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Gift bags
brown lunch sacks with Christmas stickers and red and green marker "art".
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Wrapping Paper
a roll of plain white art paper cut into sheets and decorated with stamps,
stickers, stencils, glitter or whatever.
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Stationary
buy plain white paper and envelopes and decorate
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Bookmarks
cut posterboard into appropriate sizes and decorate, even add a yarn tassle at
the top.
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Pot holders
String necklaces using the gold or silver shoelaces and big dyed round and
square beads--can use some with letters and spell out "Merry Christmas" or the
like. You can even have kids work the booth and do custom names!
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Belt or necklace tree
Use old wooden thread spools and glue them to those straight wood hangers for a
tie or belt or necklace tree. You can vary this by buying pretty knob-style
cabinet pulls. The kids can color with magic markers or paint the projects.
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Candles
Buy a bunch of cheap white tapers (candles). Get about 40 or 50. Call
HearthSong (1-800-325-2502) and order 2 packs of Candle Decorating Wax. This wax
will set you back less than $20, and you'll have lots left over. The decorating
wax is thin sheets of beeswax which can be cut into shapes and pressed onto the
tapers (or smeared thinly on the tapers). Anyway, have them make festively
decorated candles (maybe in pairs).
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Tie Rack
Tie rack - made out of a covered wire coathanger
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Storage Box
Take a shoe box and cover it with an attractive material (or wrapping paper) for
a personalised storage box.
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Key Holder
Key holder... Just a block of wood, varnished and with a few small hooks in the
front and a brass ring on the back to hang by.
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Bookends
Bookends - could use a lot of found objects and paint/spatter
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Sachets
We made sachets last year, using potpourri filling little bags made of lace,
handsewn together. Heart shape is nice. Then stitch on ruffled edging, sew on a
satin rose. Very pretty! My 5yo did this without too much of a big deal.
Fill after stitching. Do use double or triple layers of thin lace to avoid
leakage through the net.
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Vases
Miniature vases - We painted 1 1/2" candle cups and stuffed them with moss. We
then inserted blue and white baby's breath and attached a small bow to the
front. The moss and baby's breath were also glued in case it got tipped over.
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Scrubber
My gran used to have us take scraps of tulle netting (the fine stuff) and mix
raw oatmeal, grated soap flakes, and food flavorings in a bowl. We would place a
dollop of the mix on the netting, gather it up tightly with a rubber band, and
add a nice narrow satin ribbon. You use it for scrubbing your face or other
things in the bath. Dip it in the water, then scrub. It's great for removing
dirt after gardening, and soothing as well from the oatmeal. I now use the same
thing, only I add carnation oil or vetivert oil rather than the food flavorings
of cherry, rootbeer, mint, and lemon I used to like as a girl. I still use the
vanilla flavoring, tho.
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Hyacinth
Materials:
plastic rings that come off of 6-packs.
Use either floral stem wire or cut sections from metal hangers for the stem. Cut
each plastic holder apart into 6 separate rings. Punch 2 holes in each circle,
across from each other. Use a nail to punch the holes. Twist each circle
into a figure 8, fold in half so the holes line up and thread onto the stem.
Make a little hook in
the end of the wire, add the first plastic ring, and then pinch the hook closed
to hold it in place. This is the top of your flower. Continue adding plastic
rings until
your flower is as long as you want it to be - 6 or 7" is a good length. Be sure
to push the rings together tightly and stagger how they go on so you get a nice
full flower. Spray paint with lavender or white paint, add paper or silk leaves
and you have a very pretty hyacinth. "Plant" the flower in hair spray can lids
filled with plaster of Paris.
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Alphabet Book
Cut out each letter of the alphabet, in caps and lower case, from colourful
paper and place them in the book, one letter to a page. Then cut pictures from
greeting cards to correspond with the letters and make a collage on each page --
ie: S = Santa, snow, singing, etc. Supplement with magazine pictures, but the
greeting cards worked out the best.
If there were more than 26 pages in the book, use the extra pages to do numbers
or colours or shapes etc.
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Christmas Cards Coasters
Sets of 'coasters' - you could get one per card and if you've got access to a
laminater then you could laminate them.
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CHINESE KITES.
Materials:
Brightly coloured tissue paper
Hat wire (Or any strong but pliable wire)
Sellotape
String
Chalk or Crayons or stickers etc
Streamers or long strings of crepe paper
1)Cut length of wire approx 3 inches longer then width of tissue paper.
2)Decorate a piece of tissue paper with crayons, stickers etc
3)Lay the sheet of tissue paper flat on the table and fold down 3/4 inch of
paper over the wire and tape it down
4)Bend the wire into a circle shape to make the mouth of the kite, twist wire to
secure the circle.
5)With the ends of the wire make a loop to which you attach the string
6)Tape the length to make a cylinder
7)Tape on tails at the bottom and attch string to the wire loop.
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Decorated Pencil Boxes
Chose a fabric that you like. Apply it to the box using heat'n bond. The box is
flat and with proper supervision/assistance easy to apply. After applying the
cover we used felt & hot (low-temp) glue. Velvet could be used but it more
expensive. Beads, sequins, etc. were glued to the top for decoration. My
daughter loved hers. It was done in gold lame'. Matchboxes could be used to make
dividers.
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Decoupage Jewelry Boxes
Use wrapping paper with some really pretty Victorian designs. (One package of
folded wrapping paper will do many, many jewelry boxes!) Cut out the
designs, lightly brush the back with Modge Podge and placed on box. When
dry (didn't take very long) brushed Modge Podge over the entire box. You can
also sponge the Modge Podge on to give it a really neat, textured finish.
You can completely cover the box with the decoupage, or paint the box first then
just apply a few decorative designs.
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Candle Holders
Take clay that doesn't harden (usually oil-based - available in any craft store
in many colors) and roll it into little balls - as big or small as you want, but
maybe 2 in. diameter. Then, smoosh the candle into it. It conforms to the
candle, stays flat, doesn't burn, and then you or girls can embellish with
leaves, evergreen, flowers, etc., depending on your theme. The best part is that
it will never dry, you can take apart and save, redecorate, and reshape for
another ceremony at another time. (If using on an expensive table cloth, put a
little waxed paper under the ball.)
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Tye Dye T-Shirt
Lay the shirt out flat and grab a small pinch of it in the middle. With this
small fingerful, start twisting your hand so the shirt is twisting like a snail.
When the whole thing is in a sort of snail pattern (and very tightly coiled) you
really need two people to do this next step, take some large rubber bands and
start putting them on the shirt to hold this snail shape. You will need three
to four rubber bands and when you have finished putting them on the shirt, they
should look like and asterisk *
or a color wheel. Put your colors of dye in those plastic bottles that you use
for hair dye (the ones with the pointed nozzles) and very carefully apply to
your shirt using one color between each set of rubber bands. This part is really
messy so be sure that everything is covered. Don't be afraid to really soak each
section to make sure that you get an optimum amount of color. Leave the
shirts in their coils and rubber bands with the dye on for eight hours.
Just put each shirt in a plastic bag and let it set. After eight hours, take all
the shirts in their bags to the bathtub, undo them and rinse them out until most
of the excess dye is down the drain. Then, put them in the washer and wash and
dry them and they should be ready to wear.
This pattern will give you a seashell pattern on the front and back of the
shirt. If you would prefer a striped motif, lay the shirt out flat and fold it
lengthwise accordian style very tightly and apply your rubber bands crosswise so
that it looks like a segmented worm. Then apply your colors between the segments
and follow the rest of the directions.
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Water Bottle Holder
Used the top, elastic part of an old tube sock and cut off the bottom.
(The socks need to still have lots of elastic in them, not baggy.) Then stitch
the bottom closed. Sew a long, wide ribbon onto the top so that you can put it
over your head and diagonally across your chest, and wala! A water bottle holder
to go where you go!
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Holders
Metal shower curtian hooks are THE best thing for attaching anything with a
handle or hole onto your belt loop. If an item (papers, small 1st aid kit,ect)
doesn't have a handle or hole, put it in a ziplock bag and poke a hole in that.
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Pot Pourri
1 litre soda bottle
Cut off the bottom of the bottle. Fill it with pot pourri then glue on a net
cover. Finish off by covering the rough edges of the net (or muslin or other
'holey' fabric) with lace or ribbon.
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T-shirt Iron-Ons
with Sandpaper
Materials:
Sheets of 50grit sandpaper
T-shirts
Lots of crayons
Iron
Plain paper
Take a piece of sandpaper and color a design on it (the heavier the color the
better the print)
Then take the sandpaper, position on the shirt (colored side down of course)
Place the plain paper over top, and iron on (use high setting - but be careful
not to burn anything).
This transfers really neat - when the crayon melts into the t-shirt is sort of
gives a tye-dye effect. Looks really cool!!! And supposed to be dryer safe - but
you may want to line dry the fist couple of washings.
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POMANDER
Materials:
citrus fruit (orange, lemon,... - may work with any hard fruit, e.g. apple)
whole cloves
ground cinnamon
skewer or awl
curling ribbon
Cut out about 6 lengthwise THIN wedges evenly spaced in the fruit, through the
skin only.
Use the skewer to punch holes along the uncut surface of the fruit and one
through the center of the fruit from end to end.
Press in cloves (except for top and bottom holes).
Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon in each wedge. Poke thoroughly with skewer to embed
in fruit flesh. (Alternative is to press in cinnamon curls.)
Cut several long strands of curling ribbon. Fold in half and knot in center. Use
the skewer to punch the knot through the fruit for hanging.
Make a knot at the bottom so fruit won't slip off. Curl hanging ends.
Hang in warm (dry) place until dry.
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STAIN GLASS
Materials:
Tissue wrapping paper, tracing paper, or other thin translucent/transparent
paper.
Wax paper (will also need an iron), or clear contact paper.
Colored markers or other water-based color that will "soak" into the paper.
Procedure:
Trace desired design onto transparent paper. (Coloring books are a good source
of simple pictures.)
Color.
Place designs (can be rough cut) between wax paper, that is in turn between
layers of newspaper. Use warm iron to melt the wax and paper together. OR
Place designs (can be rough cut) carefully onto sticky side of clear contact
paper. Turn over and carefully cover the other side with contact paper. Smooth
from center out to remove air bubbles and folds. If a bubble persists, it can be
pricked with a needle and deflated. Cut out the individual shapes and
fasten hanging strings/threads. Result - "Stain glass" window hangers, cards,
insert into Luminaria, Christmas ornaments....
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WINDOW CLINGS
You can purchase clear vinyl from most fabric stores. Outline picture
(coloring books are a good source of simple pictures) with black permanent
marker. Carefully color in with markers alternate: use acrylic paints.
Cut out design and press to window. If it won't stick, either the window is too
dirty or too dry. Clean the glass and spritz a bit of water on the vinyl.
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JUGGLING BALLS,
OR BEAN BAG BABY
Materials:
Colorful old socks with no holes in the toe area
Sewing needle (can be blunt tapestry or darning needles) and thread,
scissors
Small grain like rice or lentils, or for more permanence plastic ball
craft
filler
Procedure:
Cut the toe of the sock off at a distance from the toe a half inch longer than
the width of the sock. Cut out a roughly 2 inch square from the rest of
the sock. With a running stitch, gather the open end of the sock toe.
Fill sock snuggly with rice, lentils, craft filler.... Pull the opening closed
and tie off. Place the extra cut out square on top of the gathered tail
and stitch down the edges. This is to make the opening area smooth and secured.
Borrow a learn-to-juggle book from the library and have a go... OR
Add buttons, fabric, ribbons, fabric paint, etc. to make your own unique bean
bag baby!
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SODA BOTTLE SPINNER
Good alternative to a pin wheel to hang in the yard.
Materials:
Soda bottle
wire or string
tools - drill, scissors, knife, permanent markers, acrylic paints
(fabric paints work)
Procedure:
Cut 3-5 evenly spaced curved lines (all in same direction) lengthwise into the
long straight side of the soda bottle. Younger girls will need help here.
Bend these outwards slightly. These are the fins that will catch the wind and
make the bottle spin on the long axis. Optional - Cut off the uneven
bottle base. Drill a hole into the center of the bottle cap for hanging
with the string/wire. Decorate bottle with paints, permanent markers,
glued on things....
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BEGINNING SEWING
SAMPLER OUTLINE
(attachment)
Beginning (quick overview)-
Safety
Tools (scissors, needles, thread, iron...)
Sewing terms (seam allowance, hem...)
Preparation and start
Basic sewing (used to darn & sew squares together)-
Running stitch (basting and "weak" seams)
Back stitch (seaming)
Whip stitch (edging raw seams, appliqué)
Basic mending-
Button-hole stitch* (decorative edging small -button hole, or large -blanket)
Sew on button, snap*
Repair tear*
Repair hole*
Appliqué*
*featured on sampler squares
Sewing machine (used to seam & decorate)-
How to operate safely
Basic decorative stitches (embellish squares with simple designs)-
Line stitch
Chain stitch (lazy daisy)
Satin stitch (filling in an area)
Cross stitch (mention herringbone)
French knot
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PICTURE FRAME
You need: Card board (of any color)
tissue paper (different colors)
modge podge
1) cut out a "picture frame" out of the cardboard (about the size of the
picture that you would like to put in your frame)
2) rip up the tissue paper into pieces the size of a quater
3) Put the modge podge on the frame
4) stick a piece of tissue paper over the modge podge (you can overlap the
tissue paper too...i think that it looks better if you do)
5) keep doing this until the whole cardboard frame is covered
6) then went you have the whole frame covered spread the modge podge on top
of all of the pieces of tissue paper
7) Now u r ready to put a picture inside your frame and share it
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CANDLE HOLDER
candle
crayons
jar
water
color dye
matches or lighter
parent supervision
1. peel off the paper of about 10 different colored crayons.
2. get a glass jar
3. get a candle that fits tightly in the jar
4. light the candle and and hold a crayon right over the flame
5. let the wax drip all over the glass.
6. if u want, u can add even more colors.
7. when you are done, take out the candle and fill the jar up with water.
make sure to leave some area between the top of the jar and the water.
8. put color dye in it of any color
9. melt wax on it so that you have a covor for it.
10. stick a candle in the wax
11. you're done!
Fall Placemats
1 Yard of Muslin (Makes 4 placemats)
Cut fabric in half then half again.
Roll over ends 1/4 inch and press with iron on Cotton setting. Fold over again
and do the same. Pin corners down so they stay put. Do this to all 4 sides
on each piece.
Sew the hem down on each placemat. Then have kids decorate using paints.
They can use apples cut in half, corn on the cob, leaves or anything you can
think of that makes a nice pattern.
Let dry and then iron to set the paint.
Have fun!
p.s. we used a matchbox car's wheels to make a nice cross hatch pattern
Apple Printed Potholders
Apples- sliced in half with seeds removed
9x9-inch muslin squares or any other 100% cotton fabric
9x9-inch piece of batting
Fabric paint- 2 colors are best
Small brushes or paper plate
Newspapers
Iron
Embroidery hoop
Embroidery needle
Quilting thread
Bias binding (tape)
Lay out newspaper to protect your work surface. Make sure your 9x9 inch piece of
fabric is free of wrinkles. If not, lightly iron. You can use paper plates for
the paints-this will make it easier to coat the apple with paint. Paint the cut
edge of a dried apple half. Print 9 apples on your 9x9-inch piece of fabric.
Alternate colors for a fun look. Paint one side of a seed brown and print on the
printed DRIED apples. When you are finished painting and the paint is dry, lay
the fabric facedown on paper towels and on the cotton setting lightly iron the
fabric. This will set your design. Sandwich the pot-holder top, batting, and
backing together with the
batting on the inside. Baste the edges. Place the fabrics in an embrodiery hoop
and sew around each apple print, stitiching through all 3 layers. Sew bias tape
around the edges for the finishing.
I use pieces of (old and worn) bath towels instead of polyester batting in my
potholders. I have found the towel to be thicker and more protection when
picking up something hot in the kitchen. Plus, who doesn't have an old, worn
towel that they could cut up. Apple Printing can be used in other ways, too! My
daughter and her
children apple-printed on blank note cards. They tied them together with natural
raffia bows...in bundles of 10 note cards/10 envelopes, and the end result was
gift shop-quality!!! Since the printing process went quickly, the children were
able to make enough gifts for all of the grandmothers and aunts...for Christmas!
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Texas
Home Educators
