A simpler July 4th decoration has never existed before this one. No paint, no wet glue = no drying time! Glue dots are my savior for tons of crafts with kids and last minutes decorations for parties.
Cut a long piece of string—the length you want you final garland to be.
Stick a glue dot to one end of a popsicle stick and slip it under the string, a few inches from one end.
Stick another popsicle stick on top of that to seal the string in between the two. Then keep forming a star by using glue dots in between the ends of the sticks to create the classic five-point star. (You may need a glue dot or two in the middle of sticks where they cross for extra security.)
This project from my first book Project Kid was born out of two memories/bits of info. Curious? Read on.
Just want to make them? Scroll down for the how-to!
I used to work at a sleep-away camp, and we had a game called Hula Baloola, and the tag line was, where everyone’s a winner! So I made these decorative award ribbons with no number, no place, and no gold, silver, or bronze affiliation. They make a great gift for a mother’s day gift where you can write a name, add a heart, etc.
I had a t-shirt that had a screen print of a 2nd place ribbon in the top left shoulder area, where a name tag would go. When people asked me why it was a 2nd place ribbon and not 1st, I’d say because you took home first place. Cheesy? Sort of.
And now for what you really care about…
What you’ll need:
Drink-bottle caps
Cotton balls
Solid fabric
Hot-glue gun
Glitter glue (available at Michaels Stores)
Grosgrain ribbon
Scissors
Pin backs
Tacky glue
For each badge, glue cotton balls into the recessed part of a drink bottle cap. Glue three to four in a larger cap, and two to three in a smaller one.
Cut a circle of fabric large enough to wrap around the bottle top, lay the top in the center of the fabric, cotton-ball side down, and glue the fabric to the back (top) of the cap.
Decorate the front of the cap with glitter glue in any pattern.
Cut a 3- to 4-inch piece of ribbon, fold it in half to form an upside-down V, and glue the fold to the back of the cap. Glue a pin back just above the ribbon. Wear it proudly.
What do you get when you mix rope, duct tape, and a bamboo spoon? Snakes, obviously! These little guys appeared in FamilyFun magazine a few months ago…click this link to learn some other cool animal crafts to make with rope!
What you’ll need:
duct tape
1/4″ sisal rope
floral wire
bamboo spoon
black marker
1. Have your child stick two 8-inch strips of colored duct tape (we used two different colors for each snake) onto parchment paper. Using scissors, cut them each into 12 1/2-inch strips.
2. Cut a 42-inch piece of 1/4-inch sisal rope into 3 equalpieces. Gather them together and sandwich a 14-inch piece of floral wire inside the bundle of rope. Peel a strip of duct tape off the parchment paper and wrap it around the middle of the rope and wire, then wrap 2 strips in the other color on either side. Repeat as desired along the whole length of the body.
3. Cut off all but 1/2 inch of the handle of a bamboo spoon. Tuck the end inside the ropes, secure with tacky glue, then wrap with duct tape. Use a marker to draw eyes onto the back of the spoon. Fold a strip of duct tape in half lengthwise, and trim to 1/4-inch wide. Cut a V for the forked tongue, then tape to the inside of the spoon.
4. Secure the snake by wrapping an 8-inch piece of tape around the end of the rope bundle.
When Ebay.com asked me to come up with on-trend sneaker decorations, I knew a cactus pair of shoes had to be made. These desert dwellers are popping up in all manner of DIY, home decor, and fashion, so I was determined to figure out a quick and easy way for kids to design their own sassy succulents…finger-stamping!
1. First, fill the shoes with newspaper to create a taut surface for your art. Have your child use his fingers to stamp green, intersecting ovals on the shoes to resemble a prickly pear cactus.
2. Outline the ovals with a green fabric marker together.
3. Have your kid draw small black x’s on top of the green ovals with a fabric marker.
4. Let him finish off the cacti by drawing small orange flowers on top.
5. Paint shoelaces green with a watered-down green fabric paint (optional).
School is out (or almost!) for summer! And just like kids get their new pencils and backpacks before the start of school, summertime brings fresh, new sneakers for warm weather activities.
I made three fun sneaker projects for kids to do with their parents that can be found over on Ebay.com, and these Sundae sneaks are the first that I’ll share here at Project Kid.
Head over to Ebay and check out all of the fun craft ideas they are serving up for summer!
1. Help your child draw an ice cream shape on the front of each shoe using a pencil. Leave white space at the toe for “whipped cream.”
2. Have the child paint the shape. Here, we chose pink. (Crafter’s tip: Be careful around the rubber edges of the shoes. Wipe off the paint immediately upon contact — or, to be extra careful, tape them off first.)
3. From the bottom of the ice scream scoop to the heel, have your child paint each shoe a very watered-down camel hue to match the color of an ice cream cone.
4. While the cone is drying, add several dots of glue to each white toe and together add bugle beads as sprinkles.
5. Once the paint is dry, draw intersecting brown lines over the cone sections. Hold a ruler in place for your child to trace for more precision if desired.
6. Lace sneakers, then stitch two pom-poms on either side of each shoelace as the cherry (this is best for a parent to do).
Sometimes my kids come into my craft room, fiddle around, touch everything they can get their hands on, and beg to make a project. While I have a ton of materials at my disposal, sometimes in the midst of developing new work, I can’t just clear the canvas and start an in-depth craft at the drop of a pom-pom.
So that’s when I grab for simple, mark-making projects like these. Using rubber bands and a few other household items that everyone has, you can make three different painting tools that will yield surprisingly clever results.
Rubber-Band Stamps
Cut small rectangles of cardboard, a bit larger than the circumference of the rubber band that you’re using.
Lay a rubber band down on a protected surface, apply glue to the top edge, and set a cardboard rectangle on top of it. Let dry.
Gently press the rubber band stamp onto the ink pad and stamp onto a piece of paper.
Rubber-Band Roller
Stretch five to eight rubber bands around the tape roll
Roll the tape roll in a thin layer of paint or on an ink pad and then roll it onto a piece of paper to create multiple stripes.
Rubber-Band Paintbrush
Gather six to eight rubber bands at the end of a pencil and wrap another rubber band around them to secure.
Dip the rubber bands into paint and use like a paintbrush.
1. Help your child draw an ice cream shape on the front of each shoe using a pencil. Leave white space at the toe for “whipped cream.”
