Homemade Hobbyhorse - Kids Craft

Homemade Hobbyhorse

This photo originally appeared in FamilyFun Magazine

Total Time 1 to 2 hoursAges toddler

Ages: 2 years and up

Giddyap! Keep your little neigh-sayer horsing around for days with this soulful steed, easily assembled in about an hour from a dowel and a fuzzy slipper sock. If clippety-clopping through the house loses its spark (unlikely), let him try a horseplay scenario or two. He can jump over foam blocks in a steeplechase course or compete in a toy animal rodeo, using a yarn lasso or tongs to corral that plastic cow as he trots by.

What you'll need

• 1 fuzzy slipper sock
• Polyester stuffing
• Needle and thread
• Felt (we used off-white, yellow, and brown)
• Hot-glue gun
• Yarn needle and 13 yards of thick yarn
• Thick dowel or broom handle, cut to fit your child (ours measures 2 1/2 feet)
• 1 1/2 yards cording (we used velvet)

How to make it

1. Loosely fill the slipper sock with polyester stuffing.
2. 
   
   
   
   
   Make the nostrils. With the heel facing up, pinch the fabric on one side of the toe and sew a 1/2-inch-wide horizontal stitch across the pinch. Knot the ends, then repeat for the other nostril.
3. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   To make ears, cut four matching rounded triangles from felt (ours are 2 inches wide by 2 1/2 inches high). Glue them together in pairs. Slightly bend each ear to create a hollow, then sew them to the head as shown.
4. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Cut out almond-shaped eyes and pupils from felt. Sew the pieces together, then sew them onto the head.
5. 
   
   
   
   
   To make the forelock, sew a 4-inch piece of yarn through the head where shown, then knot it close to the head so it looks like fringe. Repeat, tying 10 lengths of yarn about H inch apart to the top of the head. (Tip: To avoid continuously re-threading the needle, use one 2-foot length of yarn at a time and trim it after each stitch.)
6. 
   
   
   
   
   
   To make the mane, sew and tie 35 1-foot-long pieces of yarn about 1/2 inch apart to the back of the head and neck. Taper the width of the mane into a V shape as you work your way down the sock.
7. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Pad the top of the dowel with a large handful of stuffing. Pull the head over the dowel and add stuffing as needed. Apply one large bead of glue to the dowel, then press the sock to the glue for 5 seconds. Pleat and glue your way around the dowel, then glue a length of cording to the dowel just below the sock.
8. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   To make the bridle, glue two 1-foot lengths of cording around the horse's head as shown (fold the ends under to hide the raw edges). To make the rein, drape a 21-inch length of cording around the back of the horse's head, then glue it to the sides of the bridle as shown, wrapping the ends around the cording at the nose to hide the raw edges.
   
   

Tiny Bubbles - Kids Crafts

Tiny Bubbles

Total Time 30 minutes or lessAges preschooler

You and your child can send clouds of tiny bubbles skyward with this quick trick.

What you'll need

• Drinking straws
• Tape
• Dish-washing liquid
• Light corn syrup (or glycerin)

How to make it

1. Instead of a traditional bubble wand, use a number of drinking straws bound together with a few pieces of tape.
2. 
   
   
   
   Dip one end of the bundle into a shallow dish of bubble solution (you can make your own by combining 1 cup of water with 1/3 cup of Dawn or Joy dish-washing liquid and 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup or glycerin), then blow through the straws, being careful not to let the solution run down the straws to your mouth.
3. 
   
   
   
   
   
   The cluster of straws will produce scores of diminutive bubbles.
   
   

Boogie Monster - Kids Craft

Boogie Monster

                          

Ages preschooler

Total Time 1 hour

These zany desktop dancers have the "cents" to stand on their own two feet.

What you'll need

• Tacky glue
• 3 (12-inch) pipe cleaners
• 2 medium pom-poms (ours were 1 1/2 inches in diameter)
• 2 googly eyes
• Felt
• Tiny pom-pom
• Wooden skewer
• Feather
• Poster tack
• 2 pennies
• 2 penny-size buttons

How to make it

1. Glue a 7-inch length of pipe cleaner between the pom-poms for arms. Let the glue dry.
2. 
   
   
   
   For legs, fold a 9-inch pipe cleaner length in half and glue the fold to the bottom of the lower pom-pom.
3. 
   
   
   
   Attach each googly eye to a small felt circle, then glue the eyes, felt ears, and a tiny pom-pom nose to the face.
4. 
   
   
   
   For each horn, coil a 4-inch pipe cleaner length around the skewer, then glue the horn onto the head. Fold the ends of each arm to form hands. Glue the feather tail in place.
5. 
   
   
   
   
   Add a foot to each leg by using a small ball of poster tack to sandwich each end between a button and a penny, as shown.
   
   

How to make a bowl out of buttons

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Buttons
• Glue
• A hemispheric mold (I used a curved Tupperware lid) 
• Release agent (I used aluminum foil)

Here’s what you’ll do:

Line your hemispheric mold with aluminum foil. You can use the inside or outside of your mold. I chose the inside and think that the weight of the buttons resting against each other made things easier.

Pour some glue onto a plate and dip the edge of your button into the glue. (I dipped them in two spots so they’d adhere to the buttons on either side of them.

Place your first button in the center and place remaining buttons on either side until you have completed your bowl. I completed one line at a time so that I could be sure they were straight.

Allow your bowl to dry completely. I left mine to dry overnight. Gently peel the aluminum foil from the bowl.

Tips for making a button bowl:

Play with different colors of buttons. Try creating fun patterns with a variety of different colors, including translucent buttons.

Try making different sizes of bowls. Small bowls are perfect for kids' rooms, larger bowls can make a gorgeous centerpiece.

Use Mod Podge to create a smooth, shiny finish.

Easy DIY throw pillow

NO-SEW DIY THAT IS CUTE AND AFFORDABLE!

Desperately need to spruce up your tired old couch but hate sewing? Before you spend a fortune on trendy new throw pillows, give this super easy DIY a try! You'll save time and money, plus, no needle and thread or sewing machine required!

This is one DIY that is completely customizable. You can create your own throw pillow cover using any color or pattern of fabric you'd like! In less than 20 minutes, you can instantly update an old couch and create throw pillows that will make your friends jealous!
Original tutorial provided by Tip Junkie.

Materials: 

• 16 x 12-inch throw pillow
• Your choice of fabric (needs to be double the width and height of the pillow size)
• Scissors
• Safety pins

Step 1: Measure fabric

Place the pillow in the middle of the fabric and make sure both sides around it are of equal length.

Step 2: Fold fabric over pillow

Beginning at the bottom, fold the fabric up to the center of the pillow. Repeat with the top half of the fabric and overlap in the center.


Then, starting on the right-hand side of the pillow, fold the top half of the fabric in. Repeat with the second bottom half. You'll end up with the fabric shaped like a triangle.


Then, once both sides have been folded in, bring each side over the top of the pillow so it crosses over the center.

Step 3: Knot

Once both sides have been crossed over, take the ends and tie a knot right in the center. Don't worry if the pillow looks really wrinkled and messy, you can fix that once the knot has been tied.

Tuck the frayed ends of the knots into one another and secure with a safety pin.

Step 4: Display!

Straighten the fabric and tuck in any loose ends. Display on your couch or bed!

DIY colored pencil favor boxes

Although making things has never gone out of style for many of us, people everywhere are suddenly announcing that crafting is back. Unlike when your grandma did it, this time it's super trendy. The challenge to turn supplies into surprise has make-and-do misses and misters everywhere plugging in their glue guns!

As a judge on TLC's popular competition show Craft Wars, I have seen this enthusiasm firsthand in the eyes of each week's contestants, willing to do battle using gallons of glitter, hundreds of hoops (normally used for embroidery) and enough spray adhesive to instantly glue viewers to their seats!

This excitement for the show inspired me to host my own “Make Things, Not War!” dinner party for a few of my craftiest friends, complete with how-to-kits that I assembled for each guest so they could create their own take-home favor boxes using little more than a handful of colored pencils and snippets of a measuring tape. So sharpen your pencils and your craft skills to get started on this weeks project!

What you'll need:

• Small cardboard box
• Colored pencils
• Acrylic paint and brush
• Measuring tape

• Hot gue glun and glue sticks
• Craft knife
• Scissors

Step 1: Painting the box

Coat the inside and outside of your box with acrylic paint. I used white, but you can pick any color you want your box to be on the inside. The paint acts as a primer on the outside but should not show through the pencils when you're finished.

Step 2: Sizing your pencils

Gather a selection of colored pencils and trim them to the height desired for the sides of your box. I used standard-size colored pencils from Michael's Craft Store, cut them exactly in half using a craft knife and sharpened the ends.

Step 3: Attaching the pencils

Hot glue the pencils onto the box starting at the front and continuing all the way around. Use any color pattern you like!

Step 4: Add the handle

Cut the desired length needed for making your handle from a standard measuring tape used for sewing and hot glue the ends to the inside of the favor box.

Fill the box with candy or trinkets and repeat the process for every guest... or share the fun and have them make their own!

Beautiful Frame-Craft ideas

FRAMED FOR THE SEASON!

Photos aren’t the only reason to use frames! This wreath is as pretty as a picture, made with a frame as its base.

You can make decorating for the spring and Easter season a little more fun by making a DIY picture frame wreath. All you need are a handful of supplies to put together a festive, seasonal hanging wreath.Inspired by the CSI Project.

Supplies:

• 8 x 10-inch wooden, decorative picture frame, backing and glass removed.
• 8-10 very small nails (the size used to hang small photos to a wall)
• 9.5 x 9.5-inch square of plastic grass
• Decorative floral picks, and/or other seasonal sprigs like butterflies or colored eggs
• Small hammer
• Scissors
• Wire cutters
• Newspaper to cover your work surface
• Wreath hanger

Instructions:

1

Lay the newspaper on your work surface. Place the picture frame, face down, and carefully remove the cardboard backing and the glass. Recycle or save for another project.

2

Turn the picture frame over so the front is facing up. Lay the plastic grass square over the top of the frame, right side down. Determine the amount that you will cut out from the middle of the square to form a frame with the grass. The grass frame will fit in the inside (around the inner edges) of the picture frame. Plan to cut away just several inches. Use your scissors to cut out the middle of the plastic square.

3

Once you have your grass frame ready, lay it right side up, on top of the frame. Mark the spots where you will insert the small nails into the picture frame. The nails will be used to hang the plastic grass, as the square should have several areas on its base where it can hang from.

4

Carefully hammer the small nails into the picture frame. Plan to use three at the top and three at the bottom, and two on each side. Hang the grass square on the small nails. Tuck in any exposed edges of the grass frame.

5

Make sure the grass is securely on the frame. Use the wire cutters to trim down your floral or decorative picks, as needed, then insert them into the grass. Tuck the back of the picks behind the grass so they’re not visible.

6

Place your wreath hanger on a door, and hang the picture frame on the hanger.

Note: This wreath is best for hanging indoors. Hang it outdoors during good weather, and bring it inside during inclement weather.

This wreath is as pretty as a picture!

A BEAUTIFUL, EASY WREATH YOU CAN MAKE AT HOME

This DIY neutral yarn wreath is the perfect base for any season, allowing you the opportunity to get creative with your attachments. We're showing you two ways to update this yarn wreath for spring or summer, with some inexpensive and cute materials!

Supplies

For the wreath: 

• 1 Styrofoam or straw wreath form (we used a 14-inch one)
• Neutral colored yarn (about one spool)
• Scissors

For the April add-on: 

• Fake flowers
• Wire scissors
• Felt flowers

For the May add-on: 

• Large potpourri nuts (like these)
• White paint
• Blue spray paint
• White felt flowers

To make the wreath

1

Wrap the wreath in yarn

To make the wreath, untangle all of the yarn and tie a little knot around the wreath form (so you have a place to start).

Then start tightly wrapping the yarn all around the wreath. Note: This will take about two hours, so give yourself plenty of time and breaks!

2

Cut off loose ends and tie

Cut off any loose ends and tuck the extra string into the others.

To make an April spring flowers wreath

1

Cut flowers with wire cutters

Using wire scissors, cut the buds off the flowers, leaving a little bit of a peak so you can attach it to the wreath.

Gently stick the flowers into the Styrofoam (you may need to push some of the yarn aside so you can stick it in).

2

Attach flowers to the wreath

Pull back the adhesive of the felt flowers and stick those next to the wire flowers.

To make the May beach wreath

1

Paint two nuts white and two nuts blue

Place four tan nuts aside. Using the white paint, carefully paint two nuts with white paint.

Set aside and let dry. Paint two other nuts and spray with blue paint.

2

Glue and attach the nuts

Spray paint until fully coated and let dry. Once nuts are dry, glue on the wreath in an alternating pattern with the felt flowers.

Sunflower Costume

This photo originally appeared in FamilyFun Magazine

Total Time 2-3 hrsAges preschooler

This glorious costume, featuring petals made from yellow craft foam, will have your child positively blooming. The directions below are for one sunflower costume.

What you'll need

• 9- by 12-inch sheets of craft foam (3 yellow, 4 green, and 1 orange)
• Scissors
• Low-temperature hot glue gun
• Cloth tape
• Velcro fasteners
• Pen
• Sewing elastic
• Red and black face paints

How to make it

1. For the flower petal headband, cut out 12 yellow craft foam petals that measure approximately 7 inches high and 3 inches wide, tapering to 1 1/4 inches at the base. Snip a 1/2-inch slit in the bottom center of each one. Glue together 1 1/2-inch-wide strips of orange craft foam, overlapping the ends a half inch to create a 23-inch-long headband. Starting 1 1/4 inches in from one end of the headband, cut 12 1 1/4-inch slits spaced a half inch apart.
2. 
   
   
   
   Push the base of each petal through a slit, then bend each petal's tabs in opposite directions and secure them to the headband with cloth tape. Glue a Velcro fastener to the ends of the headband. To help hold the headband on your child's head, have her try it on and use a pen to mark a point above each ear. Make holes at the marks. Thread through the ends of a long piece of sewing elastic, adjust the length to fit around the back of your child's head, and knot the ends so they won't slip back through.
3. 
   
   
   
   
   
   To make the leafy bib, cut out 10 green craft foam leaves that measure about 3 inches wide and 5 inches long. Hot-glue them by their tips, as shown, to a 1/2- by 18-inch strip of green craft foam. Glue a Velcro fastener to the ends. Use the same method to make leafy wrist and ankle cuffs.
4. 
   
   
   
   
   
   Paint a ladybug on your little flower's cheek for good luck.
   
   

Tinker Bell-Inspired Trick-or-Treat Pail

It's easy to transform this ordinary cheap-o, plastic pumpkin trick-or-treat pail into something magical to match your Disney Fairy on Halloween night. All you need is a little faith, trust, and pixie dust (and some felt, tulle, ribbon, rhinestones and hot glue)!

What you'll need

• Plastic pumpkin trick-or-treat pail
• 1/4 yard green felt
• 1/4 yard green tulle (with optional glitter)
• 1/4 yard pink tulle
• 1/8 yard pink felt
• 3 yards gold ribbon
• 6 rhinestones
• Hot glue gun & glue sticks

How to make it

1. 
   
   
   
   Use the PDF pattern provided to cut out the following:
   6 large green felt leaves
   6 large green tulle leaves
   12 small pink tulle leaves
   6 pink felt flowers
   12 pieces of gold ribbon, 8.5" each with swallowtail cut into one end
2. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   The first layer will be the green tulle leaves. Fold one tulle leaf in have lengthwise to find the center. The pointed side is the bottom, the slightly curved side is the top. Cut a small slit down the top center that is long enough to slip the handle into the slit. The tulle should come up about 1/4" over the edge of the pail opening. Hot glue the tulle leaf into place at the top. You only need to glue it in a few spots, it will be secured in the next step. Make a slit in a second tulle leaf and place it on the other side at the handle. Add the remaining four tulle leaves evenly distributed around the pail.
3. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Apply hot glue along the top edge of a green felt leaf. Center the leaf over the pumpkin's face and fold the glued edge over the pail's opening. The center of the felt leaf should be over a point where two tulle leaves meet so that the felt leaves are staggered over the tulle leaves. Glue the remaining felt leaves around the pail's opening, evenly distributing them and slightly overlapping. If necessary, cut small slits into the felt leaves to accommodate the handle.
4. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Pinch together two pink tulle leaves at the flat end, pointed ends down. Apply a dab of hot glue at a point where two green felt leaves meet. Glue the pinched end of the tulle on top of the felt leaves. Glue two gold ribbons over the pink tulle, folding the ribbon over the pail opening. Repeat all the way around at the points where the green felt leaves meet.
5. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Slit up the centers of two of the felt flowers and place them around the handles. Hot glue them into place. Glue the rest of the flowers on top of the gold ribbons. Glue a rhinestone to the center of each flower.
6. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   The Tinker Bell-inspired trick-or-treat pail is complete!