Hey KIDS! Fun Craft Projects For You!

Supplies & Resources - Need Sets & Props? - Whizzer - Spool Tractor - Graham Cracker House - Holiday Door Hanging - Soda! - Grocery Bag Storage - Finger Puppet - Jigsaw Puzzle - "Hair Pet Whatever" - Record Your Legacy - Make Your Own "Fossils" - Snow Cones! - Salt Box Ideas - Felt "Paper" Dolls - Make a Pinata - Make a Super Bouncy Ball - Decorate Your Child's Room on a Budget! - Making Hats - Party Tips - See These Special Offers!

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Shopping Specials Mind Teasers Movies Pet Peeves Why not join iCop yourself - and become known as a reputable company? Click on the iCop seal to find out more. Double ii's Services iCop Member Would you like your AD to appear here? Tell A Friend! About This Site! Type In Your Name: Type In Your E-mail: Your Friend's E-mail: Your Comments: Receive copy:  Need any specialty Sewing? See Hobbies Site for more ideas and project tools/supplies. Don't forget the batteries when needed! Are you into photography? Find your favorite craft magazines. See These Special Offers! Find a great selection of affordable arts and crafts items. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Make a "Whizzer" Kids love to play with simple things - sometimes the boxes are more popular than a toy that they got at on a birthday or Christmas. Here is a great toy that is simple to make and can keep a child busy for hours. Get a simple plastic lid (there are other circular items you can use, as well), and some string - about 4 feet. You will need scissors or something to poke through the lid. Take your scissors and poke two holes on the lid, just off of the center, at least Ύ - 1 inch apart. Thread your string through the two holes, so you can tie the two loose ends together, making a looped string that the lid is string onto. Then pull the lid to the center of the loop of string. Hold each "end" of the string and start twirling the lid around and around until it's really tight. Then pull the strings apart and watch it spin, then let it wind itself up again, and pull it apart, giving it more momentum to keep going. Experiment with different twirlers and lids - some will be able to make "music" or whistle. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Make a Simple Spool Toy When I was growing up, my parents made several toys for us, having come from Finland and dealing with the war with Russia – they knew lots of ways to amuse themselves that cost nothing. One of these toys is a fun little spool racer – it needs only a wooden spool (you can buy them at craft stores if you don't have any – I know they aren't very popular anymore for holding thread), a rubber band, and two toothpicks. You'll need a sharp knife, as well. Make a dent or triangular slit across one end of the spool, across both sides of the hole. Use the knife to hollow out the slit – it need not be very deep. You will break one of the toothpicks to the size of the end of the spool – the diameter of the circle. Loop the rubber band through the spool hole, and insert the toothpick piece into the rubber band loop on the slit side. Now that you caught the rubber band on that side, rest the toothpick portion into the slit you cut out, and make sure the toothpick isn't sticking out beyond the circle of the spool end. Loop the other toothpick (the whole toothpick) through the other end of the rubber band on the smooth spool end. Make sure one end is flat with the side of the circle of the spool, and the other side is sticking out. Use this long side to twist the rubber band by rolling the toothpick end over and over to tighten the rubber band. Once it's pretty tight, set it down on a smooth floor or table and watch it crawl! This amazes little ones, and is fun for parents to show their kids! ~~~~~~~~~~~ 50,000 brand name craft, sewing & scrapbooking supplies at 30-50% below retail. MisterArt: The world's largest online discount art supply store! ~~~~~~~~~~~ Graham Cracker House (Like Gingerbread House) Here's what you'll need: Box of graham crackers 3 egg whites 1 tsp. cream of tartar 1 pound sifted powdered sugar Empty milk cartons or cream cartons Assortment of gumdrops, red hots, chocolate chips, stick pretzels, sprinkles, raisins, cotton balls, candy canes, or anything you think of Make the icing which will also serve as a "glue." Mix the egg whites with the cream of tartar and beat until you get stiff peaks. Add the powdered sugar and beat until very thick and holds its shape. "Glue" the graham crackers onto the cartons using the icing. Let the sides dry a bit before placing the roof on. Decorate the buildings with the other items you have on hand – using the icing to glue them on. Use your imagination and you will find them to be a beautiful decoration! ~~~~~~~~~~~ Make a Holiday Door Hanging I began doing this as a tradition when I didn't want to pay for an expensive wreath – I am into more "simple" things, anyway. What I do is take low branches from the Christmas tree – we normally cut some off in order to get the tree into the holder. If you don't get a "real" tree, the tree lots will often let you take the scraps they cut away since they will be thrown out. You'll need to gather up some wire, ribbon, and other decorations (such as mistletoe or holly branch, glitter spray, or whatever you want to use). Now gather the stick ends of the branches and layer them to fan out – biggest branches on the bottom. You only need 3-5 branches. Take the wire and wrap it around the sticks, catching it under some of the branching to hold it. Make an extra loop in the back so you can hang it on a nail or hook. If you are using a holly branch or mistletoe branch, catch them in the wire as well, but place them in the front of the branches, hanging nicely as a decoration. Now it's time for a ribbon, if you wish. You should be using 1 2/2" to 2" width ribbon, and perhaps a red color or plaid for effect. Make a big, pretty bow in the front and top, then let the ribbon trail down. Tie it on the stick part to hide the wire, and drape the hanging ribbons to the side of the holly or mistletoe. If you have other decorating you wish to do, go ahead and create your masterpiece. Then hang it on the door. If it's too wide, trim it back to fit nicely. Step back and admire it. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Relief for your back & neck when using a laptop, and eliminate the heat Laptops are ergonomically awful - the screen and keyboard aren't in the right places to keep yourself healthy - you have to lean over to work with it, and then there is the problem of heat - which can and does cause other health problems. One wonderful invention is the LapGenie - it is an adjustable desk to set your laptop into the best position it can be. It folds up for easy travel, and has many other uses. Check it out. It's made a huge difference to me and a lot of people. Highly recommended! ~~~~~~~~~~~ Make Your Own Soda! What You Need is Probably Already in Your Kitchen – Free! A lemon or orange or other fruit that is juicy 1 tsp. baking soda Sugar Water A glass Squeeze the juice from the fruit until you get about ½ cup or so, and then add the same amount of water. Stir in the baking soda and add sugar to taste! Of course, you can make better tasting soda with Soda-Club Home Soda Makers. Generate your own energy with a Soda-Club Energy Machine! Why pay up to $2 for energy drinks from the store when you can make it yourself, in seconds, starting at just 25 cents per serving? You control the intensity. Extreme flavor. Extreme savings. Fresh sparkling water prepared to taste! Add fruit juice or 27 sodamix flavors for gourmet soda in seconds. No more carrying, storing and disposing bottles and cans. A tasteful addition to any kitchen, dining or bar area. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Do You Need Something Handy to Hold Your Grocery Bags? Make a simple "tube bag" for hanging on a door knob and store your plastic grocery bags in it – pull them out easily when needed. We use our grocery bags to line the trash can – no need to buy extra bags. There are many trashcans in a convenient size to use these grocery bags. Someone gave me one 8 ½ years ago and I love it! You will need: 24" X16" piece of cotton or cotton blend fabric, medium weight 12" of elastic, 12" wide Ribbon or cord Scraps of cloth or other decorative items. Fold the fabric in half, wrong sides out, making a rectangle 8" X 24". Sew a seam up the side. For the bottom, fold up the edge out about an inch, iron flat. Then put the elastic inside the fold and sew it shut. Make the elastic tight on its own, without stretching (about 5-6 inches), and close the hole so that it is about an inch or so open. Sew the elastic together and finish the hem. On the top – fold the bag over about 3 in shapes inside of large ones – have fun with it, but don't make the pieces too small. If you want the clear coating over the pieces, tack the clear adhesive the picture now. Now cut the pieces along the lines. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Record Your Legacy For Your Kids and Theirs Do you regret that you never got to know the "real story" about your relative, or never got that special recipe? Make sure that never happens to your child! Have her get involved with putting together the stories of her relatives. This will be invaluable in several years – give your kids and grandkids something to remember you by. You will need: Paper and pen (acid-free is best) Tape recorder Videocamera (if available) Old photos Find your relatives as you can, and spend time with each, asking questions and recording answers. Run this interview with each relative, one at a time, undisturbed. When you ask the questions, let the relative tell old stories that he remembers as he is speaking. Record the interview on videocamera, or on a tape recorder. Write down certain points of interest. Have the child pretend to be a reporter, interviewing for a story. This will make it more fun. Show old photos and ask for the background story on them. Write or record these, as well. Prepare the questions to ask – but try to at least get some of these: Birthdate? Where born? Parents' names? Grandparents' names? Their dates and places of birth? What did they do – job or other activity? Special memory of each? Did he have any special accomplishment? Where did they live? Ask more questions – and let new questions come to mind as you are interviewing. Make sure to ask for any special recipes and skills to learn while you have them to talk to. Don't forget to also interview your own parents! Be sure to label the interview with name of person, date of interview, and perhaps topic (in case you add on to the stories at another time). File this in a nice box or container – and pull it out in a year or so to enjoy – and pass it down to children after your kids. Enjoy! More About Your Legacy ~~~~~~~~~~~ Salt Box Ideas After you use up all the salt in your round salt box, don't throw the box away – you can use it to make a fun project with your kids. One idea: Make a Piggy Bank Cut a slit on the round part in the middle, large enough for a quarter to fit. Cut pink construction paper the same size as both round ends, and what can easily wrap around the entire "side" of the box. Or use whatever paper you want – wrapping paper, tissue paper, etc. Glue those on. Now cut out 2 ears and glue on. Get some corks or other craft type items to use as the legs and nose. Glue those on. Glue on little circles for nostrils, and for eyes. Or use craft eyes or even Cheerios. Use a pipe cleaner for a tail and wind it around a pencil for a curl – then stick it through the end of the box. Let it dry and collect money – it's adorable! Second Idea: Make a Doll Cradle Cut a length of the box from round end to round end, leaving the round ends intact. Cut another length almost across the first cut and then pull that part out. You will see you have made a nice open doll cradle that can be decorated with colored paper, material, paint, etc. Then cut out fun fabric pieces for the sheets of the cradle. Let your little girl decorate and play with it – and be proud she was able to help! ~~~~~~~~~~~ Make Your Own "Fossils" You will need: Some clay Items to fossilize – like shells or leaves Polish, shoe polish works Acrylic sealant Roll the clay into a ball and press it out flat into a circle. Use water to smooth the edges. Lightly push the object you want a fossil of into to clay. Then you should remove it, and see the imprint that was left by it. If you like it, let it dry. If not, roll up the clay and start over. You can let it air dry or fire it in a kiln. Whe dry, polish it on the surface, and seal it up with acrylic spray, or other type of finish. Fun project for kids! ~~~~~~~~~~~ Make Your Own "Hair Pet Whatever" Remember all those fads from the past? The pet rocks, the Chia pets? Why don't you show your kids how to make a simple silly "pet" – or whatever it turns out to be? Of the Chia pet variety? You will need: A fun "body" – a small milk carton, a juice can, a broken topped eggshell, etc. – and something to stand it up on, if it falls over – like for the eggshell Some cotton balls Alfalfa seeds (or other type of fast growing, small straight plant seed) "Sharpie" markers Set up the body or head of the pet – and use the Sharpie to draw a face or arms or whatever would work with your body or head. Place the cotton balls, dampened, into the body (or you could use clean dirt if you have a large body to fill). Sprinkle the seeds pretty thickly onto the cotton balls and keep them damp and in a sunny area. Soon you will see "hair" growing on the head or body – when it gets too long, clip it off. If the seeds are of an edible plant, use them in salad. Experiment for fun – for a "sheep" - lay a juice can on its side and poke lots of holes on the side for the "wool" to grow out of and onto the body. Make a sheep head to place on the end of the can. There are lots of "pets" you can make this way. For practically free! ~~~~~~~~~~~ Snow Cones! Here is a free treat! With the amount of snow we are getting here in Colorado – it reminds me of a great treat kids love – snow cones! All you need is a cup, snow (or shaved down ice if you don't get snow in your area, and juice or concentrated fruit (or other) flavored syrup. Get a clean handful of snow or ice, and make it round as a ball. Place it in the cup, and you can fill the bottom with snow or ice under the ball. Then pour the juice or syrup on top and cover the ball, letting excess drip through to the bottom and through the ball. Now serve it or eat it – enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~~ Felt "Paper" Dolls A great, nearly free, craft item that you and your young kids can do is to make dolls from felt. I made several brown bears for my little one – cut the bear shapes from brown felt. I used a permanent marker to draw on a face on each. These are all flat, like paper dolls. Then, use other colors of felt and cut out clothing shapes – shirts, pants, hats, and more. These can stick right onto the felt bear or doll and you can change styles as often as you like. Add ties, jackets, shoes, socks, hairstyles and more. You can even make scenery to put your doll family in – use large pieces of felt for the background, then cut out trees, houses, clouds, grass and more. You can play with your child with all the different scenery and clothes. The child will treasure the memories later. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Make a Pinata To make a fun party piρata, you will need: Creativity A balloon that is large enough when blown up Old newspapers School glue Scissors and/or knife Thin pieces of cardboard Heavy string or yarn – about 40 inches long Paper and pencil or crayons Tissue paper and other decorations Tie the balloon shut once it's blown up. Make sure it is closed off tightly. Tear strips of the newspaper, about 1 inch wide and several inches long. Pour the glue into a bowl or container and mix a bit of water into it to get it a little more loose, but not runny. Dip the strips of paper into the glue and place onto the balloon, covering it totally. Let it dry. After it's dry, put another layer on, the same way, and probably a total of 3 layers is enough in most cases. When it's dry, cut a piece out of the top (which will usually be the top of the balloon on its side, for most animals) about 2 inches wide and long – if you want to fill the piρata. This will need a knife. Save the piece and take the balloon out. Cut at least two more very small holes so that you can pull your string through, for hanging the piρata. Put the string through the two small holes and tie it at the length you want. Now figure out how to draw your animal or character head and legs and tail, etc. Draw on a sheet of paper and then cut out the shapes. The head will need two matching patterns for each side, plus extra to bring the top of the head around to the other side. You will want a three dimensional look to the body pieces. Make sure to add enough extra to attach it to the balloon (the balloon is round and will need to match the head pieces onto the balloon – the head will need a neck piece that will extend to the balloon so it can be attached). Once you cut the pattern, cut the same pattern (perhaps a slight bit smaller) from the thin cardboard and glue it on to reinforce. You will probably need to experiment a few time until you "get it" right – don't worry – it will become easier with practice. Don't cut or glue to the cardboard until you mock up the other pieces to see how it will work and look. Glue the body pieces onto the balloon piece, and color or glue tissue paper to decorate. You can put strips of tissue paper to look like fringing, as is typical with donkey piρatas. Glue these on and have fun decorating. Remember to decorate the cut out top piece and glue or tape it back on after you fill the piρata with treats. Now hang it up from the string once you have let it dry, and have fun! If you don't feel like making one, here is a large selection of pinatas to choose from. Tool King is home to over 18,000 Tools and Accessories and offers the best prices on name brand Power Tools, Cordless Tools, Air Tools, Hand Tools, Storage Chests, Gardening Tools, Woodworking Tools, and more for your craft needs. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Make a Super Bouncy Ball Here is a great little project for little ones – but toddlers will need your help to keep from getting snapped back on. Kids love playing with it, and have pride in making it - their own super bouncy ball! Take a small ball or other type of little object that is round. Collect rubber bands, from the daily newspapers, from anywhere, and wrap the bands around the round object over and over, trying to keep it round. Once it's big enough to bounce, play with it and see how well it does – it will be erratic, too, since it's not smooth, but that makes it fun. You can tell your child that it's similar to how a golf ball is made – and perhaps you'll help develop other ideas within the child. He can make different types of personalities of the bounces by using certain types of rubber bands, or the inner round object, or in how tightly the bands are wrapped. In any case, he'll have fun with it and you can be sure he'll be proud of this ball he made! ~~~~~~~~~~~ Decorate Your Child's Room on a Budget! A very simple way to decorate your child's room, and save money in doing so, plus get the benefit of the child NOT growing tired of it - is to hang posters and get a shadowbox. The posters can be easily stapled, or tacked, or securely placed on the walls (there is also some blue stuff that is sticky and removable). You can place hardboard behind them for effect, or perhaps a frame around the special ones. This way, when the child is a couple years older, he can update the posters from "Dumbo & Friends" to "Pokemon" and such that he is now interested in, then a couple years later to to sports superstars, etc. To hold all the little gadgets and display items, like her little dolls and snow globes and trophies, make or buy a "shadowbox" – which has varied "rooms" that hold an item – each within its own little box. It's a great way to display little things and also to get the clutter out of the room. This need not be expensive. Using these great tricks can decorate a room on a budget, plus ensure that the child will not grow tired of the dιcor in her room. She can always easily update it for her "now" tastes (and still on a budget). See a great selection of posters here. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Need Sets & Props? I have been building sets and props for shows since 2000. It began with an ice show, and I've been doing this for the ice show, and other ice shows, ever since. I have made costumes and props for other shows, as well, off the ice. I am able to envision what the sets and props should look like and be for the show storylines, and work hard to make them last through the shows. I keep a repair kit with me at the performances, and fix all problems between shows. If needed, I transition the sets and props as needed during the show, working in the areas where no action is happening. If you need something made or help with your show, and you're in the Denver Colorado area, give Paulina a call at 303-349-7096, or email. Craft Supplies & Resources Craft & Hobby Gifts - Products that enhance your craft making and collecting experience. Crosses - Charms & Pendants Pacific Northwest Candle Making: Waxes, Dyes, Wicks, Molds, Melters, Fragrances, Books, and Candle Making Kits - all at a Steep Discount! BeadRoom - quality beads here - have fun! Children's Arts & Crafts Furniture finishing for those of you who are do-it-yourselfers, wood finishing products. Fabrics... Wholesale to the public! Paper and Pencil Games resources - directory of Paper and Pencil Games related websites. Art Supplies and Ideas Hey Kids! Do you have a great saying or quote or poem you wrote, or a joke you like a lot, or something your mom or dad says to you that you love or think is funny? See it at KidsQuotes. page. Email your poems and quotes here Oh yeah- each month I'll hold a drawing of all the kids who sent in their "stuff" and the winner EACH MONTH win a FREE PRIZE! So send in your quotes! Hey! New, innovative & FUN design! The ZeBug! Keep your sunscreen (thicker lotion or gel type) and lip balm with you at all times and with easy availability! The ZeBug stores it for you and you can take it anywhere! People love the design and storage versatility! ONLY $2.50 each! Give them out as party favors or gifts for others - get one for everyone in your family! Store other things, too - aspirin, meds, etc. ZeBug attaches easily to so many things! They're COOL! ZeBug is available in these colors: black, white, neon pink, neon green, navy and army green. Order your ZeBug here! Parents- Subscribe NOW to "Specials & Freebies" to keep up with the newest sales and free stuff we find and bring your way! Double ii's Services 303-349-7096 P.O. Box 631746, Highlands Ranch, CO 80163 Email Privacy Policy URL: http://www.doubleii.com/crafts.html Home  About  Newsletter  Privacy Policy  Contact Us   Quality Links What is the name of this Christmas carol? "Jovial yuletide desired for the second person singular or plural by us." The answer is "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" Visit here for MORE Mind Twisters!