Tag Archives: Back to School Crafts

Turtle Clay Zoo Friend

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Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

 

Take a hint from the turtle and slow down to enjoy some creative time with your kids!  This playful turtle is the last of the Clay Zoo Friends in Crafts ‘n things Craft-of-the-Day projects. Whether on a safari or a visit to the zoo, enjoy the trip to wherever your imagination may lead you.

Materials

  • Polyform Sculpey Bake Shop Oven-Bake Clay: Green, Red, Yellow

Tools

  • Parchment-lined baking sheet
  • Oven thermometer
  • Oven

Basic Supplies

toothpick

Directions

Size

2″ tall

note

Adults, help kids when baking clay in oven.

Turtle

1. On clean work surface, remove clay from packages. To condition, roll clay separately in hands until soft, bending and rolling until pliable. If clay cracks, keep conditioning.

2. For turtle, roll large Green ball (shell), two small Green balls (eyes), and five small Green teardrops (head and legs). Press legs on bottom of shell and head on front of shell. Roll small Red and tiny Yellow balls (spots); flatten and press on shell. See photo. Press Green eyes to top of teardrop head. Roll two tiny Yellow balls (eyes); press on eyes. Use toothpick to add eye and nostril holes and details to legs.

3. Position turtle on parchment-lined baking sheet. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to bake in oven. Let cool completely.

for Polyform Products (www.sculpey.com)

Tiger Clay Zoo Friend

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Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

 

Do you know a tiger’s roar can be heard over a mile away? Turn craft time into something educational for your kids! Discuss fun tiger facts while you spend quality time together making this cool clay cat.

Materials

  • Polyform Sculpey Bake Shop Oven-Bake Clay: Black, Orange, White

Tools

  • Parchment-lined baking sheet
  • Oven thermometer
  • Oven

Basic Supplies

toothpick, paintbrush with rounded end

Directions

Size

3″ tall

Note

Adults, help kids when baking clay in oven.

Tiger

1. On clean work surface, remove clay from packages. To condition, roll clay separately in hands until soft, bending and rolling until pliable. If clay cracks, keep conditioning.

2. For tiger, roll large Orange ball (head), two small Orange balls (ears), four Orange logs (legs), and skinny Orange rope (tail). Roll two small White balls (muzzle), four small White teardrops (paws), and one slightly smaller White teardrop (mouth).

3. Roll skinny Black ropes (stripes). Press stripes on legs and tail. Press legs together as shown in photo, rounding at top to create body. Press tail to back of body. Roll tiny Black triangles; press to ears and head; see photo. Press head on body, then ears and mouth on head. Indent ears and mouth using rounded end of paintbrush. For muzzle, press two White balls to top of mouth. For nose, roll tiny Black ball; slightly flatten and form into triangle. Press nose on top of muzzle. Use toothpick to add eye and muzzle holes.

4. Press paws on ends of legs. Use toothpick to add details on paws.

5. Position tiger on parchment-lined baking sheet. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to bake in oven. Let cool completely.

for Polyform Products (www.sculpey.com)

 

Parrot Clay Zoo Friend

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Crafts ’n things Craft of the Day

 

A perfect playmate for any “little pirate”, this colorful parrot is sure to stimulate the imagination! Made from clay, your child’s new feathered friend will bring a ton of fun along with it.

 

Materials

  • Polyform Sculpey Bake Shop Oven-Bake Clay: Black, Blue, Red, White, Yellow
  • Black chenille stems, two 12” lengths

Tools

  • Parchment-lined baking sheet
  • Oven thermometer
  • Oven

Basic Supplies

toothpick, scissors, ruler

Directions

Size

3″ tall

Note

Adults, help kids when baking clay in oven.

parrot

1. On clean work surface, remove clay from packages. To condition, roll clay separately in hands until soft, bending and rolling until pliable. If clay cracks, keep conditioning.

2. For parrot, roll large Red oval (body) and two large Red balls (wings). Form one end of body into tail. Shape other end of body to create head. Shape and press wings on sides of body.

3. For feathers, roll Yellow and Blue logs and press on wings. See photo. Slide toothpick downward along wing to create feather details.

4. Roll two White ovals (eyes) and press on sides of head. Roll two tiny Black balls (pupils) and press on eyes. Roll two tiny Black logs (beak) and press on front of head.

5. For legs, measure and cut two 6” lengths of black chenille stem; fold in half and twist together to create 3” legs. Cut small 3” black chenille stem lengths; twist around legs, forming claws. Insert chenille stem ends into bottom of body.

6. Position parrot on parchment-lined baking sheet. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to bake in oven. Let cool completely.

for Polyform Products (www.sculpey.com)

Back-to-School Crafts – Fabric-Covered Notebooks

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With the holiday season now behind me, I am turning my attention to the next big “occasion” which is back-to-school crafts. Even though I no longer “go to school,” I can’t go past a stack of Mead notebooks in the store without salivating at their potential for repurposing into journals. Notebooks come with all sorts of pages from primary school rule to grids and college style rule and they are a great size. At this time of year with plenty of back-to-school sales around, they are great value and there are plenty to choose from.

I generally buy notebooks with hard covers if I am going to cover them in fabric, but if I’m painting, then spiral bound notebooks work well, too.

materials

  • Mead or other school notebook
  • Fabric
  • Scrapbook paper
  • Adhesives: fabric glue and fabric glue stick
  • Scissors and ruler

Once purchased, I head off to my fabric stash or the store to find the perfect fabric to cover it with. I like to use fabric on the outside and paper on the inside covers so that’s about a fat quarter-size piece of fabric and a couple of sheets of scrapbook paper – letter size or 12″x12″. You can also repurpose old tea towels or flour sacks to cover the book. I also have a stack of furniture fabric swatches that I use sometimes, and I’ve been known to cover a book in an old favorite tee shirt that is beyond wearing but which I can’t bear to part with.

Measure the fabric against the book and add about 1″ all around to allow plenty of fabric to turn over the edge. Cut the fabric to size.

Cover the outside cover of the book with fabric glue – I use a fabric glue stick because it sticks well but doesn’t wet the fabric. Put the glue on the book (not the fabric) and press the fabric to adhere. Push from the middle outwards to smooth out any bumps.

Once the outside cover is dry (it takes a few minutes), you will know how much excess fabric you have. Cut across the corners to remove the excess fabric so when you fold the corners under there is only one layer of fabric on the corner not three. Cut the fabric into the spine at an angle and trim.

Now, run glue over the inside 1″ of the book covers and fold the fabric under and press onto the glue. Hold in place until dry.

Cut two sheets of scrapbook paper and glue to the inside cover over the fabric to keep everything in place and to cover any frayed edges.

Of course, this is just the basics.

Covered journals can be sewn before you glue the fabric to the book. So, if you’re using floral fabric, stitch a few French Knots or running stitches around or over the flowers in the fabric. Add hot fix rhinestones to the cover. I’ve even glued a watch face to a travel journal so I always have the time accessible without having to wear a watch.

If you’re not a fabric person, then grab a jar of gesso and your favorite paints. Slap on a coat of gesso and then get to work painting the journal cover. The journal is a blank canvas for your art!

The top notebook is covered with Japanese fabric. This one is painted and then collaged with padded fabric, paper, ink, and a polymer clay accent.

by Helen Bradley (www.craftinggoodness.com)