Thursday 13 March 2008
A Lovely Easter Cake
I ound this adorable Easter cake in a Magazine. The little chicks on the top are fashioned from marzipan - arn't they cute? Click on the image to make it big enough to read.
Wednesday 12 March 2008
Kids’ Craft Ideas - Growing Your Own Balloon Garden
by Magrietha Du Plessis
Crafts will always be a very important teaching tool for anyone teaching little kids. Kids learn best by "doing." Homeschoolers and especially unschoolers can use this balloon craft as part of a biology lesson. This is a wonderful kids' craft idea, that is fun and easy to do and also a great first lesson about plants. This craft use balloons so watch the little ones, while you are doing this craft, to prevent suffocation!
All you need for this kids' craft idea is a medium or large sized, clear balloon, a little earth and water, some seeds, a small funnel and a piece of string. Radish seeds work well, but you could use almost any seeds that are easy to grow.
Kid's Craft Ideas Step by Step – How to make your first balloon garden
1. Don't blow your balloon up yet! Put the mouth of the balloon over the funnel and hold it firmly in place (this is where an extra pair of adult hands comes in useful!) Tip in around a ½ cup of earth – enough to almost fill the deflated balloon.
2. Now gradually add water, via the funnel again, until the earth is wet through. Don't put too much water in or it will all just turn to mud and start overflowing!
3. Dry your funnel, then add your final ingredients, the seeds, into the balloon, still holding it firmly in its upside down position.
4. Still holding the balloon upside down, so that you don't get a mouthful of dirt, carefully blow it up.
5. Tightly make a knot in the top of the balloon, then tie your string around it and use the string to hook the balloon garden up near a window or other well-lit place.
Making balloon gardens is a fun thing to do at birthday parties, and will keep the kids occupied and happy for ages – as long as you don't mind the mess! On a summer's day, it's best done in the backyard.
Balloon gardens also make lovely gifts, the children can make them for an adult friend or relative and the recipient will be delighted – especially when they hang the balloon garden up and it grows green and lush.
Grandmothers and grandfathers especially love this kid's craft idea – either to do with the kids (especially a granddad who is a gardening enthusiast) or just to receive a balloon garden craft as a gift. They will love that the kids will want to keep coming back to visit them and seeing how their balloon garden is growing.
When the balloon garden slowly dies off, it is a good opportunity to explain to your kids about the cycle of life, and to help them make a new balloon garden! Use this opportunity to teach them a variety of facts about nature, not only the cycle of life. Plants need water, fresh air, good soil etc. to grow. You can also work a lesson about seasons into this craft.
Enjoy your "Balloon Craft."
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Crafts will always be a very important teaching tool for anyone teaching little kids. Kids learn best by "doing." Homeschoolers and especially unschoolers can use this balloon craft as part of a biology lesson. This is a wonderful kids' craft idea, that is fun and easy to do and also a great first lesson about plants. This craft use balloons so watch the little ones, while you are doing this craft, to prevent suffocation!
All you need for this kids' craft idea is a medium or large sized, clear balloon, a little earth and water, some seeds, a small funnel and a piece of string. Radish seeds work well, but you could use almost any seeds that are easy to grow.
Kid's Craft Ideas Step by Step – How to make your first balloon garden
1. Don't blow your balloon up yet! Put the mouth of the balloon over the funnel and hold it firmly in place (this is where an extra pair of adult hands comes in useful!) Tip in around a ½ cup of earth – enough to almost fill the deflated balloon.
2. Now gradually add water, via the funnel again, until the earth is wet through. Don't put too much water in or it will all just turn to mud and start overflowing!
3. Dry your funnel, then add your final ingredients, the seeds, into the balloon, still holding it firmly in its upside down position.
4. Still holding the balloon upside down, so that you don't get a mouthful of dirt, carefully blow it up.
5. Tightly make a knot in the top of the balloon, then tie your string around it and use the string to hook the balloon garden up near a window or other well-lit place.
Making balloon gardens is a fun thing to do at birthday parties, and will keep the kids occupied and happy for ages – as long as you don't mind the mess! On a summer's day, it's best done in the backyard.
Balloon gardens also make lovely gifts, the children can make them for an adult friend or relative and the recipient will be delighted – especially when they hang the balloon garden up and it grows green and lush.
Grandmothers and grandfathers especially love this kid's craft idea – either to do with the kids (especially a granddad who is a gardening enthusiast) or just to receive a balloon garden craft as a gift. They will love that the kids will want to keep coming back to visit them and seeing how their balloon garden is growing.
When the balloon garden slowly dies off, it is a good opportunity to explain to your kids about the cycle of life, and to help them make a new balloon garden! Use this opportunity to teach them a variety of facts about nature, not only the cycle of life. Plants need water, fresh air, good soil etc. to grow. You can also work a lesson about seasons into this craft.
Enjoy your "Balloon Craft."
http://www.halloweenmania.co.uk/
http://www.teacosyfolk.co.uk/
http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/
www.katie-kanga.co.uk
http://www.naruto-fellowship.co.uk/
How to Draw a Chicken and a Lamb for Easter
Chickens and Lambs have long been associated with Easter because it is a time of new beginnings and new life. It also helps that baby chicks and lambs are so adorable. Here are some plans to show you step by step how to draw a realistic looking chicken and lamb. Great for card making. Get the kids learning how to draw them, it will give you a quiet half an hour and they will feel a great sense of achievement when they draw something that looks so real.
Click on the images to enlarge them so that they are readable - you can also print them off to make them easier to draw.
...
Click on the images to enlarge them so that they are readable - you can also print them off to make them easier to draw.
...
Homemade card ideas
Homemade card ideas! Create you own unique fun simple cards at home.This card idea uses Whispers Templates and inks for a layered effect.
It looks really great and could also be used for invertations or dinner placement cards.
Click on the image to make it large enough to read.
A great card making tip just in time for Easter!
http://www.halloweenmania.co.uk/
http://www.teacosyfolk.co.uk/
http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/
Monday 3 March 2008
Bird Feeding Pine Cones
Birds that stay in places all through the winter need food. One winter craft that students can do is to make a pine cone bird feeder. Students simply need to cover a pine cone in peanut butter and dip it in bird seed. After tying a bit of string to one of these pine cones, it can be hung up on a tree outside. These pine cone bird feeders do not just feed the birds, they act as beautiful ornaments for an outdoor tree.
How To Make an Easter Egg Candy Bowl
Easter is the one time of the year we can have chocolate and not feel guilty.So why not make nice and colorful decoration for your Easter table this year?
Using fresh flowers, medium and small Easter eggs you could create a beautiful centre piece.
The bonus with a centre piece like this is not only does it look good but bits of it are edible.
You will need...
9 medium sized Easter eggs
1 bag of solid Easter eggs (or candy eggs)
1 packet of wooden skewers
1 medium posy bowl/posy bowl guard
1 wet oasis
1 bunch of flowers (flowers can be all the same or mixed or even out of your own garden)
stem tape
0.18g wire
Step 1
Trim the oasis to fit the posy bowl.
Then push the oasis into the bowl, place the guard on top of the oasis and lock it into position.
Wet the oasis.
Step 2
Take your bunch of fresh flowers and break it up into flowers and greenery. Take two of the same flower and set them a side. Do not trim the stems on these two flowers.
Trim the stems of the remaining flowers and greenery so that when you push them into the oasis they won't snap.
Step 3
Some flowers will need to be strengthend so they can stand up in the oasis. You can do this by wiring the flower. The gerbera is a good example of a flower that would need to be strengthened as it has a heavy head with a soft flexible stem.
To do this just push the wire through the top of the stem near the head of the flower. Use a 0.18g wire for this as the wire needs to be quite thin.
Pull the wire through so that you have wire either side of the stem. Now stem tape so the wire can't be seen.
Step 4
You must be sure to strip any lower leaves off the stems of the flowers and foliage. The reason we do this is so that there is no leaf matter near the moisture, which would cause the stems to rot.
Cut all stems at a 45 degree angle to improve water take-up.
Step 5
Take your skewers and push your Easter eggs onto them. You can stem-tape the skewers if you wish.
You will need to keep three of the medium Easter eggs on long skewers. Trim the rest to about half (if they need more trimming this can be done later)
With the soild Easter eggs you may have to heat the tip of the skewer with boiling water to help soften the chocolate.
Step 6
Push one of the medium Easter eggs into the approximate middle of the oasis, take a flower and place it in front of the egg.
The flower should sit about halfway down the skewer. Now take one of the flowers you didn't trim and push it into the front of the oasis, near the edge of the posy bowl. Do the same at the back of the posy bowl.
Make sure they are both angled up slightly.
Step 7
Angle the other two easter eggs out from the middle egg, one on the left and one on the right. Start to push some of the flowers into the oasis at this point. You don't want any of the oasis to show. Once all the flowers are in add the rest of the Easter eggs to help break up color. Do not group too many eggs together in the same spot.
Step 8
Now all the eggs and flowers are in place just finish off with the greenery. Place any leaves around the outer edge of the bowl. Overlapping the greenery will help to finish off the look of the table decoration giving the posy bowl a fanned look.
Place a leaf under the flowers at the front and back of the bowl. If you have any smaller leaves left then push them into the gaps in the top of the oasis.
Peta Fletcher has been making bouquets for over 14 years. Her website has lots of free information on bouquets, including wedding bouquets, and candy bouquets
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peta_Fletcher
http://www.halloweenmania.co.uk/ http://www.teacosyfolk.co.uk/ http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/
Easter Crafts
Click the images to enlarge the magerzine clippings big enough to read.Make some cute Easter chicks, Easter bunnies and hen egg cosies for Easter. Great little makes to keep the kids busy!
Sunday 2 March 2008
Knitted Birds
Click the image to make it large enough to read, or to print off and keep.This is a great little knitting pattern. I knitted a blue tit last night whilst watching TV. Very quick and easy to knit, and very adorable.
For knitted bird tea cosies visit http://www.teacosyfolk.co.uk/browse.php?mc=animals
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