This take-n-make craft includes a paper bag and an LED tea light or coaster light. You will need scissors anything else you decide you would like to use to decorate your bag.
All you need to do is decorate your bag. Cut designs and holes into it let the light in. Cut edging across the top of the bag too, which will get rid of the folded/ stapled part.
If you have an LED tea light, just pull the tab and flip the switch on. Then place it inside your bag. If you have coaster light, pull the tab and the 3M sticker, then stick to the outside bottom of your bag. Press the button to light, and keep pressing for different light settings. Enjoy your luminary in the dark!
You will need a paper plate or a white sheet of cardstock cut into a circle, scissors, glue, crayons, and any other decorations.
First take your circle and cut where the lines show in the pictures below. Note, if you make them wavy, you will add texture to your llama. Save the two pieces you cut out. Make sure they are the same size. Trim the fringe off the edges. These will be your llama ears! Glue them behind the top of the paper plate. Next, you can use that leftover fringe to decorate the bottom of the plate for the neck detail. You can color it and glue it onto the llama. Then draw a face, and add any other decorations. We included extra paper to cut out shapes and add on!
This craft is available as the third and final take-n-make kit for adults participating in the Adult Summer Reading Challenge. (Ages 21- on up). Registration is required and that opens on Wednesday, July 21st. Once they are gone, they are gone! Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdI1gWE6ibn29To2MV-Q6CLJiDgtmuWSzOHWVz442dIhiyCfA/viewform?usp=sf_link or stop in at the library to register. For anyone else wanting to learn how to create a Tea Garden Topiary using their own materials, the instructions are as follows:
Items needed: (*asterisk denotes what is not included in the kit)
Floral foam
Moss ( We used dried preserved reindeer moss)
A tea cup and saucer and/or a mini clay pot
Foam balls (Sized in proportion to the teacup and clay pot)
*A stick/twig
*Glue gun + Sticks (If you need access to a glue gun, contact the library to check one out!
*Sharp cutting tool
*Newspaper or a garbage bag to keep your surface clean
Instructions
First you will lay something down on your workspace for easy cleanup. The moss and floral foam get really messy! Then take the floral foam and cut it to size to fit inside the teacup. Once that is secure, find a twig and stick that into the floral foam. For the teacup, you will then add the largest foam ball onto the end of the stick. Secure both ends of the stick with hot glue.
The same process will be used for the mini clay pot. (Note: some of the mini clay pots have an extra tiny foam ball fit inside of them. You may use that foam ball instead of the floral foam as the base if you wish. It doesn’t matter which you use, see which works best with fitting your stick in. If you do not have one, use the floral foam again. Then add the other foam ball to the other end of the stick. Secure with hot glue on both ends.
Next we will add the moss. It helps to lay the moss out and lightly tear it apart since it comes in larger clumps. Add hot glue to the foam ball in small sections, patting down moss on the glued areas. You can also cup the entire moss covered ball with your hand to pat it down evenly.
Then you will cover the foam base with moss. Check over the entire project, looking for bald spots and remove any visible glue strings. Your Tea Garden Topiary is ready to display!
For this craft, we have included several objects of different colors and textures. Just freeze the objects in water, and take outside for cool sensory play! Or, to prevent mess and stay inside where it is cool, you can put everything on a cookie sheet or tray to keep things organized.
There are several ways you can expand on this project to make it unique.
First is how you freeze the objects. You can put individual objects in water in ice cube trays, or freeze them all together in one giant cube.
You can also add your own objects to the mix. Have your kids create a story with the objects as you put them in. They get to be the hero and rescue them when it is time to melt them out!
You could mix baking soda in with the water (50/50) before freezing and then when you take it out, spray vinegar on the ice to fizz as it melts. This leads into the next way to mix it up; how you play! You can chip away at the ice, use a spoon of salt ( we included “magic” salt mixed with glitter) to see how it melts the ice, mix warm water with food coloring to drip or spoon onto it and create pretty colors. The sky is the limit on this one! Have fun and stay cool!
So if you are doing this craft on your own, you just need your objects to freeze, water, a container to freeze them in, a spoon and tray, salt, and any of the add-ons mentioned above!
You will need cardboard, paper, glue, scissors, and a penny for this project. Find a circle object to trace a circle on your paper and your cardboard and cut both circles out so they are the same size. Color your design on your paper circle. Then glue it onto the cardboard circle. Cut a small slice in the center for your penny, being careful not to cut too big of a hole. The penny is your spinner. Insert the penny and give the top a spin!
This craft is available as the third and final take-n-make kit for teens participating in the Teen Summer Reading Challenge. ( Ages 13-20). Registration is required and that opened on July 7th. Once they are gone, they are gone! Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSew0_VmOA_4rNMQcx0VuPoSxKZcjZxOuH5F1-XS2jv7mLYsow/viewform?usp=sf_link or stop in at the library to register. We will only contact you if we run out. Otherwise, just stop in to pickup or contact us to request curbside. For anyone else wanting to make their own squishies using their own materials, the instructions are as follows, which include what was in our kits, and how to make it with your own supplies:
Included in this kit is two pieces of foam (in case you mess up or to make a second!), popsicle sticks to paint with, fabric paint, tacky glue, a sharpie, and parchment paper. You will need scissors and something to mix paint on! If using your own supplies you can use memory foam from a pillow.
First you will cut a rough shape out of your foam. You have two pieces to cut from, so if you mess up on one, no big deal. Once you have your rough shape cut out, use your scissors to start shaping it further by cutting little pieces at a time.
Then take some of your fabric paint and mix it with the glue in equal parts. (Remember that fabric paint can permanently stain your clothes, so wear something you don’t mind getting dirty!) Use your popsicle stick as your mixer and brush. Brush on the paint to cover your squishy. It is going to take at least 24 hours for it to dry, if not longer. You will place your squishy on the included parchment paper to dry without sticking. It might even be beneficial to just work in sections, although that will add on a few days of drying time. After it is totally dry, you can decide to add more paint/glue mixture, or detail the squishy with a sharpie.
Once it is totally dry and you are satisfied with the detail, it is ready to go!
If you have enough glue and paint leftover, feel free to make another with your other piece of foam if you didn’t use it already!
All you need for this craft are some blank CDs, fishing line or string, a glue stick, and different materials to decorate your suncatchers. Just glue on your decorations and hang in a window. We used sequins, jewels, and feathers for ours!
We decided to add a bonus take-n-make craft this week!!
Independence Day Fun Here are some fun ways to celebrate the 4th of July without fireworks. We have included several activities/items in each kit, including a “sparkler” made out of ribbons hot glued to a stick and glow sticks for plenty of fun! If you are following along with your own supplies, we listed them with each craft/activity. Pom-Pom shooter
(You will need scissors, tape, a balloon, a cup or toilet paper roll, and pom-poms, plus anything you would like to decorate the cup/paper roll with. )
· If you are using a paper or plastic cup, have an adult cut the bottom out of the paper cup with a craft knife or scissors. If you are using a toilet paper roll, you are all set with step one. · Step two is optional depending on how crafty your kiddos want to get with this project. Decorate your cup or tube with paper, stickers, tape, etc.
· Trim the very top off a standard 12” balloon with scissors. Knot the end of the balloon. Gather the cut balloon and stretch it over one end of the cup, centering the knot over the opening. Do the same if you are using a cup! Use a rubber band or some tape to secure the balloon to the cup or toilet paper roll. · Time for the fun! Load the pom-pom shooter with pom-poms, pull back on the knotted end and then let go to launch the pom-poms! You can even make your own targets.
Reuse your paper bag to create a kite!
(You will need a brown paper bag, string, streamers, glue, something to poke a small hole with, a popsicle stick, and anything else to decorate your kite) Take your bag and poke a small hole in the bottom in the middle with a pencil or something similar. Take the red and white string and tie one end to the middle of your Popsicle stick. Thread the other end of the string through the hole you made in your bag, and gently pull it all the way through. The Popsicle stick will stop it from coming all the way out. This is your kite handle. Decorate your bag as you wish, we included streamers that can be taped or glued to the open end of the bag. Then you are ready to fly your kite!
Pipe Cleaner Bubbles
(You will need a pipe cleaner, beads, and the ingredients listed below to make your own bubble solution) Lastly, take the pipe cleaner and create a loop, twisting the two ends into a stem. Add the beads to the stem for decoration. Then create a bubble solution by mixing: 4 Tbsp water 1 Tbsp concentrated dish soap 2 Tbsp sugar
Each kit contains a glass bottle with blue food coloring, a cup of hair gel, a cup of glitter and sequins, and either a goldfish snack or a scratch art page.
If you are following along with your own materials you will need a glass bottle, water, hair gel, blue food coloring, glitter and sequins. The amount of hair gel depends on the consistency you want for your bottle. We did a little less than 1/4 cup.
You will fill your glass bottle halfway up with water. There is blue food coloring already inside to create the ocean water. Then add in the hair gel and either stir or put the lid on and shake. Then slowly add in your glitter and sequins and more water to fill up. Screw on the lid tightly and shake. Then enjoy your ocean bottle and your snack or scratch art!
This craft is available as the second take-n-make kit for adults participating in the Adult Summer Reading Challenge. ( Ages 21- on up). Registration is required and that opens on Wednesday, June 23rd. Once they are gone, they are gone! Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdI1gWE6ibn29To2MV-Q6CLJiDgtmuWSzOHWVz442dIhiyCfA/viewform?usp=sf_link or stop in at the library to register. For anyone else wanting to learn how to needle felt using their own materials, the instructions are as follows:
Needle felting is one of those crafts that seems hard but really isn’t! There are just a few key tips and tricks to know and then you will be on your way.
First off, this kit includes 2 cloth bags. This is one of the easiest ways to learn how to needle felt because it is not a 3-D project so you can get the feel for it in a two-dimensional way. We are going to “embroider” the bags by needle felting a small design of your choice onto them. In one bag, you have your needles, the needle holder, and a thumb guard. (Be careful when grabbing the bags so you don’t get poked!!) The needles are different sizes and it really doesn’t matter which one or ones you use; it is up to you. When starting out it is not a big deal, but if you pick this up as a regular hobby you may find certain sizes work better for different projects. Then in the other bag there are different colors of wool for you to felt with. With needle felting, a little goes a LONG way so you will not need very much, especially for these small designs. We made sure to include two bags, so you can practice. Lastly, there is a piece of foam which you will cut to fit inside your bag to needle felt on. When you are done with your bags you can fill them with a small gift, herbs to make a sachet, gift them, or keep them!
That being said, let’s begin needle felting!
First, as mentioned above, cut your foam so that you can slide it into the bag you are working on. Then decide on a small design. You could even use a small cookie cutter or stencil to create a shape. You also could very lightly pencil it out.
Next you will take a small piece of wool roving. Start very small, a little goes a LONG way. You will be surprised.
Rub it in your fingers a bit to get it in a rough shape of what you want. Place it on top of your bag.
Read all the tips below before starting the actual felting.
Get your needle ready by pulling the small wooden piece out of the handle. You will see there is an end of the needle that is a hook attached to the thicker end of the small wooden piece. Place your felting needle into the groove along the side of the rounded wooden peg with the crook of the needle at the narrow end of the peg & insert both firmly into the hole in the handle. If you break or need to change the needle, just remove from the peg and replace your Felting Needle with a new one. When you are done, just reverse the crook to the thicker end and place the needle back inside the handle to safely store:
Pull wood piece out, crook of needle goes in the thicker end to store. Place crook of needle in small end and stick back in handle to use.
Then take your needle and begin to needle felt by stabbing your needle through the yarn, into the bag, and onto the foam. So basically just envisioning that you want to stab the foam underneath each time. This is how you start to shape your wool and attach it to the bag. Just keep felting and adding in colors until your design is finished.
A few tips for successful needle felting:
Pull the needle out of the wool in the same direction it went in to avoid breaking your needle.…
Watch your fingers, use the thumb guard if you need to, otherwise just be sure to keep fingers clear!
It takes time to needle felt, but it is very addicting and since it does take time, it is very forgiving! You can even set it down and come back to it. It is a very relaxing craft.
You can mix colors by rubbing pieces of wool together. Or just layer colors by felting them on top. Because of this, you almost can “paint” your pieces in a way and add in lots of detail.
Be sure to evenly felt your piece. Work around the side of your object to firm up its shape rather than just from the top. Insert your needle at an angle to do this, but be sure to pull it back out at the same angle.
Every now and then, pull your piece away from the foam to prevent it sticking to the foam.
When you are finished and satisfied with your design, you can lightly trim around the edges with a scissor to catch any loose pieces of roving and use the sticky side of a piece of tape around the design to pick up any pieces you trimmed.
Then just remove the foam and fill with herbs, a small gift, whatever you like. Gift them or keep them!
Here is my example, I decided to do poppies:
If you enjoyed this craft and would like to further your needle felting skills; you can felt flat sheets and add designs on top to frame like a picture, ball up wool roving and felt it on the foam directly while working every side to create 3D figures, or needle felt soap and dryer balls. You can find lots of inspiration and tutorials for these suggested ideas on Youtube and Pinterest to keep going!
