Tissue Paper Flowers

     For Mother's Day my son gave me the cutest flower. A tissue paper flower just like the ones from the amusement parks we used to visit when I was just a kid. I was so tickled that I put it right into the painted flower vase he made me the year before. I thought what a nice Spring time project to post on my blog. So grab the few supplies below and create your own bouquet for a special person in your life or just for you.

Supplies:

Various colored pieces of tissue paper
Pipe cleaners
Scissors


Step 1:  Cut your pieces of tissue paper about 6" by 10-12"  rectangles. The size can be varied based on how large you want your blooms.

Step 2: Pick and chose various colors that you want and lay them on top of each other evenly. Use about 3 to 4 pieces. Don't be afraid to use various colors. They don't have to match or you can make them all one color. Be creative.

Step 3: Once the colors are piles together in the rectangle shape fold the paper accordion style  like you were making  fan. Please no need to be precise a few random folds that are not creased is just fine.

Step 4: After the folds are made pinch the tissue paper in the center and tie a pipe cleaner around the center being sure to leave enough pipe cleaner for the stem.

Step 5: Then fan out your tissue paper by gently pulling each layer of tissue paper away from each other making the bloom of your flower puff out.


 There you have it, a nostalgic tissue paper flower that will last a long time. My kids and I made a whole bouquet of these and put them in my sons painted vase and it created this fluffy cotton candy cloud bouquet that I proudly display in my kitchen. These are the perfect gift for anyone who may have allergies to real flowers and so easy that you will want to make them to even use as a finishing touch to a wrapped gift. These tissue paper flowers have endless possibilities. So hop to it and Hoppy crafting.

Mother's Day Glass Vase

I know lots of you may be thinking what do I get my mom for Mother's Day? I know I for one really enjoy things my kids make me. So I thought lets make a project for a gift for a mom for Mother's Day. This idea came to me from my son. One year, he made me a vase for Mother's Day and I still use it to this day. So I thought I would share my version of it with all of you.

Supplies:

1. Glass Jar (any size or shape)
2. Paint (Acrylics or enamel paints)
3. Sponges
4. Scissors
5. Paper plates or tinfoil for your palettes
6. Ribbon
7. Hot Glue

Step1: Clean your Glass jar and dry it. Soak it overnight if you need to remove a label.

Step2: Cut out various shapes out of the sponges you bought. I cut out triangles and hearts. It doesn't have to be complex shapes if you don't want them to be.

Step 3: Chose the color paints you want to use on your design and put the colors on your palette.

Step4: Dip your shapes into the paint and sponge them onto the sides of the jar in any design you wish. Let yourself and your kids go wild.

Step5: Once you have a design you really like then if you used acrylic paint you may want to let it dry and spray or paint a lacquer over it to secure the paint onto the glass. If you do not it will chip and wash off. You can find this at most craft stores. If you used enamel paints just let your paint dry and move onto the next step.

Step6: Once you jar is dry pick out what ribbons or bling you want to add to the jar and hot glue them on. Just remember that adding these types of decoration to your jar will limit how well they can be washed. I just rinse out my jar and try not to submerge it in water to preserve the ribbon. The one my son made me has nothing but paint on it and still looks as good as the day he gave it to me. It is all your choice.

     Once all is dry give it wrapped up or with flowers picked from the side of the road to a special mom in your life or even just a special person in your life. This makes a very sweet gift and it can be changed up for any type of person or even any occasion. Maybe it is not for Mother's Day. This could easily be adapted to other holiday's or special occasions if you want to. Again the possibilities are endless. So have fun and Hoppy Crafting. Happy Mother's Day to all.

Pine Cone Bird Feeders

          The adventure this weekend was a mystery. My kids and I made these super easy bird feeders and had a blast making a mess but little did we know it would create a mystery. After hanging our new bird feeders in the front yard tree it only took an hour and one feeder (mind you the whole feeder) went missing. The kids were puzzled and a little upset that something stole their hard work. An hour later another one went missing without a trace. Hummm, what is going on here? Then the thief showed his or herself at the base of the tree. A big fat grey squirrel climbed up the tree cautiously looking around and went on the branch where the final bird feeder hung, pulled up the bird feeder, untied it and ran off with the whole thing. My two children stood with eyes wide open. The mystery had been solved and the kids happily screeched "Let's make more!". So check out the supplies below and create your own mystery/adventure.

Supplies:

1. Large pine cones
2. Peanut butter or for those with allergies use Crisco
3. Bird seed
4. Popsicle sticks for spreading the Crisco/peanut butter (butter knives work too)
5. Paper plates to keep the mess to a minimum or newspaper
6. Twine (string, yarn or ribbon works too)
7. Spoon

Step 1:  Smear the peanut butter/Crisco in the grooves and all over the pine cone until it is fully covered with the Popsicle stick or butter knife.

Step 2:  Spoon birdseed all over the areas covered in the peanut butter/Crisco until all the peanut butter/ Crisco is all covered.

Step 3:  Tie a piece of twine to the end of the pine cone tightly.

Step 4:  Tie the end of the twine to a tree and let hang.


       There you have it, an easy bird and apparently squirrel feeder you can make year round. Have fun and a warning this project can be messy but don't sweat it once it is nice out this is a great outside project to do with the kids. Enjoy and Hoppy Crafting.

Egg Carton Chicks

       

            I saw these cute little eggs made out of egg cartons at a craft show and I thought how can I make these even cooler and more adorable. Then I went to see the movie HOP with my kids and baaaam lets add cute little baby chicks. Who doesn't love a cute baby little fluffy chick. So I suggested it to my older son (my partner in craft crime) and he gave a thumbs up and off we went.

Supplies:

1. Empty egg carton
2. Paint (various colors, I used acrylics but you can use what is around)
3. Pom poms of various sizes and colors
4. Googly eyes
5. Orange pipe cleaner
6. Glue (I used Elmers)
7. Feathers (various colors)
8. Scissors or wire cutters
9. Paint brushes (any small paint brush will do)
10. Water (to clean brushes)

Step 1: Cut out individual egg carton holders making a jagged edge that looks like a cracked egg.

Step 2: Paint outside and inside of egg carton and decorate it as much or as little as you wish. This is were your creativity can fly. Then let dry. A quick tip to make the drying time faster is use your hair dryer to dry the eggs and it cuts your drying time.
 

Step 3: Pick out what color pom poms you want to use for the chick. Making sure to pick out a large one and a smaller one.

Step 4: Cut the pipe cleaner small enough to resemble a beak when folded in have about a an inch long. Then glue it in the center of the smaller of the two pom poms.

Step 5: Glue a googly eye on each side of the beak.

Step 6: Snip the top or the side of a feather and glue to the top of the chicks head or you can omit this step. My son took it to another level and glued feathers on the side for wings on his chick. Use your creative mind and go with it.

Step 7: Lastly glue the smaller pom pom to the larger one and place the chick in the egg.

    You could add glitter or sequins to the egg or even add a bow to the baby chicks head or even a bow tie.The possibilities for this project are only limited by your imagination. So go and have fun with it and your kids will end up with a cute little Easter decoration or even take it up a notch and make a few to use as place card holders for your Easter table. OOOOOh the possibilities. Enjoy and hoppy crafting.

Cute Bunny Mask

 
My kids were so pumped from our last project that they wanted to do more crafts this weekend. So to keep up with the demand I decided to continue my Easter theme projects with an Easter bunny mask. My kids thought that was a great idea and it opened up a whole new opportunity for them to play make believe. Check out the list below for supplies needed.....

Supplies:

1. Scissors
2. Crayons, Markers, or Paint in (various colors)
3. Construction paper in (various colors)
4. Ribbon or string in (various colors)
5. Glue (Elmer's or stick)
6. Tape
7. Plain White Paper Plates
8. Pipe Cleaners

Step 1: Cut your paper plates in have and cut an upward curve in one half to accommodate your child's nose. Then cut out two eyes and two small holes on either side of the mask. Be sure to try the mask your child's face to place the eyes in the right spot so your little one can see. Please see photo below.

Step 2: Color or paint the mask however your little artist's heart desires. I chose to use crayons because it seemed less messy.

Step 3: Using construction paper cut out bunny ear shapes in whatever color you wish and color in the center part of the ear. Remember let your little one cut out whatever shape they want this is a great project to let their creative minds work.

Step 4: Glue the ear shapes to the top of your mask using tape to reinforce the glue until it dries. I only suggest this because I know how excited kids can get when they make something and want to try it on right away and the tape will allow them to do that with out ruining their hard work.

Step 5: Next cut out medium sized circles for the cheeks and poke four holes in them for the pipe cleaners.

Step 6: Next choose the color pipe cleaners you want making sure to pick four pipe cleaners. Then bend them in half and put them through the holes of the oval shape you cut out for your bunnies whiskers.

Step 7: Glue then tape your checks on either side of your mask.

Step 8: Next cut a triangle out for the nose of your bunny and glue it right between the eye holes.

Step 9: Lastly cut an tie ribbon on either side of the mask. Making sure the string or ribbon is long enough o tie around your child's head.

There you have it a cute bunny mask for your children to wear. My youngest one loved it so much he ask to wear it to school the next day. Cutest thing I have ever seen. He started my day off with a smile and I am sure he was the hit of his class. Sometimes the simplest things are the best things. So go ahead and hop to it. Enjoy and Hoppy Crafting.

How To Get Crafting and Organize It All

It is spring and if any of you are anything like me you really like to get organized. I have the fever......spring fever and when I go into my closet for all my craft stuff I realize I need to get rid of stuff and organize it all, but I have been collecting for years so I have a lot of purging to do. If you are just starting to craft all of it may seem very overwhelming. You may ask yourself where do I go to get supplies? Where do I put it all? What do I get? How do I get started? These are all tough questions but I have the answers.

Number one rule of starting to craft is you need a spot to craft. It does not need to be a whole room, I wish but not necessary. I use my kitchen table for a lot of my crafts.

Next you need to get some sort of storage container. You can use a tote bag, a plastic tote container, a backpack, a basket or just about every craft store like JoAnne's Fabric carries dividable containers for all those little odds and ends.

Then you need a place to store it all. I use a section of my closet and some stuff I store in the basement. You can use a spare closet, a spare room, the basement, under your bed or just about anywhere you can find space.

Next you need supplies..... I am going to list a few essential items that every crafter should have in their crafters containers

1. Glue (Elmer's, glue sticks, and hot glue)
2. Multi-purpose scissors
3. Assorted paper in all colors
4. Assorted paints (Start with the primary colors of Red,  Blue, Yellow, and Black and White)
5. Remnant ribbons and string
6. Pompoms
7. Pipe cleaners
8. Google eyes
9. Assorted Feathers
10. Assorted Paint brushes
11. Assorted Pencils and Markers
12. Remnant assorted fabrics
13. Various stickers (Felt, foam and basic stickers)

That list should get you started and you can build from there. Just remember don't collect too much without keeping it organized and make sure you have a plan for what you collect or else it will just sit there and collect dust.

Finally where do you get all these supplies? Well there are several stores you can check out and remember go to the clearance section first there are some great deals there. Check out stores like Walmart, Jo-Anne's Fabric, Craft Mania, A.C. Moore, Micheal's as well as several on line sites. Sometimes you can find random deals at stores you would not even think of like Rite Aid or CVS just keep your crafter eyes on wherever you go and a deal could be where you least expect it.

There you have it. Once you follow these steps crafting is just a blog away. Remember have fun and always have your eye open for the next great idea. Hoppy Crafting:)

Easter Tree Decoration

This weekend with Easter approaching I decided to try an Easter project with my kids. I have a 4 year old and an 8 year old so I had to create a project that would appeal to both. I came up with the Easter Egg Advent Tree. It was a fun project that kept my kids attention for a good afternoon. So read on and join in our adventure.....

Supplies needed for the project:

1. Plastic Easter eggs in various colors (I used 24 rainbow colored eggs that I bought at Walmart for around $2.00 for 42 eggs........I will save the rest for a future project.)
2. Ribbon ( I used green curly ribbon that i had around the house)
3. Stickers ( I used felt stickers and various other stickers I had around the house)
4. Various size sticks and branches ( I found some outside my house in the yard)
5. A Styrofoam disk large enough to fit snugly in your container that you choose ( I used a 115/16 in x 37/8 in disk that I bought at walmart in the floral section for $1.50)
6. A clay flower pot (I used a 6 inch on I had around the house)
7. Easter grass ( I used green child and animal friendly kind that is available at most stores for .97 a bag)
8. Scissors
9. Candy or some sort of treat to go inside the egg.

Once I decide to start a project I lay out all my supplies and brain storm. This step helps me process what I have and makes sure I have what I need. It may help you too. Especially if you have a lot of supplies...

Step 1:  I had my kids pick the eggs they wanted and had them decorate them with various stickers of their choosing. You may want to encourage your kids to not cover the holes in the eggs or the crack in the eggs with the stickers because you will need these open for later steps. (My kids covered most of the cracks and holes so I just slit them back open later)

Step 2: Once the eggs are decorated or while the kids are decorating the eggs cut the curling ribbon about 6-12 inches long and push the ribbon through the bottom of the egg and tie a double knot. See image below for a visual.

Step 3: Once the eggs are threaded add whatever treats you want to put in your eggs. I used chocolate and of course the constant begging of my kids and my weakness of chocolate prevailed and we all had a chocolate or two but try to keep the snacking to a minimum. If chocolates is not your thing or your children have allergies or special diets use stickers or small toys that usually go into kids goody bags at parties or better yet money works wonders........I mean who wouldn't want a money tree;0)

Step 4: Once the eggs are filled and closed shut it is time to make your tree. Put the Styrofoam in the bottom of your container and push down until it is snug. I f you want a little more stability you can use hot glue but mine worked just fine without it. If the container you are using is lightweight then you may want to put rocks in the bottom before adding your Styrofoam to keep your tree stable.

Step 5: Next place your branches in various places around your Styrofoam until it resembles a small bare tree. See image below for a visual.

Step 6: Next hang your eggs in varying levels all around your tree branches and using the edge of your scissors curling the ribbon left over for a finishing touch.

Step 7: Lastly put the Easter grass all along the base of the tree to cover up the Styrofoam and voila a truly sweet advent Easter tree for all to enjoy.

Variations: Now some people may not want it to be filled with treats and alone the tree is a wonderful decoration or even a centerpiece for an Easter meal. Maybe you could even snip off the eggs and give them to guests as they leave your house after a filling Easter meal. Best of all the supplies could be varied.....for example you could use any kind of ribbon, any type of container or maybe you want to paint your eggs whatever you want to experiment with try it and if it works for you great post it I would love to know but whatever you try don't be afraid to experiment sometimes they best things come from just playing around. So hop to it and hoppy crafting.