Craft Corner

“Make Your Own” Fun & Non-Toxic Sidewalk Paint

Move over sidewalk chalk! There’s something just as fun but can be made with ingredients found in the kitchen. Easy to make, costs just $1 for the ingredients and is versatile.

Use it to paint driveway murals, lay out roads for bikes or toy cars, and even decorate sidewalks for holidays. Make a few batches in different colors to create a rainbow of designs.

Oh, and parents, this paint washes off!

Materials ~

• 1/4 cup Cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold Water
• Food Coloring
• Paint Brush

Directions ~

In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water. Stir until blended well. Add in as many food coloring drops as you need to get the desired paint color.

Use a paint brush to make fun designs on your sidewalks and driveways.

To wash the paint off, simply spray the area with water.

Tip: Hey, this paint isn’t just for that concrete or asphalt. Add it to spray bottles and use it to color sand castles and snow sculptures. Fun!

Valentines Friendship Rings

These flashy rings let a kid wear her heart on her finger. Cupid’s Tip: If you make your ring from craft foam, you won’t need a hole punch; simply poke the pipe cleaner through the foam.

Materials

• Scissors
• Craft foam or card stock
• Faux fur fabric (optional)
• White glue
• Small hole punch
• Pipe cleaners
• Faux jewels, buttons, craft foam, shapes
• Marker or pen (optional)

Instructions

Cut a heart shape from craft foam or card stock. If you use fabric, first glue a small piece of the fabric to foam or card stock, allow the glue to dry, then cut out the heart shape.

Unless you’re working with foam (see Cupid’s Tip, above), use a small hole punch to make 2 holes, centered, in the heart. Cut a 4-inch length of pipe cleaner. Bend it in half and push the ends through the holes from front to back as shown.

Place the ring on your child’s finger to measure the size. Twist the pipe cleaner ends together until the ring fits comfortably. Remove the ring and trim and tuck any excess pipe cleaner.

Glue on faux jewels, buttons, craft foam shapes, or other items for decoration. Allow the glue to dry. Use a marker or pen to write a few words on the back of the ring, if you like.

Source Family Fun Magazine

These flashy rings let a kid wear her heart on her finger. Cupid’s Tip: If you make your ring from craft foam, you won’t need a hole punch; simply poke the pipe cleaner through the foam.

Materials

Scissors

Craft foam or card stock

Faux fur fabric (optional)

White glue

Small hole punch

Pipe cleaners

Faux jewels, buttons, craft foam, shapes

Marker or pen (optional)

Instructions

Cut a heart shape from craft foam or card stock. If you use fabric, first glue a small piece of the fabric to foam or card stock, allow the glue to dry, then cut out the heart shape.

Unless you’re working with foam (see Cupid’s Tip, above), use a small hole punch to make 2 holes, centered, in the heart. Cut a 4-inch length of pipe cleaner. Bend it in half and push the ends through the holes from front to back as shown.

Place the ring on your child’s finger to measure the size. Twist the pipe cleaner ends together until the ring fits comfortably. Remove the ring and trim and tuck any excess pipe cleaner.

Glue on faux jewels, buttons, craft foam shapes, or other items for decoration. Allow the glue to dry. Use a marker or pen to write a few words on the back of the ring, if you like.

Googly Valentine’s Card Holder

The only care these wild mailboxes require is a steady diet of Valentine’s Day cards. Each card holder is made from a solid-color tissue box.

Materials

• Solid-color tissue box
• Glue
• Felt
• Card Stock
• Pipe Cleaners
• Pen1-1/2-inch-wide googly eyes

Directions

Glue soft felt teeth inside the box’s opening and a card-stock heart nose just above. Curl two pipe cleaners into springs by wrapping them around a pen, then glue a 1-1/2-inch-wide googly eye to the end of each spring. Insert the other ends through the box and secure them with tape inside.

Source Family Fun Magazine

Easy Candy Sleigh

Santa’s sleigh is always filled with sweet things. Fill this with your favorite candies.

Materials

• Square tissue or cracker box
• candy canes
• red paint or tape
• candy
• sprig of pine (if desired)

Directions

Cut off and discard the top of the box. Trim the cut edge of the box so that it resembles a sleigh.

Cover the sleigh with red tape or paint, or leave it if you like the pattern already printed on.

Cut holes in the lower corners of the sleigh and insert candy canes “runners.”

Fill the sleigh with candy.

Source Family Fun Magazine

Candy Stick Vase

This simple craft makes a colorful centerpiece for your holiday table or an easy gift your child can create for someone special on her list. This makes a wonderful gift for a teacher. Use Christmas flowers for a full effect.

Materials

• Aluminum Can (soup can)
• Candy
• Double-sided foam mounting tape
• Ribbon
• Plastic Cup

Instructions

To make one, first snugly wrap 3 or 4 rings of double-sided foam mounting tape around a clean, dry, and labelless aluminum can (ours was 15 ounces).

Peel off the tape’s protective covering to expose its second sticky side.

One at a time, attach colorful individually wrapped candy sticks (available at candy shops; we used 26) to the tape, setting them as close together as possible and pressing them firmly in place.

For a festive finish, tie a ribbon around the container. To use the vase for fresh flowers or plants, set a plastic cup inside the can as a liner before adding water.

Source Family Fun Magazine

Holiday Paper Drops

Proof of elegance in simplicity, these graceful paper shapes come together with two snaps of a stapler. These are pretty decorations that can be used for Christmas, New Years, Valentines Day, the possibilities are endless.

Materials

• Colored paper
• Stapler

• Ribbon or gold cord

Instructions

1. ORNAMENT: Cut two 12-inch strips, two 10-inch strips, and one 8 3/4-inch strip. Line them up in this order: 12, 10, 8 3/4, 10, 12, with one set of ends even. Staple this end. Line up the other ends evenly (bending the outer strips as needed) and staple.
2. HEART: Cut two 12-inch strips and two 9 1/2-inch strips. Line them up in this order: 9 1/2, 12, 12, 9 1/2, with one set of ends even. Staple this end. Now bend the unstapled ends into a heart shape, so a small heart lies inside a larger heart. Align the ends and staple together.
3. TEARDROP: Cut two 12-inch strips, two 10 1/2-inch strips, and one 9-inch strip. Line them up in this order: 12, 10 1/2, 9, 10 1/2, 12, with one set of ends even. Staple this end. Next, make a crease 1 inch from the unstapled ends of the 12- and 10 1/2-inch strips. Finally, align the ends of all the strips and staple them together.
4. Use the completed shapes to dress up a window or spin in midair from a light fixture or a ribbon. To hang each, knot the end of the gold cord and place it between the loose strips of paper at the top. Staple it all together.

Grocery Bag Gingerbread Kids

Here’s a sweet way to recycle those unattractive grocery bags. These can be made into garland or cut out separately for cute little gingerbread boys and girls.

Materials

• Brown paper bag
• Scissors
• Gingerbread cookie cutter
• Pencil

• Markers
• Googly eyes
• Buttons
• Ribbons

Instructions

1.) Cut a strip of paper from a brown bag. Measure the width of a gingerbread cookie cutter, then accordion-fold the bag to match the width of the cookie cutter. Trace the cutter onto the paper, making sure that each of the hands ends on a fold.

2.) Use paper clips to secure the folded bag, then cut along the lines (be careful not to cut through the folds). Unfold the garland and decorate your “family” with markers, googly eyes, buttons, and ribbons. If you like, each folk with a name.

Easy Christmas Choir

Arranged on a windowsill or mantel, this caroling trio is just the prop to spread holiday cheer. These songsters also make a fun addition to the Paper Gingerbread Village.

Materials

• Tempera paint and paintbrushes
• 1 toilet paper tube
• 1 paper towel tube, cut into two different lengths
• Colored paper (for faces and mittens)
• Black marker and pink pencil

• Glue
• Sheet music (from a songbook or gift wrap)
• 3 child’s socks
• String or raffia

Instructions

1. Paint the tubes and set them aside to dry. From the colored paper, cut out oval face shapes and draw on eyes and mouths with the marker. Use the pink pencil to color rosy cheeks. Cut out paper mittens for each caroler too.
2. From the sheet music, trim two small rectangles and fold each in half to resemble a mini songbook. Glue the faces onto the tubes. Then glue a songbook between each pair of mittens and glue the mittens to the tubes.
3. For hats, trim the feet off the socks and discard them. Fold an end of each sock tube into a cuff and stretch it onto a caroler’s head. Tie the hat closed with string or raffia.

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