Make Your Own Cardboard Typewriter

May 12, 2021
Decor, Everyday Crafts, Kids Rooms, Older Elementary, STEM, Tween to Teen, Upcycled

diy cardboard typewriter craft

I have a thing for outdated tech…a wall-mounted rotary phone with a cord?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?

diy typewriter craft cardboard

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!

diy typewriter craft cardboard

Who knows? This may be the start of the next great American novel!

diy typewriter craft cardboard


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Nature-Inspired Clay Leaves

April 27, 2021
Decor, DIY Home, Early Elementary, Everyday Crafts, Fall, Gifts, Grown-Up, Nature, Older Elementary, Spring, Tween to Teen

clay leaf diy

Instead of preserving nature by pressing or drying leaves, you can instead use them to make an imprint in one of my favorite craft supplies: air dry clay.

Go on a nature walk with the kids and find leaves that have very pronounced veins—the more distinct the veins, the better the finished product. Roll out the air dry clay until it’s about 1/4″ thick, then use a rolling pin to press the leaves down into the clay. Peal away the leaves and use a toothpick to “cut out” the leaf. Gently rest the clay leaf inside a bowl, creating a bend, and let them dry completely (at least 24 hours). I made a very watery acrylic paint mixture to add a translucent coating to the leaves, but you can choose whatever paint finish you like. The one thing to keep in mind: if you are using water with your paint, you have to paint your strokes fast and few…when air-dry clay gets wet, guess what it does? It wants to return to malleable clay, so you have 2, maybe 3 strokes to get it fully covered.

Check out the full post that I did for Camp.com for more details!

 

clay leaves


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Turn Gloves into Monsters

April 12, 2021
Early Elementary, Everyday Crafts, Jewelry and Fashion, Older Elementary, Tween to Teen, Winter, Yarn & Fabric

glove monster craft stuffed animal diy

Now that winter is over and spring cleaning is upon us, you likely have some lone gloves who lost their mate in the last sledding excursion of 2021. You have three options here…first, you can hold onto that glove, hoping that one day the other will magically reappear. Second, you might be the “out of sight, out of mind” type and you just get rid of the sad lone glove. And third, if you are like me, you’ll keep it and turn it into a fun craft.

The how-to for this recent project can be found over on Camp.com! And for other ideas of past glove monsters, check out this post from a few years back!glove monster craft for kids


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DIY Cardboard Pennants

March 23, 2021
Decor, DIY Home, Everyday Crafts, Kids Rooms, Older Elementary, Paper, Playrooms, Styling, Tween to Teen, Upcycled, Wall Decor

diy paper pennants

There are so many more fun things to celebrate than school, so why do we reserve these rah-rah pennants for school spirit? Come up with a list of things that your kids loves and make some wall signs to cheer them on! Need suggestions?

  • Bacon
  • Cake
  • Sleep (Maybe for the parents’ room!)
  • Glitter
  • Youtube
  • Ramen
  • Legos
  • Beach
  • Roblox
  • Rainbows

Check out this super cute and easy upcycled project that I did for Camp.com! They are made from materials that you likely have around the house, including cardboard! Head on over to their site for the full how-to!

Goooooo WIFI!!


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Valentine’s Day Candy Holder

February 4, 2021
Everyday Crafts, Holidays, Valentine's Day

diy valentines candy tube

Be a sweetie and give candy to your close friends and family for Valentine’s Day! This project is so easy and uses materials that you likely have around the house.

What you’ll need:

  • Cardboard tube (toilet paper or paper towel)
  • Construction / colored paper
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Clear tape
  • Plastic wrap or plastic sandwich baggie
  • String, yarn, or twine
  1. Line the cardboard tube along the bottom shorter edge of your paper, and mark the opposite end with a pencil. Move the tube across the paper and make several marks. (If you are using a paper towel tube, cut it in half first.)diy valentines candy tube
  2. Cut along this line and set other piece of paper aside for a future project. diy valentines candy tube
  3. Roll the cardboard tube with the paper and tape to seal. Set your tube aside for now.diy valentines candy tube
  4. Fold second piece of paper in half lengthwise and rest the tube in the middle. Make a pencil mark on the second piece of paper on the top and bottom of the tube, right along the crease.diy valentines candy tube
  5. Draw half hearts along the fold.diy valentines candy tube
  6. Cut out the hearts.diy valentines candy tube
  7. Fringe the top and bottom edges of the paper to the marked line. Don’t go past this line. The thinner the fringe the better!diy valentines candy tube
  8. Cut off about 1 inch of the paper on either end (You can do this before step 7 but we forgot!). diy valentines candy tube
  9. Unfold the paper.diy valentines candy tube
  10. Tape the second piece of paper around the tube, making sure to center the tube from top to bottom. You can use the marks you made in step 4 to line it up. diy valentines candy tube
  11. Now fill your tube with candy, chocolates, toys, etc! We recommend putting unwrapped candy in a plastic baggie or in plastic wrap.
  12. Gently bend the fringed ends over the edge of the tube all the way around. Repeat on the other end.diy valentines candy tube
  13. Cut two 3″ pieces of string and tie them around the fringed ends. diy valentines candy tube
  14. Tape the ends of the string to the back of the tube to prevent them from sliding off. diy valentines candy tube
  15. Holding a fringe between your thumbnail and the pad of your middle finger, gently pull at a few strands of paper to curl.diy valentines candy tube

diy valentines candy tube


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