Category Archives: Kids

Matchbox House

Posted in Free Printables, Free Tutorials, Kids, Paper, Recycled materials, Stuff to make by

More elfin houses . . . for this one I drew floorplans that fit inside a matchbox.

    

If you take a childlike pleasure in coloring, or if you happen to have an actual child who likes to color (and has excellent fine motor skills), I made tiny coloring pages so you can make your own matchbox house.

The exterior wraps around a standard matchbox. Interior is supposed to fit the inside tray but may need some judicious trimming. I used Sharpies for saturated color and generous amounts of glue stick (after failed attempts with other sticky substances) to adhere. Enjoy! And send me pix, please.

Paper garland

Posted in Holiday, Kids, Paper, Recycled materials, Stuff to make by

I am getting pretty excited about decorating my house for Christmas. Oh the crafty possibilties! I saw this post on How About Orange this morning and thought these paper ball ornaments would look pretty great strung together to make a garland. It seems like a nifty update on traditional paper chains, which I also love.  All white would be quite sophisticated, but it’s hard to pass up the chance to use some pretty colored paper. For those people who save wrapping paper, this would be a great way to use up some of your stash. I plan to get my little elf to help me. Stay tuned for the finished garland!

LEGO Birthday Party!

Posted in Free Tutorials, Holiday, Kids, Stuff to make by

If you’re wondering (in a few years), why I can’t afford to send my kids to college, the answer is simple.

We’ve drained the college fund to buy LEGOs.

But as they say, carpe diem. Seize the LEGOs. This is Zeke’s 6th birthday–but it’s his second LEGO-themed birthday party. And for the occasion, my mom baked LEGO cake!

For the record, it took her 7 hours. But she’s sharing her secrets on how to make a LEGO Birthday Cake here–so it won’t take you nearly as long. She also found help from Betty Crocker.

Other party highlights:

1. Pin the Button on the LEGO. By “button,” I mean those little knobby connectors on a LEGO brick. (Over the years I’ve learned that variations on Pin the Tail are always a party favorite. I’m not sure why!)

2. Wacky, Crazy LEGO contest. All contestants get a bowl of mixed-up LEGO pieces and they have to build something strange, weird and wonderful with them. We gave out minifigure surprise packs for prizes.

(Zeke is working diligently. Notice other revelers behind him are more intent on throwing balloons around.)

3. Goody bags. Candy LEGOs, free LEGO magazines (you can pick up a bunch at a LEGO store), and some grab-bag LEGOs (At the LEGO store near us, you can buy a big ziploc bag with an assortment of pieces for $7–a great deal.) Throw in some granola bars and sugarless gum for good measure.

Cute as a spare button

Posted in Fabric printing, Kids, Recycled materials, Stuff to make by

Buttons are cute. Even the word button is cute. So I figured I couldn’t go wrong printing an image of a button (using a hand-drawn and hand-cut freezer paper stencil) on this little muslin drawstring bag I had in my drawer. (Oh yeah, the bag once held the spare buttons to a sweater I had bought a while ago.)

Then I got really carried away and made this onesie. I realize the letters aren’t exactly centered, but I’m hoping you won’t notice. I don’t have any wee babies in my life, so if you do have one who happens to be 13 to 18 lbs., and who is verifiably as cute as a button, I will send this onesie to you!

Freezer paper stencils, part III

Posted in Fabric printing, Kids, Stuff to make by

Finally (!) a birthday party that was an unqualified success. First, half an hour of trying to float Polly Pockets with balloons, which is apparently hilarious if you are eight. Yes, they will sail up to the ceiling! Then, a busy hour of making freezer paper stencil t-shirts, topped off with chocolate cake.

The stenciling was the perfect level of difficulty for four crafty eight-year-old girls. We used stencils from some of those little Dover books to make patterns, except for my daughter who wanted to stencil a Union Jack, figures. The girls traced their patterns on the paper, and I cut them out–OK that was a little frantic–and ironed the paper to the shirts. Then, the girls painted using sponge brushes. It took a little convincing for some that it wasn’t necessary to paint inside the lines, but once they got going they were great.

A few hints in case you want to try this activity. Put a layer of paper, wax or freezer, between the layers of fabric. Some paint soaked through to the back of my daughter’s t-shirt. (She was more than happy to apply paint liberally…) Get started early, because the paint takes some time to dry. Iron on the reverse side of the fabric for 30 seconds. I’m not sure why the reverse side, but the Union Jack has stayed bright and cheerful through several washes.

All the girls were so pleased with their shirts, and it was really nice to send them home with something useful and substantial. A reprieve from goody bags!