craft day

Heart crayons

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 18:31:00 +0000

I've been wanting to try this artsy Valentine's craft from Parent Hacks for a while now. (I'm not ambitious enough to melt them down as per the instructions from the post Recycle Old Crayons Into New Shapes.)

Then one day I looked around the house and saw this:

Later in the week at the store I saw this:

So we put the crayons in a bucket with warm water, and peeled the labels off:

And chopped them up. (Turns out I cut the pieces too small. Next time I'll make them 1.5 - 2 cm, or about 1/2 inch, in length.)

The bits go in a silicone baking pan:

Pop it in the oven at 230 F for about 15 min (you can see some aren't quite melted yet). Tip: put the kitchen exhaust fan on and / or open a window to get fresh air into the room.

Let the whole thing cool and then pop them out!

Any rough edges can be smoothed down by rubbing across a piece of paper.

Just make sure that kids don't eat them!

Hawaiian style necklace

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 18:23:00 +0000

(This idea came home from school.)

Materials:

string or thin yarn
colourful straws cut into small pieces
colourful pieces of tissue paper (shown), wrapping paper or lightweight fabric

Expecto patronum!

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:36:00 +0000

Hoping to create a birthday event worthy of the Patronus Charm, but don't know what a Patronus Charm is?

Not to worry. There are some terrific resources out there for creating a very Harry Potter birthday! Check out these Potter-themed fonts for your invitations too. My favourites are Harry Potter and Wizards Magic.

Make the day a magical one!

Snowmen in summer

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Materials:

Marshmallows (varying sizes if you want to get fancy)
Toothpicks or skewkers to hold the mashmallow's together
Decorative icing

Instructions:

Assemble marshmallow's as desired
Decorate accordingly

Paper roll people

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:11:00 +0000

Notes:

Any size paper roll can be sued (paper towel, toilet paper)
The arms are made from two different sized drinking straws, the shorter / larger of which represents sleeves
The top fringes represent hair, which could also be crafted with yarn or ribbon glued to the top
Bodies and clothes could be drawn or painted on the tubes themselves

Be still my heart and get crafting!

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 17:27:00 +0000

A heart craft round-up:

Woven heart pockets

3-D heart

Quick and easy Homemade Valentine's Day cards

Print your own maze Valentines:

The code for this doodle and other doodles you can use on your blog can be found at Doodles.
[Download the PDF for the Heart Maze.]
[Download the PDF for Heart Maze Valentine's Day cards.]

One a little more little kid friendly.

[Download the PDF for Heart Maze Valentine's Day cards.]

The code for this doodle and other doodles you can use on your blog can be found at Doodles.

Heart sun catcher

Heart necklace

Christmas craft round-up, part three

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 14:15:00 +0000

Salt-dough ornaments

Reindeer antler headband

Handprint angel

Santa mask

Christmas craft round-up, part deux

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 08:01:00 +0000

Woven heart pockets

Although, I typically make these around Valentine's Day, they are traditional Christmas decorations in some cultures.

Gingerbread man

Plate for Santa

Paper Plate Santa

Christmas craft round-up

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:01:00 +0000

Six pointed snowflakes

Christmas hand print tree

Reindeer treats

Notes to self: building better gingerbread houses

Some free seasonal promotional colouring sheets and colouring cards.

The code for this doodle and other doodles you can use on your blog can be found at Doodles.

Click on an image below to download the colouring sheet of your choice (PDF).

Easter craft round-up

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:27:00 +0000

3-D heart

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:04:00 +0000

Materials:

paper
scissors
X-Acto type knife and cutting mat
optional: materials for decorating your heart (eg. markers, crayonsstickers, glitter and glue)
optional: ribbon or yarn for hanging your heart

Instructions:

Place your paper flat.
Fold your paper in half (the fold is on the left hand side in the photo.)

Draw half a heart on the paper. (Middle of the heart is the same place as the folded edge of the paper.)

Cut out the heart and discard (recycle) the extra paper.

If you were to open up the paper at this point, it would look something like this:

Draw some concentric half-heart lines (two lines shown) making sure to LEAVE A GAP BEFORE THE FOLDED EDGE.

Using an X-Acto knife and cutting mat, cut along the lines. Be sure leave a gap between the cut at the folded edge.

Open the heart out.

Gently fold the "middle" heart so the left side is behind the outer heart and the right side is above the outer heart. Gently fold the "inner" heart so the left side is above the middle heart and the right side is behind the middle heart.

Decorate!
Optional: punch hole in top, middle and hang with yarn or ribbon.

Valentine, you amaze me! (redux)

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:47:00 +0000

It was brought to my attention that last year's Valentine's maze was a little challenging for the younger set. With that in mind, I this year I made one a little more, little kid friendly.

[Download the PDF for Heart Maze Valentine's Day cards.]

The code for this doodle and other doodles you can use on your blog can be found at Doodles.

Feb 9 to 23: 10% off Mabel's Labels purchases

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:07:00 +0000

- Teeny Tags™
- LOL Labels
- Skinny-minis™
- clothing labels for camp and school
- child ID wristbands and more!

E-mail MabelsAgent at NSCcards dot com
with a subject of "coupon"
to receive your coupon code for
10% off your next Mabel's Labels purchase!^#

^# By sending your e-mail address you agree to receive periodic newsletters from your Mabel's Labels web affiliate. You may unsubscribe from these newsletters at any time. Coupon code valid between Feb 09 and Feb 23 2010.

Heart-y round-up

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:37:00 +0000

Woven heart pockets

Quick and easy Homemade Valentine's Day cards

Print your own maze Valentines:

The code for this doodle and other doodles you can use on your blog can be found at Doodles.
[Download the PDF for the Heart Maze.]
[Download the PDF for Heart Maze Valentine's Day cards.]

Heart sun catcher

Heart necklace

Pet rocks

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 16:01:00 +0000

Last year, while the weather was warm we collected some smooth "face shaped" rocks from the great outdoors.

Materials:

small, smooth rocks
poster paint, markers, googly eyes, fabric bits, glitter, glue, yarn, feathers

Instructions:

let your imagination run wild and decorate at will!

Notes:

yarn makes great hair
feathers can make for fun bird rocks

Salt-dough ornaments

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:01:00 +0000

We used this recipe for the salt-dough, with the following modifcations:

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water [water should be hot or warm]

Be sure to read all of the comments in the original recipe. There are terrific ideas about adding spices and observations about baking time. We made WAY MORE than one dozen ornaments.

Materials:

salt-dough (recipe above)
rolling pin
extra flour
cookie cutters
spatula
cookie sheets
cooling rack
poster paint, markers, googly eyes, fabric bits, glitter, glue, yarn
shellac or polyurethane
ribbon / thread

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
Combine the flour, salt and water; mix well and knead for 10 minutes. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out on a lightly floured surface.

Note: The oranments above are about 1.2cm (3/8") thick, which took A LOT LONGER to bake / dry then the instructions in the original recipe state. Next time we're going to make them much thinner!
With lightly floured cookie cutters cut into desired shapes and make holes for hanging.

Note: If you want the final product to have smoothed edges and rounded corners, do this BEFORE you bake. Dough does not reshape as when baking cookies for eating.
For candy cane shown above, roll out a thin dough "string" between your hands. At about the half-way point begin to twist the two "strings" around each other. Shape into a hook / candy cane.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Note: Keep checking on the progress. Ours were in for well over an hour before they were considered done.
Place on rack to cool.
Decorate with paints or markers.
Allow to dry and spray with clear polyurethane or shellac on both sides to preserve. Allow to dry.

Note: If the shellac or polyurethane cover is not complete, moisture will get into the dough and the ornament will fall apart. If you wish to keep the ornaments for a long time, you may need to recoat them with polyurethane or shellac every year.
Using glue if required, add stickers, googly eyes, fabric bits or yarn for hair.
Use ribbon or thread to hang.

Handprint angel

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:53:00 +0000

(This idea came home from school.)

Materials:

large sheet of thick paper
at least four colours of finger paint
smock for covering child's clothing

Instructions:

decide on the colour of the angel's body
paint child's hand with "body" colour and create handprint in middle of the page
clean hand
paint both of child's hand with "wing" colour and create wings on either side of the body
let paint dry
have child pick colours for angel's face and hair, paint same and let dry
use "body" colour to create "shoulders" attaching the body to the wings
have child paint eyes and mouth on face
you now have a handprint angel!

10% off Mabel's Labels purchases made in August 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:18:00 +0000

- clothing labels for camp and school
- return address labels for you
- Ultimate Back-to-School Combo (now with Teeny Tags™!)
- stationery kits
- child ID wristbands and more!

E-mail MabelsAgent at NSCcards dot com
with a subject of "coupon"
to receive your coupon code for
10% off your next Mabel's Labels purchase!^#

^# By sending your e-mail address you agree to receive periodic newsletters from your Mabel's Labels agent. You may unsubscribe from these newsletters at any time. Coupon code expires at the end of August 2009.

Win an Ultimate Back-to-School Combo (now with Teeny Tags™) !

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:59:00 +0000

As a Mabel's Labels agent, I'm happy to offer you a chance to win an Ultimate Back-to-School Combo from Mabel's Labels.

Click through for contest information and details.

Contest closes Monday, July 13th at 11:59pm (EST).

Valentine, you amaze me!

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:36:00 +0000

[Download the PDF for this Heart Maze.]
[Download the PDF for Heart Maze Valentine's Day cards.]

The code for this doodle and other doodles you can use on your blog can be found at Doodles.

Stained glass light catcher

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:33:00 +0000

Materials:

scrap tissue paper
2 sheets of construction paper (letter size printer paper shown)
scissors
tape
white glue

Instructions:

take one sheet of construction paper and fold it in half lengthwise
cut out the centre piece (which includes most of the folded edge), leaving a 3cm (1.25") frame
open out the frame
take the second sheet of construction paper and cut several 2cm (0.75") strips lengthwise
begin arranging the 2cm strips over the frame, cutting as required to fit your design
tape the strips down to secure them to the frame and to each other (this is the back side of the frame)
cut tissue paper big enough to fit over each of the holes in your frame, dry fit them (overlay them on the back side of the frame to make sure they're the right size, but don't glue them until you're sure they are!)
glue the tissue paper to the back side of the frame
let dry overnight
hang on a window and enjoy!

As you can see from the photo below, if you use lightweight paper such as printer paper, the frame will be translucent. For best results, use thick opaque construction paper for the frame elements.

An advanced method (for adults) of doing this, would be to use a single sheet of paper for the frame and an X-Acto knife to cut out the "window" parts of the decoration.

Stained glass bell

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:10:00 +0000

(This idea came home from school.)

Materials:

waxed paper
different coloured tissue paper cut into small rectangles (approx 2cm x 3cm)
white glue
construction paper

Instructions:

layout a sheet of waxed paper
have child glue pieces of tissue paper on the waxed paper (it's okay to have the tissue paper overlap)
leave overnight to dry
have adult cut out the shape of a bell out of the construction paper, and then cut out the inside leaving a 2-3cm outline of a bell (make sure the overall size of the bell is smaller than the sheet of waxed paper covered with tissue paper)
trace the outline of the outer part of the bell onto the dried sheet of waxed / tissue paper
glue the construction paper bell outline onto the tissue paper covered side of the waxed paper
let dry
hang on a window and enjoy!

Reindeer antler headband

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:44:00 +0000

(This idea came home from school.)

Materials:

2 sheets of coloured construction paper, about 16cm x 30cm (3" x 12 ") to make the headband - red shown
brown construction paper, big enough to cut out two child size hands (antlers)
pencil for tracing hands
scissors
clear tape
stickers, markers, glue etc for decorating headband

Instructions:

fold the coloured construction paper in half lengthwise (so you have two sheets 8cm x 30cm)
slip one of the folded sheets inside the other (keeping the folded edges in the same orientation) overlaping about 5cm (2") and tape to hold in place
optional: have child decorate construction paper (dry fit around child's head so you know where the decorations should stop)
have an adult wrap the length of construction paper around the circumference of the child's head and tape to fit
have an adult trace the child's open hands on the brown construction paper
have an adult cut out the hand outlines, being sure to include 3cm (1") for the wrists
tape the cut out hands by the wrists to the inside of the headband, opposite each other
outfit your little reindeer with their new antlers!

Santa mask

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 08:39:00 +0000

(This idea came home from school.)

Materials:

paper plate
cotton batting / cotton balls
white glue
red construction paper cut out like Santa's hat
red construction paper cut into a circle for the nose
scissors
ruler
optional: crayons, markers, stickers, glitter for decorating
optional: craft stick to make a handle for the mask

Instructions:

adult: mark a "T" shape on the back of the mask (the eating surface of the paper plate)
adult: measure approximate width of child's eyes across face (outer corner of eyes) and mark that as the top of the "T"
adult: measure approximate distance of eyes to mouth of child and use this to mark the vertical length of the "T"
adult: cut out the top of the "T" and the very bottom of the "T" to make holes from which child can see and speak
have child glue cotton and nose on mask
have child decorate as desired
mask can be held up to face
optional: attach craft stick to bottom of mask to use as handle

Hallowe'en craft round-up

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:43:00 +0000

Ghost feet:

Pumpkin book:

Hallowe'en wreath: