Origami Ties for Great Guys

Posted in Holiday, Paper, Stuff to make by

A few reasons why I love my dad:

1. Sometime in my twenties, he decided he didn’t need a special occasion to pick up the phone and call his kids. He calls whenever he feels like it, just to say hello.

2. He’s the kind of grandfather who volunteered to change diapers. Now he gets down on the floor and digs into the LEGO bin alongside his grandkids.

3. Every year, he dresses up as Kate Smith for the Fourth of July parade and sings “God Bless America” in falsetto, very, very badly.

In case these reasons make him seem like he’s not a high-achieving, productive member of society, let me assure you: he’s also that.

So for this Father’s Day, I’m giving him the most original gift . . . a necktie! But this one is made of paper, is 2-inches tall, and is completely impractical. Which makes it more original.

 I learned to fold an origami necktie at the web site, Origami Club, which offers a mad assortment of origami projects with step-by-step animated instructions. The animation doesn’t necessarily illuminate some of those tricky, ever-elusive folds, but it’s cool.

Have you always wanted to fold a spotted toadstool? (Origami Club calls it by its proper name–“fly agaric”–and helpfully points out that it’s a poisonous mushroom. In case you plan to eat your origami? I don’t know.)

I love this Japanese school bag & this polka-dot dress, too.

But back to neckties: I used 2″ origami paper, but you can also use other paper and cut out a 2″ square. Make sure to use paper that is appropriately garish–who wants a tasteful tie for Father’s Day?

The trickiest fold is the tie knot–first, you fold a little triangle up, and then reverse the fold, so that the triangle is now inside the knot. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you try it. Then glue your tie to a blank card (I chose mustard-colored stationery from PaperSource) and press.

If this cute card isn’t enough to please your dad, follow up with a homemade coupon good for 1 hug.

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!

Matchbox Chest of Drawers

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

We’re not pyromaniacs, really. But we do manage to go through matches at an alarming rate. And I always squirrel away the matchboxes–like clementine crates, I find them impossible to toss. So I guess that makes me a pyromaniac and a hoarder.

After I wrote about dollhouse love last month, I remembered making this matchbox chest of drawers as a kid. For those of you who share my affection for little things, this Lilliputian project is fun & quick. I used 4 matchboxes, a piece of polka-dot card stock, and those doodads (not brads–snaps?–but brads would do the trick). Here is a downloadable pdf with step-by-step instructions for making your own mini dresser.

I also admired this groovy homemade dollhouse in the April issue of Family Fun magazine (“House & Carton” by Amy Brown). This Family Fun link shows you how to make your own (from two cardboard boxes) complete with the fancy furnishings (all fashioned from egg cartons).

House & Carton

(Photo by Andrew Greto; ideas and craft stylings by Lynn Zimmerman. Reprinted with permission of Disney FamilyFun. Copyright April 2011.)

And while I’m on the topic of the miniature (I know, I know–again!) . . . I thought I’d mention the three-book series, Doll People, by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin, with exceptional black-and-white illustrations by Brian Selznick (including a cut-away of an antique dollhouse).

Yes, the doll people are alive & there’s a creepy baby doll in one of the stories–but the books are gentle and true to a kid’s perspective. They are emphatically not Toy Story. Toy Story 3, with its hints of torture and apocalypse, left my 5-year-old weeping in the theater aisle. And me, too, for that matter. But Zeke & I just finished these books & we loved them.

Yay!

Posted in Stuff to make by

I solved my camera issues–sadly, with help from my mother! So, very quickly here are some things I’ve made since we got our beautiful new mac. Which now works beautifully.

Easter dress, using Oliver and S ice-cream dress pattern… And the finished play mat, front and back.