We are stepping things up a little today with this fab reindeer head project! Love this guy …
fab christmas idea #11
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Tag Archives: create
craft express – peg christmas trees
Look what we made today …
Using this stuff …
All you will need are some old boxes (any cardboard would do), a few little gems from the craft box (think pom poms, glitter, confetti, star stickers) and some wooden pegs.
Simply cut out* cardboard triangles (you can get a bit fancy here if you like), colour in or paint, glue on decorations of your choice and clip wooden peg to the bottom.
* Obviously littler ones would need assistance with cutting out but the rest is manageable for any age from toddlers to grown ups.
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craft express – loo roll snakes
We know you love some loo roll craft as much as we do so here is another fab idea to use up all those rolls!
Follow this tutorial to whip up your own googly eyed darlings, just like these.
image courtesy of http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/
Ssssssssssssssss.
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building cardboard houses
Imagine how much fun your little ones could have building a decorating their own cardboard box house, just like this one?
Grab some of your recycling, some glue and your imaginations. If you want more inspiration you can follow these guidelines.
Happy building! x
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craft express – cut out window houses
Got 20 minutes and want to get the kid’s into something creative? There is a bit of cutting involved in this one so they’ll need some ‘grown up’ help but I’m sure you will agree this sweet little project is worth a bit of your time.
Have the kids draw a house on paper then, depending on their age, they can cut around the edge and you help with the windows (a scalpel would save a lot of time here). They can embellish however they like with colouring in, pasting patterned paper and other bits and pieces on, adding glitter – whatever they like!
image courtesy of http://thesecondlifeofmine.blogspot.se
Then all you need to do is attach to the window with double sided tape. You could also use contact instead of paper for the house then stick the whole thing to the window for a more permanent option.
Enjoy!
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fun express – water balloon pinata
Summer time is officially here so I thought this little gem was worth sharing. My boys can have HOURS of fun with water balloons – filling them, throwing them and, now, using them as a pinata!
Simply fill the balloons with water, attach them to a high string or surface (the washing line is great!) and then bash away with a broomstick until they burst and shower the kids with water. Much better than lollies in my opinion!
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expanding imaginations
I love any idea that helps kids use their imagination and own initiative. Here is a fab example of one such activity! Simply cut out a small section of an image from a magazine or photo, paste it on the page and let the kids finish it off however they choose.
image courtesy of artmommie.blogspot.com
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look what I just made!
These ‘make your own’ satchel bags arrived in our little store a couple of weeks ago and, although they are designed for kids around the age of 8 to complete, I have been busting to get my hands on one ever since.
The kit includes everything needed to make one fabulous chunky felt satchel. All the pieces are pre-cut so all you need is your hands, some time and enthusiasm.
All up I spent about an hour stitching the whole thing together. I found the whole project very relaxing and somewhat therapeutic! So THAT is what all my sewing friends are going on about! I even let my 7 year old help me with some of the stitching, but mostly I just hid in the corner, stitching, stitching …
The 7 year old is terribly happy to take ownership of the bag. Here’s a bit of a dodgy shot of him in his jammies modelling his new crafty satchel that is already now home to all his favourite colouring in books and textas.
Not only is this a fab gift for primary school age kids but I also think it’s a lovely idea for a mama (or papa) to make one for, or with, their younger kids.
We are giving this one the DOUBLE THUMBS UP!
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craft express – egg carton caterpillar
We have egg cartons coming out the wazooo at the moment. So I was a tad excited to find this easy, peasy project.
image courtesy of balancinghome.com
Just paint your egg carton, glue on googly eyes (which by now you’ll probably have in the craft box but, if not, just cut out white circles and add a black dot in the middle) then add curled pipe cleaners for antennae. Done!
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introduction to origami (the easy way)
Despite my love for all things creative, some days I am not so inspired. Yesterday was one of those days. I didn’t feel too well but my little ones were still running at 100% and needed to be entertained!
Amongst other things, my eldest wanted me to make ‘chatterboxes’ with him.
It’s times like this I LOVE pre-prepared kits, like this ‘Introduction to Origami’ kit by our fave French brand Djeco.
The pack includes loads of gorgeous papers (enough to make 24 chatterboxes) and easy instructions (thankfully, because my foggy brain couldn’t even remember where to start).
After all the folding, the last step is to add stickers (more than 150 included in the pack) featuring various funny challenges like ‘touch your nose with your foot’ (um, I couldn’t do it!), ‘imitate the invisible man’ (very tricky), ‘talk to a door’ (we chatted for ages, much to the boys’ delight!) and lots more.
Once the chatterbox is completed, ask your friend (or Mum*) to give you a number. For example if they say number 4, you open the chatterbox 4 times. Then ask them to choose one of the triangles in the centre of the chatterbox to see which challenge is under it. Your friend must then carry out the challenge.
The age recommendation is 5-10 years and my 7 year old just needed a kick start with the visual instructions then managed quite easily. Definitely a winner as a ready-to-go option that will keep them occupied for hours. Our little store has loads of great Djeco kits starting at just $9.95.
* You may need to do some stretches to help your toes reach your nose, and come up with some good conversation starters for all the doors at your place.
rudy and the dodo 