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Personalized Gift Bags

February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
SwagBag6

I love making things personal when gift giving–

I also love making flower clips and bows.

Now with both of my girls going to birthday parties

making a flower clip for their friend is a given.

The girls love to create new hair clips for their  friends.

We wanted to showcase the pretty flowers they were making with me.

This is what I came up with

Glue ribbon to bag, and make sure to make a special spot for clip

Personalize with a name or initials

add your clip and BAM you’re done.

Super cute, easy, and, inexpensive personalized bag for the birthday girl.

 

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Featured Holiday Product: The Sewing Loft Zipper Flower Brooch Craft Kit

December 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
SewingLoft

If you have a crafty tween who is into fashion, we think they will enjoy this Zipper Flower Brooch Craft Kit from The Sewing Loft. Zipper flowers have been seen in many places and have become quite popular, especially with designers like Kate Cusack. However, Kate’s zipper flowers cost around $85, but you can now make your own with the help of The Sewing Loft.

The Sewing Loft provides you with:

~PDF file with step-by-step instructions

~15″ zipper ~Printed fabric for leaves

~Pin

You will need, a needle, thread, and creativity- to make a beautiful flower brooch for only $10. This craft is great to give as gift or to make with friends. I had my 9-year-old daughter make her sewing debut with this kit and I think she did a pretty good job. She loves fashion and she has wanted to learn to sew so this craft kit was perfect!

{She made this brooch to give to her little sister} The Sewing Loft, offers many other DIY crafts and fun quirky handmade gifts.

The Sewing Loft also made it to this year’s VMA’s and was gifted to some lucky crafty attendees.

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Holiday Glitter Ornaments

December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
ornament3

Last Christmas I was looking for something to do for my son’s preschool class as a gift for them. I came across these on another site and created them for all of his friends. They were so simple and easy and was a huge hit that I listed them my ETSY shop and sold them out!
This year I decided to them again and listed them in my shop and were a huge hit! I also created over 30 ornaments just for both my boys classes this year and everyone loved them!!! I wanted to share with everyone this super great DIY craft.

Very easy to make. Here is what you will need:

Clear glass ornaments. Any size or shape will do.
Ultra fine glitter. Any other kind will clump.
Ribbon
Pledge floor wax with Futura Shine. MUST have FUTURA shine or will not work.
Funnel

Directions:
1. Remove the lid off the ornaments.
2. Pour/Squeeze a small amount of floor wax into ornament. Swirl around, completely covering the inside of the ornament. (Place a paper towel over the opening to prevent spilling.)
3. Pour out the wax into the bottle or dispose of in trash.
4. Using a funnel, pour glitter into ornament. Use a generous amount.
5. Gently twist or swirl the ornament in a circle, to allow glitter to completely cover the entire inside.
6. Add more glitter if needed. (Do not shake ornament to cover with glitter, may leave spots and holes.)
7. Place lid back on ornament and tie with ribbon.
8. Optional – decorate or personalized the ornament!!

There you have it!!! A very simple and yet beautiful craft for your family to enjoy!!!

If you have tried this I would love to see your photos as well!! You can see all my ornaments on my facebook page at www.facebook.com/creativedesignsbytoni

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Rainy Day Crafts

October 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Rainy Day Crafts for Kids

Blustery fall days are upon us and it means that outdoor play is coming to an end. So what do you do to entertain your kids when they are cooped up indoors on those rainy days? The answer is– crafts. All the kids that I know absolutely love making things and you can achieve some great results for not much money. It is also a great way for the whole family to spend quality time together. Here are a few rainy day craft ideas for kids:

Paper Plate Masks


Paper plates are really inexpensive. You can buy a whole pack for a very small amount of money. Have a good look around your house for things that you can cut up to decorate your masks with. This could be things like old magazines, food cartons, lolly sticks, gift wrap, wool, straws and even remnants of fabric. Cover your dining table with a paper cloth and put all of your materials in the middle along with felt tip pens, paint, glue and scissors (if your children are old enough to use them on their own). You will need to attach some string, preferably elastic, to the plate so that the mask stays in position when it is on. You will all have a fantastic time making masks and you could even use them to tell stories or act something out after they are complete!

Card Making

Card Making is great fun and something that children of all ages will enjoy. Whilst the paper plate’s activity above may not appeal to your older children, card making is something that can be adapted to suit those of any age. It is all about choosing theright card projects and the right card materials. Your teenage daughter may like to make cards with paper shoes and handbags on and your son may like making a music themed card. Your younger children could make a farm animal themed card. There are many great card making kits on the market that have different themes. You can usually make anywhere form 3 to10 cards per kit and they usually include all of the materials that you need. These are also great for taking on long journeys and holidays.

 

Junk Modelling


Junk Modelling is extremely fun and can also be extremely messy. This is a good activity to do in the garden! In the run up to this craft project you should save some of the packaging that your food comes in. Things like plastic bottles, cereal boxes, egg boxes, toilet paper innards and ice cream tub. All you then need to add is some duct tape, glue and a colourful selection of paints and paper. Get your kids to stick the junk together to make fun models like robots, animals and cars. Paint them up and leave them to dry.

There are more great craft ideas for kids on my blog at http://alphadesignco.com/card-making-help/summer-crafts-for-kids/

 

Vicky is a card maker and craft enthusiast. Her aim is to make crafts accessible to all by creating project ideas and resource’s for people of all ages and abilities.

Please visit Vicky’s blog or follow her on Twitter

Blog:http://alphadesignco.com/

Twitter is @alphadesignUK

For questions about this post you can email: vicky@alphadesignco.com

 

 

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DIY Crayons

August 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
random-crayons_1356872i

 

We have the most perfect GREEN project to do with your children while summer is still here.

Crayons have been used all summer, and now they are in bits and pieces– don’t throw them out!

Give those crayons a new life, how about as a cupcake, heart, car, or snowman?

What you will need..

Little hands to peel wrappers off assorted broken crayons, and to break into smaller pieces.

Muffin pan

Oven

Have your child break the unwrapped crayons into small pieces

Put broken crayons into muffin tin about half way full

Once you decided on what colors you want to make, stick the pan in the oven for around 20 minutes at 175* degrees

Let cool

And now you can color with your newly repurposed crayons.

 

These make perfect gifts!

*as always all ovens vary

 

 

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DIY Tip: Out of Glitter?

July 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
salt-shaker

So you decide to glitter up a little project but soon realize you are all out of the sparkly sensation!  What do you do?  Do you run out to your local craft store and pick up a few different colored bottles of beauty?  No, you don’t have to!  Here is a quick easy remedy for you (from my daughters kindergarten teacher).

Salt Glitter

1/2 cup of regular old table salt
6-7 drops of food coloring (you know you have some left over from Easter egg coloring, right?)

Add food color to salt adjusting to desired color shade.  Cook in the microwave 1-2 minutes or you can also air dry (but it’s a lot faster in when you nuke it).  To keep it from hardening, store it in an air-tight container.

The finished salt looks like brightly colored sand.  Perfect for layered sand art (in a jar) or as an accent on art projects!  You can also pour them into little tiny glass salt shakers for storage and they are easier for little fingers to use.

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Home Made Foam Soap Refill

June 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
soap

Over the years, we have spent a lot of money on fancy hand soap and especially foam soaps.  Cute bottles, neat scents, and kid friendly designs and themes… and the reason?  It’s simple, the kids love them and they don’t leave a goopy mess in your sink!  We decided to try making them on our own.  Honestly, we didn’t think it would work, but to our surprise, it did.  The process was quick and painless, and you don’t have to be an extreme couponer to stretch your soap usage!

You do need to first purchase a foam soap dispenser, which you can get at any grocery or super store.  First take three tablespoons of your favorite dish or hand soap and gently stir into 2/3 cup of water.  The key is to stir gently.  You do not want to shake and stir too quickly, but just enough to blend the soap into the water.  Next, pour the mixture into your foam soap dispenser and give it a few pumps.  You should start to see the foam right away.

We used Ajax grapefruit scented dish soap and it has been working great!  We love it and with kids, it is so affordable and they can even help make it, so that’s a plus!

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Kool-Aid Finger Paint

March 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
kool_aid_man_glass

At a loss for what to do this Spring break?  How about breaking out the good old Kool-Aid Finger Paints?  Kool-Aid has a wide assortment of colors to choose from and it will be a lot of fun your your child too!  You have to make the finger paints first, but if you are anything like this family, you have a stock of Kool-Aid in your cabinets!

Making Kool-Aid Finger Paint is super easy to do!  All you need are the following ingredients:

2 cups of flour

2 packages of unsweetened Kool-Aid

1/2 Cup of salt

3 Cups of boiling water

3 Tablespoons of oil

Mix all the ingredients together and allow to cool before using.  Then let your kids loose and see all the beautiful Kool-Aid creations they can make!  Feel free to share their artwork here!  We will be uploading our own very soon too!

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St. Patricks Day Crafts

March 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
handprintshamrock

St. Patrick’s Day is just a few days away and what better way to celebrate this wonderfully green holiday then to spend an afternoon creating crafts with your little one. It always makes the holiday’s even more special when you have a piece to hold on to long after the holiday is gone. When my oldest son was just 8 months old, we attended a wonderful playgroup on St. Patrick’s Day. To celebrate, we all created Handprint Shamrocks. But, of course, parents help is always need. I still have his original Shamrock handprint framed and hanging on the wall. He is now almost 4 years old.

There are 2 different types of Handprint Shamrocks, painted one and paper ones.

Handprint Shamrocks – paint

When my oldest son was just 8 months old, we attended a wonderful playgroup on St. Patrick’s Day. To celebrate, we all created Handprint Shamrocks.

Items you will need:
Construction paper- white works best
Green finger paint or poster paint
baby wipes or wet wipes (for clean-up)
your child’s hands
paper plate or paint pallet
paint brush (optional)

1. Place a small amount of the green paint onto a paper plate or pallet. Enough to cover your child’s hand but not so much to make a mess. Press your child’s hand in to the paint or paint it onto your child’s hand directly with a paint brush.
2. Carefully place your child’s hand onto the construction paper and press down. Be sure to leave room for all 4 clover leaves. Palms together in center or fingers touching in center, either way, makes a great clover.
3. Repeats steps 1 and 2 to create a 4 leaf clover.
4. Use the paint brush or finger to create a stem for the clover.
5. Let dry.

Shamrock Handprints – Paper

Items you will need:
Construction paper – green and other colors.
Scissors
pen or pencil
Crayons, markers, glitter, etc.
Glue

1: Trace your hand pattern on 3 pieces of green construction paper
2: Cut out the 3 hand patterns
3: Glue the palm portion of the hands to each other so they fan out in a shamrock pattern
4: Use crayons, markers and glitter to create beautiful handprint shamrock
5: Glue decorated clover onto another piece of construction paper.

There you have it! It’s a really fun and easy craft for your kids to do, but so much fun!!! Makes a great keepsake for proud moms and dads and grandparents! This has been tried and tested and came out PERFECT! Enjoy and have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t forget to wear your green!

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Kool-Aid Play Dough

January 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
koolaidplaydough

This has been around for quite a while but it’s so fun that we thought we’d share it here for you too!

(parents need to help or pre-make this recipe)

Ingredients:
1 Cup Flour
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1-2 packages of unsweetened Kool-Aid
1/4 cup salt
2 TBSP cream of tarter
1 cup of water

Directions:
Mix flour, salt, cream of tartar, and Kool-Aid in a medium pot.   Add water and oil.  Stir over medium heat 3-5 minutes.  When mixture forms a ball in pot, remove.  Be careful!  It will be hot!  Knead until smooth.  Put in a plastic bag to keep from hardening.

Enjoy!

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