Mother's Day Crafts for Little Peeps to Make

Thank you for all your comments on my knitted flowers and the bird photos.  I've always enjoyed watching birds from the time I was a young girl.  My mother encouraged my interest in the birds, and we'd often identify the birds we saw on our country property together.  Mom would always collect any feathers she found in the woods or down in the field, and I now have her very sentimental feather collection.  One day I'll have to think of something to do with them to display them properly.  Sitting in a shoebox isn't the fate I want for them.

 

The knitted flower that I designed myself was a hit, and the little girl I gave it to was quite proud to have it pinned to her spring coat.  I've been trying some of the other flowers in the book now, and lavender is turning out to be quite interesting, although I should've used a finer yarn as was suggested (I just didn't have any lavender coloured sock yarn in my stash).  I'll show that another day as it's still in the development stages at the moment.

 

Mother's Day is just around the corner, and I thought those of you who have small children, would enjoy these simple crafts to do with your child, or to give to someone special. 

 

The first craft is a Fingerprint Pendant made with Sculpey clay.  A full tutorial is found on The Crafty Crow, a site that has so many fun crafts all year round. 

 

 

First we rolled out the pink clay using a fat marker.  Then we cut the clay with a small round cookie cutter I have and poked a hole with a skewer.  Then we pressed one finger into the soft clay.  We made up some additional beads with the same clay mixed with a bit of blue swirled through.  We poked a hole through each bead as well.   The lot of them were placed on tin foil and baked at 275F for about 15 minutes.  Once beads came out of the oven and cooled, we strung them on some cotton string.  A masterpiece that the mother is hopefully going to really like!

 

 

The second craft is Finger Paint Prints, and one I've made for a few years, but I cannot remember where I got the idea.  Apologies to the original creator, and if I can find the post I'll update this.

 

 

(Above photos) My husband cut some clear Plexiglas into small rectangles 6 x 8-inches.  Any size will do, but these are a good size for the task.  Pour very small puddles of different colours of acrylic craft paint onto the Plexiglas.  Then have your child swirl the paints together (I suggest using one finger so it doesn't get out of hand).  Keep a close eye on this part since you want to whisk that little painting away from your child before they make the paints all one colour (which will probably just look like mud).  Also the acrylic paints dry quickly and you need them to remain wet.

 

 

(Above photos)  Now carefully pick up the Plexiglas and lay it paint-side down, centred as best you can, over a piece of thick white paper.  It's best to use thick artists water colour paper so that the paper won't warp.  Press down very gently on the back of the Plexiglas so the paint adheres to the paper.  Don't press so hard that the paint all oozes out the sides.  There will be some distortion to the finger painting, but not to worry.  Now carefully pull the Plexiglas up off the paper and you have your print!  Sometimes you can do a couple of prints from the same finger painting and it's interesting to see the variations as the paint dries. 

 

Are these prints worthy of framing?  You betcha!  Everything looks better framed ;)

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

 

Wendy