Paper Fairy Slippers

Here's a simple pair of slippers that are actually usable. Just cut a rectangle of paper a few inches bigger than foot all the way around the foot. Tape the paper into a slipper shape around foot snugly but not too snug. Trim to desired shape. Put duct tape on the bottom for less slipping. If you have clear duct tape, it can be wrapped around the whole slipper to make it stronger.

Decorate as desired.

A paper fish with multicolored pretty fishy scales

Just draw and cut out a fish on any paper. This fish was made on the back of another craft project.

Cut a bunch of squares about 1" by 1" big out of different colored scrape paper and some aluminum foil, and then round off two corners to make scales.

Put a little glue on a plastic lid and children can dip the flat end of the scales into the glue to paste onto the fish. Have the little craftsters start gluing the scales on the tail end of the fish and work forward with flat edge always forward.

It might be a good time to read "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister too. I didn't even think of it when creating this craft, but the fish is reminiscent of Marcus Pfister's sweet little Rainbow Fish now that I see my finished product. If you have the right color paper, the fish could be made to look even more like the Rainbow Fish in the book.
 

Crab with Movable Legs made from a Cereal Box

Made from a cereal box, after 3 coats of non-toxic poster paint, and joints connected with round head paper fasteners, our crab can move.

We cut out 14 parts in all after drawing their shapes on the inside of a pulled apart cereal box.

Children older than 5 who aren't in the habit of putting things in their mouths may enjoy painting the parts and putting them together after an adult has drawn and cut out the crab, and punched holes for joints. Here's Crabby.

Recycled Paper Collage

Happy Mother's Day! Here's a collage made with the back of an old news letter, pictures from old magazines all framed with scraps of left over paper from other crafts.

Just cut, glue and recycle that old paper.

Here's to resourcefully using piles of paper!

Recycled Paper Easter Egg Basket

Here's a tedious but rewarding little craft. This Easter egg basket was made from leftover wrapping paper and scotch tape, so it is not sturdy enough to hold real eggs. It's great for paper eggs in a bed of shredded paper though.

Older tweens who like crafting, and are patient may find this basket both challenging and rewarding to get to the finished product. Especially if made for an eagerly waiting younger brother, sister, or cousin.

The basket here was made by first cutting 8 strips of paper about 1/2 inch wide, and a foot long. Weave these together at the middle to form the bottom of the basket. Put little pieces of tape as needed to hold it together. Long ends of the strips should be ready for weaving the sides up.

Use another strip of paper of similar size to start the sides of the basket. Weave the strip one full circle around the bottom. Then tape the meeting ends together to secure, and clip off the remainder. Continue on in this manner until the sides are as high as you'd like.

At this point remaining strips from the original 8 strips will be hanging over the edges. Fold each over to end each weave, cut off extra, and tape.

Use two strips of the same size as the rest twisted together to form the handle. Attach with tape.

Happy Easter!

Egg tracing

Sometimes the simplest things create great ideas. Just cutting a few egg shapes of different sizes out of an old cereal box, so they can be traced, may instigate a crafting time.

Cutting out other shapes to trace such as a diamond which can be traced again and again until a pattern is made across a picture of an egg, can inspire other ideas for egg decorations as well.

All that's needed is thin cardboard like an old cereal box, paper, pencil, and non-toxic pens or crayons.

Paper Mache Easter Egg

Here's a goopy little craft. It's about the size of a real egg, and made with two rolled up balls of newspaper secured with masking tape, ripped up junk mail, and glue. Glitter is optional.

Just use 1/2 of a newspaper page for the first ball, and the other half for the second ball. Make the second a little tighter and smaller. Then wrap with masking tape to hold the two balls together in an egg shape.

Use little torn pieces of brightly colored junk mail. We used a clothes catalog. The smaller the pieces, the easier they secure to the egg.

Put the egg on a plastic lid, so it doesn't stick during the paper macheing process. On another plastic lid, put about a quarter size of white, non-toxic glue like Elmer's. Use about the same amount of water, and mix together.

Dip the pieces of torn paper through the glue mixture, and lay them across the newspaper egg until it is covered with colored paper. A little glitter could be added. It could even be painted after it is dry with non-toxic poster paints. The decorations begin with your imagination like attaching beads or dry beans and different shaped dry pasta.

The sticky fun is in the doing it together. As can be seen from the picture, it doesn't have to be perfect.