Sewing with My Daughter

Over the weekend my daughter and I made this retro doll.  This was the first time my daughter sewed something that didn't have pre-punched holes to guide her stitches.  It was a little challenging for her but I think she did a great job. From the project she learned how to sew a whip stitch. She sewed half of the face and the front of the dress.  I sewed the rest. 

At first she thought it was too hard but began to get the hang of it.  We split the project up into three days so it wasn't too daunting.  Towards the end of the project she wanted to sew on the shoes so I let her.  Moments later she broke down crying that it was too hard and it was so easy for me.  This was one of those moments where I had to choose my words wisely.  I explained that I've been sewing most of my life and she's just starting to learn.  I also pointed out how nice her stitches looked.  I would like to think that she felt encouraged.

Our projects don't always go as planned but they're time well spent.

This pattern came with issue 34 of Mollie Makes magazine.  The pattern was designed by Danielle Thompson who owns and runs the online store Kitschy Digitals. If you have a chance, check it out.  There's a lot of cute patterns over there. 

Kid Craft: Holiday Cards for Dolls

My family and I our in the full swing of the holiday season.  The Christmas tree and other decorations are up.  The kid's have been feasting on their chocolate advent calendars.  Dates for holiday gatherings have been set.  And last but definitely not least, we've been crafting.  My daughter and I have been making these tiny holiday cards for her American Girl doll.  They're such an easy craft, I thought some of you or your children might enjoy making them too. 

Supplies:

Christmas images (about 1 /12in by 1 in) - we cut out images of cards from a Paper Source catalog.  Any small Christmas images will work. Look through all those catalogs you been receiving in the mail.

Scraps of card stock

Glue dots or glue stick

Scissors

Scoring Tool (optional)

Instructions:

1. Adhere image with glue dots to the right side of a card stock scrap.

2. With a scoring tool or by hand, fold paper behind image to make a card shape.

3.  Hold the card shut flat and trim off excess paper.  Making the cards this way opposed to measuring out the card stock first is easier for children.

Candy Wrapper Origami

 Origami windmill made from a Tootsie Roll Pop wrapper.

Do you still have candy leftover from Halloween?  If so, you might want to save a few of those wrappers to make some fun origami pieces.  Over at Origami Resource Center they've created  a round up of different things to fold with various candy wrappers.  My personal favorite is the heart ring folded from a Starburst wrapper.  Click here to see more ideas from Origami Resource Center.

Origami Totoro Finger Puppets

Have you seen the animated film My Neighbor Totoro?  The film is about two sisters (Satsuki and Mei) who move to the countryside.  There they discover their new neighbor is a forest spirit called Totoro who can only be seen by children.  The film is directed my the famous director,animator and manga artist, Hayao Miyazaki (who just recently announced his retirement, BTW) . The film has been around for awhile, 1988 to be exact.

Promotional poster for the movie My Neighbor Totoro

During the summer my children watched this movie for the first time and they absolutely loved it.  That inspired me to see if there were any directions to make an origami Totoro.  I actually found quite a few but I chose this one to share because it's very easy to make and it's a puppet.  It's very similar to folding an origami cup. 

 

For the grey Totoro I used 6-by-6 in/15-by-15 cm paper.  For the little blue guy I used 3-by-3 in/7.5-by-7.5 cm paper.

Kracie DIY Mini Cake Kit

Do you remember the easy bake oven? Kracie kits are kind of like that only you don't have to wait an hour for your food to cook under a light bulb.  Instead all you need is a microwave and a little water.  It's basically a little cake kit that any child could make with a little supervision. I discovered the kit at the Japanese market and decided to test it out.  Below I'm going to share how my daughter and I made the cake.  The directions were written in Japanese but I had my Grandmother translate them for me. 

This is what the box looks like.  Kracie has a variety of different kits you can get from mini doughnuts to candy hamburgers.  I purchased my kit at Mitsuwa in San Jose, CA for $4.99.  You can also purchase them at Amazon, here. 

1.  Large Cake Mix
2.  Vanilla Frosting
3.  Cooking Tray - The tray is cut into three pieces: strawberry jelly mold, circle cake molds, and triangle    measuring cup.
4.  Small Cake Mix
5.  Strawberry jelly mix
6.  Frosting piping bag
7.  Strawberry frosting
8.  Candy for decorating
9.  Mixing spoon

1.  The large cake mix (yellow) is placed in the large circle. Using the triangle measuring cup, use three scoops of water.

2.  Add the small cake mix (orange) to the small circle.  Using the triangle measuring cup, use two scoops of water.

3.  Pound tray to get out any air bubbles.  Microwave for sixty seconds.  Let cool for two minutes.  Carefully take out cakes.

Here's what the cakes look like after they're cooked in the microwave. I think we forgot to get out the air bubbles, oops.

4.  When the cakes are cooling make the strawberry jellies.  Mix the red packet with one triangle of water.  Pour mix into strawberry mold.  Let set up at room temperature.  By the time we finished frosting the cake, they had set up.

5.  Mix vanilla frosting packet (blue) with two triangle scoops of water.  Frost large cake first.  Stack small cake on top of large cake and frost that cake as well.

6.  Mix strawberry frosting packet (pink) with one triangle scoop of water.  Place strawberry frosting in piping bag.  Cut the corner of the bag and decorate the cake.

7. Last decorate the cake with the strawberry jellies and the candy.

So you're probably wondering what the cake tasted like? It pretty much tastes like a box mix cake.  The frosting tasted more like pudding to me.  As for the those little candy balls, the brown ones tasted like coffee and the yellow ones tasted like banana.

The cake took us about a half hour to make, granted I was taking pictures too.  I let my daughter do most of the work.  I could see this used for a special play date or a tea party.  I'm actually planning an American Girl Doll themed birthday party and think this might make a cute birthday cake for the dolls.

Curious, have any of you tried these Kracie sets?  How about an Easy-Bake oven?  Show of hands, who had one as a child?  I had one but I only go to use it about three times (not by choice).

Show and Tell Stuffies

About a year ago my daughter received an American Girl doll craft set for her birthday.  And about a year ago we started on this project.  We first started on the tiny racoons so technically he took a year to make.  Once my daughter finished the tiny raccoon, she then moved on to the large raccoon.  He took only two days to make! Amazing how a long summer day with no TV can motivate a child.

 

Serious sewing going on here.

The finished raccoon stuffies.

I wish I had a project I could share too.  I've been working on a large project but I have to keep it under wraps for now. 

Book Review: Martha Stewart's Favortie Crafts For Kids

 Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts For Kids:  175 project for kids of all ages to create, build, design, explore, and share

When I saw Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts For Kids would be hitting the market soon, I secretly crossed my fingers I would receive a review copy.  And lucky me, I was offered one so I'm sharing about it with all of you today!

Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts For Kids contains 175 projects for kids to make.  As you might have guessed, many of the projects are from the website and past magazines. 

Usually for book reviews I pick out a few project I like and share them with you.  But since this book is for kids, I let my daughter pick out her favorite projects to share. 

Pictured above are sheep my daughter made from one of the projects in the craft book.  My daughter picked out the project and we read the directions together.  She's seven years old and was able to make the sheep on her own.  She was even able to draw and cut out the sheep shape for the construction paper.  I thought I was going to have to help her with this part but I was pleasantly proved wrong.    I don't have the original picture from the book to share with you but they look just the same.  The only difference is the the sheep are hanging from string.

Ice Pop Shop made out of wooden craft sticks

Solar System Bedroom How-To

July 4th Rocket Favors

If you would like to check out more of Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts For Kids, click here.  There's even a sample pom pom animal project.

Kid Craft: Washi Tape Beads

Looking for new craft projects to make with all those washi tape rolls you own?  How about creating some washi tape beads?  This craft is quick and easy for kids to make.  Use the paper beads for bracelets, necklaces, and other projects.

Supplies:
Card Stock
Washi Tape
Scissors

1.  Cut a strip of paper into the width of the washi tape and about three inches long.

2.  Fold into a rectangle shape.  Trim excess paper.

3. Tape together edges

4. Wrap remaining tape around paper.  

The beads also work well for triangle shapes.  Experiment with different prints and layers for varied looks.

Printable Swiss Army Knife Father's Day Card

My dad seemed to always have some kind of Swiss army knife on him.  Some were key chains and some were pocket knives.  I can remember him using them on various occasions.  For example, any time a ribbon needed to be cut off a present, I could count on dad to pull out the mini scissors to get the job done.  I'm sure he used the Swiss army knife tools for other things but that memory in particular stands out to me.  So as you may have guessed,  that was the inspiration for this card. 

This card is quick and easy to make.  The paper saw and knife swivel out just like a Swiss army knife. 

Supplies:
Template
One small metal brad
Scissors
Glue dots
White card stock
Hole punch

1.  Click on template twice.  Right click, copy, paste and print on white card stock.  Cut out templates.

2.  Stack saw and knife on top of the back piece.  Punch a hole through all three templates.  Add brad (refer to picture).

3.  Add glue dots where you see the red dots.  Make sure none of the glue dots will get in the away of the knife and saw swiveling out.  Place front template on top.

Your card should look something like the picture above.  Adjust the knife and saw so they stick out a little so they're easy to pull out.

This is what the back of the card will look like.

Sign the card and you're all set. 

Make a Washi Tape Village

Any guesses what I used for the base of these houses?  I'll give you a clue, you probably have one in your house right now.  If you guessed a paper roll, you're correct!  All you need is a few paper rolls and some washi tape to get started making your own village. 

Supplies
Paper rolls
Washi Tape
Scissors

1. Fold paper roll into a rectangular shape.

2. Once you have it folded, cut on all four folds about 1/3 way down on your paper roll (refer to red dots).  How far you cut down will determine how tall your roof will be.   I trimmed some of the paper roll off the top to make a shorter house.

3.  Fold the left and right side tabs in to make a point and tape together.

4.  Trim the front and back tabs to match with the point you just made.

5.  With your choice of washi tape, place strips all around the entire house.  The tape should cover part of the roof.

 6.  Wrap tape around the front of the house roof.  Flip over and repeat on the opposite side. Besides creating a decorative roof, the tape will also seal up the paper roll.

7.  On the roof, place one or two pieces of tape on top to cover the paper roll.  This will also cover up any unsightly edges of tape from step 6.

8. Last, add any details such as windows, shutters, doors, shrubs, etc with tape. 

The house pictured above my 7 year old daughter made.  I had to fold the paper roll and cut it for her.  She covered the house with tape herself. 

Changing subjects, I wanted to let you know that there's now information over at Whip Up on how you can donate to a trust fund for Kathreen's children.  Click here. 

Kid Craft: Washi Tape Friendship Pins

Do you remember friendship pins?  Traditionally they were made with beads and safety pins.  As a child I enjoyed making them and giving them out out to friends.   Those memories prompted me to revisit the craft and give it a contemporary update with washi tape. I like how they ended up having a slight preppy look to them with the monograms.  These friendship pins would be great for a craft party or just an after school project.

Supplies:

Safety Pins - I purchased some vintage brass style pins at Michaels
Washi tape
Scissors

1.  Fold tape in half over pins so both sides of the print show.

2.  Trim the bottom to make a decorative edge.

3.  Add layers of tape for extra texture. Add letters or other embellishments.

Lets Talk Camp Crafts

Today I'm over at the Galileo blog sharing how to make this ammonite fossil that's pictured above.  But before you head on over there, I'd like to talk a little about camp crafts.

As a child I went to numerous camps and made a lot of cool things.  It was a lot of fun but I realize now, they didn't have a lot of substance.  The projects were fun to make but they didn't teach me anything.  And I'm not saying all crafts need a teaching agenda.  You know most of my crafts that I post here are just for the sake of making.  But if you're looking to teach children in a fun way, crafts can be a great tool.  Especially for those children who flourish in the arts but not traditional subjects like math and English.  That's why I like the craft projects at Camp Galileo.

Each week at camp Galileo there's a theme and the art and science projects coordinate with that theme.  Pictured above are some of the projects kids will be making for the Amusement Park theme this summer at Camp Galileo.  Here's a little information about the projects in Galileo's own words:

Art: Join Cirque du Galileo. Learn the art of mixing tints to make masks inspired by the elements. Use professional sculpting wire and tools to create performers and props for an Alexander-Calder-inspired wire circus scene.

Science: Design your own dizzying, hair-raising rides. Learn about centripetal force and torque to engineer a one-of-a-kind spinning attraction. Then use your electrical know-how to make basic series and parallel circuits to illuminate your rotating ride.

To find out more about the Camp Galileo and each week's theme, click here.

Click here for the Ammonite Craft Project.

Disclaimer:  My children are receiving one free paid week of camp as compensation for this post series.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kid Craft: Sticky Note Monsters

I debated whether to label this project a "kid craft" because I had so much fun with it.  I could have easily wasted the day away making all kinds of sticky note monsters and the next day covering the house with them.  Since they have sticky feet, they can walk up walls, hang upside down, and peek out from the computer monitor. Hmm, maybe I should call them mischief monsters instead.

Want to make your own gaggle of monsters?  Here's the how-to:

Supplies
Sticky notes
Pen
Scissors

Make sure the sticky side of the paper is at the bottom where you draw the feet.  Sketch out your monster (left photo).  Cut out your monster (right photo).

Bend the paper at a 90 degree angle to make the feet. This also allows for your monster to stand up.