Felt Pins and Magnets

Whew!  It has been a little while since I posted.  Yesterday the teens came in and we made felt pins and magnets.  So easy and fun!  I just put out some felt 'sheets' of all colors, some buttons, pinbacks, scissors and glue and let them go at it.  Here is what they came up with!

T-shirt Deconstruction/Reconstruction and Decoration!

There are so many things that you can do with old t-shirts.  I had each teen/tween bring their own shirt, plus I had some old SRP shirts laying around, too.  I had some books like Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform Your T-Shirt by Megan Nicolay, 99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim, and Tie Your T-Shirt into something SpecialTease: Inspired T-Shirt Transformations by Superstars of Art, Craft, and Design by Faith Blakeney, and by Sarah Sockit. 
I tried to find some ideas in these books that did not require any sewing, then I made copies of the instructions for the kids to use.  Then I laid out lots of scissors, fabric markers, fabric paint, beads, glitter, fabric glue, etc. and I just let the kids go.  They came up with lots of great ideas.
For more inspiration, check out http://www.generation-t.com/.

Safety Pin Bracelets

This is a craft that is all over the web, and kids just love.  And for good reason, they are really cool!  I have had many adults want to learn how to make them, too!
What you will need:
Safety pins (about 84 per bracelet)
Beads that will fit on the pins
Elastic
Scissors
Tape
some small plates or bowls

What to do:
Divide the pins in half, and fill half of them with beads.  Some people then put a dab of glue on the pins to keep them form accidentally opening.  I don't do this, and I have never had any trouble.

Cut a piece of elastic to be about twice as long as you want your bracelet to be plus a little extra for tying.  (About 13 or 14 inches)
Fold the elastic in half and tape the folded end to the table.  This way you have two strands to string.
To string:
Add a beaded pin by putting the elastic through the holes at either end of the pin.  The beads should be on the top side with the pin cap to the right. 
The next pin should have the pin cap to the left, and the opening part (with no beads) down.
This way you alternate pins with beads and pins without beads. 
After you have all your pins strung, untape carefully, cut the U in the elastic, and tie the ends together.
There are many alternatives, such as making a pattern with your beads, or stringing a larger bead between each safety pins instead of empty pins.
I will try to get some pictures of this up soon, but remember, you can always do a Google Image search for safety pin bracelets.

Fleece Scarves

It is a cold and dreary day, so I have been thinking about fleece.  Wish I had some right now to wrap up in with a good book.
Anyway, you may be wanting to know how to make theses fabulous scarves.  It is pretty easy. All you need is fleece fabric, scissors, yard sticks, and pencils.  Try to watch when your local fabric stores are having fleece sales, then go buy a bunch.
Each scarf should be about 6 to 8 inches wide, and the length of the fabric long (usually 45 inches).  The kids can measure  their scarf depending on their preferences.  Use the yard sticks and pencils to make a line down the fabric.  Cut along this line. 
To add fringe to the ends, make 6 inch cuts about 1/2 inch apart on each end.  You can then leave them like that, or you can tie the fringe together.

If you do a Google Image search for DIY Fleece scarf - you will get lots of ideas!

Bubble Stationery

What is bubble stationery, you might be asking yourself.  Well, it is stationery that is pretty colors in a bubbly design.

How do you make this?  It is so easy.  This one comes from one of my favorite books, The Big-Ass Book of Crafts by Mark Montano.
You will need:
Food Coloring
Writing Paper
Plain envelopes
small bowls
straws
1 teaspoon dishwashing soap
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup water

Mix the dish soap and sugar into the water until dissolved.  Add food coloring, then, before stirring, put your straw in and start blowing bubbles.  When the bubbles start to form a big heap and go over the bowl, gently touch your paper to them for a colorful bubbly effect.  Repeat until you have colored your paper to your satisfaction. 
It is fun to mix colors, and to make matching paper and envelopes.
You will go through lots of food coloring - you kind of have to add more to get colorful bubbles.  But this is still one of the cheapest crafts around!

Sweet Sushi

Many kids would wrinkle their noses at the mere mention of sushi, but when it is made out of Twinkies and Fruit by the Foot, their attitudes quickly change!  This is a fun and easy program.  All you need are lots of Twinkies, Fruit by the Foot, small candies, Swedish Fish, and little powdered donuts.  To make it look like sushi, you slice the Twinkies, stuff with little candies, then wrap with a piece of Fruit by the Foot.  Cut the powdered donuts in half, lay a swedish fish on top and wrap with Fruit by the Foot.  Check out the pictures.  I added some other random candy - the kids were totally hopped up on sugar!

I recommend having plates ready to go for each teen/tween with a plastic knife, a couple twinkies, a Fruit by the Foot, etc.  Then I put all the candies in small dishes around the tables.  Then everyone can make about the same amount of sushi. 

If you have this in a public area, you will have lots of kids swarming around wanting candy!

Another Great Craft Using Old CD's

Check out this website for making suncatchers out of old cd's.  What a great idea!
http://www.replayground.com/pages/diy/cdsun1.asp

The Recycled CD Disco Ball

Teens love this one, and I have to admit - they are really cool!
All you need are a bunch of old CD's, old scissors, a styrofoam ball, sturdy string, and glue guns.

First, cut up all your old CD's into little squares - about a half an inch to an inch.  The CD's will be way easier to cut if you boil them for 30 seconds to a minute first, and cut them while they are hot.  It will pretty much ruin scissors, so don't use your best pair.
Then you just glue the pieces on with glue guns, and glue a string under a piece at the top, and voila - you have a disco ball!  Hang it, spin it, have a party!
Need more info?  Check out this website.  I especially love the cat that helped with this project in that site!
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Disco-Ball-with-CDs

I made a 12 inch ball for my teen room, and the kids made smaller ones.  Styrofoam is surprisingly expensive!

Glitter Globes

Snow globes are awesome - especially when you make them yourself!

Here is what you will need for each snowglobe:
A jar - a small one like a baby-food jar works well
Lid from a water/plastic bottle or similar
Glitter
Plastic toy or trinket to put inside
Ribbon or rick-rack to decorate the outside
glue - must be non-water-soluble

Pick your toy, then pick a jar that it will fit into.  Glue your toy to the lid from a plastic bottle (on the top), then glue that to the inside of your jar lid.  Wait for it to dry COMPLETELY!!!  Then add water, glitter, put the lid on, and decorate the outside.  You can glue your jar lid on if it makes you feel better!
Check out this website:
http://www.starwars.com/kids/do/crafts/f20090130.html

Bath Salts and Bath Fizzies

Bath Salts
1/2 cup Epsom Salts
1/2 cup Baking Soda
Mix Together
Add 4 to 6 drops of Fragrance (you can find this at craft stores in the soap making section)
Mix well
Add 4 to 6 drops of food coloring
Mix well
Stir in 1/2 spoonful of very fine glitter
Makes one cup

Directions for bath:
Add 4 spoonfuls of salts to running water for one full tub.

It is fun to package these in little plastic bags tied with ribbon or raffia and little tags.

Bath Fizzies
Bath salts are a piece of cake - bath fizzies are a little more complicated.
1. Mix 2 Tbsp Citric Acid with 2 Tbsp cornstarch and 1/4 cup baking soda in a bowl.  Add glitter to dry mix if desired.
2.In a separate bowl, mix just less than a 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil with 10-12 drops of fragrance, and 1-2 drops of color (if desired).
3. Slowly pour small amounts of wet mixture into dry mixture until it is the texture of cookie dough.  (You may not have to use all of the wet mixture.)
4. Form mixture into balls and place on waxed paper.
5. Spritz each ball with 1 or 2 sprays of witch hazel.  They will fizz a little at first, but eventually dry to a crust.
6. Allow to dry for 48 hours.

Seems simple, right?  I recommend trying this yourself before doing it with a group.  The trick is finding citric aced.  And nothing else will do.  Really.  I have tried many bath fizzy recipes that don't use citric acid, and they just don't work.  Some say you can find citric acid at the grocery store, or at soap making stores, but I found it at a homebrew/wine making shop.
Good luck!

Earring-Making - it just doesn't get easier than this!

Earring-making is a hit with all ages.  All you need are lots of pretty beads, earring-wires, and head pins.  I recommend getting some 3-in-1 tools, but you can also get round pliers, wire cutters, and flat pliers.  You can find all these things at craft stores, or just at Wal-Mart.

All you need to do is put beads on two head pins (how you want your earrings to look), then clip the excess, turn the top of the wire in a circle, and add the earring hook.  Easy, peasy, right?  Are you completely lost?  Then you may want to watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl3Y8SkafEc
Teens, adults, and younger kids love this craft.  I have even had a couple young boys make earrings for their moms. Awesome!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Bananas, and Pretzels

A sure crowd pleaser are chocolate covered strawberries, bananas, pretzels, and whatever else you have laying around.  Chocolate goes with everything, right?
The easiest way to do this is to find the microwavable bowls of chocolate.  You just pop them in the microwave according to the directions on the package.  Wash your fruit, and let the kids dig in!  Teens will eat you out of house and home (or library and uh, meh, whatever!) so my recommendation is to put a couple strawberries, some banana slices and a handful of pretzels on a plate for each attendee.  That way the first to arrive don't get all the food.

Theoretically, these could be made and taken home as a little special treat for someone they love.  Like for Valentine's Day.  But chances are, the teens will just eat them all!

Plantable Seed Paper

This is such a fun and easy craft.
You will need:
Paper (gather lots of colored paper scraps from around your library.  This is a great way to recycle old fliers and such!  Tear the paper into strips, or shred if you have shredder.)
Water (it is handy to have pitchers at the ready if you are not having your program near a sink)
Seeds (flower seeds are best, you could do vegetables, but I worry a little about the chemicals that are in colored paper, and the inks used on them.)
Blender
Lots of old towels
Cheesecloth
Screens (I actually use skillet spatter guards because they fit nicely over a bowl.  You can make your own screens using a wood frame and screening from a hardwear store.  But I am much too lazy to do that!)
Bowls

  Let the paper soak in bowls of water for a few minutes. You can mix up the colors to see what will happen, or just stick with one color. 

Then dump the paper and the water into a blender.  You may need to add more water if things aren't blending.  The resulting mush should look like watery oatmeal.  (Yum.)  If you are adding seeds, this would be the time to do it.  Don't blend too much with seeds in there.  We want to keep them intact!  Just give it a good stir. 

Then dump the whole mixture onto a screen with a bowl underneath.  You will want to spread this out with your fingers, or a spoon until it is mostly flat.  Take the screen off the bowl and lay it on a towel.  Then press gently over it with cheesecloth.

When you feel you have gotten all the water out that you can (you may have to ring out the cheesecloth a couple times), gently tip the screen upside down over wax paper or another surface that will allow it to dry.  It usually takes over night to dry, but some people swear that hair dryers work, too.

This paper can be ironed after it is completely dry as it may have warped a little.  Just use a very low setting!
Now you are ready to make fun greeting cards or whatever other creative uses you have thought up!
Yay!
























Photos and ideas from www.makeandtakes.com