Warmer weather is coming, and last week I made cutoff shorts from some holey jeans. A couple of springs ago, I made this ball, and I always wanted to try narrowing the panels to make a football shape. So yesterday I gave it a go and it worked! In addition to some regular stuffing, I also used some fabric strips cut from an old tee-shirt to give it some …
I just finished a new music video for my sister’s upcoming kids album. The song is “When I Look Into The Night Sky.” It was a really fun video to make! I painted some paper and made abstract space objects, tied them to some thread, and basically did a puppet show. Our almost two year old seems to approve of the video. She keeps saying, …
I have great memories of making these paper helicopters when I was a kid. They fly so well! The kids love dropping and watching them spin to the ground. My son also really likes toys that have people on them – so introducing Copterman! The amazing rescuer that can bend his elbows backwards! We’ve been having a hilarious time coming up with …
Here is a little animated card based on my Paper City Paris design. Just pull the tab and watch the people walk down the street. It might even be fun for a Valentine’s Day card! I actually got the idea for this card a few months ago, but I never had the time to figure it all out. Then recently, my editor sent me a wonderful Pop-Up Cards book by …
I’ve wanted to try weaving for a long time, but was never sure how to get started. Then I learned about weaving with yarn on a little piece of cardboard, and also found out more great tips from all of you on the Made by Joel Facebook Page. Thanks! Our twins just turned six this month, and they’ve been weaving all week – even bringing …
This week, the kids and I had a fun time making paper snowflakes to hang in the living room. They were so excited to create more winter decorations for the house! They loved cutting them out, but hanging them was even more exciting. The kids were cutting thread, handing me tape, and following me around with the step stool. When finished, it really made …
We’ve been enjoying a lot of indoor paper crafts lately, and a few days ago we made some little slotted animals based on a wooden set that I made awhile back. Cutting the animal shapes out and putting them together was just the right amount of challenge for the kids. They were quite focussed, and really enjoyed seeing them stand up when they finished. …
After posting my Wooden Turkey, many of you thought it would be fun to make sometime similar out of cardboard. Good idea! I tried to simplify the design as much as possible so that it would be fast and simple to make. If you want to try it out, there are directions and a printable template below! Once it’s done, then you or your kids can paint …
Here is another connect the dots worksheet you can print out for the kids. They sure are fun to make! (If you missed the first one, here is the link: Connect the Dots Worksheet 1) Have a great day! Click on the image below, then print.
In the last week of summer break, my son told me one morning that he was bored. So I asked him if he’d like to make a slingshot. He definitely said yes! I’d actually been thinking about this project for awhile, and I believe the design ended up having the perfect balance of safety and excitement. Lightweight paper arrows, gentle elastic …
I got requests from some of you for a connect the dots worksheet, so here is my first attempt. When the kids saw what I was doing, they weren’t too interested. But I printed some out this morning and did one myself. I told them it was pretty tricky to find all the right numbers, and they ended up getting really excited about it. I gave them clues …
The kids and I found a cool how-to pop-up card book at the library. So this Father’s Day, we’re making animated fire breathing dragon cards for the grandpas! I drew a dragon out and the kids wrote on it, then tomorrow they’re going to color it in. Sweet! If you want to get in on the action, below are simple instructions for how to …
My five year old daughter has recently discovered the fun of catapulting things with her spoon. To bring the action a bit further away from the table, I decided to make some very simple catapults out of scrap wood. After dinner we spent the entire evening catapulting Star Wars Lego figures outdoors. It was super funny, and I was surprised at how high …
Happy spring everyone! Here is a new Easter coloring sheet! There are a couple more crafts below too, if you need more Easter activities. I hope you all have a great weekend! Click here or on the image below to print. More Easter crafts below! Make tumbling paper bunnies with printable template and two marbles! Weave your own simple baskets. Tutorial …
My daughter has been doing a little stitching at school, so I asked her if she’d like to do some embroidery at home. (I’ve been meaning to do this with her for months.) She was very excited and wanted to get started right then. For this first project, I told her to stitch wherever she wanted to create an abstract design. I also used felt, …
I had so much fun making the Travel Sized Paper City Paris, and couldn’t wait to make more mini toys for on the go. I was getting ready to miniaturize the Dressy Cats, but decided that I was in the mood to create something a little different. So here are the Modern Mini Cats! (I’ll still make travel sized Dressy Cats too.) For the Mini Cats, …
I thought of this little circus unicycle rider awhile back. It’s easy to make, but requires pretty good motor control to wheel around, which is great for kids. If you want to try it out, watch the one minute video to see how to make them. There’s also a template below, but I encourage you and your kids to try drawing your own figures as …
I’ve been getting requests for a printable Valentine’s Day project. And I thought it would be cool to make a card that was also a toy. So here are some funny little Valentine’s card creatures. There is a small flap on the back so you can write a secret Valentine’s note underneath. We’ve been having a fun time with them …
Today it was decided that we needed more people for the dollhouse, so I got out some scrap wood and had the kids draw figures on the pieces. Then I took my woodburner and traced over their drawings and made some “doll blocks”. It was so fast and fun that I had to try making a drawing, too. The dolls really helped spice up the doll house, …
Last night I got out my paper scraps and glue to make a collage gift card for my friend’s birthday party. (He loves Datsun 510 wagons.) And once my kids saw what I was doing, they wanted to join in, too. So I gave them a piece of paper and let them dig through my box of scraps. They were so focussed: searching through the scraps, cutting pieces …