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.

Cake Decorating 2nd Birthday

Although these aren't really kids crafts I was happy enough (lumps and bumps included) with my first attempt at it so I thought I would share. My twin boys are turning 2 tomorrow and here are two different cakes to celebrate their birthday. One to be had with the family and the other with mothers and children.

They are full of flaws...not smooth, straight, round etc but my kids wont care. The top cake is a fondant cake. Whilst the other is a cake pop type cake.

Inspiration for the cake pops "Cupcake" cakes were from these 2 sites. I've included a link to a Martha Stewart site where the lady from bakerella was featured. See links.

http://www.bakerella.com/category/pops-bites/cake-pops/

http://www.missprissypaige.com/search/label/baking%20adventure

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/cupcake-pops

This is a close up of one of the cake pops. Hopefully it's a bit clearer. It is quite a detailed but not difficult process. See the links above for step by step instructions.

And there you have it. Another birthday over for the year! Enjoy my lovely little guys. xx