Torn paper car picture

Time for a drive in the country with your

family!

These were kind of groovy.  Very easy torn paper car shapes and a couple of circles torn out, maybe a headlight or exhaust and done!
My daughter enjoyed adding some people to her car picture.  Very Cute.

Car shape torn out below

When it's all put together.

Christmas Craft - Torn paper trees and presents

This present picture is just two pieces of A4 coloured card, one A5 piece, some ribbon and scatters.  Tear around one A4 pieces edge and around that of the A5. Glue them one on top of each other (see above).  Then glue on the ribbon and scatters and there you have your christmas present artwork.

The christmas tree is similar to above using just two pieces of A4 coloured card, one A5 piece and then a smaller piece for the tree trunk.  This time we used buttons for the baubles but scatters would be ok too.  We used a fiskars star punch to cut out the tree star.  Easy for my 5 year old to do.

More Birthday Cakes

It's been a while since my last blog but life has gotten away from me lately.  I've had weddings and birthday's to keep me entertained and even though my kids have done craft I haven't had a chance to take photo's of it!  Anyway I know that this is off track a bit but I thought I'd take a couple of photo's of my daughters birthday cakes (yes I know....mad!  One for the morning with the kids and one for the afternoon with family).  I'm not a professional by any stretch of the imagination but as she is only 5 I don't think she is going to hold it against me!

Dragonflies

3 Different Dragonflies

These different dragonflies were very easy to make and really the materials you could use are endless.  Here I've provided 3 different types with some doubling up of materials.  I think the look quite effective!



Card stock Dragonfly

 Materials required:

• A few different colours or types of card/paper (we used 4 different types)
• Glue
• Scissors
• Fiskars large and medium circle squeeze punches (if you have them.....)
• Fiskars medium rectangle squeeze punch
• 2 googly eyes

Method:

• Cut out 4 oval wing shapes
• Cut out 2 round medium sized eyes
• Cut out 1 large round shape for the head
• Cut out 2 Oval shapes for the body (one slightly bigger than the other)
• Cut out approx 5 small rectangles for the tail

First Glue the wings onto the paper.  The head and eye's come next followed by the large oval body shape and then the smaller stuck on top.  Lastly glue on the rectangle shapes for the tail and you are done!!

Pompom and Button Dragonfly

Materials required:

• Glue
• Buttons (approx. 2 large and a variety of smaller ones.....roughly 8)
• Pompoms
• Card stock /paper
• Scissors

 Method

1. Cut out a circle shape for the head
2. Cut out 4 oval shapes for the wings
3. Glue the centre of the wings on the paper (slightly fold up either side of the centre so that the wings are not glued to the paper but slightly elevated)
4. Glue the circle shape above the head and add a couple of buttons for the eye's (smaller ones can be used too for the middle of the eye's)
5. We used 3 pompoms for the body (glue these on now) but ther may be more or less depending on the size of the wings and the pompoms.

 

Finish off by gluing some smaller buttons below the body to form the tail.



Clothespin / Peg and button Dragonfly

Materials required:

• Clothespin (I broke off one of the leg's to form more of a dragonfly shape)
• Buttons (1 x large for head, 2 eye's, 1 long one for the body or a few smaller ones and approx 5 for the tail)
• Glue
• Scissors
• Card stock (cut into 4 oval wing shapes)

Method: 

1. Glue the 4 oval wing shapes onto the back of the clothespin
2. Glue on the 2 smaller buttons to the larger button to form the eye's on the head 
3. Glue the head on the clothespin
4. Glue on a couple of medium size buttons to make the body or one long oval one.
5. Finally add approx. 5 button's onto the 1 remaining leg to for the tail

And there you are done!

There, 3 easy dragonflies to make!



Cardboard / Papier Mache Glittery box

Verry simple craft that requires little assistance but gives your child a great deal of satisfaction.

This was just a cardboard / papier mache store bought box.
Marli painted it, let it dry and then applied glue to the areas she wanted to glitter.
Very simple and lovely and glittery!  Perfect for it's intended purpose
of storing her favourite jewellery!

Seashell / Sea Shell creatures craft

These Sea Shell Creatures are easy to make.  You just need a little imagination, a hot glue gun, googly eyes and shells!
We created a fairy, angel, crab and hmmmm a little creature of some kind.

The angel also got some hair but really the sky is the limit.  Best to wash the shells after collection and dry them before use then just go wild with the glue!!!

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!

Monster Mayhem

Look at all the different monsters you could make at home......Monster Mayhem!

Step 1: Gather your parts. Some stickers or circle cut outs for eyes. Two large circles for the body. A tounge shape (or just another circle). A couple of arms, a couple of legs some triangles or rectangles for teeth etc etc. Whatever you want really to use to make your monster. We used some extra sticky dots to add some spots to our monster.

Step 2: Fold one of your large body circles in the middle and then apply glue to one half and stick it onto the other circle to create a mouth.

Step 3: Add your tounge. Stick on your eye's, teeth, spots etc. We used sticky tape to stick the legs onto the back. Any shape for legs and arms can be used. Or use feathers, pipecleaners.....whatever! The sky is the limit.

Step 4: Tape on it's arms and you have your very own monster. All you have to do now is give it a name! I think this one will be.............ummmm............... Snodgrass or my daughter thinks Muffy??

Contact headdress / Crown

Following on from the whole contact art theme I thought we could do something different and create some headdresses / crowns using the same principal.

You can use whatever you like but we used feathers and buttons, 2 coloured strips of paper and a strip of contact (and sticky tape to keep it in place)

1. Precut your strips of paper and contact. Make them roughly the same size although it doesn't matter if the contact is slightly wider. Probably a couple of inches wide should do it. You need to cut a couple of strips of coloured paper so that you can add a bit on to fit it around your child's head.
2. Remove the contact backing and secure either end to your work surface (sticky side up).
3. Decorate using buttons and feathers.
4. Use your coloured paper strip to stick over the top of the buttons and feathers. The contact not completely covered by items will help to secure it to the coloured paper but push on it firmly.
5. Run a bit of tape across the bottom and across the top of coloured paper if you think it needs it.
6. Measure around your child's head and add the extra paper to the edge if required. Tape when you are happy it fits correctly.

And now you are done. You can make all sorts of crowns or whatever using this method. Best of all glue free so relatively mess free! See another one below.... Good luck!

Collage on contact

These 2 collages were completed by my other twin son and were just amazing. At just turned 2 years of age Logan spent a good 2 hours creating these masterpieces. He did not leave a sticky spot uncovered. They were stuck directly to the face up contact and he was so attentive to the task that when he was finished he was most upset. I think he would have done another one to the same degree. They were a roaring success. I just put a pile of different odds and sods in a container and he helped himself to what he wanted. Where contact would be used with a 2 year old I would use paste on coloured card for older children. Very simple but very effective.

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!!

Stained glass windows

I had to share these. My son turned 2 last weekend and he created these gorgeous windows. I had cut up the paper and half opened some contact and he stuck down the tissue paper and extra scatters. When finished I opened up the other half of the contact and closed it over the completed side to seal it in. I think they are gorgeous. I added an A4 size frame with sticky tape when it was finished.

Not to be outdone my daughter wanted to create her own version so here it is.

Sea Life Window

These lovely little windows are quick and easy (once you have gotten the hang of stopping the contact from bunching).

1. Cut out the pieces you want to use on your picture (cellophane and tissue paper are the best as you can see the light coming through)



2. Cut out the centre of some card so that you create a frame



3. Cut a piece of clear contact and stick it onto the frame leaving it sticky side up so that the other papers can be stuck to it. **This is where you would normally build the picture front to back (fish first, then sea weed and finish with water) so that you have the picture completely within the frame but for a 4 year old it's hard to work backwards so we did it the other way. This is why you will see some of the picture overlapping the frame:)



4. Now create your masterpiece. We put the blue cellophane horizontally for the water and the green cellophane vertically to create some sea weed. A few pieces of bubble wrap created some bubbles coming out of the mouths of the fish. Solid paper for the fish themselves with metallic paper indented with lines for mouth, fins and tail.



5. Now add a layer of contact to the top of your picture, hold it up to the light (natural or otherwise) and voila...... a work of art!

Collage

Marli was in a collage frame of mind. The first one is her version of the very hungry caterpillar and the second just an abstract. Fiskars used to cut circle shapes, scissors and tearing for the rest. Antennae were pipe cleaners and feet were cotton buds. I think she did a really good job. Marli is 4 and a half.