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DIY Paper Feathers

DIY Paper Feathers
A few weeks ago I was helping my friend create her hat decoration for the Kentucky Derby party we were going to be attending together. We made over-sized paper flowers in bright pinks and plums and added some huge paper feathers into the mix to finish the over-the-top look. They were so pretty I knew I had to create a post for you on making a smaller version of these simple paper feathers. You can use them for gift toppers, a wedding boutonniere, put a few in a shadow box to hang on your wall, or. . . make a paper feather wreath for your summertime decor. Stay tuned for the wreath post later this week. These feathers are very simple and would make a fun craft project for kids.

Flapping Paper Butterfly I had a baby so I’ve invited some fave guests to take over for me while I spend time with the little guy. Today’s post is from super crafter and cute mom, Amelia of The Homebook. Growing up, I had an aunt who lived in Canada. I made my butterflies into Monarchs, but you could use different materials to create any sort of colorful butterfly. Materials: You’ll need heavy cardstock, 24 gauge wire, silicone rubber bands (I found mine in the hair aisle at Walgreens) needle-nose pliers, scissors, tape, a paintbrush, a black marker, and a white ink pen. Step 1: Measure and cut your wire. Step 2: Find the center of the longer wire. Step 5: Find the center of the shorter wire, and wrap it around the base of the paintbrush. Step 8: Draw the shape of your wings and cut them out. Step 11: Tape each wing to the body of the butterfly. Thanks for the chance to finally figure out how these darned things are made, Melanie! See more awesome from Amelia on The Homebook

Imprinted Easter Eggs Every Easter, as long as I can remember, my Grandma dyed the prettiest leaf and floral imprinted Easter eggs! They were so natural and lovely, but produced with nothing more than an easily concocted natural dyestock and little bits of flora. We lost my Grandma last year and for the first time, Jaydin and I recreated her dye with spanish onion skins, water and a few tablespoons of vinegar. We also purchased a few pair of cheap panty hose and elastic hair bands. We first skinned about 10 spanish onions and placed the skins into a medium sauce pan along with about 4.5 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. We placed our leaf and/or flower petals onto the raw eggs and wrapped them tightly in a small piece of nylon securing both ends with elastic pony tails. We placed all of our eggs into the dye pot and hard boiled them by bringing the pot to a very light simmer on medium heat and lowering the temperature to low then covering them for about 12 minutes.

deepspacesparkle These beautiful, glowing pumpkins have a lot going on: drawing from observations and sequence, primary color mixing, adding highlights, cutting and pasting skills and composition. I have a very strong group of Kinders this year and they did exceptionally well following this multi-step project. Here’s what we did…. Using a black oil pastel and a white sheet of 12″ x 18″ sulphite (76 lb drawing) paper, children looked at a pumpkin and observed the shape, segments and lines of a pumpkin. Using a tray of 3 colors: red, yellow and blue, the children painted the center of their pumpkin yellow. The next class, the children added highlights to their pumpkins. Using the same white chalk, place a black piece of paper on the tables. Cut out leaves and glue beside and over the pumpkin. There are always a few little ones who don’t quite follow the steps exactly…but who cares, right? I love these beautiful pumpkin collages. Share

Ribbon Cupcake These are so fun and easy to make! Tools: A glue gun Scissors (or a ribbon cutter) Materials: Aligator Clip 7/8" Ribbon (cupcake base) 3/8" Ribbon (frosting) small red button (cherry) skinny ribbon (cherry stem, decoration for cake base) Step 1: Cover The Clip Use 3/8" Ribbon in the color of your choosing (it's best to use the same color as your cupcake base) Starting on the inside upper part of the clip, glue the ribbon on and continue up onto the top of the clip, around the part of the clip that you pinch to open, and then to the bottom. Step 2: The Cupcake Base Cut a 2 1/2" piece of the 7/8" ribbon. Using scissors, cut straight across the top of the cupcake base. Cut another piece of the 7/8" ribbon about 2" in length. Step 3: The Frosting! Just like with a real cupcake, the frosting is the best part! I secured it to the right and looped back to left, where I began to bring the loops upward and back to the center. Step 4: Decorating your Cupcake I also made a cherry. Some other suggestions:

deepspacesparkle Lois Ehlert’s book, Snowballs , is yet another inspiring book for elementary school art lessons. Instead of the featured snowmen, I gravitated towards the wonderful birds in birch trees. For those of you who don’t like templates, please don’t feel you must use them for this project. Supplies Colored 9″ x 12′ background paper, black & white oil pastels, 9″ x 12″ watercolor paper, liquid watercolors, table salt, strips of white drawing paper, black tempera paint, cardboard rectangles (cut from tagboard). Making the Bird Making the birch trees Second grade students love Lois Ehlert! This post contains affiliate links Share

Ribbon Princess These are so much easier to make than they appear! Read on for the full tutorial! Cinderella Note: To keep things quick and simple I will be referring to the ribbon widths as "super skinny," "thin," and "wide." I feel like you know what I mean instantly when I say that, as opposed to giving actual widths. You'll Need: thin yellowish gold ribbon thin baby blue ribbon thin cream ribbon thin white ribbon hair clippies (or a headband, magnet, clothespin... whatever) hot glue gun and glue scissors (or heated ribbon knife <--- AMAZING!) Lighter to keep ends from fraying. Head and Hair Start with a thin cream colored ribbon for her head. 1. 5. 9. Body and Dress 1. 5. Insert the bottom of the dress into the chest loop and secure with glue. When attaching to a clip, consider how the clip will be placed into the hair. These are wicked fun to make and you can get really creative with it!

deepspacesparkle Based on the book “Manana Iguana” by Ann Whitford Paul, this adorable collage lesson is perfect for little kinders. Children learn how to draw Tortuga the Turtle as drawn in the picture book and paint a desert background. I do this lesson in three thirty minute classes. Supplies: 12″ x 10″ white paperOil Pastelsscissors and glue sticks12″ x 18″ blue paperTempera paints: brown, white, yellow, light green and dark greenpaint brush and water Drawing “Tortuga” There are some great turtle drawings in this book. Cut out Turtle This step is a challenge for many kinders. Painting the Background This is how I set up for the class. With an oil pastel, the kids drew a straight line across the middle of the page. Putting it all together By now, the kids should have a finished background and a cut-out turtle. The results! Share

'3D' Photo I know you are invited to at least one wedding this summer. Bring your camera. This is a neat way to present a special wedding picture. It's an old paper trick call a tunnel card. I like to frame it in a shadow box and give it to the married couple. You might even get away with not having to buy one of those expensive items on their gift registry. Materials: 4 copies of a photo that has a fore, middle and background. shadowbox frame mat 2 pieces of cardstock glue stick Tools: scissors In this sample, the frame and mat are 8" x 10". Leave one photo as is. Glue the pleated card stock to the back of the mat. You should have a photo that looks like this one. Fairy tale crafts for kids Fairy tales are usually the first formal stories children hear. Kids adore time-tested adventures like Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and Snow White. This natural enchantment with the magic of fairy tales is a wonderful teaching opportunity. Using a single story as a lesson plan can help kids develop a love for reading, writing, art, drama and music. King, Queen and Princess Crafts For this fairy tale craft, you'll need construction paper and/or poster board, tape, markers, crayons, scissors, glue, glitter, scraps of material and crepe paper. Three Little Pigs Craft Some of the materials needed for this craft can be collected during a walk in the yard. Princess and the Pea Craft Kids love this craft based on the fairy tale of the Princess and the Pea, and it's a great way to use scraps of material that are lying around the house. Jack and the Beanstalk Craft More slideshows

Mod Podge I have seen many tutorials on making your own version of Mod Podge that I just had to try it myself. For those of you that don't know what Mod Podge is: It's a glue that is normally used for decoupaging, but a lot of crafters also use it for pretty much everything else, because it attaches on almost every surface giving a sheer finish.The down part of Mod Podge is, is that it's kinda expensive. It's not as expensive to not make me buy it, but for some projects I could use a cheaper version. There are a lot of discussions going around saying that the homemade version is not the same thing as the 'real deal'. This being sad, I still needed a cheap glue that's similar to Mod Podge for my smaller projects. And to finish it of, I made a fun label and gave it my own name;) Want to know how to make my homemade podge? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. All done! Images by lana

Birdhouse and Paper Bird Art Lesson Drawing a birdhouse is easy and satisfying for second graders. By combining some basic shapes, kids create a bird sanctuary complete with their very own feathered friend. This lesson is fairly easy. It only requires two 40-minute sessions, but you could extend it to three classes by adding a more detailed background and more decorations to the bird. Drawing and painting the birdhouse Using an oil pastel, make a dot at the center of the paper near the top. Set out a pre-mixed palette of tempera paints. Paint the roof, birdhouse and stand. Outlining the painting Some days, I just forget my camera. Creating the paper bird Now that the background is done, bring out a tray of colored and printed papers. Second graders make the loveliest birdhouses, don’t you think? Share

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