cool! What a great idea!

Jenny(momtofive) said...

I work at a florist/home decor shop. We use them all the time. They are also called Deco Beads. We use the clear beads moslty, and they come as cubes.(think ice cubes) They are fun to work with for wedding decorating etc...

Love how you have used them!

Anonymous said...

I love this idea. I've been needing something like this for my eyeball vases! Thanks! Jennifer

Stephanie said...

We have some of these in several colors. I have the yellow ones up on my mantel right now in a poison ingrediant jar. I can't decide what I am going to call them, but they could be eye of newt or snake eggs or something else.

Unknown said...

So cute! thanks for sharing.

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