Easy DIY for Kids - Castanets

We had so much fun making our very own castanets the other day.

We got our inspiration here but I've seen other versions on pinterest since.

 They're super easy to make and lots of fun to play with.

All you need for each castanet is a strip of fairly sturdy cardboard and two bottle caps. 

Recycling diy at its best!

It's really easy to replicate from the pictures but I'm including instructions -because some days you'd just rather follow instructions!

1. Cut a strip of cardboard to your required measurements (ours is just over 13cm by 4cm or just over 5 inches by 1.5 inches)

2. Fold the cardboard strip in half. 

If desired, you can decorate the cardboard: draw on it, paint it or do whatever you latest craft-crush dictates.

(Alternatively, you can leave this step for after the castanets have been completed.)

3. Now you want to glue the bottle caps onto the cardboard.

If your little crafters are very little, make sure they are gluing them on the inside of the folded cardboard piece. 

Put glue on the jagged edge of one bottle cap and place it on the edge of one end of the cardboard strip. If your cardboard is the thick kind you can press the bottle cap into the cardboard for a better grip.

Let it dry.

4. Glue the second bottle cap on the other end of the cardboard strip, in the same manner. Make sure that it is aligned with the first bottle cap. You want them to click together when you're done, so they have to be positioned to correspond.

Let the glue dry.

If you've left the decorating-your-castanets part for last, now is the time to go wild and have fun with it.

That's it!

They are finished and ready to play with!

Definately a minimum effort, maximum fun kids craft.

If you are looking for more fun craft inspiration, you can find lots on my Kids Crafts pinterest board.

Linked to:
Annemarie's Haakblog, Today's Creative Life

Easy DIY Clay Star Tutorial

 How to make easy clay star home decorations.

These are great for festive occassions but they are neutral enough to have around and enjoy all year long.

What you will need:

-clay (I used the air-drying kind)

-cookie cutter in the shape of a star

-a straw- to make the holes in the stars

-paint of your choice 

-sand paper - not too fine but not too coarse

-ribbon of your choice -to hang the stars with

Using a rolling pin, lay your clay out flat. Decide on the thickness you want your stars to be. 

TIP:Make sure that the clay is evenly rolled out if you want your stars to be all the same thickness.

Use your cookie cutter star to cut out as many stars as you wish from the clay.

TIP:When cutting out your stars with the cookie cutter, make sure you press down all the way to your work surface and gently rotate the cutter so that the clay star you have cut out is as neat as you can make it and that the edges are cleanly cut.
This will make a difference to the final look of the stars. If you want them clean cut and smooth pay attention to this step. If you want them more rustic-looking and organic in shape, then by all means be more cavalier with your cutting out of the stars.

After you have cut out all your shapes, you need to punch a little hole in each star so you can thread with ribbon to hang them.

Using a straw, place one end over the spot you want the hole to be.

Press all the way down to your surface, make a slight twisting motion,back and forth, then remove the straw with the little tube of clay trapped inside it. 

You should have a neat hole left in its place.

When you have cut out all the stars you need, let them air dry in a clean, sheltered place. 

TIP: The time it takes for the stars to dry varies on temperature and thickness. If they are in a sunny spot, they will dry up much faster than if they are in a shady, humid spot. 
I let mine sit in a sunny spot for a couple of days, making sure they were turned over two or three times.

When the stars dry, they will loose all extra moisture the clay had, so all imperfections - and cutting haste - will show magnified, like in the picture above.
So it's best to sand them to get them nice and smooth and bump free.

In this picture you can see the difference between the sanded and unsanded backs of the stars.

If you decide on sanding your stars, choose a medium weight sandpaper and sand them gently -or with more determination if you have any protruding bumpy edges you want to get rid of- until they are smooth.

When they are all sanded down, they will be completely coated in a fine powder. 

You must clean the stars thoroughly so you will not have trouble with the paint adhering to them in the next step.
A large brush helps in getting it all off.

Using the paint of your choice, start painting your stars.
I used an acrylic metalic gold paint.

You need to paint one side first, let it dry, paint the other side, let the other side dry and then do it again, ie paint a second coat on one side and then paint a second coat on the other side.

TIP: If the stars look exactly the way you like them, then proceed to the next step. If you feel they need an extra coat, by all means, go through the painting process one more time.

Now the stars are ready to be used in your various home decor projects or just hung around the house with a pretty ribbon!

I used an ethereal white organza ribbon to thread them on and hung a few over the kitchen window.

I also made the star mobile you can see below and that you can find HERE.

Linked to:
Maybe She Made It, Homework, The Dedicated House, Annemarie's Haakblog, I Heart Naptime

TeaRoseHome Bag Tutorial

I've been meaning to prepare a simple bag tutorial for you for quite some time now but it keeps getting pushed back on the to-do list...
Thankfully  I found this great bag  on TeaRoseHome that comes with a tutorial that I'm happy to share with you:

Made out of a kitchen towel it's both simple and great!

For the whole post and tutorial click :TeaRoseHome Kitchen Towel Bag.