Category — Crafts for Kids

This is a great gift for your child to give someone special or a way to preserve a memory. Just recycle an old frame with paint and cute designs. You can also us tongue depressors to form a frame. Just paint, glue together and add a message or design. Use a ribbon or string for hanging. These frames are easy and fun and I know any grandparent or parent would be thrilled to receive one as a gift.

These wind chimes are easy to make and would be a great gift for Mother’s Day or any occasion.
You’ll need:
various sizes of lids (soup, vegetables, fruit, etc.)
paint
string
dowel (about 6-8 inches long)
hammer
nail
Directions:
1. When you open the cans to get the lids make sure to use a can opener that doesn’t leave sharp edges. Clean the lids.
2. Using the hammer and nail make a hole in each lid. Make sure to pound the back down flat so there are no cut fingers.
3. Paint each lid front & back. When dry decorate.
4. Attach a string to each lid where you made the hole and then attach to the dowel. You’ll want them to be close enough together so they chime when the wind blows.
5. Attach a string to the dowel and hang.

Wouldn’t this be a fun way to present a Mother’s Day gift. You could fill it with potting plants, lotions & soap or towels. All you need is a basket and some ribbon or fabric strips. Aimee at HomeSpun Threads shows you how you can take a plain basket and embellish it to create something special.
Get step by step instructions.

Some of my grandkids were with me recently and I got out the Box of Creativity (some people might call it the box of junk). The kids had a great time using their imagination to create things. Later that day other family members came for dinner so we decided to display all the creations. You can have a Box of Creativity too, just collect lots of different items you think you’re kids will enjoy. I often go to thrift stores and find bags of small pieces of wood, pompoms and beads. Keep everything in a box so it’s easy to store.

Use a plastic container that you get from the grocery store that holds strawberries and weave yarn through the openings. The opening aren’t even but that’s what makes it interesting. My grandson started to weave this basket but got tired so I finished it for him. Maybe using thicker yarn would have made it go faster. I just used a pipe cleaner for the handle.

The basket is holding a cute sock bunny that my daughter made.
Get Directions For Sock Bunnies

This project would be fun, easy, and inexpensive for young women’s groups, achievement day groups, girl scout groups or with your daughter or granddaughter. Repurpose old wool sweaters by felting the fabric — shrinking the wool until it’s thick and ravel-proof — and then it’s a cinch to create stylish bracelets.

Materials
Old sweater
Scissors
Embroidery needle
Embroidery floss
Buttons, felt shapes, paper flowers, and other embellishments

Instructions
To felt the wool, wash the sweater in hot water and dry it on high heat. Repeat, if necessary, so that the fabric’s weave is tight enough to be cut without fraying.

Cut loops from the sweater’s cuffs and arms. Next, decorate the bangles by using embroidery floss to sew on buttons, felt shapes, paper flowers, and more.

Tips: If the diameter of a loop is too big, cut it open, trim the excess length, then overlap the edges and secure them by sewing on embellishments.
This idea came from FAMILY FUN.

This treat can is easy to make. All you need is a metal can, wire, paint, and embelishments.

Clean your can and remove label. You’ll need to take off the bottom of the can too. Be sure to use a can opener that doesn’t leave sharp edges.
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Using an awl or a nail, hammer two holes on each side of the top of the can.

Using the hammer pound the bottom of the can flat together.

The top remains open.
Now paint, decorate, add a wire for the handle, and fill with a special treat.

Two of my grandsons stayed overnight with me last week. They had great fun creating things from pipe cleaners. It was fun and inexpensive!

Instead of throwing away your Christmas and holiday cards and leftover pieces of ribbon, recycle them into thank you notes and gift tags.
With your grandchildren you can cut out pictures from the cards and glue them on cardstock to be used like a postcard. Then send it as a thank you note. You can also make gift tags to save for next Christmas. There are many pictures on cards that can be used for tags all year ‘round.

This is a fun fall activity to do with your children and you’re helping the birds.
Directions:
1. Gather various sizes of milk cartons.
2. Cut out an opening.
3. Decorate with paint or permanent markers.
4. Make a small hole to push a dowel through so the bird can perch.
5. Secure a wire or heavy string at the top for hanging.
6. Fill with bird seed and hang.
You can also have an opening on opposite sides and push the dowel through so birds can perch on either side.