All craft kids

Perry the Platypus Easter Egg

Natalia0411 — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 19:18:14 GMT

Perry the Platypus Easter Egg

For the ultimate undercover holiday operation, this year Perry the Platypus dons a brilliant disguise that fits the bill -- going incognito as an Easter egg! Of course, this is one case you won't want to crack.

You'll need:

Perry the Platypus Easter Egg Template
Hard-boiled egg dyed bluish-green (using Easter egg dye or gel food coloring) or plastic egg of a similar size and color
Scissors
Craft paper (orange, bluish-green, and brown)
Orange plastic cap (the kind the comes on orange juice cartons)
Glue dots

Instructions:

1. Print the template and use the pieces to cut out shapes in the specified colors of paper.

2. Use the marker to draw crisscross lines on the tail and to color a broad band on the hat piece, as shown.

3. Prepare the stand by gluing the base of the tail and the heels of the feet to the plastic cap, as shown. Set the egg in the stand.

4. Fold the platypus bill in half to create a center crease and give it a bit more dimension. Then fold up the very end at the base of the bill and use bits of a glue dot to stick it to the egg. Glue the eyes in place just above the bill.

5. Attach the arms to the sides of the egg in the same manner as you did the bill in step 4.

6. Gently fit the hat onto the top of the egg, overlapping the back strips a bit and securing them with a glue dot. Fold the top of the hat forward slightly, if necessary, so that it stands upright.

Red Queen Easter Egg

Natalia0411 — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 19:16:39 GMT

Red Queen Easter Egg

You don't have to look twice to realize the Red Queen has an eggs-traordinarily big head. No wonder the crown she stole from the White Queen looks so tiny atop her curly red tresses. Here's a fun way to put the impetuous Iracabeth in her place -- holding court in this year's lineup of Easter eggs.

You'll need:

Red Queen Easter Egg Template
White hard-boiled egg
Scissors
Craft paper (green, yellow or gold, and white)
Black plastic bottle cap
Blue colored pencil
Fine-tipped black marker
Tiny sticker heart or paper heart (about 1/4-inch wide by 3/8-inch high)
Fine-tipped black marker

Instructions:

1. Print the template and use the specified pieces to cut the queen's hair from red paper and a crown from yellow or gold paper.

2. Snip tabs in the lower edge of the red hair shape as indicated on the template.

3. Fold all but the center tab back. Then trim the center tab to create a small widow's peak.

4. If you like, you can give the hair even more of a curly dimensional effect by gluing on several red paper circles (red dot labels, sold at office supply stores, work well too).

5. Glue the crown to the hair. Set the hair aside for now.

6. Cut out a pair of eyes from the template and shade in the spaces above the pupils with blue colored pencil. Then use the black marker to draw on eyelashes. Use glue dots to stick the eyes onto the egg.

7. Stick the heart sticker (or paper heart) in place for the mouth. Then draw a short, thin frown line right across the center of the heart.

8. Draw two small nostril lines right above the heart mouth and a round beauty mark on one cheek.

9. Now create a stand for the egg. First, fashion a white shirt collar for the queen by folding a small square of white paper into a triangle. Press the center of the triangle down into the bottle cap so that the corners stick up. Then set the egg in the cap atop the paper.

10. Finally, set the hair piece atop the egg and use bits of glue dots to stick the folded tabs to the egg.

Three-eyed Alien Easter Eggs

Natalia0411 — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 19:13:46 GMT

Three-eyed Alien Easter Eggs

This Easter, surprise your kids with an eggs-traterrestrial encounter by transforming a batch of Easter eggs into visitors from outer space (a.k.a Pizza Planet). Perched on simple tissue tube stands, these eye-catching decorations make great greeters for your family's holiday guests.

You'll need:

Three-eyed Alien Easter Egg Template
Hard-boiled eggs dyed alien green (using Easter egg dye or gel food coloring) or plastic eggs of a similar size and color
Scissors
Craft paper (green, blue, and purple)
Toilet tissue tubes or paper towel tube
Paper hole punch
Glue stick
Glue dots
Fine-tipped black marker

Instructions:

1. Print the template and use it to cut out a pair of green paper ears for each alien. Fold the ears in half to create a center crease, as shown.

2. Fashion an antenna for each alien by first folding a 3-inch long thin strip of green paper in half and gluing the two sides together, stopping 1/8-inch from the ends. Then fold the ends out to the sides, as shown.

3. Next, use the paper hole punch to create two green dots and glue them together, sandwiching the top of the antenna between them.

4. Create a stand for each egg by wrapping blue paper around a section of a toilet tissue or paper towel tube and securing the overlapped edges with glue. Add a thin strip of purple paper around the top of the tube for a collar.

5. Set the eggs sideways atop their stands. Use glue dots to attach the ears and antennae. Add three eyes to each egg, placing the center one slightly higher than the other two.

6. For the finishing touch, draw a wide smile on each alien (this is easier to do if you remove the egg from the stand and hold it in one hand while drawing with the other).

Daisy's Daisies

Natalia0411 — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 19:11:26 GMT

Daisy's Daisies

Inspired by: Daisy Duck

She's fashionable, feisty, and fun loving. And she sure can cut a rug doing the jitterbug! No wonder Donald is crazy over Daisy, even if she does send him into a tailspin now and then. Coming up with a token of affection that will make this sassy southern belle (or any special sweetheart) swoon takes an extraordinary valentine, like a bouquet of paper flowers inspired by her namesake.

You'll need:

White, green, and yellow paper
Jar lids or other circular objects (between 2 1/2 to 3 3/4 inches wide)
Pencil
Scissors
Craft scissors
Thin, cloth floral wires, 18 or so inches long (the flowers shown here are made with 32 gauge wire)
Pushpin
Glue stick

Instructions:

1. Trace the jar lids onto a sheet of white paper to create a bunch of circles and then cut them out.

2. For each daisy, stack two cutouts of the same size. Then fold the double-layer circle in half to create a semicircle.
3. Fold the semicircle in half once and then twice again, pressing the folds with your fingertips to make distinct creases. Now unfold the paper until you again have a semi circle, and trim the ends of the paper pleats to create daisy petals, as shown. When you're done, unfold the circle all the way and use a pushpin to poke a pair of holes through the center.
4. Bend a floral wire in half and thread the ends through the holes, as shown.
5. Use craft scissors to cut out a small scalloped-edge circle (about 3/4-inch wide) from a piece of green paper and thread it onto the wires on the back of the flower. Twist the wire ends together below the flower to create a stem.
6. For the flower center, scrunch and shape a 2-inch square of yellow paper into a disk and glue it in place.

Fairy Valentine Tree

Natalia0411 — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 19:09:47 GMT

Fairy Valentine Tree

With its glimmering gold fountains of magical dust, the Pixie Dust Tree is certainly the focal point of Pixie Hollow. But come Valentine's Day, Tink and the other fairies are thinking pink and decorating their tree house boughs with pretty heart-shaped leaves. Crafted from cardstock and shiny stickers, this tabletop tree will dazzle fairies and their fans alike. You can even print a secret valentine message behind the door in the trunk.

You'll need:

Template for Fairy Valentine Tree
Scissors
Brown cardstock
Craft knife
Scrap of craft paper (gold, pink, or red)
Glue stick
Sticker hearts or small scrapbooking hearts
Marker

Instructions:

1. Print the template and use it as a pattern for cutting out the pieces from the specified types and colors of cardstock and paper.

2. Place the tree template piece atop the matching cardstock cutout and use the craft knife (adult's only) to cut through both layers along the solid line of the heart-shaped door (leave the dotted portion uncut for the hinge).

3. Have your child write a valentine note on the message rectangle. Then glue the rectangle to the back of the tree trunk so the message shows when you open the door.

4. Now your child can decorate the tree boughs with lots and lots of mini hearts. (If you're using scrapbooking hearts instead of stickers, simply apply glue to the boughs and press the hearts in place.)

5. For the finishing touch, create a tree stand by folding the two stand halves along the dotted lines and then gluing the curved sides together, as shown.

6. Glue the stand to the back of the trunk, covering the blank side of the message rectangle.

Woody's Lasso Valentine

Natalia0411 — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 19:06:11 GMT

Woody's Lasso Valentine

dy can be very persuasive when he puts his mind to it. Inspired by the charming cowboy, this whimsical card features a heart-shaped lasso designed to spur on your child's valentine of choice.

You'll need:

Template for Woody's Lasso Valentine
Scissors
Craft or scrapbook paper (blue, brown, and tan or orange)
8.5- by 11-inch sheet of cardstock folded in half for the card
Black marker
Ruler
Glue stick
Glue dots
Red cord and thread
Paper clip
Small red sticker heart or heart-shaped sequin
Small red faux gem

Instructions:

1. Print the template and use the pieces to cut out a blue pant leg and a brown boot.

2. Use the marker to color a black heel and sole on the boot shape. Then create a boot pull loop by folding a 3/8- by 1-inch piece of brown paper in half over the boot top and gluing it in place, as shown.

3. For bootstraps, cut two 1/8-inch-wide strips from tan or orange paper. Glue the vertical strip in place first, as shown, folding the bottom around the bottom of the boot and sticking it to the back. Attach the horizontal strap in the same way, overlapping the top of the vertical strap and covering the stub where the "spur" will attach.

4. Glue the boot onto the bottom of the leg. Then use glue dots to stick the upper leg, knee, and ankle (but not the boot itself) to the face of the card, lining up the top of the leg with the upper corner of the cardstock, as shown in the photo above.

5. Tie a lasso knot (or a slip knot) at one end of the cord and then feed the other end through the loop to create a lasso. Pinch together the top of the loop to resemble the upper half of a heart and tie string around it to hold the shape (using a paper clip to temporarily secure the cord will make it easier).

6. Slip the lasso heart around the boot (the cord should go under the leg and over the front of the boot), and use bits of glue dots to hold it in place. Attach the heart-shaped spur and faux gem buckle to the bootstraps.

7. Now your child can write a valentine message, such as Rounding You Up to be My Valentine or You're My Sole Mate. Or he can use your home computer to print a greeting to glue in place.