by jenni on February 8, 2010
I love crafts that are practical and this is one that we love. The great thing about doing this craft is that it can be transformed for any occasion. They are also something great that can be slipped into your kids backpack or lunch bag for a special surprise.
Materials Needed:
- Scissors
- Craft foam
- Permanent markers
- Pipe cleaner
- Pencil
Instructions:
1. Cut a 1- to 2-inch heart from craft foam. With a permanent marker, print a short message on the front and the name of the giver on back.
2. Now poke an inch of the pipe cleaner through the bottom of the heart, bend it down, and twist it back around the remaining length of pipe cleaner.
3. Coil the pipe cleaner tightly around the pencil. Then gently pull up on the heart so that part of the coil bobs freely above the pencil, with several loops anchored around the eraser end.
by jenni on February 6, 2010
There are so many crafts that you can have the kids do for this years Valentine’s Day. We do several different types just depending on if they will be for use at school or for home. This is one that I came across that I thought was really neat. The main reason I like this is that once the candy and note is gone, you have a nice looking ornament to keep.
Materials Needed:
- 16-inch length of 20-gauge silver craft wire
- Heart-shaped cookie cutter
- Wire cutters or nail clippers
- Red craft wire (24 gauge or higher)
- Heart-shaped note and treat
- Ribbon
Instructions:
1. To make the heart, bend the craft wire around a pencil to form a loop 4 inches from one end.
2. Center the loop atop a 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, and wrap the wire around the heart, pressing to shape it.
3. After you’ve made 2 loops, twist the ends together and trim the excess with wire utters or nail clippers.
4. Remove the cookie cutter, then secure one end of a 3-foot length of red craft wire (24 gauge or higher) to the heart.
5. Run the red wire across the heart’s front and back, wrapping it around the silver wire at each pass. Enclose a heart-shaped note and treat as you go.
6. Tuck in the end of the red wire and tie a ribbon through the loop for hanging.
by jenni on February 5, 2010
Valentine’s Day is a great time to get the kids around and make some fun crafts. These crafts can then be used as the valentines for school parties. They also make great decorations for around the house. Whatever you use them for it is a great family activity that can be done on any afternoon.
Materials Needed:
- Waxed paper
- Crayon shavings (adults can shave crayons with a scissors or knife)
- Scissors
- Iron
- Hole punch
- A few inches of string or ribbon
Instructions:
- Fold a piece of waxed paper in half. Draw half a heart with the center of the heart at the fold.
- Open the waxed paper and place it flat on your work surface.
- Sprinkle/place the crayon shavings on the waxed paper. Little ones may sprinkle randomly, while older kids may want to make a pattern with the shavings.
- Cover the waxed paper with an additional piece of waxed paper. Put a paper towel on top of the waxed paper (this will protect your iron), then have an adult iron the two layers of waxed paper together on low heat.
- Cut out the heart image. Punch a hole near the top of your heart and thread a string through the hole for hanging the heart. Hang it in front of a window so the light can shine through.