Thursday, October 21, 2010
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!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
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/.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Another Great Craft Using Old CD's
http://www.replayground.com/pages/diy/cdsun1.asp
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