My local library always has the cutest decorations up for the holidays. This is just the children’s room, where they’ve decorated before doing a very popular faux gingerbread house craft with the kids.
Yikes! Is it really almost Christmas again already? I am trying to make most my gifts this year, but I still want to buy a few special items, too. It can be really overwhelming to figure out what to get everyone, so I got together with a few of my best blogging buddies to compile some gift guides to help us all figure out the best things to buy for all those special people on our lists. Check out these ideas to see if you can find out that’s the perfect fit for someone you love:
Happy shopping!
I needed something to dress up a wall the other day and put together a really simple little Autumn bunting. I used twine and strips of fabric in several fallish colors to put it together. You could choose to have the strips all scrunched together, but I liked the look of a few strips widely spaced on my walls. Just tear the strips to get the unfinished edge look, which I think goes well with rustic twine. They’d be great for decorating a porch that has fall themed decor on it.
These button balls are fun to do and a great way to use up a bunch of ordinary tiny white buttons. You’ll need a bunch of small buttons, a ball form (foam, paper mache, etc.) and hot glue. Simply apply some hot glue to the ball and press buttons to it. I added a second layer to cover all the gaps, but you could paint the ball with glittery paint first and then glue one layer of buttons on. They are nice Christmas ornaments for the tree, but piling a few in a pretty bowl also works. If you are doing this craft with children, be very careful. The glue can really burn little fingers (or big ones.)
Memorial Day is a great time to break out the grill, but it also has another purpose-honoring several hundred years of brave men and women who fought and died to keep our country safe from tyrants and bullies. Here are a few Memorial Day craft ideas for kids:
Anyone else have Memorial Day craft ideas
If you have a stash of buttons, this is the perfect way to use up some of them. I found this idea on the wonderfully creative Pixiegenne’s blog and could barely wait to start sorting buttons to make my own festive button Christmas ornament. Of course, I was barely finished using up all but two of my red buttons when I decided a heart shaped ornament for Valentine’s Day would be fun, too. I had to make it with white buttons, though, since I only had two red ones left.
You’ll need hot glue, cardboard, more buttons than you can shake a stick at and a piece of pretty ribbon. Just cut out your preferred shape from the cardboard and then cut out the inside of the shape, leaving a quarter to half inch thick border to glue the buttons to. Arrange the buttons and hot glue them on as you go. Tie the ribbon into a pretty bow and hot glue it to the back of the ornament. Cover the back with a pretty piece of paper to make the ornament pretty on that side, too.
If you have some extra yarn, you can make some of these fun Christmas ornament crafts in minutes. You’ll need yarn and something to fill up the center. We used newspaper crumpled into a ball, but you could use styrofoam balls, too. Simply wrap your yarn around the ball until it is completely covered and tie off the yarn so it doesn’t unravel. Use a two to three foot long piece of yarn to create a hanger for the ball. This craft looks best when you make 5 or 6 balls and hang them at varying heights.
Kids always have fun making crafts, especially holiday-themed crafts. Why not include a few Hallween crafts for kids in your party plans this year? Here are some fun and simple Halloween craft ideas for your kids to make.
1. Trick-or-Treat bucket
Supplies: ice cream bucket, construction paper, markers, crayons, glue, glitter (any craft supplies)
Directions: Use construction paper to draw ghosts, pumpkins, scarecrows, etc. Cut out your decorations and glue them to the outside of an ice cream bucket.
2. Trick-or-Treat goody bags
Supplies: small brown paper bags, Halloween stickers, markers, treats (candy, pencils, erasers, bubblegum, etc.)
Directions: Decorate paper bags in Halloween themes using your art supplies. Put treats inside bags. Fold the top of the bag down and tape shut with a Halloween sticker.
3. Tiny pumpkins
Supplies: acorns, orange paint, and green paint
Directions: Lay acorns on a sheet of newspaper. Paint the bottom of the acorns with orange paint. After the orange paint dries, paint the top of the acorns green (for the stem of the pumpkin). Allow to dry thoroughly.
4. Spooky Spiders
Supplies: black construction paper, cotton balls or cotton stuffing, black pipe cleaners, small bowl or saucer, and a stapler
Directions: Using black construction paper, trace around a small bowl or saucer. (Cut out two circles per spider.) Place stuffing or cotton balls on first circle. Lay second circle on top of cotton stuffing and staple half-way around. Insert 3-4 pipe cleaners on each side, then staple the second half of the circles together. Bend pipe cleaners to make the legs of the spider.
