Archive for Kids Crafts
October 19, 2009
· Filed under Crafty!, Family Fun, Good Books, Kids, Kids Crafts, Molly · Tagged DIY projects for kids, doll clothes, simple craft ideas
I bought this D.I.Y. KIDS book by Ellen and Julia Lupton for Elena awhile back, and she occasionally opens it up and does a little project. Yesterday, when I got home from the grocery store, she and her friend Haley surprised me with a wardrobe of clothes for their stuffed animals, made from fabric scraps. I promised them I would feature the clothes on Charlotte’s Fancy today.
Everyone’s favorite is this ridiculously fashionable Panda with her scarf, vest and skirt. Elena made these from jersey fabric. What the girls found is that jersey was the easiest and best to work with because it stretches to fit different stuffed animals.
Don’t you wish you looked this good?
The top is the skirt – cut a round piece of fabric, then a hole in the middle
The middle is the vest. Start with a rectangle-shaped piece of fabric, snip the two upper corners, then cut two holes for the arms.
The bottom is the very versatile scarf, with two holes for the ears.
Because all arctic hares need ponchos and rain hats, right?
The poncho is a square-shaped piece of fabric with a hole in the middle.
The hat is a circle-shaped piece of fabric with two holes for the ears.
Miss Foxy thang and her double ruffle skirt. The girls created this clever ruffle look by cutting out two skirts (one a little bigger than the other) and putting them both on. Miss Foxy is also sporting a vest and tiny hat.
You may know her as Linny from the Wonder Pets, but now you’ll know her as an up and coming runway model. Purple couture scarf, hat, vest and skirt by Haley.
“Fashion Animals” as the girls called them.
You can find a very simple tutorial for a circle skirt on the D.I.Y. Kids website as well as a handful of other fun projects from the book. If you have a kid who likes to make things, this is an excellent little book.
October 12, 2009
· Filed under Crafty!, Family Fun, Holidays, Kids Crafts, Molly · Tagged Halloween crafts, lift-the-flap craft, easy crafts for kids
This lift-the-flap haunted house craft is something I used to do all the time when I was a kid. I don’t know if I learned at school, or I made up on my own, but it’s a fun and easy craft.
You’ll need:
- Construction paper
- Glue
- Scissors
- X-acto knife, or small sharp scissors
- Markers/crayons/colored pencils
- Stickers (optional)
Step 1:
Draw freehand, or use a template to cut out the outline of a haunted house. I printed this one out, then drew it freehand on a piece of black construction paper
Step 2:
Take a white or silver colored pencil and draw some windows in the house
Step 3:
For some windows, use an x-acto knife or small sharp scissors and cut out three sides (for the lift-the-flap windows). If you want to have open windows too, just cut out the whole outline. Once you have cut out the windows/doors, flip the house over (so you don’t see your pencil lines) and glue the house onto another sheet of construction paper. Orange makes it spookier, but white makes it easier to draw the crazy characters who will appear behind the flaps.
Step 4:
Draw your scary creatures behind the windows and doors and decorate the rest of the page too. We used a combination of drawing and stickers. I resisted getting out the glitter.
This is a fun book for learning how to draw goofy monsters:
Here’s Rosa making her haunted house:
Creak creak creak creak! Go away!
Of course, this same idea can be adapted for other designs: a gingerbread house, a cute country cottage, an apartment building in the big city. I have in mind the idea to make a little woodland animal/fairy cottage scene for Elena.
Elena, meanwhile, was not so much into spooky Halloween scenes. She was too busy making portraits of her Little People (of the vintage Fisher Price variety). How cute is this?
One of the easiest ways to get crafty with the kids is to take a big roll of white paper (I get mine at the teacher supply store), tape it to the top of the table and let them draw whatever they want. They love it.
When the trees and sun are happy, the whole world is happy.
October 9, 2009
· Filed under Crafty!, D.I.Y., Family Fun, Karin, Kids Crafts · Tagged crafts, rainy day crafts
Karin’s got a fun rainy day project/recipe and links for us on this Family Friday:
Chasing Cheerios is a blog about homeschooling from a Montessori approach. My daughter loves Silly Putty, so this craft idea I found there is something that we definitely plan to try. Seems especially perfect for some rainy day this winter when we are climbing the walls wondering what to do with ourselves.
The ingredients are pretty simple:
- two parts multi-purpose white glue
- one part liquid starch
- food coloring
You can also check out the Silly Putty tutorial on YouTube.
September 14, 2009
· Filed under Crafty!, Family Fun, Kids, Kids Crafts, Molly, Stationery & Paper Goods · Tagged fairy tales crafts, free printable crafts, paper crafts, party decorations, party favors
Hello everyone! Did you have a nice weekend? I hope so.
Do you want to see something pretty cute and fun to start off your Monday? Take a look at these paper projects: print your own fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs).
They come from Canon’s Creative Park website, which I mentioned very briefly last year for a really neat printable calendar. If you’re not familiar with the website, you should bookmark it, because it is a treasure trove of fun projects that you can print and assemble yourself (provided you have a printer, cardstock, and an inheritance that will help you buy all the printer ink you’re going to need).
You can get the pdfs of the patterns and instructions by clicking on the links above. Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs are pretty easy compared to many of the more elaborate patterns. I highly recommend that you look through their “Paper Craft” section for some amazing projects. You could use many of the patterns as party decorations and favors.
I’m going to print this one out (the Merry Go Round Picture Castle) and try my hand at assembling it with the girls:
Wish us luck!
Are you starting to think about Halloween? I am. I might be sharing some Halloween things this week…
August 31, 2009
· Filed under Crafty!, Family Fun, Kids Crafts, Molly · Tagged coloring patterns, free printables, rainy day activities
Hello, Monday! I’ve got some photos from Spain to share this week, but not today.
Today, I’m sharing Patterns for Colouring, which is a blog with a nifty idea: free geometric patterns to print and color, to get your kids excited about color and design – which I think is great.
These photos remind me that long ago, my mom had paper with geometric shapes (I remember octagons), which she stored in her desk drawer and used — I think! — to design her quilt patterns/ideas.
You can download Patterns for Colouring’s free patterns here. Better Homes & Gardens also has some great geometric coloring pages to print and color here.
Seems like a really good rainy day activity, wouldn’t you agree?
August 17, 2009
· Filed under Crafty!, Kids Crafts, Molly · Tagged keeping cool in the summer, kids activities, make a fan
How to make a fan and keep cool these hot August days in just three easy steps.
What you need:
Decorative paper (a rectangular piece – about 10″ x 16″)
Silk tassle
Stapler
My mom brought me this wrapping paper from India. It’s perfect for this craft. Other good paper to use: wrapping paper and scrapbook paper. You need a sheet that’s rectangular in shape. I used a piece that is about 10 inches by 16 inches.
Place the piece of paper flat on the table with the shortest edge facing you. Make even folds that are about an inch wide (smaller folds make the fan feel fuller, if you have the patience to make very small folds). Turn the paper over with each fold to get the pleated effect. Press each fold flat, like this:
When you are done folding, take a silk tassle (you can buy them at a craft store – they come in different colors and lengths) and tuck it into the folds near the bottom of the fan. Pinch the tassle into the fan like this:
Holding the tassle in place, finish your fan by stapling the tassle into the fan (may take more than one staple).
Ta da! Instant cool.
Elena (right) and her friend Haley (left) are fans of this craft. [Groan.]
It’s a good craft for playing dress-up. And if you want the project to take a little longer, have your kids decorate plain construction paper first with glitter, rhinestones, markers or whatever else suits their fancy.
August 10, 2009
· Filed under Family Fun, Kids Crafts, Molly · Tagged homemade sidewalk chalk, Kids Crafts, summer activities for kids
I had a great birthday yesterday! We picked blackberries and zinnias at an orchard and spent a few hours poking around the shops in downtown Princeton, including a trip to the new Paper Source. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven! Can’t wait to go back there. I also had chocolate from the local chocolate shop and a cupcake too, and we made a stop at the best toy store too. All my favorite things to do!
But, that was yesterday and today is today. Time for crafts!
As tempting as it is to just buy a tub for two bucks, wouldn’t it be fun to make your own chalk, in whatever colors you want? (Instead of that horrible drab reddish-brown color?) Or better yet, how about glow-in-the-dark chalk?
Here’s an easy How-To, courtesy of Mad Maggie Design
And if you’re feeling extra crafty, you can also make your own moon sand (pssst: sand + cornstarch + water); here’s the How-To for that from Skip to My Lou, with some very cute pics.
Happy Monday! Lots of fun and pretty stuff planned for this week!
July 20, 2009
· Filed under Crafty!, Gift Ideas, Kids Crafts, Molly · Tagged pencil box craft idea
This idea comes from Hip Hostess who bills it as a Bridal Luncheon lunchbox for your bridesmaids, but I bookmarked it awhile back thinking it could be a possible baby shower favor idea. The cool thing is that it can be easily adapted for just about any kind of party – or just as a fun, creative gift – as you can see.
These are the materials you need:
Cardboard Pencil Boxes – Michael’s carries these (at least in NJ they do!)
Scrapbook Paper
Scotch Tape
Craft Glue
Double-sided Tape
Take a look at Hip Hostess’ version in these next two photos: a personalized tag on the lid, a pretty, matching lining for the inside, and a treat to eat in each little compartment.
Obviously, what you put in the box doesn’t have to be edible, and you could personalize the outside of the box any way you like. There are lots of free printable labels out there like these lemon fresh labels from Creature Comforts, and these cute scalloped labels from Tart Workshop.
What if, for a kid’s birthday party, you filled each compartment with little trinkets, like balloons and wind up toys and stickers? The kids could decorate their own boxes with stickers and markers. Or what if each compartment had a different colorful candy? You could fill boxes with homemade cookies and/or candy for Christmas treats. (Oh my god, I didn’t just say “Christmas,” did I? )
The possibilities are endless.
I bought enough of these boxes last year for Elena’s 1st grade classmates to decorate themselves with stickers and Sharpies, which was a brilliant way of using up many of the stickers I had lying around. The boxes are very sturdy and don’t cost more than a buck or two each. Michael’s carries a couple of different sizes.
Yesterday we sent Rolando on his way to Cuba for a week. Tomorrow, I’m sharing his/his grandmother’s recipe for Picadillo, one of my favorite Cuban dishes. Please note: healthy eaters might be horrified by this recipe.
July 6, 2009
· Filed under Crafty!, Kids Crafts, Molly · Tagged sewing projects for kids
As promised, here’s a look at the projects Elena did at sewing camp last week: pillows, bags, headbands, a giant foot (yes, really), and a no-sew, but fun to make fleece blanket.
First, the pillows:
Can we pause for a minute and look at how straight her stitches are?
A backpack (using already quilted fabric) and a little tote bag made from a placemat:
The giant foot pillow, which taught her how to appliqué. You know how sometimes kids get attached to things that you don’t really care for? Like giant foot pillows? ‘Nuff said. She is very proud of this foot – it was the first project of sewing camp.
Hair accessories, both reversible. The fabric is really cute – these photos are kinda lousy.
And the no-sew fleece blanket. She simply cut the strips and knotted them. Isn’t it surprising how you can buy fabric with all kinds of fancy decorations and appliqués already on them? The puppies are not printed – they’re appliquéd.
In regular sewing lessons, she’s focused mostly on clothes; she’s made a couple of peasant blouses, a denim skirt, denim pants, a nightgown, and shorts. She’s in the middle of making cropped pants made from jersey knit fabric, but those are on hold until she starts up lessons again in the fall. She also made some doll clothes and various other little bags.
She’s 8, and she’s kind of amazing, wouldn’t you agree?
June 29, 2009
· Filed under Crafty!, Kids Crafts, Molly · Tagged firefly craft, lightning bug craft, summer crafts
I’ve been thinking about lightning bugs lately (or do you call them fireflies?) because it’s lightning bug season around here. So I stopped at the craft store this weekend and bought some glow-in-the-dark paint, some wooden ice cream spoons and assorted other craft supplies.
After a disastrous start (paint on a favorite shirt, the girls not understanding that the paints were acrylic and not watercolors), we finally got down to business. Read the rest of this entry »
