Project #90: Badminton heart

Badminton heart by Kristen Sutcliffe from New House Project

There are lots of these cool vintage-looking badminton racquets at my neighborhood thrift store, so I had the idea to make some wall decoration for my daughter's room.  I used many colors of embroidery thread that I already had at home.  You could make a simple image or your child's initial.  I chose to do a heart.

What you would need:
*various colors of embroidery thread
*wooden badminton racquet
*embroidery needle
*marker

Step 1:
Decide on your design and sketch it out.  Then use a permanent marker to mark your design onto the racquet.
Step 2:
Cut a yard or so of embroidery thread.
Step 3:
Tie the thread into a knot on the racquet.  Leave a two inch tail of thread so that you can tie the other end off when you are finished wrapping.
Step 4:
Continue wrapping thread onto the racquet until the area of your design is completely filled in.  Change colors of thread as often as you like.  A needle isn't completely necessary, but it made the job go more quickly for me.

..New House Project ..

Project #86: Button Matching Game

Button Matching Game by Kristen Sutcliffe from New House Project

My four-year-old daughter loves playing with the colorful buttons she finds in my desk, so I came up with a little game she could do with them.  This is a fun activity for preschool-aged children.

The materials you will need:
*A variety of colorful buttons
*Color photocopier
*Paper
*Pen or Marker

Step 1:
Place a variety of different color and size buttons face down on the copying plate of a color photocopier.  If you have a picture in mind that you want to make with the buttons you can arrange them accordingly.  I planned a simple flower picture, but you can do a train, robot, tree, etc.
Step 2:
Make a color photocopy of the buttons.
Step 3: 
Complete your picture with a pen or marker.
Step 4:
Place the buttons that you used to create your picture in a small dish.  Now your child is ready to play the matching game.
Step 5:
Play by placing the buttons from the dish onto the matching buttons in the picture.

..New House Project..

Project #60 Rainy Day Newspaper Play

Rainy Day Newspaper Play by Kristen Sutcliffe from New House Project

This is more of a rainy day activity than a craft project, but your children will have fun helping you cut out shapes, and they will certainly be delighted to play with the final product.

What You'll Need:

*Old newspapers
*Scissors and/or exacto knife
*Small paddling pool if you have one

Step One:
Place an old newspaper on a cutting mat and use an exacto knife to cut out shapes.  I decided to cut out lots of leaf shapes because playing in leaves is so much fun.  I left the newspaper folded so that I could cut out many leaves at once.
Step Two:
I also cut out some spirals because I thought they would add texture and be interesting to play with.  Cut out several of those at once too.
Step Three:
Any remaining newspaper can be cut or torn into strips.  Have your kids help you cut out shapes or just tear the newspaper if they are not ready for scissors yet.
Step Four:
Toss all of the cuttings and pieces into a small paddling pool.  If you don't have one you can create a newspaper play area with pillows and cushions.
Step Five:
Play time!  Your kids will have fun playing in the newspaper.  They might make a mess, but the clean up is quick and easy.  I will keep the cuttings and reuse them a few times and then recycle them.  

..New House Project..

Project #58 Canvas Tote Printing Project

Canvas Tote Printing Project by Kristen Sutcliffe from New House Project

I love simple canvas tote bags to carry groceries or our family's supplies for a day out.  I decided to dig through Saya's play dough tools to come up with new fun ways to print on a canvas tote.  This is an easy project to do with your kids.  

What You'll Need:
Blank canvas tote bag
Play dough tools (I used a small cookie cutter and a wavy roller tool.)
Fabric paint
Paint brush
Felt sheet
Iron


Step One:
Lay out your blank canvas tote on a flat surface.  Place a piece of felt inside the bag underneath where you are planning to print.  This will help your print come out cleanly and also prevent the fabric paint from bleeding through to the other side of the bag.
Step Two:
Use a paint brush to apply fabric ink to the edges of the cookie cutter or wavy roller.
Step Three:
Press down firmly and evenly on the bag to print.
Step Four:
Experiment with different colors and tools to create interesting prints.
Step Five:
Don't forget to heat set the fabric paint according to the instructions on the bottle.

Enjoy!

..New House Project..

Project #55 Spring Wardrobe Update

Spring Wardrobe Update by Kristen Sutcliffe from New House Project

I often find vintage embroidered handkerchiefs at estate sales and flea markets, but I don't have a good use for them.  I decided to use one to transform one of Saya's plain tank tops for spring.  Even if you are not a big sewer, you can do this project. I promise it is very quick and easy.  

What You'll Need:
*vintage embroidered handkerchief
*plain tank top or t-shirt
*Wonder Under Fusible Web
*iron
*scissors
*needle and embroidery floss

Step One:
After you have selected your plain shirt and embroidered handkerchief, cut a piece of the Wonder Under a little bit larger than the design that you are going to apply to the shirt.
Step Two:
Using a hot iron, join the Wonder Under to the handkerchief.  (The Wonder Under comes with complete instructions and illustrations for how to use the product.)
Step Three:
Cut out the part of the handkerchief embroidery that you want to use to decorate your top.  The tank top I was using was quite small, so I couldn't use all of the embroidered design.
Step Four:
Peel the paper off of the back of the design, place it on the shirt, and iron again to fuse it.  (Again, please follow the directions included with the Wonder Under.
Step Five:
Now your design should be permanently adhered to the shirt.  For added security I just did a simple whip stitch around the entire design.  I chose a matching color of embroidery floss, but you could also choose a contrasting color--whatever you think would look best with your design.

..New House Project..

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 #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 #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 #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 #42 Magic Bottles

Magic bottles by Kristen Sutcliffe from New House Project

We made these for our students when I was a preschool teacher in Japan, and the kids just loved them.  It is a super simple craft project, but sometimes that is just what you need.

What you'll need:
*plastic water bottles with the labels removed
*glitter
*sequins
*metallic ribbon
*food coloring
*vegetable oil
*glue

Step one:
Fill your water bottles with water leaving about 2 inches of empty space.
Step two:
Cut the ribbon into 3-4 inch pieces.
Step three:
Add glitter, sequins, and ribbon to the bottles in interesting combinations.
You can also add a tiny bit of food coloring to the water if you like, or add a few tablespoons of oil to make bubbles in the water.
Step three:
Glue the lid onto the bottle, so your little ones won't be able to open it and make a huge mess.
Step four:
Play time!  These water bottles are so pretty to look at, but you can also use them to talk about color, floating/sinking, density, and states of matter.  I took them to the park today and they were a hit. 

..New House Project..