Kids Crafts

Halloween Party Game Ideas

2007-10-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few Halloween party game ideas for you to chew on and plant the (pumpkin) seed to make up your own games...

Pass the Pumpkins
Similar to musical chairs, simply have your young goblins sit in a circle and pass small pumpkins or gourds while scary Halloween music is playing. When the music stops, the child without a pumpkin is out. Keep playing until there's a winner. Reward them with Halloween treats...

Build a Scarecrow
Form two teams and have a variety of thrift clothes, old pillowcases for heads, and magic markers and newspapers. Give the teams a 20-minute time limit to make their scariest (funniest, silliest. etc...) scarecrows. Have the scarecrows judged by a non-participant and have prizes ready. Once they are complete, you can put them outside to help decorate your yard.

Halloween Candy Hunt
Just like an Easter egg hunt: Buy plastic eggs and paint them in Halloween colors. Put candy inside the eggs and hide them. The prize can be the candy inside or some of the eggs can contain notification of winning a small prize or party favor.

Halloween Corners Game (Good for ages 3 - 8)
Stick up large Halloween-themed posters or pictures (ie witch, bat, ghost and black cat) in the four corners of a room. Play some scary Halloween music and when it stops, have each child run to a corner (if you have small numbers you can limit the number of children in each corner). Then, the person running the music - without looking - calls out one corner (the cat corner, the witch corner, etc...) The kids in that corner are out. The last person left is the winner.

Stay tuned for more fun Halloween games coming up...
Until then,
BusyMOM

Halloween Graveyard Hunt

2007-10-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

16 more days until Halloween!!!!

Having a party or just a little gathering before the kiddos go out and trick or treat?
If you have the time and motivation, do this for your goblins and ghouls.

Decorate your backyard to resemble a scary graveyard or just add lots of scary things.

You can add cut out black felt bats, plastic spiders, fake web, fake tombstone, jack o lanterns and even scary music.

Hide prizes and treats amongst the plants and decorations and let the kids go on a graveyard hunt.

For older kids you can even have a disguised adult or two hiding around a spooky corner -- but please don’t do this with younger children as it can really traumatize them.

Courtesy of the Let's Celebrate Halloween book.

until later...
BusyMOM

A Twist on Bobbing for Apples

2007-10-14T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hasn't everybody bobbed for apples at least once in their life? Well, here's a new twist - courtesy of the Let's Celebrate Halloween book. Try it. Get messy. Have fun...

Make this traditional game a little scarier by filling the bobbing tub
with milk and adding red food coloring.

Add enough coloring until the milk resembles a bright red color.

Then add the apples and let the kids take turns bobbing for apples.

This game can get messy, so it’s best played outside if possible.

Enjoy! And for some yummy Halloween goodies to go along with all that hard work bobbing, visit this Halloween Snacks page or the Halloween Treats page for some great ideas.

That's all for now...
BusyMOM

Pick Their Brains - A Halloween Cook-Off

2007-10-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Well, Halloween is just full of the most ghoulish things.

Kids love this. Try this out if you are having a few little goblins over on this spooky night...

Cook a large pot of different shaped pasta such as spirals or macaroni
drain and cool completely.

Place cooled pasta in a large plastic bowl and add a few olives.
Add some wrapped candies or treats like mini fun-sized chocolate bars.

Cover the bowl with material that you’ve cut into a decorative shape
like a pumpkin or monsters head.

You can even use a scary cloth mask that will go over the bowl or a
decorated plastic bag.

You basically need to cover the bowl with something decorative and
head shaped that has a slit in the back.

The kids should not be able to see the contents of the bowl.

Sit the kids in a circle and let them take turns digging into the bowl to
find the candies.

They won’t be able to see into the bowl and the squiggly texture of the
pasta along with the olives will feel like “brains.”

Courtesy of the Let's Celebrate Halloween book.

And for some yummy Halloween goodies to go along with all that thinking, visit this Halloween Snacks page or the Halloween Treats page for some great ideas.

Over and out until next time...
BusyMOM

Scary Story Time

2007-10-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

Story time at Halloween... here are a few ideas...

Kids love a good scary story. Set the scene by lowering the lights and perhaps lighting a few candles (always supervise children around candles).

You can also play some low spooky music in the background. Take turns telling scary stories appropriate to the age group of children.

For younger children you can read a suitable scary and not make the scene too intense for them.

Make this time special by serving a Halloween punch or witch’s milk (warm milk sprinkled with a little chocolate and cinnamon).

Courtesy of the Let's Celebrate Halloween book.

Until next time...
BusyMOM

Mummy Wrap

2007-10-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

We had a blast with this game at a Halloween party that we attended. The kids thought it was a hoot wrapping up the parents. Or play the game with teams of kids. Read more below...

Buy a handful of party wrap rolls (preferably in Halloween colors and decoration, but you can even use toilet paper).

Split the kids up into teams of two. One child will be the “mummy” and the other is in charge of wrapping up the child like a mummy.

When you start playing the music, the teams can start wrapping up the mummy. Try to play some fun and Halloween songs like “Monster Mash.”

When you turn the music off, the kids need to stop. The team whose mummy is more “mummified” (or wrapped) wins.

Courtesy of the Let's Celebrate Halloween book.

Until next time...
BusyMOM

Pin the Big Ol' Wart on the Witch

2007-10-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Halloween's just around the corner...

Do you need a new game for the party you might decide to throw this year? Here's a fun one for all ages from the Let's Celebrate Halloween book:

Using black felt material (available from crafts and art supply stores)
cut out a witch’s outline. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as most kids
won’t mind, but remember to include the pointy hat and nose!

Stick the cut out up on the wall or on a large pegboard. Decorate the
witch with plastic spiders and fake web.

Then cut out large shaped warts (yuck) from a green felt material and
either stick a thumbtack onto the end of each one or some strong tape
for younger children.

Use a plan dark colored rag as a blind fold and let the children take
turns sticking the wart on the witch’s nose.

Enjoy! And for some yummy Halloween goodies, visit this Halloween Snacks page or the Halloween Treats page for some great ideas.

Until next time....
BusyMOM

Creepy Crafts

2007-10-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for Halloween? Well this might help you out... I found this great little website that Ben & Jerry put out - just for the spooky holiday. This page is all about fun and creepy crafts you can do for everybody's favorite time of year...

Here's a preview...

Make your own Halloween decorations. Print out these craft pages, color them, cut them out and fasten them together to make your own Ben & Jerry's Halloween decorations. Stick them in your office, your classroom, your car, put them everywhere. Stuff you'll need:

Computer and printer - that sort of goes without saying
Scissors
Paper fasteners - available at office supply shops or department stores
Hole punch
Crayons, colored pencils or markers
Optional - glue stick or white glue or paste, light cardboard

Check out Creepy Crafts and make your kiddo crow with delight...

Until next time...
BusyMOM

Masterpiece Bookmarks

2007-04-13T00:25:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, you want to keep every piece of artwork that your child has ever created. But that would take a warehouse to keep it all. So, I found a great way to preserve at least part of the great masterpieces my child makes.

Bookmarks! Not willing to part with everything, you can cut up pieces of the artwork in the shape of bookmarks and preserve it with contact paper or get it laminated.

Here's what you'll need:
- clear, self-adhesive contact paper
- old artwork
- scissors
- ruler
- pencil

Here's what you'll do:
- Measure and mark the back of the artwork into bookmark sizes (a good size is 1.5 by 5 inches long.)
- Cut out the bookmarks.
- Cut out 2 rectangles of the contact paper thaqt are 1/4 to 1/2 inch longer and wider than your bookmarks.
- Remove the backing from one of the pieces of contact paper and center the bookmark on the sticky side.
- Remove the backing from the other piece of contact paper and very carefully line up with the bottom piece of the contact paper and lay over the artwork. This makes a clear sandwich of the artwork and protects and strengthens it.
- Use a pencil or ruler to rub out any air bubbles.
- If the sides are uneven, simply trim them a little.

Voilá! Not only do you have a useful bookmark but it holds memories of you child's artwork for a long, long time.

Paper University

2007-04-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

For a variety of ideas on what you can do with paper, learn about paper and how it's made, visit this great website that the Tappi organization has made available to kids, parents and teachers.

Here's what you'll find:

- interesting facts about paper, recycling and the environment
- science activities using paper
- interactive games about paper
- links and resources about paper for students and teachers
- arts and crafts projects using (that's right!) paper!

Check it out at Paper University - a really fun website and very informative.

Cool Paper Airplane Facts

2007-04-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

I bet you didn't know there were so many things that people have done with paper airplanes in the past. Here's just a few of them...

The Smallest Paper Airplane
The smallest origami paper model of a Crane Bird was folded under a microscope using tweezers by Mr. Naito from Japan and was made from a piece of paper 2.9 mm square. It is displayed on top of a sewing needle. Wow! That’s small – only problem is, it didn’t fly!

Upside Down Paper Airplane Flying
Any kind of paper aircraft that is trimmed to fly on earth will, when thrown inside a spacecraft, fly up and not down, as would normally be expected. This is because there is no gravity in the spacecraft, but there is lift created by the wings, as they fly in the atmosphere inside the spacecraft.

Fly on Forever
In space where there is no atmosphere, if a paper aircraft were thrown it would not fly at all; it would float away in a straight line. With no gravity to pull it down, it would possibly fly on forever until it hit an object.

Most Expensive – One of NASA’s
One of the most expensive and lightest paper aircraft ever flown, was the paper aircraft thrown inside one of NASA’s space shuttles, during a routine space flight. The fuel alone used to carry it into space makes that paper aircraft one of the most expensive. It was the lightest because of the lack of gravity in space.

To read more interesting paper airplane facts, click here.

Thanks to Andy Chipling for these cool paper airplane facts.

Paper Bead Necklace

2007-04-10T07:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a great project that you can do with old scraps of colorful paper. Making these beads comes from Victorian times. The ladies back then would get together and sip tea and cut out triangles from old scraps of wallpaper and make beautiful colorful beads. They would string them and use the strings of paper beads in doorways to separate rooms.

You can make the same beads and use them to make necklaces, bracelets or garlands. Here's how you do it.

What you'll need:
- scraps of magazine pictures, wallpaper or colored paper
- ruler
- scissors
- pencil
- glue
- drinking straws
- heavy thread or yarn

Read these instructions first before you begin:

With scissors, cut long triangles from the scraps of paper that you've collected. Make them about 1/2 inch wide and 2 1/2 inches long. It's easier if you draw out a template first.

Cover one side of your triangle with glue making sure you put it on the side that's less colorful. You want the colorful side to be on the outside.

Place the glued side of the bottom of the triangle on a straw and roll it up (see the illustrations below.)

Once the triangle is completely rolled around your straw, cut the straw on both sides of the newly formed paper bead.

You can make different shapes and sizes of beads. Simply make your triangles smaller or larger. Look at the different shapes you can use too (see below.)

Let all your beautiful beads dry and then string them together with yarn or thread, knotting the thread together.

You won't believe how gorgeous these beads turn out and it's fun to make them too.

This project was adapted from Papercrafts Around the World, by Phyllis and Noel Fiarotta (Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., New York)

Easter Egg Games

2007-04-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

With Easter just around the corner, here are a couple of games you can play with kids to enhance the classic Easter Egg Hunt.

Egg Rolling:
To have an egg roll, you'll need a hill or barring that, an incline of some kind. Egg Rolling is really another name for Egg Race. The eggs are rolled down the hill using only your hands when the egg occasionally gets caught on some obstacle. The first person with their egg to reach the bottom of the hill is the winner.

Steep hills make for hilarious races, but then remember, you have to climb back up! Great exercise for you and the kids!

Egg Bowling:
Color some hard-boiled eggs, but leave just one of them white and uncolored. Now it looks like an odd shaped Bacci Ball. Go outside to a flat grassy area, and put the white "Bacci Ball" in the center of the area. Next, have your players roll their eggs toward the white one. The person who gets their egg closest to the white egg without touching it or moving it is the winner.

Treats for winners can be small bags of jelly beans, chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, etc...

Have a Happy Easter!

Fun and Funny Kids' Concoctions

2007-04-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

Watch your kids' eyes get wide with delight and surprise as they watch what happens when they add certain ingredients together (with your supervision, of course!) Here are a couple of little projects to get started:

Invisible Messages

What you'll need:
- light colored construction paper or office paper
- crayons; same color as chosen paper
- watercolor paints
- sponge or paintbrush
- water

What to do:
Have your child draw a picture or write a message with the crayon that's the same color as the paper (example: green crayon on same or similar green-colored paper.) Once the drawing or message is completed, simply have your child brush a different color of watercolor paint over the paper to reveal the "secret" message or picture.

Magic Wishing Potion

What you'll need:
- tall glass (like a pilsner if you have one)
- bowl
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
- food coloring
- white vinegar

What to do:
Put the glass inside the bowl. This will keep the spills going all over your table. Then, put the baking soda and few drops of food coloring into the glass. Have your child close his eyes, make a silent wish and then have him slowly add the vinegar. Watch as the liquid starts to bubble up and spill over like a magic wishing well.

For more great ideas for fun and funny concoctions, visit the DIY Network website.

The ABCs of My MOM Book

2007-04-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a great activity for a classroom project or for some kind of organized group like Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts. Have your group make a book all about MOM. You can also do this for Dads, too. It can be made for a gift for birthdays, Mother's/Father's Day, Christmas, or just because you love your Mom or Dad!

What you'll need:
- a blank notebook
- crayons, markers and/or colored pencils
- scissors
- magazine clippings, newspaper clipping or photos
- glue

What to do:
Decorate the outside of the blank notebook with cut out letters of the alphabet. The letters can be drawn, painted, or cut from pictures or magazines. Make sure you put the title on the cover too. It can be something like, "The ABCs Book of Mom," or "All About My Mom - From A-Z," etc...

Next, pick one attribute about your Mom starting with a letter in the alphabet. For example on the "C" page, the attribute or quality could be "Cook" and then put in pictures that show cooking or photos of your mom cooking,while writing a short sentence like, "My Mom is the BEST cook!"

Make the book with as much as the alphabet that you can and wrap up to give to her for a present.

Chase 'n Race Paper Airplane Game

2007-03-31T23:30:00.000-07:00

If you love paper airplanes like I do, you'll love this fun paper airplane game. It's easy to do and everyone has a great time.

Chase ’N Race Game

Have a quantity of good paper airplane paper available. You can use plain ol' copy paper or very thin construction paper. You can also make it more of a project by having crayons and markers on hand to color the paper first before you fold your paper airplane. Kids love this!

Give a hand to each child in folding the paper airplane. A good idea is to practice the folds a head of time so you are completely familiar and comfortable making the paper airplanes.

A good place to go for easy to make and free downloadable paper airplane directions is the Easy Paper Airplanes website.

Once all the paper airplanes have been folded, take the kids outside and play the Chase 'n Race game. Here’s how to set it up:

Make a starting and a finish line on a grassy area if possible. To make it super fun, have the space between the start and finish around the length of a soccer field, but if you don’t have that much space, just make it as long as possible.
Get all your pilots lined up at the start line with planes in hand.
The beginning of the race is started by someone (who isn't racing) yelling, “Wheels up!” (or “Go!”), Then, each pilot throws his/her paper airplane as far and as straight as he can toward the finish line.
Each pilot then runs after their own plane, picking it up, and then throwing it toward the finish line.

Two Rules Only!

No running with the plane in hand. If a pilot runs while the plane is still in his hand, he has to go back to the start line and start over.
The first person that throws their paper airplane over the finish line and crosses it himself is the winner!

Tip: One of the best planes to make for this game is the ProFlier paper airplane. It’s a good, straight-flying plane.

A good prize for the winner is a Super Dooper fast stunt plane called the Karate Kid. You can learn how to make both of these fantastic paper airplanes by signing up for my free e-newsletter here or filling out the form below. Make it ahead of time with cool colored paper of your choice and write Chase ’N Race First Place on it. Make some and practice with it.

Read the fantastic flying tips on this Web site on how to make the Karate Kid do unbelievable stunts with just a flick of the wrist. Then show your first-place pilot how to fly it and turn it into a mini event that will be sure to make him or her feel special.

For more paper airplane games go to the Paper Airplane Games page.

Painting with Tissue Paper

2007-03-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

Painting with Tissue Paper is so much fun - kids and parents will both love this project. It's easy and the results are ALWAYS beautiful. Some of the most beautiful designs I've seen have come from 6 year olds!

What You'll Need:
- Heavy white card stock or paper
- Scissors
- Spritz water bottle
- Non-coated tissue paper (your choice of colors)
- Ink stamps (optional)
- Colored card stock (optional)
- Glue (optional)

What to Do:
To paint with tissue paper, tear the tissue paper pieces into ragged strips or chunks and position them on the card stock or heavy paper in an intersecting design. Basically, arrange the paper in a pattern that pleases you - like you are making a collage.

Next, spritz the tissue paper with water. Watch the magic of the tissue paper colors running onto your card stock. The colors will merge into beautiful combinations, creating something similar to a tie-dye effect. Then, allow your newly created painting to dry completely.

If you want to get really fancy, take your favorite ink stamps and stamp images on top of the tissue paper-dyed card stock. Then mount your artwork to colored pieces of card stock to frame it.

How to Use:
Now you have a wide selection of choices on how to use your new painting.
1. Cut it up to make a card you can send to a friend or family member.
2. Attach to other pre-made blank cards with glue and write important messages inside.
3. Frame it and hang it on your favorite art wall.
4. Cut up into different shapes and make a collage with your beautiful new colors.
5. Use for your favorite scrapbooking project.

There are hundreds of uses for your newly created art. Use your creativity and go wild! It's fun!

Perfect Paper Luminaries

2007-03-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here's another great project that you use a plain ol' brown paper lunch bag. Well, here's another one.

And you can find paper lunch bags in all kinds of different colors now, which makes making this paper luminary even more fun to make.

What you'll need:
- Lunch bags
- Flower and leaf punches
- 2 sheets of colorful, contrasting paper (scrapbooking paper works great for this)
- Decorative-edged scissors
- Glue
- Votive candle in holder
- Sand

What to do:
1. With the bag still folded, carefully punch two flowers in the center front of the bag - punching through to the back as well.

2. Cut rectangles from the decorative papers to fit inside the back side of the shape you just punched. Do this for all punched areas.

3. Cut two strips of the colored paper with the decorative-edged scissors to fit the front side of the bag. You can do one wide and one narrow. Place the narrow one closer to the top and place the wider one at the bottom.

4. Glue the strips in place smoothing out any air bubbles with your fingertips as you go along.

5. Punch out four leaf shapes from colored paper and glue in place under your flower punched holes.

6. Fill the bottom of the bag with about an inch or two of sand. Place the votive in its holder into the center of the bag and anchor with the sand so it sits in there firmly and securely.

BIG NOTE: This goes without saying, but as a reminder, never leave the burning candles unattended - particularly in a paper luminary.

Enjoy the art you've created. Everyone else that sees it will too.

Indoor Rainbows

2007-03-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

Rainbows are loved by everyone of every age. Teach your kiddos how to make one of their own. This is an easy project to pull out of a hat for either a rainy day or a solution for a bored kid.

What you'll need:
- 1 paper plate
- Paper streamers or wide ribbon in bright colors*
- crayons or colored markers
- Scissors
- White craft glue
- Piece of ribbon for hanging

*red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple

What to Do:
1. Have kiddos color the outer portion of a paper plate. and then cut a large circle out of the center of the paper plate. All that should be left is the newly colored rim of the plate.

2. Cut 1 streamer or ribbon of each color to about 18 inches long.

3. Glue each streamer to the bottom half of your paper circle.

4. Make a small hole at the top of the paper circle and thread a thin piece of ribbon through it. Then, you'll tie a loop in the ribbon and hang up the your rainbow.

Here are some helpful hints...

If you use a pencil to make your circle on the paper plate, press down firmly. This will make an indent and will make it easier to cut out the circle.

Another thing you can do with the streamers and ribbon is to cut them twice the length, and then drape them through the circle and glue right at the center. This gives you double the amount of streamers and enables you to display the rainbow from either side. Great for hanging up in the center of a room instead of a flat wall space.

Paper plates are great, but if you prefer, use a foam plate for a nice smooth outer edge - colored markers work better than crayons on this kind of surface.

Irish Neck Tie

2007-03-06T23:43:00.000-08:00

This St. Patrick's Day tie is quick to make and a lot of fun to wear! In fact, you probably won't get it off your kids even after St. Patty's because they are so fun and silly.

What You'll Need:
- Light green fun foam (most of a sheet)
- Dark green fun foam
- White fun foam
- Permanent black marker
- Hot glue or foam glue
- Scissors
- Pencil
- 18 inches green yarn

What to Do:
1. Download the template and copy onto light green fun foam. Cut out the pieces.

2. Cut out several shamrocks from the dark green and white fun foam. They can be any size or shape you want, as long as they will fit on the tie. The actual tie is the larger piece in the template below.

3. Assemble the tie before decorating...

The rectangle in the template will be the knot of the tie.

Sandwich the narrow end of the tie between the two short ends of the rectangle. To do this, you will have to fold the rectangle in half and fit the narrow end of the tie into the fold. Do not push the tie all the way into the fold, only push it in about an inch or so. This will create a loop of foam that the tie hangs out of. Glue it in place.

4. Thread the yarn through the loop in the foam and tie the two ends together. This is how the child will be able to wear the tie -- like a necklace.

5. Glue the shamrocks from step 2 onto your tie. Use a permanent black marker to write the words "Kiss Me!" on the tie and to add any other details you want.

That's it. Put your tie on and have a ball being silly!

NOTE: The reason that I've included this as a little kid craft is that you can easily do this craft with paper instead of fun foam. It won't be as durable, but younger children can do most of it without any help.

Courtesy of Free Kid Crafts.

Shamrock Hats

2007-03-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

Are you having a St. Patty's Day party? Want to make your kiddos feel useful? Have them make this fun and easy St. Patrick's Day paper craft that will keep them busy and make them happy that they are "helping" you!

What you'll need:
- Green construction paper
- 2 Green chenille stems (pipe cleaners)
- Tape
- Glue
- Stapler
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Heart shape cookie cutters or similar

Easy to do...
1. Have the kids trace around the heart shapes 4 times while lining up the sides of the hearts together to form a ring of hearts. And then cut out the connected hearts (now your shamrock)as a single piece.

2. Repeat number 1 3 more times so you end up with a total of 4 shamrocks.

3. Make some small snipped cuts between the hearts - but not all the way through - to show the petals of the shamrocks.

4. Cut out 2 strips of green construction paper that are about 1 1/2 inches wide.

5. Tape one end together and try on your child's head. Cut and tape it to fit.

6. Staple one pipe cleaner to the outside of the green paper ring.

7. Staple the other pipe cleaner to the opposite side of the green paper ring. (Note: Use wire cutters and cut the stem in half to make shorter wiggling shamrocks if desired.)
8. Glue 2 shamrocks to the opposite end of each of the pipe cleaners. Let them dry and place on your kids' heads...

Paperbag Puffer Fish

2007-03-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

There's more to the little brown paper lunch bag than meets the eye! This colorful project is a fun one to do on a rainy day. �

Kids love to color. Here's a fantastic project that will keep them entertained and will result in a beautiful fish!

What you'll need:
- paper lunch bag *
- rubber band
- old newspaper
- magic markers
- construction paper�

* if you can find white paper bags, use those because the color shows up so much better. But, if you can't find them then, no worries - the plain ol' brown kind works just fine.

What to do:
First, stuff the paper bag until it's half full with crumpled up newspaper. Wind the rubber band around the the middle of the bag and fan out the remainder like a fish tail.

With the markers, have the kids make eyes and a mouth and then color a design of their choice for the body. Cut out some fins from construction paper and glue on to the body.

Several of these Puffer Fish can be strung with fishing wire and hung up to be admired.

Ordinary Bottle to Beautiful Vase

2007-02-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

Did you know you can turn an ordinary bottle into a beautiful vase? And you can do it with just a few household and art supplies on hand.

Who said bottles couldn't be made into works of art? And guess what? (as my son likes to say all the time.) This is a wonderful project whether you are 5 or 92.

What you'll need:
- bottles or other glass containers that could be used as a vase
- colored tissue paper
- scissors
- photos or pictures from magazines*
- small paint brush
- glue or Mod Podge (found in craft stores)

* if you decided to use photos, you'll first need to copy them on a color copier. Otherwise, the photos would be too stiff to be flexible enough to bend around the bottle shape. The glue would also make the photo finish smear. So, copying is the best way to use your personal photos.What to do:
First, cut or tear the tissue into little pieces. Mix your glue or Mod Podge with water. Usually, 2 parts glue to one part water works well. Then, brush a think layer of the mixture onto the bottle or glass container. Attach the tissue paper and photos to the bottle. Cover the entire bottle. Even without photos, the bottle looks beautiful using only tissue paper.

Once the bottle has dried, brush over the tissue paper and photo collage with another layer of the glue mixture to seal it. Let it dry and if necessary, brush a final layer onto the bottle. Before using the vase, make sure it is completely dry.

Voila! You now have a beautiful and useful piece of art!

Musical Notes Collage Cards

2007-02-13T10:17:00.000-08:00

Making musical notes cards is a way of showing your love and thoughtfulness for those special in your life.You can create a beautiful series of collaged note cards just by beginning with a piece of sheet music.

What you'll need:
- Blank note cards
- Old sheet music
- Crackle-finish varnish
- Gold and silver paint for paper
- Paintbrushes
- Handmade or textured papers
- Fresh leaves
- White craft glue
- Netting or other widely-woven fabric
- Pieces of paper doilies

What to do:
First, paint the sheet music with a coat of crackle varnish. Make sure you follow the directions for the crackle paint. Then, follow this by painting a coat of gold paint over it.

After the paper dries, tear it into small and randomly-sized pieces. Then, tear the handmade or textured papers into small pieces as well.

Next, prepare the leaves you collected by diluting a small amount of white craft glue with some water. You'll then paint the front and the back of the leaves with the glue mixture and then allow them to dry.

Here's the fun part, start arranging all the items you've collected and painted in layers on top of your blank card. When you are satisfied with the arrangement, simply paste them down in the order you created and add some gold and silver paint to the background. Beautiful!

You can use these cards for any occasion - Valentine's Day, Birthday, or any special memory you'd like to share with someone.

Paper Airplane Contest

2007-02-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Like to fly paper airplanes? Well, get out your best flying paper, folding techniques and throwing arm!

Uncle Dean from the Online Paper Airplane Museum in Tampa Bay, Florida is holding the first annual paper airplane contest at the Tampa Bay Library. Participants from 1 - 99+ are welcome.

So, if you are in the neighborhood, be sure to stop by and join in the fun.

All kinds of races and games, prizes and fun times are planned for this March 24th event.

Get all the details at www.uncledean.net. And while you are visiting this site, check out over 800 different paper airplane designs that you can download for free!