Kids Craft: Decoupage Easter Egg

Girl wearing pink holding an easter egg
Easter falls quite early this year so it’s time to get the kids involved with some fun Easter themed crafting. This project was inspired by some pretty patterned tissue paper that came wrapped around a clothing purchase a while ago, it reminded me of the lovely designs on Ukrainian Pysanka Eggs. Pysanka eggs require an insane amount of skill to make, so these decoupaged eggs are a fun kid friendly alternative that look super pretty en masse as an Easter Decoration. Don’t be fooled into thinking this project will only appeal to kids, I had just as much fun making them too, in fact, I only stopped because I ran out of bases! All the materials required are very inexpensive, you may even have some laying about already…
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How To: Harlequin Bangles

Harlequin Decoupage Bangle DIY My Poppet
Statement Jewellery is a fabulous way to bring an old outfit bang up to date, but designer pieces can be a little expensive. Instead try making these Harlequin Bangles yourself with some inexpensive supplies, no special skills required. Choose colours that suit your style, wear several stacked together or mix and match them with other plain pieces. Read on for step by step instructions…
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How To: Be My Valentine…Heart Kite

DIY craft heart kite valentine
As Valentine’s Day approaches one can almost feel that ‘Love is in the air’, so inspired by that whimsical phrase I decided to make a heart shaped kite. I’m not really into the whole commercial nature of Valentine’s day, but I think it’s a nice gesture to give someone you care about a small token to show your affection. It can be a simple as a note or a card, but if you have more time, this pretty heart kite would make a special gift. Add a note “You have my heart on a string” to make it really romantic. Take the family out for an dinner picnic and some kite flying for a memorable evening. This kite is not only fun to make and fly, but makes a gorgeous photo prop or wall hanging as well. Continue reading →

Kids Craft: Shoe Box Doll House

recycle kids craft shoe box doll house

Emma has been fascinated with all things tiny of late, so I thought it was time that all her little toys had somewhere to live. A shoe box is the ideal size for a doll house, and more importantly, it’s a great way to reuse items that would normally be discarded.
Her favourite crafting activities are pasting and stickers, so I tailored this project to suit. It’s the most crafting fun we’ve had together in a long time.
I remember making a similar shoe box house for my sister’s Muppet Babies figurines (remember those?).

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How To: Paper Bead Colour Block Necklace

I have so many delicate silver chains sitting in the bottom of my jewellery box, unloved and unworn. I’m not one for dainty jewellery pieces and thought adding some colourful beads to this silver chain would be fun makeover. Paper beads are easy to make and will only cost you pennies, but make quite a fashion statement. Why not make a whole bowl of different coloured beads, then mix and match to add a fun twist to any outfit. The kids will have fun playing threading games with these too.
I’ve made a video showing how to roll the beads…

You will need:

Colourful paper strips, the wider the strip the longer the finished bead
Quick dry craft glue
A pencil
A long chain with fastener (look in your jewellery box)

How To:
I’ve made a video which shows you how to roll your beads.
They are fun and super quick to make.
The longer the strips of paper, the thicker and more durable your beads will be.
The ones I’ve made here are quite light weight and sit well on my delicate silver chain. If they get squashed I’ll just make another quick batch.

 What colour combinations will you make?

www.mypoppet.com.au

How To: Carve Your Own Stamp

Carving your own stamps is super fun and not as difficult as you may think. Supplies are relatively inexpensive and it’s a great way to personalize gift cards, wrapping paper and scrapbook projects. Start off with a simple design like this mushroom to build up your skills and confidence, then have fun illustrating your own designs. The kids will love creating their own unique stamps, just make sure you do the carving.

You will need: 

Ezy Carve Printing block or Eraser
Lino carving tools (V shape and U shape)
Craft blade or scalpel
Protective cutting mat or thick piece of cardboard to protect your table
Pen or Pencil
Stamp pad for printing

I purchased my supplies here

How to:
- Draw your design directly onto the block or eraser. Remember it will print as a mirror image.
- Using a craft blade cut out the section that will become your stamp, leave about 1/2cm around the design.
- With the V shape tool, carefully start carving away the part of the block you don’t want to print. Always point the tool away from your hands.
-Keep carving until you have clearly defined your design. Remember you can always take away more material but you can’t put it back.
-To make the circular dots I used the U shaped tool to outline the circular shape, then used the blade to carefully remove the excess material.
-Time to try out your stamp.

- The top image was my original design, but I wasn’t happy with the stalk so I carved away some extra material to create an outline. Be careful not to make lines too thin as the rubber material may crumble.
- That’s all there is to it. Time to have some stamping good fun.

And here’s a little humor to brighten your day. You’re welcome…

www.mypoppet.com.au

How To: DIY wrapping paper

I recently was gifted a small collection of beautiful vintage trims from a friend of a friend. I’m totally infatuated by them and don’t know if I will ever find a project special enough to warrant cutting into them…and then I had a brain wave! Wrapping Paper.

It’s easy to create your own personalized decorative papers, all you need is a scanner/printer or colour photocopier. Get the kids involved, they will love creating their own designs.

How to:
Gather up interesting and colourful objects. Things that lay flat on the scanner bed tend to work the best.
Depending on your make of copier, you may not even need to use your computer.
Lay out your objects face down on the scanner bed, be careful not to scratch the glass.
I’ve used vintage ribbons and some spotty tissue paper.
Press copy and in a few second you’ll have yourself some super original paper.

You can use your pretty papers as I have for wrapping small gifts (you may need to join a few pieces together), or covering a note book. But there are so many other uses…scrap booking, decoupage, collages, origami, kids crafting, wallpapering doll houses…

Just remember that some objects you copy may be subject to copy write so its best to keep the papers you create for personal use only.

www.mypoppet.com.au

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