Tag Archives: buttons

OUR IMAGINATIONS~A TALE OF TWO UMBRELLAS I: BLUE/GREEN/CHARTREUSE

OUR IMAGINATIONS~A TALE OF TWO UMBRELLAS I: BLUE/GREEN/CHARTREUSE

BLUE, GREEN, CHARTREUSE UMBRELLA

ReadThe Umbrella by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert

A family dog finds a red umbrella on a windy day in the yard. When the dog opens up the umbrella, the wind carries them over the clouds and around the world. They go to Africa where the dog confronts elephants, alligators, hippos, zebras and storks; the oceans and their inhabitants; the tropics; the North Pole and finally, back home.

Project: Decorate an old umbrella and if you want to challenge yourself, give the design a theme: animals, fairies, sports, etc.

Materials:

An old umbrella

Glue

Beads

Markers

Sequins

Buttons

Silk flowers

Ribbons

Stencils

Paint in squeeze bottles

Stickers 

Additional Reading:

The Umbrella by Jan Brett

The Umbrella Day by Nancy Evans

Umbrella by Taro Yashima

*Copyright Art work by Marion Constantinides 2015

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Our Imaginations! Groovy Buttons!

Our Imaginations! Groovy Buttons!
Our Imaginations! Groovy Buttons!
Groovy Buttons

Groovy Buttons in different shapes and sizes

 

Read: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin.

“Pete the Cat puts on his favorite shirt with four, big, colorful, round, groovy buttons.”

But one by one, the buttons pop off and roll away. He realizes that he doesn’t have any buttons on his favorite shirt:

4 – 1 = 3

3 – 1 = 2

2 – 1 =1

1 – 1 = 0

Pete the Cat’s button less shirt opens up and what does he see? His belly button!

What can you do with your buttons?

Project:

Use buttons to decorate…anything! Use your imagination!

List of things to decorate with buttons:

Journal cover

T-shirt

Sneakers

Picture frame

Sunglasses

Book bag or any kind of bag

Materials:

Glue

Lots of buttons

Needle and thread (if you know how to sew)

 

Alternative Project: Make your own buttons

Materials:

Modeling clay in different colors

Pencil

Make small balls and flatten them. Poke four holes in the center with the pencil. What will you do with your handmade buttons?

 

*copyright Art work by Marion Constantinides 2015

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VOTIVE CANDLEHOLDER

VOTIVE CANDLEHOLDER

Beat the winter doldrums with a fun craft project! Use it as a Valentine’s Day decoration, give as a gift

 or use it all-year round! Super easy and cheap to make.

Votive Candleholder

Materials:

Shells in different sizes

Strand of pearls or beads

Large clear vase with a neck (See photo)

Small votive/candle holder (make sure it fits into the opening of the vase)

Small candle or tea light that fits into the votive holder

Optional: Ribbon (the neck of the vase will decide the width and length of the ribbon)

1. Wash and dry the vase and candle holder/votive so that they shine.

2. Let the shape of the vase dictate where the shells, pearls and other objects of  choice will lay inside the vase.

3. Intertwine one strand of beads or pearls. Add some shells. Mix again.

  1. Place the larger shells and pearls or beads next and then intertwine another strand of beads or pearls.
  2. Finally, arrange the medium objects on top. Add the last strand of pearls or beads.  Mix. Make sure there is enough room for the candle holder/votive which should protrude above the neck of the vase just enough so that it is noticeable.
  3. Optional: Tie a bow around the neck of the vase

If the vase is narrow at the bottom, and widens just below the neck, place the small ones on the bottom. Refer to the photo of the finished craft.

Substitutions for the vase:

Potpourri

Small handmade soaps

Beads

Buttons

Heart-shaped paper cutouts

Ribbons

Mix it up!

Substitutions for the votive/candle holder:

Flower bud

Tiny beads

Colored water

Potpourri

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CELEBRATE THE SEASONS! Mr. and Mrs. Snow People Winter Mobile!

CELEBRATE THE SEASONS! Mr. and Mrs. Snow People Winter Mobile!
WINTER MOBILE

WINTER MOBILE

Ages: 5 – 12 years

Time: ½ hour – 1 hour

MATERIALS:

Construction paper or Craft Foam in 6 colors

Silver glitter pen

Ball of jute or string or wire

2 dowel rods cut to 12” each Scissors

Tacky glue or glue sticks

Pencil/eraser

hole puncher

Patterns from the Banners project

 

  1. Ask an adult to cut the dowel rods so that you have two. Cross them in the middle and tie them tightly with a piece of string or jute or wire. Lay aside.
  2. Select the paper or craft foam. You may want to use a combination of papers and craft foam. Trace and cut shapes from the patterns used for the winter banner: Mr. Snow Man and Mrs. Snow Woman. Adorn them with scarves, hats/berets, noses that look like carrots, buttons, and a pipe for Mr. Snow Man. On a separate sheet of craft foam or construction paper, draw snowflakes with the glitter pen. Cut them along with the Snow Man and Woman. Draw eyes and mouth with a black marker.
  3. Poke a hole towards the top of the paper or craft foam shapes with a pencil or use a hole puncher.
  4. Then, lace a piece of string, thread, jute, or wire 6” to 8” in length through the hole at the top of each shape. Tie the shapes to the dowel rods. To balance the mobile, place two or more shapes to each dowel rod and be sure that some of the shapes hang lower (or higher) than some of the others. This is called balancing or making the mobile level. Ask an adult for help.
  5. Tie a piece of string on the ends of the dowel rods and hang it up. Does your sculpture move? What makes it move? How is this design different from the banner design? What are the differences? What are the similarities?
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Picture Book Month: A Tale of Two Umbrellas II

Picture Book Month: A Tale of Two Umbrellas II
Blue, Green, Chartreuse Umbrella

Blue, Green, Chartreuse                       Umbrella

 

ReadThe Umbrella by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert

A family dog finds a red umbrella on a windy day in the yard. When the dog opens up the umbrella, the wind carries them over the clouds and around the world. They go to Africa where the dog confronts elephants, alligators, hippos, zebras and storks; the oceans and their inhabitants; the tropics; the North Pole and finally, back home.

Project: Decorate an old umbrella and if you want to challenge yourself, give the design a theme: animals, fairies, sports, etc.

Materials:

An old umbrella

Glue

Beads

Markers

Sequins

Buttons

Silk flowers

Ribbons

Stencils

Paint in squeeze bottles

Stickers 

Additional Reading:

The Umbrella by Jan Brett

The Umbrella Day by Nancy Evans

Umbrella by Taro Yashima

*Copyright Art work by Marion Constantinides 2015

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Picture Book Month: Groovy Buttons!!

Picture Book Month: Groovy Buttons!!
Groovy Buttons

Groovy Buttons

Read: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin.

“Pete the Cat puts on his favorite shirt with four, big, colorful, round, groovy buttons.”

But one by one, the buttons pop off and roll away. He realizes that he doesn’t have any buttons on his favorite shirt:

4 – 1 = 3

3 – 1 = 2

2 – 1 =1

1 – 1 = 0

Pete the Cat’s button less shirt opens up and what does he see? His belly button!

What can you do with your buttons?

Project:

Use buttons to decorate…anything! Use your imagination!

List of things to decorate with buttons:

Journal cover

T-shirt

Sneakers

Picture frame

Sunglasses

Book bag or any kind of bag

Materials:

Glue

Lots of buttons

Needle and thread (if you know how to sew)

 

Alternative Project: Make your own buttons

Materials:

Modeling clay in different colors

Pencil

Make small balls and flatten them. Poke four holes in the center with the pencil. What will you do with your handmade buttons?

 

*copyright Art work by Marion Constantinides 2015

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Lazy Day Crafts: Papier Mache Dragon

Lazy Day Crafts: Papier Mache Dragon

Materials:

Newspaper, cut into strips

Scissors

Wall paper paste or white glue slightly thinned

Containers for water and paste

½ egg carton preferably made of paper or cardboard

4 – 6 oz paper cup

Masking tape

Bond or construction paper

Green acrylic or poster paint or any color you choose for your dragon

Glitter, buttons, tissue paper, wiggle eyes, foil, etc

Paint brushes

Paper towels

 

  1. Cover your work space with newspaper. Cut egg carton in half and tape it shut. Tape the paper cup to one end of the carton. (This will be the head of the dragon.) Make a long tube with the construction paper and tape it to the other end of the carton. (This will be the tail of the dragon.)
  2. Cut newspaper into strips.
  3. Read the directions on the label for using wallpaper paste. Mix wallpaper paste with water and stir. Pour into container.
  4. Dip strips into paste mixture. Allow excess paste to drip off into container. Apply to the dragon mock-up. Apply two or three layers. Allow to dry. Add more layers if needed and apply them when the first three layers are dry. Dry thoroughly.
  5. Paint the dragon with acrylic or poster paint. Allow the paint to dry.
  6. Decorated the papier-mache dragon with a variety of embellishments. Use your imagination!

 

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Summer Camp: Paper Bag Animals/Paper Bag Pets

Summer Camp: Paper Bag Animals/Paper Bag Pets

 

Paper Bag People and Animals

Paper Bag People and Animals

Materials:

Lunch size paper bags, brown or white

Newspaper (or similar material)

String

Tape

Scraps of construction paper

Paste or glue

Ribbon and/or yarn

Sequins, buttons, seeds (for eyes, nose mouth)

Crayon and/or markers and/or colored pencils

Clip art

Scissors

Pipe cleaners (for whiskers)

Wiggle eyes

Rubber Band

Ruler

 

Project:

  1. Choose the pet or animal you will make.
  2. Stuff 1/3 of the bag tightly with crumbled or strips of newspaper (or similar material) to form the head (about two or three sheets).
  3. Gather the bag at the base of the head. Tie it securely with string or yarn.
  4. Stuff the rest of the bag with more newspaper and tape the bottom of the bag closed.
  5. Cut eyes, nose, mouth, and paws from construction paper or use sequins, buttons or seeds. Use pipe cleaners for the whiskers.
  6. Tie a ribbon or piece of yarn around the neck.
  7. Add buttons or other decorations to dress up you paper bag pet or person.

Alternative Projects:

  1. Make a paper bag person. Use yarn for hair and wiggle eyes. Follow the directions above.
  2. Stuff only the top 1/3 of the bag. Insert a long stick (like a ruler) into the head and secure with string, yarn or a rubber band. Use as a puppet and put on a play for your friends! Read the books below for more ideas:

Gauch, Patricia Lee. Poppy’s Puppet

Marsh, Valerie. Puppet Tales

 

 

 

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Our Imaginations! Part 2: A Tale of Two Umbrellas!

Our Imaginations! Part 2: A Tale of Two Umbrellas!
Yellow Umbrella

Yellow Umbrella

Read: The Yellow Umbrella by Caitlin Dundon

A little boy and his mother are hurrying to school and work. It is a rainy day and they are almost late. The little boy spots a yellow “umbrellow” in the gutter. “Umbrella,” his mother corrects him and hurries him along.

A gust of wind blows his mother’s black umbrella inside out and it breaks.

When they reach his school, the little boy sees all kinds of umbrellas: red ones, blue ones,  orange ones, umbrellas with polka dots and “shapes of all kinds.” There are “even ones with Mickey Mouses.” When his mother picks him up at the end of the school day, she has a surprise for him.

Project: Paint an old umbrella yellow (or any color you wish) and/or decorate it with dots or stripes or Mickey Mouses!

Materials:

An old umbrella

Glue

Beads

Markers

Sequins

Buttons

Silk flowers

Ribbons

Stencils

Paint in squeeze bottles

Stickers

Additional Reading:

The Umbrella by Jan Brett

The Umbrella Day by Nancy Evans

Umbrella by Taro Yashima

*Copyright Art work by Marion Constantinides 2015

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Our Imaginations! Groovy Buttons!

Our Imaginations! Groovy Buttons!
Groovy Buttons

Groovy Buttons in different shapes and sizes

 

Read: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin.

“Pete the Cat puts on his favorite shirt with four, big, colorful, round, groovy buttons.”

But one by one, the buttons pop off and roll away. He realizes that he doesn’t have any buttons on his favorite shirt:

4 – 1 = 3

3 – 1 = 2

2 – 1 =1

1 – 1 = 0

Pete the Cat’s button less shirt opens up and what does he see? His belly button!

What can you do with your buttons?

Project:

Use buttons to decorate…anything! Use your imagination!

List of things to decorate with buttons:

Journal cover

T-shirt

Sneakers

Picture frame

Sunglasses

Book bag or any kind of bag

Materials:

Glue

Lots of buttons

Needle and thread (if you know how to sew)

 

Alternative Project: Make your own buttons

Materials:

Modeling clay in different colors

Pencil

Make small balls and flatten them. Poke four holes in the center with the pencil. What will you do with your handmade buttons?

 

*copyright Art work by Marion Constantinides 2015

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