Recycled CD snowflake ornament

It’s not too early to think about making Christmas ornaments.  The tree will be up before you know it.  The lights reflect off this snowflake to shine and sparkle.  With a little help from a parent this is a great “keep em busy” kid’s project!

You will need:

Two discarded CD or DVDs

Old scissors or tin snips

Tacky craft glue

Paper mache snowflake ornament (available from craft stores)

The one I used had a ¼” thickness.

Gold glitter dimensional fabric paint

1.     Cut the Cd or DVD up into various sized pieces.  Smaller areas will need smaller pieces. 

2.     Begin gluing the pieces shiny side up onto the paper mache ornament.  Leave some space between the pieces.  After you have filled up one side glue on some small pieces to the edges all around. (Since adding fabric paint to the edges may not be easy for kids, if you desire, you can butt the CD pieces on the edges together and eliminate the fabric paint between)

3.     After one side has dried, turn over and add pieces to the opposite side. 

4.     Shake down the fabric paint to remove any bubbles.  Test on scrap paper before using.  Fill in the gaps between the CD pieces with the dimensional fabric paint on one side and the edges around.  Let dry completely. After the fabric paint has dried, turn the ornament over and fill in the gaps with the fabric paint on the opposite side.  Let dry.

Easy make and wear little fancy hat

If you don’t want to don an entire costume this Halloween, then why don’t you just wear a little fancy hat. Hair clips under the brim hold it secure on your head.  It’s sure to be a conversation starter and it’s just the kind of project I like—quick and easy!

You will need:

Small black doll hat (available in craft stores)

Fancy feather

Small amount of decorative trim to fit around the hat

Rhinestone in coordinating color

Tacky craft glue

 Two metal hair clips

1.     Measure around the hat and cut some decorative trim to fit.  Draw a bead of tacky glue around the hat and attach the trim. 

2.     Add a dab of glue where the trim ends meet and attach a fancy feather, placing it so that the feather curves up on the hat. Let dry a bit and add some more glue on top of the base of the feather and attach a rhinestone.

3.     Turn the hat over.  Attach a metal clip with some glue on each side of the hat and let dry.

Easy Recycled Kid's Craft--Fall Napkin Rings

Today I'm bringing back one of my previously published but very popular designs. Sometimes the simplest of things are the most elegant.  It's even better when you use recycled materials you would have just thrown out. These quick and easy napkin rings use the inside of a paper towel roll as it's base and couldn't be easier.  The kids will love creating these for Thanksgiving, Halloween or any holiday at all, just substitute seasonal felt shapes. 

Easy Kids craft, autumn napkin rings (an inexpensive recycled craft)

You will need:

One cardboard tube from the inside of a paper towel

Scissors

Tacky Glue (Tacky glue has a thick consistency and does not bleed through the felt

Embossed felt

Pencil

Ruler

Autumn Felt shapes available at Craft stores

Fall leaves purchased in Craft stores (optional)

Clothespins are handy for holding the napkin rings till the glue dries.

Measure and cut four pieces off the cardboard tube to 1 ½” lengths.  Trim the rings evenly around.

Measure a piece of felt 1 ½” x 6”.  Cut four.

It is a good idea to put two fingers inside the ring to hold it while you are gluing.  Spread a generous amount of glue all over the outside of the ring. Attach the felt piece working around to cover. Overlap and glue the ends.  Let dry.  Trim the felt to the edges of the cardboard.  Ring base is made.

To decorate the rings glue pre-cut shapes over the seam line to cover.  An optional faux fall leaf looks great under a felt shape.  Use clothespins to hold the shapes on until completely dry. 

Enjoy your napkin rings. They are great family craft to keep the kids busy before the Thanksgiving or any holiday.

Note:  You can use regular felt if embossed is not available but the embossed felt gives the napkin rings a nicer look.  Make sure to use Tacky glue.  Other glues will bleed through the felt.  When cutting the tubes it is perfectly okay if it flattens slightly.  Just puff it up again with your fingers.

Calico feather mask

This mask is easy, quick and looks great.  It reminds me of a calico cat, hence the name.

You will need:

Bag of feathers in rust, white, brown and black

Paper mache mask (available in craft stores)

Tacky craft glue

Scissors

Small amount of cream beaded trim (about 12 inches depending upon the size of the eye holes)

3 gold rhinestones

3 clear triangle rhinestones

One larger gold cabochon (for the nose area)

1.     Run a bead of glue around the mask and add feathers one at a time overlapping and laying the feathers in the same direction.  (See photo)  Start gluing the feathers around each eye and work around until the entire mask is covered.  You may have to cut any thick shafts.  Bend the feathers to fit around the curves.

2.     Use the scissors to trim any wild feather pieces.  Make sure you trim closely around the eyeholes an under the nose area.  Let dry.

3.     Measure around the top part of the eyehole, and cut a piece of cream colored beaded trim to fit.  Repeat for the bottom part, meeting at the edges.  Let dry.  Repeat for other eye.

4.     Use the glue to attach 3 gold rhinestones up the center.  Add three more clear triangle rhinestones on the top edge, and each upper corner.  Finally add some glue right on the center of the nose tip and add the larger gold cabochon. (See photo for placement)

Little acorn ghosts

The yearly acorn invasion has begun.  Hundreds of acorns cover my deck making walking on it very precarious. That is what one gets when there is a giant oak tree overhead. Every night I sit in my family room as they crash to the ground, listening to the dog going nuts trying to protect the house from the invasion.  So yesterday I put on a football helmet (got a visual yet) and navigated the ice skating rink-like deck and collected a few specimens for crafting.  I thought, Halloween is near and why not some acorn ghosts.  Make sure you pick acorns that are not wet and starting to germinate or your ghosts may end up with goatees! 

You will need:

Acorns with caps (but you will be taking the caps off before painting)

Acrylic paint in white

Paper plate

Piece of scrap cardboard to protect your work surface

Sand paper or sanding block

Masking tape or double-faced tape

Small paintbrush

Black sharpie marker 

Tacky craft glue

Acrylic matte finish (optional)

1.     Apply the tape to the cardboard so the sticky side is facing up.  Remove the caps from the acorns and set aside.  Place the acorns flat side down on the tape to secure.  This is how you will paint the acorns.  You don’t have to worry about painting the top since the caps will cover it.

2.     Sand the acorn a bit with a sanding block or a piece of sandpaper before sticking to the tape for better paint adhesion.

3.     Squirt some white acrylic paint onto a paper plate and apply a coat to the taped acorn.  Let dry and apply a second coat of paint.  Let dry.

4.     When the paint has dried remove the acorn and add some tacky craft glue in the cap and replace on the acorn.

5.     Use the sharpie marker to draw a ghost face on each acorn.  Be creative and make them all different.  (See photo)  You can get ideas for faces from the internet, or computer clip art.

Note:  Make a bunch and use them to accent the décor around the house.  Try using orange paint for a pumpkin and paint the cap green or green.  You can also make a frankenstein monster.  Simply paint the cap black, draw the face and glue on some tiny cylinder type beads on the sides of the neck.  This is a fun family project to try with the kids!

Many thanks to Bowdabrablog.com for choosing one of my tutorials for their

 bowdabrablog.com/2012/10/05/feature-friday-bowdabra-top-crafty-showcase-picks-17/#

For more fun projects or to add some of your own visit Bowdabra's Saturday showcase

Easy Polymer clay pin for Breast Cancer awareness

October is Breast Cancer awareness month.  Make sure you get your mammograms as required and wear a pin to bring awareness to support the fight to find a cure.

You will need:

Block of pink polymer clay (I used Sculpey)

Roller (make sure it is dedicated for clay use only)

Cutting blade or X-acto knife

Pink Cabochon

E6000 glue

Gloss finish for polymer clay

Ruler

1 1/2" Pin back

Home oven

Aluminum foil

Small paintbrush

1.     The block of clay is divided into four sections.  Cut one section to use for your pin.  Condition the clay by kneading with your hand.  When the clay is soft enough to work with, roll into a snake-like shape till it reaches 5 inches long.  

2.     Flatten the snake shape with a rolling pin till it is ¾” wide and an 1/8” thickness. Cut the tips off with the X-acto to make the ends somewhat even.

3.     Fold the clay over making a loop and press together lightly.  Use the X-acto knife to cut a triangle shape into each end.  (see photo)

4.     Lightly press the cabochon into the center to make an indentation and carefully remove.   Smooth out any imperfections if necessary.

5.     Line a pan with aluminum foil and bake in a 275-degree oven for 30 minutes.  Remove and cool.

6.     When cool, add a bit of E6000 glue to the area where you made an indentation for the cabochon and attach the cabochon.  Coat the entire piece with gloss finish and let dry.

7.     When the gloss finish is dry turn over and squirt a bit of E6000 glue on the back and attach a 1 1/2" pin to the back vertically and let dry. (See photo)

Note:  Do not use microwave.  Do not use tools that come in contact with food.