Parenting Toddlers

Craft Corner

Crafts on this page:

~ Flower Pots
~ Foam Magnets
~ Votive Holders
~ Ornament Dough
~ Fabric Necklaces
~ Peanut Butter Play Dough
~ Face Paint (2 recipes)
~ Finger Paint

Crafts on the next page:

~ Snow Globes
~ Dancing Snowballs
~ More to come :-)

Cornstarch Finger Paint

Ingredients:
3     tbsp sugar
1/2   cup cornstarch
2      cups cold water
soap flakes or liquid dish soap
tempera paint

Method:
Mix sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan over low heat.  Add cold water and stir until mixture is thick.  Remove from heat.  Divide into four or five portions.  Add a drop or two of tempera paint and a pinch of soap.  Stir and let cool.  Store in airtight containers.

Face Paint - A

Ingredients:
1    tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp water
1/2 tsp cold cream
food colouring

Method:
Stir together starch and cold cream until well blended.  Add water and stir.  Add food colouring.  Store in an airtight container.  Can be removed from the face with soap and water.

Face Paint - B

Ingredients:
5    tsp corn starch                                             2      tsp white shortening
1    tsp white flour                                              4     drops glycerin (found at your pharmacy)
food colouring

Method:

In a small bowl, mix shortening, cornstarch and white flour. Add four drops of glycerin. Stir to a creamy consistency. Add any food coloring that you wish. For brown makeup, add 2 1/2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa instead of food coloring and you're all set.

Peanut Butter Playdough

Ingredients:
18 oz peanut butter
6   tbsp honey
powdered milk
cocoa

Method:
Mix peanut butter and honey togther.  Add enough powdered milk to may dough pliable.  Add cocoa for flavour, if desired.  Shape, decorate with edible treats and eat it.

Fabric Necklaces

You need:
1 piece of fabric approx. 24" long by 3" wide
Marbles 
Beads (pony type or any style that will allow the material to go through) 
Sewing thread & needle

Fold material in half length wise, right sides together, creating a length of fabric 24" long by 1.5" wide. Sew the long side and one end, creating a tube. Pull the tube right side out. You can now begin filling the tube with marbles, placing a pony bead after each marble to keep the marble in place.  You can now tie the ends together around your neck.

Use Material with different holiday prints  (Example: Halloween Print for a halloween necklace, Christmas Prints for Christmas gifts, etc.)

Use different style beads to get different looks. Just remember the beads have to have a pretty large opening so the material fits in. I've created these for children birthday's using material with a birthday print and beads that have the number that is their age. Some people also put in puffs of cotton so the necklace isn't so heavy but I like the heavier necklace as it stays put around your neck.

Ornament Dough

You need:
2 C. baking soda
1 C. corn starch
1 1/4 C. water

Mix well.  Stir over medium heat until dough forms. Take out of pan and place on plate.  Cover with damp towel and place in refrigerator for 1/2 hour (no longer).  Kneed for 4 minutes.  Flour wax paper
and roll 1/2 inch thick.  Cut shapes with cookie cutters and make hole at top with toothpick or straw.  Lay on flat surface to dry at least 48 hours (turn after 24).  Paint as desired.  Sealing with shellac will strengthen ornament.

Stained Glass Votive Candle Holder

You need:
Clear plastic cups (8 oz.)                                     paintbrush
White glue                                                          tea light candles
Tissue paper (different colours)

In a small margarine tub pour the glue and dilute with water. Tear tissue paper into small pieces. With a paintbrush let children paint the glue mixture onto the outside of the plastic cup then put tissue pieces on top of glue. Have them cover the entire cup. Let dry. Now a tea light candle can be placed
inside and when lit shows the colors beautifully.

Foam Magnets

You need:
Fun Foam                                                          Adhesive magnets
Stickers

Cut the Fun Foam in squares bigger than the sticker, & the magnet in about 1/2" pieces. Give each child a piece of foam, a sticker and a magnet. Put the sticker on the foam, trim around it as desired (leave some color from the foam showing as a border) & stick the magnet on the back. These are great for any holiday/occasion. A variation is to hot-glue a pin back to it instead of the magnet.

Flower Pots

You need:
Shells, beads, resin do dads, etc.                          grout
terra cotta pot                                                    spatula paint
glue                                                                  varnish

Use a spatula to apply a layer of grout along the rim of the pot.  press the shells firmly into the grout. leave the grout to dry. When it is dry you may want to apply the little varnish to bring out the colors of the shells.

Cathy  is going to put little cars and trucks on the rim of a pot and paint her son's name on the pot.