Calling all Monsters......

I remember when I started working as a Preschool Teacher. I had ideas for crafts for every season, every holiday....except when my first Halloween came around. Since we didn't really celebrate the holiday, I was at a loss. I knew that I couldn't do a witch (that is one of the characters that as a Christian, I have trouble accepting) but I was expected to have a month's worth of crafts to do with the kiddos. So I started thinking of other characters that I could use for inspiration and I came up with a Frankenstein and a Mummy.

So here they are......

"I Love My Mummy! .....and Daddy too!

 

Supplies needed:

Paper Plates

Scissors

Hole Punch

Ribbon

Large Rhinestone Jewels (or Buttons)

Red Construction paper

Sharpie

Glue (Elmer's works fine)

Small stripes of Paper Towels (the softer towels look better than the "puckered" style)

 

I used regular sized paper plates for this Mummy. I cut them out (use one as a template and fold together so that both sides are cut together!) Just cut a curve with a little ear and cut about midway down the ridges to make the head curved. After making the template just trace out on the other paper plates to cut them out.

 

Have the kids glue the strips of paper towels onto the mummy - when finished, glue on the rhinestones for eyes

Add the heart at the bottom, hole punch top and add ribbon.

 

Here's an alternate way of doing the Mummy - it's created the same way - but instead of hanging, glue onto large sheet of white construction paper - cut out smaller pieces of paper in Halloween colors and let them glue them on - add a spider (we used a die cut) button eyes, and let them use a sharpie to gently draw on a mouth.

 

 Frankenstein

 

This is one of my favorite Halloween crafts. It's also made with a paper plate.

Supplies needed:

 

Paper Plate (small or large)

Black Chenille wires

Green Chenille wires

Black Tempra Paint

Green Tempra Paint

Green Pom Poms

Green Ribbon

Large Buttons

Grey Construction Paper

Black and Purple Construction Paper

White Tempra Paint or White Out Pen

Hot Glue Gun and Sticks

Elmer's Glue

 

The template is made just like the Mummy. Fold over the paper plate and cut out the shape - leaving the ridges at the top - remember to cut out an ear in the middle. Make the cut more boxy rather than curved like the Mummy was.

 

Paint green - when dry - paint the ridges at the top black for the hair.

cut the gray bolts out and glue on under the ears in the neck.

Draw a big "C" for the inside of the ear with a sharpie

 

To make the scars - cut out a piece of chenille wire about 3 inches long and smaller pieces (2-3) for each scar. Hot glue the pieces together.

 

Hole Punch the top and add a black ribbon to hang.

I let the kids set the scars on the Frankenstein where they'd like for me to hot glue them down (as well as the eyes and eyebrows) and draw the mouth on with a sharpie.

 

Depending on which design you choose - you can either do button eyes and use green chenille wires for the eyebrows or make eyes & eyebrows from construction paper.

Here's how I make the eyes from paper - just a thin line of black for the eyebrows (I like to arch the line in the middle for a more menacing look)- a large black oval, a smaller purple oval, and then a smaller black circle - use the end of a paintbrush dipped in white tempra paint for the dot or use a white out pen.

 

I think what really makes these monsters cute and gives them personality is the placement of their eyes and eyebrows and their mouths that the kids draw on themselves.

 



To dress up or not to dress up......

For most of my childhood we didn't celebrate Halloween. It's strange because I know that at one point we did (I've seen pictures of us in costume and I vaguely remember those 1970s plastic masks that we wore! You know, the ones that you could barely breath in?) I'm pretty sure I had this mask!

Even before my mom became a Christian and banned Halloween and it's festivities we didn't really celebrate it much anyway. I'd heard all about the "it's the devil's birthday", "it's a time for darkness and evil" but I never understood if all we did was dress up in a fun (non-satanic) costume why we couldn't beg our neighbors for candy.

 

When I had kids of my own and it came time to decide what we would do about Halloween we decided we'd leave it up to the kids. For the greatest part of their childhood we were involved in ministry and we would be a part of a team at a Halloween Alternative Event" which even as an adult I didn't fully understand why it was considered an "alternative" to Halloween. The kids still came in costume, they still played games, ate food and we still handed out candy....the only difference is it was held in or by local church(es). Whether it was called a Jamboree, a Fall Festival, a Bible Bash....it was still a Halloween celebration. I think we put way too much emphasis on the term Halloween and not enough on what it really is. I don't mean a night of satanic worship and sacrifice - or the birthday of the devil (other than being told of this in church...I've NEVER seen or heard of these things actually taking place on Halloween) but it's a time for the kids to dress up and have fun, get a sugar high. Some years my kids chose to do this - some years they didn't but the years that they did it was so much fun watching them!

My son (age 6 months)

His favorite character Woody (age 6)

His favorite character Napoleon Dynamite (16 years)

 My daughter as Pirate Princess with her Shipmate TyTy (age 8)

 As her favorite TMNT Donatello (age 10)

She wore the same costume the following year with a

pair of  handpainted green converse boots!

 and this year (age 12) as Nyan Cat

I had no idea who that was before googling to make her costume!

in case you're not sure....

Nyan Cat

 

Yes. that's all it is.

 

 

While I'm here....I'll tell you how I did it.....it was much easier than I thought it would be.

I used 2 of those cardboard 3 fold presentation boards for the poptart. I cut it down (straight across) to fit waist-high (her preference) I hot glued the tri folds down just for the reinforcement.

 

I used a camel colored felt to cover both of the boards - I made sure that I went over the backside of the boards for a nice finish. (I bought a yard of the felt material from Walmart) and I also bought a yard of pink felt for the icing. (you can get away with less than a yard but at the time there was no one back there to help cut the material and so we actually cut it ourself and took a pic of the label on the bolt to use at the register)

Glue the icing on the top of the poptart placing it in the middle. I used a darker pink piece of felt for the sprinkles - just cut into rectangular pieces. I would've made them much smaller and more thin but this is how she insisted that it should be.

 

She was going to wear dark gray sweatshirt and pants with the costume so I bought a piece of dark gray felt to make straps from the underside top of each board - this created a sandwich board for the poptarts. It blended in much better than using the same color of the poptart - that just stood out too much and didn't look as well.

 

To make the tail I used 2 pieces of the gray felt and cut out in the tail shape (make it extra wide to glue and stuff!!) I hotglued the pieces together and stuffed with polyfill - glued the top shut and then glued the entire tail to the backside of the back poptart.

 

I also used the same dark gray felt to make the headband since it was impossible to find a gray cat ear headband. It was really easy to wrap and glue down the felt around the thin plastic headband. For the ears - double over the felt and cut out the ear shapes - you will want a long piece in the middle because you need enough to wrap around the headband and still be able to glue them flush. I had to try twice before getting the piece in the middle long enough. When attaching the ears - I glued one of the ears pieces to a piece of cardboard for reinforcement and then wrapped the ear around the headband and meeting both pieces together - when they would be flush - I glued it. Repeat for other ear. If done correctly both ears should stand up straight on the headband.

 

The skirt was made from ductape. She wanted the skirt to only go right above/at her knees. I did strips of the rainbow colors vertically on a large piece of  plastic cutting board - when I'd get about 8 strips done (overlap each piece by a tiny bit) gently turn the panel over, and use another tape (I used white) to put stripes horizontally to reinforce the tape to help prevent the tape from splitting. I continued this until I had enough panels to wrap around her waist with extra to spare. Every third color stripe I put in a pleat by folding over and putting a piece of tape over it. Do this all around the skirt. After finished I went back and made the waistband - being sure to go over all the pleated tape pieces to reinforce (I also went back after everything and covered up any colored pieces inside the skirt with the white) on the back I split the tape enough for her to be able to slide the skirt down (pulled on, not pulled up!!) after I figured out how much it needed to be split to allow her enough room to get it on/off easily I reinforced the split with more tape on the outside & inside and I added sticky back Velcro pieces to the waistband to keep the split shut.

 

She wore her gray fingerless gloves (I gave her the option of gluing pink pads on the palms and fingertips for the paws but she decided against it)

 

It turned out to be a pretty cute costume....especially considering I had no idea who Nyan Cat was before and it took abo$40 to make. It would've been less but I bought the sweat pants and shirt - and I bought more than enough material (and in some colors, too much duct tape!...finding an orange tape that wasn't neon was tough! I finally found some at Hobby Lobby but it was about $3+ more a roll than the other colors I got at Walmart and not near as much on the roll!) But my girl is happy and so I am happy.....and that's what matters most!

 

 



....a year later.....

Well.....it's been a year since I've posted anything! Crazy (or lazy), I know! In my defense, it's been a year full of craziness so I don't feel quite as bad....I was a little busy dealing with uterine cancer and a plethora of random health issues but I'm cancer free (Praise be to God!!) and healthy....and I'm still busy crafting with the kiddos....I just do a lousy job of sitting down and blogging about it....thankfully I do remember take photos of them so these next few posts will be CHOCK full of Fall/Halloween crafts I didn't get posted last time....enjoy!!

Spider Treat Bag

 

 

This is a cute way to send home treats with the kiddos!

 

Supplies needed: 

Black Tempra Paint

Black & White Construction Paper OR large wiggly eyes

White Tempra Paint (or a white out pen)

Scissors

Black Chenille Wires

Paper Plates 

Black ribbon

Glue Gun & sticks

Candy (including some of the GOOD chocolate!)

 

First we painted the backs of 2 paper plates (I used the smaller plates but depending on how many treats you are filling it with you can also use the large plates) When paint is dry cut a few inches off one of the top of one of the plates.

  

Cut 3 chenille wires in half  (keep the length if you are using a large plate!) and then hot glue 3 wires at least an inch apart to the inside edge of the uncut plate. Bend the wires to form the spider's legs.

 

Hot glue the uncut plate along the rippled edge and glue it to the other plate. Be sure to use enough glue to seal the plate completely or treats will fall through the cracks!  Glue the ribbon ends onto the inside of the plates.

 

For the eyes - I like them to look more dramatic - I like my craft eyes to be perfect - so I'll use something like a water bottle lid, milk jug lid for the black part of the eyes and the lid off a bottle of seasoning for the white. Trace the circles out on construction paper, cut out, glue together. To make the eyelashes I cut out thin black strips together (you can bring them to a point at the end or keep them blunt) and then glue onto the back of the eyes. Gently but tightly wrap a pencil around the lashes to make them curl. Use the end of a paintbrush in white paint or a white out pen to create the dots in the pupils.

 

Fill with candy and treats and you have a spooky sweet bag!

 

Here's another version

(we used an extra color in the eyes and instead of filling with candy

 we put the candy in black and silver tissue paper and stuffed into the bags)



Poppy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day is probably the most stressful day for me when it comes to creating crafts. I know, I know, Mom's love everything their sweet child makes for them - especially when it's got a "Happy Mother's Day" attached to it.......but the project should be more than a bunch of stuff slapped together....I believe that a Mother's Day project should have that special touch to it to make mom swoon and want to show it to everyone she knows and proudly say, "look what my child made for me!"

I remember when I was young and once a year "The Wizard of Oz" would come on tv. My mom would call my sisters and I in to watch it with her. The poppy scene would fascinate me and I think I'd ask her each year how little red, paper like flowers would make them fall asleep. Other than The Wizard of Oz and the Veterans in front of Walmart once a year, I don't think I've ever seen poppies anywhere else.

Last year at Mother's Day my mom was still mourning the loss of her own mother, who went to Heaven the year before. Although I didn't make one of these for her, I made it with her in mind. I really don't know if my mom even likes poppies, I know it's not her favorite flower (that would be Tiger Lily) but when I see them, it reminds me of her and red was my Grandma's favorite color....so that's how this project began to bloom.

Me & My Mom - at my Grandma's memorial service April 2, 2012

(I chose to wear a red top and shoes instead of black...

I even had my hair colored a bright shade of red!)

 

 

So.....here's what they inspired me to make:

 

 

Supplies needed:

Template of "The Red Poppy"

Green & Yellow Tempra Paint

Red Tempra Paint

Paintbrush

Red Tissue Paper or Red Construction Paper

Black construction paper (heavy weight is best)

Black Sharpie

White 8x8 bakery board

White construction paper

Red Ribbon

Scissors

Pencil

Hot Glue/Gun

Yellow and/or Red Rhinestones (shape doesn't matter)

 

 

I like to use Bakery Boards for crafts rather than foam board for my projects. I find mine at Hobby Lobby (in the baking aisle) they come in a variety of sizes and shapes and one side is white, the other brown - makes it perfect for crafting and they come 5-6 to a pack so it's perfect for small groups.

 

Mix the green and yellow tempra paints to create a beautiful light green - using a paintbrush, make 5 lines down the board (they don't need to be perfect!) These will be the stems of the poppies.

Set aside to dry.

 

 

I used the "The Red Poppy" template I found online

(click here: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUpkCe0bGU1DOoVPwuraRk9YebpLXvi9okCG60L46bxwVEMoLov2Ft4EDpBs3OzebIEsjysohqpKvB-xNZtMEkfEWsU19PCjl_VohLRVbLtYU6T-EnaB6FqBPEuLVvq0-2gVgZuPeZbGb/s1600/Poppy+template.jpg )

Print a copy of the poppy ad centers in small, medium and a large size. Cut out and trace 2 copies each onto white construction paper - only 1 copy of the large size is needed.

 

Paint using the red tempra paint - let dry

 

After dry, glue on red tissue paper or construction paper onto backside of poppy - let dry

 

Cut out poppies. Bend the sides of the poppy leaves in and the tip up - I actually bent the leaves and then "crinkled" them up a bit and it made them look even better.

Using the template for the centers, draw the circle (with the slits) onto the black paper. Using your scissors, cut little slits all around the black circles, one for each of the poppies. Cut as close to the center as you can without cutting into the center. Glue the center down onto the middle of the appropriate poppy. (Be sure to glue ONLY the center!)

Add rhinestone to the black center of the poppy. After glued, gently use your fingertips to "fluff" up the center's slits so that they curl around the rhinestone. Again, the more crinkled up, the better. Just be careful not to tear them!

 

Glue poppies onto the bakery board - starting with the smaller ones on the outside, then the middle, and the large poppy in the center. It's okay if they are a little "crowded" - it makes the board look more full.

Use Sharpie to write "Poppy Mother's Day in a loose script across the stems.

I used a red grosgrain ribbon with black polka dots for the hanger - hot glue the ends onto each top corner, cut in center, and tie a small bow to hang.

 

 

That's it! It's pretty easy to make and it really looks beautiful - a perfect Mother's Day project that is sure to get an "Awe...."  

 

 

A Little Batty....

Although I'm 41, I'm somewhat of a newbie when it comes to Halloween. Growing up Halloween was not a holiday that we celebrated. So when I had my son and he started begging to dress up for Halloween, I reluctantly agreed and threw the Blue Power Ranger costume into the cart....I let him continue to dress up each year until he thought it was no longer "cool".  My daughter didn't like costumes until just a couple years ago so other than some church Halloween alternative events, that was the extent of my Halloween experience.

So when I started teaching in a Preschool and Halloween rolled around, I not only had an issue with having to suddenly participate in dressing up the school's costume theme for that year - but also coming up with crafts to make with the kiddos.

I have always thought bats were a cute - but creepy - creature and so they were one of my first Halloween crafts.

I created a couple of different bat crafts that the kids loved - both are easy to make.  The first craft is more for older children (or you can cut out the bat forms and let the smaller children glue on the pieces themselves) and the second is for either age group but works perfectly for babies-preschoolers ....and Mom's just love those little handprints! (the picture below was actually taken by one of my kiddo's mom's - she took it home, hung it up in her dining room and posted the picture on facebook to show it off!)

Supplies Needed:
small or large paper plate
Black construction paper
white construction paper
red glitter
scissors
hole punch
yellow or black ribbon
yellow tempra paint
Black tempra paint
Elmer's Glue
hot glue
white paint pen
Quote either printed and cut out or use a Sharpie to write on the back of the plate
Wiggly Eyes


Hole punch a small or large paper plate (hole punching prior to painting makes it easier)
Paint plate with yellow tempra paint. When finished drying, add a yellow or black ribbon for hanging.

Either print out or use a Sharpie to write out the quote:
 "I may drive you BATTY, but you can't help but LOVE me anyway!"
I used a cool Halloween font Transylvania - to type this - there's many out there....check Halloweenfonts.com to find more.


***TIP: You will need to paint both sides of the plate regardless of which craft you are making - after painting one side you can take a break and read the sweet book, Stellaluna by Janell Cannon with the children while you wait for the paint to dry to be able to paint the backside.

TO CREATE THE FIRST BAT: I actually freehanded the bat template and wings (sorry, I don't have it to post at the moment but will add as soon as I can find it!) If you aren't able to freestyle, google "bat template" and there's pages of templates available - just select one that you prefer. The trick to making this craft noticeable is the wings so make sure that the wings are well defined.

Depending on the age of the child, either let them cut out the template and glue on, or if younger, go ahead and cut out and let them glue onto the plate themselves. ***DO NOT GLUE THE WINGS DOWN TO THE PLATE!

Using the glue, make a heart on the belly of the bat and dots for the eyes and let the kids sprinkle the red glitter

For the wings, bend at each arch and then put a drop of glue at the first bend (the one closest to the body) This will keep the wings from drooping and will allow them to "flap"

TO CREATE THE SECOND BAT: Using black tempra paint, paint the palm of the child - being careful not to get paint on the fingers - make print on white construction paper. Make handprints using both hands - one on each side of the palm print - make sure it's touching the palm "head". Use the thumbprints for ears.

Using a hot glue gun, add large wiggle eyes.
Use a white paint pen to draw on the mouth/fangs (a white out pen works great too!)
Cut out the handprints leaving a little space around them and glue onto the paper plate (a large plate works best for this craft)

 

 

 

 

Fall Handprint Bunting

Supplies Needed: Construction paper in white, red, orange, green, yellow, and brown
Tempra paint in same colors, gold metallic (optional)
Twine or Raffia Ribbon
Hot glue / Elmer's Glue
Buttons in fall colors
A few straws
Scissors



The leaves changing colors is one of my favorite things about fall....and they were the inspiration for this bunting. 

We started out with making handprints on white paper. 
Rather than sticking with solid colors - we used Tempra Paint (for easy cleanup) in fall colors and added a metallic gold to give it a beautiful shimmer.

***TIP: rather than dipping hands in the paint on a plate, use a brush or finger and "paint" them on - being careful not to blend the colors too much on the hand - they will mix perfectly on the paper. Start out by doing the yellow based prints first...then use all the other color combinations. You don't need to wash hands until after all the prints are made - the colors mixing together add to the beauty of the artwork!

After drying, cut out prints leaving a little edge around them.

Glue onto Coordinating Rectangles - for added flair you can trim edges w/deco scissors.

Use raffia ribbon to make small bows...leaving the ribbon tails as long as you prefer...add a small color coordinating button to centers with hot glue.

For the back, cut pieces of straw about 1/2" and hot glue on to the back leaving about an inch or less space at the top of the paper.

Use the straws to thread twine or raffia ribbon thru to hang.

I tied the ends in a big loop knot with a decorative acorn hot glued on the knot - these will help keep your twine from falling through the straws.

***TIP: You could personalize it by adding a rectangle in the middle with a verse/quote/picture/initial or  put in extra cards with letters to spell out "Happy Fall" or the Family's last name  between the sets of  handprints.