Do your kids or students love to play secret spy agent or detective? Children seem to love sneaking around spying on people or completing secret missions. Whether it be to save the World, stop a criminal or solve a mystery, pretend to be a secret agent is tons of fun! This detective puzzle for kids is a FREE printable

seen: encrypted invitations I still love encrypted messages and think any child would have a party just opening this invitation-- the ...

**Consider yourself pretty special that you're allowed to view this SECRET AGENT BIRTHDAY OPERATION. You see, only SECRET AGENTS were invited to my 11 year old's SPY THEMED PARTY. (Cue the James Bond theme song...) Invitations were sent to the special SECRET AGENTS. They read as follows: YOUR SECRET MISSION, IF YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, IS TO HELP CELEBRATE THE 11TH BIRTHDAY OF AGENT JACOB ALL SECRET AGENTS MUST REPORT TO THE SPY TRAINING CENTER (aka-jacob's home) SPY TRAINING WILL INCLUDE: MESSAGE DECODING BOMB DISABLING TARGET PRACTICE SEARCH OPTICS SPECIAL OPERATIONS PLEASE NOTIFY THE SPY AGENCY (aka-jacob's parents) WITH YOUR INTENTIONS. THE TRAINING CENTER WAS SET UP... APPROPRIATE SPY COLORS WERE DECIDED ON... RED AND BLACK. WAITING AT EACH PLACE SETTING WAS: *BLACK T-SHIRT (every spy must wear black.) *MAGNIFYING GLASSES like these: *NOTEBOOKS(mini spiral) *DARK SHADES THE PLAY ROOM WAS SET UP WITH LOTS OF PRACTICE TARGETS. WE HUNG BALLOONS FROM THE CEILING. A LAMINATE BOARD WAS PROPPED UP. VINYL CIRCLES WERE STUCK ON THE BOARD FOR TARGETS. BOMB CAKE WAS ASSEMBLED. (It almost killed me, but that's what bombs do, right?) I used a sports ball cake pan and covered the entire thing with marshmallow fondant. The knob on top is fondant and the fuse is black licorice. THE SNACKS WERE ARRANGED. (The Birthday party was in the afternoon, so no meal was needed. Gotta love that!) SNACKS INCLUDED: CHEETOS aka- LASER HOT BULLETS GRAPES aka- EXPLOSIVES SLIM JIM SAUSAGE STICKS aka- DYNAMITE STICKS FORTUNE COOKIES aka- UNDERCOVER SECRET MESSAGES (I hid clues in the fortune cookies and sealed the packages back up with my iron...crazy, I know...but it worked!) DRINKS- CAPRI SUN aka- PACKETS OF ADRENALINE AND OF COURSE THE BOMB CAKE! JUNIOR MINT CANDIES WERE USED ON THE PLATTER. THE AGENDA WAS MADE AND THE AGENTS ARRIVED! FIRST: DRESS CODE AND PHOTO OPS. (I set up a black photo booth to capture their spy poses.) NEXT: DECIPHERING CODES MY SON IS REALLY INTO CODE MAKING. HE MADE ALL KINDS OF CODES FOR HIS FRIENDS TO FIGURE OUT. SOME OF THE CODES WERE A BIT TRICKY, SO MY SON HAD TO EXPLAIN HIMSELF...BUT EVENTUALLY ALL WERE CRACKED. NEXT: LASER BEAM TRAINING RED CREPE PAPER TAPED BETWEEN CABINETS= LASER BEAMS! EACH TIME THEY WENT THROUGH THE BEAMS, WE ADDED MORE LASERS. WE WERE SHOCKED THAT THESE 'AGENTS' LOVED THIS SIMPLE ACTIVITY! THEY WANTED TO DO THIS OVER AND OVER. NEXT: BOMB DISABLING WE HID A SECRET CLUE IN ONE OF THE BALLOONS. THE AGENT'S JOB WAS TO 'DISABLE' (POP) ALL THE 'BOMBS' (BALLOONS)AND FIND THE CLUE. (I had the grandparents help throw the bombs on the kids.) I should mention that all the clues were typed in 2pt. font which had to be read by their magnifying glasses. (You've got to challenge these kids every now and then, right?) THIS WAS THE CLUE INSIDE THE BOMB: CLUE #1: YOU MUST WORK AS A TEAM TO LOCATE THE MISSING AMMUNITION. AGENT BLAKE MUST RETRIEVE AND READ THE FIRST CLUE LOCATED INSIDE HIS GOODIE BAG. (I wanted them to work as a team, yet make sure everyone got a chance to read the clues.) INSIDE THE GOODIE BAG: CLUE #2: BRRR! CHICKEN. AGENT DILLON MUST READ THE NEXT CLUE. INSIDE THE FREEZER: CLUE #3: ACE, JACK, QUEEN, KING AGENT AKSHAY MUST READ THE NEXT CLUE. INSIDE THE DECK OF CARDS LOCATED IN THE GAME BIN: CLUE #4: 88 KEYS AGENT DYLAN MUST READ THE NEXT CLUE. INSIDE THE PIANO: CLUE #5: GREEN EGGS AND HAM AGENT JACOB MUST READ THE NEXT CLUE. INSIDE THE GREEN EGGS AND HAM BOOK LOCATED ON THE BOOKSHELF: CLUE #6: FINAL LOCATION GREASY FLAMES (It took a bit of time, but they figured out that the ammunition was inside the bar-b-que on the back deck.) NEXT: TARGET PRACTICE (This post contains affiliate links to help you locate products.) We purchased little NERF guns like these Nerf N-Strike Jolt Blaster (blue) for each agent. My son told me that spies must have smaller weapons that can be easily concealed. (This didn't bother me one bit.) ONE BY ONE THE AGENTS TOOK TURNS SHOOTING AT THE TARGETS. SOME MOVES REQUIRED ROLLING ON THE FLOOR AND SHOOTING, OTHER MOVES REQUIRED SHOOTING FROM BEHIND A CORNER. NEXT: SPECIAL OPERATION AFTER A BIT OF PRACTICE, WE TOOK A BREAK FOR GIFTS, SNACKS AND CAKE. AS THE AGENTS WERE EATING THEIR CAKE, THEY NOTICED A CLUE. (While they weren't watching I scooped up their guns and hid them. Then, when I served the cake, I cleverly hid a secret clue under their food. Moms can be pretty sneaky.) NEXT: LOCATE WEAPONS CLUE #1 YOU MUST REMAIN CALM. TRY TO FIND YOUR MISSING WEAPON WITHOUT SAYING A WORD. BREAK OPEN YOUR FORTUNE AND READ YOUR CLUE SILENTLY. DO NOT LET ANYONE KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. (I slipped a clue inside the fortune cookies. Using tweezers, I was able to remove most of the original fortunes. Remember, every clue was printed in size 2 font.) I wanted to give the agents a chance to solve a case on their own. It was so much fun watching which agents could follow directions! CLUE #2: YOU MUST LOCATE YOUR WEAPON BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE DOES. LOOK UNDER YOUR CHAIR. CLUE #3: DO NOT LET OTHERS SEE YOU AS YOU SNEAK TO THE BATHROOM. LOOK UNDER THE TISSUES FOR YOUR NEXT CLUE. CLUE #4: QUICKLY GO TO THE ROOM WITH THE FIREPLACE. DROP AND GIVE ME: 5 PUSH UPS 5 JUMPING JACKS 5 SIT UPS THEN, READ THE CLUE LOCATED INSIDE THE LOWER CABINET DOOR. CLUE#5: YOU'RE ALMOST THERE! GO TO THE WASHING MACHINE AND FIND YOUR WEAPON. GOOD WORK, AGENT! After all the agents finally had a chance to locate their weapon and finish their snacks, we moved to the garage and the... MINEFIELD TRAINING This is a simple game that requires thinking and memory skills. A grid is made on the floor using sheets of paper and duct tape. We made our grid 5 sheets wide by 5 sheets tall= 25 sheets total. The 'designer' of the game makes a plan of where the secret mines will be. Writing them out on paper is very helpful. The 'designer' decides the route the agent must take to get across the minefield. It's the agent's job to figure out the safe route. One by one an agent steps on a square of paper. The 'designer' lets them know if they're safe or if they've stepped on a mine. If they're safe, they may move to another sheet of paper. If they've stepped on a mine 'BOOM!', they're out and must go to the back of the line. The next agent must try to remember where it is safe to step. Agents may only step forward or sideways. They must try to get all the way across the minefield without stepping on a mine. (The agents were pretty sharp and we played this game at least 5 times!) NEXT: FREE SHOOTING LARGE CARDBOARD APPLIANCE BOXES WERE PLACED ALL OVER OUR GARAGE. THE LIGHTS IN THE GARAGE WERE TURNED OUT. THE AGENTS MADE TEAMS AND THE SHOOTING BEGAN. (Yes, I'm aware that this only sounds fun to 11 year old boys.) (Actually, 11 year old boys AND 40 year old boys. AH-Awesome Husband joined in.) 30 MINUTES LATER... DEPARTURE! PARENTS ARRIVED TO PICK UP SOME VERY SWEATY AGENTS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KID...I MEAN AGENT. This post contains affiliate links to help you locate products. To see my son's NERF Party from last year, click here. Linking up to: FrugalGirls, LoveofFamily&Home, HouseOfHepworths,Tatertots&Jello, 52Mantels, ReasonstoSkiptheHousework, UndertheTableDreaming, CraftOManiac, MadeByYouMonday, CherishedHandmadeTreasures,

We love mystery chapter books so we had a hard time choosing which book to read for the Virtual Chapter Book Club for Kids this month! After some discussion we chose Nancy Clancy by Robin

Lifestyle blog showcasing craft tutorials, holiday fun, party planning, recipes, DIY projects, travel tips, and more. Easy & inexpensive family fun.

So, this might seem childish but for certain classes that I have had they have really gotten into it. I have had students play “eye spy” in French to practice saying colors and placem…

This party is for all the James Bond's out there! It's taken me a whole year to post but Sam's 8th Secret Agent / Spy Birthday party was heaps of fun and full of activities! A Secret Agent or Spy birthday party requires quite a lot of advanced planning so

Investigate crime scenes and uncover villains at this vintage detective party!

Size Chart Runs Small Slightly Small True To Size Slightly Large Runs Large ST Size Measurement Standard Metric Standard Hat Circumference 22" 56cm Inches Centimeters

Looking for help with your Spy or Secret Agent birthday party? My updated Spy or Secret Agent Birthday Party Invitations and Decorations package has loads of templates to satisfy your inner James Bond. Read on for all the printable templates and ideas you need for your party! This theme was

Kids love pretending to be spies. These simple activities will take that pretend play beyond just hiding behind the living room chair. Learn how to make invisible ink 3 different ways and write your own secret code.

Our second activity at the party involved hunting for treasure in a bucket of goo. Technically the goo was Gelli Baff slime stuff. Each kid was given a card with the 12 items that they needed to find on it. They dug around and when they filled their card the got to pick a puzzle out of the bucket.

Friends, it’s hard to get kids to go the extra mile and cite evidence. They will tell you their opinion, but they wont tell you why they think it. Here is how it goes down in my room. Me: Who is the smarter of the 3 pigs? First grader: The third one? Me: …….because ?????…… First grader: [shrugs shoulders] Me: [takes a Valium] Kids will tell you the answer, but they freak out if you ask them to make it a complete sentence or provide evidence. I have to say, “I get it” though. Explaining the “why” is harder. It takes training and it takes digging deeper. Close reading helps train the kids on how to dig deep enough to answer those hard questions. Click picture to go to Pinterest. Enter fun and fabulous techniques to find proof in reading and responding! Use Props and Charts: If you are close reading or Finding Proof use magnifying glasses as a fun gimmick. Bring in a detective hat or jacket, just be as creative as you can and anchor down their thinking with charts. Pinterest has the most amazing displays of teacher creativity ever! Click {here} to see anchor charts galore! If you are going to give the kids magnifying glasses to use as a tool remember to give them time to explore with them first. Each child got 4 minutes to just use them in any way that was “safe” Then I asked them, “What do they do?” The kids all said the same kinds of things: They help me see better. They make little things easier to see. I can see the details in the pictures better. (BINGO) I was waiting for a kid to say details! Then we all came down to the carpet and talked about how we are going to be looking for details, evidence, and proof for our ideas! We will be Detail Detectives!!! They squealed, and I knew I had them. Who doesn’t want to be a detective? Detectives use magnifying glasses, so when we are close reading I will hand out the toys magnifiers. (It takes 30 seconds to hand them out, but they are so much more intent in their learning, so its worth it.) Plus it gives us a good physical reminder of the kind of reading we are doing. There is a BIG difference between the reads in a close read. Read 1- no magnifying glass because we are reading to understand the big picture and discuss or retell what we read Read 2- listening to the teacher read it and discussing it as a group or in pairs.(still no magnifier) Read 3- Reading closely to answer questions & cite evidence (now we pick up our magnifiers) We can also begin to build our opinions of the author’s purpose, his message, or the theme we are seeing. But in building opinions we must cite our evidence! Color code your thinking: Color coding helps kids to actually find the answer on their paper rather than just write/ copy words from a shoulder partner. Color coding helps prove to the kids that the answer really can be found right there on the paper (sometimes). Color coding helps kids/ forces them to find the evidence for their thinking, opinions, and ideas. If you can’t find evidence, you might be off base with your answer. Display their close reading: If you want to encourage the kids to really dig deep and find proof display their best detective work. The student work you see is from Lisa Mattes’ Finding Proof pack. If you love the lettering you see, you can download it by clicking the graphic below! When you cut out your letters, don’t try to cut on the font lines. Rather cut along the edges. I gave you some dotted lines to show you. This font by Jen Jones is perfect for going around the edges of the letter (about 1/4 an inch out) really quickly! I LOVE being able to quick cut letters. Who wants to stay in the lines anyway! Transfer of skills: Have kids find proof in math by proving and answer is wrong or right using manipulatives as evidence. Have them prove something in science. For example, today we are going to look for 3 ways to prove gravity is real, water can change form, or that you can make people smile just by smiling at them first. They will become experts at looking for proof of their thinking. Run with the theme: Detective work is fun, so why not expand the theme, and have some fun with class behavior? While the kids are looking for evidence to prove their thinking, I am looking for evidence of great behavior! You know I am a BIG believer in shouting out great behavior! Now, I will use my magnifying glass to spy out great behavior. I wrote out all my kids’ names on post it notes. I placed one of the post its under the top secret flap and stashed the other post its under the poster so they are accessible when I need them. I explained what behaviors I am looking for: In my case I want clips on “Ready to Learn or I’m a Leader”, a clean desk top including book box, and an organized desk interior. You can decide what you want for your class. I caution you to pick things you can easy see in those last moments of the day. It’s too hard to think back though the events of the day (Like raising your hand or lining up quietly.) It is easier to pick things you can see in 5 seconds(Think evidence!). At the end of the day, I flip up the top secret folder, and if you are my student of the day and you show evidence of great behavior by meeting the 3 criteria, you are rewarded with a treat (skittle) and a shout out! As always, if my class has more happy moments than sad moments in a day, they get another point toward a reward. Our last reward was 15 minutes of extra recess. You would have thought the won a million dollars. These cute little detectives are helping us keep track of how close we are to our next reward. To shout out amazing tables I added a cute tag to container of eye balls. You all have seen me do this before for Halloween and Christmas. Both are freebies if you want to “wish-list” them for next year. Having the right materials matters more than anything else. I would like to recommend this pack by Lisa Mattes from Growing Firsties! I would like to boss you around and tell you that you HAVE to buy it, but you don’t have to do anything. But if you are a first or second grade teacher you should buy this pack because you need it like oxygen!!! Here is why: It’s Perfect It’s Smartly written It’s Engaging It has a Kid-friendly format and ease of reading It is Common Core all the way and covers all three topics below!!!! If you want to win this amazing pack from Lisa, please comment and leave your email. I love Murder Mystery detective shows. I like Monk the best because it’s tame enough not to give me nightmares! In your comments tell me what show you are loving these days! Good luck my loves! Three of you will win!!!!! Speaking of winners!!!! Jennifer Ramos you won the Jo Totes purse!!!!! But don’t be too sad if you did not win. Jo Totes is having a huge 35% off sale. That kind of discount makes us all winners!!!I am getting this beauty below!!!! You can NEVER have to many camera bags! Remember you can enter to win a pair of Tieks {here} good luck!!!

Find the best spy party favor ideas for kids. There are so many cool spy party favor ideas from goodie bags to candy, these spy party favor ideas are sure to be a hit with all the children. Easy, fun ideas for treats that any boy or girl would love to take home. Check out

Virginia Hall, a.k.a. the ‘Limping Lady,’ organized sabotage and rescue operations across Vichy France, paving the way for the Allied invasion.

It's always more fun to learn with friends! Library time, music class, and a free "eye spy" game printable.

So! Heute starten wir mit der Geschichte des Agentengeburtstags. ;-). Ich hab allerdings zwei Posts draus machen müssen, da ich SOVIEL zu erzählen habe! Es wäre einfach zuviel zu lesen gewesen. In zwei Häppchen lässt sichs leichter schlucken ;-D! Heute dann also zuerst den Bericht über Teil 1 der Geburtatgsparty: "Das Agententrainingslager"! Übermorgen dann Teil 2: "Akte Dr Goldpoison"! So, ran an eines meiner ausgefeiltesten Werke! Ich sags euch, so eine im Detail durchgeplante Party hatte ich noch nie! Die ganze Familie samt Nachbarschaft war in die Geschichte eingebaut.....Hammer! Und echt zum Piepen komisch sowas auf die Beine zu stellen. Das macht auch schonmal den Großen Spaß, bei sowas mitzuspielen! Aber nun! Let´s start! Klappen wir die Akte Dr Goldpoison auf! Zuerst mal ein Kurzzusammenfassung vorneweg......nur damit ihr den Überblick nicht verliert ;-D! Die Kinder mussten zunächst ein Agententrainig mit mehreren Einzelabschnitten durchlaufen (Teil 1, dieser Post), um dann den verschollenen Geheimagenten SilverSnake, der dem Bösewicht Dr Goldpoison auf der Spur war, zu finden. Sie mussten ihn befreien, ihm ein Antiserum zu verabreichen und den Bösewicht mit dessen Giftformelsammlung stellen, dingfest machen und die Formelsammlung vernichten (Teil 2). Aber jetzt im Detail zu Teil 1: Der Geburtstag startete mit einem beschaulichen Agententörtchentreff. Apfelschorle Kuuuuuchen für die coolstenden der Coolen! Ich konnte mich entgegen den Vorgaben der Smartiemafia im Hause mit selbiger auf kleine Minigugl einigen, die zum Verzehr angeboten wurden. Die Jahre haben mich gelehrt: Kinder wollen auf Partys tendenziell eher weniger essen. Kleine Häppchen sind da genau richtig! Die Minigugl waren perfekt! Ich hatte Schokohaselnuss-, Himbeere-Pistazien- und Stracciatella-Minigugl (Rezepte kommen noch...ich sag euch....die Himbeergugl!!! Yummiyummi!!!). In die Gugl hatte ich Holzspieße mit ausgeschnittenen Schwarzweiß- Bildern von Agent 007 Überall gesteckt. Hahaha! Der helle Wahnsinn wie cool er auf den Bildern guckt ;-D! Die Kinder hatten dann unter ihren Tellern einen geheimnisvollen Brief kleben, den sie völlig verdaddelt erst nach einiger Zeit und einem kleinen Tip meinerseits fanden (sollte auch so sein). In den Briefchen war folgender in Einzelteile zerschnittener Brief aufgeteilt und musste zunächst wie ein Puzzle zusammengesetzt werden. Das war schonmal schwer geheimnisvoll! Agenten! Seid ihr bereit für eine neue Aufgabe? Der schreckliche Dr Goldpoison treibt sein Unwesen! Ihr müßt ihm das Handwerk legen! Verschafft euch zunächst im Trainingslager einen kurzen Überblick über eure Agentenfähigkeiten und trainiert - eure mentale Fitness im Enttarnen auffälliger Personen, - eure Geschicklichkeit im Zusammenbauen von Gegenständen mit verbundenen Augen, - eure Beweglichkeit beim Durchqueren eines Laserfeldes und - eure Zielsicherheit an der Waffe! Nach durchgeführtem Training erhaltet ihr das Sternensiegel für ausgezeichnete Leistungen in euren Agentenausweis. Schreitet sodann zur Tat und begebt euch ins obere Stockwerk für weitere Instruktionen. Mister X Die Kids haben dann also zuerst die Agentenprüfungen absolviert. Das erste Spiel war plattes Personenraten. "Wer bin ich" mit Klebezetteln auf der Stirn. Das war an sich schon mal eine Herausforderung, weil mir gar nicht soviele Personen einfielen, die alle kannten. Neben aktuell lebenden Personen wie der Klassenlehrerin, der Ex-Kindergärtnerin und dem großen Bruder hab ich einfach auch ein paar uralte Fernseh- und Kinderbuchgestalten eingebaut....Biene Maja, Bob der Baumeister, Harry Potter, Voldemort, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker und Yoda. Anders gings nicht ;-D! Ach und klar.....total aufgefeiltes Verkleidungsmaterial hatte ich auch noch zur Verfügung gestellt ;-DDD!!! Im Spiel Nr. 2 galt es seine Geschicklichkeit unter Beweis zu stellen und mit verbundenen Augen ein zuvor von mir präsentiertes Legopistölchen zusammenzubauen. Alle gleichzeitig und jeder an seiner eigenen Waffe. 10 Schals musste ich da zücken! Für Spiel Nr. 3 hatte ich meine Küche in ein Laserfeld verwandelt. Es war der einzige Raum in dem das Spannen der Schnüre so möglich war! Wir haben kaum Wände im Haus! Die Kinder mussten nun alle einzeln durch dieses Laserfeld zum Waschbecken durchkämpfen, ein Glas mit Wasser befüllen ans andere Ende der Küche durchrobben und dort eine mit blauem Antigiftserum bereitstehende Karaffe mit ihrem Wasser befühlen! Ich sag nur: Zum Glück haben wir Fliesen in der Küche! Spiel Nr 4 war ein Schuß und Zielübung. Dazu hatte ich im Keller mehrere Ballons mit Gesichtern bemalt und mit einem Faden von der Decke herunter hängen lassen. Ihr könnt auch die Ballons mit Helium befüllen lassen (bei uns hier kostet das so um die 1,50 € incl Ballon) und die Ballons dann wie Puppen aufstellen. Das Helium bleibt aber höchstens 10/12 Stunden in diesen normalen Ballons. Da unsere Party Sonntags stattfand, kam das also für mich nicht in Frage. Die Ballonbösewichte durften dann mit diesen ätzenden Nerf-Waffen abgeschossen werden. Auch wenn ich Abknallen grundsätzlich ein doofes Spiel finde, kann ich mich in diesem speziellen Fall mal damit arrangieren, denn als Geheimagent muss man selbstverständlich nicht nur mit Gummibärchen werfen können. Damit waren die Agentenprüfungen durchgeführt und jedes Kind bekam einen Stempel für das bestandene Trainingslager in den Ausweis. Teil 2 folgt dann übermorgen! Die Einladungen zum Agentengeburtstag findet ihr HIER!

Looking for help with your Spy or Secret Agent birthday party? My updated Spy or Secret Agent Birthday Party Invitations and Decorations package has loads of templates to satisfy your inner James Bond. Read on for all the printable templates and ideas you need for your party! This theme was

Spy Kids Activities | Let your kids become detectives or secret agents for the day with these kids activities, games and free printables.

Tras el éxito de nuestra anterior selección de 5 maravillosas fiestas para niñas queremos mostrar nuestra selección de las mejores fiestas temáticas para niños.

Click through for 20 DIY Ways To Throw The Best Spy Agent Birthday Party Ever - Decor, Game Ideas for your kids, Themed party food ideas & more

Kids will LOVE this printable spy decoder wheel! In just a few minutes, they'll be sending and receiving coded messages. So fun!

Create authentic spy party invitations and envelopes with these fun printables. The kids are sure to feel like real secret agents!

Happy Tuesday, friends! Thanks for joining me yesterday for my Keeping Christmas post! I always love when the 25th rolls around! I hope you all had a nice Memorial Day honoring those who have died in the service of their country {USA}and those loved ones who we cherish and honor as well! I'm back today sharing some fun birthday cards using the clever and whimsical Secret Agent stamp set! This is such a fun set and I love the assorted sentiments that make this perfect for different occasions and kids of all ages! One of these cards will be going to a 7 year old which makes the "agent number #007" so much fun at the bottom! I made two even though I only NEEDED one...I knew this would be a "MISTI intensive" project {ha ha} so I decided to just make 2. You know what I always say...if I'm going to make one, I may as well make 2! I've mentioned it before, but for those of you that don't know, I'm in charge of the kids at church and teach them music. Since we haven't been to church for a few months, I've been sending thinking of you cards and dropping off a religious gift and a birthday card at their doors. I bought some doorknob bags which are perfect to tuck the gift and the card inside and hang on their doorknob and go. To begin these two designs, I cut two pieces of Rustic Cream cardstock measuring 5 1/2 inches by 8 1/2. Once that was done, I used the Edgers #5 die collection to die cut the different edges to make the card look like a file folder. Once that was done, I scored it in half and folded it using a bone folder, which once the edges are cut is around 3 3/4 inches. I stamped the "Top Secret" image on the file tab using Pure Poppy ink and then stamped the "Confidential, Top Secret" circle image over the top in black as well as the front. I stamped the rest of the images that are directly on the card front using black and red ink and my MISTI for alignment. I die cut the secret agent twice for each card using the Secret Agent die collection and them stamped the images. He is just a series of two stamps; the pants and head portion and then the second step is his jacket. It really keeps the retro feeling of the stamp set by just using the two colors! Next comes the fun part! I die cut the magnifying glass three times for each card. I stamped one using my MISTI and then just used the other pieces for stability. I made a sandwich making sure to put the Pure Poppy transparency sheet between the layers. There is a circle die cut that cuts this to the right size so that it sandwiches nicely. I just used liquid glue to adhere the layers. I like using liquid glue for these types of projects because it gives me some "wiggle" time to make sure all of the edges are lined up properly. I attached the magnifying glass using a half circle of Velcro so that the recipient can take it off to use it to decipher the inside message as well. I was showing my 6 year old how it all worked and he was enamored with the idea! Then my 8 year old came around a while later and I showed it to him. I asked if an 8 year old would like something like this and he replied no. I said that was good to know so that I could make sure only 7 and younger would receive a card like this. He then said that maybe he did like it a bit...then he said, "fine, I really like it"! LOL! I guess 8 year olds are a go as well! I like that the stamp set comes with the "boy" and "girl" sentiment so that you can make it for either one. For the front of the card, I used Tropical Teal ink ink to stamp the hidden message, but found that it was too obvious. I then tried it with Weathervane ink for the inside and that was the winner. I found that I could stamp it lightly, but the colored transparency sheet made it stand out nicely when it is held over the image. I put the magnifying glass over the top so you can see it better in this photo. You could add as many scrambled messages as you want on the inside of the card, especially on the left hand side. I think I'll try adding more on the next batch that I make! I added a little silver clip to the top. It isn't holding anything in place, but more for aesthetics. You could definitely rearrange some of the design elements so that it could have a purpose. It was a last minute decision and I felt if I added any more words or image the card would look too busy! These were so much fun to put together and I can't wait to make a girl version as well! I have a lot of birthdays coming up so it is a definite possibility! Join me tomorrow for the first day of reveals for the new release from The Greetery! Thanks for fluttering by!

Kids are good at figuring things out, (especially if it's something you're trying to surprise them with). Give your kids some summer fun with this free, printable Bible Detectives Adventure Kit! There are 26 mysteries that they'll solve while learning more about the Bible and they'll have the fun of sharpening their sleuthing skills! (As if they really need help in that area!) The kit includes a decoder, background sheet, and case files for each Bible character.

The Secret Detectives is a gripping, beautifully written historical mystery, from an incredible new voice in children’s fiction. On board the S.S. Marianna Isobel Petty witnesses a shocking act – somebody being thrown overboard in the middle of the night. But the ship’s captain insists nobody is missing. . . Download these activity sheets to […]

Make your spy birthday party amazing with this fun Pull-String Time Bomb Piñata! Kids pull the string to disarm the pinata and get the candy.