Tag Archives: holiday craft

Apr30

Quilled Flower Card for Mother’s Day

Posted on by
Quilled Flower Card for Mother’s Day
Quilled Flower

Quilled Flower

FIRST MAKE THE QUILLED FLOWER

MATERIALS:

(Colors mentioned below are optional. Think about using Mom’s favorite colors instead.)

(3) 24” strips of orange quilling paper (for the center of the flower)

(1) 24” strips of brown quilling paper (for the center of the center of the flower)

(4) 12” strips of yellow quilling paper (for the petals)

(4) 12” strips of orange-yellow quilling paper (for the petals)

(4) 3 ½” strips of orange-yellow quilling paper

(3) 12” strip of brown quilling paper (for the petals)

Cardstock or cardboard

Glue

Ruler

scissors

scissors

Tightly coil three 24” strips of orange paper and glue the tip. This is the center of the flower.

Using the 12”strips of yellow paper, make a small loop and secure the tip with glue. Continue to make a loop slightly larger than the first, securing the tip again. Repeat this pattern until there is no more paper to make a loop. Be sure each loop is bigger than the last one and glue the tip each time you make a loop.

These will be the petals of the flower. Continue with the rest of the yellow strips until you have four completed yellow petals consisting of open loops.

Continue this pattern with the orange-yellow strips until you have four completed flower petals. In the end, there will be a total of eight petals.

Make petals with the 12” strips of brown paper making the loops smaller.

On cardstock or cardboard, trace the flower’s center lightly with pencil. Arrange the yellow and orange-yellow petals evenly around this circle and glue down. Glue the brown petals randomly around this circle.

Glue the center of the flower down. Take one end of the 3 ½” strips of orange-yellow quilling paper and curl the tip. Finish curling the tips of the 3 1/2 inch orange-yellow papers. Glue the other end randomly through-out the petals.

THEN MAKE THE QUILLED FLOWER NOTE CARDS

MATERIALS:

  1. Trim mounted quilled flower to an even height and width. The sample shown is 5 ¼” x 5 ½”.
  2. Measure and cut a piece of cardstock to 10 ½” x 5 ¼” doubling the width but keeping the height to 5 ¼”. (Cardstock for scrapbooking is ideal.) Choose a color that compliments or contrasts with the colors of the quilled flower.
  3. Measure and cut another piece of cardstock in another color to 10 ½’ x 5 ¼”. Glue the three pieces and trim where necessary. Glue the pieces together.
  4. Choose a third sheet of cardstock for the envelope. Choose a color that compliments or contrasts with the colors of the quilled flower. Measure an area 5 ¾” x 5 ½”. Mark with a pencil. Cut.
  5. At the bottom of the cardstock, measure an area 5 3/3” x 5 ½” in pencil.
  6. Above that measure an area 5 3/3” x 5 ½” in pencil, too.
  7. Above that measure an area 1” x 5 ¾” and fold the marked areas at the creases. Glue at the edges.
  8. Insert the quilled card in the envelope. You have a blank card to write special Mother’s Day wishes.
Share Button
Dec14

Fence Weaving for the Holidays: Paper Garland

Posted on by
Fence Weaving for the Holidays: Paper Garland

Materials:

Paper in 4 holiday colors or colors of choice

Scissors

Pencil/eraser

Ruler or yard stick

Beads, glitter or similar craft items (optional)

Glue stick

Ribbon, paper twist, strips of fabric or similar material

One chain link fence

 

  1. Use three or four different colored papers. The sample in the photograph uses red, green, silver and brown. Measure and cut one of the colored papers into six ½” x 8” strips.
  2. Measure and cut the next colored paper into seven strips measuring ½” x 6.”
  3. Glue one strip of paper measuring ½” x 6.” Then glue a strip of measuring ½” x 8” through the first loop. Alternate the colors of the paper strips until you have 13 paper loops in two different colors forming a garland. (For example, the pattern would be red, green, red, green, etc.) Use the photograph for reference.
  4. Next, measure and cut the paper of the third color into 16 strips of 1/2” x 5.”
  5. Glue one strip of that paper through one of the loops measuring ½” x8”. Glue another strip through that same loop so that the loops hang down from the first loop. Use as many strips to form loops of the third color as you wish. The sample in the photograph used four strips of that color. Continue to glue strips of the third color into loops hanging down from the larger loops. The sample shows four smaller loops of paper flowing vertically from four larger loops for a total of 16 loops of the third color.
  6. Proceed in the same way with the fourth colored paper. Cut strips measuring ½” x 5.” Loop the strips vertically from the second colored paper. See the photograph of the sample for reference.
  7. Optional: glue glitter or sequins or small beads on any or all the loops. Use small beads and be aware that heavy or large beads can drag down the paper loops.
  8. Loop the ribbon through one of the paper loops at one end, then weave the ribbon in and out of the chain link fence. Tie a bow at the top. Repeat this step at the other end and in the middle.
  9. Or use your imagination and use other decorative objects!
  10. Hang from the fence during the holiday season.
Share Button
Jan12

Kid’s Crafts: St. Valentine’s Day Banner: Quilted Heart

Posted on by
Kid’s Crafts: St. Valentine’s Day Banner: Quilted Heart

KID’S CRAFTS: ST. VALENTINE’S DAY

Lupercalia was a Roman holiday held in honor of Lupercus, the god of the pasture and fertility. The event was held on February 5th in a cave on Palatine Hill in Rome. The priests who were known as the Luperci, conducted the rituals associated with the Lupercalia festival. These rituals included sacrificing animals like goats and dogs; feasting followed. The celebrations continued when the Luperci cut thongs from the skins of the sacrificed animals. The priests divided into two groups and ran around the city swatting people with the thongs. The festival participants believed that a blow from one of the thongs encouraged fertility.

The early Christian Church tried to convert unbelievers such as the followers of the Luperci, by combining pagan customs with their own beliefs. The feast day of two Roman martyrs (both named Valentine) had its origins in the Lupercalia festival. The one saint had been a priest and the other had been the Bishop of Terni, and both died in the same day in the third century A. D.

VALENTINE’S DAY CRAFT

QUILTED HEART BANNER PROJECT0002

QUILTED HEART

Ages: 5 – 12 years

Time: one hour

MATERIALS:

Yellow felt square 16” x 14”

Dowel rod 18”

Red, pink, yellow, and white craft foam cut into 2″ x 2″ squares

¼” ribbon in red, yellow, pink and white.

String – double the length of the dowel rod

poster board or single sheet of craft foam of any color

Using a template or a stencil or drawing by hand, trace the heart on to poster board or a single sheet of craft foam of any color and cut. The heart should measure about 13 3/4″ x 10.”

Cut 8 yellow, 11 red, 10 white and 10 pink squares from the craft foam sheets. The squares should measure 2″ x 2.” Divide the heart in half vertically and in half again horizontally. (Refer to the photo of the banner.)

Lay the squares down along the horizontal fold in the following pattern: white, yellow, pink and red. Place the next row of squares below the first row. Stagger the colored squares so that the second row is not directly beneath the first row. Repeat the pattern until the squares cover the heart. Glue. Allow the pieces to dry.

Fill in the odd-shaped areas with the appropriately colored squares and glue. When those pieces are dry, turn the heart around and trim along the outline of the heart. Measure and cut the felt to 16” x 14”. Place it horizontally. Make a loop by measuring and folding a 1” seam. Iron. Measure and fold a second 1” seam. Iron and glue the second fold. You will be inserting the dowel rod through this loop. (The length of the banner will be about 16” x 12.” This does not include the ribbons.)

Measure and cut two 18” lengths of each color of ribbon. Poke a hole every two inches along the bottom of the felt with a sharp tool. Alternate the colors, pull the ribbon through and tie a knot in the back so that the ribbon is held in place. (Small children should let adults do this for them.) Glue the heart on the felt. Cut the dowel rod to 18” and insert through the loop at the top. Cut the string to a length suitable for hanging. Tie the string to each end of the dowel rod.

VARIATION: Use other shapes to decorate your heart banner: circles/dots, flowers, squiggle lines, triangles, etc. Today, Valentine’s Day honors lovers. We celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th by sending gifts like candy and cards.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

COPYRIGHT 2013 Marion Constantinides

Share Button
Jan12

Kid’s Crafts: HOLIDAY BANNERS! Introduction

Posted on by
Kid’s Crafts: HOLIDAY BANNERS! Introduction

HOLIDAY BANNERS! 

INTRODUCTION

The Seasons, the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars

In the ancient world, people were fearful and ignorant of the ways of the sun, moon and stars, but they sought to understand nature and its power over their lives. They did not know how to read or write so they drew pictures when they wanted to express their fears, thoughts and feelings.

Ancient people lived and worked in groups or communities and hunted, fished and lived off the land. They planted crops, and at the end of the year, they held a festival to celebrate the results of their hard work. The ancient people called this festival the Harvest.  Festivals became a way for the community to express their appreciation of their heritage, to honor the dead, or to recognize important historical events and their national leaders as well as enjoy the bounty of their hard work. It was a time for the community’s leaders to pass on their wisdom and knowledge to the young. These are some of the reasons why we still hold festivals.

We still celebrate the Harvest every autumn with Oktoberfest celebrations and other similar events. Today, most people know how to read and write, but many continue to express themselves through art like our ancestors who lived long ago. We use art to express our celebration of a special holiday or season. Making banners are one way of doing this. We use them to decorate our homes, businesses and schools. We can make these banners large or small and as colorful as we want to make them. Now you, too, can make these banners, just follow the easy directions provided below. Children and adults can make them together or individually at home, school, place of worship, or community center.

BASIC SUPPLIES

Here are some basic supplies that you will need on hand for all the banner designs (some of which are found at home, at the office or school):

Yardstick/ruler

Iron/ironing board

String

Pen or marker

Scissors

Tacky glue

Dowel rods

Popsicle sticks

Pencil/eraser

Paper towels

Felt**

Craft foam sheets**

Poster board

Flexible curve

Templates or stencils

Drawn shapes free-hand or use household products used instead of stencils or templates: round or square plates (large or small), pieces of cardboard and cookie cutters. Use rulers for measuring or use the width of a ruler to draw a wide stripe. The edge of a frame can serve as a triangle. Three hearts whose points meet in the center and stem form a shamrock. Look around you and see the shapes that exist in your home, office or school. Use your imagination.

**Felt squares and craft foam sheets come in various colors and sizes. You can buy them at craft stores as well as online. If you are going to create all the banners in this e-book, see how many foam sheets of each color you will need. For example, if you need a lot of red, it makes sense to buy a large sheet of red instead of one or two small sheets. Do your research first.

 PATTERNS

If you do not want to use the patterns provided at the end of the e-book, feel free to draw freehand or to find objects that you can trace. Clip art, picture encyclopedias, and photographs all give visual information about the objects mentioned in this book. The Internet has websites that offer free clip art, photographs and more. Check the information on the website before using. Use these options or none and instead rely on your imagination to create ideas.

 

STUFF TO KNOW

Feel free to change the measurements. It’s okay to make mistakes. Use your imagination when making those mistakes and include them in the design of the banner. Change colors, combine designs or use your own ideas and you will see that your banner is as beautiful as the original designs in this e-book.

All banners take about one hour to make but that depends on how fast you work. The point is to have fun making them.

COMING SOON: ST. VALENTINE’S DAY CRAFT

Share Button
Nov20

How to Make an Iridescent Angel Ornament for the Holidays

Posted on by
How to Make an Iridescent Angel Ornament for the Holidays

Iridescent Angel

*MATERIALS:
Wood knob or ball
18” long pink or white ribbon
clay pot
Flesh, brown, black and white paint
2 more colors of choice
1 11/2” brass ring
Moss
1(1/2 oz.) crystal iridescent glitter
2 jars or bowls for water
Brushes
Scissors
White glue
Plastic baggie
2 wood hearts

 

1. Paint the bottom and sides of the clay pot with two coats of white paint. Set aside to dry between the first and second coats.
2. Fill half a small plastic bag with glitter. Paint the two wooden hearts with white acrylic  paint. Place the wooden hearts in the plastic bag, tie it with a twist tie and shake. Be sure that the hearts are totally covered on the one side with the glitter. Remove the hearts and let them dry. These will be the angel’s wings.
3. The wooden knob is head of the angel. Paint it flesh or brown or black. Let it dry.
4. Paint the clay pot with dabs of different colors: pink and silver or any other color combination
5. While it is still wet, place the pot into the baggie filled with glitter. Shake well and cover the entire pot with glitter. Remove and let it dry.
6. Cut the moss. Roll the back of the angel’s head in tacky glue and then roll the head in the moss. This is the hair of the angel. Trim excess “hair” with scissors.
8. Cut a long piece of ribbon and fold it in half. Pull the loop through the clay pot and position it. Tie the ends in a large double knot and pull the ribbon completely through the hole in the clay pot.
9. Glue the brass ring on top of the angel’s head. Glue the head to the pot. Glue the hearts to the back of the pot with the glittery side facing you.
10. Enjoy the iridescent angel for the holidays!

Recycle materials: Cut pieces of paper (for example, leftover tissue, rice or wrapping paper) and glue them to the pot, overlapping the pieces so the different colors and patterns show through the layers
Other ideas: Instead of a clay pot, use a spool of thread once the thread has been used up.
Replace the moss with scraps of yarn or ribbon for the hair
Do you have leftover clay? Roll it into a ball, let it harden and use it for the angel’s head

Share Button