Easy Crafts - Fun Projects and Activity Ideas for Children

Make your Own Funky Bracelets

2009-05-31T08:40:00.005+08:00

Are you a teen and haven't got megabucks to spend on accessories? Here are some Great ideas to look fashionable with these trendy Bracelets. What's more, you'll have lots of fun making them too!

Let's start with something that is really very easy to do and yet the end result is a Funky Bracelets

Button Bracelets

Try out different colour co ordinations. You could make bracelets using shades of the same color for both the ribbon and buttons, or for a more striking look, alternate colors such as black and white. You could also use metal or jeweled buttons to make the bracelets extra fancy!

Materials

* 1/4 inch wide ribbon, 14 Inch length

* Scissors

* 8-10 flat back buttons (depending on button size)

* pencil

* Gem or jewel glue

* needle and thread

1. Wrap the centre of the ribbon around your wrist, leaving extra ribbon on each end for the ties. Mark the size of your wrist on the ribbon with a pencil.

2. Use gem or jewel glue to tack the buttons in a row along the ribbon. Let the glue dry overnight. For extra hold, thread a sewing needle and, starting from the back of the ribbon, sew the buttons in place. Tie the bracelet to your wrist with a bow. Trim off the excess ribbon if needed.

Dice Bracelets

Materials

* Dice beads

* Black or white beads

* Elastic thread

1. Thread dice bead then black or white bead alternatively. Measure the bracelet around your wrist as you work. Once you have reached the length for your wrist, tie a knot with the two ends of the thread. Then cut off any excess thread close to the edge.

Fishing Swivel Bracelets

Fishing Swivels are small metal items used to keep fishing lines from tangling (they are also sometimes used on kites for the same reason)> Swivels come in different sizes and can be found wherever fishing supplies are sold. Keep in mind that smaller swivels are easier to open than larger ones.

Fishing swivels make instant jewelry - all you need are beads and swivels to make a bracelet. For extra Zaz, you could add pretty charms to dangle from the bracelets.

Materials

* fishing swivels

* seed beads

1. First open up the wires on all of the swivels. (You will need about eight swivels to complete a bracelet). Link the swivels together before adding the beads. Don't close the wires yet! Thread on a few small seed beads to the open wires.

2. Pinch the open hooks closed. If the are stiff, you can use pliers to close them, or ask someone with strong thumbs to close the wires for you.

3. Keep adding links until the swivel chain fits around your wrist. Link the last open wire to the first to close the bracelet around your wrist.

Mod Bead Bracelet

Give plain wooden beads a mod makeover with easy - to - do decoupage. Paper napkins, tissue paper, and newspaper are the best choices to decoupage onto beads. You can paint the beads for a splash of color, glue on glitter, or cut our words form magazine to create your own cool styles.

Materials

* Large wooden beads with holes

* Colorful paper napkins, wrapping paper or magazines

* Decoupage glue

* Paintbrush (for glue)

* Elastic cord ( cut into 9-inch strand)

1. Tear off small pieces of paper napkin or tissue paper to apply to the beads. Paint small sections of the bead with decoupage glue.

2. Apply the napkins bits to cover the bead. Continue adding the pieces, gluing and overlapping the edges until the bead is covered.(Be careful not to cover the bead holes!)

3. Roll the end of the paintbrush over the paper to smooth it in place or use your fingers to smooth the paper (wash your hands if they get too sticky) Let the beads dry.

4. Seal the beads with a final coat of decoupage glue. Make sure all of the sections are covered with glue. Let the glue dry.

5. String the beads onto a piece of elastic cord. Tie the cord into a square knot. To tie a square knot, hold the ends of the cord in each hand. Cross the right end over the left and wrap it around, just like when you are tying a bow in your shoelace. Then, repeat the steps, only this time tying the left end over the right end. Pull on the ends to tighten the knot.

6. Clip off the excess cord. Put a dab of decoupage glue on the ends of the cord to keep them from fraying.

Junk Drawer Charm Bracelets

Go on a treasure hunt for small objects you can hang from a bracelet. Everyday objects like safety pins, colorful charms. Look for items that have an opening to connect with a jump ring. Add beads or jewelry charms to make a design that is truly one of a kind.

Materials

* Chain bracelet

* Jump rings (1 for each charm)

* Head pins

* Small found objects (plastic capsule toys, safety pins, beads buttons, game pieces or anything small that you can hang)

* round-nose pliers

* wire clippers or nail cutters

1. Charms with openings can be attached to the chain with a jump rlng. First open the jump ring with your pliers. Thread the opened jump ring through the opening in the charm. Then attach the jump ring to the chain and close the ring with your pliers.

2. Beads need a head pin before they can be attached to a jump ring. You can find many interesting and different beads such as dice bead. Thread the head pin through the bead.

3. Bend the head pin wire over in a 90 degree angle. Loop the wire at the top of the object with round-nose pliers. (If you don't have pliers, you can wrap the wire around a wooden skewer to make a loop.)

4. Wrap the end of the head pin wire around the base of the loop a few times to secure the loop in place.

5. Clip off the excess wire with wire cutters or old fingernail clippers. Continue adding pieces to the chain bracelet until you have covered the length of the chain.

Sequin Bracelets

Materials

* Assorted sequins

* 24 - Guage wire

* Wire cutters or nail clippers

* 1 large seed bead, size 6/0 ("E bead")

1. Cut off about 36 inches of wire. Choose a large sequin that will be used for the "button clasp" at the end of the bracelet. Bend the wire in the middle and make a loop that is big enough for the large sequin to pass through, but not so big that the sequin will slide easily out. Twist the wires a few times at the base of the loop. You will now have a loop with two wire ends.

2. Thread your first sequin onto one of the wires. Then pass the other wire through the sequin in the opposite direction.

3. Slide the sequin close to the loop, being careful not to twist the wires. The sequin should lie flat with the wires passing over the surface.

4. Add the next sequin as you did in steps 1 through 3. Slide the second sequin next to the first. Turn the sequin around twice to twist the wires between the sequins. This will keep them neatly spaced and separated.

5. Continue adding sequins. For an interesting pattern, mix large and small sequins of different colors along the wires. Measure the bracelet around your wrist as you work.

6. As soon as you have enough sequins threaded on the wires to make a bracelet, add your large "button" sequin on the end. This time pass both ends of the wire through the sequin at the same time going in the same direction. Add the large seed bead on next, sliding the bead next to the sequin.

7. Bring both ends of the wire back through the large sequin, skipping over the bead. The bead will act as a "stop," preventing the wire from slipping back through the sequin.

8. Twist the wire ends around the wires directly under the large sequin several times to secure the sequins in place. Clip off the excess wire with wire cutter or nail clippers to finish the bracelet.

Everyday Supermarket buys that can transform into hours of Creative FUN

2008-12-29T10:48:00.011+08:00

As a parent you could use your weekly shopping trip wisely. Yes, it need not only sustain your children's healthy bodies but also play an important part to fuel their imagination and spark their creativity. Every week as you stock up the pantry, you could add to your kids' "Imagination Treasure Chest".

The supermarket aisles are simply bursting with potential craft material to keep little hands busy and minds imagining. Even better, you won't bust the household budget paying for craft supplies.

Try out these wonderful ideas NOW!

1. Cardboard boxes from cereal, tissues, biscuits, yogurt or eggs all form the building blocks for big-project sculptures. Of course, really big boxes, such as from fridge or washing machines will be ideal for cubby house, but I've yet to find them in supermarket aisles.

2. Paper plates are not just for eating off. They transform easily into masks, hats, groovy handbags, clock faces, train wheels, steering wheels and spiralling snakes and much more.

3. Empty ice-cream containers covered in aluminium foil become knights' or astronauts helmets.

4. Pasta such as macaroni and penne are great for threading on ribbons or lengths of elastic to make fun necklaces or bracelets.

5. Dried beans and lentils create colorful mosaic pictures. Use a paper plate as a canvas and add pasta such as fusilli (twists) or farfalle (bow ties) for variety. Alternatively, make a musical shaker by placing dried beans and lentils in plastic baby bottle or between two paper plates that are stapled and decorated.

6. Cotton wools makes woolly sheep, wonderful clouds or beards on a mask, and really bushy eyebrows, too.

7. Used toilet rolls become binoculars for safaris, kazoos for making music and periscopes for submarines.

8. Plain flour, salt, cream of tartar, oil and food coloring are all you need for playdough. Add in Glitter for the sparkly touch!

9. Cornflour mixed with water and a few drops of food coloring makes "goop", a gooey
alternative to paint that toddlers will love.

10. Detergent and a splash of glycerine added to water makes a fabulous bubble mix for hours of bubbly FUN.

Fun Halloween Costumes

2008-10-07T08:52:00.003+08:00

Make these cool costumes for your kids for this Halloween.

Astronaut Costume

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Pencil
Plastic bucket (3½- gallon, 14-quart, or 12-quart sizes work well)
Hammer and nail
Wire cutters
Craft knife
8- by 12-inch piece of foam board
White duct tape
Dish towel
2 white 1-gallon plastic milk jugs
White plastic utensil tray
Adhesive-backed Velcro
¾-inch-wide clear plastic tube cut into two 3-foot lengths (sold in many hardware stores)
Blind-spot mirrors and reflectors (sold in many hardware stores)
White turtleneck and sweatpants
Flag and letter stickers
Rubber boots

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. To make an astronaut helmet, draw an oval face opening (at least 7 inches wide by 5 inches high) in pencil on the plastic bucket. Use a hammer and a nail to make a pilot hole in the plastic, then cut out the oval with wire cutters. With a craft knife, cut out two 2- by 9-inch foam-board rectangles to use as helmet braces (a parent or other adult's job). Round off the lower corners and duct-tape the tops against the inside of the helmet.

2. Roll up a dish towel, wrap it around your child's head, and tape it closed to form a ring. Remove the towel ring from your child's head and tape it inside the top of the helmet. (When it's time to wear the helmet, lower it straight down so the towel ring fits onto your child's head and the foam braces slide between the space pack and his back.)

3. For a space pack, wrap white duct tape around two empty milk jug air tanks to hold them together. Then fashion four 17-inch-long duct tape straps (as described in the Slime Bucket directions). Use two of the straps as suspenders to connect the air tanks to the plastic utensil tray control panel, taping the ends securely. Have your child try on the space pack, and adjust the suspender lengths if necessary.

4. Use the remaining two straps as side bindings that extend from the air tanks to the sides of the control panel. Once you've taped them to the back of the jugs, have your child try on the pack again to determine the right strap length (there should be little slack). Trim the straps if needed and attach the free ends to the inside of the utensil tray with adhesive-backed Velcro.

5. Use a craft knife to cut an asterisk shape in both sides of the utensil tray (adults only). Push one end of one of the clear plastic tubes through each hole and insert the opposite ends into the milk jug tops, taping them in place. Finally, decorate the space pack with mirrors and reflectors, and attach stickers to the turtleneck, sweatpants, boots, and helmet.

Wicked Witch Costume

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Newspaper
Masking tape
Scissors
Skein of gray yarn
Black electrical tape
Black paint
Cardboard
Tinfoil
1x2 yard piece of black gauze fabric
Black ribbon
10 water picks (available at florists)

Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours

1. For the hat: Roll a tall newspaper cone (ours is 15 inches high) and tape it to hold. Roll up the bottom edge until it fits comfortably on your child's head.

2. For the hair: Cut a slew of 20-inch strands of yarn. Cut a 6-inch strip of electrical tape and press a bunch of the yarn strands onto it. Tape the yarn bunch to the rim of the cone. Continue making yarn bunches until the rim -- minus a section near the face -- is covered.

3. To finish the hat: Use three sheets of newspaper to form the hat brim. Roll in the outer edges, taping them in place, so that you create a circle with a rolled edge. Trace around the cone bottom onto the center of the brim, then divide the circle like a pie, cutting along the center lines. Push the cone up through the brim and tape in place. Paint the hat black. Cut out a cardboard buckle, cover with foil and tape to the front of the hat.

4. For the robe: Fold the fabric in half so the short ends meet, then cut an approximately 7-inch hole for her head. Have your child slip on the robe; then cut a fringy edge on the bottom. Belt the robe with a black ribbon.

5. For fingernails: Your child can press the water picks onto her fingers.

6. For spooky accessories: you could add a plastic snake necklace, striped tights, and black lipstick and many more .....

Clown Costume

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Colored face paints
Makeup brush and sponge
Nylon tulle
String
Curly wig

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. With a damp sponge, apply white face paint to your child's entire face, including his eyebrows. Use a small makeup brush to paint his upper and lower eyelids white.

2. Once the base coat dries (it usually takes just a few minutes), brush on facial features: a green diamond and blue star to accentuate his eyes, a round red nose and full red lips. Finish up with pointy red eyebrows about an inch above his real brows.

3. To make a clown collar, start with a 7- by 36-inch piece of nylon tulle (available at fabric stores). Thread string through the mesh along one long edge, gathering the collar as you go. Then tie the string ends into a bow behind your child's neck.

4. To complete the look, add a curly wig and baggy clothes (overalls or pajamas will do the trick) to the collar

Sunflowers Costume

CRAFT MATERIALS:
9- by 12-inch sheets of craft foam (3 yellow, 4 green, and 1 orange)
Scissors
Low-temperature hot glue gun
Cloth tape
Velcro fasteners
Pen
Sewing elastic
Red and black face paints

Time needed: Afternoon or Evening
1. For the flower petal headband, cut out 12 yellow craft foam petals that measure approximately 7 inches high and 3 inches wide, tapering to 1 1/4 inches at the base. Snip a 1/2-inch slit in the bottom center of each one. Glue together 1 1/2-inch-wide strips of orange craft foam, overlapping the ends a half inch to create a 23-inch-long headband. Starting 1 1/4 inches in from one end of the headband, cut 12 1 1/4-inch slits spaced a half inch apart.

2. Push the base of each petal through a slit, then bend each petal's tabs in opposite directions and secure them to the headband with cloth tape. Glue a Velcro fastener to the ends of the headband. To help hold the headband on your child's head, have her try it on and use a pen to mark a point above each ear. Make holes at the marks. Thread through the ends of a long piece of sewing elastic, adjust the length to fit around the back of your child's head, and knot the ends so they won't slip back through.

3. To make the leafy bib, cut out 10 green craft foam leaves that measure about 3 inches wide and 5 inches long. Hot-glue them by their tips, as shown, to a 1/2- by 18-inch strip of green craft foam. Glue a Velcro fastener to the ends. Use the same method to make leafy wrist and ankle cuffs.

4. Paint a ladybug on your little flower's cheek for good luck.

Make your own latern

2008-09-03T20:21:00.015+08:00

Paper Lanterns

A fun paper lantern to decorate your home for Chinese New Year. Make many lanterns of different colors or decorations and hang them around your home.

What you'll need:

Construction paper
Scissors
Tape
Stapler
Ruler
Pencil
Glue, glitter, sequins, if desired to decorate your lantern

How to make it:

Use your ruler to measure and cut one inch off the short end of your paper. Set aside to use as the handle.
Fold your paper in half lengthwise.
Draw a line one inch from the end of the long edge of the paper opposite the folded edge. This will be the line where you stop cutting.
Measure and mark lines one inch apart starting at the folded edge and moving towards the "stop cutting" line. (see photo)
Cut on the marked lines up to the "stop cutting" line.
Unfold the paper.
Re-crease the paper in the opposite direction. This will hide any pencil marks.
Match the long edges together on the lantern and use tape to hold it in place.
Staple the handle to the top of the lantern. (see photo)
Make as many lanterns as you wish and display them around your home.
If you wish, add glue, glitter, sequins or other things to decorate your lanterns.

Soda Bottle Lanterns

What you’ll need:
One 2-liter soda bottle
Utility knife
Pair of scissors
Assorted colors of tissue paper
Elmer’s glue
Water
Small paintbrush
Single-hole punch
Wire
Newspaper
Glow sticks
Tree branches or dowels (optional)

What to do:
Cover your work area with newspaper or a tablecloth (vinyl protects best) and lay out your supplies.

Wash, rinse, and dry the soda bottle to make sure it is clean. (For large groups you may want to clean all bottles in advance.)

Take a 2-liter soda bottle and pierce a slot in the cone-shaped top of the bottle with a utility knife. Make sure the slot is large enough to insert the blade from a pair of scissors. (Please note: an adult should assist younger children with this step.) For large groups we suggest that a few adults cut the tops off all bottles in advance to save time.

Insert scissors into the slot and cut off the top of the soda bottle and discard (recycle, if possible) the top.

Take the bottom half of the soda bottle and punch two holes directly across from each other approximately one-quarter of an inch from the rim. (You will later string a piece of wire across to act as a handle.)

Select the pieces of tissue paper you’d like to use. Cut or tear tissue paper into desired shapes. (Some participants may want to sketch an idea or a pattern to use when making their lanterns. Others work without a sketch.)

Fill a small glass or jar with 2-3 ounces of water and add an equal amount of glue. Stir the mixture until the glue dissolves into the water. At SADD we like to call this the “magic mixture.”

Dip a small-sized paintbrush into the mixture, hold a piece of your tissue paper against the outside of your soda bottle lantern, and paint the magic mixture onto your tissue paper, sticking it to the soda bottle lantern. The tissue paper should be completely covered in the magic mixture and stick to the soda bottle lantern.

Continue to place pieces of tissue paper onto the soda bottle lantern and cover them with magic mixture. You can overlap pieces of tissue paper to create a design and experiment with different techniques by layering colors of tissue paper to create different colors. Make a collage with your tissue paper until your lantern is completely covered with colors or your desired design.

Once you’ve covered your soda bottle lantern completely, continue to apply small amounts of magic mixture over any pieces of tissue paper that appear to be dry or not sticking to the soda bottle.

Once your lantern is complete, set it out to dry overnight.

When you are sure your soda bottle lantern is dry, cut a 12” length of wire (any type of wire that you can bend with your hands is fine). Thread the wire through the two holes punched across from each other. Twist the wire around itself to secure it on each side, leaving a little bit of slack in the middle to make your lantern handle.

Hook the wire handle of your lantern onto the end of a small branch or a wooden dowel, or you can simply carry the lantern by its wire handle.

When it comes time to light your lantern, for safety reasons it is recommended to use glow sticks. Most schools, city buildings, community centers, etc. will not allow open flames inside buildings.

Glowing Lantern

What You'll Need:

16 regular craft sticks
1 sheet patterned tissue paper
Glow stick
Tools:

Craft glue
Scissors

Step 1: Place a sheet of tissue paper on your work surface, printed side up. Smooth out all wrinkles.

Step 2: Beginning at the lower left corner of the paper, glue a craft stick along the bottom edge, lining up the stick with the bottom of the tissue paper. Glue a craft stick up along the left side, perpendicular to the bottom stick. Glue two more sticks to complete the square, making sure all the angles are square.

Arrange craft sticks as shown.

Step 3: Glue on four more craft sticks to create another square that touches the right side of the one you just made. Repeat two more times so you have a total of four boxes in a row. Let dry.

Step 4: Trim the tissue paper that extends above the top edge of the squares. Also trim the right side of the paper 1/4 inch beyond the edge of the craft stick.

Step 5: Stand the shape on its side, and fold it into a cube shape without a top or bottom. Glue the tissue-paper flap to the first stick to secure the cube.

To make your lantern glow, place a lighted glow stick in the middle of the lantern. Never use a candle or fire of any sort, as the paper may burn.

Paper Mache Lanterns

These are easy and beautiful paper mache balloon lanterns. They work great as party decorations, house decorations and out door lanterns for the summer time.
Material
Tissue paper in desired colors
balloon
Glue
Leaves (optional)
Encouraging words, printed out on paper and cut(optional)
Wire for hanging
Instructions
Tear the tissue paper into strips (about 1 inch wide). Blow up your balloon to around the size you would like your lantern to be.

Mix glue and water, 2 parts glue to one part water, it should be a milky consistency. Slide a piece of tissue paper in and out of the glue mixture. Tissue paper is delicate and will rip easily when it gets wet, try to keep it straight, not twisted, and place in on the balloon. Continue this with each piece of tissue paper until the balloon is well covered.

Let dry, you may want to put one more layer of tissue paper on it once the first has dried.

Pop the balloon and cut the jagged edge off, cut this down far enough so the heat of the candle will have a place to escape out the top. Punch two holes in either side of the balloon.

Make a hanger with copper wire or an old wire hanger. I twisted the wire to make a spiral which keeps the wire from falling off the lantern.

Place a tea light in a glass candle holder then place that in the lantern. Or to be safe you could place a battery operated fake candle inside.

WARNING: Do not leave this candle unattended. This lantern is made off paper and is highly flammable. When you place the candle inside, feel around the lantern and make sure you can not feel heat on it, just coming out the top. Battery operated tea lights would work as well and be safer.

Fun Crafts ideas for your pre-schoolers

2008-08-24T00:55:00.015+08:00

Memory Book

Create a new tradition by making a memory book together with your kids. Then update it once a year as a mini time capsule keepsake.
Prep time: 30 min.

What you'll need:
Felt
Construction paper
Yarn, string, thread or cord
Needle
Scissors
Glue
Crayons, markers or colored pencils

What to do:
Cut felt or paper to the desired size (these will be the pages of the memory book) and bind by sewing with yarn, string or cord.
Glue-in pieces of construction paper or felt to create pockets for keepsakes and souvenirs.
Each year, a new "chapter" is created, items and information are added to the book, and parents and kids can look back on their past

Alphabet Book

Materials
Construction paper
Hole-puncher
String or yarn
Markers
Crayons

Instructions
Ask a grown-up to help you punch holes along one edge of the pieces of construction paper.

Stack the paper together so that the holes line up.

Thread pieces of string or yarn through the holes and tie knots to create a book.

Write a title on the front of the book, like 'A-B-C' or 'My Alphabet Book'.

Write each letter of the alphabet on the pages of the book and draw pictures of things that begin with each letter.

Flip through your book and practice your ABC’s!

Envelope Art

This project requires very little set up or clean up.
Total craft time is about 30 minutes.

You'll Need:
envelopes
crayons
markers
glue
paper

What to do:
First you'll need to seal the envelope.
Draw a nose, whiskers or other features.
Cut construction paper ears, hat, or hair

"My Favorite Things" - Homemade Placemat Craft for Kids

You'll Need:
construction paper, cardstock, or poster board
one roll of contact paper or laminate sheets
glue Stick
photos, magazine images etc.
optional craft supplies; stickers, markers, crayons etc.

Directions
First have your children select and cut photographs
and/or magazine pictures. Attach the pictures to the
paper using a glue stick. Finish decorating the placemat
with markers, stickers and drawings.
Don't forget to write your name with bold letters.

When everything is attached and dry...cover the placemat
on both sides using the laminate paper, following the directions on the package.

Edible Jewelry

Ingredients
3 ounces shoestring licorice (red &, black)
1 cup checkerboard pretzel
1 cup Fruit Loops cereal
2 cups assorted varieties Cheerios toasted oat cereal
1 cup gummy Lifesavers candy, use your imagination

Directions
1Use the licorice as your"string" and thread the other ingredients onto it.
2Use various lengths to create necklaces, bracelets,& rings.
3Wear your creations with pride, then eat them when the mood strikes.

The Versatile Punch

2008-08-05T00:05:00.008+08:00

Punches come is so many shapes, sizes and types. They range from mini/baby to Mega or Super Giant. They are so many types available such as Corner, Border, Tile, Square, Oval and Circles, Profile (where the results look like stencil), Word range and many more.
For individual punches, there is such a variety available you will be at a loss to choose from the many different floral, animal, shapes,etc.

As a matter of fact, once you start making crafts and cards using punches you are very likely to get hooked into using Punches as they are very addictive. Its so simple to use and with good color coordination and creativity the the type of craft or card you can make is endless.

Bookmarks

Use 2 contrasting colored papers. Cut out 1 of the colored paper as a slightly larger rectangle ( give a border of 1 cm) than the other paper. Punch out 3-4 shapes of your desired shapes in a row from the centre of the smaller rectangle. (Use the punched out shapes for other projects). Paste the smaller rectangle onto the larger rectangle. Decorate with colors or glitters if desired. Punch a small hole on the top of the larger paper. Insert a lace, ribbon etc and tie it up.

Tile Punches

For a classic look use tile punches to make cards. These are great for Christmas or Father's day cards.
Choose a card stock. Next choose 2 complementing colors that contrast with the card stock. Punch 2 squares each. Paste them alternatively to create a double colored square. Write or stencil your message such as "Merry Christmas" on the bottom.

Corner Punches

Have fun and mix and match. Corner punches need not be for corners after all. Create a lovely checkered card using a corner punch.
Use a square card stock. Cut out about Eight 2cm squares from a contrasting or complementing colored paper. Fold each square diagonally and punch with your favorite corner punch. Paste the squares onto the card stock to form a checker board.

Variation - Instead of a Corner punch, use a shape punch such as a flower, teddy bear etc.

Below are some pictures of more complicated cards for you to try out and have fun. Enjoy

Have Fun with Sand

2008-07-22T21:53:00.007+08:00

While on vacation this summer, take home some sand from the beach. Sand art is very easy to make and pretty too.

Try to collect clean, fine sand. You should strain the sand you have collected to remove any large pieces from it.

Carefully mix the sand with powder paint - choose a variety of different colours. Keep the different colours of sand separate.

Once you have your coloured sand made you can carefully pour sand into a glass jar in layers to make a pretty decoration.You could use different and creative containers to pour the different coloured sand. If you add a layer of soil on top of your layers of coloured sand, you can grow small cactus plants in the jar. These make lovely decorations, and gifts for your loved ones.

While away long summer afternoons with sand art. Also called sand painting, this is a simple but satisfying craft that's good for Earth Day in the springtime or any dry summer day that follows.

What you'll need:
Construction paper
Glue
Sand

How to make it:
Give each child a piece of construction paper, and allow them to draw a picture or write words with the glue. Make sure that they do not put globs of glue in any one spot.
Before the glue dries take the picture over to dry sand and with your hand pour sand onto the glue.
Let it sit for a few minutes and then shake off the excess sand.
Let it dry flat for about a half an hour depending on how much glue was used.

Tips:
This can also be done with colored sand, but, for those on a budget, regular sand works just as well.

For older children or those who have more budget or have made different colored sands:

Sketch a pattern or picture on a piece of paper.
Carefully apply glue to the sections of your pattern that will be covered with the same colour sand.
Make a paper funnel and slowly spread the coloured sand on the glued areas.
Allow the glue to dry and carefully brush away any excess sand. Continue filling in your pattern or picture using only one colour of sand at a time.

Tip 1: You could use large label stickers to draw patterns and cut out.
After pouring one colored sand, brush away excess sand, then peel the next area and continue with another color.

Tip 2: You could use fine salt instead of sand. Use food colouring to colour the salt instead of powdered paint.

Sand Art on Glass

Material

Clean sand. (beach sand, toy sand box sand or even construction sand will do. )Note: sift out any unwanted particles, like rocks or pebbles.
Small plastic bags
Food Colouring
Picture frame with glass (Old ones work great.)
Drawing or Colouring book picture (not too detailed)
Permanent Marker
Elmer's white glue

Instructions

Coloured sand

Divide the sand into small plastic bags, according to how many colors you want in the picture.

Add food coloring to the sand in a bag, one drop at a time until the color is what you want.

Pour the sand out into a small butter bowls to dry .

Picture

Remove the glass from the picture frame and clean.

Pick out a favorite picture or drawing.

Lay the piece of frame glass on the top of the picture.

Use a black permanent marker to trace the picture onto the glass.

Have the kids place clear drying glue on the glass where they want the same color. (One colour at a time) For instance, blue - Fill in all the areas of the picture on glass that they want to be blue with glue.

Sprinkle the coloured sand onto the wet glue.

Tap the glass to settle the sand and to loosen any that is not glued down.

Pour off excess sand back into bowl.

Repeat for next color next color until the picture is all filled in.

Allow the glue to dry overnight. Place the picture back into the frame with black marker showing forward. BEAUTIFUL !

If you don't want the hassle or the mess involved in creating beautiful Sand Art Painting, do check out this site, "Sand Art Painting"

Rubber Stamping - Fun Way to make Multiple cards

2008-07-11T15:20:00.009+08:00

Would you like to make lots of handmade cards for for the big party, or lovely and personalised cards for Teachers day?

What started out as a great idea for some very special cards can turn out into a disaster and add unwanted Stress into your live.

Use these ten simple steps to maximize your time and free up your creativity when making multiple cards for any size project.

1. Determine and plan your cardmaking schedule. Do you want to set aside a few hours or just 30 minutes at a time? Pick a design suitable for the available time. Make a simple "assembly line" schedule to maximize the time you have to spend on the project.

2. Work on individual elements, individually. It may sound silly, but working on one element of the cards will retain the "look" of the cards while creating a "unity" among them. Start by stamping all of the impressions, then work on cutting out all of the backgrounds, folding all of the paper, tearing all of the sheets simultaneously. You don't want to spend too much time on any one card.

3. Have a party! Kids and relatives love to involved. Make the work fun and don't be overly concerned about the smaller details of the project. You will ultimately put all of the individual components together, giving you plenty of time to add any special touches. Working together with other people will also add a new level of uniqueness to your cards.

4. Stop writing. One of the most frustrating tasks of mass producing cards is hand writing messages. Find "handwriting fonts" available online, at your nearest craft supply store, or your local computer store. Sign the finished card or pen in any details or RSVP information as you would with a store purchased card.

5. Use a paper trimmer. If you need a fast way to make background frames or trim down embellishments, scissors just won't cut it! Stacking paper in 5-10 sheet groups and trimming all at once will provide perfect multiple shapes. Often, your scraps can be stacked in such a way to trim them into useable pieces with a trimmer. Rotary trimmers will also allow you to add perfect "scalloped" edges to the base of the card(s).

6. Punch It. Remember your time is valuable. Whether it's a heart, circle, flower, even a fork and spoon, your local craft store will have a perfect punch for the card. Cutting out shapes by hand is tedious and rarely looks well. Circles can be particularly difficult.

7. Stamp, Stamp, Stamp. When placing stamped images on a card, use one stamp at a time and make as many impressions as needed. Don't clean stamps or switch colors until all of the cards have been stamped. This keeps your ink pads from becoming "mixed" and makes the impressions uniform.

8. Avoid difficult embellishments. I am sure that rows of bows, lines of brads, or glued dots would look wonderful on each card. Finding a simpler alternative will save you hours. Paper tears, taped bows, even stylish stickers can be just as attractive without the hours of difficult handy work.

9. Customize backgrounds. If you absolutely must have a "look" provided by a stamped background, make a "master" copy on white paper EXACTLY how it should look. Scan the paper design into a computer at 300 dpi. (If you're already confused, spend a minute with the scanner manual.) Print onto colored cardstock or paper. When done properly, no one will even notice!

10. Have fun with a budget. These are the two biggest factors when mass producing cards. You don't want to get partway through the project only to realize you have far overspent your intended budget. That special patterned paper and those cute hologram stickers can max out the cost of the cards. Alternatively, when the project simply becomes a duty, it is unlikely you will ever finish. Remember to always plan lots of time. After all, this is by far the greatest hobby in the world!

Candle Crafts and Gifts

2008-06-25T21:46:00.007+08:00

If you are looking for a fun gift to make for any occasion, then personalized candle making may be something you would like to consider. There are many ways to make personalized candles, depending on how much time and money you are willing to spend. With just a little extra time and effort, you can make a personalized candle out of an otherwise ordinary candle gift that the lucky recipient will love.

1. The simplest way to make a personalized candle is get a normal candle at your local candle store. Even general retail stores like Walmart sometimes have candles for sale. Candles come in all shapes and sizes, but almost any candle can be personalized.

2. Anything smaller than a tea light will be difficult to personalize. For tea light candles, you can normally purchase a big bag for a low price. These candles are great as favors for guests at a wedding or baby shower. The easiest way to personalize is to use either a graphics program on your computer or a word processor. We'll stick with the Word processor since it is easier. First, draw a circle the same dimensions as the lid on the tea light, or better yet use a circular label sheet. Then select a nice font, like cursive script or Corsiva. You can enter then names and date of the event into the circle. Print out a sample on plain paper to make sure the look and size is right. Once you have the desired result, you can print your tea light label stickers. Finally, apply the sticker onto the top of the tea light.

3. For jar candles, you can create a square-shaped personalized label. Since you have more area to work with, you can download free graphics from the Internet. Search the web for "free clip art" and download the images you want. Once again print out a sample on plain paper and then print the label. If you don't have a color printer, you can go to a local copier and they can make a nice label for you. Stick the label on the jar. Now you have created a unique gift personalized just for that special person.

4. For tall pillar candles, you can get those engraved at an engraving shop (look in the phone book under engravers). The artwork and text can come in different colors. If you are artistic, you can even buy candle-engraving kits online and do it yourself.

5. How about those 1oz votive candles? For a professional looking gift, get cellophane bags and colored ribbon. Wrap the candle in the cello bag and tie it up with the ribbon. Then attach a personalized tag to the ribbon. These candles can also be engraved.

6. If you can make candles, then there are limitless possibilities. You can use different fragrances oils to create scented candles. You can use embeds for decoration. Cookie cutters and molds are also useful for designing the right shape.
In summary, you can take an ordinary store candle and make it a very special gift with just a little more effort. Your friends and loved ones will cherish these gifts for years to come.

Frame up your Love this Mother's Day

2008-05-09T23:00:00.008+08:00

Every Mother loves to get a gift of love - things made from the little hands of her loved ones. Make it doubly sweet by framing a picture of you and mom or the entire Happy Family with these creative yet easy to make frames.

Twig Frame

Supplies needed:
Twigs
Twine or string
Glue (hot glue works well)
A photo for framing

Collect 2 bunches of twigs. One bunch (about 6 to 8) should be about 2 inches longer than your photo. The other bunch of twigs should be about 2 inches wider than your photo.

Arrange the twigs so that they surround the photo and extend outward about an inch in each direction. Tie the twigs at each corner using twine or string, making an "X" pattern.

Glue the photo onto the back of your twig frame. Hot glue works the best.

Glue a small loop of string to the top batch of twigs for hanging the photo.

Fun Foam Picture Frame

Supplies needed:

A piece of fun foam a few inches larger than the photo
a photo to frame
a hole punch
scissors
glue (like Elmer's glue or a glue stick)
about 6 inches of thin ribbon or yarn (for hanging the frame)
fabric paint, sequins, buttons, yarn, ribbon, feathers, etc. (all are optional decorations)

Choose a photo to frame.

Decide on a shape for your frame and draw it on a piece of foam. Cut a piece of foam that is at least 1 inch larger than the photo on all sides.

All sorts of shapes look good. To cut an oval or heart shape, draw half the shape on a folded piece of paper, then cut it. Use this template for cutting the plastic.

Cut a display hole in the other piece of foam (the piece that will be the front). This hole can be any shape you like, just make sure that it is smaller than the entire photo and is big enough to show the important parts of the photograph.

Put glue on the BACK of the frame. Glue the back of the frame and glue your picture in place. Cut a thick piece of paper for the back of the frame (it should be slightly bigger than your picture but smaller than the frame). Glue it to the back of the frame.

Using a hole punch, punch a hole towards the top of the frame.

Decorate with foam cut-outs, yarn, buttons, feathers, ribbon, fabric paint, sequins, etc.

Tie a thin, short ribbon (about 6 inches long) through the hole punch hole. This will be used for hanging the frame.

Plastic and Yarn Picture Frame

Supplies needed:
thick, flexible, clear plastic
a photo to frame
a hole punch
yarn, twine, or other thick thread
scissors
glue
stickers (optional)
thick needle (optional)

Choose a shape for your frame. Cut 2 pieces of plastic; one for the front and one for the back of the frame. Make sure the plastic is about 1 inch larger than the photo on all sides.

All sorts of shapes look good. To cut an oval or heart shape, draw half the shape on a folded piece of paper, then cut it. Use this template for cutting the plastic.

Put the 2 pieces of plastic together (without the photograph).

Using a hole punch, make a series of holes all around the edge of the frame.

Place the photo on one piece of plastic and position it where it will look best. You may need to trim the photo. A dab of glue on the back of the photo will keep it in place.

Decorate with stickers or labels.

Put the second piece of plastic on top of the first, matching the holes exactly.

Using yarn, twine, embroidery floss, or other thick thread, "sew" up the edges of the frame. Older children can use an upholstery needle. For younger ones, a bit of nail polish put on the end of the string (let it dry first) will act like a needle.

Attach a short loop of yarn for hanging the frame.

Flower Picture Frame

Supplies:
A rectangular piece of cardboard
scissors
paint, markers or crayons
A picture

Directions:

Draw a flower with stem on the cardboard.
Cut the flower out.
Have fun decorating it. You could use poster paint, shiny sticker etc.
Paste your favourite picture in the center of the flower.

Hand Mom this lovely flower with a BIG Smile :)

Impressive Crafts - These Pressing Methods create tons of fun and wonderful crafts

2008-05-05T23:15:00.007+08:00

Wonderful crafts can be made using many different ways of pressing, rubbing, tracing images etc.

Make your own stamps

Potato Printer Stamp

Amaze your kids by turning a pantry staple into a great potato printer stamp! They can use the stamp to transform ordinary paper into decorative gift wrap, book covers, or stationery.

The Potato Printer Stamp is easy and fun!

What You'll Need:

Newspaper
Potato
Knife
Ballpoint pen
Poster paints
Clean foam food tray (from fruits or vegetables only)
Drawing or brown mailing paper
How to Make a Pattern Printer Stamp:

Step 1: Cover your work surface with newspaper. Clean a potato, and help kids cut it in half.

Step 2: Draw a shape on the cut surface with a pen. Assist kids by cutting away the edges so that the shape stands out.

Step 3: Place some poster paint on a clean foam food tray. Dip the potato shape in the paint, and then press it on a piece of paper.

Step 4: Continue stamping the paper until you've created a pattern you like. Let the paint dry.

Craft Foam Stampers

These craft foam stampers are ideal for making holiday greeting cards or invitations to your kids' birthday parties.

What You'll Need:

Craft foam (available at craft stores)
Blunt scissors
Fabric glue
Blocks of wood
Poster paints or stamp pads

How to Make Craft Foam Stampers:

Step 1: Cut out shapes from craft foam. Glue each shape on a block of wood.

Step 2: Use poster paints or stamp pads to ink your stampers. Wash your stamps after each use.

You can make 1 large stamp to decorate the front of a birthday card or small stamps to create repeating shapes on wrapping paper or gift bags.

Combine 2 or 3 small shapes on a single block of wood to make interesting repeating patterns. Try hearts, circles, squares, or stars.

You can also make letter or word stamps. Cut out letters or words that you want to print, and glue them to a block in a mirror image.

Custom Stencil Pillowcase

Turn a plain pillowcase into a special custom stencil pillowcase for your child's room. Design and paint your own floral border!

Dress up any bed with the Custom Stencil Pillowcase.

What You'll Need:

Pencil
Plastic coffee can lids
Scissors
Plain pillowcase
Plastic garbage bag
Binder clips
Acrylic paints
Paper plates
Stencil brush

How to Make a Custom Stencil Pillowcase:

Step 1: Draw a flower shape on one plastic coffee can lid. Draw leaf shapes on another coffee can lid. Help kids cut the shapes out to create a flower stencil and a leaf stencil.

Step 2: Put the plain pillowcase flat on your work surface, and place a plastic garbage bag inside the pillowcase. Place the flower stencil on the edge of the pillowcase, and secure it with a binder clip.

Step 3: Pour some acrylic paint on a paper plate. Dip a stencil brush in the paint, and dab off the excess paint on a piece of paper. Dab the brush inside the stencil shape until it is filled in.

Step 4: Continue stenciling the flower design along the edge of the pillowcase to make a border.

Step 5: Once the paint has dried, repeat the stenciling process using the leaf stencil and a different color paint. Let the paint dry.

If you want, stencil the same border on the bed's dust ruffle or curtains to match your child's bedroom.

Cookie Cutter Stamps
This is a great way to make stamped bags, stationery and greeting cards.

You will need:

Acrylic Paint:
Assorted Cookie Cutters
1" Styrofoam sheet
Black permanent pen
Assorted paper bags, cards, and envelopes
A new pencil with a new eraser
Decorative Scissors

Instructions:

Press cookie cutters into Styrofoam to cut out shape. If some Styrofoam bits remain around the design, remove them with a plastic knife rubbed with an old candle.
Dip Styrofoam shape into a fresh puddle of paint that has been poured onto a paper plate and stamp onto surface. Once stamping of design is completed, let all paint dry. Use your imagination and have fun creating cool designs.
Here are some shapes you can use:
The following colors were used with the following shapes:
Moon, Stars,Flowers, Leaves, Butterflies, Apples etc.

You could also dip a pencil eraser into a vibrant and contrasting paint and then use it to stamp dots on flowers. Add smaller dots using a paintbrush handle or a toothpick.
With this method you could add details to your colourful butterflies or ladybugs. After all dots have dried, add outlines and curly vines with the black pen.

(Optional) Tie with colored ribbons and fill with assorted tissue papers to make festive designs. Use paper edgers and corner edgers on cards to create pretty designs.

April Fool Tricks to make and play

2008-04-01T01:18:00.004+08:00

Hahaha - April Fool's day is here. So lets have some fun and make some pranks!

THE MAGICAL BANANA
Make a magical banana that will really surprise your friends! Tell them that you've discovered a brand new, genetically-altered banana that grows pre-sliced. This is the best invention since sliced bread.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:
One banana
A toothpick

Stick a toothpick into a banana somewhere along a seam. Rotate the toothpick left and right inside the banana, cutting all the way through the fruit, but not through the peel. Try to keep the hole the toothpick makes as small as possible.

Take the toothpick out and repeat at another spot on the banana. Keep making internal slices until you have at least five or six.

Now offer the banana to an unsuspecting friend (maybe even telling them some odd story about mutant bananas from Ecuador). When your friend peels the banana, they will be VERY surprised to find that it is already sliced!

Wiggle-Woggle Balloon
Slightly tricky to make, April Fool's Day wiggle-woggle balloons are worth the effort -- teach your friends how to make this April Fool's Day crafty balloon and host a game of catch.

What You'll Need:

Two 10-inch balloons
Water
(Balloons are choking hazards -- keep them and any broken pieces away from little children.)

To make your tricky balloon, roll one balloon lengthwise and slide it inside the other, leaving only the stem (mouthpiece) sticking out.

Place the mouthpiece of the inside balloon over the faucet, and fill the balloon with water until it is about 4-inches across. Tie the stem, and push the balloon the rest of the way inside the outer balloon.

Blow up the outer balloon, leaving it a little soft, and tie it. Watch out! This balloon will wiggle-woggle when you toss it.

If you start the water balloon rolling around inside before you toss it, the balloon will wiggle-woggle even more.

Play wiggle-woggle balloon outside on the grass, away from stickers and thorns.

April Fool's Can
Take some time to make this tricky April Fool's can on your own, then show the trick to your parents and friends. The fun April Fool's Day craft will amaze and delight your audience.

What You'll Need:
Can opener
1-pound coffee can (empty)
Two plastic coffee can lids
Scissors
Large medium-weight rubber band
2-ounce fishing sinker

Create a coffee can that moves this April Fool's Day.

Use the can opener to remove both ends of the can. Lay the plastic lids on top of each other.
Punch two holes about 1-inch apart through both of the lids. Put one lid on the can.

Cut the rubber band. Thread the ends through the holes in the lid. Slip the fishing weight on one of the pieces of rubber band inside the can.

Thread the rubber band ends through the holes on the other plastic lid, and tie the ends of the rubber band together.

Put the lid on the can. When you push the can, it will roll across the floor -- then it will stop and roll back!

You may have to experiment with the tension of the rubber band. It should not be so loose that the weight touches the side of the can or so tight that the weight cannot flip around and 'wind up' the toy.

Hatventures - Fun and Creative Hat Crafts

2008-02-27T22:49:00.013+08:00

Here is a variety of Fun Hats that you can make and add to your collection of "Dress Up" fun!

Lincoln Hat
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the USA, used to wear a black stovepipe hat.

Supplies needed:
Black construction paper
Toilet paper tube (1 tube makes two hats)
Scissors
A pencil
Glue
Tape

Direction:
1. Cut a toilet paper tube in half, making two short tubes.

2. Cut out a 2 inch by 6 inch rectangle of black construction paper.

3. Trace a circle on black construction paper, using a tube as your guide. Draw four small rectangles around the edges of the circle.
Cut this out (this will be the top of the hat).

4. Trace another circle on a piece of black construction paper, using the tube as your guide. Draw a larger circle around this circle, about 1/2 inch outside the first circle. Cut out along the larger circle (this will be the hat's brim).

5. Continuing with the brim, cut a series of lines through the inner circle. Fold these triangular pieces upwards.

6. Glue or tape the triangular pieces of the hat's brim inside the half toilet tube.

7. Now, for the top on the hat, use the circle with tabs. Fold the tabs where they meet the circle. Put the small black paper circle on the top of the hat, taping the rectangular tabs to the tube.

8. Place the rectangle of black paper around the central part of the hat. Glue it securely.

Graduation hat

Supplies needed:
Poster board (One piece of poster board (2 ft by 3 ft) will make 6 children's hats. )
Scissors
Glue
Brass paper fasteners
Yarn (for tassels)

Direction:

1. Cut one piece of poster board into 6 squares (each measuring 8 inches by 8 inches) and 6 strips (each measuring 2 feet by 3 1/4 inches).

2. Make a series of V-shaped marks in each strip. The V-shaped notch should go about halfway through the strip.

3. Cut out the V-shaped notches in the strip.

4. Fold the strip in half (along the dotted line).

5. Form the strip into a circle with the notched part facing into the circle. Adjust the size to fit the child's head. Glue the ends to form the hat band.

6. Glue the hat band to the mortar board (one of the squares).

7.Make a tassel by winding yarn around a 6 inch piece of cardboard. Wind the yarn around the cardboard about 5 or 6 times.

8. Slip the tassel off the cardboard. Wrap a piece of yarn around one end and tie it securely. Cut the long end of the tassel.

9. Attach the tassel to the hat using a brass paper fastener

PAPIER-MÂCHÉ DINOSAUR HAT
This activity creates papier-mâché dinosaur hats. Each step takes about an hour or less. A few days drying time is required between the papier-mâché part, the application of decorations, and the painting part. It is also messy, involving tearing paper, gluing it, decorating, and painting.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:
One large balloon for each hat
A lot of old newspaper and/or brown-bag paper
Flour-water glue (instructions follow)
Scissors
Hole punch (or just use the tip of a scissors to make holes)
Assorted paper, cardboard scraps, styrofoam scraps, egg cartons
Paint
String or elastic for chin straps

Direction:

1. Choose the type of dinosaur hat(s) you want to make. Species with interesting heads include
Styracosaurus,

Triceratops,

Dilophosaurus,

Lambeosaurus,

and T. rex.

2. Make a simple, thin glue from flour and water (boiling gives it a nice consistency). A good recipe is: Mix 1 cup of flour into 1 cup of water until the mixture is thin and runny. Stir into 4 cups of boiling water. Simmer for about 3 minutes, then cool.

3. Tear a lot of strips of newspaper and/or brown bag paper. Strips should be about 1 inch wide; the length doesn't really matter.

4. Blow up a balloon for each child. Each hat is molded over a large balloon.

5. Dip each strips of paper in the flour glue and put on the balloon. Put the balloon sideways because most dinosaurs had long heads. Apply the papier-mâché strips to cover about half of each balloon . About 3 layers of paper are necessary for a hat thick enough to decorate later. You can do all the layers at one time, or wait between layers. Let dry for a few days.

6. Pop the balloon when the hat's dry and remove. Trim the hat, depending on the dinosaur species chosen. Using glue or staples, add horns, frills, crests, beaks, teeth, and more, made of paper, cardboard, styrofoam, egg cartons, etc. Let dry.

7. When the hats are dry, punch holes for chin straps and paint the eyes, nostrils, beaks, skin color, etc. Let paint dry.

8. Add string or elastic to use as a chin strap.

Flower Crown

Supplies:

A paper plate
Colored construction paper or tissue paper
Paint, markers, or crayons
Scissors
Glue
Optional - glitter, crepe paper or other ribbons

Direction:

Cut a slit through the center of the paper plate, leaving about an inch at the edges of the plate. Cut three more slits.

Bend the triangles formed by the cuts upwards, forming leaf-like shapes.
Paint the crown light green (or use markers or crayons to color it). Let the paint dry.

Cut out some construction paper or tissue paper flowers for your hat. Any shapes will do - let your imagination run wild and invent your own flowers. Glue flowers to the crown.

Optional: Decorate it with glitter and/or staple two long ribbons of crepe paper to your beautiful hat.

Variation: Instead of flowers, make paper eggs, decorate them, and put them on your hat.

Flowers for your Valentine

2008-02-09T22:52:00.002+08:00

Valentine day is round the corner and if you would like to gift your loved ones with flowers that never wilt then read on. Here are some simple and creative flower crafts for you to enjoy making and for the reciever to enjoy the wonderful result.

Muffin Flower Craft

Materials:
1 plain papaer,

glue,

scissors,

a piece of construction paper),

two muffin cups (the paper cups you make muffins or cupcakes in)

Coloring materials such as paint, crayons, markers, etc

Directions:

Colour the two muffin cups various colours (they will be the flower head). You might want to make the centers yellow and the outsides a rainbow of flower colours... be creative!

This step should be first, especially if using paint, so it has a chance to dry while you're doing the other steps.

Set aside to dry.

Draw stems and leaves on a green construction paper and cut them out

Glue the leaves and the stem onto a piece of plain paper.

Glue the two muffin cups onto the top of the stem (one on top of the other) to form the flower.
Flatten out the bottom cup a bit more than the top cup so you can see the petals

you can use more than two cups if you want... the more cups you use, the more petals your flower will have. The center of the flower can be further decorated with yellow sequins, small seeds or a photo.

you can decorate the paper further by drawing a flower pot under the flower and writing your Valentine message on the pot with color markers.

Paper Plate Flower Craft

A paper plate
Colorful construction paper
Scissors
Glue (or a stapler)

Directions:

Trace a child's hand on colorful construction paper, at least 10 times.

Cut out the hand tracings.

Glue or staple a circle of handprint tracings (fingers pointing outwards) around the outside of the plate - the fingers are the flower's petals.(See above picture)

Glue or staple a second circle of handprint tracings (fingers pointing outwards) just inside the first circle.

Glue or staple a third circle of handprint tracings at the center of the plate.

Glue a small paper circle in the center of the flower.

Hawaiian Flower Lei

Materials:

Thick paper, like cardstock or thick construction paper
A printer
Drinking straws (two straws for each lei)
Yarn (about 2 feet of yarn for each lei)
Scissors
Optional - paint, markers, glitter

Directions:

Draw and cut out many flowers from thick paper.

Poke a tiny hole in the center of each flower (this is where you will eventually thread the yarn through them).

Optional: Decorate the flowers with paint or markers. Also, glitter is a nice decorative touch. (Work on top of old newspapers to avoid too much of a mess.)

Cut a drinking straw into 1 1/2 inch long segments (the exact length is not important) - you'll need a segment of straw between each flower.

Cut a piece of yarn about 2 feet long. Tie a thick knot at one end of the yarn. Thread the smallest flower through the other end of the yarn -- push it down to the knot. Then thread a segment of drinking straw -- push it down to the small flower.

Continue threading flowers and straw segments. When the last flower has been threaded onto the yarn, tie the ends of the yarn together to make your necklace.

Tissue Paper Flowers Craft

These flowers are made from folded tissue paper (crepe paper). You can make an entire bouquet of them for a great gift

Materials:

Tissue paper (crepe paper)
Green pipe cleaners (or twist ties)

Directions:

Cut a few pieces (about 4-6) of tissue paper (crepe paper) about 8 x 10 inches (the exact size doesn't matter).

Put the paper in a pile and fold it like an accordion.(See picture above)

Tie the center of the folded paper with a green pipe cleaner (or twist tie).

Gently pull each piece of paper towards the top center of the flower, separating each sheet of paper from the others (forming the petals of the flower).

Paper Flower Craft

Materials:

Different colors of construction paper including green
Plastic drinking straw
Scissors
Glue

Directions:

Trace your child's hand on construction paper and cut the hand shape out. Use a pencil to curl the fingers. Use the palm of the cutout handprint to form a cone making sure the curled fingers point out ward.

Glue your little handprint flower around a drinking straw. Cut leave shapes out of the green construction paper and glue them to the straw as well.

Repeat and make an entire bouquet of spring flowers.

Be My Valentine - My Collection of Valentine Day Greeting Cards

2008-01-31T07:36:00.001+08:00

Here is a collection of my favorite creative cards for this valentine. For a change, I have not concentrated too much on red or hearts. Valentine needs not be about hearts alone.

For this card, I used a yellow printed card with a circle window. For the insert, I used a different shade of yellow. Using contrasting coloured paper, I folded the papers into tea bag designs to create 3-D effect. At the bottom of the circle, I placed more of the red and blue design coloured paper in a stripe effect.

Here is a simple design, which makes use of purple and orange to create this sweet card. The quilled hearts and flower make this attractive card a favorite for MOM.

I had stamped 3 sweet flowers on a pink paper, then used glitter markers to make the flowers stand out. For the four corners I used double coloured quilled flowers. The use of corrugated purple strips at the two sides gives this card extra texture.

A checkered design with 2 dark red quilled flowers makes this card into a classic yet sweet card. Instead of just 2 flowers you could add more, or add buttons or stickers to create a different look.

Chess anyone?
Green, blue and pink combination makes this into a very attractive card. For the borders, I used dark blue coloured paper into interesting quilled designs.

The neon green, pink and black coloured papers used makes this card into a very striking one. For the center, I used pink and yellow green papers to make the tea bag folds into a 3-D flower.

Beach Crafts - Fun and creative ideas using the Beach Theme

2008-01-30T14:24:00.002+08:00

Going to the beach is very fun. If you happen to collect sea shells that you can have lots of fun creating these great crafts. For those of you who don't collect shells, don't worry, you could buy these shells from some craft shops or even online.
So enjoy creating these great crafts.

Seashell Wind Chimes

What You Need:
8 seashells (available from the beach, or at craft supply stores)
1 plastic coffee-can lid
knitting yarn scraps
liquid white glue
sharp pencil or paper punch.

What to do:

1. Glue each shell to the end of a short piece of yarn. Use liquid white glue.

2. Let dry overnight.

3. Punch eight holes equally spaced on the top of a plastic coffee-can lid. Use a sharp pencil or a paper punch.

4. Hold the lid with the rim facing up. Push the eight pieces of yarn through the eight holes of the underside of the lid.

5. Tie the end of each piece of yarn in a large knot. Make the knot bigger than the hole so the yarn will not slip through.

6. Punch two more holes on opposite edges of the lid.

7. Push one end of a large piece of yarn from the top of the lid through one hole. It should come out on the underside of the chime.

8. Tie a large knot.

9. Push the other end of the yarn through the other hole and knot it.

10. Hang the chime on the branch of a tree or in your window.

Seashell Mobile

What you need:

Shells or other finds
String
2 pieces of dowel rod, about 1 foot length
Glue

What to do:

1. Use string to make dowels into an 'X' shape.

2. Glue shells onto several different lengths of string.

3. Let dry about a day.
4. Tie string with shells to dowel rods at all four corners and some between.

Crazy Beach Towel

What you need:
1 White beach towel
Acrylic paints (pick colors you like)
Craft sponges: In a variety of shapes (animals, flowers,hearts
stars) whichever you like
Old plastic fly swatter
old newspapers (for the mess).

What to do:
Cover the work area or floor with newspapers

Place your towel completely opened onto the newspaper. If you are using a new towel, be sure to wash it first so it won't be stiff.

Dip your sponges into the paint (not too much paint) and sponge them onto your towel in different places.

Dip the fly swatter into the paint and pat it on some newspaper to clear the paint out of the holes. Pat the fly swatter onto the areas of your towel that do not have a shape on them.

If you are allowed, you may place your hand and feet prints on the towel too.

Let it dry completely.

Help clean up the mess.

Ask Mom if she will sew a pocket on one end of the towel by folding it over and stitching sides and two or three seams evenly spaced across. You can then place your beach things in the pockets and roll it up.

Decorative Fridge Magnet

What You Need:

Magnet, flat rectangle, business card size [2 x 3 1/2"]

Seashells

Pearls

Rhinestones

Glue

Sand

Other Materials

Newspaper

Hobby Brush

Polyurethane, Liquid

What to do:

Select your materials. Pick out some seashells, small pieces of coral, a couple of colors of rhinestones, a pearl or two. Now that you have all the materials handy for the decorative magnet project, place them on the magnet surface.

Now carefully move the items off the magnet and place them to the sides so the pattern you developed can still be seen. With a sheet or two of newspaper under the project you can start the next phase of this decorative magnet.

Remove any loose materials from the magnet. If you are using a magnet with an adhesive side to it, remove the paper that covers the adhesive. Use the adhesive side for your decorative magnet.

With the face to work on facing up, apply glue to the whole surface. Apply if over the adhesive if there is any. Spread it out with a hobby brush so it covers the surface evenly.

Place your design on the fridge magnet. Start with the center area and work your way to the edges. Take care with the smaller items, like the rhinestones, so they don't end up upside-down on the glue. It can ruin their shine.

Take a look. Make sure all the objects are aligned the way you wanted them to be.

Pour sand over the glue - slowly and carefully so you don't move the items of your design. Make sure the sand covers all the glue. Set the decorative fridge magnet aside and let the glue dry.

Once the decorative fridge magnet is dry pick it up and lightly shake off any loose sand. Everything else should remain glued in place. Recover the sand for future projects or trash it.

Now take out some polyurethane and paint the seashells and sand with it. DO NOT get polyurethane on the pearls or beads, nor on the rhinestones. Although it gives shine to the seashells and sand, it has the opposite effect on rhinestones and pearls. Makes them dull.

Let it all dry. Probably another hour.

Decorative Glass Jars

Want to craft some really impressive decorative glass jars? You will love the attractive look of these glass jars designed with sea shells and sand. Add rhinestones, beads, coral and other accessories and really crank up the beauty

These sea shell arts and crafts jars will make a great addition to your home decor. Make several and give them as beautiful homemade gifts to your family and friends.

What You Need:

a glass jar, medium or large, 14 to 18 oz
sea shells
sand
a bottle of Elmer's Glue-All or equivalent
a can of polyurethane - gloss or semi-gloss
set of hobby brushes
a rag or old towel

What to do:

Take a new jar then wipe it clean inside and out with a bit of alcohol on a rag or paper towel. This should remove any dust and oils. Set aside and let air dry.

Take a look at canvas (the jar). Notice if it is round or square, tall and narrow or wide and squat. You need to be familiar with the jar to set up the design to use on it.

Since we are making a vertical design, you need to look at how your seashells can be arranged on the jar to make columns running from near the bottom of the glass jar to near the top edge.

Pick through your available shells until you have a good handful that you can use on the jar. Check the seashells for fit against the glass. Your jar's shape will determine which shells can be used where.

Now that you have an idea for how the shells will sit on the jar lets get started laying them on.

Starting the Decorative Jar Design

This is where the towel or rag comes into it's own. Place the towel on your work surface. Place the glass jar on its side on the towel. You may have to "puff" the towel slightly so the jar doesn't roll. The towel is used to keep the jar steady while you work on your project.

Lay out the seashells you have chosen for this design on the work space near the glass jar. If possible lay the seashells out the same way you plan to use them. For your first project, try setting them up so the larger shells are at the bottom of your columns. The rest of the shells should get smaller as they go toward the top of the column. Depending on the tallness of your jar and the size of your shells, the columns can contain 3 to 6 shells each.

Let's start the first column of seashells from the bottom of your glass jar. Pick out your first shell and place it on the jar. Check it for fit. If you are happy, apply glue to the bottom edge of the seashell and place it on the jar. It should sit there without moving as long as the jar sits steady in the towel.

Pick, glue, and place the smallest shell of your picks at the top of the glass jar. Now you have guides for placing the central shells. Pick out the next shell you want to place, glue the edge, and put it on the glass jar so that it is in line with your guide shells. Leave some space between the shells, maybe 3/8 to 1/2 inch or so. Just eyeball it.

Finish placing the next shell or two until you have used up the shells you picked for this column. Now is the time to check the way the seashells look on your glass jar. If you like the way they are positioned, Congratulations!, you have just set up your first column. If not, you can move the seashells around a little bit until you are happy with the way they fit and look.

Now comes the real hard part - leaving the glass jar alone so the glue will dry and the seashells will become attached to the jar. If you move the jar, the shells will more than likely slide out of position on the glass.

Once the glue is dry, turn the jar a quarter turn to bring up the next face to be sea shelled. This should place the first row to your left and parallel to the work surface. By setting the glass jar so that the first row is parallel to the work surface, you will space your columns more evenly.

Now you can start your second column of seashells on the glass jar. Just like above, start with your larger shell on the bottom, the smallest shell at the top, and the others in between the two. Apply glue to the bottom edge of each seashell and place it on the glass. Wait for the glue to dry and set the shells in place.

With the second column of seashells attached to the glass jar, it is time to set up the third column. Once again, move the glass jar a quarter turn to the left. Now the first column should be directly below the jar on the towel, and the second column is parallel to the work surface. Move the towel around the jar to make sure it stays in place when you finish positioning it.

Pick, glue, and set your pick of seashells for this third column. Check to make sure the seashells are placed the way you want them to be. Then it's back to waiting for the glue to dry and the seashells to become permanently attached to the glass jar.

Finally it is time for the fourth column. Move the glass jar around another quarter turn so the column you just finished is to the left and parallel to the work surface. This should put your first column on also parallel to the work surface, only on the right side of the jar. The second column will now be on the bottom.

Once again, starting with your guide seashells, pick - glue - place, each shell on the glass jar. Check your work and make any adjustments you need or want. Leave the work alone to dry.

If you have a very wide and squat jar, you may want to add columns in-between the ones you just finished putting on. This time move the jar, so that the surface between two of the columns is facing you. Start setting the seashells in place with glue until you have finished this fifth column. Remember, that you want to leave clear space between the columns so try not to get carried away with the seashells. Wait for the glue to dry, and set up the next column. Keep going until you have finished these columns also.

Finishing Your Decorative Jars

Once all the shells are in place and the glue is dry, pick up the jar and remove the towel. Get ready for the next phase by placing some clean and dry newspaper on your work surface. This paper will catch the sand that falls off your decorative jar project.

Pick a place to start. You want to apply glue directly to the glass jar in-between the shells columns and in-between the shells of each column. Do one section at a time, although this time you don't have to wait for the glue to dry until you are finished applying the sand.

Apply some glue and spread it around with a hobby brush. Basically, it's like painting the glass with the glue. Try not to get glue on the seashells. Pour sand on the glue. You may have to pour sand from a couple of different sides. Hurrah, for the newspaper. Gather up the spilled sand and return it to your container.

Apply glue to the next section you want to do and then apply sand. Keep going until the all the glass that was showing in-between and next to the seashells is covered by the sand. The only parts of your decorative jar that should not have any sand on them is the bottom of the jar, and the inside of the jar.

Now lightly shake the jar so the loose sand falls off. Set the decorative jar aside and let it dry. Gather up your spilt sand and return it to your container. Let the decorative jar sit for about 12 hours so that the glue dries thoroughly.

Once the decorative jar is thoroughly dry you need to apply a coat of polyurethane to both the seashells and the sand. The polyurethane will give them a nice shine and protect your work at the same time. Apply a light coat, using your hobby brushes. Cover all the shells and sand. Set the decorative jar aside and let it dry.

A Basket Full of Fun - Making Different types of Baskets

2008-01-18T22:06:00.001+08:00

Heart Basket

This heart basket is beautiful and easy to make (once you get the hang of it). You can make it out of paper or felt (for a long-lasting basket).
Younger kids need help doing this project.

These baskets can be used as party favors, filled with candy, or even as a craft to make during a party (you may want to do the marking and/or cutting before the party if younger children are involved).

To make a woven Heart Basket, you will need:

Two pieces of paper, each a different color (or use felt)
a pen or pencil
scissors
glue or a stapler.

For each basket, you'll need 2 strips of colored paper (use 2 different colors). Fold each piece of paper in half. Cut the folded paper into two halves (along the dotted line), into long rectangles. The exact dimensions of the paper rectangles don't matter as long as the two pieces that make a basket are the same size.

Place the 2 folded rectangles on top of each other, rotated 90° from each other. Draw a thin pencil line along the edge of one side onto the other rectangle.

Place the rectangles exactly on top of each other, making sure that the folds are on top of each other.

Mark each strip as shown in the picture. The number of strips you cut and their width doesn't really matter; just make each strip at least 1/2 inch wide so they don't break too easily. Cut along the new dotted lines.

In regular weaving, strands are woven "under" and "over" each other; in this basket the weaving is "through" and "around."

Start the weaving by weaving strip 1 through slit A, around strip B, through slit C, etc., until the row is finished. Push this row to the back, where the slits end.

Continue the weaving with strip B. Weave it through slit 1, around strip 2, through slit 3, etc., until this row is finished. Continue until all the rows are done.

Cut a strip of paper (about 1/2 inch by 6-7 inches) for the basket's handle. Glue or staple it to the front and back of the basket.

Paper Baskets

These Paper Baskets are easy for kids to make, and fun to fill with treats that kids love.

Paper Baskets are great for any time of the year. Use a different shape to make baskets for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, or even Thanksgiving Day. Be sure to pick colors of paper that will fit the theme of your baskets (eg. pink hearts, orange pumpkins, green shamrocks).

Materials List
paper
scissors
glue
pencil
decorations

Fold the paper in half.
Take one side of the paper and fold it back on itself. Repeat on the other side. Your paper should now be folded in quarters, but it should be like a fan fold.

Draw a design or trace a pattern on the paper. Make sure it touches on both sides, and leave a bit room at the bottom. Add a tab to the bottom of your pattern.
Cut out along the lines.

The four shapes are the four sides to your basket. Fold each of the bottom tabs towards the center.

Cut out a small tab from the scrap paper. Fold it in half. Put glue along the outside. Put the tab on one edge of the basket, and glue to the other side of the basket to complete the square.

Cut out a square from the extra paper. Put a bit of glue on the top of each of the tabs. Put the square into the center of the basket to make the bottom.

Add a handle of twisted paper, or ribbon.

Hints

For your first basket, use an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. Your finished basket will be about 2 inches square.
For a stronger basket, glue a cardboard square under the bottom of the basket.

A Paper-Mache Basket

Paper-mache over blown-up balloons makes baskets. Use tissue papers for the last layer to add the color.

What You Need:

Balloons
Liquid starch
Old newspapers
Old cake or pie tin
String
Paper or plastic cup
Colored tissue paper
Can of flat white spray paint
Jar of gloss medium and varnish
Paintbrush

Instructions:

1. Tear newspapers into 1-inch-wide strips that are 2 to 3 inches long. Blow up the balloon and tie the end with an overhand knot.

2. Pour starch into the pie tin. Cover the balloon with newspaper strips that have been dipped into the starch. After the balloon is covered with this layer, add a second layer. Overlap the strips and completely cover the balloon, except for the knotted end. Tie a string above the knot of the balloon. Hang the balloon in a cool, dry area to dry overnight. Add more strips, if necessary, and let these strips dry.

3. Snip the knotted end from the balloon, let the air escape, and remove the balloon. Let the paper ball dry for a few more hours.

4. Cut 1 inch off the top of the plastic cup to use for the base. Cover the base with paper strips. Fasten the wide end of the base to the wide end of the ball with more strips. Cover the hole where you removed the balloon with strips. Let the ball dry.

5. Draw a zigzag line around the ball's middle to mark the top of the basket, and a pair of parallel lines over the top (the narrow end) to mark the handle. Cut out the enclosed areas to form the basket. Spray-paint the basket white. When completely dry, apply tissue paper.

TIP: Paint small areas of the basket with the gloss medium and varnish. Lay cut strips of tissue paper over the medium. Paint the medium over the top of the tissue paper. Cover all sides of the basket with the tissue paper. Let dry.

Plastic Bottle Basket

Make this basket from a small pop bottle or try it with a 2 liter for a larger basket. You will need to weave a few chenille stems together to create the handle for the larger basket.

What you'll need:

20 ounce or 1/2 liter plastic pop bottle (Sprite is green)
Craft knife
Bumpy chenille stem (or regular chenille stem)
Hole punch
Easter grass
Candies or treats to fill basket

How to make it:

Cut the bottle with the craft knife about 4" from the bottom. Discard top.
Hole punch on two sides directly across from each other.
Insert one end of the chenille stem from the outside to the inside. Bring it up and twist to the stem above the bottle edge.
Repeat for other end of the chenille stem.
Fill with Easter grass, candies or treats.

Picture This - Fun ideas to make picture frames

2008-01-04T00:16:00.001+08:00

There are many different ways as well as using many different materials to make picture frames. Here are fun ideas for you to try out.

Macaroni Picture Frame

What you need:
1 lid from a peanut butter jar
1 picture to fit in the lid
some uncooked macaroni noodles
paint
glue

Directions

1. Paint the lid and let it dry.

2. Glue the macaroni noodles all around the edge of the lid.

3. Paint the noodles all different colors and let dry.

4. Glue the picture inside of the lid.

5. Glue a loop of string on the top, back side of the lid for hanging.

Pet Photo Frame

What you need:

dog biscuits, kitty treats or other favors to represent the animal you will feature in the photo (for a bird, how about small seed bells, or other bird toys)

1 picture of your favorite animal

acrylic paint- any color

fine tipped marker

craft glue

paint brush

5X5 inch piece of cardboard or photo matting- cereal boxes work great

craft knife

sealer- Design Master Super Surface Sealer clear Sealer and Satin Finish 383 works great

ribbon or magnet

Directions

1. Center your picture on top of cardboard and trace around it.

2. Use craft knife to cut out hole for picture

3. Paint the front of the frame in the color of your choice

4. Glue treats on to the frame.

5. On one of the treats or an open space on the frame write the animal's name, plus the dates of birth and death if they are now little angels.

6. Seal with sealer

7. On the back side of the frame glue or tape the picture in place

8. Add ribbon or magnet to the back to hang.

Popsicle Stick Picture Frame

What you need:

Eight clean Popsicle sticks

Paint or magic markers

Tacky craft glue

Photograph of yourself / or your loved one

Scissors

Pencil

Cardboard (you can use an old cereal box)

Yarn (if you want to hang your frame)

Magnet (if you want to be able to put your frame on the refrigerator or a filing cabinet)

Any of the following items to decorate the frame: sequins, buttons, construction paper, yarn, stickers, nuts and bolts, fishing lures, buttons, ribbons, tiny fake flowers, golf tees, puzzle pieces, lace, stamps, wrapping paper, fabric, or pictures of their favorite hobby cut from magazines, etc.

Directions

1. Arrange the Popsicle sticks as follows: put two side-by-side vertically (up and down). Put two more (arranged the same way) next to them.

2. Take the photograph and slide the edges under the four sticks so that neither of the sides (right or left) show.

3. Place two more Popsicle sticks, side-by-side, so that the top edge is covered. Do the same with the bottom edge using the last two sticks. (The top and bottom parts will cross over the side parts of the frame.) Use the pencil to lightly mark where the frame will attach. You may need to trim the picture if it is too big.

4. Use the glue to put the frame together. Let it dry overnight.

5. While you are waiting for the frame to dry, put the picture on a piece of cardboard and trace around it. Trim the cardboard to be just a little larger than the picture (about 1/4" all the way around).

6. Glue the picture to the center of the cardboard.

7. Decorate the frame using paints or markers. Let that dry (if you used paint) and then further decorate it with the items you've collected.

8. Once the frame is dry (paint or glue), glue the picture to the frame.

9. If you want to hang the frame, glue a 4" piece of yarn to the back of the frame. (Glue one end to each top corner.) If you would rather it be a magnetic frame, glue a magnet to the back. You can also make a stand using a stiff piece of cardboard. (Cut a 4" by 2"
rectangle. Bend the cardboard at one end about 1/2" from the top. Glue the bent part to the back so that the frame can stand up (you may need to trim it a little if it's too long.)

10. Wrap it up, and give someone a special surprise!

Photo Frames from CD Boxes

What you need:

Empty CD boxes
Scissors and glue
Craft supplies and household bits and pieces

Directions:

1. Open your CD box and take out the paper inserts and the molded plastic piece into which the CD itself fits.

2. Cut your photo to just smaller than the box. You will be fitting it into the back of the box with the hinged edge at the top, so about 4 inches wide and 4 ¾ inches high is perfect, but don’t worry too much! Fix the photo against the plastic with a few small pieces of sticky-tape. Find a nice piece of cardboard, gift wrap or fun foam which will complement your design and cut this to fit snugly behind the photo and to the edges of the frame (4 ¾ inches wide, 5 ¼ inches high). Fix with glue or sticky-tape with the pattern, if any, facing into the box. When your frame is finished you will open the box out to stand it up, so this backing protects your photo.

3. Now all you need to do is draw a line of glue on the outside edges of the front of the CD box and start decorating! Use whatever you have to hand. You can build on the theme of the photo, the season, or the particular interests of the recipient.

Here are some decorating ideas to get you started:

For photos of girls:

Sparkly beads – either individual or pre-strung necklaces
Pearl beads (you may be able to buy an old “pearl” necklace in a charity shop cheaply)
Jewels (available from craft shops)
Glass nuggets (for flower arranging, they come in gorgeous colours)
Tiny silk flowers
Pretty flower braid, with the individual flowers cut apart and interspersed with silk leaves or green ribbon
Tiny Barbie figures (fast food give-always)
Left over or “odd” doll’s shoes and accessories

For photos of boys:

Jelly beans
Tiny plastic soldiers
Tiny cars
Wheels of assorted shapes and sizes!
Lego pieces. This looks great!
Peanuts in shells
Toy insects, plastic dinosaurs or farm animals
Stamps (buy a collectors’ pack of football stamps, for example)
Left-over or “odd” action man accessories – shoes, boots, helmets etc

For Christmas

Tinsel
Little cut-outs of Christmassy things, from wrapping paper or old cards (or have a look at our scrapbook paper page for ideas)
Small ornaments or bits of ornaments left over from a wreath
Little ribbon bows
Fake holly and berries
Gold stars – either stickers, or shapes cut from cardboard
Gold and silver beads, or metallic beads in Christmas colours
Red or green gingham ribbon
Christmas shapes (trees are easiest!) cut out of craft foam
Dried cranberries
Spices (cloves, star anise, cinnamon sticks). This one smells nice too!
Tiny pine cones
Glitter – lots of it, with some sequins thrown in for good measure. This is fun to do but can be messy to display: no matter how well the glitter is stuck on, it will always find its way off the frame again!
Gold and silver braid and ribbons
Fake “spruce”
Miniature wrapped-up presents – make your own, or buy miniature tree decorations
Cotton wool for a snow scene
Small squares cut from last year’s Christmas cards. Cut them carefully to include the right colours and you will get a lovely mosaic effect

Games Galore - Homemade games

2007-12-15T16:52:00.001+08:00

Do you like to play games. No, I don't mean those PC and Xbox games. The old fashioned but always fun games such as PAIRS and OLD MAID etc. Well, wouldn't it be cooler if you made your own personalised game cards. There are easy to make and yet gives you hours of fun!

Pairs

Cut out 36 rectangles ( 60cm X 80cm ) from a drawing board.
From scrapes of paper (Now is the time to use all your gift wrappers from birthday and Christmas presents) cut out 4 similar patterns of 60cm X 80cm from nine different papers.
Glue them onto the cardboard.
Once they have dried you can play so many different games!

These are just some of the games that you can try out

PAIRS (2 or more players)

Place all cards facedown on the table. Select 2 cards, if they are a pair, you get to keep the cards and continue with your turn.
If not, it is the next player's turn. The player with the most PAIRS win.

SNAP (2 or more players)

Deal the cards between the players. The first player, opens 1 card and places it in the centre. The next player does the same with his pile of card. when 2 matching cards are on the pile, the person who places his hand on the pile and shouts "SNAP" gets to keep the cards. The player with the most card at the end of the game wins.

OLD MAID (3 or more player)

Take out 1 card from the deck and put it aside. Now deal the cards.
Each player matches the cards that he is dealt and puts them down. The first player then takes a card from the player on his right. If the cards match, he puts them down. The next player continues.
The aim of the game is that the player with the odd card at the end of the game is the "Old Maid"

FASTER BLURTER (3 or more players)

Each player gets to choose an "Animal". The more complicated and longer the name the better. (Don't choose simple animals such as cats, dogs, fox etc - Try Rhinoceros, hippopotamus etc)
Once the card is dealt,(No one is allowed to peek at the deck), each player opens a card and places it in front of them. If 2 player cards are the same - the player who "Blurts" the other player's animal gets to give his cards over. The player who gives away all his cards win.

HAPPY FAMILY WITH A TWIST

Have any of you played Happy Family. Its a card game consisting of 36 cars that has different occupations. I think they are 1.Weeder 2. stone 3.plod 4.dauber 5.dose 6.bun 7.fillet 8.bone 9.tack
Each family comprises of a Father, mother, brother and a sister.

Well why don't you create a Happy Family with a modern twist. Lets say you choose a medical profession. Then you could create cards with - G.P, Dentist, Surgeon, Optician (etc)

Create cards for nine professions which have 4 sub division. Create the cards as for "PAIRS" (as above) You could draw or print out pictures from the computer and paste it onto the cards with the subdivision and profession clearly written.

Happy Family can be played when there are at least 3 players (The more the merrier). Deal the cards between the players. Check your cards to group similar "Family"/Profession together. The player at the right of the person who dealt the cards starts first (or the youngest or oldest - there not set rule)

Choose whom you think has the other subdivision of your profession and say - "May I have the G.P. Please"

If the player has it, he will give it up to you and you continue to ask for more professions/subdivisions.
If he does not have the card, he will say "Sorry, not at home". Now, its his turn.

Once 4 cards(subdivision) of a profession has been collected a family is made. When all your cards are a family, you then ask the players for families, for e.g. "May I have the medical family, the architect family,etc."

Do try this out, I'm sure you'll have fun thinking up of the different professions, subdivision and making the cards as well as hours of fun playing this game.

Creative and fun ways to recycle your cards

2007-12-12T11:24:00.002+08:00

During Christmas you don't just get lots of presents, you will get lots of cards too. There are many fun and creative ways to reuse these cards too. So don't throw away all your lovely cards.

For those of us who celebrate other occasions like Chinese New Year, Deepavalli(Indians), Aidul Fitri(Muslims)etc, do try out these activities as well with the cards you receive!

Greeting Card Box

What You Need:
An old greeting card -- or two or three.
A ruler or straight edge.
A pencil.
A pair of scissors.
Crayons or markers for decorating.

What You Do:
First, get an old greeting card.

Next, rip it in half at the fold.

Using your ruler, make an "X" on the card by drawing two lines that cross at the center of the card.

Fold the edges of all four sides of the paper over to the middle of the cross.

Cut the red lines as shown in the diagram.

Fold the tabs in to create a box and tape the box together.

To create a lid for the box, do the same as above, only instead of folding the edges to the point of the cross, fold them slightly outward so the lid will be larger than the bottom.

Homemade decorations or baby mobile

Cut shapes out of the cards in matching pairs. Hearts work nicely, as do simple Christmas tree shapes and even plain squares and circles. Stick the cards back to back and laminate them, then punch a hole in them and use to make a colourful and child-friendly mobile or “string” to decorate next year. You could add to this every year. As a variation, you could back each shape with a plain-coloured piece of card or construction paper and write on it the date and name of the person who sent the card.

Confetti

Make some Christmas confetti to use next year. Use either a plain hole punch or a special Christmas one (both together look great) and choose the most colourful areas from each card to cut. Gold and silver looks very effective, especially mixed in with red and green. Small scraps of left-over wrapping paper can be used too. You can keep the children busy with this for hours!

Gift Bags

Make gift bags for next year by saving smart paper bags. Cut a nice shape out of each card and stick it to the front of the bag (covering any shop labels if necessary). Add a little ribbon bow just above the card and wrap your present in tissue paper before putting it into the bag. This looks lovely with brown paper bags and tartan ribbons.

Small Cards

Some designs can be cut and folded into miniature Christmas cards for the kids to give next year, or for decorating the dolls house.

Greeting Card Bookmark

What You Need:

Used Greeting Cards
Posterboard or Cardboard
Crayons, Markers, or Paint
Glue

What You Do:

Cut a strip from the posterboard or thin cardboard, about 8-inches x 2-inches. Cut out the picture on the front of a greeting card. Glue the picture at the top of the strip. Allow the glue to dry.

Write an message on the strip if you want. If the bookmark is a gift, you can simply write "to:" and "From:". If your picture is a Christmasy picture, write a Christmas message on your strip.

To make your bookmark more durable, cover it with clear contact paper or laminate it.

Gift Tags

A traditional activity, but one which never fails to amuse the kids, is making gift tags for next year's presents. Use pinking sheers, a hole punch, and leftover ribbon. (Similar to making book marks)

Greeting Card Placemat

What You Need:

Large Sheet of Construction Paper
Used Greeting Cards
Glue
Clear Contact Paper or Laminate

What You Do:

greeting cards. You can also cut out specific shapes such as all circles, stars, etc. Arrange your cut-outs on the paper in whatever arrangement you want, and glue them into place. Allow the glue to dry.

Cover both sides of your placemat with clear contact paper, or laminate it. Trim around your placemat and you are all done!

How to recycle wrapping papers into crafts and other great ideas

2007-12-03T11:29:00.001+08:00

This article is part of How2Blogger’s Super Sexy Holiday ‘How To’ Contest which you can see at How2Blogger’s ‘How To’ site.

As Christmas is round the corner and for those who receive lots of gifts - Don't tear the wrapper to get at the present. Unwrap your presents neatly so that you can recycle the wrapper for these excellent craft ideas and other great stuffs. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun.

1. Pringles canister pencil case
Materials Needed:

Potato Chip Canister with Cover (Pringles)
Wrapping paper
Glue

Instructions:
Wash out the can using soap and water; dry completely.
Now, make a personalized pencil carrier by covering the canister with special wrapping paper that you like.
You can decorate even more - just use your imagination.
decorate it with stickers, rubber stamps, etc.
Embellish your canister with fabric scraps, ribbon, buttons, beads, and anything else you can think of!

2. Keepsake Container

What you need:

Metal tins: Like fruit cake candy, or cookie tins, with lids; glue;wrapping paper;felt in bright colors which match the wrapping paper

What to do:

1. Clean the tins out and dry thoroughly.

2. Line the inside of the tin with glued on felt. (optional)

3. Completely cover the lid of the tin using the wrapping paper and glue.

4. If you chose to paint the lid, you may use stencils, decals or just paint a design on the top. If you are going to give the tin as a gift, you can also paint the persons name on it.

3. Cards
You can make a variety of cards using left over wrapping papers. Here are some ideas

a. Weave them up - Use two contrasting coloured wrappers and make a weave pattern. Then stick it on the fornt of a different coloured card.

b. Mosaic Art - Tear up the wrapping paper and stick them onto the front of another blank card. You can make messages such as DAD, MOM, LOVE, THANKS etc with the torn up paper.

c. Stripes - Similar to weave. But this time use the contrasting wrappers to form stripes. Use more than 2 papers and cut them out at different width.

d. Layered - Cut out papers from contrasting colours/ complimenting colours in different sizes so that there's a layer of 1-2 inch border. On the smallest box, write a message using a glitter pen.

e. Use your imagination and come up other great card ideas. HAVE FUN WITH THESE WRAPPERS!

4. Homemade Notebooks
Get unused paper from old school exercise books. Arrange them neatly. Use a card board for the front and back page. Decorate the front and back pages by wrapping them with the wrappers. Punch two hole through the card and papers. Then use a striking lace or ribbon to tie it all up with a neat bow.
P.S. To make this lovely Note Book into a gift - Write the name and Message on the top cover piece using a glitter pen and decorate with stickers etc.

5. Kids crafts Dolls house

Materials Needed

2 large cardboard boxes
Poster paint
Masking tape
Sharp scissors and craft knife
Glue
Scrap material
Wallpaper, wrapping paper any paper that you wish to use
Thin cardboard boxes

Directions

For a full-size dolls house, use a large strong cardboard box for the main structure and build a removable roof out of the top flaps and triangular bits cut from other boxes. Stick together with masking tape then paint it your desired colour and leave to dry.

To make a two storey house divide the house using a piece of card support by brackets made from very thin tubes glued to the side of the box then glue the divider on top of it. If you want you can add as many rooms by doing the same thing just length ways instead.

Cut out some window and doors. To decorate the window make some curtains out of scrap bits of material and hang them on cocktail sticks used as curtain poles (see below). To make the out side of the house look more attractive paint some window boxes with flowers and a bush or two near the door.

Using scrap bits of wallpaper, wrapping paper, tissue paper or paint begin to decorate the walls. If you are having more then one room decorate them individually to make the house real looking.
For the floors you can use either scrap material and just glue them down or you can paint them. If you have any scrap bits of carpet lying about the house this will be even better.

P.S - My husband mad a beautiful doll house when my elderest daughter was 7 years old. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures of it and threw it away when we moved house last year.

6. Reuse the Wrapper for other presents.
Please make sure that there are no crinkles or markings or wording written on the paper.
P.S - Try to remember whom gave you the present as you wouldn't want to wrap up your gift and return it to the same person:)

IF you come up with more ideas on how to have fun and recyle the gift wrappers do comment and I'll include your ideas in this post.

A gallery of my hand made cards.

2007-11-26T10:59:00.000+08:00

Hi, here are some of my favourite cards that I had created for my kids( for Teacher's day) and to send to my friends and relatives for Eid Mubarak ( A festivity celebrated by muslims).

For the top card, I made us of contrasting colours and simple patterns (Hearts) to create this attractive card.

For the second card, I made use of quilling technique to create the flower and butterfly. For the edges, I used Iris folding using a shiny material to create a 3-D effect.

For the third card, I emborssed a stencil design and highlighted it using pink and silver. On the top edge, I pasted a lace to create a "Sweet" card.

The last card is all about party and fun. Drew some party hats and a cake and decorated them with colourful markers. Pasted them on contrasting coloured papers for this Fun card

Let's Party

2007-11-15T07:51:00.000+08:00

Would you like to give a surprise party for your Mom or Sister. You can come up with the party favours, decorations such as beautiful flowers and birthday gift too. Just get your Dad to come up with the food. Hope you have a wonderful party!

Party Favors

What you need:

Pipe cleaners; cardboard tubes; bag of variety candy; yarn scraps; glue; crepe paper; 1 1/2" plastic foam balls.

What to do:

Note: These favors can be made simpler by only using the candy filled tubes, covered with mesh or crepe paper and tying the ends off.

1. Use 4 1/2" cardboard tubes for this project. Fill the tubes with candy and or surprises, then cover with crepe paper in color desired.

2. Paint plastic foam ball heads black and set aside to dry.

3. Cut pieces of fuzzy pipe cleaner as follows: 2 tiny ones for cat ears; 4 for legs; 1 for tail. Glue all pieces to tube as shown in photo above.

4. Glue yarn scraps for eyes, whiskers, mouth and nose.

Pipe Cleaner Flowers

What you need:

Large pipe cleaners in assorted colors; glue; scraps of fabric; scissors; florist or jewelry wire; pompoms.

What to do:

1. Bend the pipe cleaners into flower petal shapes and twist the ends together leaving about 1" free.

2. Glue the pipe cleaner petals onto fabric; cut out each petal from the fabric.

3. With wire, wrap together the one inch ends of 5 petals, leaving a length of wrapping wire free to serve as stem.

Trim with yarn pompoms.

Note: If you like, you may wrap the stems with florist's tape so they look even nicer.

Keepsake Container

What you need:

Metal tins: Like fruit cake candy, or cookie tins, with lids; glue; felt in bright colors which match the outside of the tin; enamel paints or fabric.

What to do:

1. Clean the tins out and dry thoroughly.

2. Line the inside of the tin with glued on felt. (optional)

3. Completely cover the lid of the tin with enamel paint or glued fabric.

4. If you chose to paint the lid, you may use stencils, decals or just paint a design on the top. If you are going to give the tin as a gift, you can also paint the persons name on it.

Bead Jewelry

You'll need:
Elastic Thread
A variety of colored beads
and Alphabet Beads
to Spell MOM or MOMMY
or if its for your sister, you could spell out her name.

Use any beads that fit this thicker thread.
One of my favorites is alphabet beads!
Decide whether you are making a bracelet,
anklet, necklace or key chain.
To make a bracelet or anklet, cut a piece of elastic thread
about a foot long. Secure a bead at one end of the thread,
to prevent beads from falling off. String beads onto the elastic.
When you are about halfway done add the alphabet beads and
then continue beading. Test the size and tie the ends together.

Coffee Filter Flowers

Make a beautiful flower bouquet. These flowers are quick, easy, inexpensive and fun for all ages. Use your imagination to come up with your own varieties!

For each flower you will need:

2 basket style drip coffee filters
Food coloring (2 colors)
Wooden skewer
Green construction paper
Clear tape
White glue
Green paint or marker

What you do

Take 2 small bowls and place 2-3 tablespoons of water in each. Add 3-4 drops of food coloring (color 1) to one dish and 3-4 drops of food coloring (color 2) to the second dish. Scrunch the coffee filters up and place one in each dish so they are covered with the water. You can remove the filters right away for a light color or leave them in for a while for a darker color. Remove the coffee filters when ready and squeeze the excess coloring out over a sink. Lay the filters flat to dry on a paper towel.

When the filters are dry, take the center color and fold it in half to make a half circle. Fold again to make a quarter pie shape. Fold twice more so you have a narrow wedge. Cut a curve around the wedge 1/2 inch from the wide end.
Repeat with the outer color except cut the curve right at the wide edge. This will give you large flower shape and a smaller flower shape.

Paint the skewer green and let dry.

Center the small flower shape over the large flower shape. Poke the skewer through the center of the circles and slide the skewer all the way through leaving 1/2 inch in the flower. Twist the bottom 1/2 inch of the flower around the skewer and tape with clear tape to hold tight. Push the petals down adjusting them until you are happy with the way they look.

Cut several leaves from the green construction paper and glue to the stem.

Recycle Crafts

2007-10-24T08:24:00.000+08:00

Hey kids, lets help save the earth. Here are some craft ideas using everyday products that you can recycle and make it into interesting crafts. Some of them make great gifts for your loved ones. Enjoy!

Ladybug Treasure Holder

Materials Needed:

Tuna Can
Black Acrylic Paint
Felt
Black Pipe Cleaner
Wiggle Eyes
Glue or Glue Gun

Instructions:
Paint the tuna can black and set it aside and allow it to dry.
Trace around the tuns can to make a circle on a red piece of felt. Cut out your circle, but cut it about 1/2 inch larger than your tracing. Cut the circle in half. Cut tiny circles out of black felt and glue them on your red half circles to be the ladybug's spots.

Spread glue half way around the top edge of your painted tuna can (figure 1). place your two half circles onto the top edge of your can. The half circles should come together to form a circle, and you want them to join in the center of your glue line (figure 2). Once dry, you can fold back the bottom of the wings to reveal the inside of the can (figure 3)!

Use pipe cleaners to make antennae and small legs if you like. Glue on the wiggle eyes are your lady bug treasure holder is complete!

Cow Puppet

Materials Needed:

Paper Lunch Bag (preferably white)
Black Paint
Circle-Shaped Sponge
Construction Paper
Glue

Instructions:
Use a white paper lunch bag if you can. Use the construction paper or markers to make a face on the bottom of the paper bag. The mouth will be on the bottom edge where the bag is folded. You can also use felt and cut out eyes, nose, etc. Cut small, pointy ear shapes out of construction paper and glue them to the side of the bottom edge of the paper bag.

Once your face is drawn, you can finish making your cow by giving it black spots! Dip a small, round sponge into black paint and dab it on the bag. Set it aside until the paint dries.

Sports Pencil Holder

What you'll need:
Scissors
Empty juice can (plastic or cardboard)
Piece of green construction paper 4 1/2 inches wide and 9 inches long
Markers in blue, green, red, white, or any other colors desired
Double stick tape

How to make it:
Wrap the green construction paper around the juice can and attach using the double stick tape. Make sure you stick down the edges that meet really well.
Using markers, draw a golf course on the green construction paper. Include holes, flags, small ponds, bushes, etc. You can even draw a picture of your Dad on the course if you want to.
Give to Dad and let him enjoy!

Tips:

You can also use a frosting can if you don't have a juice can. You will have to measure and cut the green construction paper to a different size.

Pencil Carrier Craft

Materials Needed:

Potato Chip Canister with Cover (Pringles)
Supplies to Decorate
Glue

Instructions:
Wash out the can using soap and water; dry completely.
Now, make a personalized pencil carrier by decorating the outside of the canister! You are only limited by the supplies you have and your own imagination. Here are some suggestions for you:

Draw or paint designs on a piece of construction paper. Glue it around the canister.
Cover the canister with colorful wallpaper samples.
Cover the canister with special wrapping paper.
Cover or paint the canister and decorate it with stickers, rubber stamps, etc.
Embellish your canister with fabric scraps, ribbon, buttons, beads, and anything else you can think of!

My Favorite Thing Gift

Materials Needed:

Shoe Box
Glue
Paint
Mirror

Instructions:
Paint the outside of the box (or decorate as desired). Glue a small mirror on the bottom of the box. Make a card and glue it on the bottom of the box top that reads: "The person pictured here is one of the most special gifts in my life". Wrap as desired.

Key Chain Galore

2007-10-09T08:56:00.000+08:00

Hi kids, here are some great ideas to make neat key chains. What's more great is that they make lovely gift for your loved ones.

1. Happy Faces Felt Key chain

You will need
1 yellow felt material
Markers
Stick on eyes
needle and thread
Cotton
glitters and other decorations
Key chain

Draw two 5cm circles on the wrong side of the felt material.

Cut out the circles with a 5mm border around the circles.

For younger children, ask an adult to sew the 2 pieces together leaving a 1 cm gap.

Turn the felt material right side out and draw a happy face.

Glue in the eyes and decorate as desired.

Stuff with cotton to get a puffy face.

Attach the key chain to the unsewn portion and sew it up.

2.Beaded Key chain

You will need

Beads of various colours and sizes
Key chain
Wire

Tip - You could use alphabet beads to make names or words such as "ILuvMum" etc.

Bead a beautiful design using contrasting colours and sizes of beads and wire. Then attach to the key chain. You could also attach a broach or other pins into the bead design as a center piece.

3. Sea Shell Key Chain

You could use sea shells which are bigger than 5 cm to make a key chain. Ask an adult to drill a hole in one end of the shell. Then attach the key chain to it.