Crafts by Amanda

Cookie Monster and Elmo Hats

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:53:00 +0000

I have been meaning to make these for weeks. One of my boys had asked for a Cookie Monster hat for his birthday back at the beginning of June. I wasn't able to get him one, but swore I would make one, eventually. When picking up the blue hat at the craft store, they had them on sale, 50% off. Originally they were $1.99, which is a steal in its own right, but with the discount now only $1.00, so I grabbed a red one too :) Oh and incidentally, Lids sells these Sesame Street hats for $25 ($12.99 at Amazon, go figure!), mine cost $1.00 each plus my time.

Oh, and in case you are wondering why you are seeing the back of my two boys instead of the front... the older one is now 13. See, his friends razzed him when they googled his name. Since I've been on the internet for such a long time, and because I've been making crafts equally as long and used to publish them on FamilyCorner.com (my old website) they found a picture... of him... and his brother... in a bubble bath.

LOL

They were LITTLE! Jeez, only 2 and 3 years old at the time, the craft was a bubble frame (sure! go look, it's cute! I'll wait...). Ha ha! Took me forever to convince him to let me get a picture of him wearing the hat, and then he would only agree to the back. LMAO!

So back to the hats. :) I basically just found some images on google of Cookie Monster hats and Elmo hats (there are other Sesame Street characters too) and drew the pattern using the picture as a guide.

I did make my Cookie Monster mouth look a little different than the image. It would be fun to tell you I did that on purpose, but I didn't. I just hosed it up. But it looks ok anyway. :)

See the picture I used showed the hat at angle, stupid, I know, instead of an overhead shot. So needless to say, it didn't come out perfect, but I'm happy with them, and so are the boys.

Currently, both hats are in my daughter's room. She stole them when the boys were at football practice.

Oh and one last note here, if you don't have fabric paint, get yourself some textile medium. You mix it with your acrylic paints and you have instant fabric paint. :)

First I cut the mouth pattern out and placed it over the bill of the hat. I used a pen and traced around the pattern lightly.

Then I used a liner brush with black paint to outline the mouth, then filled it all in with a thicker paintbrush.

Next I used a round sponge applicator to add the eyes. I twirled and swirled and pressed the paint on, turning and swirling to make the circle larger. You have to let the white dry all the way before moving on.

I used the round applicator to add Elmo's nose, a small round sponge applicator for the blacks of the eyes, and a liner brush to outline the eyes and nose. That was the hardest part. But you can touch up the mistakes with more paint. I did. :)

That's it! Then just let them dry before you wear them!

More from me you might like:
Frog Baseball Hat
Ladybug Baseball Hat
Homework Before Play Sign

More cool stuff from the interwebs:
Crocheted Sesame Street Hats - from Girl in Air
Cookie Monster Hat - from Parking at Home
Elmo Hat pattern - from Because Mommy Said So

Safety Pin Bracelet

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 13:55:00 +0000

My daughter came to me one day and said she saw these really cool bracelets made from safety pins and beads. As luck would have it, I had just seen one as well so I promised to make her one. She wanted one made with smaller pins than the one she had seen, so I bought 3/4" safety pins for mine.

Notes: Make sure you do the glue step, don't skip it. I was walking through WalMart and felt something poking me. I discovered that two pins on my bracelet had come open, all the beads had fallen off, and then were stabbing me as I walked. Also, made sure you get cord that will fit properly through the safety pin head and bottom. I used elastic beading cord.

Hint: When working with small pins and beads like these, be patient. Dipping the ends of the pins in glue would be rather difficult while holding the beads on, so use a toothpick to add a dot instead.

Safety Pin Bracelet
printable version

3/4" safety pins
Elastic beading cord
Seed beads
White craft glue
Toothpick

Put some glue on a paper plate, about the size of a quarter.

Open a safety pin and thread as many seed beads on as you can, leaving enough room to close the pin. Dip toothpick into the glue and use it to add a dot of glue to the end of the pin, then fasten. Continue this process until you have enough pins for your bracelet.

Cut two pieces of elastic beading cord, about 12" long each. Line them up evenly and loosely tie together at the end. This is just temporary so that your pins don't fall off the other end as you thread them on.

Thread one of the cords through the head of a pin, then the other cord through the bottom of the pin. To ad the second pin, reverse it, so that your pins alternate, top, bottom, top, bottom. Be sure that the beads are all on the same side as you work or you'll end up taking a bunch of pins off and starting over (trust me on this ha ha!).

When you have enough pins to create your bracelet, remove the knot from the tied end. Bring the bracelet together to create a circle.

Tie the top cords together and the bottom cords together. Trim all but about two inches off the cords. Tuck remaining cord into the underside of the pins and add a little bit of glue. Let dry.

More you might like from me:
Make Tie Dye Wall Letters
Ladybug Baseball Hat
Decoupage Light Bulb Birds

More cool stuff from the interwebs:
Pony Bead Safety Pin Bracelet - from Making Friends
Making Beaded Safety Pins - from Family Crafts at About.com
Safety Pin Belt - from ...love Maegan

Back to School: Homework Before Play Sign

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 01:40:00 +0000

I know, back to school! It's not even the end of July, but I've already started buying school supplies so that the financial hardship that it brings isn't so "all at once". I'm not really ready to start making back to school crafts, but I thought I would share this fun sign I made a few years ago. The idea is to hang this on the front door. When the sign says "doing homework" friends will know to come back later.

You see I actually had a deep need for this sign a while back. My kids' friends would come and knock on the door looking for my boys. The most common answers I gave were "they are doing homework" or "they are outside playing". This sign was a big help in answering that question for me!

Sorry I don't have any step by step photos, but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask :)

Homework Before Play Sign
printable version

What you need

shirt shaped paper mache sign*
Liquitex Basics Gesso
black craft pen
medium flat brush
large scruffy paint brush
acrylic sealer spray, matte

acrylic paint:
red
yellow
white

What you do

Paint the entire sign with one coat of Gesso. If you don't have Gesso, you can find it in the art department of any craft supply or hobby store. Alternatively, you can use a coat of white acrylic paint. Allow to dry completely.

Paint entire sign with yellow acrylic paint. Let dry and repeat with a second coat.

The stripes do not require a pattern, uneven lines add to the character of this project. After yellow paint has dried, use a medium flat brush to paint on wide red stripes, starting at the bottom of the shirt and working your way upward. Paint a red collar band and sleeve bands on as well. Repeat on the other side. Let dry completely.

Before this step, be certain that the red paint is completely dry or the white will turn pink. Use a large scruffy brush to dab on a white oval in the center of the shirt. Let dry and repeat. Let second coat dry completely.

Use a black craft pen to write "outside playing" on one side and "doing homework" on the other side. Spray both side with acrylic sealer spray and let dry overnight. Hang!

To use: Simply hang on your child's door, or on your front door. Have your child flip the sign to the approriate side when needed.

* I purchased my shirt sign at Michael's Craft Store.

More from me you might like:
Paper Bag Scarecrow
Tin Can Frankenstein
Football Crafts

More from the interwebs:
Locker Magnets from MakingFriends.com
Pom Pom Flowered Desk Caddy - from FreeKidsCrafts.com
Desktop Supply Box (by me) on Kaboose

Water Bottle Octopus (or Squid)

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 23:58:00 +0000

Aww, isn't she cute? Your kids can make this fun octopus (or squid, whatever you want to call her) from an empty plastic water bottle! Little ones will probably need help with the scissors, but older kids should be able to make this sea creature all by themselves. Not only is this a fun rainy day project, it's green too! So recycle those water bottles into fun ocean animals.

Water Bottle Octopus
printable version

You will need

1 empty water bottle
scissors
pink paint
1/2 sheet pink felt
instant grab glue
2 large wiggle eyes
Markers (pink and maroon or red)

What you do

Cut off the bottom of the water bottle.

Don't throw it in the garbage. You can either recycle it or save it to use in another craft project.

Paint the water bottle pink and let it dry.

When the paint has dried, use scissors to cut strips in the bottle. Start at the bottom and go up to about 3 inches from the top, just leave enough room for the head.

Cut a strip of pink felt to cover the top of the bottle and glue it in place. By the way, you should have saved the lid too, for another project. ;) Always save your lids, they are great in a pinch and don't take up much space!

Cut a long strip, about an inch in width, from the remaining pink felt. Tie that strip into a bow. Trim the ends and glue that to the front of the pink strip around the mouth of the bottle.

Now just glue on some eyes and use markers to draw on some lips and cheeks! Done!

Oh, you can hang her by adding some yarn to the top of the bottle. :)

Here's more from me you might like:

Paper Plate Owl
Frog Baseball Hat
Cardboard Tube Giraffe
Recycled Ladybug Jar

Here's some fun stuff from the interwebs:

Handprint Octopus - from FreeKidsCrafts.com
Fish and Sea Creature Craft Projects - from Family Crafts at About.com
Yarn Octopus - from Kaboose (oh hey, look, I made that!) ;)
Egg Carton Octopus - from Family Crafts at About.com

Gone Swimming Beach Plaque

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:50:00 +0000

This was something I made a few years ago after a trip to the beach. Many people decorate their bathrooms in a nautical or beach theme, so this is a great addition to that decor. If you don't have any shells you've collected, you can buy them at the craft store. I hung mine on the wall and it looked lovely.

Unfortunately, it didn't survive my last move, so I guess I'll need to make another one. What a shame, it would have gone great in my current bathroom! :( Also, because I did make this several years ago, I'm afraid I don't have step by step photos, but the instructions should be clear enough. :)

Gone Swimming Beach Plaque
printable version

What You Need

oval paper mache hanging plaque
acrylic paint, antique white
acrylic paint, tan
black craft pen or Sharpie pen
assorted sea shells and starfish
sand
1 large starfish
scruffy paintbrush
flat paintbrush
hot glue gun
white craft glue
water
acrylic sealer spray, matte

What you do

Using the flat brush, paint plaque with antique white. Repeat with a second coat and let dry.

Hot glue the large starfish to the left side of the plaque, and glue the seashells and remaining starfish around the right side and bottom of the plaque. Refer to photo for placement. Pull excess strings off left over from hot glue.

In the center of the plaque, use black craft pen to write "gone swimming".

Mix together a nickel size amount of white craft glue and a little water, just enough to thin the glue out and make it "paintable". Using the flat brush, paint on the glue mixture wherever you would like the sand to stick. This must be done in about 3-4 sections so that the glue doesn't dry before you add the sand. Start at the top of the plaque and work your way to the left, painting the glue mixture around the large starfish. Pour sand over the glue, let sit for a moment, then tap off the excess. Repeat this process around the shells and other starfish, wiping off any glue that may get on the tops of the starfish or shells (before adding the sand).

Dip scruffy brush into tan paint and dab off all excess onto a paper towel. Paint brush should be almost dry. Add tan touches around the words and along the edges of the sand.

Spray entire surface with acrylic sealer and allow to dry completely. Hang!

Note: Live creatures should never be removed from their natural habitat. Only collect shells that are empty and starfish that have expired. You can also purchase everything you need for this craft (including decorative sand) from your local craft supply store.

Stumbles, shares, tweets and faves are always appreciated! :)

Milk Glass Cake Plate (a DIY project)

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 01:29:00 +0000

I think milk glass is one of the prettiest things on the planet. I don't entertain much, so I don't need lovely items to show off my food to guests too often, but because of my food blog, Amanda's Cookin', I need these type of lovelies for food props!

I've wanted a milk glass cake plate for a long time. I've been scouring thrift stores and antique shops, looking for just the right one. I've found a few in my travels, but they really weren't what I was looking for, and I wasn't willing to pay between $75 and $100 to get what I wanted.

I'm sure you've seen the posts around the internet, people making cupcake stands and candle pedestals out of plates and candlestick holders. Well I did something similar. I came across a milk glass plate in one of my favorite thrifty antique stores that was perfect for a cake. It measured 10" across, not counting the decorative border, and the best part was that the plate itself was flat. There was no dip in the center like you find on a typical dinner plate.

Now all I needed was a stand. There were plenty of milk glass candlesticks in several heights and sizes, but none that seemed wide enough to hold the plate, especially with a cake on top. So I kept looking around, and then I found it. A pretty little milk glass candy dish.

I removed the lid from the dish, turned the dish upside down, and placed the cake on top. Perfect!

The woman who runs the store was overly impressed by my ingenuity, and complimented me several times on being able to see a cake plate from these two items. He he. If she only knew what my mind sees from anything my kids want to throw in the garbage!

All I did was turn the plate over, find the center and make a mark. Then, with a little help from Gorilla Glue and a stack of cookbooks to create the bond the glue needs, I was able to create my beloved milk glass cake plate.

If you haven't used Gorilla Glue before and are not sure what I meant above, here's the deal. Gorilla Glue requires a bond because as the glue begins to work, it expands. If there were no bond, the glue would expand, pushing the two surfaces apart. A bond, whether it be that the two surfaces being glued together are clamped into a vice, or they are held together by the weight of several awesome cookbooks, must be in place for this to work. See the white foamy looking stuff? That's the expanded glue.

The cost?

$15 -- the plate
$6 -- the candy dish

$21.00 - I can live with that :)

Here's the first cake I displayed on my plate - Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake (I know, right?!) and then I made my own concoction from some mulberries I picked from my own tree, and that I call Vanilla Bean Mulberry Cake. :)

Stumbles, shares and faves are always appreciated! :)

4th of July Luminaries

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 02:20:00 +0000

I made these luminaries today to celebrate the 4th of July. These would work great for Memorial Day and Patriot's Day as well, or just any time you want to show your patriotic spirit. I'll be displaying them on my Independence Day table and will light them up as we sit around the campfire. They will make a great addition to your patio or deck!

You could use any type of glass jar that you want. I used these 4 canning jars I had left over from making homemade cherry pie filling. Mmm! I'm a little late on the holiday band wagon, but I fit them in when I can! Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th!

My notes: I got "lucky" enough to get a batch of crappy red paint. How I managed to pick that bottle out of all the bottles on the shelf I will never know. However, since I did grab a bottle of bad paint, that caused the paint to peel up with the Contact paper (didn't happen with the other colors, and I've had trouble with this paint on other projects too, booooo hiss!), and so that's where the idea came from to use the glitter glue. It was a cover up job! ;)

4th of July Luminaries
printable version

What you need

Glass jars
Red, white and blue acrylic paint
White piece of paper
Black Sharpie
Contact paper
Paintbrush
Clear gloss sealer spray
Twine

What you do

Draw a star on a piece of paper. Place the drawing underneath a piece of Contact paper. Trace the star onto the Contact paper, one for each jar.

Cut the star out and peel off the backing. Place the star onto the jar and press to make sure that there are no air bubbles and that all corners are pressed down.

Paint jar with one coat of acrylic paint and let dry completely.

Make sure the paint is dry before peeling the contact paper off. Pipe glitter glue around the star and let dry several hours. Spray with gloss sealer and let dry. Give the jar two more coats of sealer spray, allowing it to dry for 20 minutes between coats. Tie twine around the rim of each jar.

Variations: Use thin strips of Contact paper to create stripes, or small squares on your jar. Another option is to coat your jar with white glitter glue before spraying with sealer. I did 4 stars on one jar, stripes on another, and little squares on another.

More from me you might like:
Fireworks Coffee Filter Flowers
Americana Painted Jars
Halloween Painted Jar Luminaries
Ghost Luminaries for Halloween

Some ideas I like from the interwebs:
Patriotic Water Bracelets - from FamilyCorner.com
Fourth of July Finger Puppets - from Craft Jr.
Patriotic Summer Fan - from Making Friends
Independence Day Crafts on About.com

Americana Painted Jars

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:13:00 +0000

With the 4th of July right around the corner, I felt it only fitting to share some of my designs from a few years back. These were from the days of my craft store, the days when I sold everything I made, never once thinking I should keep some. So alas, I don't have any of these jars anymore, but these are all the different designs that I had created. I wish I had kept some!

Unfortunately, I don't have patterns anymore, but if someone really, truly wanted one, I'm sure I could draw it for you. Problem is, I don't think I could figure out the colors I used or give you specific directions anymore. However, if you are family with tole painting and know how to float and shade, and if you really want to make one, they should be fairly easy to duplicate.

Just wanted to share since I really haven't had time to make anything new for the 4th of July this year due to work constraints. Thanks for letting me share these with you!

Some of these I made in honor of 9-11 as well. They aren't pictured here, but are similar to the dark blue "god bless the usa" jar above, but instead they said "we will never forget". The one with the pink heart was a custom order for a friend of mine.

Hope you liked them, thanks for letting me share them with you! Hope you have a marvelous 4th of July holiday!

Be sure to stop by Amanda's Cookin' to find some great recipes for this weekend.

4th of July: Coffee Filter Flowers

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 13:46:00 +0000

When I originally made these for the July 4th craft section on my old site, FamilyCorner, a couple of years ago, my initial intention was to make coffee filter fireworks and attach them to paper or poster board. But as I was making them, the thought came to me that these would be even better as a 4th of July or picnic table centerpiece, a great kid's craft, and so the fireworks flowers were born. Because it was a while ago that these were made, I'm afraid I don't have any step by step photos. They're pretty easy though, so the tutorial below should get you though them without a problem. Have a great 4th!

4th of July: Coffee Filter Flowers

printable version

What you need

basket coffee filters

chenille stems (red, white, blue, gold and/or silver)

red and blue watercolor paint

paintbrush

scissors

2 pieces of paper towel or a kitchen towel

What you do

Place one of the coffee filters onto the paper plate and flatten out.

Paint the coffee filter with water color paint. Paint some solid red, some solid blue and others a combination of blue and red, leaving some areas unpainted.

Move the coffee filter to the towel and lay flat to dry. Repeat with the second coffee filter.

Leaving the center of the filter in tact, cut the coffee filter in strips, working you way around the circle.

Cut a 1.5" piece off of one end of a chenille stem and set aside.

Take the longer piece of chenille and poke it through the center of the coffee filter. There should be about 2" of chenille poked through.

Turn the entire thing upside down and grasp the filter with your fingers. Gather it around the chenille and secure it by wrapping the extra piece of chenille stem that you cut off in an earlier step. Twist it around the part you are holding and turn the flower back upright.

Manipulate with your finger until strips are spread out and it looks the way you want it to.

More from Amanda you might like:

Watermelon Picnic Caddy

Watermelon Cookies

Blackberry Pie Squares

Honeycomb Design Jar

From the interwebs:

Patriotic Water Bracelets - from FamilyCorner.com

Patriotic Tissue Paper Wreath - from Free Kid's Crafts

3-D Fireworks - From Family Crafts at About.com

Patriotic Charm Bracelet - from MakingFriends.com

Patriotic Paper Plate Garland - from Kaboose.com (by me) :)

Paper Plate Owl Craft

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:06:00 +0000

Owl crafts are just too cute to resist. This super easy owl craft is great for young children, even the youngest of little ones can help if a grown up cuts out the pieces for them! Make this fun paper plate owl with your kids today.

Paper Plate Owl
designed by Amanda Formaro

printable version

You will need

2 paper plates
brown craft paint
paintbrush or sponge
construction paper: yellow, white, black, and orange
glue stick
scissors
owl patterns

What you do

Paint the paper plates brown and let dry.

Trace the patterns onto the construction paper as follows:

2 large circles - yellow
2 medium circles - white
2 small circles - white
1 triangle - orange

Cut out the patterns. Glue the white circle to the center o the yellow circle, then glue the black circle to the center of the white circle. Repeat.

Cut one of the paper plates in half for the wings. Trim the top of the remaining paper plate to form two ears at the top.

Glue the eyes to the front of the plate and glue the beak directly below the eyes. Glue the wings to the back of the body plate.

You can tape a piece of yarn to the back to create a hanger if you wish.

More you might like:
Paper Plate Ladybugs
Paper Bag Scarecrow
Cardboard Tube Giraffe
Plastic Lid Ladybugs

More from other sites:
Owl crafts from Family Crafts at About.com
Paper Bowl Turtle - from Free Kid's Crafts
Paper Plate Fish - from MakingFriends.com

Dad Rocks Paperweight: Father's Day Craft

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:20:00 +0000

If you are looking for a last minute Father's Day gift your kids can make, this is it! It's fun to make, uses very few supplies, and there's a very high probability you already have everything on hand to make this. Send the kids out in the yard to gather some small pebbles, or if you have pea gravel that's perfect! Pull out some salt, flour and water and you are ready to make this great Father's Day gift dad will cherish.

Dad Rocks Salt Dough Paperweight
printable version

What You Need

1/4 cup salt
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup water
bowl
cookie sheet
1/2 cup pea gravel

What you do

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Mix flour, salt and water together in a bowl. If dough is too sticky add small amounts of flour until it is doughy and pliable. Be careful not to add too much as the dough will dry out and your creation will crack.

Shape a piece of the dough into a ball in your hands. Place the ball on the cookie sheet and flatten to about 1/2" thickness.

Carefully select pieces of pea gravel to spell out "DAD ROCKS". Press them firmly but gently into the salt dough.

Bake your paperweight for 2-2.5 hours until completely dry.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before handling or removing from cookie sheet.

Optional: You can spray your creation with acrylic sealer or paint it with a clear coat sealer.

You might also like:
How to Make a Duct Tape Wallet
Quick Orange Rolls - from my cooking blog, a great breakfast for dad!

From other sites:
CD Photo Frame - from FamilyCorner.com
Trophy For Dad - my project from Kaboose
Vinyl Record Coasters - from I Love to Create

Frog Baseball Hat

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:57:00 +0000

Most of you already know about my love for ladybug crafts, but I haven't told you that I adore frogs almost as much. Last week, when I posted my ladybug baseball hat, I received lots of marvelous comments, but a few stuck out to me. Those were the ones saying they couldn't get their boys to wear that hat. So, I figured I would make a hat that the boys would love too!

I even got Dominic to model it for me! What a sport :)

Frogs are so cute, but honestly, other than the tree frog painted jar I made several years ago, I've made no other frogs! It's high time to change that I think, so don't be surprised if I post more frog projects in the future. :)

Frog Baseball Hat
printable version

You will need

green baseball hat
acrylic paint: black, white, spring green, foliage green
textile medium
round stencil sponges
black Sharpie marker
toothpick
3"x1" piece of red felt
instant grab glue

What you do

The textile medium will turn your acrylic paint into fabric paint. So if you ever need to wash your hat, you can. However, keep in mind that the tongue probably won't survive and you may need to create a new one should the need arise to launder it. To mix, use one part texile medium and 2 parts paint.

Dip large round applicator in foliage green paint and gently scrape off excess. Press applicator onto hat above the bill, gently turn the applicator in a circular motion to make the circle larger. Do this on both sides for the eyes.

While the green eyes are drying, dip large round applicator into spring green paint. Leave some excess paint on this time, then turn and drag the applicator across the hat in random places.

Use large round applicator dipped in white paint and dot two eyes onto the foliage green circles. When the white is dry, use a smaller round applicator dipped in black paint to dot on two pupils.

Use a black Sharpie marker to draw exaggerated eyebrows to look like a frog's bulging eyes.

Dip toothpick in black paint and add the nostrils to the bill.

Cut a forked tongue from red felt and glue to the underside of the bill.

Don't they make a cute couple?? ;)

More you might like:
Ladybug Baseball Hat
Cardboard Tube Giraffe
Plastic Lid Ladybugs

From the internet:
Frog crafts from Family Crafts at About.com
Frog visor from Making Friends
Frog activity themes from ChildFun
Frog hat I made for Kaboose
Crochet frog hat from Sandyfroglegs Designs

Ladybug Baseball Hat

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 02:53:00 +0000

I love ladybug stuff. I should probably rephrase that, I love making ladybug stuff! They're so darn cute, and so easy to make. If there's something round and red, chances are I'll turn it into a ladybug!

I've actually been meaning to make this hat for a couple of months, but you know how that is, things you want to do get pushed aside for things you have to do. So I squeezed it in between things I had to do today. :)

This is a really easy project, and super fun for kids. You can get this done in the morning and wear it in the afternoon!

Ladybug Baseball Hat
printable version

You will need

red baseball cap
black and white acrylic paint
textile medium
round stencil sponges
paintbrush

What you do

Mix one part textile medium and 2 parts black paint in a small dish or paint palette. Dip large round applicator in black paint and gently scrape off excess. Press applicator onto hat, gently turn the applicator in a circular motion if you want to make the circle larger. It's also helpful to do this to smooth out the border of the circle. Repeat this all over the top of the hat.

Use a wide paintbrush to paint the bill of the hat with black paint. Let it dry completely.

Use large round applicator dipped in white paint (mixed with textile medium) and dot two eyes onto the black bill. When the white is dry, use a smaller round applicator to dot on two pupils.

Could that be any easier?? If you liked this, you might also like my recycled ladybug jar, paper plate ladybugs, and my plastic lid ladybugs.

My friend Sherri over at About.com has some more awesome ladybug crafts that are perfect for kids!

Watermelon Picnic Caddy

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sun, 30 May 2010 04:09:00 +0000

Watermelons = summer! Memorial Day is basically the unofficial opening of summer, and this little picnic caddy looks really cute on your holiday table. I actually made this little caddy 4 years ago, and had it up until last year. Then a neighbor's friend saw it and asked about it, so I gave it to her. :)

Sorry I don't have better pictures, but here are the instructions. Hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Watermelon Picnic Caddy
printable version

What you need

paper mache picnic basket
small round brush
medium flat brush
medium scruffy brush
old toothbrush

acrylic paints:
pink
leaf green
black
white
acrylic sealer spray, matte

What you do

Remove lid and paint it leaf green. Set aside to dry.

Using the flat brush, paint outside of picnic caddy pink. Paint the handles black. Paint the inside rim (where the lid rests) leaf green. Repeat all (including lid) with a second coat and let dry.

Use the round brush to dab on the watermelon seeds in various places on the outside of the box. Let dry.

Dip scruffy brush into white paint and dab off all excess onto a paper towel. Paint brush should be almost dry. Add white touches to the black handles, the pink rounded corners of the box, and use it in a sweeping motion across the top and sides of the green lid.

Put a small amount of black paint onto a paper plate, about the size of a dime. Add a few drop of water, enough to thin the paint. Using an old toothbrush, pick up some of the thinned black paint. Before applying this method to the box, test it on a piece of newspaper. Flick the bristles of the toothbrush by dragging your finger or thumb across them. This causes the paint to spray off the brush onto your "target", in this case, the newspaper. Once you are happy with the result, flick the paint all over the pink outer coat on the box and the green lid. Spray entire surface with acrylic sealer and allow to dry completely.

Try my Watermelon Cookies too! They are over on my cooking blog, Amanda's Cookin'.

Wall Reveal

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Thu, 27 May 2010 12:36:00 +0000

I've been working on this wall for a few weeks, though I've been wanting to do it since we bought this house over 2 years ago. It's been empty all that time, so it's nice to finally have something to look at! Almost everything on this wall is one of my projects, with the exception of the two little hearts I got thrift shopping, and the lovely jewelry frame I won from the talented Heidi Smith at Budget Wise Home Decorating.

(You can click on each item in the picture to go to each tutorial on this blog. If it's not clickable, there's an explanation below of those items.)

Starting at top left is my clock redo, where I took a round wooden clock I've had sitting around for years and gave it a facelift. I sanded it down, painted, distressed and glazed it. Then below that is my wooden frame redo. I'm particularly happy with this one. I found a plain wooden frame at the thrift store for $3, used an old textured placemat and some seashells to dress up, as well as painting and distressing it.

To the right of those are the hearts I found while thrift shopping. The one that is placed lower on the wall was $0.50 at my favorite thrift store. The one above is actually a large copper heart cookie cutter and it cost me $8.50, I think it was worth it though. See that gorgeous jewelry hanger frame? I won that beauty from Heidi at Budget Wise just for participating in Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie. :) I bought some cheap costume jewelry at the thrift store to hang on it.

Dead center is my mirror redo. I've had this ornate filigree mirror for several years. Bought it off of craigslist and finally got around to painting and distressing it. To the right of that is my black pine cone wreath. Did you know if you soak pine cones in water they'll close up? This can be helpful when creating a pine come wreath. Finally, to the far right is a burlap hanger made from my denim fabric flowers. I simply removed the dowel stems and hot glued them to a strip of burlap fabric and used a black painted dowel to the top with a little burlap for the hanger.

So that's it, that's my wall reveal. Hope you like it :)

Wooden Frame Redo - Framed Seashells

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sun, 23 May 2010 12:38:00 +0000

I've been working on the wall in my dining room, and only need a couple more things to fill the empty spots. I found a nice, solid wooden frame at the thrift store for $3.00 and knew immediately that would be my last large item on the wall. To make this, I used an old placemat that had some stains on it for the canvas and some sea shells and jute string (to cover the stains) for the focal pieces.

I'll be revealing my wall this week. It includes my mirror redo, the black pine cone wreath, my clock redo, and I did something different with my denim fabric flowers too. :) Hope you'll come back to see it!

Here's the before and after

Framed Seashells
printable version

You will need

Large wooden frame
various seashells
jute string
hot glue gun
old placemat or other sturdy fabric
small nails
black spray paint
sand paper
clear glaze

What you'll do

Sand the frame lightly to remove any foreign matter and smooth the surface. Brush off the frame to remove any sand paper dust. Spray paint black, let dry, repeat. When the frame is dry, use sand paper to distress it and spray on some clear glaze, I used a satin finish as I really didn't want it glossy.

As you can see I didn't paint the back of the frame. You can if you want to. Put the placemat on the back of the frame and trim it if necessary. Secure the placemat to the frame with hot glue, stretching it as you work to get a nice taut surface to work on.

Hot glue seashells and starfish randomly onto the surface in whatever fashion looks good to you.

I missed covering a stain, which I originally meant to cover with the largest shell, but after rearranging it never got covered. So I just used some jute string. I hot glue an end to the placemat, then just hot glued around in a spiral. I added a couple more to balance it out visually.

Next I needed to add a hanger. I was out of metal hangers, so instead I used some small nails and a piece of jute to create my own.

That's it! I really like the texture the placemat adds. Hope you like it!

Clock Redo

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Mon, 17 May 2010 01:30:00 +0000

This is a very simple revamp I did of a clock we've actually had for years. Our design tastes have changed over time, and while the clock is still in excellent shape, it just doesn't blend with my decor any longer. A can of black satin spray paint can really work wonders!

This took almost no time at all. There are only a few steps involved. Here's the before:

First, I covered the glass and the brass outer ring with a round piece of craft paper taped in place with painter's tape. I tucked the edges of the tape down into the edge of the brass ring so that I would be sure to get all of the wood when I painted.

Next, I sanded the surface of the wood as there is definitely a finish over the top. Nothing fancy, just a quick sanding all over. Then I sprayed on a couple of coats of black paint and let them dry.

Afterward I distressed it by sanding off the black paint randomly on the edges.

Then I sprayed it with a clear glaze and let it dry.

This clock is part of my wall redo I will be revealing this week, I finally finished it today! :) My black pine cone wreath is also part of the new wall.

Black Pine Cone Wreath

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sat, 15 May 2010 13:07:00 +0000

I wasn't sure if the proper spelling was pine cone or pinecone, so I consulted the dictionary. Pine cone it is. At any rate, I've been meaning to make a pine cone wreath for quite a while. In fact I started on it a couple of weeks ago and was finally able to finish it yesterday. This pine cone wreath is actually part of a wall collage I'm doing in my dining room. I have a great big wonderful wall just begging for something to fill it. The wall collage includes my mirror redo and a wall hanging I made from my denim fabric flowers as well. I hope to reveal the whole thing soon, but I have a few more projects to complete first.

Meanwhile, here's my black pine cone wreath. I bought this wonderful burlap banner roll a couple of months ago, and I think it worked perfectly with the wreath. Hope you like it!

NOTE: I used several different sized pine cones. I had some that were long and slender, and some that were short and fat. When I didn't have enough, I went outside and gathered some smaller ones from a pine tree to use as filler. I read that if you soaked the pine cones in water over night they would close up (which is true), so that you could insert them into the frame, eliminating the use of floral wire. While this did work, it was not a solution for filling the entire frame as the fatter pine cones wouldn't fit into the frame using this method. After the wet pine cones are inserted into the frame, you allow them to dry for several days and they will open back up again, permanently holding them in the wreath frame.

Black Pine Cone Wreath
printable version

You will need
wire wreath
pine cones, assorted sizes
floral wire
hot glue gun
black satin spray paint
clear glaze spray
wide burlap

What you do

There are a couple of ways to attach the pine cones to the wreath frame. You can soak them so that they close up, then insert them in the frame, allow them to dry and they will open up again. This is time consuming, it took mine over a week to dry completely and open back up. You can also attach them with floral wire, which takes a lot less time.

The photo below (sorry, from my cell phone) shows the pine cones closed up after a good soaking in a bucket of water. I inserted them, butt end first, into the frame and left them to dry.

Well over a week later, they were finally dry and had opened back up, see picture below.

I cut lengths of floral wire, about 6-8" long, depending on the size of the pine cone, and inserted the wire into the pine cone's scales. I then gave the wire a twist or two to hold it in place on the pine cone. Then simply start adding pine cones to the frame, twisting the floral wire at the back of the frame to hold the pine cones in place.

I still had quite a few gaps by the time I ran out of pine cones, so I went outside and gathered some small ones to use as filler. You just keep adding pine cones until you are happy with the look.

use your hot glue gun to secure the pine cones to each other. Once it feels sturdy, take it outside and lay it on some newspaper, then spray paint it. I gave it about 2-3 coats of black and 2 coats of clear glaze.

To add the burlap hanger, lay the wreath on the ground and run the burlap banner through the opening in the wreath. You will need a considerable length in order to tie the large bow. I didn't measure, but I would guess that length was a good 4-5 feet. Then just tie a large bow and trim the hanging ends as desired. Hang on the wall!

I'm participating in the following craft carnivals. To see some other awesome projects, be sure to visit them!

Denim Fabric Flowers

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Fri, 07 May 2010 03:11:00 +0000

I have a growing stack of worn out boy's blue jeans just waiting to be repurposed. I've seen quite a variety of different fabric flowers over the last couple of months, so that got me thinking. What a great way to use up some of these old blue jeans!

While I did want some to be classic denim blue, I also wanted to add some fun splashes of color. So I picked up several different colors of Rit and dyed some jeans with yellow, orange, pink, purple, green, and red.

I really didn't have any sort of pattern in mind, I just kind of winged it and made a bunch of different designs. I combined denim with different fabrics, and even threw in some burlap here and there. For a little more fun, I used the netted plastic from onion and shallot bags I had been saving.

I also spray painted some wooden dowels black to use as stems. I think I'll make some more and frame them for the wall redo I am working on.

Is this overkill on the pictures?? I was having a hard time with glare.

So if I didn't already give you way too may pictures to look at, here's an individual shot of each one.

If you like these, I'm curious if you have a favorite? Mine is the one with the white-polka dotted center and the blue jean strips for petals. My 16 year old daughter's favorite is the last individual photo here, the denim with the blue and brown fabric and burlap.

These were all made with my trusty glue gun. I'm not much of a seamstress. Not that I couldn't be, just that I don't have time for another hobby. :( I wish I did! I'd be making all sorts of stuff. :)

I have some step by step photos of one of the flowers, but wasn't sure if a tutorial was needed. If anyone wants one, I can get it posted. :)

I'm participating in the following craft carnivals. To see some other awesome projects, be sure to visit them!

Mirror Redo

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sun, 02 May 2010 20:56:00 +0000

Several years ago I was living in Vegas. In Vegas, Craigslist is like a treasure chest of goodies. People move in and out of the Vegas area all the time, so there's always a ton of things for sale at great prices. During one of those weekend excursions, my husband and I found this huge mirror (32"x 43") that weighs a ton. It has a beautiful beveled edge and the frame is very ornate. I'm sure if you bought this mirror new it would have cost a pretty penny. I believe I paid $15 for it.

Now I have never really liked the gold frame. I've always wanted to do something to it, but the project kept getting put off... until today! I finally pulled it out today, grabbed my spray paint and sand paper, and set to work. This is a very easy project, so if you have something you want to revamp, don't feel intimidated.

So here's the before:

And here's the after:

First thing you want to do is cover the mirror. Ideally, that blue painter's tape works perfectly. I KNOW I have some around here, but of course, because I want it, it's gone. So, instead I covered the mirror with craft paper and used a little masking tape around the edges. I covered the floor with paper (did this in the garage) and laid the mirror in the center.

Next, I spray painted the mirror frame, using sweeping strokes, not holding the spray can in one place so I wouldn't get drips. I continued until all areas were covered, then I let it dry for about an hour or so.

Next, I distressed the edges and some of the bumpy areas of the frame using a regular old piece of sand paper. Once I was happy with the look, I used a large, soft paint brush to sweep away all of the sand paper dust.

Then i sprayed the entire frame with a coat of gloss sealer and let it dry. That's it!

I still need to hang it, but I don't have a sturdy enough picture frame hanger, so that will have to wait. For pictures, I just propped it up on our kitchen table's bench seat. :)

I'm participating in the following craft carnivals. To see some other awesome projects, be sure to visit them!

Decoupage Light Bulb Birds

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:01:00 +0000

I never throw away light bulbs. I always keep them in a container by my craft supplies, waiting for inspiration... like today. Well, last night really.

I was laying in bed, unable to sleep, pondering ideas in my head. I knew I wanted to make birds from a bunch of light bulbs, but it was the method I was mulling over.

I thought about just painting them, like my light bulb snowman, the light bulb penguin, or my light bulb turkey.

I also considered how to embellish them, like when I made my light bulb angel.

I thought about maybe even using paper mache, knowing it would make the bulb strong. But then I'd still have to paint them and I wanted something different.

Then it hit me... decoupage and tissue paper! I have tons of tissue paper. I save it from every birthday and Christmas present, and recently went to a baby shower (remember my love blocks and baby frame?) where I really scored. :)

So today, I pulled out 7 bulbs from my stash and got busy. The basic idea is decoupaging tissue paper onto light bulbs, using feathers, fishing wire and modeling clay to finish them off.

Below is a step by step tutorial. While they aren't exactly what I envisioned, I still think they came out lovely :) I originally thought of something a little more vintage looking, but when I tried the antiquing gel over the tissue paper coating it didn't produce the look I wanted, so I wiped it off and went with the bright colors instead. Hope you like them!

Decoupage Light Bulb Birds
printable version

incandescent light bulbs
white spray paint
tissue paper
white craft glue
water
paintbrush
orange modeling clay (or mix red and yellow like I did)
cardboard egg carton (to use as a stand)
acrylic craft paint: white and black
toothpick
Sharpie markers (I used colors to match my tissue paper for the eyelids)
Clear acrylic spray sealer or glaze
feathers, colors to match your tissue paper
fishing line
scissors
hot glue gun
small silk flowers or leaves (optional)

Spray the bulbs with a coat of white spray paint. It doesn't have to be perfect. It's just to create a white base to decoupage onto so that the dark spots from the screw cap won't be difficult to cover. Allow to dry.

While the paint is dry, roll small pieces of modeling clay between your fingers and create cone shapes.

Tear or cut tissue paper into squares. Mix equal amounts of white craft glue and water to make your decoupage mixture. Use a paintbrush to apply a little decoupage mixture onto the bulb, then pick up a square of tissue paper using the paintbrush (the wet bristles will stick to the tissue paper, picking it up) and gently place it on the wet bulb. Using a light touch, brush the tissue paper with decoupage.

Coat as much of the light bulb as you can, then let dry completely before turning the bulb over to do the other end.

Turn the bulbs over and decoupage the other end. I used about 3 layers of tissue paper, but I basically just kept covering until I was happy with the coverage. Let dry.

Glue the clay beaks to the flat end of the screw caps.

Use the handle end of a paintbrush dipped in white paint to add the eyes.

Alternatively, you can use a Sharpie marker to draw on the eyes. Spray the bulbs with acrylic sealer and let dry.

Tie a long piece of fishing line around the bulb and hot glue in place. Glue feathers on as wings, tail and a little bit on top of the head.

Use toothpick to add the blacks of the eyes and let dry. Then use the other end of the toothpick to dot on a small bit of white to the black. You can also add eyelids using colored Sharpie markers. In some of the birds, insert small plastic leaves or silk flowers into the clay beak.

Hang or create a mobile!

I'm participating in the following craft carnivals. To see some other awesome projects, be sure to visit them!

How to Make a Duct Tape Wallet

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 22:30:00 +0000

There are actually quite a few projects you can make from duct tape, today I'll show you how to make a simple wallet. Duct tape is silver and available at Wal Mart, hardware stores and home supply stores. There's also something called Duck Tape, which is a brand of tape that comes in a variety of fun colors, available from craft supply stores. We actually used a combination of duct tape and Duck tape for our duct tape wallet. This would make an ideal Father's Day gift!

What's really fun about this particular tutorial, is that this wallet was constructed in its entirety by an 11 year old girl. She learned how to make these by following a You Tube video she found. In fact, SHE showed ME how to make it, I just happened to have my camera handy!

The two kids pictured here are Dominic, my 11 year old son, and Cailin, our neighbor, and Dominic's friend since preschool. Cailin has made several wallets, this one is a fairly basic bi-fold with a money pocket and four credit card pockets. She made a tri-fold one for her dad that has six credit card pockets and an ID slot. Way to go Cailin and thanks for your hand in this tutorial. :)

(This is a photo intensive tutorial, but the printable version link will give you the text instructions only.)

Duct Tape Wallet
printable version

You will need

Duct tape of Duck tape, any colors
scissors
gift card or credit card to help measure

What you do

Cut 4 pieces of tape, about 10" long, and lay them on the work surface, sticky side up.

Connect them all together by sticking the top of the second one, to the bottom of the first one, then connect the third to the second and the fourth to the third.

Cut another piece, the same length, and press it sticky side to sticky side, against the bottom strip of tape.

Continue with 3 more strips until you have a solid sheet made of tape. Use scissors to trim the ends.

Fold the sheet in half to resemble a wallet shape.

Fold it in half the other way to create a bi-fold wallet. If it's too large for your liking, you can trim more off the ends now. Don't trim too much, you will need room for credit card slots.

Cut a long strip of tape, about 18 inches long, and place it, sticky side up, on the work surface.

Cut another piece, the same length as the first, and tape it, sticky side down, onto the other piece (sticky to sticky).

Cut another 18" length and tear it in half lengthwise. Set aside one half and use the other half to create a smooth top seam on your long strip of tape.

Use the second half strip to do the other side. Trim the ends.

Using a credit card or gift card as a measuring guide, Cut the length of tape into "credit card pockets", leaving about 1/4" on each side of the card.

Set the card aside and use the first one that you cut to use as a guide and cut three more, for a total of four.

Cut a piece of tape a little bit longer than the length of your wallet. Tear the strip in half and create smooth seams on both sides by taping one side, then flipping it over and folding the tape over to the other side.

With the tape sheet folded in half like a wallet, place the four credit card pockets in place.

Cut a piece of tape about 4" long and tear it in half lengthwise. Press the tape up the center, covering the pockets. Fold the end of the tape over only one layer, you don't want to tape your money pocket shut! Tuck it inside the wallet.

use similar sized pieces to cover the outer edges of the pockets, folding over to secure.

Use scissors to trim the ends.

Put a strip of tape across the bottom to secure the pockets.

Important: You will want to make sure that the back part of the wallet is slightly higher than the front so that when it is folded shut, it will look right.

Make sure you have taped all your edges. If necessary, use scissors to snip any closed tape at the edges of the paper-money pocket.

That's it! You just made a wallet completely out of duct tape (or Duck tape, whichever you chose to use)!

I'm participating in the following craft carnivals. To see some other awesome projects, be sure to visit them!

Cardboard Tube Giraffe

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 01:31:00 +0000

This adorable giraffe is made completely from toilet paper cardboard tubes and some printed felt. You could paint the tubes instead, but I found the printed felt at Hobby Lobby on sale, couldn't pass that up! He's just busy nommin' on my bushes... :)

There's a little story behind this giraffe. This was originally intended for Kaboose, one of my day jobs, but the aim there is to create easy crafts for small children. While I intended this to be easy, it ended up being more complicated than I thought it would. Now really, it's not hard to make, but the big challenge comes in where I can't use dangerous items such as craft knives, hot glue guns, etc. So, getting this giraffe together without a glue gun was almost impossible. I did manage to make it work without a glue gun, but by that time, it had gone from the easy craft in my head, and morphed into just far too many steps for little kids.

There was no way that the white glue was going to hold. There was nothing but thin round edges of cardboard tubes for it to grab, so no go there. That led to me inserting jumbo craft sticks into the body parts in order to keep the pieces together. Even that made for a wobbly giraffe, so instead, I made something easier for Kaboose, and kept this cute little guy for myself. :)

In the instructions below I skip all the craft stick mumbo jumbo, simply because using a glue gun to attach all the body parts works perfectly, eliminating the need for the craft sticks all together.

Wouldn't this be just adorable in a baby nursery?? :)

Cardboard Tube Giraffe
printable version

6 cardboard tubes
2 sheet giraffe print felt
1/2 sheet white felt
2 large wiggle eyes
shipping or masking tape
white craft glue or felt glue
jumbo craft stick
scissors
24" white yarn
hot glue gun

Tape 2 of the tubes together, end to end.

Cover with giraffe print felt using white glue.

Cover 3 of the remaining 4 tubes with giraffe print felt and trim the ends.

Stand 2 of the short tubes up on their ends (legs). You will need to cut a half-circle shaped notch in the top of each one. This is where the body will sit. Save the notched out pieces, you will use them to make the ears.

Cut a similar notch at one end of the long tube. This is where the neck will rest on the body.

Take the last tube and cut about 1/3 off, save for another project. Cover the 2/3 tube with white felt. Cut a notch at one end, this is where the head will attach to the top of the neck. Above where the notch is, cut two slits, about 1/2" long, for the ears. From the notched out giraffe print pieces you have left over, cut two ears and insert them into the slits. Add some glue, set aside to dry.

At the top of the body, above the front leg, cut a slit and insert a jumbo craft stick. This will help keep the neck steady.

Use hot glue to secure all the body pieces together.

Cut white yarn into 3/4" long pieces. Pipe a generous line of white glue along the back of the neck and up between the ears for the forelock. Stand the pieces of yarn up in the glue, they should stay up. If a few fall, just stand them back up again.

Hope you like him as much as I do! :)

If you like jungle themed crafts, or are just looking for something kid friendly, look at this really cute lion's face craft that Sherri from Family Crafts at About.com made! Isn't it adorable? Visit Sherri for the instructions :)

I'm participating in the following craft carnivals. To see some other awesome projects, be sure to visit them!

Recycled Ladybug Jar

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:50:00 +0000

I love ladybugs. :) Ladybug crafts are always cute, they make you smile, and they are easy for kids too. I have a tendency to give everything that's round and red a second look. Could that be turned into some sort of ladybug?? You've probably already seen my plastic lid ladybugs, and my paper plate ladybugs, so it's probably no surprise that I'm posting yet another ladybug project.

My daughter, Kristen, is 16, so making crafts that she'll use or display in her room is a bit trickier than it was, say, 10 years ago! Used to be that anything cutesy was welcomed in with open arms. Now? Not so much. She seems to have the same love of ladybugs that her mom does though, so I knew this would be put to good use. Can you see what's inside the jar? Those are little ladybug shaped thumbtacks I found on clearance at WalMart, cute!

Kristen and I love to make homemade mocha frappacinos, and because of that, we tend to go through quite a few of those little plastic jars of instant coffee. As soon as I saw the empty jar with the red lid, I knew exactly what I was going to turn it into! The only real issue I ran into was some sticky glue from the label that just didn't want to budge. I was able to get it off with Goo Gone, but I scratched the plastic surface using my kitchen scrubber sponge getting the goo off.

So I remedied that by using a simple foam stamp and black paint to add a bug to the scratchy spot.

Recycled Ladybug Jar

printable version

plastic or glass jar with lid
red, black and white acrylic craft paint
paintbrush
bug foam stamp
red polka dot fabric
scissors
sealer spray

Put lid on jar. If the lid is not red, paint it red. I added a thin coat of red to mine because it was a little cloudy looking. Paint a black semicircle at one end of the lid. Use the handle end of the paintbrush dipped in black paint to add different sized spots. Let dry.

While that is drying, paint the surface of your foam stamp with black paint and press it onto the surface of the front of the jar. For mine, since I was using the bug to cover up a boo boo, I made sure that I painted the ladybug head (semicircle) on the lid to line up with the boo boo. Let dry.

use the handle end of the paintbrush dipped in white paint to add eyes. Let dry. Use a small paintbrush, handle end, dipped in black to dot on pupils. Let dry. For the tiny whites on the eyes, you can dip a toothpick in white paint, or use a white paint pen.

Use the handle end of a small paintbrush to add white dots to the back of the stamped bug. Let dry.

Wrap a piece of red polka dot fabric around the jar and tie in a bow, trim the ends. Give everything a quick burst spray of sealer.

I'm participating in the following craft carnivals. To see some other awesome projects, be sure to visit them!

Plastic Lid Ladybugs

amanda@amandascookin.com (Amanda) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 11:48:00 +0000

I've been saving the lids from my milk jugs just to make these little cuties, they make a very simple kid's craft and and fit perfectly in the recycled crafts category! I absolutely love ladybug crafts, you might remember my paper plate ladybugs, or the ladybug rocks I did for Kaboose a few years ago, or the egg carton ladybugs I have on FamilyCorner. I have another ladybug craft I'm working on now and hope to have that posted soon, they are just so cute! :)

In case you're wondering about all the different colored lids, they come from whole milk, 1% milk, buttermilk and juice. Most of you know I'm a baker and post lots and lots of recipes on my cooking blog, so I go through a lot of buttermilk and whole milk.

I didn't take any step by step photos of these as they are so easy, step by steps just aren't necessary. This is a really easy craft for kids, and you only need a few supplies.

Plastic Lid Ladybugs

by Amanda Formaro

printable version

What You Need

plastic lid from milk jug
black acrylic craft paint
2 small wiggle eyes
paintbrush
white craft glue

What You Do

Wash and dry the plastic lid. Paint on the head by using a paintbrush to add an almond shape at one end of the lid.

Use the handle end of a paintbrush dipped in black paint to add the spots. Make some spots larger than others. Let all the paint dry.

Use white craft glue to add the wiggle eyes.

Optional: You could make these into magnets, but you would need to fill the lid with something first. I would recommend using something lightweight, like cardboard. Cut it into circle and glue it inside the cap, then add a magnet.

I'm participating in the following craft carnivals. To see some other awesome projects, be sure to visit them!