St Patrick's Day Kids' Crafts

By Beverly Frank
St. Patrick's day is a great day for kid's crafts. It is a wonderful day to get out the paint, glue sticks, and crafting materials to create something to celebrate the holiday. The following are three great craft ideas of kids.
Blarney Stone:
A blarney stone comes from old Irish folklore. In southwestern Ireland, there is a very famous stone called the Blarney Stone. If you kiss the stone, you are said to be given the gift of eloquence. It is a big part of Irish tradition.
So, make your own Blarney stones at home as part of your St. Patty's Day crafts. To do this you need river stones, green paint, some googly eyes, and a black paint pen.
Start by painting the rocks green. You will have to wait for a while for them to dry, so it is best to do this in advance, and have an adult do it. Then, once the rock is painted, let your kids use the googly eyes, paint pen etc. to put a face on their very own Blarney stone.
You can use glitter, fabric, feathers, etc. to add a mouth, hair, and other accessories. Just don't forget to give it a smooch so that you can be eloquent.
Heart Shamrocks:
Shamrocks are a big deal in Irish culture as they are a symbol of luck. Any craft you make with shamrocks is a fun way to celebrate the holiday. A fun one for kids is to make a heart shamrock.
You need green construction paper, yellow construction paper, black crayons or markers, glue, scissors.
To make a heart shamrock you use the green construction paper and cut out three hearts. Arrange them into a shamrock shape, and cut out a stem. Use glue to attach them to the yellow construction paper. Then using the black crayons or markers, write out your felicitations of luck, such as "luck be with you" and then use it as a gift, card, etc.
Leprechaun Luck:
Leprechauns are mythic in Ireland, and are a great part of the St. Patrick's Day tradition. There are all sorts of lore surrounding leprechauns. So, one fun craft is to create a necklace using this lore.
To do this print out the following poem:
I keep three wishes handy,
In case I chance to meet
Any day a Leprechaun
Coming down the street.
Then create a shamrock, and write one wish on each leaf of the shamrock. Punch a hole in the top. Glue the poem to the side the wishes are not on, and string yarn through it to create a wish necklace. This can be worn during the day, to provide you with your green so that you do not get pinched, and is a fun way to grab hold of some Irish tradition.

For more kids crafts, visit http://www.makeplaydough.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beverly_Frank Perfect Valentines :: Tea Cosy Folk :: Santas Postbag :: Halloween Mania ::Zafyna

Knitted Cupcake Egg Cosy - Knitting Pattern

By Louise Foppoli

The kids seem to love lifting an egg cosy to find a hard-boiled egg underneath. I used a fluffy "sugar wisp" wool in the cream and brown cosy and my daughter refers to it as "the wild one".This is just a fun little knitting exercise that only takes minutes to make.
Abbreviations:
St(s) = stitches
K = knit
P = purl
Inc = increase knit (or purl) twice into stitch
K2tog (or p2tog) = work next two sts together
You will need:
Scraps of wool in two colours (for base and cake)for cupcake and red if you wish to add a cherry on top!
4mm knitting needles
Beads (if desired)
Cast on 24 stitches with 4mm needles in base colour.
Row 1-6: *K1, P1*, repeat from * to *.
Change to cake colour.
Row 7-16: Continue in stocking stitch.
Row 17: *K1, K2 tog* until end (16 sts)
Row 18: Purl
Row 19: K2 together until end (8 sts)
Break yarn and thread through remaining stitches pulling tightly.
Sew up side of cosy and attach cherry on top. Decorate with beads if desired.
Cherry Cast on 6 stitches. Knit six rows stocking stitch.
Cast off.
Sew running stitch around outside edges and gather tightly.
This pattern uses leftover scraps of wool and is fun to make. You can make a set of egg cosies with the same colour combination or you can make a different one for each member of the family. The children usually love choosing their colours and their beads. We now have a collection of egg cosies and the children choose according to their moods on the day. Makes for a fun breakfast!

Louise F is a busy Mum and a webmaster of a website featuring cupcake recipes and crafts. You can find more recipes and craft ideas at http://www.all-about-cupcakes.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Louise_Foppoli

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Make a Mothers Day Teapot for Mum on Mothering Sunday

If you love tea, you will love this beautiful hand painted Mothers Day Teapot craft idea. An unremarkable plain white teapot is decorated with hand painted love hearts to transform it into a very pretty looking teapot - Ideal for Mothers Day.


To make the Mothers Day teapot you will need...
A plain white teapot, you can buy these cheaply at The Range and Asda,
A fuchsia Marabu porcelain paint pen and a silver one too, you will find these at Hobbycraft.

You will also need a pencil and a ruler.

Start off by giving the teapot a good wash to remove and grease or dirt. Dry the teapot on a clean tea towel.

Now with the pencil and ruler, mark out some guide lines on the teapot. I know its a bit tricky because its not a flat surface, but do the best you can. It does look nicer if your writing is straight.

Next in pencil, write in the guide lines 'Happy Mothers Day'. You will probably need to write 'Day' below on another line. If you go wrong, rub it out with a damp peice of kitchen paper. When you are happy that all the text is central you can begine with the porcelain paint pens.

Before use, shake the Marabu porcelain paint pen well with the cap closed. Press onto the tip repeatedly until the ink is visible in it (do not continue once the ink appears in the tip as this may overload it).

If the nib does get a bit too full, draw on some scrap paper to reduce the surplus paint.

With the silver pen, go over the pencil text that you wrote. Then leave the teapot to one side to let the paint dry.

The paint does stay wet for a while and if you smudge it, it des spoil the look of the teapot.

Next either freehand or make yourself a little cardboard heart template, cover the teapot and lip in love hearts. The love hearts can be all sizes and they can go in any direction.

You can avoid smudging the paint by only doing a couple of hearts on one side, and then allowing them to dry for half an hour and then drawing some more. Build up in this way until the teapot is covered.

If you do smudge the paint - not to worry. Have a soapy damp cloth ready to scrub off your mistake. Make sure that this space dries properly before you try to paint on it again.

Once you are happy with your teapot, allow the paint to dry for 4 hours before baking the teapot in a preheated oven temperature for 170 degrees Celsius, 325 degrees Fahrenheit or gas mark 3. Bake the teapot for 30 minutes to fix the paint.

After baking, turn off the heat and open the oven door and allow the teapot to cool down before you remove it from the oven.

The Marabu-Porcelain Painter is dishwasher-safe after baking in the oven.

Valentine Teapot...

Juggling Cats

I call these “Juggling Cats” because they are just the right size to do that. However, if you are not into juggling, add catnip to the stuffing and give it to your cat to juggle. Or, add a cord and hang them to make people smile. Make them into ornaments, a keychain, a zipper pull...

You need:
Lily Sugar and Cream in colors of your choice.
“G” crochet hook
Polyfiber stuffing
Optional craft eyes (6 mm)
Yarn needle

Body:
Using white yarn color for face:
Make magic ring*, ch 1
Round 1: sc 6 into a magic ring, pull tight.
Round 2: sc 2 into each sc around (12 sc)

Change to yarn color for body:
Round 3: (sc 1 into next sc, then sc 2 into next), around (18 sc)
Round 4: (sc 1 into next 2 sc, then sc 2 into next) around (24 sc)
Rounds 5 to 9: sc around (24 sc)

If you are using plastic safety eyes, place them now.
Round 10: (sc 1 into next 2 sc, sc2tog) around (18)
Round 11 (sc 1 into next sc, sc2tog) around (12 sc)
Stuff with polyfiber.

Round 12: (sc2tog) around (6 sc)
Join with sl st to next st. Fasten off, pull tight to close and hide yarn end.


Ear - (make 2):
Make magic ring, ch 1
Round 1: 4 sc in magic ring (4 st)
Round 2: (sc 1 into next sc, sc 2 into next sc) twice (6 st)
Round 3: (sc 1 into next sc, sc 2 into next sc) three times (9 st)
Join with sl st to next st. Fasten off, leaving long end of yarn.

Tail
Ch 12
2 Sc into 2nd ch from hook, 2 sc into each ch until end
Fasten off, leaving long end of yarn.

Assembly:

Sew ears on top of face. Sew tail on back of body. Embroider some whiskers…and play!

http://susiefarmgirl.blogspot.com/2010/02/juggling-cats.html

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How to Make Bath Bombs

Homemade valentines bath bombs are a great little craft to make for Valentines day and are lovely to share with your Valentine in the bath tub! The heart shaped Valentines baths bombs look really sweet and are so much nicer than shop bought bombs.

What could be more romantic on Valentines Day than soaking in a hot Bath with your Valentine watching these bath treats bubble and fizz in your bath, stimulating and soothing your skin. Relax and restore your body with a soothing scented bath bomb.

This bath bomb recipe is enough to make half a dozen fizzing bath bombs.

To make Valentines Bath Bombs you will need...

50g Citric Acid 100g Soda bicarbonate Half a teaspoon Red Food colouring 1 teaspoon Olive Oil 1 teaspoon Rose essential oils or a different fragrance if you prefer. And a love heart Ice cube tray to mould the bath bombs

Citric Acid and Soda Bicarbonate are available on Ebay and moderately priced.

Mix the Citric Acid and Soda Bicarbonate in a bowl with a spoon for a few minutes. You need to mix it really well so that the bath bomb fizzes properly in the bath.

Next add the olive oil and then the food colouring and then the essential oil. Give the mixture a good mix up again, to make sure that the essential oil is distributes though out the mixture.

The consistency of the mix should be that of damp sand.

Now pack the mixture into the heart shaped ice cube tray. Use the back of the spoon to pack it in tight. The firmer the bath bombs are made, the longer they will last in the bath. Leave the bombs in their moulds to harden for 5 minutes or so.

Turn the ice cube try upside down on a sheet of paper and give the back of the tray a tap with your hand over where you know the bath bombs are, and they should just slip out.

Leave the bath bombs to dry further for 3 hours. You can use them after 3 hours, but if you are able to leave them for 24 hours, they will last longer in water later.

Arrange your bath bombs in a soap dish with some flowers or rose petals and then you are ready to present them at the side of the candle lit bath.

If you have made the bath bombs well in advance, you will need to wrap them up in saran wrap, or some other cellophane wrapper to protect them from moisture in the air. Clear cellophane with a pint tint look pretty. Cut out a circle from the wrapping that is a bit bigger than the bath bomb. Place the bath bomb in the center and wrap the cellophane around it bringing all the surplus cellophane bunched up together at the top, like a little sack and wrap an elastic band around it. Tie a bow with plastic parcel ribbon over the elastic band to hide it.

Store your Valentines bath bombs in a cool dry place.

Want to add a little something extra?

Decorate your bath bombs with Loveheart sweets. Before filling the moulds with bath bomb mixture - pop a Loveheart sweet into the mould, writing side down, and them pack the mould in the usual way. When you turn the bath bombs out, they will have little messages on them. However the you wont be able to eat the sweets from the bath bomb, they are just for decoration.

Using a small amount of craft foam, cut a heart, which is a bit smaller than the heart moulds, and write a romantic bath time instruction on it using a permanent ink pen. This might be 'kiss my neck' or 'wash me' or 'Massage me', you won't have room to write very much. It's important to use a permanent marker pen, because other ink will just wash off in the bath water.

When you make your bath bombs, half fill the moulds and then add the foam heart, and them finish filling the mould with bath bomb mixture. Now you have a little Valentines bath game; drop a bath bomb into the bath and wait for it to release its instruction, whatever the bath bomb says, you have to do.

Perfect Valentines :: Tea Cosy Folk :: Santas Postbag :: Halloween Mania ::Zafyna

Pattern for Knitted Battery Hen Jacket / Jumper

Former battery hens which have lost their feathers are being knitted jumpers.

See links for more details about the poor hens...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4640253/Jumpers-for-chickens-appeal-kits-out-1500.html

Video of Hens wearing the Jumpers

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8537773.stm

The Hens need your help!

Please knit a hen jumper and post it to...

Little Hen Rescue

The Stables

Greenways

Norwich

NR15 1QL

England

Pattern for Knitted Hen Jacket

Materials

Double knitting yarn (100g makes approximately 3 jumpers)

2 buttons or 10cm Velcro

1 pair of number 8 (4mm) knitting needles

4mm crochet hook

Knitted in stocking stitch with garter stitch borders

Cast on 41 sts,

Work 4 rows K

Increase for tabs;

Cast on 10 sts at beginning of next row, k14, p to last 4 sts, k4.

Cast on 10 sts at beginning of next row, k14, p to last 14sts, k14.

Work buttonholes; (work these 2 rows straight if using Velcro).

(K2, yf k2tog) 3 times, work to end keeping edges in garter st.

Repeat this row for buttonholes on the other tab.

Cast off 10 sts at beginning of next row.

Next row – cast off 10 sts, k4, p2 tog, p to last 6 sts, p2tog, k4.

Dec 1 st at each end on every fol 6th row until 25 sts remain.

Divide for neck;

Work 11 sts, cast off 3, work to end – complete this half first.

1) k4, p to end

2) cast off 2, k to end

3) k4, p to end

4) k2tog, k to end

5) k4, p2tog, p to end

Work 4 rows straight

10) K to last 5 sts, inc in next st, k4.

11) K4, p to last st, inc in next st.

12) Cast on 2 sts, k to end, (11sts)

13) K4, p to end

14) K

Break yarn and rejoin to the other side of neck.

Work to match, reversing shaping’s and ending at winghole edge.

Next row – k, cast on 3, k across sts from other side of neck.

Next row , k4 inc in next st, p to last 5 sts, inc in next st, k4.

Inc 1 st at each end of every fol 6th row until there are 41 sts on the needle.

Work 6 rows straight.

Change to gst and knit 4 rows.

Cast off.

Sew on buttons or Velcro as desired.

Work double crochet around neck.

http://littlehenrescue.co.uk/jumpers.aspx

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How to Make a Love Heart Aerial Ball

This is the cutest Valentines gift for any car enthusiast - a Love Heart aerial ball. The heart has one of cupid's arrows going straight through it, to signify that it is love struck.

Aerial balls simply push onto the end of your car aerial personalising your car and making it much easier to find in that crowded car park.

To make the Heart Aerial Ball you will need...

Polystyrene Heart (You can find these in your local craft shop)
Some red and black enamel paints
Bamboo skewers
A black foam sheet and some clear drying glue for external use.

First push a bamboo skewer into the heart and the pointed part of the heart. This makes a great handle so that you can give the heart a couple of coats of red paint. Between coats you can stand the heart on its skewer in a glass.

You also need to give another skewer a couple of coats of black paint. You only need to paint half of the skewer, so again between coats you can stand it in a glass to dry.

Using the black foam sheet cut out 2 arrowheads and two arrow feathers.

Take the black skewer and cut of the unpainted surplus, and cut the remaining painted part in half. Stick the arrowheads to one of the sticks. Glue the arrowheads together with the end of the stick sandwiched in between making sure that the stick is well in and almost to the tip of the arrowhead. In a similar way, glue the arrow feathers to the end of the other part of skewer. Pegs make great clamps to hold everything in place whilst it sticks. Leave to one side to dry.

Use a new bamboo skewer to make a hole for the arrowhead part of the arrow to go. Push the arrow in and see how it looks and trim the skewer if it is too long. When you are happy, add some glue tot he hole and push the arrow into place.

Now make a hole for the feathers part of the arrow. Make sure that this part of the arrow lines up with the arrowhead otherwise you arrow will look bent. Again trim if necessary and glue into place.

Once the glue is dry it is ready for the car aerial! Wiggle the handle skewer that is in the point of the heart until the hole in the heat is about the same width as the aerial that it will be pushed on to. Then simply push the heart into place.

You could also try sticking wobbly eyes on your heart and adding a big smile with a black permanent pen. It looks fantastic and no one will have an aerial topper like yours, unless they have visited the Perfect Valentines website.

http://www.perfectvalentines.co.uk/love-heart-aerialball-valentines.shtml

More Valentines Craft Ideas Here...