Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Origami Bat : Wall Piece for Halloween Decoration

After I made the Owl wall piece using the Origami technique, I felt like creating more of the kind. With halloween round the corner it made me all the more excited to do this. Here comes the Spooky Bat wall piece. I must say this is much easier than the Owl and they look great together.

Supplies I used:

- Origami paper (double shaded not mandatory though) 7"
- Foam sheets (self sticking): Brown, Glitter-- Red,Silver, Green
- Scotch tape

Follow the steps in the pictures below. Refer to basic techniques for origami discussed in previous posts.




Add eyes and mouth to the bat. Hang the Bat upside down as they are usually hung upside down. Use a dark blue background to depict dark sky. You can create the background with moon or flowers too. It is all upto your taste.

I have used Silver background to make the Halloween series as a set.They make lovely wall decorations for my kiddo.Here is a picture of the set.


Happy Halloween to all. Have fun.

Origami Owl : Wall piece for Halloween Decoration

Creating this cute Origami Owl as a wall decoration is lots of fun. It is an interesting activity for a little older kids. If you have tried origami earlier it is a bit easier. You can refer to earlier posts for little simpler origami ideas.
However, for Halloween it is a must try.

Supplies required:

- Orange Origami paper 6"
- Self sticking Foam sheets Brown,Black and Glitter green, Glitter silver
- Craft Knife
- Black Card stock for background

On a clean hard surface fold the orange origami paper as indicated step by step in the picture. It is important to make folds in one go as the paper is usually a bit fragile. I have used Melissa Doug Origami Paper.

To make the folds little easier fold the paper in half horizontally and unfold, then fold is vertically and unfold and then fold and unfold both diagonals too. Make crisp crease in every fold. This will make the rest of the folds easier to make.
Now with the square paper and the white side up. Fold the paper diagonally so that you can see the orange color now. Refer the picture.Next step is to lift the corner and do the squash fold. You get a square as a result. Turn and repeat the step.



At step 5 keep the resulting square as shown and fold the left and right sides of the top layer at the center you get you have a diamond shape. Turn over and repeat the steps. Fold the rest of the part also as shown.



Now lift the top layer so that it opens up. Follow the crease and keep pulling gently till the left and right sides meet at the center. Refer to the picture. Make a good crease. Turn over and repeat. Now lift the tip and fold it half way as shown. Flip and repeat.



Fold the left and right sides towards in such a way that it still remains a diamond shape. Turn and repeat on the other side too. The are two free pointy ends which we will use to make wings. Pull out this free end gently and away from the body. Refer the picture. Do this for both free ends.


To make the head fold the top part half way and then fold the tip again to make the beak. For making feet fold around 1/2 inch both in the front and in the back.


Once the Owl is ready cut out the branch of the tree as shown in the final picture and some leaves. You can use your imagination and create a scenery. You can add some flowers too.

To give it a framed appearance I have used Glitter silver self sticking foam. Foam sheets are easily available in craft stores like Michaels or even in Walmart.

The fabulous Origami Owl wall decoration is ready. Enjoy Halloween to the fullest.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Origami Jack O' Lantern for Halloween Decoration

Any Halloween decoration is not complete without the Jack O' Lantern decoration.This year I have tried to create a simple yet wonderful Origami Jack O' Lantern wall piece. Its an inexpensive, easy craft for kids and other family members to create and enjoy. You can use the Origami Jack O' Lantern even without the background and make many of them and display on wall or windows.
I am creating this for wall decoration and as one of the pieces in the set of three Origami Halloween Wall Pieces.

Supplies needed:
- Orange Origami Paper 7"
- Card Stock Black
- Self sticking foam sheets: Glitter green and black and Glitter Silver
- Craft Knife
- Scotch Tape

Follow the instructions for basic origami techniques as discussed in previous posts.
Following pictures show the step by step instructions to make the Origami Pumpkin.
Once you have made the basic pumpkin shape, using craft knife cut out the eyes, nose and the mouth from black foam sheet as shown in the picture.
Also cut the green glitter stem and the corners (using silver glitter foam). Refer the picture and stick them on the card stock.

The cute and easy to make Jack O' Lantern is ready.I added silver foam sheet with glitter as base to give the project a more finished look. Parents must supervise kids when using craft knife.

Tip: You can use different size of Orange Origami paper and create different size and kinds of Jack O' Lantern to make a bigger wall piece or window decoration.
Have fun.

Craft with Pencil Shavings: Clown


This is final one in the series of craft with pencil shavings for kids. This clown will surely make the kids smile.

Following are the supplies you need :
- Pencils of various colors , pencil sharpener
- Card Stock (for base)
- Colored paper (for face, hat and hair)
- Pencil colors or crayons
- Glue and Scissors
- Wiggle eyes

Cut out the face, hair and hat of the clown from colored paper as shown in the pic.Glue them together to make the base of the project.
Add the wiggle eyes and make the clown's dress using pencil shavings. Also decorate the hat with pencil shavings. Color the face using pencil colors or crayons. You cute looking clown is ready to spread smiles :)


Here is a picture of all four of them together as a wall piece.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Craft with Pencil Shavings: Butterfly and flowers

This is another one in the series of craft with pencil shavings for kids.

Following are the supplies you need :
- Pencils of various colors , pencil sharpener
- Card Stock (for base)
- Colored paper (black)
- Pencil colors or crayons
- Glue
- Ready-made pollens


Sketch the pattern for butterfly and flowers.Glue the pencil shavings for butterfly wings overlapping each other as shown in the picture starting from end of the wings. Cut out the body using black paper and glue it on once the wings are finished. Add pollens as the antennae. You can use paper for them too.

For the flowers glue the pencil shavings upside down as shown in the pic. Finish by adding pollens and sketching stems and leaves using pencil colors/crayons. That's it. Use it as a greeting card or a wall decoration. You can make multiple pencil shaving projects and frame them in a shadow box for a cooler look.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Craft with Pencil Shavings : Flowers

This is another one in the series of craft with pencil shavings for kids.

Following are the supplies you need :
- Pencils of various colors , pencil sharpener
- Card Stock (for base)
- Pencil colors or crayons
- Glue
- Ready-made pollens


Try not to let the pencil shavings break when sharpening. The fuller the shavings the prettier flowers will be. Glue on different colored pencil shavings as shown in the picture. Glue pollens in the center of the flower.


Finish the project by drawing stem and leaves. I also added corners for a neat look. You can also use paper cutouts for stems and leaves.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Spooky Bat and Owl for Halloween using Yarn


Halloween is nearby and here's a spooky yet cute craft idea for Halloween decorations. We will be making a bat and a owl using yarn pom poms. Kids would love to make this project but will need some supervision.

There was an earlier post on making a spider with yarn pom pom. Here is another way to make pom pom using yarn. This one takes little more effort but is neater than than the previous one. Refer the picture below for step by step instructions( Click the image for a bigger pic). Start with cutting two circles out of a cardboard. I used cereal boxes :). Cut smaller circles at the center of both these cutouts (like a doughnut). The diameter of outer circle determines the size of the pom pom.

Place both the circle cutouts superimposing each other and wrap the yarn around them. Then using scissors cut the yarn along the circles edges between the two circles. Take a small piece of yarn and tie it between the two circles. Cut the excess off and remove the circles. Your pom pom is ready.This is the basic step for our craft project.


The supplies required for this Halloween themed project :
- Black yarn
- Foam sheets ( black and orange)
- Glue and Scissors
- Wiggle eyes
- Cardboard
- Transparent cord ( if you want to hang the decorations) and needle

For the Bat :

Make two pom poms using black yarn for the face and body of bat. I used 1 inch diameter and 2.5 inch diameter for mine. Cut out bat wings and ears using the foam sheet.Attach the smaller pompom on top of the bigger one. Glue the wings to the backside. Add wiggle eyes and a spooky bat is ready to be used for Halloween decor. You can place these bats at multiple locations in your house, near plants, on bookshelves etc as is. If you want take the transparent cord and using a needle , thread it through the bottom of the bat to make window decorations.
The effect is the best with multiple bats suspended at varying heights.

For the Owl:

Make two pom poms using black yarn for the face and body of bat. I used 1 inch diameter and 2.5 inch diameter for mine. Cut out owl feathers and feet using the foam sheet.

Attach the smaller pompom on top of the bigger one. Glue the feathers on the front. Add wiggle eyes and feet and beak cut from foam sheet and the cutest Owl is ready to be used for your Halloween decor. You can place these at multiple locations in your house, near plants, on bookshelves etc as is.

If you want, take the transparent cord and using a needle , thread it through the bottom of the bat to make window decorations. The effect is the best with multiple Owls suspended at varying heights.


You can also make a combination of Owl, bats, and the spooky spider for your decorations. I am sure you will enjoy making these creatures as much as the kids :). Happy Halloween!

Craft with Pencil Shavings : Fish


This is an easy, inexpensive and fun craft for kids. We had a post on pencil shavings craft earlier. This is another one in the same series. Following are the supplies you need :

- Pencils of various colors , pencil sharpener
- Card Stock (for base)
- Pencil colors or crayons
- Glue
- Wiggle eye

You can ask kids to collect pencil shavings over time for this craft or just sharpen few pencils on a lazy afternoon :). I have a toddler who does not write yet so went with the second option. Sketch the pattern for fish on card-stock. Keep the pattern simple so that kids can make it easily. Then starting from the tail end glue the pencil shavings overlapping each other. This way the fish scales look neater.Once you have the body covered with fish scales, finish the project by coloring the fins and tail using pencil colors. Add wiggle eye to the fish and you have an adorable craft project ready. Add corners to the background for a finished look.
You can use it as a wall piece or it could be a greeting card. This project also encourages kids to recycle waste into something beautiful.

There will be more in this series. Stay tuned :).

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Diwali craft activity for kids

It was Diwali yesterday and we celebrated it at a fun get-together organized by one of our friends. It has become an annual thing where all of us gather for prayers followed by potluck dinner, games,dancing etc. Since its a big get together every family is assigned with a task and mine was to take care of kids craft activity.

We wanted it to be an easy to do activity with minimum mess (hence lesser supervision).The age range we had was 2 years to 10 years. I decided to make craft kits for kids to make Diwali greeting cards with sticky back foam sheets. They could then either exchange them or give it to their parents or other family members.

You get pre-cut foam shapes specific to Christmas, Halloween etc at craft stores like Michaels and JoAnn but not for Diwali. Hence I decided to cut the festival specific shapes likes diyas(earthen lamps lit on the Diwali day) myself and tried to use as many pre-cut shapes as I could in the sample designs. Luckily I got stars, and some basic shapes like rectangles, squares, circles , triangles, tear-drop etc which could be used to make traditional card patterns.

To give kids some idea on how to proceed I made few sample cards(see the first picture) with the traditional diyas, candles and one with a Rangoli. All the cards have different difficulty levels based on number of pieces and coordination required to achieve the pattern.
Here are the supplies provided to kids in the kit :

- Pre-cut sticky back foam sheet shapes
- Blank greeting card stock ( 2 per kit
- A disposable paper bowl to keep the foam sheet shapes
- Coloring pencils and crayons

It was fun watching the kids make cards and enjoying themselves.The diyas were the most favorite and I guess the credit goes to the foam sheets with glitter :). Elder kids tried to follow the pattern while the younger one simply enjoyed peeling the adhesive back and sticking the colorful shapes on the cards. Here are few pictures of their beautiful creations.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Paper Quilled Ganesha and Om


I made this paper quilled Ganesha and Om with diya (clay lamp used traditionally in India for Diwali) for this Diwali. Diwali is on 17th Oct and most of us spend a lot of time cleaning and decorating our houses for Diwali. I thought it would be a better idea to post a craft project inspired by Diwali beforehand so that if any of you want to try it you can.

Here are the supplies for the project:
- Quilling strips
- Slotted quilling tool
- Rhinestones
- Glue and Scissors
- Shadow box (to frame the project)

There are a ton of patterns available for Ganesha on internet. I love this one cause it has the sacred symbol Om , Ganesha and well as a diya, fully capturing the auspicious occasion. Refer my previous posts for details on paper quilling.

Wish you all a happy and safe Diwali. Enjoy the festivities.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Paper Mache and Foam Sheet Fish


This craft is inspired from a session I attended with my 19 month old daughter at a public library. Public library in our area usually has some sessions for kids every Saturday. Although this craft project was for a little older kids my daughter enjoyed it a lot. With a little help from parents toddlers can have fun doing this too.
My daughter is very fond of Fish and Aquarium so I tried to take the inspiration to a whole new level. She loves it and keeps playing with it all the time. It contains small parts so needs adult supervision at all times.

To make this Fish I used the following supplies:
- Cardboard
- Paper
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Masking Tape
- Old newspaper
- Tissue papers (Pink, yellow and orange)
- Foam Brush
- Decoupage Glue
- Container to keep glue
- Sticky back foam sheets (yellow,orange and pink)
- Dime (10 cents coin)
- Glue
- Clay block
- Rounded wooden stick of the size of a normal pencil

The basic technique of making paper-mache is utilized very beautifully in this art. Simply cut out the shape of any fish you want on a cardboard.Make small balls using old newspaper of such a size that will make the body of the fish. Using masking tape fix the newspaper balls on the cardboard cutout. Also fix the wooden pencil like stick using masking tape.Insert the pencil in the clay block such that it becomes a stand.


Now using the foam brush take some decoupage glue and start pasting 1 inch fragments of the tissue paper so that the cardboard and the newspaper is covered fully. Use glue over the tissue paper for layering. Great thing about decoupage glue is that it is transparent and leaves a shine when it dries. Continue till you feel the fish is properly covered. I did not have my camera with me at the library so have no intermediate pictures :(.

Paint the clay and the stem of the stand with color of your choice.
Now let it dry overnight. Meanwhile, cut out circles of the size of a dime from the sticky back foam sheets. I used orange and yellow color sheets. You can use whichever color you prefer. The quantity will depend on your design and size of the fish.


Next day when the paper-mache fish is completely dry, stick the already cut foam sheet scales. Start from the tail end of the fish. That way you will have neater overlapped fish scales. Using the pink foam sheet cut out thin lines to make fins. Also make lips out of pink foam sheet. You can paint them if you prefer that.


To finish this craft stick wiggle eyes. Once done, decorate your kids room with that and let them enjoy it. Just be careful with younger kids. Here is a picture of the completed project with stand.