As we wrap up National Craft Month, we slide right into April, which puts Earth Day on the forefront of the brain. And while Earth Day and Craft Month don’t naturally correlate for everyone, they are like besties in the land of Project Kid! Rarely does a craft project leave this studio without at least one upcycled or reused material. And our mission is beautifully two-fold—we get to spare the landfills of more plastic waste while also showing kids that the materials they need to craft are right under their nose…or spoon in this case!
Once again, my friends at Stonyfield put our maker-brains to the test to come up with another craft reusing their yogurt tubs and containers. We wanted to bust out of the obvious container projects and really show you how creative you can get with some basic materials that you have around the house.
This cute DIY bird puppet uses one quart-size tub (plus the lid!), one individual yogurt cup, duct tape and cupcake liners! (You know you have extras of those laying around from birthday parties of the past.) This is a great craft for the springtime, and I challenge you to think of what other animals could work with this construction. I asked my 9 year-old daughter and she said that all she sees is a bear doing jumping jacks! Maybe that’ll be next.
Remember…don’t just toss those Stonyfield yogurt containers. Your kids will squeal with delight when they see how they can quite literally bring them to life.
Imaginations…get ready, get set, take flight!
What you’ll need:
Stonyfield quart size containers
Duct tape
Scissors
Cupcake liners
Glue
Black paper
Hole punch
3 bendy straws
Black cardstock
2-inch styrofoam ball
Single-serve Stonyfield yogurt cup
MAKE IT:
Cover Stonyfield quart-size yogurt tub with duct tape. If you don’t have duct tape, there are many great substitutions! You can paint the tub or cover it with paper!)
Punch holes about 1 inch down from the top on either side of the covered container. The easiest way to accomplish this is with a long-reach hole puncher, but if you don’t have one, poke a hole with an Exacto knife, then use the end of a scissor to make it bigger. (This is definitely a job for an adult.) Also, make a hole in the center of the bottom of the container.
Set the yogurt container aside. Extend your three bendy straws and wrap a piece of tape around the flexible part. Insert the middle straw through the bottom hole and the two side straws through the side holes.
Cut the Stonyfield quart-size lid in half. Flatten cupcake liners and fold into quarters. Glue them on the lid halves as feathers. Make sure to overlap them to get a fluffy feather look! If you don’t have cupcake liners, you can use painted coffee filters, tissue paper, or actual craft feathers. Repeat to cover the second lid half.
Use a piece of duct tape on the back to attach the wings to the side straws.
Fold a few more cupcake liners and glue to the front of the Stonyfield yogurt tub as the chest.
Glue a small cardboard ball into the bottom of the single-serving yogurt cup. If you don’t have a styrofoam ball, you can create a ring of padding with newspaper. You just need to leave space in the middle for the straws to go through (see final step).
Cover the small yogurt cup in duct tape.
Punch two circles from black cardstock and glue them to the front as eyes. Cut a circle from the black paper and cut out a wedge. Roll the paper into a cone shape and glue together as a beak. Glue just below the eyes.
Fold more cupcake liners into fourths and eighths and glue them to the top back edge as the birds tk. Use scissors to cut fringe to create a more feathery look.
Poke a hole in the styrofoam ball with a scissors and tape the end of the straws together. Glue the straws into the center of the ball.
Push and pull the bottom straw to make the bird flap his wings and peak his head out!
Which came first—the bird or the egg? In the case of these sweet, springtime feathered friends, it was definitely the egg! To make this DIY Easter craft, you only need basic materials. This craft is a fun one to make with kids of all ages, both for the Easter holiday or to celebrate the arrival of Spring! With simple craft supplies like pom-poms, felt, and feathers(of course!), make this beautiful bird craft from unfinished wooden eggs with your kids to celebrate the season.
I made this cute and easy bird craft for Oriental Trading’s Fun 365 website of amazing craft and party ideas! Head over there to check out the step by step and get links to all of the materials that you’ll need!
And if you like this cute DIY Easter craft, consider making these cute birdcage to go along with it!
If you are looking for DIY gifts on a budget, this project is the answer for everyone on your list! And here’s why: endless options!
You can basically create any pattern on any object from tote bags to coasters to bandanas to tea towels. Plus, you can basically be any age to make these.
First gather your materials:
Craft foam
Cardboard
Fabric paint
Tote bags, gift bags, tea towels
Paint brushes
Glue
Fabric markers
Cut out a shape from craft foam that you want to appear on your material.
Cut a piece of cardboard that’s slightly bigger than your shape.
Glue your foam shape to the cardboard; let the glue dry before stamping. (Remember, your image is going to be a mirror of what you see, so if you are designing anything that relies on direction, like letters, make sure you glue it onto the cardboard backwards.)
Brush a thin layer of fabric paint onto the foam shape. It’s good to do a test print on scrap paper before going right to your item. Press the inked stamp onto your surface and remove.
Repeat step 4 until your pattern is complete. If you want to change colors, make sure you stamp off the excess paint before applying the second color.
Let dry completely.
Optional: You can add little details with fabric markers once the paint is completely dry.
A few commonly asked questions answered:
Wash, dry and iron? Yes! You can wash a fabric item in warm water; fabric softener keeps the paint flexible. It’s best to iron inside out or on the back of the fabric.
Acrylic paint or fabric paint? Acrylic paint will function similarly, but the reason we like the soft fabric paint is because it prevents the pattern from feeling rough and stiff. If you are stamping on a notebook or notecards, acrylic paint is just fine.
Benefits of printmaking as gift making? The reason we love this method for DIY gifts is 2-fold. First because you can create a custom pattern that appears professional and crisp. And secondly, if you are making lots of gifts, you can basically become a little print factory and mass produce your gift items!
Skill Level? You can create a dynamic pattern with a simple circle, square or triangle! You don’t have to be an expert artist to make something that is really beautiful and textured. Play with colors, layering and juxtaposing shapes to create something really unique.
Play with other household objects that can become stamps. Think pencil erasers, wine corks, forks, a cut potato, a leaf and more!
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays to craft for—the rich colors, the dance between natural materials and traditional craft supplies, and the meaning behind it all give me the warm fuzzies. I love making crafts that combine all of these things, celebrating nature, gratitude, and family.
When Stonyfield asked me to create a Thanksgiving craft idea reusing their yogurt containers, I knew immediately that a cornucopia was in my future. Once I figured out how to achieve the shape, the outside material was the real challenge. Paper? Too sharp. Burlap? Too obvious. Felt? Too perfect. So I closed my eyes and tried to channel the autumn vibe of Thanksgiving. And that’s when it dawned on me…a nubby, cable-knit sock! You can take advantage of one of life’s greatest mysteries and use a single sock survivor from the laundry room, or shop for the ideal specimen, giving you two socks to make a lovely set. Use the quart-size container to make a centerpiece, and the single-serve cups to make minis that can sit at each place setting.
You can fill your cornucopias with small fruits, pumpkins, nuts, and leaves, or make your own with wooden beads, twigs, and berries. If you have young kids at home, you could also use their playfood to fill your horns of plenty!
For the kid that wants to make a statement on Halloween, this peacock costume is the one! Made with lightweight paper sheets and dowels, the feathers are attached to the belt, allowing the bird to take a break from their feathers during an active night of trick-or-treating.
Under the Sea: it’s a popular category for birthday parties, animated features, and also, you guessed it, Halloween costumes!
When I proposed a jellyfish costume to Parents for their October 2021 issue, they were all about it. The most vital item that you need for this magical animal costume is the hands-free umbrella! It will give your little sea creature the structure they need to exist as an out-of-water jellyfish, with their hands free to collect all the candy!
Below are the links for materials that I used…and for the full how-to, click over to Parents.com!
Sometimes you feel like a ghost, sometimes you don’t. And by feeling like a ghost, I mean decorating with them. Ghosts and witches, and spiders and eyeballs are what Halloween is made of, but sometimes a slightly more sophisticated approach is what you’re feeling.
I made these easy felt Halloween pennants for Oriental Trading’s Fun365 website…click on over there for the full how-to, shopping list, and template!
When my kids were younger, I would always start the Halloween costume suggestions with animals. First, who doesn’t love a cute little kiddo dressed up as a furry friend, a cute crawler, or an exotic species? There is so much DIY potential in these costumes from colors to textures to materials…what more could a crafty parent want??
When Parents magazine asked me to drum up some animal costumes this year for their October 2021 issue, I was all paws on deck. Starting with the smallest of the group…this elegant, stylish snail.
One great thing about this costume is that it’s worn like a backpack and is VERY lightweight, so it won’t aggravate even the most sensitive of kiddos. You can wear any under-clothes that you want from a frilly dress to leggings and a tee.
Check out the rest of the animals over at Parents.com!
The biggest summertime challenge of parenthood is how to balance out the summer fun while avoiding any brain drain. As we come off the weirdest school year in history, our kids’ focus on devices for learning, socializing, and playing have rocked the worlds of us parents…particularly ones like myself who pride themselves on the classics of unplugged fun: crafting, cooking, and especially reading.
As the summer progresses, our world is feeling like it’s getting a bit closer to normal, and let me tell you, a subscription to The Week Junior for your 8-to-14-year-old kids will most definitely help you with that. Issue 63 is a treasure…one to hold onto for its amazing feature: ‘Best Kids’ Books for Summer.’ It’s a thoroughly curated list of exciting new books, classic books, and books of all genres for kids ages 8-14. Click this link to find the book list and for a chance to win a free bundle of books!
Oliver and Sommer LOVE getting their weekly issue of The Week Junior in the mail…Sommer immediately flips to the fun stuff in the back and Oliver goes directly to the science section. (And, to be honest, I like to read the politics and world news because I love the simplified version!) Also, when there’s a topic that feels hard to explain on their level, it serves as a great reference point. And for the summer, the ‘Best Kids’ Books for Summer’ feature really helps narrow the massive world of books for tweens.
I was so excited when The Week Junior asked me to come up with some summer-inspired crafts for their summer marketing campaign! Check ‘em out below and use the templates and how-to instructions to make your own!
And, whatever you do, don’t forget to click here for your own subscription to The Week Junior!
POPPY PAPER POPSICLES
What you’ll need:
Colorful craft paper
Scissors
Tongue depressors
Glue or glue dots
Bugle beads (optional)
Make it:
Print and cut out the template for the popsicle and trace onto colorful craft paper.
Decide which design you want to make and cut the layers. Use the template to trace onto various colors of craft paper and cut them out from the full popsicle shape.
Glue each layer together. (Glue the bugle beads on as sprinkles: optional)
Glue a popsicle stick to the back.
Bonus idea: Tape a string to the backs of each popsicle and make a summery garland!
POSITIVE PENNANTS
What you’ll need:
Felt in various colors
Tacky glue
Scissors
¼” dowels
Straight pins
Make it:
Print out word templates and pin them to a piece of felt.
Cut out the letters.
Place the letters on another piece of felt and cut the pennant shape around them.
Glue the letters to the pennant.
Cut a ¾” strip of a third color of felt and glue along the straight left edge. Trim the top and bottom to match the angle of the pennant.
Cut four 2” strips and glue behind the straight, left edge.
Glue the dowel behind the pennant and allow everything to dry completely.
Trim your skewer to 8” tall. Poke skewer up through the bottom of the boat, through the middle point.
Print out the sail template and stack with craft paper. Cut out the templates and poke holes using the skewer on the top and bottom points of the sail.
Slip the sails over the skewer in this order: bottom of large sail, bottom of small sail, top of small sail, top of large sail.
WATER
Paint two pieces of paper blue. Let it dry.
Rip one piece of paper into strips, making waves as you rip.
Tape the strips over the solid blue paper.
Cut a wavy edge along the top of a manilla envelope to use as the beach.
You can also make small fish by following this origami tutorial.
I have a thing for outdated tech…a wall-mounted rotary phone with a cord? Give me them all. Film cameras with bellows? I can’t resist. Typewriters? Yes and yes. And some might say that crafting one out of cardboard is as useful as owning a vintage one—neither actually work so why not design your own?
I made this super-fun DIY cardboard typewriter for Camp.com (where you can find the full how-to instructions). In order to make one, you kind of have to be a recyclable hoarder—a shoebox, a paper towel roll, a cereal box, and some jar lids. Hop on over to Camp.com for the list of craft and upcycled supplies!
Who knows? This may be the start of the next great American novel!
