bookhoucraftprojects

Project #54 Animal Masks

Animal Masks by Khali from Little. Lovely.

Imaginative play has to be one of the best parts of childhood. Bring your children’s favourite stories, songs and nursery rhymes to life with this animal mask craft project.

 

You’ll need:
* 2 x pieces of card stock
* Pink and grey coloured paper 
* Glue- Pencil
* Scalpel- Hole punch
* Cellotape
* 2 x pieces of ribbon


 

Rabbit
Step one: 
Draw an outline of a rabbit mask onto a piece of cardstock or download my templates 
Step two: 
Cut out the mask.
Step three: 
Draw the inside of rabbit ears on pink coloured paper, cut out and glue to mask.
Step four: 
Punch holes in either side of the mask.
Step five: 
Thread ribbon through hole and tie a knot to secure

 

Pig
Step one: 
Draw an outline of a pig mask onto a piece of cardstock or download my templates 
Step two: 
Cut out the mask and cover in pink paper.
Step three: 
Cover one section of an egg carton in pink paper and attach to the centre of the mask with cellotape.
Step four: 
Draw the inside of pig ears and nostrils on grey coloured paper, cut out and glue to mask.
Step five: 
Punch holes in either side of the mask.
Step six: 
Thread ribbon through hole and tie a knot to secure.

..Little. Lovely...

Project #53 Cherry Blossom Branch

Cherry Blossom Branch by Kristen Sutcliffe from New House Project

Cherry blossom season is coming up in Japan, so I thought I would make something to remember that. I am always missing Japan. I made two different versions.

What You'll Need:
*Pink paper (thin paper will be easier to fold)
*Tape
*Scissors
*Bare branches
*Vase or frame

Step One:
If you are not using origami paper, cut your paper into squares. I used two different sizes of squares, 3 in. and 2.5 in.
Step Two:
Cut your branches to a size that will suit the frame or vase that your will be using.
Step Three:
Fold your squares into cherry blossoms. You can find out how to fold them here (http://www.origami-club.com/en/flowers/sakura2/index.html). You can create slight variations in the flowers by the you cut them.
Step Four:
After you have arranged your branches in a vase or frame, attach the folded cherry blossoms to the branches using tape. I happened to have a pink masking tape that matched my paper, but clear tape would also work.

..New House Project..

Project #52 Scrap Paper Pictures

Scrap Paper Pictures by Khali from Little. Lovely.

Mem Fox is a well known Australian children’s book author. I loved her books when I was young and have had great delight sharing them with Hunter. The latest in our collection is Hattie and the Fox – a lovely story about a black hen. The illustrations in this book were the inspiration for creating these scrap paper pictures. We chose to make a black hen but you could use this technique to create a picture of any animal.

You’ll need:
* Paper (coloured and plain)
* Pencil
* Glue

Step one:
Select a picture of an animal to use as a guide for your drawing.
Step two:
Collect pieces of coloured paper that match the colours of the animal’s skin, scales, feathers or fur.
Step three:
Draw the outline of your animal on a plain piece of paper.
Step four:
Tear the coloured pieces of paper into small squares.
Step five:
Glue the pieces of coloured paper onto the outline of your animal using your picture as a guide.

Note: Some children may need guidance with various steps in this project. I drew an outline of the hen for Hunter, but older children will be able to draw their own. Hunter was able to tear the pieces of paper by himself and we worked together to select the pieces that he then glued to the outline.

..Little. Lovely...

Project #51 Alphabet Puzzle Print

Alphabet Puzzle Print by Kristen Sutcliffe from New House Project

I used an inexpensive foam alphabet puzzle to make letter stamps.  Then I made a poster with a line from one of my daughter's favorite bedtime books*.  Sweet for Valentine's Day!

What you'll need:
*foam alphabet puzzle like this one* or this one*
*wooden blocks
*double-sided tape
*ink pad (one color or multi-colored)
*ruler (preferably L-square)
*sheet of card stock or other nice heavy paper

Step one:
Choose a phrase or line from one of your child's favorite story books.  
Step two:
Use double-sided tape to temporarily attach the letters that you will need for your phrase to wooden toy blocks.  Don't forget to reverse the letters when you tape them on.
Step three:
Plan how you will layout the phrase on the paper.  You may want to practice on scrap paper.  I originally tried to use an 8.5" x 11" paper but found that the letters looked too squished, so I went for an 11" x 17" sheet.
Step four:
Use your stamps and ink pads to carefully stamp out the phrase.  Use an L-square ruler to make sure you are stamping the letters in a straight line.
Note:
I originally tried to use the textured front side of the foam letters when I could, but found that the front side wouldn't absorb the ink as well as the back.  It might be best to use the reverse side of the all of the letters.

*Links
-I love you all day long
-Child's Foam Alphabet Puzzle
-Foam Puzzle Mat

..New House Project..

Project #49 and #50 Valentine

Hug Armband by Khali from Little. Lovely.

Mike is currently on three months paternity leave. 'H' is especially loving having him home and has developed a serious case of hero worship. He insists on giving Mike a ridiculous amount of hugs throughout the day, so we worked together on a project that made his little hugs more permanent. Here’s how to give your loved one a hug all day long.

What you'll need:

- Paint- Paper (plain and patterned)
- Cellotape
- Double sided tape and scissors

Step one:
Cover your child’s hand in paint.
Step two:
Stamp hand prints on a plain piece of paper and allow to dry.
Step three:
Assist your child in cutting out their hand prints.
Step four:
Cut a long strip of coloured paper the width of your child’s palm.
Step five:
Use cellotape to attach the handprints to the strip of coloured paper.
Step six:
Attach a piece of double sided tape to the underside of one hand.
Step seven:
Give someone a special hug by securing the band around their arm.

Valentine’s Day Garland by Khali from Little. Lovely.

Charlotte is still too small to participate in craft activities but I didn’t want her to miss out on the fun of Valentine’s Day, so I created this special garland for her room. This project would be a great craft activity for older children who are comfortable using scissors.

What you'll need:
- Coloured paper
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Cellotape
- Scalpel

Step one:
Draw nine hearts onto the back of a piece of coloured paper.
Step two:
Cut out the hearts.( You could use a heart paper punch, but I prefer the look of hand cut hearts.)
Step three:
Using a scalpel, make a vertical slit into the side of each heart.
Step four:
Cut strips of coloured paper that are the same width as the slits made on the hearts.
Step five:
Thread one strip of paper through one side of two hearts and secure with tape as shown. Repeat.
Step six:
(Optional) Write a sweet message onto your garland. I took inspiration from John, Paul, Ringo and George and wrote “Love, love me do. You know I love you.”
Step six:
hang your garland from the wall.

..Little. Lovely...

Note: The heart and bird decals shown are from Love Mae.

Project #48 Heart hand stamps

Heart hand stamps by Khali from Little. Lovely.

Hunter has a crush on the adorable five year old girl who lives next door. Lately, he’s been asking to make drawings and ‘presents’ for her, which started me thinking of child friendly Valentine’s Day crafts we could do together. These heart hand stamps are a super simple Valentine’s Day craft for your child to make for their little sweetheart.

What you'll need:
*Red paint
*White paper


Step one:
Cover the side of your child’s closed fist in red paint as shown.
Step two:
Stamp onto a piece of white paper to create a half heart shape.
Step three:
Using the alternate hand, repeat steps one and two. You can use these heart hand stamps to make cards, cute gift tags and wrapping paper - or even frame one (as we did) to save as a cute keepsake.

..Little. Lovely...

Project #47 Origami Numbers

 
Child's Room Decor Idea:  Origami Numbers by Kristen Sutcliffe from New House Project

I found the Origami Club website a few weeks ago when I was looking for Christmas ornament ideas.  When I came across the origami numbers, I had an idea to use them as wall art for a child's room.  The Origami Club website has really great diagrams and even animations.  It's a great resource.

What you'll need:
*origami paper (must be white on one side and colored on the other)
*double-sided tape
*1 sheet of white card stock
*frame
 

Step one:
Choose the colors of origami paper you want to use for your project.  You will need nine sheets plus a few extras for practicing.  I wanted my final product to fit in an 11 3/4" x  15 3/4" IKEA Ribba frame, so I had to use small origami paper (3 1/2" square).
Step two:
Arrange your sheets of origami paper on a table the way that you want them to be ordered in your final product.  Begin folding the numbers one by one.  The Origami Club website has great diagrams for folding Origami Club: Numbers. 
Step three:
Press the numbers under some heavy books for a few hours before proceeding.  Your numbers will be nice and flat and easier to work with.
Step four:
Use double-sided tape to secure the folded numbers onto a sheet of white card stock.  Make sure the final arrangement will fit nicely in the mat of the frame.
Step five:
Pop your origami artwork into the frame and you are finished!

Mine will be a birthday present for a one-year-old neighbor.

..Origami Club..
..Origami Club: Numbers..

..New House Project..

Project #46 Christmas Decorations

Christmas Decorations by Khali from Little. Lovely.

Making homemade Christmas decorations is a great way of helping your children embrace the spirit of Christmas but it’s often hard to find an activity that is appropriate for different age groups. Here’s a fun Christmas activity that can be modified for children of all ages.

You’ll need:
*Polymer clay (we used Fimo)
*Rolling pin
*Skewer
*Cookie cutters
*Ribbon
*Baking paper
*Baking tray

Step one:
Separate the polymer clay into even amounts for each child.
Step two:
Use a rolling pin or your hands to soften the clay.
Step three:
Older children can create any shape or decoration using the clay. Here, we created a wreath by plaiting three equal lengths of clay.
Younger children can use skewers to decorate shapes cut from clay using cookie cutters. 
Step four:
If you wish to hang the decorations from your tree, you can use a skewer to create a hole in the top of the finished decorations.
Step five:
Place decorations on baking paper and bake in the oven according to directions. (Ours was baked for 30mins at 110°C.)
Step six:
Thread a ribbon through your decorations and hang them on the tree or secure them to the top of a present.

Thanks Khali!!
..Little. Lovely...

Project #45 Okra Printed Gift Tags

Okra Printing Project:  Gift Tags by Kristen Sutcliffe from New House Project

This project is simple enough for even young children to enjoy.  My 2-year-old did a great job with it!  I used okra because of its unique shape, but you can try other vegetables too. (In the past I have made cute post cards using lotus root.)

What you'll need:
*fresh okra(vegetable)
*scrap paper
*card stock
*paints
*sponge
*felt
*hole punch


Step one:
Cut your card stock into desired shape for gift tags. 
Step two:
Slice okra in half using a sharp knife.  You will get a better print with a cleaner shape if you remove some of the seeds before stamping.
Step three:
You can make a stamp pad to use for this project by painting a sponge with a generous amount of paint.  Make sure the paint is pretty well absorbed into the sponge. 
Step three:
Practice stamping on a piece of scrap paper.  If you place your paper on a sheet of felt you will get better results.
Step four:
Stamp your gift tags, and then punch a small hole in each tag to complete the project. 
..New House Project..

Project #44 Christmas Tree Wall Decoration

Christmas Tree Wall Decoration by Khali from Little. Lovely.

Christmas is the favourite holiday in our house. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of creating Christmas decorations that I’ll now be making with my own children. Here’s one of my favourites – a paper plate Christmas tree.

You’ll need:
*10 x paper plates
*20 x green square art paper
*Stapler
*Double sided tape
*3 x patterned Christmas cards
*Scissors
*Blu Tac
*White ribbon (optional)

Note: Your green square paper should be the diameter of the inside of your paper plates.


Step one:
Concertina fold each piece of green square paper, then fold in half.
Step two:
Staple or tape the inside edges of your folded paper together as shown to create a half circle. Repeat.
Step three:
Take two half circles and staple or tape together to make a circle. Repeat.
Step four:
Attach your circle to the centre of a paper plate using double sided tape. Place Blu Tac on the back of the plates so they can be secured to your wall. Repeat for remaining plates.
Step five:
To make wreath decorations for your tree, cut a circle from the back  and the pattern from the front of each Christmas card, as shown.
Step six:
Secure the patterns to the circles with Blu Tac or double sided tape. Now attach the Christmas wreaths to your tree or to a piece of ribbon to hang above your tree.
Step seven: Assemble plates on your wall in the shape of a Christmas tree and decorate with wreaths.

..Little. Lovely...