Is it raining near you today? It is spring so we are going to have a lot more to come. Rain and sun is what is going to make my brown lawn green and that naked tree grown luscious leaves. In the meantime, let’s make the best of it with a cool craft.
You will need:
Several shades of Blue Crayons, Wax Paper, Iron-set to low heat setting, Old tea towel and Paper Towel, Scissors, a Pencil Sharpener, String or Yarn or Embroidery Floss (Blue) and a Hole Punch.
Choose some blue crayons and peel off the paper so they are ready for sharpening. I chose several shades of blue, turquoise and white. Lay out a piece of wax paper and sharpen the crayons overtop of the wax paper. Spread the shavings out. Next cut another piece of wax paper the same size and place it on top of the shavings for a crayon shavings sandwich. I did the craft on a wooden cutting board with a tea-towel under the wax paper and paper towel on top of the other wax paper. The shavings move around a lot so you may end up with some melted to the towels. My main thought was trying to protect the iron from permanently melting crayons to it. Now you make a quick run over the top layer with the iron. Adults should do the ironing-start at lowest setting if it doesn’t seem warm enough increase a bit at a time.
Draw a raindrop shape onto the wax paper and cut out the water drop shape. Next use a hole punch to pop a hole in the top of the raindrop. String up the raindrops and tape or wrap it around a stick or dowel or wooden spoon. If you haven’t got anything to use just put it with a line of tape right on the window. If I had blue painters tape I would have just put a line of that on the window.
The sun is trying to push through the clouds!! Better hurry and grab a kiddo and doggo and get out for a walk….
How to make a DollarStore Picture Frame into a Cork Board! Easy Project!
Hello again! Today’s project is all made from Dollarstore items! Its a bulletin board or corkboard-covered in fabric! The Dollarama Stores near me are getting great craft items. They are no longer everything in the store is $1 but they are getting better quality items and still much cheaper and closer than going to my local craft store.
For this project I purchased a very modern photo frame for $4, a roll of cork $3, a roll of jute (this one had a white painted design) you could use fabric for this instead. Additionally, you will need your scissors, ruler and hot glue gun and some cute tacks to post pictures or notes to it.
The frame I used was square 12×12. Take off the backing and remove the glass from the frame. Use the backing to trace and cut the cork to exactly the same size. Next cut the fabric larger than the backing. Make it an inch wider all the way around so you can wrap it around the cork and board and secure it on the back.
Now stack the layers-the board on the bottom, then the cork, then the fabric-and push it into the frame. Pull the fabric in tight. Everything should be snug.
Hot glue the fabric flat-close to the edge and trim off extra fabric. Fold the corners so it is tidy with a mitred look. Find some little pictures and cute push pins. At the moment I have it leaned against a wall on a side table but it could be hung up on the wall….in fact-there is plenty of supplies left over to make more frames and put a collection of 2 or 3 on a wall! I just took down some shelves and know just the place!
All in all this is a 10 minute project with a cost of about $10 with left overs to make more projects. It was a success!
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Sharpie Tie Die Coloured Shirts
There is so much you can do with Sharpie permanent markers! For this project I wanted to see for myself what happens when you mix sharpies with a white tshirt and drops of rubbing alcohol. I was hoping for a vibrant a tie dye effect. It turned out pretty cool!
For this project, you need permanent markers (like Sharpie’s), a plain t-shirt, rubbing alcohol, a piece of cardboard or plastic to put between the layers of t-shirt so it doesn’t bleed through to the back side of the shirt. You will also need an eye dropper or baby medicine syringe (safety note-throw it out after using it for this project) for dropping rubbing alcohol onto the artwork you create.
Its harder to write on a t-shirt than you might think. Fortunately, I was just aiming for some funky designs that would look bright when the colours were all blurred together. This would be very cool on a cotton pillow cover or canvas running shoes!
The rubbing alcohol is really quite smelly and I drenched my shirt in it because I loved the process-it’s like watching fire works! When I made this shirt I was battling a cold and my nose was stuffed up…but when my family came home they said it was really strong. It might be better to do this when the windows can be open or even as an outdoor project.
The best thing about this wearable art is that every one will be an original!
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Paper Plate Animals Groundhog Zebra Dog
It’s March Break this week! That means it’s time to look around the house for easy, inexpensive crafts using things we already have. My favorite go-to craft items are paper plates, lunch bags and coffee filters. There is so much you can do with these basic household items-and no trip to the craft store is required. Endless possibilities!
Today lets talk about the sturdy paper plate! For crafts, I like the thin ones that makes you nervous at a picnic that your coleslaw and hot dog are going to fall off the plate and onto your sandals. EEK! They might not be great for dinner in the park, but that is what makes them so perfect for crafting.
For these three crafts we have used a thin paper plate, paint and brush, construction paper, scissors and glue, big googly eyes and a black marker.
This brown paper plate animal was meant to be a beaver, but it could easily be a bear or groundhog if you want it to match a hibernation theme or a book you have read. Here I used 2 shades of brown for the ears, slivers of paper for the whiskers a brown nose that looks like a triangle with soft edges. After drawing on the mouth, you can slice a slit thru plate along the mouth line to slide the white teeth through and add a dab of glue on the back to keep them in place.
This is a paper plate zebra. Just add a scrap off of another plate, paint it black to be his mane and some ears. Add black stripes with a marker. The nose is sort of an oval/diamond shape. Use a white crayon or pencil crayon to make his mouth and nostrils. I love big googly eyes to add to my crafts but you could draw on eyes if you’re out of googly eyes.
This dog looks like our Gus. Gus badly needs a haircut at the moment-he is bringing in all sorts of dirt.
For this dog paper plate craft we painted him a creamy yellow and added a big, round, brown snout cut from construction paper. The nose is simple circle of black paper…but a big pink or black pom-pom would be cute too. We put a brown patch under the googly eye and had his tongue sticking out. Again you could slice a line in the paper plate to have the tongue look like its coming out of his mouth.
Have fun with your kids and crafts this March break!
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Toilet Paper Roll Crafts-Use your loo roll tube for easy Crafts!
Are you collecting toilet paper rolls for kids crafts?!? Of course you are! Here are some ideas for what to do with them.
There is just so many things you can make once the ideas start to roll in. I started with the polly pocket race car, then a tree, several houses and a road. Using tea tins and boxes I made some different shaped houses. Several toilet paper houses too.
Cruising through pinterest I can see a lot more ideas and not to worry I have plenty of toilet rolls saved for more crafting. March break is this week and that is the perfect time to get out the cheap crafts and paints and glues and make a toilet paper roll community. Have Fun Everyone!
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How to Make an Easy Infinity Scarf with Zipper Hidden Pocket
I love scarves! I find a cute pattern or fabulous colored scarf on sale and I can’t help myself! Then I hoard them. So I had an idea to make a scarf with a hidden pocket and thought, instead of using new fabric why not make it with an older scarf I had not used in a long time.
The hidden pocket scarf idea I stumbled upon the last time I was travelling abroad and wanted to be able to keep my passport handy-but hidden while on the journey. Now I am thinking about how handy it would be to walk the dogs with keys, ID and phone hidden in a zipper section of the scarf. Maybe it would be a gift idea for a tween or teenager who isn’t into purses and needs to carry her personal items.
Here are just a few of my older pashmina scarves. I have bins and bins of them.
For this project you will need:
- Scarf or Fabric
- Short Zipper (7 inches or 18 cm long)
- Sewing Machine
- Pins
- Scissors
I happened to have a small RED zipper so I chose the red scarf. I love it when a project uses old things I have around rather than buying new supplies!
If you are using a pashmina trim off the fringe.
You can also make the zippered infinity scarves out of old clothes, a soft blanket or scarves or new fresh fabric.
For this project I would find a bit of fabric that measures at least 18 x 70 inches (45cms x 177cms).
My scarf was 26 x 69 inches (66 cms x 175 cms). It was even shorter after I trimmed off the fringe and I think it’s a great length-finished its 66 inches long. I prefer it to be extra wide too.
You will need a zipper approx. 7 inches or 18cms long.
Fold the scarf in half, so its long and skinny with right sides facing together. Decide where you would like the zipper to sit. I put mine a few inches from the end. Using pins, mark the ends of where the zipper will go.
Pin along the rest of edge.
Sew along the long edge. Stop sewing where you marked the zipper will be.
Open the gap you left for the zipper and pin one side of the zipper in place. The right side of the zipper should be down facing the right side of the fabric.
Sew the zipper into place on the first side. Flip it over and pin and sew the other side in place.
Close the gap at the end of the scarf by sewing the seam together.
Now test the zipper. It’s opening smoothly. Yeah! Leave the zipper open.
Pull one end of the tube through to meet the other end. Match up the seams and pin all the way around the tube.
Sew all the way around the edge. Be sure to only sew through two layers – we’re making the tube into a circle. Sew the two layers together all the way around.
Pull the scarf out through the open zipper hole.
Great Job! Now try it on!
Use the zipper pocket to hide your phone or passport or other lightweight items. Your belongings will fall down toward the bottom of the scarf. That is cool with me since its easy to grab.
Tuck the zipper towards your body so its not noticeable.
This is a great solution for where to put your things when wearing leggings that have no pockets. Or travelling in an area where you are concerned about pickpockets. Or dog walking….It’s just plain convenient too.
I really enjoyed reinventing my scarf! Thanks for reading this post, feel free to comment if you need more details!
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