The Crafty Mom, by the OLD YARN GIRLS

Written by The Old Yarn Girls 2/2012

Teensy Toy Shadow Box

A friend of ours always has a purse full of what she likes to call "Teensy Toys" for all the kids to come and get from her whenever she is around.  She has them everywhere, as well as a collections of strange and weird-hard-to-find toys, like mini Pee Wee Herman figures from the show, wallets shaped like sandwiches, Sylvanian Families and other such oddities.  She had so many of these things that she started making shadow boxes for the kids to hang in their rooms.  The one pictured here is one that my daughter filled with small random things from her room that had no place to go but still wanted to hold onto for one reason or another.

 It is a simple and a great way to get the odds and ends out of the way that your children just can't seem to part with.  Ours isn't completely filled just yet, but you will get the idea.

1.  We purchased a cheap shadow box from Ikea and spray painted it ourselves to match Bella's room.

2.  I measured and cut out a piece of scrapbook paper to line the back.

3.  Then she fill with all of tiny junk I was sick of see laying around and stepping on every time I walked into her room.  It is also a great place to put all of the little weird souvenirs that children always see to want or receive from grandparents on vacations and the busy crafts they make but have no real home.

Who Are You Supposed to Be?

 A friend of ours has a kids party every year right after school starts when everyone is done with their summer vacationing This particular year it had a Disney's Toy Story theme to it.  I was really pushing for my daughter, who is always the oldest but still gets invited every year, to be Bo Peep but she insisted on going outside of the box and going as Dolly from the 3rd movie. Of course it turned out great, her ideas always do!  It is so simple and the dress comes out great even if you don't sew on account of the fact that she is a rag doll.

The Dress: I just pinned the front and the back of the orange cheap fabric onto my daughters body and then machine stitched along the pins.  I made sure there was a ragged cut edge along the bottom and a slit in the top by the head in the back so she could get it on.  The buttons are just paper plates and a napkin sewn on with yarn and then yarn haphazardly sew around the top hem and collar.

The Hair:  I pinned 2 pieces of purple felt into her head, cut 6 curved tabs  from a separate piece and inserted them into the proper placed pointing toward the inside, then machine stitched along the curved line the pins created as a guide, trimmed the excess felt, turned it the right way, then cut the curve for the part in the bangs.  The butterflies were made out of Model Magic by Crayola and need to be made the day before so they can dry over night.  I used a straw to form 2 buttons holes in each and then attached them with yarn.  Her hair is in 2 french braids then pinned up underneath.

One of the Old Yarn Girl's
kids came as Barbie

The other Old Yarn Girls baby
 came as Mrs. Potato Head.
This is just a brown Onesie
with felt pieces attached

Here is our other Old Yarn Girl's
 baby dressed as... You guessed it...
Big Baby from Toy Story 3

Ms. Melissa's Kidtivities

All of you with kiddos out there are going to truly appreciate this reoccurring segment to our craft blog.  I am a preschool teacher with tons of inexpensive crafty repurposed ideas that you can do at home with children of all ages.

Now for your first nugget of preschool knowledge: 

LIQUID WATERCOLOR

This stuff is a teacher's dream, washes out of fabric and clothing, is bright and vibrant, reasonably priced and if using it in your home, will last quite awhile, especially if diluted.  

There are so many things you can do with it and here is a quick list for reference.  We will explore these ideas in further detail in future blogs:

1.  Simply paint with watercolor brushes

2.  Dilute it with water and use it with small medicine bottle eye droppers on paper towels or coffee filters

3.  Use two primary colors in shaving cream and mix

4.  Color homemade play dough

5.  Color Goop (cornstarch and water)

6.  Color Gak (liquid starch and glue)

7.  Freeze one of the primary colors into ice cubes and put into another primary color of water in a bucket outside

8.  Dilute with water,  put into spray bottles and spray white sheets outside

9.  Make colored glue

10.  Put a few drops on a scoop of white rice and mix to make colored rice to pour and sift in a sensory table

I feel it is my duty as an "Early Childhood Educator" to state that I am a firm believer of open-ended art for preschool age children.  What does this mean?  Well, it simply means at the age of 3 children need to be doing art work that focuses on the process, not the product.  Think of preschool art as more of a science experiment, mixing colors, how to apply the paint, how much glue is needed to make the glitter stick, how to get your glue and glitter cover creation to the drying rack without it spilling all over the floor... you know, things like that.  It is after using art materials in a free form way that children are ready to being lessons that include following directions and technique.  You will know when they are ready for more because their art work will begin to take on a shape of its own and they will show interest in building upon the knowledge they have created.

DIY Magnet Board

I now have these all over the house and am currently making one as a shower gift for a co-worker.  They are so simple and cheap and guess what, I saw it on Pinterest and here's how you do it.

1.  Go to the Thrift Store and buy cheap metal platters
2.  Wash and Dry Trays
3.  Use Spray Paint Primer to coat entire surface
4.  Spray any color you chose (2 coats)
5.  Stick a 3M Command Strip to attach to wall
6.  Deocrate with magnets, note pads and pen holders