The Tweens News | English

You might need to use tools that require adult supervision, such as glue gun and scissors. If so, these can be replaced by textile glue and safety scissors. Make sure you ask your parents some help.

Decorate your table this Fourth of July with these adorable treat holders made to look like Uncle Sam’s hat. Fill with your favorite treats and give away as party favors at the end of the party!

What you’ll need:

How to make it:

1. Place cup, open end down, on top of the red felt and trace with a marker.
2. Cut around the traced circle leaving a ¾” border around it.
3. Fold the circle and cut a slit in the center of the circle to allow your scissors to get in. Cut out the inside circle, leaving about a ¼” border around the inside of the trace line. Set felt circle aside.
4. Paint red stripes all the way around the outside of the cup, stripes should run up and down. Let dry completely.
5. Cut a strip of blue felt about 1.5” wide. It should be long enough to wrap around the brim of the cup.
6. Glue felt strip around the outside of the top of the cup.
7. Lay red felt circle on to work surface, black trace line should be facing up.
8. Line the lip of the cup with white glue and press down onto black trace line. Let dry.
9. Turn cup over and place on work surface.
10. Use silver chenille to bend into star shapes, trim where needed. Glue onto the blue hat band.
11. When everything is dry, fill with treats.

Tips:

• To make our treat cups sturdier, especially if using outside, glue a heavy washer to the bottom of the cup.
• You can add handles to your cup by twisting to chenille stems together and poking through the sides of the cup and running over the top. This step should be done before adding the blue brim.
• You may also use white paper or plastic cups for this project.

Source: http://crafts.kaboose.com/uncle-sam-hat-treat-holders.html

Please share this news with your friends and family!

The Tweens News | English

You might need to use tools that require adult supervision, such as glue gun and scissors. If so, these can be replaced by textile glue and safety scissors. Make sure you ask your parents some help.

This festive project not only looks great on the table but it’s functional too! By making this fun craft from cardboard tubes you will be recycling as well.

What you’ll need:

How to make it:

1. Cover top 1/3 of each cardboard tubes with blue construction paper.
2. Cover bottom 2/3 of cardboard tubes with white construction paper.
3. Use a pencil to draw 12 stars on a piece of white construction paper.
4. Cut the stars out and glue them to the blue sections of the cardboard tubes, pencil marks should be facing down toward tube so that they cannot be seen.
5. Cut strips from red construction paper and glue around the tubes onto the white construction paper. Trim ends where needed.
6. Cover the cardboard square with black construction paper.
7. Hot glue bottle lids into the bottom of each cardboard tube so that he flat end of the bottle cap is facing out/down. This will serve as the bottom of your utensil holder and will give you something to glue onto.
8. Glue all four firecracker utensil holders onto the black square, leaving about an inch in the center where you will place your napkins. Let dry completely.
9. Use hot glue gun to add a border of glittery blue chenille around the tops of each utensil holder, and glittery gold around the border of the black base.
10. Fill utensil holders with plastic forks, knives and spoons and place napkins in the center.

Tips:

• For the cardboard square, we used cardboard from a juice box package as it is quite thick and sturdy.
• Plastic milk jug lids are the perfect size for this project; however you can try other lids such as salad dressing bottles.
• Fancy this up even more by adding glitter or glitter glue to the black construction paper base.

Source: http://crafts.kaboose.com/patriotic-napkin-utensil-holder.html

Please share this news with your friends and family!

The Tweens News | English

You might need to use tools that require adult supervision, such as glue gun and scissors. If so, these can be replaced by textile glue and safety scissors. Make sure you ask your parents some help.

Barbecues and picnics are lots of fun, but often times our drinks get mixed up and no one knows whose is whose. Make a can hug with your name so you know where yours is all the time!

What you’ll need:

How to make it:

1. Before peeling stickers, lay out the design you want to create in front of you.
2. Once you have decided your design, remove one sticker backing at a time and press onto the can hug. (Picture #1)
3. Be sure to use alphabet foam stickers to write your name. (Picture #2)
4. Insert your drink and enjoy!

Tips:

• Foam shapes that are not adhesive can be attached with white craft glue.
• This is a great craft for younger siblings at a 4th of July party. Sit them all down with their own hug and let them decorate.
• Hugs can be found at discount department stores and craft supply stores for $1 or less.

Picture #1:

Picture #2:

Source: http://crafts.kaboose.com/personalized-can-hugs-for-the-fourth.html

Please share this news with your friends and family!

The Tweens News | English

Denim MP3 Player Holder!

You might need to use tools that require adult supervision, such as glue gun and scissors. If so, these can be replaced by textile glue and safety scissors. Make sure you ask your parents some help.

Make this great holder to carry a personal MP3 player (like an iPod or Zune) or cell phone. It makes a fun present for Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or an older sibling’s birthday. Whatever the occasion, this makes a great gift.

What you’ll need:

How to make it:

1. Cut out the pocket from a pair of jeans. Leave the jean backing on the pocket as that’s what will hold your phone.
2. Cut out the mini pocket from the front of the jeans.
3. Trim the edges around the outside of the pockets so that when you look at it they appear nice and neat.
4. Fold the sides of the large pocket to the back and glue in place. You will most likely have to place something heavy on top of it so that it will dry in place. Try a stack of books or a brick.
5. Glue one side of the Velcro to the back side of the small pocket at the point.
6. Glue the large end of the mini pocket to the backside of the large pocket to create the closing flap.
7. When those are dry, glue the other side of the Velcro to the outside of the large pocket, lining it up with the small pocket flap.

Tips:

• Personalize this craft by adding gem stones, sequins, sports items and more.
• This pocket is large enough to fit a cell phone but be sure to check the width of the item you want to put in here before gluing.
• Hot glue can be used for this project however it will not be as sturdy as fabric glue. Be prepared to fix it when needed.

You might need to use tools that require adult supervision, such as glue gun and scissors. If so, these can be replaced by textile glue and safety scissors. Make sure you ask your parents some help.

This adorable three-dimensional house makes a perfect photo memory display. For younger siblings, use simple designs. You will appreciate more intricate details when decorating their house.

What you’ll need:

How to make it:

1. The top of the box (with flaps intact) will be the top of the house. Decide what color you would like your house to be and cover the outside with construction paper. Leave three extra inches of construction paper at the top all the way around (where the flaps are – see figure 1).
2. Cut slits in the construction paper at the top corners, so that the paper can fold like the flaps can. Glue the construction paper to the flaps.
3. Trim the pictures into rectangular windows, or you may decide to cut carefully around the person’s picture (sort of like a paper doll) and glue that to a rectangular piece of white paper to make a window.
4. Decorate the house, placing the windows and a door. You might want to include your family name, a message and the year.
5. Put pennies, pebbles or the modeling clay in the bottom of the box to give the project some weight and keep it from falling over.
6. Fold corners of the big flaps of the top of the box inward to make an upside down “v”. Fold the corners inward, but leave them sitting like tabs, so that you can glue the roof to them. Fold the small flaps down inside the box.
7. Decide what color you would like your roof to be and cut the construction paper to cover it. Glue it on and then add any details you would like to your house, i.e., window boxes, shutters, flowers, ivy or anything else you like!

Tips:

• To make birds, like the one sitting on our roof, glue together two colorful pom-poms, one smaller than the other. Next glue on the end of a feather (or make one from felt or construction paper, a triangle will work). Add a small orange triangle for the beak.
• Choose photographs where each family member is alone, and try to find ones that are approximately the same size.
• Use silk flowers as a fun three-dimensional accent, or make your own from construction paper or craft foam.

Source:

- http://crafts.kaboose.com/denim-mp3-player-holder.html

- http://crafts.kaboose.com/home-sweet-home-photo-gallery.html

Please share this news with your friends and family!

The Tweens News | English

Dad’s Sports Crazy Hat!

You might need to use tools that require adult supervision, such as glue gun and scissors. If so, these can be replaced by textile glue and safety scissors. Make sure you ask your parents some help.

Is your dad crazy for cars? Or maybe it’s golf, or sports, or even fishing. Whatever it is that your pop adores, make him this fun hat for Father’s Day that he’ll wear all year long!

What you’ll need:

How to make it:

1. Draw out your design on a piece of paper first.
2. If using a foam stamp, decide where you are going to place the design before painting the stamp. Once you’ve applied it there’s no turning back!
3. Paint the foam stamp with fabric paint and press design on to the hat. If not using a stamp, paint your design directly onto the hat.
4. Use a fabric pen or marker to write “car crazy” (or “golf crazy”, “sports crazy”, etc) onto the hat.
5. Use a black permanent marker to trace around the letters.
6. If you like you can use a fine paintbrush to fill in the letters to make them stand out more.
7. Let dry completely, overnight is best.

Tips:

• If you want to use acrylic paints on the cap instead of fabric paint, simply purchase a bottle of textile medium. When textile medium is mixed with an acrylic paint, the acrylic paint becomes usable on fabrics. You can find it in the art section of craft supply stores.
• Improvise with what you have. We actually used a school bus foam stamp to make our cards, we just painted the section we needed instead of the whole bus and filled in the roof with a paintbrush.
• It’s important to draw your design out on paper first. You can even lightly sketch it directly on your hat with a pencil before painting.

You might need to use tools that require adult supervision, such as glue gun and scissors. If so, these can be replaced by textile glue and safety scissors. Make sure you ask your parents some help.

Make your dad this great-looking pen holder for his desk or tool bench. Its handsome exterior resembles aged leather. He will cherish the gift for years to come!

What you’ll need:

How to make it:

1. Be sure can is washed inside and out and completely dry. Trace a circle from the can onto the brown felt and set the felt aside.
2. Tear off pieces of masking tape and cover the can completely with it, including the bottom and overlapping the rim.
3. Apply brown shoe polish all over the masking tape. The more you use the darker it will get. Wipe off excess with an old rag. Set aside to dry completely.
4. Cut around the circle shape on the felt (see Step 1) NOT on the lines, but about ½” around the outside and inside of the line you traced. This will make a ring.
5. Using the line you traced as your guide, pipe a line of hot glue onto the felt. Quickly place the rim of the can onto the glue, adhering the felt ring to the top of the can.
6. With an adult’s help, hot glue the sides of the felt down to the inside and outside of the can rim.
7. Glue beads around the bottom edge of the brown felt on the outside of the can.
8. Pull off any leftover hot glue strings to clean up your project.
9. Spray can with acrylic sealer spray.

Tips:

• Use good quality shoe polish, not the dollar store kind. Dollar store shoe polish is very watery and does not stain well.
• For younger siblings, you can skip the steps for the felt rim and use a line of masking tape instead. Have them string the beads onto a sturdy piece of yarn or cord and hot glue that around the rim for them.
• Be sure to write “Father’s Day” and the year you made it on the bottom of the can!

Source:

- http://crafts.kaboose.com/dads-sports-crazy-hat.html

- http://crafts.kaboose.com/faux-leather-pen-holder.html

Please share this news with your friends and family!