The idea of turning your child’s dollhouse into a haunted house is a little grim, but if you build one out of the hundreds of cardboard boxes that pass through your life on a daily basis, it’s, well, passable and you don’t have to worry about it creeping you out past October 31st.
This DIY cardboard mansion that I made for Parents magazine was a feat of architectural proportions. We saved so many boxes and stacked until we found the perfect shape. The best part of making these is that you don’t have to have the exact cardboard boxes that I have…you can use shoeboxes, cereal boxes, toothpaste boxes, etc!
It’s so easy…no witch-craft required!
1.Stack various boxes together until you create the shape you want, then glue to each other with craft or hot glue. If using craft glue, let dry several hours. (The house pictured is 35×25 in. and was made with about ten boxes.)
2. Paint boxes dark gray with acrylic craft paint. At the same time, paint toilet-paper and paper-towel tubes. Let dry.
3. Attach painted tubes as columns and spires. Top the spires with half circles of black paper curled and taped into cones. Roof pieces: Bend a piece of cardboard into a V shape; hold that shape and trace a triangle onto another piece of flat cardboard two times. Then cut out the triangles and glue or tape them to the front and back of the folded cardboard V. Repeat to make more. Paint roof pieces black and let dry. Use orange puffy paint to create a shingled roof pattern. Windows: Glue sets of four yellow squares or rectangles to the boxes to make windowpanes. Cut shutters from cardboard or cardstock and glue on. Doors: Cut doors out of cardboard or yellow paper; glue on beads for doorknobs.
1.Paint 1/3 of another toilet-paper tube green and 2/3 black. Let dry.
2. To make the hair, cut a 2×4-in. piece of black or gray felt and fringe it with scissors. Wrap hair around top of tube, and cut bangs over forehead. Glue into place.
3. Draw or paint eyes, cheeks, and mouth on green section with markers.
4. For the hat, cut a circle of black felt 1/2 in. wider than the diameter of the tube and glue to the top. Roll a half circle of felt into a cone and glue on top.
5. Wrap and glue a piece of black felt around the tube as the witch’s cape.
Nothing says summer like cotton candy, caramel apples, and big pretzels…even if they are made of paper! As an ode to summer, I’m doing a week of popsicle stick crafts….as in, eat a popsicle, then make something with that beautiful wooden stick!
While there is just one popsicle stick in this grouping, all of these foods have summer written all over them.
What you’ll need:
• Brown paper grocery bags
• Tacky glue
• White, red, and yellow paint
• Paintbrushes
• 1 brown paper lunch bag
• Newspaper
• 1 popsicle stick
• 1 square cracker box
• Scallop scissors
• Red crayon
• Resealable gallon-size plastic bag
• Packing peanuts
• 10 to 12 cotton balls
• Cookie sheet lined with wax paper
• Spray bottle
• Blue food coloring
• Washi tape
• Cardboard
• Magazines
Make It:
Pretzel:
1 Cut a grocery bag into 3-inch-wide strips and glue them together to make a 24-inch-long piece.
2 Roll and crumple the strip into a rope shape, being sure to keep any labels or writing on the inside.
3 Fold the tube into a U shape, then bend the ends toward the bottom of the U, twist them, and glue them down, crisscrossed. (You may want to put the pretzel under a medium-heavy book until it dries.)
4 Paint white dots on as the salt.
Candy Apple:
1. Cut about 3 inches off the top of the lunch bag and discard the top piece.
2 Fill the bag with newspaper and glue it shut around the Popsicle stick. Shape the bag into a round apple shape.
3 Paint the outside of the bag red and let it dry.
Popcorn:
1 Unfold the cracker box. Measure 7 to 8 inches from the bottom folds to where the top of the popcorn box will be, and cut a line straight across with scallop scissors.
2 Paint the inside surface (nonprinted side) of the box white. Let it dry.
3 Color red stripes vertically on the painted side of the box with the crayon.
4 Reassemble and glue the box so that the decorated side is on the outside.
5 To make the popcorn, squeeze a quarter-size dollop of yellow paint into the resealable bag, add enough packing peanuts to fill the cracker box, and shake. Start with a little paint; you can always add more.
6 Set the popcorn out to dry on a sheet of newspaper. Once the popcorn is dry, fill your box.
Cotton Candy:
1 Unroll about ten cotton balls onto the wax-paper-lined cookie sheet.
2 Fill the spray bottle with water and about ten drops of blue food coloring. Spray the cotton and let it dry.
3 Pull the cotton apart slightly and make a wad to form the shape of the cotton candy.
4 Cut a circle with a 12-inch diameter from a grocery bag. Cut this circle into four quarters. Take one of these quartercircles, roll it into a cone, and glue. Cut across the top, open end to make a straight edge.
5 Stripe the paper cone with washi tape.
6 Fill with cotton candy.
Pizza:
1 Cut a triangle from cardboard, with two long sides of about 7 inches and a short side of about 5 inches. The short side of the triangle (the crust side of the pizza) should be slightly rounded.
2 Give your pizza some tomato sauce by painting the cardboard red and let it dry.
3 To make the crust, roll and crumple a 4-inch-wide-by-7-inchlong strip of brown grocery bag into a tubelike shape and glue it across the rounded edge of the pizza. Trim or glue any excess underneath.
4 Paint a 10-by-10-inch piece of newspaper yellow on both sides. Once it’s dry, fringe 1⁄4-inch strips of the paper (see the Fringing lesson on page 120) and then cut across to make tiny strips, about 1 inch long.
5 Cut pepperoni and peppers (or whatever toppings you like) from magazine pages in the appropriate colors.
6 Brush watered-down glue (in about a 1-to-1 ratio) onto the cardboard, then sprinkle the “cheese” on top. Glue the toppings on top of the cheese.
This group of projects is from my first book, Project Kid…and there are tons more fun ones where that came from! Buy the book, and never lose a link!
We started traveling internationally with our kids once they reached the ages of 4 and 6, approximately. Before that, extensive travel seemed daunting…dealing with diapers, strollers, feeding struggles, etc. There is nothing worse than a tired kid, tantruming in an airport while you drag 2 suitcases, 3 backpacks, and 6 stuffed animals…all with a kid on your shoulders.
So as we now travel abroad each summer, from town to train, air-bnb to airport, I have vowed to figure out how to give my kids all the tools they need to be independent travelers. Here are my top tips…
1 The Luggage
Instead of checking a massive suitcase for both, I have decided to give them each their own carry-on roller bag to manage—theEagle Creek Blue 22″ Explore 4-Wheeled Luggage. There are a few things to look for in this choice: you want it to be easy to roll and lightweight. Obviously the kids aren’t heaving it into the overhead compartment, but if they need to lift it up a few steps or onto a train platform, you want them to be able to control it. This luggage has a built-in luggage tag (amazing), and tons of outside compartments so your kids don’t have to sport a heavy backpack full of books and electronics—they can distribute their wares between the backpack and luggage. And a strap on top to hold their favorite lovie? Priceless.
So, if you are planning to travel with kids, consider looking at compact suitcases by Eminent as an alternative. These suitcases have a smart design that maximizes storage, helping the kids learn how to pack efficiently. They are also lightweight and easy to manage, which helps when navigating through busy airports or lifting the luggage into car trunks.
2 Packing List
Letting the kids be in charge of what they bring is key. By letting them in on what’s in their bag allows them to get dressed in the morning without wondering what their options are. I like to make them a checklist so they know exactly what they need and have them pull it all out. There’s nothing more satisfying than checking things off a list! While it may seem excessive, I’m smitten with theseRussell+Hazel SmartDate Washi Tape Rolls that make listing way more fun! Sommer loves to fill in the little circle dots like she’s taking a standardized test!
3 Labeled Packing Cubes
These packing cubes are game changing (and you’ll want them for yourself too!). Here’s what I love about theEagle Creek Translucent Specter Pack-It Compression Set…first, they keep your items neatly organized categorically. They are super lightweight and thin so they don’t add poundage to your bag or take up extra room. I chose the translucent set so it would be easier to see what was inside, but just to make it even more fool proof, I added labels.
I got thesebobino cable tags and labeled them with myBrother label maker—Sommer got pink labels and Oliver got yellow. This way, at a quick glance they are able to see whose is whose. And the most amazing feature of the packing cubes is the compression! You can stuff them full and then zipper-cinch them to make them flatter!
4 Toiletry Organization
Kids don’t have a lot of products, so they don’t really need a designated toiletry bag each to themselves. TheEagle Creek Translucent Specter Pack-It Quicktrip was ideal because it has a pocket on either side so their toothbrushes don’t get cooties (yes, it’s a real thing). And in the center, we can put shampoo, toothpaste, sunscreen…all the things that they share.
We all use theFish Toothbrush Holders—they have a cool double function. They cover your toothbrush in transit, and then we you are settled into your temporary bathrooms, you can use the suction cup on the bottom to stand your toothbrush up to dry. Genius and adorable.
As for bottles, you literally can’t beat theClear 3.4 oz. Silicone GoToob Travel Bottles. They have this cool locking mechanism so they won’t leak all over (that’s happened to me more times than I’d like to count). I labeled these withFlight 001 Fill & Fly Label Set—for just $3.99, it was a no-brainer.
I’ve done my duty to get them organized, now it’s up to them to keep it that way! Here’s hoping all of these tricks work—for my sanity and theirs!
These days, we have the power to “buy the change we want to see in the world.” (My friend Jane Mosbacher Morris wrote a book by that name. Check it out!) When we shop, we can choose to purchase socially conscious items, eco-friendly products, and even give money away while we do it. We’ve all been guilted into buying mediocre wrapping paper or chocolate bon-bons to support our kids’ school fundraisers, but what if you could actually purchase things you NEED that are beautifully, thoughtfully designed, PLUS they give substantial money (not a measly 2% of the retail price) to the non-profit you choose?
Enter, Boon Supply. Every time you purchase, Boon Supply gives 40% to the charity of your choice. Every time, people! 40%! And you are not buying cheesy gift bows or ugly tote bags…you are buying stylish items that make amazing gifts.
It’s so easy to set up your own fundraiser (I created one for my kid’s school!) or you can choose one that has already been set up. And, you can get 20% off your first purchase by using this exclusive code just for Project Kid fans: BS19PROJECTKID (expires 12/31/19).
Here are some of my favorite items from the Spring catalog, but check out the Fall items too!
Boon Supply sent me this Emoji Pancake Pan and the second I pulled it out of the box I was making pancakes for my kids (even though it was 6pm at night!! So cute and easy to clean.
I bought this cute Vegan leather belt bag (let’s face it, fanny pack!) for myself. I love it!
Missing a lid to your tupperware? Or do you have a half eaten apple? Food Huggies are your answer!
I love the idea that my kids can look down at these Character Building pencils and have a thoughtful discussion in their heads while doing their homework. Double-tasking at it’s best!
If you carry a portable charger and a compact mirror, then maybe you need to get this Compact Mirror Power Bank that does both!
I know where my holiday gifts are coming from this year!
I was born in the 1970’s, was a child of the 80’s, which means, dear friends, that I was there at the dawning of the Age of the Scrunchie. Yes, the original fabric covered hair rubber band…that defined my curly mane during my middle and high school years. I even remember my friend Traci and tried to make them out of a sunflower-patterned fabric (oh, remember the sunflower craze?).
Believe it or not, this no-sew scrunchie will take you ten minutes to make. And friends, it will last…it will not fall apart after a wear or two! I even accidentally tossed one into the washing machine the other day, and it came out just fine!
You can thank me now, because you are going to have a use for all of those fabric scraps that have been laying around. Think of all the cute Cat & Jack patterned t-shirts that your daughter won’t wear any more…just cut them into strips to make these easy DIY scrunchies!
2. Lay the fabric on the table, pattern-side up, and then fold it in half. Adhere a strip of fabric tape on the top inside edge. Make sure to really press it down so that the fibers all stick to the tape.
3. Peel off the paper backing of the fabric tape and stick the other edge of fabric to the top. Now you’ve made a loop of fabric.
4. Slip the fabric loop around the jar and secure it with the hair tie in the middle.
5. Fold the fabric about a 1/4″ from the top edge and stick on a piece of tape. Again, really press it into the fabric.
6. Peel off the paper backing, and fold up the bottom edge of the fabric and stick it to the tape. Squeeze the fabric together to seal.
7. Continue working all the way around the jar so that every edge of the fabric is sealed. Do your best not to leave any spaces, as those will become holes in your seam.
It may feel a little fussy at first, but you’ll get the hang of it and it’ll get easier and easier. I recommend using a straight cup, glass, or jar like this Bon Maman jam jar so the rubber band doesn’t slip off or move.
Can’t wait to hear what you think of this project!
There’s that phrase that I’m sure you’ve heard…it’s like riding a bike, meaning you’ll never forget how to do it. I’m one of those people that took a pretty loooong break in the bike-riding department.
I never really owned a bike as an adult until I met my husband. Obviously I biked around as a kid, but we lived on an insanely hilly street with a lot of through-traffic so it was really just me riding in circles around the driveway. So I never really used a bike to actually GO anywhere.
Michael was an avid cyclist when we met, doing 100-mile rides upstate, out of the city. He convinced me to get a bike of my own, and so I did, complete with biking shoes that clip into the pedals (I went hardcore right away)! We started cycling together and I loved it. I had been a runner, having done a few half marathons and one marathon, so I was accustomed to the long-distance effort that bike-riding took.
On one gorgeous day in September of 2008, we took what we thought was going to be an easy ride up to Yonkers and back down to Brooklyn, but we found ourselves a bit off track (this was pre-iPhone for us!) and had to carry our bikes over train tracks, through the woods, and up a hill to get back to known territory. We kind of laughed our way through it, and when we got home, Michael was all lovey, telling me how proud he was of me (not in a patronizing way), and then, he proposed. Ring and all…standing there in our living room in full spandex. No rose petals or champagne…just sweat and bike grease. It was perfect.
So this long and rambling story is all to say that now, I have a fondness for bicycles, for biking with our kids, and even for watching the Tour de France, which I had never paid attention to before Michael. (I had no idea what the word peloton was!) Watching the whole Tour de France is quite a feat (almost, but not quite, like riding in it), but even if you show your kids a few stages and explain the effort, it’s a great lesson in practice and perseverance.
Most don’t realize that cycling is not a solo sport—it’s team-oriented and is all about project management. You have to allow one person to lead, and then share that role over the course of the race. It’s all about cohesion, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and open communication—all lessons that we all can learn from. (For more detail check out this post.)
The Tour de France 2019 starts on July 7th this year and you can watch the final stage on July 28th. Here’s a fun list of facts you can teach your kids about when, where, and how this famous bike race began!
When I wrote Project Kid: Crafts that Go!, a book about vehicles, I obviously had to make a bike craft. The inspiration for this one came to me one day while I was painstakingly place Perler beads in a circle with Sommer. Here’s what you need to make this miniature DIY bicycle…
1. To make the bike’s tires, place black beads all around the outer ring of the bead form. Add spokes by creating a six-point asterisk with the teal beads, leaving the center hole empty.
2. Following the instructions on the bead packaging, have an adult fuse the beads together using parchment paper and an iron; let cool completely. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to make a second tire. Remove the fused beads from the form.
3. Download and print the bike template and place on the cardboard. Tape parchment paper over it.
4. Insert straight pins into the ten marked points on the template.
5. Thread yarn through the center hole of one wheel, and begin wrapping the yarn around the pins to create the bike form, following the numbers on the template.
6.Work your way over to the second wheel and thread the yarn through. Continue wrapping around the pins, following the numbers on the template.
7. Once the frame is completed, knot the yarn and trim the end.
8. Use a paintbrush to apply a generous coat of tacky glue to the yarn, and let it dry. Remove the pins and flip over to apply an additional coat of glue to the back of the yarn if needed.
As a kid, I remember the excitement when my BFF Traci and I got our Best Friend heart necklaces…you know the ones: The right says “BE FRI” and the left says “ST ENDS.” If that were us today, I’m certain we’d post a boomerang of the heart halves coming together and going apart.
I still love the broken heart necklace, and it is seen in so many forms these days (like this adorable DIY kit from Fair Play Projects). So I thought I’d come up with another, but I wanted something that could also stand alone with its own magic.
With National Best Friends Day approaching on June 8th, you have plenty of time this week to get your craft on! Your kids can make these rainbow charms into two bracelets, two necklaces, or, if you want to keep the whole rainbow to yourself (understandable), as two earrings. Here’s how we did it…
Trace the 2 1/4″ circle on one piece of felt. Move down a 1/4″ each time using the circle stencils. If you don’t have this circle template, you can also gather lids from around the house to trace.
Cut out the circles.
Cut the circles in half.
Glue the half circles on top of each other, making sure to line up the bottom straight edge.
Cut the rainbow in half.
Cut the bottom wedge out of each side. (Because the pieces of the felt end up to be so small and delicate, it’s easier to glue them as larger pieces and cut them down, rather than vice versa.)
Cut out white clouds from felt and glue them to the bottom corner (I doubled mine for extra cloudiness.)
Glue the necklace string to the back top of the rainbow and secure with a small square of felt.
You can make your rainbow the traditional ROYGBIV, or go out on your own and mix it up.
When you’re little, there’s nothing better than something being “kid-sized”, especially if it’s a hideout. The adult world can feel so big and a space your size feels special. We’ve collected eleven creative ways to transform whatever spare space you have—be it a closet or a corner— into a kid centric clubhouse.
1.A personal ball pit is definitely every kids’ dream come true! With a sliver of space under the stairs, Momma Society managed to make room for both kinetic and artistic play.
2.For a cozier space under the stairs Daffodil Design adds polk dots, pennants, and a pile of pillows. The coloring book panels on the wall are a fun way to invite mini muralists to leave their mark.
3.This closet reading loft requires a little more handy work, but Bigger Than the Three of Us shares their step by step method. With clothes hanging at child height, this diy might even encourage your kids to help keep their closets clean (no promises though).
4.
A small closet can still make a big impact with a set of shelves and some whimsical wall art. This pinterest project could look equally cool with jungle vines or a sea of tropical fish – depending on where your child wants to be transported.
5. A different decorating option is a rotating gallery of your child’s framed artwork or favorite book jackets. As their tastes change, so can the wall. Via Shabby Nest
6.If your kids do have an enduring favorite, it can be truly magical to bring it to life. Blesser House’s Narnia reading nook is a child’s fantasy hidden within an elegant armoire. (Just make sure that the furniture is attached to the wall for safety!)
7.If closet space is at a premium, helllooo New York, it’s still possible to create a cozy nook. When playtime is over, simply fold up this cardboard cottage and slide it out of sight. She Knows shows you how.
8.
A curtain and a corner are all you need to create a room out of thin air. Twinkly lights add to the fairy feel. Via Mommo Design
9.
Another way to take advantage of a corner is to define it with a coat of paint. Ruta Vitasson’s monochromatic palette elevates this kids area but the collection of soft fabrics and friends keep it from feeling cold.
10.
If you’re lucky enough to have a loft, follow Design Mom‘s lead and give it to the family members who can actually fit in it comfortably. Your kids will adore having their own castle in the clouds.
11.
This last space is probably the most daydream worthy of all. If your kids had access to this carpeted cocoon you’d might not ever see them again! Image via Hongikat
Thanks to Brother for sponsoring this post and providing us crafters with a new tool for our trade!
At Project Kid we love all types of transportation toys, but none spark imagination quite like a rocket ship. Encourage your kids to shoot for the moon with this DIY star ship. In a few years you may not even need to be an astronaut to leave earth, but for now your kids can sail through space from your living room.
We engineered our rocket ship with a few basic supplies but when we started using the P-touch Embellish Tape and Ribbon Printer, it took the project to a whole other level of the atmosphere! Your little one can personalize the fins and flames with 9 patterned tapes, and more than 10 solid colors, plus 14 fonts and over 400 symbols. When they’re done they’ll be able to recognize their ship from a million galaxies away
Watch this video to learn how to make a rocket of your own and following along with the steps below!
1. Pull the sock over the glue bottle and trim any excess, then glue edges to the bottom of the glue bottle. Wrap and glue a 2-inch wide band of felt around the bottle.
2. Trace the bottle top twice on felt and cut out circles. Cut two more matching circles out of the silver tape and trim them down to fit within the felt circles (adhere tape to wax paper to make it easier to cut!). Glue the two felt circles to the front of the rocket body.
3. Glue plastic lid to the bottom of the rocket.
4. Cut 3 fins out of cardboard and cover each piece with silver duct tape on both sides; trim around the edges.
5. Use the P touch Embellish to print out fun tape with fun patterns or names. Attach tape to decorate the fins, as well as the edge of the bottle top.
6. Next print out a variety of 3-to-6-inch red ribbon printed with phrases and patterns for rocket flames. (We used a zig zag zodiac symbol and “3.2.1..blast off!” typed in San Diego font.) Join the ends of each ribbon with hot glue to create loops then attach to the underside of the bottle top.
6. Attach the fins to the side and back of the rocket with hot glue then attach the bottle top with flames to the bottom of the glue bottle.
Blast off!!
Thanks to Brother for sponsoring this post and providing us crafters with a new tool for our trade!
Astrobrights had the bright idea to sponsor this post!
There are a few types of gift wrappers…
The Task Master: I have my gift wrapped in the store, even if I have to pay for it.
The Bag Lady: I drop the present into a gift bag, toss in some tissue paper, and done.
The Forager: I’m grab for newspaper or anything large that I can get my hands and slap some tape and ribbon together as I’m walking out the door to the party.
The Martha: I have a gift-wrap station, with various papers, tapes, ribbons, paper punches and embellishments. It’s my happy place.
I fall somewhere between the Forager and the Martha, but I dream of living my true self as a gift-wrap star! I live in New York, so there’s no space for a true “station,” but I do have a craft studio with literally every type of embellishment that one could want. So when the forethought is there, I try to get gift wrapping done during the work day or I bring supplies home with me.
If you have a few moments to add a little craft to your gift-wrap game, I promise it will make you feel good when you hand over the gift or place it among the ho-hum boxes on a table. Here is my trick for taking a very simply wrapped gift to the next level: bring that envelope to life with brightly colored paper!
When Astrobrights asked me to partner with them on their 50th-anniversary color celebration, I thought, how would I give this rainbow-loving paper company a dazzling 50th birthday gift? So I set out to make this animal menagerie of envelopes…equally perfect for baby showers, kids’ birthdays, and anyone that loves a little surprise and delight in their day!
1 Unfold an A1 envelope and trace onto your Astrobrights paper. If you don’t have an envelope, you can print this template right onto the color paper of your choice!
2. Cut out the flat envelope and fold where the 4 triangular shapes meet the middle rectangle.
3. Glue-stick the sides of the two side flaps and adhere the middle section.
4. Print out the template of your choice and while cut out the corresponding shapes with your color choice of paper (I used Solar Yellow, Plasma Pink, Cosmic Orange, Eclipse Black and Stardust White). Here are the available free downloads: bunny and rooster, walrus and owl, raccoon and hedgehog, and giraffe.
5. Use your glue stick to attach all features to the envelope.
6. Use white colored pencil to add sparkle to eyes (optional).
Astrobrights had the bright idea to sponsor this post!
