Recycled Crafts

Make New Crayons from Old, Broken Ones : )
Give them along with a valentine coloring page....

Recycled Toilet Paper Roll Vases... just wrap a toilet paper roll in festive paper, and give it a base with some extra cardboard.  Voila!

 
Egg Carton Heart Wall Hanging... 
Just paint a piece of cardboard red(measure first using egg carton cups as a unit of measure) and glue on egg carton cups.  When the glue's dry, paint everything red, and attach a pretty ribbon to hang!

These recycled crafts (c/o Kaboose.com are a great way to celebrate the holidays!)

Ribbon Spool Christmas Candle

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Hard

Age: 8 and up

Parental supervision is recommended

Candles are wonderful, but this one is safer! This flame lasts forever and will not burn your fingers. It would make a lovely centerpiece on your Christmas dinner table.

For more activities, be sure to visit our main Christmas page. Don't forget to check out our Christmas crafts, recipes, printables, games, clip art and coloring pages.

What you'll need:

• Large cardboard spool from ribbon
• Foam bowl (recommended: 12 oz polystyrene disposable food bowl)
• 1 sheet green felt
• Scraps of orange, red and yellow felt
• 12” long piece of 1-2” wide holiday ribbon
• 3 green skinny chenille stems
• White acrylic paint
• White craft glue
• Pen
• Scissors

How to make it:

1. Paint the spool with white paint and set aside to dry.
2. Cut green felt into twelve 2” square pieces.
3. Cut chenille stems into fourths.
4. Poke the center of a felt square with your finger or a pen, gather poked end and wrap a piece of chenille around it, forming a 3D leaf. Repeat for all twelve squares.
5. Turn foam bowl upside down so the open side is faced down. Use a pen to poke a hole on the foam side of the bowl, about ½” down from the flat bottom. Insert the pointed end of the felt leaf into the hole. Poke the next hole about an inch from the first. Repeat this step until all twelve leaves have been inserted around the bowl. Trim the rim off the bowl so that the leaves are almost touching the table.
6. Glue the spool to the flat bowl bottom.
7. Cut a 2” tear drop shape from red felt.
8. Cut a 1.5” tear drop shape from orange felt.
9. Cut a 1” tear drop shape from yellow felt.
10. Glue the yellow felt to the orange and the orange to the red so that each color shows behind the one in front of it. Add white glue to the bottom of the felt and the opening at the top of the spool. Insert the felt flame into the top of the spool.
11. Tie ribbon into a bow and trim ends if needed. Glue to the front of your candle base, just above the leaves.

Tips:

• If you don’t have a ribbon spool, substitute with a cardboard tube from your paper towels. Cut out a round piece of cardboard from a shoe box or cereal box and glue it on top.
• Always save scraps of ribbon to use up in projects such as these.
• Felt is inexpensive, so stock up by picking up five sheets each time you shop!

Lightbulb Rudolph

By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Easy
Age: 7 and up

Parental supervision is recommended

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had a very shiny nose! Everyone loves Santa's lead reindeer, so how's this for a bright idea – make your very own version of him using an old lightbulb!

Decorate your whole home with festive Christmas crafts! Create homemade cards, your own Christmas ornaments, tasty Christmas recipes, or just snuggle up together with printable Christmas activities.

What you'll need:

• Burnt out lightbulb
• White vinegar
• Paintbrush
• Acrylic craft paint: brown, white, black and red
• 1 small jingle bell
• 6" thin gold ribbon
• 3 brown chenille stems
• 1 black chenille stem
• Black thin tip marker
• Red or silver glitter glue
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Sealer spray

How to make it:

1. Rinse the lightbulb with white vinegar and let dry.
2. Paint lightbulb brown and let dry overnight.
3. Paint lightbulb with a second coat and let dry for 2-3 hours.
4. Put a dot of hot glue on the screw cap where it meets the glass of the lightbulb. Place the end of a brown chenille stem on the glue (see image). Wrap the chenille stem around the screw cap, gluing as you go.
5. Before continuing with the second chenille stem (it will take two full chenille stems to cover the screw cap of a standard light bulb), bend the black chenille stem in half. Glue the open ends of the black chenille stem onto the brown twists you just added (to create the ornament hanger). Now continue with the second brown chenille, wrapping around the ends of the black chenille, covering them up (see image).
6. Bend the third brown chenille stem into the shape of antlers (see image). Squeeze the bends so that the bends are touching each other (see image). Glue the antlers to the back of the chenille covered screw cap (see image).
7. Dip thumb in red paint and gently press onto the large end of the bulb for the nose.
8. Dip your pointing finger into white paint and dot on the eyes. Let the nose and eyes dry before continuing (see image).
9. Meanwhile, thread the jingle bell onto the gold ribbon. When the bulb is dry, turn it over and glue the ribbon to the back of the bulb, you want the jingle bell to hang down just below the bottom of the bulb so that it appears your reindeer has on a collar (see image).
10. Use the handle end of a paintbrush dipped in black paint to dot on the blacks of the eyes.
11. Put a little silver glitter glue on your finger and smear it over the top of the red nose.
12. When dry, spray the entire lightbulb with sealer spray and let dry by hanging somewhere safe.

Tips:

1. Jingle bells are available at discount department stores and craft supply stores.
2. Watch for sales on ribbon after every holiday.
3. Save burnt out lightbulbs for these types of projects. If you save the packages they came in when new, mark the outside of the box "burnt out" and store them in there so they won't break.

Egg Carton Kinara

By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Very Easy
Age: 4 and up

Parental supervision is recommended

Celebrate the season of Kwanzaa with this fun and easy to make kinara. The colors of the candles represent the people (black), their struggles (red), and the future (green).

What you'll need:

• Egg carton, you need 7 egg cups
• 7 jumbo craft sticks
• Yellow and orange construction paper
• Acrylic paint: green, red, black, and brown
• Glue
• Scissors
• Paint brush
• Hot glue gun

How to make it:

1. Cut 12 place egg carton down the middle to create 2 lengths of six cups. Cut one of those lengths in half, creating 2 lengths of three cups each. Cut one egg cup from the other length of 6. You will need the 2 sets of 3 and the single cup, set aside the other cups for another project.
2. Trim the egg cup edges with scissors to clean them up and so that it will stand evenly, cup opening pointed down. Hot glue the single egg cup between the two three piece egg cups to create one long 7 cup piece. Ask a grown up to use a pair of scissors to carefully poke a slit into the top of each egg cup.
3. Paint the egg cups brown. Let dry.
4. For the craft sticks, paint one black, three green and three red. Paint both sides and add another coat if you prefer. Let dry.
5. Cut out simple flame shapes from yellow construction paper, large enough to fit at the top of each craft stick. Cut out smaller versions from orange construction paper. You will need 14 of each color.
6. Glue the yellow flames to the tops of the craft stick candles, one on each side so that the project can be viewed on both sides. Glue the orange flames to the yellow flames.
7. Insert the craft stick candles into the egg cup slits that someone helped create for you in step 2. The black candle goes in the middle, the red candles on one side and the green on the other.

Tips:

• For smaller children, instead of making the flames from two colors of construction paper, simply use yellow and let them draw on the orange part with crayons or markers.
• During each day of Kwanzaa, a new candle is lit. The first is the black candle, followed by the green and the red, alternating a different one each day. Insert your kinara candles as your parents light the real kinara.
• Craft foam is a great substitute for construction paper if you are running low.

Milk Carton Dreidel

By: Hailey Biback
Difficulty: Easy
Age: 5 and up

The dreidel is an ancient, four-sided top with one Hebrew letter on each side. The letters nun, gimel, hay, and shin form an acronym that means "A great miracle happened there". Make your own dreidel and play this spinning-top game (see rules below) with your family and friends this Chanukah season.

What you'll need:

• 1 small, single size paper milk carton
• Masking tape
• Kitchen knife
• Acrylic paint
• 1 Popsicle stick
• Glitter pen or white craft glue and loose glitter

How to make it:

1. Take a small, empty milk carton container and wash it out thoroughly. Dry it gently using a kitchen towel.
2. Close the spout on the container and tape it shut using a small piece of masking tape.
3. Using a kitchen knife (parents, please do this part for your children) cut a small incision into the bottom centre of your container, just long enough to put a Popsicle stick through.
4. Paint the entire milk carton whatever colour you choose. If the paint looks streaky, do another coat.
5. Wait an hour to make sure the paint is completely dry and then add the letters Nun, Hay, Gimel and Shin (pictured below) with glitter pens or craft glue and loose glitter to the four sides of your dreidel, one letter on each side.

Tips:

• How to play the Dreidel game: This game should be played in groups of four. Each player gets an equal amount of gelt. (In Yiddish, gelt means money or gold. You can use pennies, candy or nuts). Put another amount of gelt in the pot. Then, each player takes a turn spinning the top. If it lands on Nun, the player receives nothing. If it lands on Hay, the player takes half of what’s in the pot. If it lands on Gimel, the player takes all of the pot, and if it lands on Shin, the player puts one piece of gelt into the pot.

Paper Bag Placemats....
(c/o freekidscrafts.com)

Use a weaving technique, a recycled paper bag and eco-friendly craft products to make an attractive and earth-friendly place mat. All the products used to create this charming place mat are eco friendly. The tacky Green Glue is completely botanical. Even the paints contain no or low VOC’s (volatile organic compounds).


Supplies
Brown Paper Grocery Bag
Eco Green Crafts™ Green Glue™
Eco Green Crafts™ Acrylic Paint
Eco Green Crafts™ Gloss Medium


Click here for printables, patterns and Templates

InstructionsMake Strips

1.Deconstruct paper bag.

2.Measure and cut 2-inch-wide strips along the entire length of the bag.

3.Working with one strip at a time,dampen the strip with water to remove any creases. Fold down 1⁄4" along one edge of the length of strip, as shown.

4.Fold the opposite side so that it just overlaps the edge of the previous fold, as shown.

5.With the iron set on high, iron the strips to dry and flatten them, and to strengthen the creases.

6.Apply a thin line of Green Glue™ along the 1⁄4" edge.

7.Turn strip over (folded side down); iron strip smooth.

8.Repeat process to create a total of eleven 24" strips and seventeen 18" strips.

Weave and Finish
9.With tape, affix the 24” strips to a piece of cardboard as shown.

10.Weave shorter strips through longer strips, alternating each strip, as shown; affix each strip with Green Glue™ and allow to dry.

11.Remove the cardboard and tape; cut the ends of each strip to about ¾”.

12.Paint as desired with Eco Green Crafts™ Acrylic Paint; allow to dry.

13.Brush entire surface with Eco Green Crafts Gloss Medium; allow to dry.

14.Roughen / distress the surface of the mat with sandpaper as desired

This project was designed by Julia Andrus of Eco Green Craftsand is reprinted courtesy of FaveCrafts.com.

 


Clay Pot Pilgram's Hat....
This craft (c/o about.com) is pretty self explanatory~ simply paint a clay pot black- acrylic works best- a little white ribbon, and some yellow felt for the buckle, and you're good! Attached with Tacky Glue OR glue gun (if you're gluing as opposed to your little ones)....



A Recycled ThanksgivingBy Ellen Luckett Baker
(c/o alphamom.com)
This Thanksgiving we’ll be serving up a heaping helping of gratitude. Though the historical meaning of Thanksgiving is a little murky, giving thanks is always a good exercise for children. In these lean times, simple is better. So here are a couple of recycled crafts to get children involved in the Thanksgiving festivities.
Turkey Place Cards
From planning the menu to setting the table, children enjoy being part of the process. Our five-year-old loves to talk about what should be served and can practice her writing skills by creating a menu. Young kids can also help out in the kitchen. By giving them manageable tasks like tearing the lettuce, pouring the ingredients, stirring, or cutting mushrooms with a butter knife, they will enjoy cooking with you. Folding napkins in a new way helps build their motor skills while keeping them busy. Children can also help decide the seating arrangement and make place cards.
These Thanksgiving recycled place cards are fun to make and will add a personal touch to the table.


Supplies:

Junk mail postcards for the feathers

School glue

Cereal boxes

Pen or pencil

Paper cutter (helpful, but not necessary)

Directions:
1. Cut cereal boxes to 5″x 8″. You’ll need one for each place card, so you can get about two cards from each box.
2. Score the printed side of the box in the middle. Fold over and put under a heavy book to press flat.
3. Cut card stock mailers in 1/4″ strips.
4. Fold down about 1 1/2″, wrap around and fold again. Glue in place. Continue until you have all the “feathers” made. You’ll need 6-8 feathers for each card.

5. Glue feathers together and allow to dry.
6. While you’re waiting for the glue to dry, go ahead and have your child write the names on each card.
7. Fan out the feathers. Dip the feather group in a pan of glue and place off-center on the card.
8. For the turkey body, cut 2″ circles from the cereal boxes. Have your child draw a turkey head and face on each circle.

9. Glue bodies on top of the feathers. Have your child draw some turkey legs.
10. Add one to each place setting.

These crafts, c/o (who else) kaboose.com are clever ways to use items from around the house and from nature~ to make crafts that give that fall-feeling you can only get in the northeast!

Leafy Door Hanger

By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Easy
Age: 5 & up

Parental supervision is recommended

Click to view larger

 

Celebrate the return of fall right from your front door. Kids will love putting this craft together by getting their hands dirty with finger painting.
You can also get some extra millage out of the materials of this craft by using scraps to create the Patchwork Acorn craft.
Discover other great activities for autumn in our main Fall Crafts section.

What you'll need:

• 1 large piece of art paper or 2 sheets of white construction paper
• Acrylic craft paint in fall colors such as red, orange, brown, yellow, gold and green
• Scissors
• 15" twig or branch
• 4- 15" lengths of jewelry cord
• White craft glue
• Football-shaped cookie cutter (optional)

How to make it:

1. Using a paper plate or paint palette, squeeze out about a quarter-size dollop of each color of paint.
2. Finger paint the entire piece of art paper with the different colors. Let children be creative, just guide them if they start to blend colors too much as you can end up with a brownish gray color. Let the paint dry completely (see image).
3. When the paint has dried, turn the paper over and do the same thing on the other side. Let dry.
4. When paint has dried, use a football-shaped cookie cutter to draw out as many shapes as you can on the painted paper. If you don’t have a cookie cutter, draw out simple leaf shapes (see image).
5. Cut out the leaf shapes and set the scraps aside to use for another project.
6. Set a bug-free branch on the work surface. (See the tips section for methods of ridding branches from bugs.) Line up three pieces of the jewelry cord, evenly spaced from each other, along the stick.
7. Glue the leaves onto the cord, placing one under the cord, and then overlapping a second leaf over the first leaf and the cord. Repeat until all three cords have leaves (see image).
8. Tie the top end of the cords to the stick. Secure with some white craft glue (see image).
9. Tie the remaining piece of jewelry cord to both ends of the stick to create the hanger. Secure knots with some glue. Let glue dry.
10. Trim the excess cord ends.

Tips:

• Save the reserved scraps of painted paper for another project. These would be perfect for a mosaic craft.
• Rid twigs of bugs by soaking them in a combination of water and bleach. Fill a bathtub up half way and pour in 2 cups of bleach. Make sure to turn the twigs so all sides are soaked. After 24 hours, transfer the twigs into a large clean plastic bucket and soak in cold water for an additional 24 hours. Let dry completely before using.
• White craft glue is best and safest, but hot glue can be used to attach the cord to the sticks and will adhere faster.

Coffee Can Scarecrow

By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Easy
Age: 7 and up

Click to view larger

 

 

This adorable scarecrow made from a coffee can is the perfect decoration for your fall party table!
Fall is full of fun for the kids. Try out more of our fall crafts, as well as some of our great fall recipes and printable activities.

What you'll need:

• Coffee can
• 2 sheets tan felt
• Small scrap of orange felt
• 2 large mismatched buttons
• 18" twine
• Scissors
• White craft glue
• Instant grab glue
• Raffia
• Small straw hat
• 2 silk flowers

How to make it:

1. Put lid on coffee can. Cover coffee can with tan felt using white craft glue. (See photo.)
2. Place coffee can on its side and use instant grab glue to pipe on the mouth. Cut twine to fit on the glue smile and press in place. Cut remaining twine into one inch pieces. Use instant grab glue to attach to the smile in a stitch type fashion. (See photo.)
3. To make the nose, cut a triangle from orange felt and use instant grab glue to attach it just above the smile.
4. Use instant grab glue to attach two buttons for eyes.
5. Stand coffee can up and pipe a generous amount of white craft glue onto the coffee can lid. Cut raffia into 18" lengths and place on top of lid, covering the lid (be sure the raffia lines up properly with the facial features!). Let dry. (See photo.)
6. Glue the hat onto the raffia hair.
7. Glue two silk flowers to the hat. (See photo.)

Tips:

1. Many coffee companies are moving using plastic containers. You can still use these plastic containers to create this craft, or scale down the size and use a vegetable can instead.
2. If you prefer a more cutesy face, use wiggle eyes instead of buttons.
3. Yarn can be used instead of twine for the smile.

Acorn Frame

By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Very Easy
Age: 5 and up

Click to view larger

Acorns are a sure sign of autumn. Gather the kids together to make this adorable frame to hold one of your family's favorite fall snapshots.

Fall is full of fun for the kids. Try out more of our fall crafts, as well as some of our great fall recipes and printable activities.

What you'll need:

• Acorn tops, enough to cover your frame, we used 59
• White craft glue
• Wooden frame

How to make it:

1. Gather acorn tops that have fallen from the trees. Place acorn tops in a bowl of water to soak. Use a toothbrush and a little baking soda to clean them off if you wish. Rinse, drain, and pat dry with a towel.
2. Place the acorn tops on a cookie sheet and have an adult bake them in a preheated 225 degree F oven for about 40 minutes. This should kill any remaining insects that may be hiding and will also dry the acorn tops. Remove from oven and let cool on a paper plate in a single layer. (See photo.)
3. Apple a generous amount of glue to one section of the frame at a time. Cover with acorn tops, hanging the ends of the acorns over the edges of the frame if needed to fit. (See photo.)
4. Once the frame is completely covered, fill in all the gaps between the acorns with craft glue. Let dry overnight. (See photo.)

Tips:

1. If you want a more colorful frame, paint the acorns.
2. To jazz up your frame, add a bow to a painted frame or use jute, twine or raffia to add a bow to a natural frame.
3. When collecting acorn tops, be sure to gather extras to save for additional projects!

Celebrate you independence with these awesome crafts (c/o Kaboose.com)

4th of July Salt Dough Pins

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Easy

Age: 5 and up

Parental supervision is recommended

Click to view larger

Holiday Links

• Summer Crafts

• Summer Activities

• Crafts Email

Show your love for the USA by making one of these fun and patriotic pins to wear on your shirt or hat.

Be sure to check out all of our 4th of July fun including more crafts, printablesand fun activities.

What you'll need:

• ½ cup salt
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup water
• Acrylic paint: red, white and blue
• Pin backs
• White craft glue
• Small cookie cutters: heart, star, number 4
• Acrylic sealer spray

How to make it:

1. Mix together the salt, flour, and water. If dough is sticky, add additional tablespoons of flour one at a time until the mixture is smooth a pliable. Be careful not to add too much or your projects will crack.
2. Roll out or press dough with your hand and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. (See photo.)
3. Place shapes on cookie sheet and heat oven to 250 degrees F. (See photo.)
4. Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours, or until items are dry. Remove from oven and let cool.
5. Paint all the shapes white and let dry. (See photo.)
6. Use a small paintbrush to ad red stripes and a medium paintbrush to add solid blue to the heart and the star. You may need a second coat of blue. Let dry. (See photo.)
7. Use a toothpick dipped in paint to write “JULY” down the side of the number 4 pin. Write “I love (draw a heart share) USA) on the heart pin. Use the handle end of a paintbrush dipped in paint to add polka dots onto the number 4 and the top of the star. (See photos 1, 2.)
8. Let them all dry and have an adult spray them with acrylic sealer.
9. Turn pins over and glue on pin backs. Use a generous amount of glue and let them dry completely before wearing.

Tips:

• Salt dough can be kept in a covered container for a couple of days.
• It is not necessary to dry out salt dough in the oven, you can air dry it, but the oven is faster.
• Personalize a pin by writing your name instead of a suggested phrase.

Firecracker Napkin and Utensil Holder

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Easy

Age: 7 and up

Parental supervision is recommended

Click to view larger

Holiday Links

• Summer Crafts

• Summer Activities

• Crafts Email

This festive project not only looks great on the table but it's functional too! By making this fun craft from cardboard tubes you will be recycling as well.

For more great patriotic crafts, activities, and recipes, check out our mainFourth of July/Independence Day holiday page.

What you'll need:

• 4 cardboard tubes
• Red, white, blue and black construction paper
• 2 stems each of blue and gold glittery chenille
• 5.5" x 5.5" piece of sturdy cardboard
• 2 lids from milk jugs, salad dressing, or other bottles that will fit snugly inside the cardboard tubes
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun (where indicated)
• Pencil

How to make it:

1. Cover top 1/3 of each cardboard tubes with blue construction paper.
2. Cover bottom 2/3 of cardboard tubes with white construction paper.
3. Use a pencil to draw 12 stars on a piece of white construction paper.
4. Cut the stars out and glue them to the blue sections of the cardboard tubes, pencil marks should be facing down toward tube so that they cannot be seen.
5. Cut strips from red construction paper and glue around the tubes onto the white construction paper. Trim ends where needed.
6. Cover the cardboard square with black construction paper.
7. Hot glue bottle lids into the bottom of each cardboard tube so that he flat end of the bottle cap is facing out/down. This will serve as the bottom of your utensil holder and will give you something to glue onto.
8. Glue all four firecracker utensil holders onto the black square, leaving about an inch in the center where you will place your napkins. Let dry completely.
9. Use hot glue gun to add a border of glittery blue chenille around the tops of each utensil holder, and glittery gold around the border of the black base.
10. Fill utensil holders with plastic forks, knives and spoons and place napkins in the center.

Tips:

• For the cardboard square, we used cardboard from a juice box package as it is quite thick and sturdy.
• Plastic milk jug lids are the perfect size for this project; however you can try other lids such as salad dressing bottles.
• Fancy this up even more by adding glitter or glitter glue to the black construction paper base.

Uncle Sam Hat Treat Holders

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Easy

Age: 6 and up

Click to view larger

Holiday Links

• Summer Crafts

• Summer Activities

• Crafts Email

Decorate your table this Fourth of July with these adorable treat holders made to look like Uncle Sam’s hat. Fill with your favorite treats and give away as party favors at the end of the party!

Be sure to check out all of our 4th of July fun including more crafts, recipes,printables and fun activities.

What you'll need:

• Styrofoam cup
• Red and blue felt
• Red paint
• Paintbrush
• Silver chenille stem
• Scissors
• White craft glue
• Black marker

How to make it:

1. Place cup, open end down, on top of the red felt and trace with a marker.
2. Cut around the traced circle leaving a ¾” border around it.
3. Fold the circle and cut a slit in the center of the circle to allow your scissors to get in. Cut out the inside circle, leaving about a ¼” border around the inside of the trace line. Set felt circle aside.
4. Paint red stripes all the way around the outside of the cup, stripes should run up and down. Let dry completely.
5. Cut a strip of blue felt about 1.5” wide. It should be long enough to wrap around the brim of the cup.
6. Glue felt strip around the outside of the top of the cup.
7. Lay red felt circle on to work surface, black trace line should be facing up.
8. Line the lip of the cup with white glue and press down onto black trace line. Let dry.
9. Turn cup over and place on work surface.
10. Use silver chenille to bend into star shapes, trim where needed. Glue onto the blue hat band.
11. When everything is dry, fill with treats.

Tips:

• To make our treat cups sturdier, especially if using outside, glue a heavy washer to the bottom of the cup.
• You can add handles to your cup by twisting to chenille stems together and poking through the sides of the cup and running over the top. This step should be done before adding the blue brim.
• You may also use white paper or plastic cups for this project.

Driftwood Flag (c/o rustic-crafts.com)

During the patriotic holidays, I like to decorate in red, white and blue and the American flag.  I wanted to come up with a craft that could be used for the holidays or all year long.  This driftwood flag wall art can be hung in any room and at any time you want to display your patriotism.  It goes perfectly with primitive decor, especially when the paint finish is distressed.

Because the craft uses driftwood for the flag stripes and the base for the stars, you get almost the feel that the flag is waving.  The different thicknesses and shapes of the driftwood are what give it dimension and curve.  If you can’t get a hold of any driftwood, you can also use varying sizes of branches.

To stick with the rustic and natural look, I used one to two inch twig stars from the craft store.  They come in a package of varying sizes.  You can use as many stars as you want the age of the flag to look!  I used thirteen for the “Betsy Ross” version.

Skill Level – easy

Materials Needed:

• 1/2 inch plywood, cut to size (I used a scrap piece that was 22 inch x 21 inch)
• six or seven pieces of driftwood or branches
• paint
• small twig stars
• 3/4 inch trim pieces to frame plywood (or use branches to frame)
• sandpaper
• hot glue
• picture hanger bracket
• small finish nails
• stain or paint for trim pieces

Instructions:

  1.  Draw out a square for painting blue background.  I made mine 7 inches by 9 inches. 

  2.  Apply masking tape to the edge of the line to prevent painting outside the box.  Brush on blue acrylic paint.  Once dry, remove tape and apply more to the inside edge of the box.  Now paint the rest of your wood red.  **You could also first paint the whole piece of wood red and once dry, draw your box, tape off edge, and apply blue paint.

  3.  While waiting for paint to dry between coats, paint your driftwood and stars white.  I also painted one piece of driftwood blue to add to the box for stars.  This gives the whole flag lots of dimension.

4.  Using hot glue, adhere your driftwood and stars to the wood to complete your flag.

    5.  An option to make your flag look more faded and worn would be to sand off some of the paint.

6.  If you want to frame your wood, cut trim pieces to size and miter the corners.  Finish the wood by staining or painting it.  Attach the trim with small finish nails.

7.  Finally, nail a picture hanger bracket to the back so that you can hang your masterpiece on the wall.

Patriotic Poppies (c/o TLC.com)

Celebrate Memorial Day (also known as Poppy Day) by making crepe paper patriotic poppies. In addition to attending parades and festivals, celebrate this special holiday by doing fun Memorial Day crafts with the entire family.

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Make patriotic poppies on Memorial Day.

What You'll Need: 

Red crepe paper
Green chenille stems
Scissors
Large needle

In the spring, red poppies bloom on European battlefields where thousands of soldiers died.

Many veteran's organizations sell poppies to earn money for disabled vets. You can make your own crepe paper poppies.

To make each poppy, cut out three 4-inch circles of red crepe paper.

Lay the circles on top of each other, and ask an adult to help you use a needle to make two holes next to each other in the center (go through all the circles).

Put the end of a chenille stem through one hole, bend the chenille stem, and bring the end down through the other hole.

Twist the end around the long part of the chenille stem to secure it.

Pull the crepe paper petals slightly away from each other to form the poppy. 

Patriotic Picnic (c/o Better Homes and Gardens)

Take red and white fabric squares, tie with a blue and white ribbon of any kind, and you've got it!  Add charm for detail....

Happy Mother's Day!  Hope you enjoy the crafts (c/o Kaboose.com) as much as we did : )

Springtime Memory Photo Frames

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Easy

Age: 4 and up

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This photo frame makes a perfect gift for Mother’s Day or as a springtime craft. Kids will enjoy making this picture frame, which works beautifully as a memento

What you'll need:

• Cardboard or poster board or papier-mâché  frame
• Decorative paper or fabric
• 12 colorful buttons (six for each flower; five of one color, one of another color)
• 12-inch piece of ribbon or string
• Photograph
• Scissors or paper cutter
• White craft glue
• Magnet (optional)

How to make it:

1. Using photograph as a size guide, trim cardboard to make the four sides of the frame. A paper cutter will give you straighter cuts than scissors.
2. Place your cardboard pieces around your photograph to be sure they are the right size. You will also need a piece of cardboard for the back of your picture frame. Use the pieces you just cut as a guide to determine the size of your backing. Trace and cut out back.
3. Turn decorative paper or fabric right-side down on your work surface. Place cardboard pieces on paper or fabric and lightly trace around the cardboard with a pencil.
4. Cut out the patterns you just created. Turning fabric or paper right-side up, glue them to the cardboard. When applying the glue, use a sponge, paintbrush or your finger to spread the glue evenly over the cardboard so that you don’t have gaps or bumps.
5. Line up your cardboard pieces onto your backing to help you position your photo. Glue photo to the backing.
6. Glue the frame pieces around the photo.
7. Position buttons in each corner to create flowers. Use one color for the center of the flower, and five of another color for the petals. Glue in place once you have them where you want them.
8. Tie a bow in the center of string or ribbon. Glue the tails to the back of the frame.
9. You can also glue a magnet to the back of the frame if you like, or use the magnet instead of the ribbon hanger.

Tips:

• You can find papier-mâché  frames at most craft and discount department stores. If using a purchased frame, use it as a guide to cut your fabric or paper and glue in place. 
• For smaller children, instead of gluing fabric to the frame pieces, have them color, draw or paint a pattern on construction paper. 
• If you already have several buttons on hand, pick your fabric or paper based on the colors you already have. Buttons can be found in the sewing department of craft and discount department stores in many different colors and package sizes.

Recycled Flower Pot

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Easy

Age: 4 and up

Parental supervision is recommended

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This recycled flower pot craft is a fun Earth Day project that keeps plastic milk jugs out of the landfill and provides a pretty and useful pot to plant flowers in. Makes a wonderful Mother's Day gift, too! 

Be sure to check visit our Earth Day craft page, recipes, fun printables andkeeping a green home for more fun.  Additional Mother's Day craft ideas,cards for mom, and recipes to spoil her with on Mother's Day.

What you'll need:

• Plastic milk or juice jugs
• Fabric or scrapbook paper scraps
• Felt in coordinating colors
• Scissors or a craft knife
• Soil
• White craft glue
• Water
• Bowl
• Paintbrush
• Potted flower

How to make it:

1. Cut the top off of the plastic jug, just under the handle. Save the handle to make our Bouquet Holder craft. (See photo.)
2. Turn bottom of jug upside down and have an adult poke 4 small drain holes in the bottom. (See photo.)
3. Cut fabric or tear paper into 1” squares.  (See photo.)
4. Mix 2 parts glue and 1 part water in a bowl.
5. Paint glue mixture onto one side of the outside of the milk jug. (See photo.)
6. Decoupage the fabric or paper all over the sides of the jug, applying glue onto the jug first, then over the fabric or paper to adhere. (See photo.)
7. Cut 1.5” wide strips from felt, enough to go around the opening of the pot. (See photo.)
8. Glue the strip onto the lip of the pot, overlapping both sides, inside and out. (See photo.)
9. Add a handful of gravel or small rocks to the bottom of the pot.
10. Add a small amount of soil then add the potted flower.
11. Fill pot with soil, carefully but firmly patting down the soil around the flower.
12. Water your flower and place near a sunny window.

Tips:

• This pot makes a lovely accent to a patio table; however the decoupage will be ruined should it rain. To avoid this, before adding gravel, soil and flower, place the pot inside a clear plastic bag. Insert the overlap of the bag inside the pot, roll up the side if needed, you don’t want the plastic blocking the drain holes.
• Place your pot on a plate before watering to catch any water that may drain out the holes.
• These make great pots for herbs as well!

Queen for a Day Chair Cover

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Easy

Age: 7 and up

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Mother's Day is the day that all mothers should be treated as if they were queens! Make this lovely chair cover and give Mom the royal treatment.

Mother's Day is the perfect opportunity to create beautiful crafts andhomemade cards just for Mom! Treat her to special recipes and bond withprintable activities as well.

What you'll need:

• Standard white pillowcase
• 4 brown paper grocery bags
• White craft glue
• Scissors
• 2 spools of colorful ribbon (we used purple and yellow)
• Sequins in a variety of colors
• Pencil
• Gold paint pen
• Colorful craft jewels
• Colorful pom-poms
• Pink and silver glitter glue
• Pattern

How to make it:

1. Start with an ironed pillowcase. Insert the four paper bags inside the pillowcase. This will keep the glue from seeping through the fabric and sticking to the other side.  (See photo.)
2. Print out the pattern. Cut out the crown and position in the middle of the pillowcase.
3. Using your favorite font, print out the word"QUEEN" in big letters and place it above the crown. (See photo.) Then cut out each letter individually and place back onto the pillowcase.
4. Pipe white craft glue around each letter and remove the patterns. Place sequins on the glue. (See photos 1, 2, 3.)
5. Use a pencil to trace around the crown pattern. Remove pattern and trace pencil markings with gold paint pen. (See photo.)
6. Decorate the crown using pom-poms, and glitter glue to write "MOM". Outline the crown with silver glitter glue.
7. Line the outer edges of the pillowcase using pink and yellow ribbon, adhering with white craft glue. Decorate corner by tying a couple of bows and gluing them in place. Glue another bow toward the bottom of the case, under the crown. Glue craft jewels in the bottom corners to cover up the ends of the ribbons.
8. Decorate the bottom border of the pillowcase using colorful craft jewels. Glue smaller craft jewels in a line between the word "QUEEN" and the crown. (See photo.)
9. Allow everything to dry completely before removing the paper bags. Place pillowcase over the back of Mom's chair.

Tips:

1. White craft glue will wash out, and there are far too many attachments on this project to run the risk of washing it – for more durability use fabric glue and hand wash the case.
2. Carefully fold the pillowcase and store in a zipper storage bag until next year.
3. Sequins can be purchased by color or in variety packs.

Recycled Crafts: Earth Day!!

Here are some of kaboose.com (and North Jersey Mom's)favorite recycled crafts  for Earth Day 2011~ 4/22/11

Seeded Paper Bookmark

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Easy

Age: 7 and up

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These seeded paper bookmarks are not only lovely looking – you can reuse them by planting them into the ground and watching them grow into a plant or flower! This is a really fun project and makes a marvelous gift. One batch can make many bookmarks, so save a few for yourself!

Visit all of our great Earth Day fun including more Earth Day crafts andprintable activities.

What you'll need:

• 8 jumbo craft sticks
• 12"x12" piece of window screen or cheesecloth
• White craft glue
• Black electrical tape
• Plain white copy paper or art paper
• Water
• Blender
• 13" x 9" baking pan
• Flower and herb seeds
• Dried herbs to match seeds
• Ground cinnamon
• Two old kitchen towels
• Hemp cord
• Spoon
• Sponge
• Scissors
• Hole punch

How to make it:

1. To make the frame for the screen you will need, glue together the corners of 4 jumbo craft sticks, and then lay the screen or cheesecloth over the frame, completely covering it. (See photo.)
2. Glue a second layer of craft sticks to two opposite sides of the frame -- securing the cheesecloth between the bottom and top layers. Trim the ends off of the two remaining craft sticks and glue those along the remaining sides of the frame. Be sure to pull the cheesecloth tight as you glue the sticks in place. Let dry. (See photo.)
3. Trim the edges, leaving a bit of cheesecloth hanging over the ends. Using black electrical tape, cover the craft stick frame, tucking the overlapping cheesecloth under the tape. Do not skip this step as it will help protect the craft sticks from the water. (See photo.)
4. Tear pieces of paper into squares about 1-2" wide. Place squares into blender and cover with warm water. Turn the blender on and process until a thin paste is formed.
5. Fill a 13x9 baking pan halfway with warm water. Pour the paper paste from the blender into the warm water in the pan. Stir gently. For flower bookmarks, add flower seeds, small bits of cut up hemp cord and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. For herb bookmarks, use beige art or construction paper, basil seeds, and sprinkle with dried basil. Stir. (See photo.)
6. Place a clean kitchen towel on a nearby counter and have a sponge and another towel waiting as well.
7.  Dip your screen frame into the mixture, going underneath the layer of paper and seeds. As if panning for gold, gently bring frame to the surface and move back and forth to get a fairly even surface on your screen. Lift straight up out of the water and allow excess water to drip off. (See photo.)
8. Carefully carry you screen to the towel on the counter and set the screen down on top of it. Place the second kitchen towel on top of the screen and flip everything upside down and place back on the counter. Remove the towel that is now on the top.
9. Use a kitchen sponge to press firmly down on top of the screen getting as much excess water out as you can. (See photo.)
10.  Lift the frame up and gently loosen your seeded paper. You may need to clean off the edges of the frame and gently coax a corner loose, but the rest should fall out easily. (See photo.)
11. Place your sheets of seeded paper onto a wire rack to dry, place under a light to speed up the process. (See photo.) This method can cause the paper to curl. Once they begin to curl, fold a dry kitchen towel around the paper sheets and place several heavy books on top to help flatten your paper. Leave like this for a couple of hours.
12. Tear each sheet gently into 3 pieces. (See photo.) Use a hole punch to make a hole about ¾" from the top. Thread a string of hemp cord through the hole. Tie the cord in a knot and trim the ends to be even if you wish. 

Tips:

1. Copy paper, construction paper, and even newspaper are all safe, compost materials.  Avoid glossy papers such as magazines. Flower seeds, herb seeds, dried herbs, and even flower petals will look wonderful in your seeded paper.
2. These bookmarks can be planted! Just tear into a few pieces and plant the whole thing right into the ground. Hemp is also a natural material, so it's not necessary to remove it.
3. If you have extra seeded paper, tear it into a few pieces, wet a piece of paper towel, and put the paper towel and the seeded paper into a zipper sandwich bag until the seeds sprout!

Milk Carton Bird Feeder

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Very Easy

Age: 5 and up

Parental supervision is recommended

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Recycle a milk carton and make new feathered friends with this creative nature Earth Day craft for kids. Also make a great spring craft.

Be sure to explore all of our Earth Day and spring pages for even more fun with printables, recipes and green products. Take our quiz to test your Earth Day IQ and find out if you are living green.

What you'll need:

• Empty quart sized cardboard milk carton
• Scissors
• String or cord
• Hole punch or pencil
• Bird seed

How to make it:

1. Have an adult help you cut a hole in the bird feeder – it should be big enough so a bird could come and sit and eat the feed, but not too big or the carton will become unstable. (See photo.)
2. Have an adult help you cut a hole using the hole punch in the top of the milk carton and put a string through the hole. Alternatively, you can poke a hole on either side of the flap at the top of the carton by poking a pencil through the top. (See photo.)
3. Tie a knot in the string. (See photo.)
4. Fill the carton with bird seed until it reaches the top of the hole. (See photo.)
5. Hang the cart on a tree branch and watch the birds enjoy their snack! (See photo.)

Tips:

• A quart size carton works perfect as it isn't too large and holds a decent amount of food.
• You may choose to decorate the outside of the carton but keep in mind that it will be outside in the elements and decorations may wash off in the rain. Also, you wouldn't want the birds pecking at flaking paint!
• Check your bird feeder regularly and refill as needed.

Coffee Ground "Fossils" (c/o kaboose.com)

Difficulty: Easy

Age: 4 and up

Parental supervision is recommended

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Create your own fossils to display by using old coffee grounds. These work well as visual aids for science projects and makes a fun Earth Day craft for kids.

Visit our Earth Day homepage for more recycled crafts as well as recipes, fun printables and teaching kids about Earth Day. Take our quizzes, Are You Living Green? and What's Your Earth Day IQ?, to test your knowledge on all thing eco-friendly.

What you'll need:

• 1 cup of used coffee grounds
• 1/2 cup of cold coffee
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of salt
• Wax paper
• Mixing bowl
• Some small objects to make impressions in the dough (Shaped cookie cutters work well.) 
• Empty can or a butter knife
• Toothpicks, optional
• String to hang your fossil, optional

How to make it:

1. Stir the together the coffee grounds, cold coffee, flour, and salt until well mixed.
2. Knead the dough together and then flatten it out onto the waxed paper.
3. Use the can to cut out circles of the dough or use the dull knife to cut slabs large enough to fit your "fossil" objects.
4. Press your objects firmly into the dough. When you take the object out, you have your "fossil". If you want to hang the fossil, poke holes into the edge to hold the string.
5. Let the fossil dry overnight (and up to two days) and then hang it if you wish.

Tips:

1. To reduce the drying time, bake the fosils for a short period of time to get the "dough" to harden.

My Planet Earth (c/o kaboose.com)

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Very Easy

Age: 6 and up 

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The beauty of this project is that no two will ever be alike! Every child’s creation will be completely unique. You can use this delicate but pretty recycled-crayon craft to teach children that the earth is also delicate and we need to look after it.

Be sure to visit our Earth day crafts, printables, online games and Earth day ideas page for more environmentally friendly fun.

What you'll need:

• Old, Broken Crayons in blue and green, brown and white are optional
• Scissors
• Wax paper
• Paper towel
• Iron
• String

How to make it:

1. Lay a piece of wax paper out flat on the work surface.
2. Use a drinking cup or other stencil to draw a circle on the wax paper.
3. Parents should shave the crayons using the blade on a pair of scissors or the edge of a knife.
4. Have your child place the different colored crayon shavings within the circle however they like. Blue for water, green and brown for land, white for cloud formations.
5. Cut a piece of string about twelve-inches long. Double the string over and place the open ends together, lay them onto the crayon shavings. When the shavings melt in the following steps, the string will be melded into the cooled crayon to form your hanger.
6. Place another piece of wax paper on top of the crayon shavings being careful not to disturb the shavings.
7. Place a piece of paper towel on top of the wax paper.
8. With iron on low setting, a grown up can apply heat to melt the crayon shavings. Allow it to cool completely.
9. Once cooled, use scissors to trim the creation into a circle, trimming off any excess if necessary. Be very careful not to cut your string!
10. Carefully peel off one side of the wax paper, then the other.
11. Hang in a window.

Tips:

• The finished project is very delicate. Use this opportunity to discuss how our Earth is delicate as well and we should treat it with respect by recycling, throwing away our trash (not littering!) and conserving energy by closing doors and turning off lights.
• If you prefer, you can leave one side of the wax paper on the project. This will help preserve it a little while longer and it will not be as vulnerable.
• Before making this project, have a suction cup hook already hanging in the window. That way you can immediately hang the project out of eager little hands that may accidentally break it.

These really cute crafts (c/o Kaboose.com and mnn.com) are a great way to get kids in on the Passover celebration!

Marvelous Matzoh Cover

Difficulty: Easy

Age: 4 and up

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A Matzoh cover is a piece of cloth traditionally used to cover a piece of unleavened bread, called Matzoh, before the Passover Seder meal. Add a burst of colour to your Passover Seder table with this easy-to-do Matzoh cover.

What you'll need:

• One piece of coloured felt (approximately 8x10-inches)
• Silk ribbon
• Foam letters and shapes
• Scissors
• Craft glue

How to make it:

1. Cut four pieces of ribbon and glue them around the perimeter of your felt.
2. Trim any excess ribbon so that it makes a perfect border.
3. Use pre-cut foam letters to spell out M, A, T, Z, A, H. Glue them onto your cover diagonally. The M should be in the top left corner and the H should finish in the bottom right corner.
4. Wait at least 20 minutes for glue to set.
5. Decorate the rest of your Matzah cover as you wish with foam cutouts, sparkles or even fabric paint.

Tips:

• Foam letters and other cutouts are available at craft stores and dollar stores. If you have trouble finding foam letter cutouts, simply cut the letters out of different coloured pieces of felt and glue them onto your cover using craft glue.
• Use fabric or puff paint and glitter to add a special touch to your Matzoh cover.
• If you have enough felt, make a personalized Matzoh cover for each of your Seder guests to take home. Bonus: You can incorporate their names into the design and use them as seating cards, too.

Kiddush Cups

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Get kids excited about Passover before the Seder with these fun-to-make Kiddush Cups.

Materials

• Cotton swabs
• Small paintbrush
• White craft glue
• Multicolored craft gems

• Small plastic wineglass
• Mod-podge craft glue
• Multicolored tissue paper

Total Time Needed: 1 Hour

Instructions

1. Use a small cotton swab to apply a small amount of glue to the back of each gem.
2. Arrange and attach them around the outside of the wineglass and on the pedestal.
3. Let the jewels dry.

Tips:

Be careful to place the jewels and strips of multicolored paper well below the rim.

Variations:

For a "stained glass" Kiddush cup, cut multicolored tissue paper into small pieces. Start at the outside midsection of the glass and glue on the pieces of the tissue paper, working down the stem toward the bottom of the glass. Completely cover the lower half of the glass with tissue paper. Use a paintbrush to cover the entire tissue-papered area with Mod-Podge and let it dry.

Cardboard Tube Moses

By: Amanda Formaro

Difficulty: Average

Age: 8 and up

This fun craft project is perfect for Sunday school or for celebrating Passover.  Teach children the story of Moses and have fun while creating this cute figure from recycled materials like the tubes from toilet paper or paper towels. 

Be sure to check out all our Passover crafts as well as our main Passover index for even more fun activities including coloring pages and holiday recipes.

What you'll need:

• Cardboard tube
• Brown and peach felt
• 2- 3” x 2” scraps of cardboard
• Acrylic paint in peach and pink
• White doll hair or yarn
• Brown chenille stem
• 4-5 cotton balls
• Black marker
• Scissors
• White craft glue
• Paintbrush

How to make it:

1. Paint the top portion of the cardboard tube peach. No need to paint the back or anywhere else as the rest will be covered with felt. Use a cotton swab or your fingertip to pick up some pink paint. Blot most of it off with paper towel so that it's almost dry. Dot on the cheeks.
2. Glue doll hair or white yarn around the peach area (face). Glue on for hair and beard.
3. From a sheet of brown felt, cut a large half circle.
4. Insert cotton balls inside the cardboard tube. There should be enough that they will provide roundness for the top of the head, but not too many that the tube cannot stand on its own. Glue inside to secure.
5. Wrap the brown felt around the tube, starting at the top and back of the head and wrapping around both sides, meeting in the front. Trim if needed to fit and glue in place.
6. Trim cardboard rectangles to give them rounded top edges. Glue one behind the other, allowing it to be shown from the back. Use black marker to write some of the commandments on the front tablet (i.e. thou shalt not steal, honor thy mother and father, etc)
7. Glue tablets to the left side of the robe.
8. Bend the top of brown chenille stem into a cane shape. Glue to the other side of the robe.
9. Cut out two small circles from peach felt. Glue one on to the chenille cane (hands) and the other to the left side of the tablets.
10. Use black marker to add dots for eyes and draw on eyebrows.

Tips:

• The word Passover refers to the exemption of Israelites from the death of their first born. Homes that were marked with lamb’s blood (indicating Jews) were “passed over” when the wrath was brought down.
• Save cardboard tube from toilet tissue rolls and paper towels for craft projects such as these.
• White yarn and doll hair are both available from your local craft supply store.

This one c/o Family Fun is a great one for your extra coffee cans, too!  

LEPRECHAUN HAT PIT TRAP

Leprechauns have big egos, so a giant version of their own hat is irresistible to them. Once they step on the false top, you'll have caught a 10-gallon prize.

So that the top doesn't give way too soon, use a lightweight bait, such as a crumpled piece of gold foil.

Our hat, a recycled oatmeal container, is wrapped with green felt secured with double-sided tape. To make the trap, we cut a hole in the lid (see image), then cunningly concealed it with a circle of green felt that will give way when the leprechaun steps on it.

Leprechauns love to break rules. Warning signs are sure to lure them in.

Natural materials make these woodland creatures feel at home. Our ladder is made from twigs held together with wood glue.

Recycle green bottles into the perfect St. Patrick’s Day decorations

This craft c/o www.recycledcrafts.craftgossip.com is one of the best (creative) recycled crafts I've found so far~ 

Roundup: Using Old T-Shirts

27 FEBRUARY 2010 11,651 VIEWS 11 COMMENTS

by heather

Here are some REALLY cool ideas of what to do with old t-shirts from a website called dollarstorecrafts.com.  T-shirt Yarn tutorial to follow!

Old T-Shirt Wreath

Don't you just love the idea of using your old shirts to make pretty decor? Take color-coordinated shirts and transform them into a wreath. Use a grapevine wreath or wreath form, and old clothes, and you'll only spend a buck! Get the tutorial details at Scoutie Girl.

Make an Asymmetrical T-shirt Skirt

My friend Lee from Leethal is an amazing crafter with tons of great ideas, and she does a lot of great work with recycled materials. Check out her tutorial for an asymmetrical t-shirt skirt here.

 Make an Unusual T-shirt Quilt

You've seen the standard all-squares t-shirt quilts (which are awesome, don't get me wrong), but this strip-quilted t-shirt quilt is a genuine masterpiece. If you're not into the other kind, this one is an amazing choice. Calls for about 20 t-shirts and tutorial is by Erika Kern at CraftStylish. Part One Here and Part Two Here.

Make a T-shirt Pillow

Use your favorite old t-shirt to make these cute throw pillows, and stashbust some fabric while you're at it. Tutorial at Maiden Jane (via TT).

Make a T-shirt Scarf

My friend Rachel made this cool scarf from her collection of t-shirts. Get the details at Craft.

No-Sew Ribbon Altered T-shirt

No sewing required in this cute tutorial from Living Locurto.

Make a T-shirt Shrug

Cute way to alter an old t-shirt into a new shrug! By Something Shiny

Make T-shirt Yarn (also known as Tarn)

find out how at the Polka Dot Pineapple Blog (another tutorial at My Recycled Bags)

Projects to make with your t-shirt yarn:

Wheelchair or Walker Tote Bag

Knitted Dishcloths

Unique Half-Circle Bathmat

Braided Scarf

T-shirt Necklace

Celebrate Black History Month

Black History Month celebrates contributions made by African Americans and people of African descent around the world. It was started by an African American man named Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926.  Back then, it was celebrated the second week of February.  Now it is celebrated for the whole month of February in the United States and Canada, and the month of October in the United Kingdom.

Why was Black History Month started?

Dr. Woodson studied African American culture and encouraged other people to study it, too. He felt it was important for people to recognize the great contributions black people have made. He devoted his life to educating people as a teacher, a writer, and a publisher. He was also a political activist who worked to make sure the government treated African Americans fairly.

Negro History Week was set for the second week in February to celebrate the birthdays of two people who worked hard for African Americans: Abraham Lincoln, the white president who freed the slaves, and Frederick Douglass, the first African American Vice Presidential nominee.

Negro History Week became Black History Month in 1976, in celebration of our nation's 200th birthday.

Ways to Celebrate Black History Month:

No matter what your background, everyone can celebrate the importance of Black History Month. Celebrate the achievements and inventions of the black people featured in this article by reading about them below. Which important figures below contributed something that means a lot to you? Find a way to commemorate those achievements that affect your everyday life, whether it's through art, film, literature, music, education, civil rights, sports or even food!

For more information and ideas on black history month go to: http://www.kaboose.com/

Let Freedom RING!

The Liberty Bell, and its replica the Freedom Bell, are symbolic of independence and equality--two ideals that Martin Luther King Jr. fought to achieve for all men and women.

Make this glittering Freedom Bell craft for kids to teach them even more about some of the beliefs Dr. King felt were especially important.  

What you'll need:

    * Solo Cup/Empty Yogurt Container

    * Gold Glitter

    * School Glue

    * Brown or black 3-D (puffy) paint

    * Paintbrush

    * Black marker

How to make it:

   1. Use the black marker to write the word “FREEDOM” on the front of the bell shaped cap, down toward the bottom.

   2. Paint a layer of  glue all over the bell. Roll bell in plate full of glitter until covered.  Allow it to dry completely and repeat for a second coat. Let dry again.

   3. Use the 3-D paint to write the word “FREEDOM” on the bell. Use you’re the word you wrote in marker as a guide. Let dry completely.

What do peanut butter, the gas mask, and the Super Soaker have in common? They were all dreamed up by black inventors. Here are some famous inventions by African-Americans:

George Washington Carver

(1860–1943)

George Washington Carver changed lunchtime sandwiches forever when he invented peanut butter. Born a slave, Carver didn’t attend college until he was 30 years old, but he went on to create 400 new uses for peanuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes, and pecans. These new discoveries transformed the southern United States from a one-crop region of cotton into multi-crop farmlands, providing farmers with hundreds of profitable uses for their land.

Peanut Butter Birdfeeders

You'll need a toilet paper roll, bird seed, and a lot of peanut butter.

Cover toilet paper roll with a thick layer of peanut butter, and roll around in bird seed (some people also use pine cones tied to fishing line).  The toilet paper roll will fit nicely on a branch now that there are no leaves!  

Garrett Morgan

(1877-1963)

Both of Garrett Morgan’s inventions—the gas mask and traffic signal—help save lives. Many soldiers survived the First World War thanks to the gas mask, which prevented deadly mustard gas from entering the lungs. Today, our roads are orderly and less dangerous thanks to traffic lights that come from Morgan’s original idea. Morgan came up with the

idea for a traffic light after witnessing an accident involving a horse-drawn buggy and a car.

Graham Cracker Traffic Light

You'll Need:

• a popcicle stick
• graham cracker
• chocolate icing
• original m&m's (not holiday, etc)

To Make: 

• Ice one side of the graham cracker with frosting, and stick on the red, yellow, and green m&m's
• Put a little icing on the tip of a popcicle stick, and stick the graham cracker to the stick
• Enjoy!  

Recycled Crafts: Presidents Day

Pretzel LogCabin

Every year, we make gingerbread houses by frosting a small milk carton, and sticking on graham crackers and candies.  This follows that same idea.  It could not be easier!  Little ones can do everything from spreading the frosting/peanut butter to sticking the pretzels on the house.  

What You'll Need:

• Small empty milk carton (washed and dried)
• Pretzel sticks
• Chocolate frosting or peanut butter
• 1 Rolo or other tubular shaped candy
• graham cracker for the door

How to make it:

1. Frost the top flap first (to be the roof-peak), and cover with pretzels.  
2. Spread chocolate frosting or peanut butter on one side of milk carton then cover with pretzels. Repeat this step all over the milk carton until log cabin is complete. You may need to break the tips off of some of the pretzels to make then fit up the sides.
3. Break a graham cracker to be a suitable sized door.   Spread some frosting or peanut butter on the back of the first half. “Glue” it to the front of the cabin as the door. Repeat this step with a smaller broken piece for the window.
4. Spread some frosting or peanut butter to the bottom of Rolo and stick to the roof as a chimney.  

Giant US President Money

This is a great craft for two reasons: it familiarizes kids with the presidents, and it opens discussion for the value of money.  My 4 year old recently told me that if you have 4 quarters, you have 4 cents.  This craft is perfect!  

Supplies Needed:

Paper Plates (4)

Printable President Silhouettes:

Lincoln: http://kidscraftzone.com/file.axd?file=Lincoln+Silhouette.pdf Jefferson: http://kidscraftzone.com/file.axd?file=Jefferson+Silhouette.pdf

Roosevelt: http://kidscraftzone.com/file.axd?file=Jefferson+Silhouette.pdf

Washington: http://kidscraftzone.com/file.axd?file=washington+silhouette+.pdf

Paint, Crayons or Markers (Silver and Brown)
Scissors
Glue

• Paint one plate brown, and the other 3 silver
• Print/cut out the presidents' silhouettes
• Glue silhouettes to paper plates (make sure Lincoln goes on the brown one)
• On the back of the plate, I had my little ones look at the back of the appropriate coins, and draw what they saw on the actual coins(the Lincoln Memorial was interesting)

Additional US Coin Information:


• Penny -1¢
Front of Coin:  Abraham Lincoln-16th U.S. President
Back of Coin:  The Lincoln Memorial 

• Nickel- 5¢ 
Front of Coin: Thomas Jefferson-3rd U.S. 
Back of Coin: President  Monticello -Jefferson's home 

• Dime- 10¢ 
Front of Coin: Franklin Delano Roosevelt- 32nd U.S. President
Back of Coin: Olive Branch,Torch,Oak Branch.

• On the back of a Roosevelt dime, the center torch signifies liberty. The oak branch to the right signifies strength and independence. The olive branch to the left signifies peace.

• Quarter-25¢  
Front of Coin: George Washington-1st U.S. President 
Back of Coin: American Bald Eagle

"Yes We Can" Can

This craft is inspired by Barack Obama's famous 2008 presidential campaign phrase, "Yes we can." It's an excellent way to start your little one on the value of saving money, and giving.  Before starting this craft, take a minute to talk about saving money that might go to a local charity.  Explain the organization (in kid-talk) how it's right to help others.   

What you'll need:

• Empty vegetable can
• 1 sheet of white construction paper
• ½ sheet of red felt
• 1-2 white pipe cleaners
• Red and blue paint, markers, or crayons
• colored glitter pens
• White craft glue
• Scissors

How to make it:

• Measure the width of the can and cut out a strip of construction paper that will cover the entire width of the can.
• Write the phrase "Yes We Can" across the  piece of construction paper in outlined letters so that your little one can color them in. 
• Your child can decorate the rest of the paper using paint, markers, and glitter.
• Trace round bottom of can on to a piece of scrap paper.Cut out the circle you just traced on the scrap paper to use as a template. 
• Place it on to the felt. Either hold it in place with your fingers or use a safety pin to attach it. Use scissors to cut around the circle, leaving a 1.5” border. You should now have a large felt circle.
• Fold the felt circle in half. Using the scissors, cut a slit in the middle. Open up the half circle.
• Place the felt circle on top of the can and secure with the pipe cleaner, wrapping a couple of times to tighten. Do not glue!When glitter glue on the paper is dry, glue the “Yes We Can” band around the can.
• Find this and other Presidents Day crafts at http://holidays.kaboose.com/presidents-day/presidents-day.html

Paper Plate Obama Symbol

In honor of Presidents Day, make the Obama symbol from the 2008 campaign.  This is a good opportunity to talk about the voting and how Americans elect their president.  

What you'll need:

• Paper plate (we used a 9" plate)
• Red and blue acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Pattern http://crafts.kaboose.com/obama.pdf

How to make it:

• Print out Obama "O" pattern to the appropriate size.
• Draw pattern onto paper plate lightly in pencil.
• The center of the plate remains white.
• Paint the upper border of the plate with blue paint according to the pattern.
• Paint the three stripes red.Allow to dry completely.

Recycled Crafts: Valentine's Day

As the little ones head in to school to fill their Valentine Mailboxes, look around the house to see what you can make into a homemade token of little love!  

The Toilet Paper Roll-Love Bug is simple. Just paint a toilet paper roll in a soft color, and add construction paper butterfly wings with glue!  The best part for my kids was to bend and twist the antennae and glue on "googly eyes". You can find this and more at: http://www.planetpals.com/recycle_holiday_crafts.html

The next recycled Valentine's craft comes from: http://scrumdillydo.blogspot.com.  It's the Valentine's Memory Game!

All you need is cardboard (they suggest using a cereal box), scrap book paper or old wrapping paper, and mod-podge. 

1. Cover one side of the cereal box in one (uniform) type of wrapping/scrap paper.
2. Cut the covered card board into an even number of hearts (use a template to ensure the size is the same). 
3. Cover every 2 hearts in the same pattern wrapping/scrap paper.  
4. Allow to dry, and play Valentine's Memory!

The last suggestion is to simply take old clothes, and cut into patterns to make Stuffed Valentine's Hearts!  

All you need is some old clothing (tee shirts work great!), stuffing, fabric paint, buttons, yarn, "googly"eyes, or anything else that would look cute as a face.  You can either sew the heart together, use fabric glue or hot glue.  

This is from: www.inhabitots.com

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