Kids Craft: Homemade Pumpkin Garland

I was a busy bee this weekend and came up with two Halloween crafts for you all! This second one is a little bit more complicated but still not very difficult. I hope you'll give it a try!

Pumpkin Garland

This project will keep your kids busy for a while making their own mini jack-o-lanterns but they'll need your help with the hooks and overall garland making!

Supplies needed:

• Styrofoam balls, I got a pack of 12 for $3.79 at Hobby Lobby. They're small and perfect for the project!
• Paintbrushes and paint: I used orange, black, and metallic silver. If you have multiple kids on this project, feel free to involve more styrofoam balls or have them all be pumpkins! My plan was to have alternating jack-o-lanterns and silver balls.
• Little jewelry pins, found in the jewelry aisle at Hobby Lobby. Check out the later photos for a better image of them. $1.99 for the pack, and I didn't use them all.
• Wire bending tools
• Cord for your garland, and make sure it can fit through the loops on the jewelry pins. I just picked an affordable black one.
• Egg carton (not pictured, but it's nice to have it)
• LOTS of newspapers

Kids Halloween Canvas Craft

One of the best things about Halloween, besides the costumes and candy, is carving a pumpkin to put out and enjoy until it, well, rots. Why not help your kids make a pumpkin that's going to last and can be enjoyed year after year?

Introducing: the Pumpkin Canvas

*fanfare*

Such a fun craft! Easy for kids to take part in, but there's parts for adults too, so you can work on it together.

What you'll need:

• Canvas- mine is 8x10", I got a pack of two for $3.99 at Hobby Lobby
• Hot glue gun + glue sticks
• Half Styrofoam balls (Hobby Lobby actually sells them like this!) - they are 4.5" half balls and come with 4 in a pack for $4.99
• Paint and paintbrushes (I used orange, black, and green acrylic paint. You might want brown too, for the stem)
• Newspapers to contain the mess

DIY Mini Cards

DIY Mini Cards

A fun and easy new craft for this post: your own mini cards! Put whatever you want on them. These are a great way to save money and personalize your cards for any occasion.

Crafts I'm Excited For 10/15

I'm starting a recurring post, which is all about crafts I'm excited for! As a digital native, I see crafts popping up all over the place online, but some really appeal for me to actually try. Here's the three I'm really excited to try right now:

DIY Printed Phone Pouch

Photo credit to The Lovely Drawer Blog

Ahh, seriously, how cute is this phone pouch? Minimal items and it comes out looking so cute and sophisticated. I'll have to change it to fit my Galaxy, but overall, I'm in love. Check out this blog to make your own!

Plastic Animal Keychains

Photo by rhonda

I loved playing with plastic animals as a kid, and this is such a neat way to keep some of that childish fun with you! I know I'm thinking way ahead, but I think these would be adorable to have for my future children as well. If you're as infatuated with these as I am, make sure you read the DIY!

Elephant Key Hooks

Photo by Creative Soul Spectrum

This one ties into number 2.. for some reason, I'm just feeling like cutting up and changing some plastic animals into craft items! I love elephants and the fact that these are painted gold just makes my heart happy. Also, what better way to hang your keys that already have plastic animals on the ring? ;) Check out this tutorial and make your own!

DIY: Labels for Travel Bottles

 

Hello, travelers! I want to share with you a neat craft that involves reusing those little hand sanitizer bottles that we all have from Bath and Body Works. They are great for holding all kinds of things, and I use mine especially for my facewash and toner when I travel home and elsewhere.

To help keep everything straight, I made my own labels. Follow along to make your own!

About: Basic Papercrafting Tools

Hello readers! This post isn't about a craft, but it does have to do with crafting. As a graphic technology major, I've learned to handmake a lot of things that I design. And now that I know how to handmake a lot of things, I like to make them from my home to save money! So I'm making a post about basic papercrafting tools, such as cutting and scoring tools, that you can use to make a variety of paper items, including notepads, cards, envelopes, and more!