#Project 210: DIY Rice Cake Bunnies

DIY Rice Cake Bunnies by Annelies

My dear son is almost turning 1. One year already! As this is a very festive event, I wanted to make him and his friends at the daycare centre some nice treats. I didn't want them too unhealthy, but also not terribly healthy either because it’s still a party right? So I decided to decorate rice cakes into sweet little bunnies! - Annelies

What you'll need:
*Rice cakes
*Coloured paper
*Pencil
*Scissors
*Glue
*Foil

Step 1: Cut the ears, eyes and nose from the paper. You'll need 2 ears from the coloured paper, 2 "inner" ears in white, 2 eyeballs in white, 2 pupils in black, a nose from the coloured paper and six whiskers also from coloured paper. For me, I cut the shapes directly from the paper, but if you like them extra neat perhaps you can sketch the shapes first or make a mould.
Step 2: Glue the "inner" ears to the ears, the pupils to the eyes and the whiskers to the nose.
Step 3: Put some foil over the rice cakes and glue the ears, nose and eyes to the foil.

Enjoy and have a great party! - Annelies

Thanks Annelies for such a sweet and adorable DIY! 

.. Annelies of Allihoppa

#Project 209: Hand Illustrated party balloons

DIY Hand Illustrated Party Balloons by Anouk van der El from Make History

A quick and easy decor idea to pump up any festive gathering or party!

What you will need:
* coloured balloons that fit your theme 
* paint markers (choose colours that will stand out against the balloon)
* optional: Helium (if you would like the balloons to float, alternatively you can tie them to curtain rods or along a string stretched across the corners of a room)

Let's begin!

Step 1: Draw your designs on the balloons.
Step 2: Blow up the balloons/ fill them with helium.
Step 3: As the balloons stretch and fill with air you will notice that your designs become more and more transparent and hard to see.
Step 4: Go over your designs again with the markers to make them more obvious, you can also go ahead and add more designs eg. polka dots, stripes.. or draw outlines of your designs with other colours.

Isn't it easy? Quick and simple so you can spend more time on other crucial details of the party like the ever important catering arrangements.. now off you go to have the time of your lives..

Thank you Anouk  for making party decor less of a tedious task!

.. Make History! with a Timecapsule
.. Make History! with a Little Quote Jar

#Project 208: Wooden spoon puppets

DIY Wooden spoon dolls by Wimke

It's a rainy day. Take a look in your cutlery drawer, there is always something you can use. Grab some wooden spoons and draw faces on it. I am not a great artist but with a little help from the instructions of Caroline Ellerbeck (How to draw a doll) I made 5 girls and a boy puppet out of wooden spoons. 

What you'll need:
* Wooden Spoons
* Pencil
* Black Fineliner
* Paint
* Acrylic Paint
* Paint Brushes

How to: Using a pencil, draw faces onto the spoons. Then trace over the pencil marks with the fineliner. Paint the hair and the clothes on the wooden spoon's handle with a small brush. 

Final touches: Let them dry and the puppet theater can begin! - Wimke

Thank you Wimke! 

#Project 207: Marbled place card holders

Make your own marbled place card holders by Anouk van der El from Make History

These simple marbled place card holders make for pretty table decor and will make every guest feel that much more special!

What you will need:
* black and white polymer clay
* ruler
* optional: paint brushes
* optional: gold paint (or any colour you like)

Let's begin!

Step 1: Mix the black and white clay together to create one mixed marbled block of clay.
Step 2: Using the ruler create cut half way through the block of clay, at an angle so the place card will lean back closer to the table instead of vertically upright.
Step 3(Optional): Cut off the edges of the block to create a clean edge.
Step 4: Bake at 275 °F (130 °C) for 15 minutes per 1/4 in (6 mm) thickness.
Step 5(Optional): Add gold/ copper accents with paint brushes. You can paint on stripes or create paint splatter patterns by flicking the brush filled with gold paint at the block of clay.

Create different coloured marbled place card holders with different colours of polymer clay to suit different end of the year theme parties!  

.. Make History! with a Timecapsule
.. Make History! with a Little Quote Jar

#Project 205: Pinwheel party decor

You can make these pinwheels as big as you like. Today I will show you how to make the small ones, they are the perfect decoration for cupcakes. When you make them bigger you can use them as party decoration as well. - Wimke

What you'll need:
* Scrapbook paper
* Scissors
* Glue or double-sided tape
* Ruler
* Toothpicks

Steps: 

Cut 3 sheets of paper 10 cm x 6 cm. Fold them in an accordion style. When you have your paper folded into an accordion, fold it length-wise in half. Cut the end of the paper (the non-folded end) anyway if you’d like. I rounded the sharp edges mine. And make a pattern in the middle of the pinwheel by cutting a small triangle in the middle of the paper. Then, glue at the fold. One side to the other. Repeat this on the other two papers and then glue them together. When you glue the last side together, stick the toothpick in the middle. 

Your pinwheels are ready to be stuck into the cupcakes! - Wimke

Thank you Wimke! These would be a fun and simple way to make an impressive dessert table!

#Project 204: Paper flower gifts

Very often when it's the birthday of a teacher, a neighbour is ill, or I attend a wedding, I find myself not knowing what to give. Flowers are alway a good idea, but when you have such little time to go to the flowershop. You can easily make them yourself along with the kids. Give instant flowers with a small giftag written by the kids. A perfect little present for everyone! Plus it will last for much longer than real flowers.

What you'll need:
* Crepe paper
* skewers
* scissors
* yarn
* glue or double-sided tape

How to make your flower: Cut strips from the crepe paper (approximately 5 cm x 30 cm). Take two different coloured strips and put them together and start to roll gradually (take a look at the picture). Hold the flower in your hand. When your flower is ready, grap the yarn and bind this tidy around the bottom of the flower. Put the skewer in the bottom of the flower.

How to make your stalk: To make the flowerstalk, cut a strip that measures 2 cm x 20 cm from the green crepe paper. Put some glue or double sided tape around the flower and the skewer. Wrap the green crepe paper around the bottom of the flower and the skewer and your flower is ready.

Add a sweet giftcard and off you go with a great little present! - Wimke

Thank you Wimke! Flowers are great for any occasion, this DIY will definitely come in very handy!

#Project 203: Shrink Art Animal Necklaces

DIY Nature-insprired flower wristlet by Bonnie Scorer

With the arrival of Spring, many animals have emerged from their winter homes, inspiring us to make animal necklaces!  

What you'll need - for Shrink Art:
* Plastic shrink art paper (you can purchase this at a craft store)
* Sand Paper
* Pencil Crayons
* Cookie sheet
* Hole Punch
* Paper
* Pencil/eraser

What you'll need - for Shrink Art:
* Wooden beads
* Acrylic paint
* Floral foam
* BBQ skewers
* Pony beads

OR

* Purchase pre-painted wooden beads!

What you'll need - for lacing:
* Elastic cord, embroidery floss, yarn or child-safe/breakaway cord
* Pony beads
* Scissors

With any project we always find these items helpful:
* Craft tray
* Apron

Here we go:

Step 1: Painting your beads

* Have an adult cut off the sharp points off of the BBQ skewers.
* Put a pony bead at the bottom of your skewer. This will hold your beads in place and prevent them from sliding down when you paint them.
* "String" your beads onto your skewer.
* Insert your skewer into your craft foam.
* Don your smock.
* Paint your beads. We find it helpful to hold the skewer with one hand at the top while you paint with the other.
* Paint as many colours as you would like for your jewellery.
* Allow to dry overnight.

Step 2: Making Shrink Art

* Draw out your animal onto your paper.  Remember that when you put your shrink art in the oven it will shrink to about 3 times the size.
* Cut out a piece of shrink art paper that is bigger than your drawing.
* Scuff it with a piece of sand paper. (You may want to wear a mask for this process or have an adult do it.)
* Place your plastic shrink art paper over your drawing. (You may want to tape it down with clear tape to hold it in place.) Trace over it with a dark colour such as black.
*Colour in your animal with your pencil crayons.
*Cut around your animal, leaving a border.
*Punch 1 or 2 holes into your animal or outside of your animal so you can lace it once it has shrank.
*With an adult, follow the directions included with the product as to baking your creations! (Oh what fun it was to watch our animals shrink through oven door!)

Step 3: Lacing it together

* Lace your beads and your shrink art onto either embroidery floss, elastic cord or a child safe release cord to make a bracelet or necklace.  We like going through the bead and then coming back and going through again.
* Wear your creations or give them to a friend!

Thank you Bonnie and Make it your own! Now let's make some fun animal accessories!

#Project 202: Nature-inspired flower wristlets

DIY Nature-insprired flower wristlet by Bonnie Scorer

We are always looking at ways to incorporate technology into our lives in meaningful, active and engaging ways.  We we went out for nature walk, took some photos of flowers and then used them as an inspiration for a crafty project.  We would love to hear the ways that you and your children have used technology! 
Wouldn't these wristlets be perfect for a wedding or special event?  Wear them and then save them as a keepsake.

Purpose of this craft:
* Getting out into nature.
* Extending digital experiences
* Developing fine motor skills: cutting, pasting etc.

Safety Notes:
* Exercise care when using needles and scissors. Do so with direct adult supervision.
* Beads can be choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

What you'll need:
* Camera (you can use your cell phone's camera)
* Felt
* Fabric scissors
* Fabric glue
* Sewing materials
* Ribbon
* Beads
* Paper/pencil/pencil crayons (*Optional: to sketch out your ideas)

With any project we always find these items helpful:
* Craft tray
* Apron

Step 1: Go out for a walk with an adult and take pictures of flowers and other foliage you might see.  

Step 2: Use your photos as an inspiration for making a wristlet or a boutonniere.  We sketched out our ideas first before making them out of felt. 

Step 3: Using fabric scissors, cut out your designs from felt.  You could use your sketches as patterns if you like, cutting them out and taping or pinning them to your felt to cut around.

Step 4:We then sewed on a few details using a sewing machine.  (You could do this by hand or skip this step if you like.) Add little beads to create your stamen.

Step 5: Glue your pieces together with fabric glue.

Step 6: We then created a little base for our flowers which you will also slide the ribbon through on the back.  Make this by taking a felt rectangle and sewing or gluing another on at the ends (as seen in the photograph).  Make sure it is just a little bit wider then the width of your ribbon! Before you glue your flowers onto the other side, be sure to slide out your ribbon and tuck in a piece of paper etc. so your fabric glue doesn't glue your loop shut.  Glue on your flowers and leaves. Allow to dry overnight.

Step 7: Slide your paper out of the base, measure and cut your lengths of ribbon (so you would be able to go around the wearer's wrist and tie a bow) and then insert the ribbon as seen below.

Step 8: Have an adult assist you in tying on your wristlet to wear somewhere special!

Thank you Bonnie and Make it your own! Welcome to the Bloesem craft family! We're so glad to have you :)

#Project 201: Confetti poppers DIY craft project

DIY Confetti Poppers by Wimke

We are in a big partymood! My sister is getting married and asked me to think about the party decorations. I am a big fan of party decorations! You can do so much with stuff you already have in your house. With my girls we made confetti poppers out of toilet rolls. So easy and the party effect is big!

What you'll need:
* Toilet rolls
* wrapping paper (mine had gold glitter on it)
* tape
* balloons
* glue
* scissors
* hole puncher (with different shapes would be nice!)
* coloured paper to make confetti with

Step 1: Wrap the wrapping paper around the toilet roll.
Step 2: Cut the top of a balloon. Tie a knot at the end of the balloon and put the balloon at the top of the toilet roll. 
Step 3: Secure the balloon to the top of the toilet roll with coloured tape. 
Step 4: Punch confetti. If you have hole punchers with shapes, create a mixture of different shapes with different colours. The more the merrier.
Step 5: Fill the open end of the toilet roll popper with confetti and pull the knot of the balloon and release to pop! Watch the confetti fly!

For my sister's wedding we will be filling up the poppers with glitter and confetti! Definitely try them out for your summer time party decor. - Wimke

Thank you Wimke! 

#Project 200: Learning to marble

Hi guys! It's Mei Kwee & Zara S. We thought we'd try our hands at marbling today and here's how it turned out. If you like mixing colours and creating patterns (and getting a bit messy) this is the project for you..

What you'll need:
* Nail polish colours of your choice
* Paper / card stock (thicker paper will wrinkle less)
* Chop stick 
* A tray or basin
* Water

Step 1: Pour water into the tray. The paper will float at the top so put in water about half the depth of the tray.

Step 2: Add the nail colours in. You can add as many as you want. We chose to mix 2 of our favourite colours for this combination but we always tried out some with 3 and another pattern with just 1 colour. Go wild, you'll never know what you come up with, that's the beauty of marbling.

Step 3: Use the chopstick or toothpick to swirl the colours around. We used a zig zag motion upwards and downwards to mix the colours together to create the marble effect.

Step 4: Almost done... place the paper quickly onto the surface of the water. It is best to do this in a place with little wind so the nail polish does not dry before you place the paper onto it.

3 outcomes of our marbling tests! The first and second were made using 2 polish colours and in the last one we added a slightly darker pink colour to the original mixture of colours. We love how they turned out but definitely want to try more colour combinations! It's kind of addictive because every try creates such a different effect.

.. Mei Kwee & Zara S.