Miniature Gardens

It's been a long time since I last blogged.  You might think that it's because we haven't done any craft.............. gosh that would be terrible!!!............Thank goodness it's not so. You will be happy to know that my kids have not missed out.  I just haven't had the time to photograph and blog about it.  So I'm very sorry about that.  These little craft gardens were so special I made some time to add them.  They aren't step by step but I think you will get the idea.  Enjoy xxx

To start them off we gathered paper plates, air drying modelling clay and green tissue paper. 

• Roll up some modelling clay and flatten it out a little and add it to a section of the paper plate.  How much you need will be dependant on what needs to "stand up".
• Add some PVA below and over the modelling clay and include the rest of the paper plate.  Use the sheet of tissue paper All over the top of the plate and modelling clay.  This we be the grass and the base of the garden.

From there it's really up to you what you want to add.  Here are some ideas:

•  Pipecleaners through buttons make great flowers.
•  Stickers can make a great path
•  Cut out shapes for trees and pond out of coloured paper.  Stick a twig or icypole type stick onto the back of the tree shapes
•  Add some stickers/split peas/rolled up crepe paper to the trees for colour
•  Modelling clay can make some great little ducks and small buttons can be beaks.
•  Button furniture
•  Icypole sticks or matchsticks for fences

The sky is the limit!!  My kids are 3 and 5 and they loved making them.  You will too!!!

Polystyrene / Styrofoam ball Ducks

I think these little ducks are a "quack up"......so so cute!!!

Materials:

• Foam sheet (whatever colour)
• Marker texta
• Googly eyes x2
• Scissors
• PVA glue
• Hot glue gun
• Large (eg: 10cm) polystyrene ball
• Medium size polystyrene ball
• Small polystrene ball
• Feathers

Method:

1.  Cut the small ball in half
2.  Use hot glue gun to stick them to the bottom of the large polystyrene ball. Flat part of      ball should be used for stability (don't want no falling duck) so glue rounded edge to large ball.
3.  Using sheet of foam cut out 2 duck feet. I laid one piece on top of each other and cut the scalloped edge. Round out the back of foot as appropriate. Glue to bottom of each small 1/2 ball.

 

 

4.  Cut a large oval out of the foam sheet that can be folded in the middle to create a beak. 

5.  Add a line of hot glue, off centre, fold together and create a bit of a ridge.

6.  Add 2 dots with marker texta for nostrils.

7.  Use a pair of scissors to score a line in the middle size ball (this is optional as you could glue it directly without scoring).  My line was pretty rough but you get the idea.  Now use hot glue to stick your beak into the groove.

8.  Glue on the head to the larger ball.  Attach the googly eyes to the head using hot glue or PVA.

9.  Now go nuts with the feathers.  You can see that my kids have had fun with the those!

The only thing left to do now is give them a name...... in this case maybe Huey, Duey and Louie?