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.