Fairy Wings for Annie

Annie is Lu's Lovey. Annie is dressed up, danced with, read stories to and snuggled up to every night. Lu gets teary eyed everytime Annie gets put in the washer.  I say a silent prayer every time I reach in to the dryer to retrieve her, fearful for the day when Annie doesn't make it out in one piece. Annie after all is Lu's first love. A cat this special deserves her own set of Fairy Wings.

Supplies: 18 gauge wire, duct tape, old tights or stockings, elastic, glue, and glitter

Bend wire in half. Create flattened heart shape. Repeat.

Tape wire overlap ends together with heavy duty tape,

Measure length of elastic banding around doll/animal. Cut and knot into loop.

Cut legs of tights. I used infant tights. 

Slide wing into leg of tight.  Pull tight.

Tie tightly together. 

Place elastic loop into center of knot. Tie once more tightly.

Reshape wings.

Decorate with glue and glitter.

Let dry. Tap off excess glitter.

Tadaa!

Recycled Thanksgiving Craft: Pilgrim Ships

I now have an excuse to drink coffee! Check out these cute little Pilgrim Ships made out of a coffee sleeve and coffee stirrer. They make great place cards for Thanksgiving. Kids can write each guests name on the masts and or draw a picture of something they are thankful for.

The great thing about this craft (aside from the fact it is recycled and I get to drink coffee) is that it is so easy! No elaborate production here. 

Step one: sit back and enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee or chai tea.

Repeat (until you have enough coffee sleeves for each guest.)

Don't forget to save the coffee stirrers! 

Find a small cup to trace a half circle in the center. This gives you the ship shape!

Cut out - make sure you cut through to the other side.

Gently pull coffee sleeve open and turn inside out. Re glue.

Also glue coffee stirrer at this time to the same spot.

Clamp to hold together while drying. A clothes pin works well too.

Wipe up excess glue so your clamp doesn't get glued to your ship.

Eyeball the size of your sail to the mast. Fold paper in half and shape sail by slightly angling the sides. The bottom will be wider than the top. Cut slits where shown in picture. I drew lines to show you. You do not need to do that.

Open up sail and have child draw picture and then slide onto dried mast.

Have fun crafting with your kids!

Thanksgiving Kids Craft: Model Magic Tukey

We are starting off November with a Thanksgiving craft. This was a simple, fast and fun craft for my 5 year old. She was able to complete most of this craft herself. She rolled one medium ball (for the body) and one small ball (for the head.) She stuck the feathers, eyes, legs and beak on. It was so easy and entertaining for Lu to make I have a feeling we will end up with a turkey family by the time Thanksgiving rolls around. 

Supplies: Model Magic or air dry clay, feathers, pipe cleaner, google eyes, straw, scissors, 1/2 red gummy candy (optional)  

I fashioned the legs out of one pipe cleaner - cut in half. 

An older child could easily make the legs.

I snipped the end off an orange straw, flattened with my fingers and cut a V shape on one end.

We didn't know what to use for the waddle. Being the day after Halloween I grabbed a bag of spooky gummy Life Savers. I snipped one in half and squished it a bit and stuck it on.

Have fun crafting with your kids!

Kids Sticker Art Craft by Lu

Lu got this sticker book for her birthday. She loves it! We have stacks of sticker creations to prove it. Yesterday she found some take out sushi lids I had been saving. She asked if she could have one.

Ten minutes later she came back with this. Adorable!

Best part is she is so proud of her craftiness. It is hanging next to her bed. 

Lu may need to guest post more often ;-)

Halloween: More Open-Ended Art

Tissue Paper, Tin Foil, Glitter, Google Eyes & Glue (Paintbrush)

This is a great activity for young children. 

Emme, who is 3 years old, really had fun creating what she called a "spooky spider."

To The Moon...

Lu's homework assignment this week was to design and build a 3D vehicle. Lu chose to make a rocket.

I wanted this piece to be all Lu so I had her draw what she wanted her rocket to look like. She wanted a triangle shaped body, stars, a window and flames shooting out the bottom. Which was good I had her draw it because I was thinking of a completely different shape. I constructed the body of the rocket and she was in charge of adding the thrusters, flames and decorations.

Blast off!!! 

It is difficult to tell by the photo but it is like a triangular box. I tied a bell inside the box to keep the handle in place. So it makes a cool jingle when you shake it.

Tales From The Crypt

Check out the entire Crazy Crypt of Halloween Crafts.

You'll find Bat Lollipop Covers,

 Spooky Sun Catchers & Witches Hats

Open Ended Halloween Art

Give the kids some chalk, black paper, glitter glue and google eyes. 

See what kind of spooky artwork they create...

Simple Styrofoam Spiders

Styrofoam Spider

So cute & so simple!

Spear Styrofoam ball with bamboos skewer or cocktail fork to create a handle. 

Cover small Styrofoam  ball with black tissue paper and Mod Podge.

Sprinkle with glitter.

Glue on google eyes.

Let dry. 

Punch holes using bamboo skewer or nail.

Fold pipe cleaner in half and then half again.

Cut pipe cleaner into sections at folds.

Insert pipe cleaner legs into ball.

To make a garland of spiders. 

Insert bamboo skewer or nail all the way through the ball.

Thread balls onto black ribbon.

You can either create your spiders before decorating or after.

  

Halloween Kids Crafts: Recycled Drink Lid Spiders

Hello! We are still here and still crafting.

We made these spiders out of Coolatta lids I saved from this summer's guilty pleasure. 

Glue tissue paper to lid. 

Add google eyes and glitter. 

Let dry.  

Punch holes for legs.

Cut two pipe cleaners in half. 

Thread one pipe cleaner through 2 holes to create 2 legs.

Repeat.

 

Have fun crafting with your kids!