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 …
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 …
Baby E has officially mastered the Toy Slot Box, so we decided to try making a variation that would provide a bit more action. I used a cereal Box for this one, and it actually works quite well. Sometimes the coins will roll 10 feet across the floor! There are simple directions below if you want to try it out. Round lids from around the house should …
Baby E has been having a lot of fun with a vintage cash register toy, but it’s too hard for her to get the coins into the small slots. So I made some round circles out of scrap wood, sanded them, and cut a few slots into a shoe box. Then the kids and I painted the coins with some non-toxic paints. She really loves putting the coins in, then opening …
Making your own toys from things around the house is a fantastic way to help the planet. Very low carbon footprint, and when you’re done playing with them, they can even be recycled. Here’s a little round-up of some favorite earth-friendly projects. Happy Earth Day! Recycled Denim Ball Tin Can Telephones Wall Hanging Box Aquarium Cereal …
Hi Joel and readers, I’m excited to be here again! Our house has been a busy one with a 3½ year old boy who is seriously into creative dress-up play (mostly as a firefighter as you will see in the photos below) and a 10 month old boy who is on the move! One of my favorite things is to make something out of nothing. These crowns were made from …
I had some thin pieces of scrap wood, that I thought might work well for a necklace. So I cut some up, painted them, drilled a tiny hole, and threaded silk strand through them. Then I used some clasps from the bead store and crimped them on with pliers. It was pretty fun. My daughter painted one too, but it’s “not done yet”, so I’ll …
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, …
Ever since I saw these awesome owls at El had a de papel, I’ve been wanting to try it out. Last week, my son got a Batman Lego set, and is very excited about all things Batman and Robin. So we made these! He loves them, and they were so fun to make!
I actually got to enjoy an afternoon alone this week. I decided to go look at art books and magazines. One of the shops had some empty cedar cigar boxes for a couple of dollars, so I got one to try out as a small dollhouse. I love the smell of the cedar, and it ended up looking pretty cool too. I also found a couple of vintage art books; one about abstract …
It seems like we’re always in the need of more kids activities for restaurants and travel. Shortly after I made Paper City Paris, I wondered what a miniature version would look like. Finally, this week I had the time to try it out. It was really fun redesigning and simplifying the folds and structures. For example, the people in this set are so …
My wife took the kids to see the Pinkalicious musical today here in Portland. My daughter had a pink dress all picked out, but my son realized he had nothing pink to wear. So we quickly made this paper necktie together with an old cover of an Art Forum Magazine. It was very fast to make. We cut out the main shape of the tie, then glued on some strips …
A lot of people ask me what toys and craft projects end up being favorites in our house. One of the hits has been these vintage fabric dolls that I made a year and a half ago. My daughter really latched onto hers, and has slept with it every night since, taking it on vacations and all around town. It’s gone a little limp, but she won’t let …
Here’s an easy little fish toy that I made today for the baby. I used fabric scraps, including part of an old neck tie. So far she likes to watch me wiggle the fish tail in front of her. It’s pretty cute. If you want to try making one, there are photos and directions below. Happy fish making! Instructions: First cut out two pieces of fabric …
My kids have been practicing throwing and catching a lot lately, but the rubber balls we have are a little difficult for them to catch. So last night when I cleaning out my closet, I found some old jeans, and thought I’d make a ball with some of the fabric. It was really easy to make – very similar to my yo-yo ball from awhile back. This …
Here’s another sock project. I got the idea from the very cool book, Sock and Glove. I love sock projects because there is so little sewing involved, which makes them super fast! This fish took only 10 minutes to make. Also, sock crafts are a great way to repurpose my stripy socks so I don’t have to just throw them away. And if you made …
First off, I’m very excited to to announce that we will be having a new baby girl in six weeks! Our four year old twins have been having a great time helping us get ready. We’ve been wanting to make some baby booties for weeks now, but haven’t gotten around to it. Then today, I thought I’d try just turning my old socks into baby …
Tiffany from Simply Modern Mom asked me to join her “Wrap it Up” party. I chose to do some more magazine wrap. I love digging through old magazines and finding fun pages to use. (Here are a couple more I posted awhile back.) You’ll find some great inspiration for more gift wrapping ideas at Simply Modern Mom if you want to check it …
Here’s another dollhouse! Duck Duck Green asked me to create a craft for their packaging. The box looked so much like a house already, I couldn’t resist. My daughter has been playing with it a lot, making up hilarious scenes and dialogs. If you’d like, Duck Duck Green has nicely laid out instructions and photos here. You could also …
Here is the last of the 3 videos I made for Cheerios. A portable dollhouse! It was a fun one. Hope you enjoyed the mini-series!