paper plate dreamweaver

you will need:
paper plate with middle cut out
yarn and/or ribbon
glue or tape
stickers, markers, colored pencils to decorate dreamweaver
scissors
Construction paper

1.  Cut out the middle of the paper plate and then little slits around the outside of the paper plates.  The little slits are for the yarn.
2.  Decorate the plate using whatever supplies you want.
3.  Start wrapping the yarn around the plate putting the yarn through the little slits.  Make sure to leave enough yarn at the top to tie a not so you can hang the dreamweaver on a doorknob or nail.
4. Tape some decorations to the end of ribbon and then tape the other end of the ribbon to the paper plate.

bottle cap spelling

items needed:
bottle caps
construction paper or old magazines
scissors
pen/pencil

After researching ideas to use with some of the bottle caps I have saved up I decided to use some of them to help my daughter with spelling and words.

Plastic Bottle Cap Art

I have recently started saving plastic bottle caps.  I have seen some cute plastic bottle cap art around and thought it would be a fun activity for my daughter and I.  Check out some of these cute ideas:

http://www.artgrange.com/michelleworkshop.html

http://inspirationgreen.com/art-from-bottle-tops.html

Not only can you make art, but you can use them to make game pieces or magnets!

Washi Tape Pencils

Found this really cute idea to decorate pencils online:

http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com/2012/08/back-to-school-supply-makeover-washi.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FHmTrN+%28Pink+and+Green+Mama%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

I haven't used Washi tape before, but I may have to get some and try this out!  My daughter loves art projects and this seems simple and fun!

Napkin holder made from mini cereal box

We have been trying to figure out what to do with all these cereal boxes that my daughter, Alex, has been saving for art projects.  I really do hope she does not turn out to be a hoarder, because now she does not want to throw away anything in hopes to save items for future art projects.  So today we decided to make little napkin holders.

The first step was to cut the box sides leaving one side together, the bottom, as pictured above.

Then we used construction paper and stickers to decorate the box.  You can see I added a little strip of paper to the end of the box to hold it together.  It worked out OK but I think I need to figure out a different way to keep the box together so the napkins can hang out both ends.

making pictures with rocks

I don't know about your kids, but mine love to collect things, especially rocks.  One thing that is fun is having them collect rocks and have them organize them by color, then have them arrange them in a picture or collage.  This is a little flower put together by dark gray and yellowish rocks. 

My first diaper cake

So I decided to tackle my first diaper cake (pictured above).  There are a few things I did that I would do differently.  First of all, I used the newborn diapers and quickly realized they are too small.  So in the future I would use a size or two bigger.  You will need:

Diapers (Not the newborn size)
rubber bands or those thin plastic hair ties
bottle (or anything else for the top of the cake)
Ribbon
Tape or glue
Bowl (or something similar that you can wrap the diapers around) You will need at least two, one bigger then the other.
Any other decorative item (stuffed animals, flowers, etc)
Yarn

First thing you should do after you have all your supplies is start rolling the diapers wrapping the rubber bands around them. I did mine the night before when I had some friends over.  This made the project quick and easy the next day.  Then use a bowl turned upside down and start setting the diapers around it.  After one set of diapers are set around the bowl use yarn or something similar to keep them in place.  Then start with another row of diapers and do the same thing.  You can do as many rows as you like but at least do two or three.  Wrap the outer edge with a cute ribbon and fasten it with glue or tape (I used hot glue).

Set the second bowl on top of the bottom tier and do the same process as described above.  Then for the top tier use the bottle  and wrap the diapers around the bottles.  I used some stuffed animals to decorate the cake too.  Super cute and my friends loved it!

Pop Tab Bracelets

I have never made these before but they look easy and fun.   Check out this video I found while I was surfing around youtube for some new craft ideas:

Making a fan

I never thought my daughter would have so much fun with something so simple.  I taught her how to make a fan the other day and now she is decorating paper and folding it into a fan.  This could be a beginner paper craft project for any child.