DIY Inexpensive Puppet Theater. You construct this using a tri fold foam presentation/display board you can get at Staples. Detailed, clever tutorial from katydiddys here.
DIY Bubbling Lava Lamp or Wave Bottle. Like the one I posted here. Video on the site - go to 3:17 to see how cool it looks. Tutorial and explanation of how this works from Steve Spangler Science here.
DIY Beetle and Butterfly Specimen Pillows. Love these educational and functional felt appliqued pillows. From Shwin & Shwin: Butterfly Pillow tutorial here, Beetle Pill tutorial here.
DIY Butter. You need about 8 oz (250 ml) of heavy cream and cheesecloth. One step tutorial at Instructables here. *When I was little we did this by shaking and shaking the cream in a jar until the butter separated from the liquids. So much fun for little kids with lots of energy!
DIY Ocean Waves. Not just for kids because I love this too - very calming like the meditation jars here. This is the closest “recipe” I’ve seen to mimicking the expensive wave machines and the simplest. Tutorial from Lilla a Design. *First seen at Craft Gossip here. *Similar idea - a lava lamp for kids of all ages here.
(via rainbowsandunicornscrafts)
When you see products on Ebay listed as “rare” or even on Etsy that are supposedly handmade, one of kind, “vintage” or “antique” (regretsy.com here has tons of examples from Etsy that are from Alibaba), check Alibaba.com to see if what you are buying was purchased wholesale for a less than a $1 a piece (type in keychain). I know these aren’t identical to the Etsy on, but they are identical to the ones for $30 and up on Ebay.
From Mrs. Greene here (and yes, she knows there’s a typo). Some day someone will get pissed and want to make an example out of someone, and I don’t want it to be me.
An excerpt from Mrs. Greene’s site:
Copying entire blog posts in ANY context without permission is theft of intellectual property. Yes, it’s illegal. Yes, it’s prosecutable.
DIY Weaving with Drinking Straws. Skinny = 3 straws, Wider = 15 straws. Even though this is for children of all ages, I had to read the directions twice, but then I got it and it was easy to understand. Good for small projects like bracelets, and great for kids. Tutorial at Home Ed Groups here. *This is now a closed blog.
*For another tutorial go to Dollar Store Crafts here or the best and easiest way to learn this is to watch the video at Kid at Art here.
truebluemeandyou: DIY Shadow Hand Puppets.
DIY Shadow Hand Puppets. A print from Etsy here. Or how to keep grownups and children busy (seriously, I love shadow animals and this poster).
DIY Heart Map. A teacher made this in writing class and was going to ask her students on the first day of school to make one. She’s hoping to find out more about them :) I think this would make a great Valentine or any day card if you make it about the person you’re giving it to :) From 365 Challenge here.
DIY Shadow Hand Puppets. A print from Etsy here. Or how to keep grownups and children busy (seriously, I love shadow animals).
DIY Poetry Rocks and Pebbles. You can stamp them or use rub on decals. This would be another one of those gifts that kids could make or use. Tutorial for rub on decals (top photo) at The Write Start here. Tutorial for stamping the image (bottom photo) at Playful Learning here. *You can convert the pebbles and smaller rocks into magnets using really strong ones like these (but you must be able to find them cheaper elsewhere).
Calm Down Jar
What is a mind jar? It’s a jar full or glitter glue, glitter and water. Swirl it around and relax while you watch the glitter fall to the bottom of the jar.
How to make: Just mix 1 tablespoon of glitter glue, per 1 cup of hot water, add extra glitter (I used an extra small tub).
Truebluemeandyou: What I would do is get small jars for little gifts with a cute tag saying something like, “Keep Calm and Glitter On”.
(via creativity-corner)
truebluemeandyou: 29 Ways… Reblogging because I get this perverse joy when I see a bunch of other blogs just posting this :) Only 1:50 min. Also, a poster has now been made - but nearly as good as video.
29 Ways to Stay Creative.
29 Ways to Stay Creative.
The purpose of my blog has become to catalog unique crafts that I truly love and would do myself. I love the look of handmade crafts - handmade in a good way. My crafts tend to be doable and inexpensive - because I have either done them myself or intend on doing them. "Doable" doesn't mean "simple" crafts, but rather crafts that have tutorials that are clear and easy to understand. *I will never copy an entire tutorial from any blogger because that takes away page views from their site and 99.99% of the time it violates their copyright policy. I also will not reblog a post if the entire tutorial is published without the permission of the original blogger. I will cite, if known, sources for my posts because I believe in giving credit to the photographer/designer/blogger. Also, to act like something is your own idea, when it isn't, is just wrong.
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