Harry Potter Wands

ok so I took regular copy paper and rolled it up, adding glue to the end to hold it. The skinnier it is the more sturdy in the end.

Start by filling with hot glue, make sure you have plenty of refil sticks on hand. I did the skinnier end first let that set then flipped it over and filled the rest. It helped to tap it to get the glue to move father down. Be patient this will take a while.

I set mine in a cup to let it settle and dry.

Next add swirls of hot glue to the outside in whatever way you wish!This will create the look of vines.

next begin painting with acrilic paint, I did brown first you could do black first.

Add your second color. lighly and add some  texture I did a third color even lighter, on one I did red, another blue and my daughters has a sparkly purple.



this is the one with the red.



next I took rub and buff, in silver and added that to the hot glue vines.This is liquid silver leafing. I used my finger and rubbed it on.

Then I spray sealed them, you could modge podge it with a brush.

and here they are drying.

look at those practicing wizards!

Later He made me draw a scar on his forehead!

I saw this on another blog, but have no idea where! I loved this project, very cheap and easy with awesome results! Who knew you you could make such an awesome thing with copy paper and hot glue!

Penguin Purse or Softy

We had a little friend turning six this week. She loves penguins but is also very girly and loves dress up and accessories. I needed a gift she would love that was simple, inexpensive, cute, and versatile. And could be made in the time left before the baby woke up and the kids came home from school (about 30 minutes). I gathered up some felt scraps, did a google search for a template, and plugged in my sewing machine. A fast and free birthday gift was soon hatched! If you don't have a sewing machine, you could even hot glue the whole thing together! And it is simple enough your kids could make it themselves with a little supervision.

Presenting the 15 minute pink penguin purse!

For the body shape I used a template that I found HERE.
You can enlarge or shrink it if you want, left original size it is about 6 inches long.

Cut out the pieces, trace onto some felt, and cut out the felt. I also grabbed a ribbon for making a handle. Make two bodies, two feet, two eyes, and one each of the beak and tummy.

Place the front embellishments on the top body piece. Pin in place and sew!

Arrange the feet and handle on the bottom body piece and pin in place.

Put the top body piece on, pin the two together, and sew around the outside edge from one end of the handle to the other leaving the top open. Unless you are making a softy, not a purse, then stuff in some filling and sew all the way around!

Ta-da! Now put something cool inside and give to your favorite little person. This penguin is going to hold a pair of glamorous sunglasses, but she can do double duty as a candy bar keeper, door hanger, or tiny accessory bag.

Monograms and a Hair Bow Holder

ok so let me just say it was hard to let my kids take control and do what they wanted. But I did, I sat back and watched as they painted and decorated these letters!

I hot glued ribbon from the E to create the bow holder.

No-Sew Bandanna Shirt

This is a fast, easy craft for when the kids need something to do. We used it as a summer camp activity, but with all the color choices out there, you could customize your shirts to fit any theme you can think of.

There are dozens of online tutorials out there for this project, so I didn't make a new one. We settled on the  tutorial found here.  After a very eventful shopping trip to the craft store so each camper could choose their own design, we made these.

I was worried the older girls would be too big for ties on the side, so I helped them sew the sides together. They ended up a little too big anyway, so I guess tying would have worked just fine! With a lot of help, the little ones were able to make their own shirts, even if mom did end up finishing when their fingers just got too tired!

Not boutique material, but the kids were proud to wear the shirts they had made themselves. The uneven cuts, over sized neck holes, or mismatched ties just make them more authentic!

Happy Crafting!

Make a Teepee

One of our first hands-on activites for the summer was to build a teepee from painter's canvas and bamboo garden poles. We challenged ourselves to let go of the control and let our kids use paint and permanent markers and scribble all over the canvas, drawing whatever they wanted. Amazingly, no one died or ruined their clothes or destroyed anything. I guess control is slightly over-rated.

Here is a step-by-step, in case you want to give it a try.

Take a piece of cloth- an old sheet, painters canvas, old curtains, whatever you have around that is at least 5x8 feet. Lay it flat then fold it into quarters. Kind of like you are making a giant paper snowflake. Cut off the tip of the corner to make a hole for the poles- maybe 4 inches or so. Then round the bottom edge. It doesn't have to be perfect, your kids will love it no matter what.
Here is the finished shape:


Decorate your teepee. You can go all out with acrylics and fabric paints. designer prints, camo, jungle stripes, polka dots, whatever. We decided to make one per family and let the kids paint whatever they wanted. Funny we both ended up with a family tree and hand and footprints. We just cleaned out the craft drawers- watercolors, glitter glue, finger paint, sharpies, crayons- nothing was off limits.

While it is drying flat, put in some holes for the grommets. I used 1"grommets and pounded them in every 2 inches starting from the top edge, or the tiny cut out circle, depending on your perspective. Make sure they line up! Then find something to lace it up. I used yarn, but you could go with leather, ribbons, rope, or an old shoelace, depending on what look you are going for. Now go get your poles.

I used 6ft lengths of bamboo found in the garden center. 6 of them. You could use pvc pipe or wooden dowels or even some long sticks if you have them. Just 6 poles, about 6 feet long, and relatively straight. Gather them up and wrap a few thick rubber bands around the bundle about 8 inches from the top. Spread out the feet evenly, about a foot or so apart with a slightly wider opening for the door. Wrap your teepee around the poles, lace up the grommet holes like you are tying a shoe and move it around until you are happy with the shape and size.

Set it up in a quiet place and let them in! A shade tent, a fort for two, a reading hide away, a time out spot, and Indian house- what will you use it for?