Kid Crafts: Painting with Toilet Paper

      Lately the toilet paper roll has been getting a lot of press in the craft world. So today I thought we would have fun with toilet paper. Why should the roll get all the attention, when the paper is what does all the hard work.

      Since Spring is around the corner, we tried to keep with a Spring and Easter theme. 

Needed: 

Acrylic paint 

Glue

Water 

Toilet paper 

Paper plate or card stock

Scissors

Twine or yarn

Optional: glitter glue 

1. Cut out shapes from the paper plates. The plates gives it the added support needed from the weight of the paper. We did an Easter egg, leaf, cross and the outer edge or the plate for a wreath. 

2. In small containers mix equal parts of glue and paint and then add water till it gets watery. ( It doesn't take that much, just depends on how thick your paint is)

3. Using small pieces of toilet paper, paint the plate cut outs.  This is were it gets messy. They liked the added texture that the  paper gave it. So experiment with the color and texture.  They added some glitter glue after they finished with the paper. 

4. Let dry and then using hole punch or tip of scissors, punch a hole at the top. Cut a piece of string to size and tie it through the hole.  

Hang your new Spring art some where were everyone can see the kids beautiful messy fun. 

As always I love to hear from my readers. So please let me know how this worked for you. 

Paper Craft: Coffee Filter Flowers: St. Patrick's Day Hanging Flowers

I love to make crafts that I can decorate with. Especially ones I can make from things around the house. This craft started with the scraps from my shamrock coffee filter craft. I always try and find uses for the pretty scrap paper.  You can always make more flowers, you can never have enough.  

Needed:

• Tacky Glue 
• Scraps from the Coffee Filter Shamrock craft or cut colored coffee filters see Coffee Filter Shamrock for coloring instruction 
• Twine
• Stick from outside or the store (I chose a thinner stick so it would bow a little with the weight of the  the flowers.)

Steps:

1. Cut the coffee filters around the edge with longer dips cut in toward the middle. Use the picture as guide. I used the scraps from the shamrock craft, they are perfect.  

2. Cut 6 - 6 in pieces of twine.I made 6 flowers to put on the stem.

• The smooth rounded edge will be the top of petals and the cut part with the dips will be the bottom of the flower.  Put glue at the end of one strip of paper, placing the string tip almost to the top. Place it so the remaining string flows out the bottom of flower. Roll the paper around the string putting glue down the middle as you go. Making sure that the string turns as you roll the paper or it will become unstuck and fall out. If that happens just unroll it and start again. Let the glue dry. 

Tip:  Messy is ok. I found that the randomness of it is what made it look good in the end. 

3.  Starting with the top stick, tie the twine to the stick.  About an 1 1/2  inch's from the base of flower and 1 1/2 in. from the tip of stick. Add a dab of glue to help hold the knot.

4. Then put glue on the stick and wind the end of string around till you get to the place where the second flower will go, about an inch down. Holding the string in place, tie the second flower on overlapping the end of the previous piece. 

 

5. Continue this pattern. Making sure to alternate the side that the knots are on, so they hang staggered. 

• After the last flower, wrap extra twine around the stick down towards the bottom, so that the twine covers all of the stick.

6. To finish, wrap and glue the tip of the stick with twine. Then I glued and wrapped one last paper around the end of the stick over the twine.

7.  Let dry, put in vase and decorate! 

Let me know how this turned out for you 

Kid Craft: Coffee Filter Shamrocks

St. Patrick's Day is something we have fun with at our house. So to add a little green around the house we are making shamrocks. Over the Christmas break I found a new interest in coffee filters. I keep finding myself coming up with new things to do with them. So here's my coffee filter spin for shamrocks.

Needed:

• Green, yellow and blue food coloring 
• Small paint brush
• Coffee filters 
• Small pan or container (to contain the dye)
• Tacky glue
• Sticks from outside or store

Steps: 

1. Cut shamrocks out of the coffee filters. I did multiple ones at a time.  

2. In three separate container add:  2 tbsp of water in each container. 

• 1st container: 7 drops of green
• 2nd container: 4 drops green and 3 yellow
• 3rd container: 4 drops green and 2 blue

3. Using a small brush, paint the coffee filters the 3 different colors inside the pan. Let dry

4. Cut two small slits into the center of the shamrock.

5. Two at a time insert the the tip of the stick through the two holes.  Add a drop of glue to hold them together and to the stick.

Then your finished. Put into vase to display the flare.

I love to hear from my readers so let me know how this worked for you.