crafts
DIY Gifts |
Treasure box
Kids love the idea of stowing away their special treasures in a secret container. Let them make their own treasure boxes to keep all their special little bits and bobs
Print out the template below and cut out. Buy large sheets of sturdy cardboard and trace the template onto the cardboard.
Cut it out and fold the paper carefully along the lines of the template. Use glue to stick the sides together and clothes pegs to hold it in place while the glue is drying.
Buy a few sheets of scrapbooking paper, decorations like buttons or small flat wooden figurines, ribbon, flowers or anything else your kids would like to decorate with and let them have fun making their treasure boxes their own.
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Piggy Bank
Look for medium-sized plastic jars or juice bottles with screw tops. Lay the bottle or jar flat and, make an incision for coins with a craft cutter in the centre of the jar. Cut a piece of pink felt big enough to wrap around the bottle or jar and fits neatly at the ends. Cover the bottle or jar with craft glue, or use double sided tape, and wrap the felt around the bottle, so that the seams are underneath. Use the craft cutter to cut an opening in the felt where the coin slot has been made in the bottle/plastic jar.
Cut a circle of pink cardboard exactly the size of the lid and stick it on with glue. Cut a smaller circle of cardboard for the pigs’ nose and two triangular shapes for its ears. Stick it on with glue and decorate the pig’s face with colouring pencil or koki’s. Lastly, twist a pink pipe cleaner around your finger to make a curly tail and stick it onto the back of the bottle or jar with sticky tape. To take out their savings when full, simply unscrew the top of the bottle/plastic jar.
NOTE: Think of different animal money banks – brown bears or sheep will be a hit with boys.
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Birdie table décor
Search the internet for a bird template or use the ones below.
Print out and let your kids trace them onto hard cardboard and then cut out- to use as a stencil.
On bright cardboard, or scrapbooking paper, get them to cut out however many birds they need. Tissue paper and paper doilies work well for the wings, and beads and ribbon, for decorating.
They can now use the colourful birds to make a special mobile or ‘curtain’ for their bedrooms or use it as table decorations on glasses or hanging from the back of a chair.
Templates:
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Name placemats
Let your kids create their own placemat, using the letters of their names (cut out of paper) or images found in newspapers or magazines. On a 40 x 30 cm piece of cardboard, let them stick, draw, colour or collage. Once their artworks are complete and dry, take them to a stationary shop to laminate.
TIP: Pastel crayons melt when laminating, so if you want to be experimental, create shapes and drawings with them and watch them transform when laminated.
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Easy origami animals
Search the internet for easy origami crafts for kids. Look for origami projects with five or six simple folds, print out the steps and give each child a different project.
Supply large squares of bright paper, colouring pencils or crayons, googly eyes, stickers or sequins, pipe- cleaners and glue to fuel their creativity.
We found some examples here with videos:
Dinosaur: http://video.about.com/familycrafts/Make-an-Origami-Dinosaur.htm
Gold Fish: http://video.about.com/familycrafts/Make-an-Origami-Goldfish.htm
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Glass jar garden
Another great idea with empty Melrose jars – make a terrarium. Place a layer of soil and then a layer of tiny pebbles into empty jars (with wide enough mouths) and plant a small flowering cactus in the middle. (A cactus is a good choice because they need very little water. And because your jar will not have drainage holes, it’s a good idea to use succulent plants.) Replace the lid and package in a pretty box.
Print out this care card to go along with your cactus. There are enough for two gifts per page.
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Lacy Christmas wrapping paper
Unroll a roll of brown or white craft paper. Place a couple of paper doilies onto the paper (make sure there is no draft!) and, using paintbrushes and different coloured paints, dab some paint over the lacy parts of the doilies. Lift the painted doilies and leave the paper to dry. Reposition clean doilies and repeat the process with another colour paint. Leave to dry and roll up. Tie with a ribbon and give the paper as a gift or use to wrap your Christmas presents.
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Sweet jar picture frames
A sweet and inexpensive gift that everyone will love. Find a couple of jars with sides that does not taper (Melrose 400g jars work perfectly!). Measure that flat part of the jar and cut a piece of cardboard or paper to fit inside. Stick a photograph onto the paper and slide into an upside-down jar. Turn the jar over and fill with sweets. Screw on the lid and turn back over.
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When the school holidays come around and the thought of having enough activities to keep the kids busy dawns on you - let them try these. Not only will they occupy their minds, but it will also cut your gift shopping list down.
Most of the activities can be done by the kids themselves - with a little preparation by an older sibling, or yourself Mum.
Potato art gift tags
Choose a colour scheme – Cut large potatoes in half and press cookie cutters in shapes you like into the straight cut fleshy sides.
Using a sharp knife (Mum- you will have to help here), cut away the potato flesh at the sides of the cutter, then remove the cookie cutter.
Apply paint to the potato shapes and press onto handmade or bought paper tags. Leave to dry and punch holes into the tops. Thread a piece of pretty ribbon, cord or string through the holes and package the tags in a pretty gift box or bag. These can be given as a gift, as well as used to add to your own gifts.
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Bacon
What makes the products even more special is they're all made from the real stuff: only A-grade Cheddar and Gouda. Melrose contains the bone-building calcium and protein so essential to growth.
Melrose crumpets
Not only are these recipes tasty, but you can also get the kids to help in making them.
jewellery box
A real out the jar thinker and creative entrepreneur, Katie Thompson's passion is reusing the old and recreate it into something of beauty, to be seen and reused in ways never imagined before.