Tutorial: Show Off Your Shamrocks

From Peggy at ComfyCozyKeepsakes.

I’m Irish. 1/4 Irish tossed in with 1/4 Polish and 1/2 German. I LOVE my heritage – all 3 of them. I also   LOVE to decorate for holidays. I have a bin for each and I can tell you right now that my St. Patrick’s Day bin is too small for my liking.

That means it’s time to make some more decorations!!

This is one of the easiest craft projects ever!


Materials needed:

• Shamrock clip art. Copy a simple and FREE file on line or draw your own. 
• 2 sheets of paper or card stock. Card stock works better. 
• Scissors 
• Yarn – white 
• Green Felt or Craft Foam. I like the “natural” look of felt over foam. 
• Tape 

You probably don’t even need directions do you? OK, if you are truly “crafting challenged”, read on:

1.  Copy or trace the Shamrock shape onto the paper/card stock. Cut them out. I used 2 sizes of shamrocks on mine.

2.  Trace shamrocks onto Felt or Foam. Cut them out.

3.  Cut TWO very small holes, evenly spaced, at the top and bottom of shamrocks. 

4.  Cut Yarn to desired length for windows or doors. 

 5.  Slip yarn through holes in shamrocks. Tie a knot at the bottom so the shamrock doesn't slip off.

 

6.  Hang with tape on windows or doors. TA DA!


Keep up with ComfyCozyKeepsakes on facebook.

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Snowman in a Baggie

By Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

Here in my part of Maryland, we've had more 60-degree days this winter than we’ve had inches of snow, and it’s making me homesick for the winters of my childhood in Northern New York State. My son is missing the snow, too, and he hasn't really had a chance to make a snowman.

So, I was excited to find this cute snowman craft on Pinterest (where all my good ideas come from lately!). Whether you’ve had enough snow or are still waiting for flakes to fall, these are an easy way to pass some time, and they last long enough to be played with for a couple of days.

You’ll need:
Can of shaving cream
Zip-top baggie
Black construction paper or craft foam
Orange craft foam Glitter (optional)

Cut enough “coal” pieces for each snowman’s eyes and mouth or ask the kids to cut them. I used a circle punch to make my coal pieces and then ran them through a Xyron sticker maker, but you can also use sticky-back foam or glue to hold your eyes on. Cut triangle “carrots” from the craft foam, one for each snowman.

Give each kid a baggie. Attach the eyes and mouth pieces onto the front. Inside, put the carrot nose and some glitter, if using. Squirt a generous dollop of shaving cream into the bag and seal, squeezing out some of the air. I taped the bags shut with packing tape.

Now, get to squishing! See if the kids can line up their snowman’s nose in the proper place on the snowman’s face. Little kids and adults will love the way the shaving cream feels as they squish the bag. The shaving cream will break down after several days, but you can expect to get a couple of days of play out of this guy.

Here’s my son’s finished snowman:

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Salt Paintings

By: Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

Winter hasn’t snowed us in yet in Maryland (we’re still waiting!), but we have had several windy, chilly days that have kept my son and I inside and looking for things to do. A couple of days ago, I found directions for salt painting in a science activity book I bought my son (he’s 4) for Christmas.

Man, did they come out cool!

Here’s what you need:

Paint (I used poster paint)
Brushes
Heavy paper (I used cardstock)
Large-grain salt (I used Kosher salt)

First, pick a couple of paint colors. We used purple, yellow, green, and glittery red, but I’d recommend darker colors so the effect of the salt shows up well. (It got lost a little on the yellow.) Then, water down the paint so it’s fairly thin.

The instructions I had showed dragons, so my son decided he wanted to make dinosaurs. We drew our dinosaurs in pencil on the cardstock and painted over them. We didn’t worry about staying inside the lines; I cut them out after they were dry. Put a lot of paint on your drawing. You want lots of liquid for the salt to soak up.

While the paint is still wet, sprinkle lots of salt all over your artwork. Set aside to dry.

When the paint is dry, brush off the salt grains, and you’ll see that wherever there was a salt grain, you’ll see a darker patch of paint. If you’d like, add detail to your drawing with a marker. We cut our drawings out and mounted them on black construction paper.

Here’s the science bit: The salt crystals absorb the water from the paint around it, leaving dark spots where the crystals were because there was more paint there and elsewhere on the paper. Try larger-grain salt for bigger dark spots!

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Cosmetic Bag Tutorial

Here is a great quick last minute handmade gift idea!
Cosmetic Bag Tutorial Shared by: Nana Brown's

I love it when I find something great and get that bolt of inspiration that fuels me and keeps me creating.


I was wandering around a shop in town and saw these fabulous placemats. It was love at first sight, but we don’t use placemats on our kitchen table. Instead, I had a vision of something fabulous and useful instead, a new cosmetic bag. My old one has been with me for more years than I can remember and is in a very sorry state. It needed replacement and I was inspired - what a great combination!

I bought several placemats made with all kinds of different fabrics and interfacing. I found the easiest ones to work with had lighter interfacing in them, otherwise it makes it too hard to get the zipper in.


Here is an easy tutorial to make your own cosmetic bag from a placemat.
Placemat Cosmetic Bag Tutorial



If you love the way they look but do not want to make your own they can be purchased in my Etsy shop too.

To visit more from Nana Brown's: Shop & Blog

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Bulletin Board Tutorial

Bulletin Board Tutorial Shared by: Nana Brown's

Here is a great tutorial to give as  a gift or to update your corkboard and hang your Holiday cards!


We finally got rid of all the old, beat up, college dorm style furniture from our home office. I am so excited to have an actual grown up desk that looks really nice and works the way I need it to. 

Our old desk was quite tall and took up a bunch of the wall space. I had pictures and favourite quotes taped on it in various places where I would see them when I looked up from working.

The new desk is all one level which left me with a big, blank open space right above the computer monitor. It was really not very inspiring and I missed looking at my pictures. I looked at it for a few weeks and decided something had to be done so I enlisted my daughter to help me make a custom bulletin board for the space.

I was honestly not sure how it would turn out because we had never tried anything like that before. 

We made 2 different bulletin boards. One hangs in my office above my desk and the other one hangs in my bedroom beside my bed. Both are filled with pictures, quotes, aspirations, inspirations, artwork from my daughter and other things I love to look at.

The project turned out really well and was easy and inexpensive too. It was easy enough for my 3 year old daughter to do and fast enough to keep her attention from start to finish (not including the drying time).

Supplies

1 framed, unpainted cork bulletin board in your desired size

Black acrylic paint

Little dish or plate for paint

Foam brushes

Glitter Glue

Spray adhesive

Piece of fabric the same size as the cork part on one of the bulletin boards

Directions

1.       Prep the bulletin board by taping around the frame to keep the paint off the cork. 

2.       Paint the frame of the bulletin board black on the front & sides. My daughter had a great time helping with this. Allow to dry.

3.       For the glitter glue board pick your favourite colors and make a pattern with the glue on the black frame. Allow to dry.

4.       Spray frame with clear acrylic sealer. Allow to dry.

5.       Remove tape and hang up your new bulletin board.

6.       For the fabric bulletin board, after the acrylic paint has dried, spray the frame with clear acrylic sealer and allow to dry. Remove the tape.

7.       Cut your piece of fabric to the same size as the cork part of the bulletin board. Try to get it as close to the same size as possible.

8.       Following the instructions on the can, spray the cork board with spray adhesive and leave the time recommended for it to get tacky. Try not to get it on the frame – it will make it sticky until it dries.

9.       Starting on one side and going slowly, smooth the fabric, right side up, onto the cork board. It is like putting on wallpaper, go slow and try not to get any bubbles between the fabric & the cork. I used a ruler to do this so I could make sure I got it all stuck down with no bubbles. It did take me a few tries so if it doesn’t work quite right the first time, be patient and try again.

10.   Once it is all pressed down the way you like it, allow it to dry according to the instructions on the can. We left ours to dry overnight to make sure that it was good and dry.

11.   Hang it up and fill it with your favourite things.



To visit more from Nana Brown's:  Shop  &  Blog

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Thanksgiving Keepsake

Reprinted with permission from TinyStitches

Years ago when my kindergartner was a a wee babe, we made this Thanksgiving keepsake for the grandma's and great-grandma's as an expression of love and gratitude for each of them.  Each of the children's hands got covered in paint to create these fun Thanksgiving turkeys.  Five years later, they marvel and how much their hands have changed. 

With families gathering across the United States next week.  This little activity is quick and simple and will yield a sweet product that will freeze a little slice of time for all who participate.

You'll need a tea towel, acrylic craft paint, a few paint brushes, ribbons/trims of your choosing. 

Generously, but carefully, paint your child’s hand with the intended paint colors – seriously, cheap acrylic craft paint works wonderfully, and it survives LOTS of washings, honest.   Work quickly as a thin layer of paint dries quickly and you'll be painting the palm and thumb brown, and each finger a different paint color.  Make sure the paint is still wet before you gently, but firmly, press their hand down on the lower third of a white tea towel.  Don’t jostle or wiggle, or the turkey will smudge.  Consider how many turkey’s you’ll do so you space them appropriately across the towel … how cute would it be to do a towel with all the cousins Thanksgiving morning while they wait for the meal?  For little, little ones, stick with a brown turkey and let the older kids add color with their hand print turkey’s.

Using colored permanent markers — Sharpies work wonderfully! — draw the eyes, legs, beak and gobbler on your special turkeys.  Be sure to also label each hand print with the child’s name and along the hem in the corner, add “Happy Thanksgiving” and the year.

Sew coordinating ribbons and trims below the turkeys.  I use white thread in my bobbin and invisible thread in the top so I can quickly and easily sew different colored trims on without having to change threads, and the back stays neat and polished too. [Consider doing this step first if you'll be traveling and gifting this to your hostess.]

Set paint with a hot iron and pressing cloth.  Launder normally.

* * * * 

Here are some other custom keepsake offerings you might enjoy as well.

Tooth Fairy Pillow, with chart by looploft

Hand and Footprint plaque by handprintlady

Personalized Child's Heirloom Art by ChoochMagooz

5x7 Custom Fabric Silhouette for framing by BabyDobbins

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Easy Last-Minute Halloween Party Ideas

Happy Halloween! Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks here. After Christmas, Halloween is probably my favorite holiday to decorate for and celebrate. We started our festivities on Sunday with a little party with our friends. (We wanted an extra night to show off my husband's crazy decorations and fog machine!) For a few weeks before the party, I kept my eyes open for cool, quick ideas (Thanks, Pinterest!). Here are a few of my favorites that I used over the weekend:

Clementine Pumpkins! (From The Princess and The Frog Blog)How cute are these guys?!?

Monster Masks -- Thanks, Sesame Street!

Cemetery Cake (From Family Circle)

(Ran out of time to bake? Modify store-bought cake, cupcakes, or brownies!)

We'll also give bobbing for apples a shot and filled the house with the smell of mulled cider. And, everyone enjoyed the cool witches' brew punch. I love this time of year!

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Halloween Wreath DIY Times Two!! by The Sewing Loft

The cooling night air is starting to settle in which means the leaves will soon turn and the fall season will be here soon! To prep for the change of seasons and Halloween I thought it was time to add a wreath to the door. This super simple craft will transform your front door in no time flat! You just need to pick- will you make it spooky or sweet?

This project is for sewers or all levels.

Skill Level- 1 Button

Materials:

• Wreath form (I picked up a 14" straw wreath from my local craft store. $3.99)
• 1/2yard muslin
• Colored Tee's (I used cream, orange & black)
• Straight pins
• Scraps of fabric
• Sewing machine or needle & thread
• Optional- Sequins or buttons

Basic instructions:

1. To cover the wreath form I ripped the muslin into 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" strips. Just clip the fabric at the selvage and rip from side to side. This will create a frayed effect and help create the "mummy" look. (no ironing is needed!)
2. Using straight pins, pin the end of muslin on the back of wreath. (I even left the plastic on mine. This way it will not breakdown from the elements of mother nature!) Wrap the muslin around and around, pin in place.
3. .Repeat until the wreath is covered. (You could use hot glue but I like the option of "reusing" the wreath!)

4. Cut your tee shirts and scraps into strips of 1 1/2" wide. (Note, I made one black strip 3" wide. It created the big flower.) If you would like to use printed woven fabric for this step be sure to fold it in half, wrong sides together and then stitch. This will give you the print on both sides.

5. Using your sewing machine on a basic straight stitch - longest length, stitch down the center of each strip. Be sure not to backstitch and leave long tails at each end.(**If you do not have a machine, this step can be done with a needle and thread.)

6.Pull one thread of long tail to create gathers in each strip.

7. One strip at a time, pin to form at the stitch line. Wrap the strip around center and continue to pin in the center. Do not worry, the fullness from the fabric will hide the pins. When flower is desired size, trim strip and pin down behind fabric.

8. Alternating fabrics, continue to create flowers around form. I applied flowers to the lower portion of the wreath.

9. Once you have applied the desired amount of flowers you can create a "hanger" from the strips of ripped muslin . Just take one strip and create a loop at the top edge. Pin in place at the back of wreath.

Now, if you want to make your wreath a bit more spooky, you can add a spider webs and a few friends.

Materials:

• a few plastic spiders (I used a few rings from last year)
• bits from an old worn out wig (again, from last year)
• spray glitter

1. Cut a few thin sections of the wig from the underside. Tuck the strands in between the flowers. Pin if needed. Wrap the strands under and over until you have desired web. (Note- you can also use a store bought web.)
2. Since my web is black the spiders did not pop. So, I found a can of spray glitter in the art closet and added some sparkle! A few blasts and they were all set. Just simply tuck in place.

So, which one do you like better? Please share photos on my facebook page!

Happy Crafting!

~Heather

Be sure to visit The Sewing Loft and  her creations at:

 Etsy Shop

http://www.thesewingloft.etsy.com/

 Site

http://www.thesewingloft.com/

Blog

http://thesewingloftblog.com/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/TheSewingLoftFB

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Activity:: Birdseed Treats for Feathered Friends

Each winter Michelle, of Hi Mamma, and her family make bird seed ornaments. They've done it for years during the kids winter break, but it really does not need to be a winter craft/project. Their craft room is the sunroom and they enjoy listening to music and watching their feathered friends have a little snack. Depending on the type of birds you have in your area, really depends upon the type of bird seed that you purchase for this project. If your children really get into watching the birds, there are lots of great kid friendly bird watching books and state specific bird field guides you can pick up at the local library, that will help you identify your backyard birds and what they enjoy eating.

Here's how you can make your own::

Ingredients and Supplies

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup water

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

3 tbsp. corn syrup (can be dark or light)

4 cups birdseed

cookie cutters (to form the shape of the bird seed holders)

waxed paper

ribbon/yarn/string

Combine the flour, water, gelatin and corn syrup in a large mixing bowl. Stir until well mixed together.

Add the bird seed and continue mixing until it is well coated. You can tell when the bird seed is coated as you cannot see the flour on the seed, and it starts to clumping.

Spoon your bird seed mixture into each mold (aka the cookie cutters), fill it half way in the mold. Use your fingers to push down on the bird seed so that is packed/dense and will stay in it shape. Then add your “hanger” at the top of the mold. We cut our desired length of yarn and folded it over to form a horseshoe…placed the ends of the string about 1 inch down from the top of the mold, so that the loop would be hung on the tree branch, and then placed more of the bird seed mixture on top of the string and the mold. Once again made sure that we packed the bird seed down tight.

Keep the birdseed mixture in the molds for roughly 2 1/2 hours. Afterwards, gently remove the ornaments from the mold pressing lightly at the edges (not the middle or it might break), and place them back on the wax paper. Allow the shapes to dry for at least 2-3 hours or even overnight before hanging.

Thanks Michelle for sharing one of your families traditions. This makes a fun activity to do with cousins or when it's too cold to play outside.

Michelle's shop, Hi Mamma, is participating in our EtsyKids Christmas in July promotional and offering free shipping when you enter the promotional code, 711CHRISTMASINJULY at checkout!



This post and many more like it can be found on Michelle's blog, Hi Mamma Designs, where she shares her journey through motherhood, crafting, cooking and living.

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Gifting:: Etched Glass Cookie Jar

Special post from Nikki at NikkiInStitches.

You can thank me now … or later … whatever’s easiest for you.

I know … I just gave you the perfect gift for that person that you were thinking “I really should get them something, but I don’t know what…I wish I could make them something…I don’t have a lot of time, so something simple…something cute, that I know they’d like.” (I know you’ve had this conversation in your head at least once this past week!)

Enter … this cookie jar.

And it takes like 10 minutes … now you really need to thank me!

Hint … If you love the star that totally puts this little project over the edge, I would also become a subscriber. You’ll have it just in time to put on your cookie jar…and everyone will think you are the craftiest!

Materials:

• Glass Cookie Jar (I picked mine up at my local chain craft store for just a few dollars.)
• Stencils (I made my own…see directions below.)
• Craft Knife
• Cutting Mat
• Temporary Spray Adhesive
• Glass Etching Cream (Again, I picked up a small bottle of Armour Etch…that will be more than enough.)
• Paint Brush
• Cookies!!

Directions:
1. Make Stencils
If you look closely at the picture, you can see I have two stencils that I used on my jar. The first is the “M,” which I just printed out from my computer (in Brush Script font, size 350), and then carefully cut out with a craft knife on my cutting mat. The second, which is harder to see, is a snowflake. This is simply just a punch that I had in my arsenal of craft supplies.

2. Adhere Stencil and Etch
Using the temporary spray adhesive, adhere your stencils to your jar, being sure to really get them down securely so that no etching cream spreads underneath them. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the actual etching process. For me, it pretty much went: glop it on, then wait for it to dry. (The directions actually said to put on a thick coat, brushing in all directions, then allow to dry for 5 minutes.) When the etching cream was ready, I just took it over to the sink, and with water and a soft cloth, wiped off the stencils (since they are made from just printer weight paper, they almost dissolve in the water), and the dried etching cream, and project complete!
Here’s one more pic to remind you of how cute it is!
Enjoy…(and you’re welcome!),
Nikki, In Stitches
PS…What will you fill these with??
Here are two yummy suggestions:
A recipe for my great-grandmother’s butter cookies … they are the best!
Martha Stewart’s Peppermint Bark … I’ve made this in the past, it’s really easy, and it is one of my faves!
Want the directions to the origami star??
Take a look in this post: Origami Stars!


Nikki, In Stitches is offering 15% off everything in her shop for her EtsyKids Christmas in July Sale, just use coupon code JULY15 at checkout! Her headbands and hair accessories would add a lovely touch to your family picture for the Christmas card photo or complement a special holiday outfit.


Nikki recently launched a beautiful new website. Her blog is a delightful and fun read. A seamstress at heart, Nikki enjoys putting fresh twists on traditional crafts. Her modern methods mashed with old school techniques is a great source for creative ideas in crafting. It's instantly evident when you visit her blog and her shop. Thanks again Nikki for sharing this great holiday project.

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Tutorial: Homemade Pop-Up Cards

One rainy day, my son and I needed something to do. We’d played, watched TV, done puzzles … we were bored. So, I started flipping through Usborne Summer Activities, and we decided we’d try our hand at making pop-up cards.

We had so much fun that we ended up making six of them to send to family and friends. This was a great activity for my son (he’s three) because there were lots of things he could do and decisions he could make. As he gets older, I can see him taking on this project from start to finish. For now, though, he needed help with the scissors and the assembly of the cards.

Christmas and the holidays are going to be here before you know it -- no, really, I saw Christmas decorations going up in Hobby Lobby the other day -- so if you're a cardmaker, now is the time to get started on your holiday cards. And if you've got kids, this is a great way to get them involved in the process. There's a good chance I'll be resurrecting this project and dragging out trees, stars, Santa, and reindeer stickers!

Here’s what we did:

First, cut two pieces of paper exactly the same size. I used white cardstock and cut ours 5” x 10”. Folded in half, it makes a 5” square card. (Next time, I think I’ll break into my patterned scrapbooking papers rather than just using white -- maybe those Christmas and winter papers!)

Take one of the cards, and make two cuts of the same length in the center of the folded side of the card.


Fold the flap made by the cuts one way and then the other. Crease.


Open the card and push the center out so it pops up. Glue this card to the other piece of paper you cut. Don’t glue down the pop-up flap – you want this to stand up when the card opens!


I copied a page of several small vehicles for my son to color and dragged out all kinds of stickers. While he was stickering the cards, I cut out the vehicles he colored. Once he had covered the cards with stickers – sometimes two or three layers deep! – I glued the cutout onto the pop-up flap.



Write a note in them and address the envelopes, and they’re ready to go! Depending on the number of stickers your kid used, it’s wise to have them weighed at the post office in case they need extra postage. We used foam stickers, so ours cost a few extra cents per card.

Our recipients were delighted with them, and my son loved sending notes to some of his favorite people.


Have fun! -Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

*P. S. Please stop by and join the fun of today's EtsyKids BNR (buy and replace) Treasury! All of the EtsyKids featured in this BNR are having Xmas in July SALES and discounts!

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Tutorial:: Upcycled Crayons

Are you swimming in school supplies at your house? My kids brought home backpacks filled with all the used supplies from the school year. Some things have been tucked away to reuse next year, but others get cycled into the families general craft supplies.

A couple of weeks ago The Crazy Elephant shared a fun project using broken crayons on her blog, that she recently did with her son. She made cute upcycled crayons using the old, broken, ruddy ones that seem to multiply ten fold in the craft box when on one is looking. It's a great summer boredom buster that kids can be ultra involved in!

Start by collecting all the old crayons ... odds and ends, bits and pieces from the craft drawer, leftovers from the school, everything that's lost it's interest to play with. When we made them, everything got thrown in the mix, Crayola, RoseArt, freebie crayons from restaurants, fat, skinny, washable, glow in the dark, princess, you name it we used it. Each has their own unique melting qualities, and that made for some fun added dimensions when looking at the end product. But we are all really pleased with the results.

Next, remove the paper wrapper around each crayon and sort by color. Cereal bowls or custard cups work really well for this step. Depending on how many crayons you want to upcycle, sort by exact color, by similar color, or don't sort at all, and create a multi-colored rainbow crayons. Let your child experiment with it. Have them make predictions about how the crayon combination will look after they are melted.

The Crazy Elephant and I both used silicon molds, because they come in great shapes and make removing the crayons a snap! The Crazy Elephant used a Lego muffin mold and I used a star mold. But metal cupcake pans also work well.

I baked ours at 350 for about 15 minutes and then let them cool for a couple of hours, a friend using a metal pan melted hers at 350 for 10 minutes and years ago when Family Fun had this idea in their magazine they said to melt them at 250 for 15 minutes. I think it all depends on the kinds of crayons you are using, how big your molds are (FF's was no bigger than 2", and mine 2.75"), the brand of crayon you are using, and possibly the pan (silicon vs. metal?). So turn on your oven light and watch them closely. It takes them a while to cool enough to remove from the pan, so plan a trip to the library or the pool to make the waiting period easier!


Upcycled crayons are not only fun to make, but they are also fun for kids to use and make great gifts and party favors for birthdays, stocking stuffers, Valentines, or little extras in care packages.

If you're looking to purchase chunky crayon shapes to use for an upcoming party, EtsyKids Team Member, PreschoolDoll Designs, has lots of whimsical shapes to go with your theme, and individually wraps them, making them perfect party favors!

Thanks to The Crazy Elephant for this great project. Please check out her Etsy shop and blog!

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Little Cheerleader Pom-Pom's - How-To

Football season will be in full swing this weekend! If your family is one who loves to cheer on the home team, this is the project for you! Perfect for home games, parades, imaginative play, and much more, young and old a like will enjoy getting in the spirit of the event with one or two of these in hand.

These pom-poms are easy to make and eco-friendly, allowing you to re-use everyday items you will likely have on hand ... and if you don't improvisation is always a good thing! The instructions were published in Family Fun magazine last summer and are available here. You might notice that we had to do a little improvisation when making the one pictured. Because of a strict event budget, dowel rods were quickly abandoned, so we turned to a local fast food restaurant who donated a box of extra tall drinking straws. Perfect! Three extra tall drinking straws taped together held the weight of our recycled grocery bags very nicely.
Hummm, maybe I need to take a dozen or so to the kids soccer games?

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Easter Basket Craft for the Kids!

Well I just realized that Friday is a no school day. Oh no what to do with the kids? Well I found this great craft today on http://www.familyfun.com/ on how to make a cute Easter Egg Basket.

Here is what you need:
Basket template (see Step 1)
Poster board square, 11 by 11 inches (for the base around which you weave the fabric)
Pencil
Scissors
Dyed T-shirt strips- I personally will use yarn with my 4 year old to do this
Tacky glue

1. print out the Easter basket template.
http://familyfun.go.com/Resources/global/printables/crafts/0204_eastereggbasket_template.pdf

2. Trace the template onto the poster board square and cut it out.

3. Tie a knot at the end of 1 fabric strip and pull the knot between 2 panels of the base (B).

4. Weave the strip alternately over and under the panels (B and C). Glue the unknotted end of the fabric strip to the base.

5. Knot the end of each new strip and tuck the knot under an unglued section of a previously woven strip. After 3 or 4 strips are completed, gently fold the basket panels up so they begin coming together (C) to form a widemouthed basket (D). Tip: Don't squeeze the sides in too tightly as you work, or the basket will become too narrow at the top.

6. If necessary, use a dab or two of tacky glue to secure the fabric to the poster board, especially around the top. Let it dry.

7. Trim any excess poster board at the top, making sure there's still enough to support the topmost fabric strip. 8. Line the basket with straw or grass. Add eggs!

Here is the link which shows pictures on the steps:
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11094


Hey even if it does not come out perfect your kids were busy on a no school day for a little while!


I just found another craft from familyfun.com. This one is a video on how to do 3 Egg carton crafts for Easter/ spring

http://familyfun.go.com/utilities/global/feature/fftv-archive-video-player/fftv-archive-video-player.html?dl_section=channel&dl_channel=FamilyFun%20Minute

-----------------------------
Written by thelittleLOVEbug

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