Tuesday, 29 November 2011 by Irene Hoofs
Paperbag Wreath by Teri from Giddy Giddy
It's time to start decorating the house with holiday cheer! Here's a simple and colorful holiday wreath you can make with kids. This only requires recycled paper bags and a little bit of cardboard - materials that are easy to find and entirely eco-friendly.
What you'll need:
*Cardboard
*paper bag,
*water based acrylic paint
*scissors
*tape
Step 1:
Cut a circle wreath out of cardboard and paint if desired.
Step 2:
Now paint paper bags with various colors / let dry / cut strips in various desired widths.
Step 3:
Place strip on wreath, making sure to bow it out so that that an arc is formed by the paper. Tape it in place on the underside of the wreath.
Step 4:
Repeat this process until you cover the entire wreath.
Step 5:
Now your wreath is almost done; You can add a personal touch by adorning it with paper flower, paper ribbons, buttons, or a written message.
..Giddy Giddy..
Tuesday, 18 October 2011 by Irene Hoofs
DIY: Creepy-Face-Changer by Teri from Giddy Giddy
Here's a Halloween project that is both silly and creepy...if you like that sort of thing! Well, we sure do! We've made vampire faces, and gross zombie heads. But this was the "safest" to show you!
My daughters can't stop giggling over this.
Here are the instructions:
step 1.
Print out 2 copies of your child's portrait on cardstock paper. The higher the resolution and photo quality, the better.
step 2.
Cut face out of the background. this will serve as the front of this creepy face changer
step 3.
Cut out eyes as well as lower lip/chin with x-acto knife.
step 4.
Create the pull tab from cardstock/ in a shape of a T and in relative proportion to face.
step 5.
Align the top photo above the pull tab so that eyes appear in the correct place. Now tape chin to lower part of pull tab.
step 6.
Create the new eyes and mouth/teeth by drawing and coloring them directly on the tab. We created these bugged out eyes and silly teeth using markers and colored pencils.
step 7.
Cut out a back piece that matches the shape of the head.
step 8.
Align pull tab between the front and back pieces so that eyes and mouth all line up. Now that you've sandwiched the tab in between, tape back and front together.
step 9.
Pull the tab to see face transform from cute to....whoa... creepy!
Enjoy Halloween!
..Giddy Giddy..
Tuesday, 13 September 2011 by Irene Hoofs
Yarn Font instructions by Teri from Giddy Giddy
Here's a really easy project for font fanatics and craft lovers. Its so easy that children should be able to handle a single letter or shape just fine. Now that we've tackled a few words, I think we'll start making longer messages like Happy Birthday or Have a Wonderful Day!
What you'll need..... The DIY is easy!
*All you need are yarn scraps and some pipecleaners.
step 1. connect your pipe cleaners by twisting together and then shape your word.
step 2. Start tying yarn pieces around the pipe cleaner and then wrapping loosely several times til desired thickness is reached.
step 3. Once the pipe cleaner is covered in yarn, you can reshape the word or letter as it holds the shape even more firmly.
Have a great time!
.. Giddy Giddy..
Wednesday, 27 July 2011 by Irene Hoofs
Fun Glasses by Teri from Giddy Giddy
My contribution this week is a simple afternoon activity: making paper eye-glasses or “fun-glasses” with kids. In our family, these are part of the costume bin. The glasses alone canhelp transform us into little old ladies, crazy goons, movie-star, robots, etc.
What you'll need:
* 100 or higher cardstock paper that is atleast 13 inches wide
* color transparencies or clear plastic
* tape, scissors, glue & markers/paint
step 1.
Measure face (temple to temple and also from temple to ear). Use measurements as guide when sketching eyeglass design on cardstock paper
step 2.
Cut out and fold at corner temples.
step 3.
Decorate with paint, sequins, and also tape color transparencies for the shades/glass.
That's it. I hope you make outrageous and fantastic paper glasses!
.. Giddy Giddy..
All images by Teri, please link back to this url.
Tuesday, 5 July 2011 by Irene Hoofs
How to make retro postage stamps by Teri from Giddy Giddy
I can still recall fondly, playing post office when I was a kid. Now my own daughters have their own way of playing this game. There’s no more performated sheets of stamps that you had to tear off one at a time, and no more gummed backing that you had to lick. I was feeling rather sentimental about the way things used to be, so we made a project out of making old-fashioned stamp sheets.
But actually, this activity is also an excuse to have friends and family take turns contributing to a colorful and varied collage of artwork.
What you will need:
*Paper
*tracing wheel (sewing tool) (or sewing machine )
*Gluestick
*Markers and or colored pencils
*cork board
Here are the very simple instructions:
Step 1
Lightly fold paper to desired square or rectangular pattern. Remember to make the crease loose just for the purpose of making line guides.
Step 2
Cut rubber stamp block to match desired square pattern then apply blocks of color using light colored ink pad.
Step 3
Now get creative! Draw and color in mini picture on each of the colored blocks. Our entire family took turns filling up the page with our ideas.
Step 4
You can create perforation by placing paper on cork surface and applying pattern making wheel pulling straight while against a ruler. The cork surface is necessary to create clean puncture holds.(Another way is to run the paper through an unthreaded sewing machine.)
Step 5
To make gummed backing like those old fashioned stamps, apply glue stick generously to the back and let dry. When you are ready to use stamp, activate glue by applying water with finger or sponge. (glue not edible so its not for licking).
Step 6
Now play post office!
.. Giddy Giddy..
Wednesday, 25 May 2011 by Irene Hoofs
CD Case Labyrinth by Teri from Giddy Giddy
My girls and I often draw mazes for each other. So when I was purging some old cd's, the idea came instantly to make 3- dimensional mazes. I recalled those beautiful and large wooden labyrinth toys I've seen many times. This proved to be a great project for adults and kids alike!
Materials needed:
*Fimo/sculpey bakeable clay
*Wax covered string called Bendaroos (found in craft stores)
*Recyled cd jewel cases
*Scissors & paper
step 1
Find a old unwanted CD case and remove the center CD holder.
step 2
Now you can take your bendaroos (wax covered strings) and cut and bend and create your maze The wax will stick to the plastic by pressing firmly.
step 3
You can then make tiny little round balls by rolling in your fingers. Then bake to harden. (follow instructions on the package)
step 4
I taped colored paper to back of the CD HOLDER.
Voila!
Super fun AND super easy. It’s a great project for kids to make themselves and then afterwards, to play with their creations! It could be as easy or as challenging as you want. Use several balls in one maze to up the level of difficulty
.. Giddy Giddy..
Tuesday, 3 May 2011 by Irene Hoofs
Twirly Toy by Teri from Giddy Giddy
A little experimentation with wire, one of my favorite mediums, had my children in awe. I've made a number of things for them, but this simple toy impresses them most because it is set in motion by a little nudge. This twirly toy is quite simple, but so magical for young kids to watch. I hope you and yours enjoy it as much as we did!
The materials you need are:
*wire (18 gauge is best but 19 gauge is easier for kids to work with because it is easier to bend)
*pencil
*wire cutter/plyers
*cork
*paper
(nail and hammer)
Step 1
Wrap wire around a pencil. Two inches around the pencil is sufficient.
Step 2
After you remove the spiral wire from the pencil, you can start to pull and stretch the wire so that each coil is about 1 cm apart. Although it is necessary to experiment with the distance in order to make it work for you.
Step 3
Cut a piece of wire (approximately 3 1/2 inches long) and loop ends into small circles, then bend wire into a semicircle.
Step 4
Insert the spiral into the looped ends of the newly formed semi-circle.
Step 5
Insert one end of the spiral into a cork base. Tip: Create a pilot hole in cork with hammer and nail first.
Step 6
Now you can create a little character out of paper to twirl around the spiral. I also thought of monkeys, acrobats or spacemen for this project. And then you use a glue gun to sandwich the semi-circle with your paper character.
Step 7
Bring the character to the very top, give it a little nudge and watch it twirl down!
Final tip: If character does not twirl down, slightly spread coils apart. If character slips down without twirling, slightly squeeze coils together
..Giddy Giddy..
Tuesday, 5 April 2011 by Irene Hoofs
DIY mini stamp collecting book by Teri from Giddy Giddy
We needed a lovely display and storage solution for all the wonderful stamps we’ve been collecting. The criteria is something kid friendly and practical. But also beautiful and high quality enough that the collection can be passed down to my kids’ kids. After much experimentation, I have come up with an easy yet lovely mini book and wanted to share the process with you.
The materials you will need:
*Cardstock paper
*2 paper maps
*Glassine envelopes
*Leather scrap
*White masking tape
*Rubber cement glue (acid free) ** It’s important that you do not use white glue as this will discolor the paper over time.
*Thin cord (leather, cotton or synthetic)
*Scissors or preferably a paper cutter.
Step 1:
Cut cardstock paper desired size.
For my example, I used 3 inches by 3 inches cardstock pages.
Step 2:
Cut map into long strips which will be used to cover the cardstock pages.
I used a paper cutter cut 3 inch strips the entire length of the map.
Step 3:
Tape pages together using white masking tape.
Step 4:
Brush rubber cement onto cardstock and adhere precut map onto the pages.
Step 5:
Now you can glue the glassine envelopes on each page using rubber cement. I cut the envelopes to size and then oriented them so that the envelope opening is facing the center binding.
Step 6:
Using a leather scrap, I cut a little jacket for my book and sewed long strap onto it.
Step 7:
Attach the jacket by wrapping cord around the center and knotting on the exterior.
..Giddy Giddy..
Wednesday, 2 March 2011 by Irene Hoofs
Fashion paper dolls by Teri from Giddy Giddy
What You’ll Need:
*Card stock paper
*Recycled magazines
*Scissors or xacto knive
Step 1: 8x12 white card stock paper. (60 pound to 90 pound paper works just fine) Fold paper in half.
Step 2: Draw the silhouette of a fully dressed doll/girl on 1/2 of the paper. The idea is to create a dress that is large enough to serve as a blank canvas. (paper dolls samples)
Step 3: Now using xacto knife (or scissors) cut out the dress, legs, shoes and even hair.
Step 4: Next, find patterns and colors in a magazine that can then be chopped into squares, rectangles and strips. ( Fashion magazines and photography magazines are a great source for interesting patterns. )
Step 5: Now experiment and start to arrange the bits of paper inside your new DIY fashion plate and see what incredible fashion ideas you can create!
..Giddy Giddy blog..
..Giddy Giddy..
Tuesday, 15 February 2011 by Irene Hoofs
The Long-Reach Gizmo by Teri from Giddy Giddy
This is a fairly easy project with household materials. And little engineers can get hands on experience with the concept of leverage and fulcrum...have fun.
What you will need:
*Cardboard
*Brads
*Scissors or x-acto knife
*Paint
Step one:
I cut cardboard into 8”x2” strips and poked 3 holes in each strip. For hole placements, put one in the center and the other 2 on each outer side.
Step two:
To spark ideas for how to transform our extendable arm into something fantastic, we started brainstorming toothy animal, robotic arm, and animal claws.
Step three:
We ultimately turned our “gizmo” into a crocodile and an angler fish by re-fashioning the upper and lower strips into the animal’s head. To do this, I sketched the upper and lower jaws on paper and cut them out first.
I had to refine the design until the upper jaw and lower jaw fit together nicely when you pivot the two pieces from the center fulcrum. The final drawing of the animal’s head was traced onto cardboard and then cut with the x-acto knife.
Step four:
Next, I painted on both sides of the cardboard. Finally, I assembled “x” shapes together and fastened each cardboard strip with metal brads.
..Giddy Giddy blog..
..Giddy Giddy..
