Recycling Cd's

This is the first time I have posted using an iPad so we will see how it goes :)

The kids and I had some great fun on the weekend decorating some cd's for a school art project.  They turned out really great and really the photos don't do them justice.  It's been a while since I shared so I thought this was a good one to break the drought........

So how were they done?......

Materials:

Cd's different colours

Sandwich toaster or oven

Aluminium foil

Tea towel

Sharpie permanent markers

Hot glue gun

PVA glue

Scatters, glitters, buttons etc

Tongs

Optional: mod podge
Wire

Steps:

1.  Colour on the shiny side of the cd with sharpies in any pattern.  (For the flower we just used the cd's as they were, no colour added)

2.   Turn on sandwich toaster and put cd on wire rack (use aluminium foil underneath cd to prevent it melting over rungs...unless you want that look).  Mine doesn't have a temperature control, just a bake option so if using an oven I guess you would turn it up quite high).  Keep an eye on it.  It only takes a few minutes until they start warping and this is when you can mould them into shapes if you want to but be careful they are HOT.  Use tongs and a tea towel.  On the flatter cd's we used some glitter during the melting process.  If you do this watch CLOSELY.  The glitter can burn quickly.  You just want the colour of the texta to be absorbed slightly and the glitter to melt a little.

3.  You can use a bottle, bowl or jar to place underneath the cd to use as a mould and create the shape you want but work fast.  They re harden quickly!

4.  Once cooked and shaped you can decorate.  We just used PVA and stuck on the scatters etc.  You can finish it by adding a layer of clear drying PVA over the complete surface or a layer of mod podge.

5.  Hot glue on wire for stem if making the flower.  I coloured the wire in with a Sharpie.  I used another Cd to cut out the leaf shape.  Keep in mind a Cd is easier to cut when it's still pliable from the oven.

I hope you enjoyed this one.  I know we did! :)

Pop Up Cards

The kids have really loved doing these.  It's just a matter of adding a few slits into some card and adding anything you want to the pop up mechanism.  Have a look at this website for more instructions and photo's of the mechanism.  I think we are going to do all of our Christmas cards this way.  x

http://lahinks.blogspot.com/2009/07/whatever-wednesday-pop-up-zoo-birthday.html

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!!!

Food colour painted flowers

I had to share these as they looked so beautifu!
Food Colour painted flowers. The only instruction was to
extend the flower as close to the edge of the page as possible and this was what they came up with.
Sharpie marker texta's were used for the outline.
Gorgeous!!

Mothers day cards with fake flower petals and patty pans

Mothers day 2011



.

Pulled apart fake flowers with patty pan centres and glitter added. Icy Pole stick used for stems and leaves were from pulled apart fake flowers.





Another version of description above. Recycled using cut up old box. This enabled the cards to stand on their own.

Slightly different centres. Some foam flower shapes. A stickers, paper letters and hearts.

Photo's are always a great thing to add to any card. So personal.

My daughter finished hers off by writing a greeting inside.  Beautiful job guys. xx

Terracotta Pot LollIpop Easter Egg Baskets

These will make great gifts for easter and thanks to http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/flower-basket-661378/ for the idea.

What you will need:

• Terracotta pot
• Card stock / Coloured paper
• Template of a flower (I got mine here... http://www.ruthannzaroff.com/mirkwooddesigns/images/flowercard1.gif  http://www.ruthannzaroff.com/mirkwooddesigns/images/flowercard2.gif
• Scissors
• Stickytape
• Glue
• Tissue paper
• Paint
• Brushes
• Stickers / Flowers or items to glue on
• Lollipop
• Easter Eggs
• Pebbles (something to hold up the lollipop)

Method:

1. Paint the terracotta pot
2. Cover the stem of lollipop in green tissue paper (or green ribbon or equivalent)
3. Enlarge the flower template so that it is bigger than the head of the lollipop and then cut it out.
4. Tape or Glue the Flower onto the head of the lollipop.  You can add another flower or circle to the inside of the lollipop if you feel the lollipop itself isn't enough.
5. Cut out one or 2 leaves out of green paper and add a message for the person it was made.  When finished Sticky tape it onto the covered stem.
6. Finish decorating the dried pot with some decorations of your choosing.  We used flower cut outs.
7. Add some tissue paper of your colour choice to the pot and then half fill with pebbles so that the lollipop is stable.
8. Finish off by filling the remainder of the pot with small easter eggs. 

A lovely gift to give a loved one this easter. xx

The pot above had an accident and had to be reglued with PVA.  To reinforce it further I covered the whole thing in red tissue paper.  There was lots of tears about the broken pot so we needed a quick fix.  Turned out ok all things considered.  Maybe I should have been a recontructive surgeon.....NOT!

Clothes peg or Clothes Pin Flower Fairy

I was watching a program on the weekend that had an author featured.  This author also had twins and like me had to sit in their room at night to get them to go to sleep.  She would read fantasy whilst in there.......and what do I do? Blog of course!

I hope you enjoy our flower fairies.
We got some inspirations from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APGC7pdgPwo

A variety of fairies you can make!

Most materials required with the exception of a pipe cleaner, pom poms, some beads and some buttons.  We also used hot glue as it was easier but you could use either.  You only really need it to glue on hair and head wear.

Step 1:  Pull apart your pretend flowers separating the petals.
Step 2:  Enlarge the hole in the petal where the stem went through.
Step 3:  Choose a few petals to make your fairy skirt and then slide them over the top of your clothes peg.

Step 4:  Wrap a pipe cleaner around it's middle leaving 2 length's either side to use for arms.

Step 5:  Add some beads to the pipe-cleaners to give them a bit more interest

Step 6:  Finish the top of her dress with more petals and add any extra flourishes that take your fancy.

Step 7:  Add some hair.

Step 8:  Add a face
Step 9:  Add a head piece.  In this one I used some buttons to make a bit of a hat crown.  Others we have used more petals (the smaller inner ones) the sky's the limit really.

Step 10:  Wings go on next.  You can use leaves, petals, wired Ribbon, butterflies etc.  On this one leaves and a bit of white foliage was used.
Step 11:  Stick on some shoes if you want.  We just added some very small pompoms to the feet to look a bit like shoes.

And there you have it the finished product.  A cute Fairy!

Cardboard Tube Flowers

• You will need a flower shape. You can print off a template here:
  http://familyfun.go.com/assets/cms/pdf/printables/0207_egggarden.pdf
• Cut out 2 flower shapes in whatever coloured paper/card you have
• Cardboard tube
• Green coloured card/paper
• Cotton Wool
• Buttons
• Glue
• Scissors

Now cut out a piece of Green paper the right size to wrap around the cardboard tube. Cover the paper in glue and then roll the tube over it. If there is any excess cut it off.

Cover the top edge of the cardboard tube in glue and then stick the first flower shape onto it. Press all around the edge of the top of tube so that it sits firmly.

Add a second amount of glue to the centre of the first flower shape that you stuck on.

Now attach the second flower shape but only onto the middle of the first shape.

Add another layer of glue to the middle of the flower. A nice squirt here. We will attach 3 cotton balls to make the centre of flower.

Another reasonable amount of glue squirted over the top of the cotton balls (don't use a brush as the cotton wool will stick to it and it will become a mess) then start sticking on some buttons.

We finished it by cutting out a couple of leaf shapes and sticking it to the green paper covered cardboard tube. And that's all there is to it............done!!

The wheels on the bus

Playgroup last year I organised a mural. We thought that the "Wheels on the Bus" theme would be great with lots of interesting things to look at on their journey. The kids made a variety of craft's that were included on the mural. Photo's of the children were included on the bus.

Mother's Day Flower

My daughter and I had so much fun making the beautiful flower. We found instructions from the "Kaboose" website and modified ours slightly.

These photo's below are ours and we used a terracotta pot, stuck some buttons around the lip of it, lined the pot with tissue paper and raffia and filled with pebbles. The stem of the flower was a twig that we spray painted green and we used a hot glue gun for the majority of the project. The centre of the flower lifted to display a verse underneath.

It turned out great! The mothers loved it.

See their website below for more details including template for flower.

http://crafts.kaboose.com/Paper-Flower-Mothers-Day-Card.html