The Craft Room
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Well, you asked for it and here it is.... my own little craft section. Mostly there will be simple crafts that you can do in your spare time and you most likely will have all the materials you need on hand around the house. I will always begin a craft with what you will need for it and then go through the steps of how to make it. I would like to provide pictures with the projects so I will be working on taking pictures of the ones I have made and then scanning them but we will have to do with what I have so far. :o) I hope you enjoy them and please send me a message if you use them and/or comments you might have.
Some of these crafts can be fun for the whole family, so anywhere you see *Kid Safe!* you will know that the craft can be done with a parents supervision. If you see *Kiddie Korner* then the craft can be made by kids without any or very little supervision. |
Index of Crafts
"Any Day Basket"
You will need:
Thin paper plate
Glue Stick
Round doily (a little larger than the plate)
Stickers or rubber stamps
Tulle or ribbon
1. Flatten the paper plate and glue the doily to it. Let dry.
2. Fold the paper plate in half, keep the doily on the outside, to form basket shape.
3. Decorate with stamps, stickers, stencil, etc.
4. Punch two holes at the top of the basket (you can use a hand held hole puncher or scissors), one on each side. String the tulle or ribbon through the holes.
You can get artificial tulips, roses, sunflowers, etc. to place in the basket, you just lay the flowers criss crossed in the basket so you have some flowers sticking out of either side. You can fill the basket with just about anything and design it however you wish, this comes in handy for all occasions!
"Anywhere Air Freshener"
You will need:
Thin cardboard
Marker
Scissors
Scraps of felt, in different colors
Tacky glue
Clear essential oil (non-alcoholic perfume)
String
1. Draw a shape (or trace a large cookie cutter) on a piece of cardboard.
2. Cut out the shape & use it to trace two replicas out of felt.
3. Gue one felt piece to either side of the cardboard. Add felt decorations
4. Rub about 15 drops of essential oil onto the felt.
5. Poke a hole in the top and thread with string.
You can use these air fresheners anywhere given the fact that you can design them to match a room in your house, office, car, etc. Personally, I think they would be perfect for a childs closet, especially for children who are active and may have stinky shoes :o) This craft is simple, very inexpensive and the kiddies could even join in on the fun of making them!
"Generations Flower Pot"
You will need:
Terra-cotta flower pot (found in local gardening stores, craft shops, etc.)
Finger paint (or acrylic paint)
Weatherproof varish
1. Spread paint on waxed paper, have kids dip their hands into the paint to cover their entire palm and fingers.
2. Have kids place their hand prints on the flowerpot in different spots.
3. Decorate the top border with matching colors of paint with whatever design suits you.
4. Paint the kids names & ages next to their handprints
5. Coat flowerpot with waterproof varnish & let dry
What a great idea to give to family members, especially grandmothers! After you have decorated the flower pots you can plant the recipients favorite flowers in it or just choose some you think are appealing :o) It's easy, fun and the kids will have a blast getting messy! Good tip: Do this craft outside or place a tablecloth on the floor to prevent paint from getting on your carpet/furniture.
"Lacy Switchplate"
Tired of those dull light switchplates? Try this little idea to spruce them up!
You will need:
White acrylic paint in spray can
Colored acrylic paint (your choice)
Thick paper doily
Decoupage glue
Decoupage finish
Acrylic sealer
1. Unscrew switchplate from wall. You can use this one or use a new wooden one.
2. Paint white with acrylic paint, spray pain on metal. Paint doily with one coat of colored acrylic paint. Let dry.
3. Trace plate on doily and drim doily to fit.
4. Glue doily to front of plate with decoupage glue on back.
5. Apply 3 coates of decoupage glue as a sealer, letting each coat dry before applying the next.
6. Replace plate to wall.
What a terrific pick-me-up to any room! The doily gives a "dainty" look to a dull off white switchplate :o) This is an easy and inexpensive project that doesn't take much time.
"Piggy Bank"
You will need:
4 thread spools
Pink Paint
Plastic soda bottle and cap
Hot glue gun (Krazy glue will work too)
Pink Felt
2 matching buttons
Craft knife
Pink pipe cleaner
To assemble the pig, begin by having your child paint the thread spools pink. Once they're dry, he/she can glue them to the bottle, place the bottle on it's side and glue the spools as legs (be sure the spools are positioned correctly to ensure the piggy bank will stand and remember, the bottle cap will serve for the snout).
Make the ears next, cutting a pair of 3-inch wide triangles out of the felt. Fold the base of each triangle in half and glue the lower edges together. Use paper clis to secure them while drying. Trim the felt into ear shapes and glue them to the bottle (with the bottle sitting on it's new spool legs, place the ears on top of the bottle just above the front pair of legs).
Now, glue on the button eyes. These should go between the snout (bottle cap) and the ears.
Use the craft knife (PARENTS ONLY) to poke a small hole in the bottle (the opposite end of the snout) for the pipe clear tail, don't forget to spiral it like a piggies tail! :o)
Finally, cut a slot in the top through which your child can feed coins to the pig.
"Thumb Puppets"
You will need:
Felt Scraps
White Glue
Googly eyes (the ones that move around)
permanent colored markers
Sewing notions
For each puppet, first cut out a pair of 1 3/4 by 3 inch felt rectanles to serve as the front and back of the animal. Join the front to the back by gluing together the side and top edges. Leave the bottom edges open for a finger opening. Once the glue dries, use scissors to round the top of the puppet's head. Glue on the googly eyes. Now it's time to add distinguishing animal traits.
Lamb: Attach ears horizontally to the front of the lamb. Gue a bit of cotton "wool" to the top of its head and draw on the face.
Piggly Wiggly: For floppy pig ears, use 2 inch felt circles. Fold them in half lengthwise and glue together the lower edges. Glue bases of the ears to the back of the puppet. For pig cheeks and snout, glue on 3/4 inch felt circles.
A Horse is a Horse: For ears, cut out a pair of felt ovals (about 1 1/2 inches long). Attach them as previously described. Add a fringed forelock, white blaze and round muzzle. Use a marker to draw jawlines and nostrils.
Bird: Cut out a triangular felt bird beak and glue it in place. Add feathers, etc.
Elsie (cow): Make cow ears following the same steps used for the pig. Glue on a pink muzzle. Color bold black spts on the ears and face.
Hop Frog, hop!: Position googly eyes at the top of the head. Glue webbed frog feet to the front of the puppet.
