As much as I love to run the countryside, today was a stay at home day. Never-the-less, it was a productive and fun day! Today I wanted to focus on making "goodies". To this end I decided to dig the Shrinky Dink machine, The Crayola Crayon Maker and the perler beads out of the closets. I also got out all the supplies I needed to make little boxes out of the fronts of old greeting cards.
I started with the greeting cards. Almost every summer, I try to turn my leftover cards into bitty boxes which I use for holiday treats or in place of Christmas cards at work. The boxes are not hard to make but the procedure I use has multiple steps and it takes a while to make the amount I need. Today I used an assembly line method and I made around 25 boxes! This is more than I've ever done at one sitting.
Later I made Shrinky Dink snowpeople. These tiny snowfriends will be placed inside some of the boxes. I like to put a bit of fiberfill "fluff" in the bottom of each box and then on top of the "snow" I place a tiny holiday message written on an itty bitty strip of paper (printed like a fortune cookie "fortune" on my computer). On top of the message sits a snowman that has been carefully glued to a shimmering white button. The whole effect is very endearing. One year, when I worked as a teacher's aide, I let each child choose their own box and the kids were delighted. I had explained how I had made each one by hand and the kids were really amazed. They enjoyed peaking into the boxes and choosing the miniature figure they liked the best. If you have time, or a child ten or older with time, you can easily do the same. I've never met anyone who didn't seem honestly pleased.
Interspersed during the day's activities, I also melted the nubs of old crayons into animal shapes and made tiny key chain shapes with perler beads. Students love to win prizes and I enjoy having both handmade and store bought incentives at my disposal.
At the end of the day, as I surveyed the results of my efforts ,I was very satisfied. It isn't often that I can make snowmen from tiny hunks of plastic, or boxes from items headed for the recycling bin. Mass production of crafts has never appealed to me so I find some solace in the unique differences that appear in objects that are created in the same manner. The boxes are all made from the identical patterns, but the colors and pictures are all distinct. The snow people are all just a bit different. Some have top hats while others have baseball caps. Some might be skinny and sporting a scarf while others are pleasingly plump with just buttons gracing their bodies.
Each of us, like my snowpeople, are unique with special talents and gifts. What are you good at? What do you enjoy? Are you a great speaker like my husband, who has spoken to a auditorium full of adults with confidence? Can you tell a good joke? Are you kind to animals? Do you make a "hole -in -one" when you play golf or putt-putt? Everyone has at least one thing they enjoy and are good at. Yours may not include making scads of "treats" and if not, don't despair, there is always someone out there more than willing to share some tiny bit of happiness they knitted, melted or baked with you!
If you want to learn more about the joy of Shrinky Dinks visit: http://www.shrinkydinks.com/.
I started with the greeting cards. Almost every summer, I try to turn my leftover cards into bitty boxes which I use for holiday treats or in place of Christmas cards at work. The boxes are not hard to make but the procedure I use has multiple steps and it takes a while to make the amount I need. Today I used an assembly line method and I made around 25 boxes! This is more than I've ever done at one sitting.
Later I made Shrinky Dink snowpeople. These tiny snowfriends will be placed inside some of the boxes. I like to put a bit of fiberfill "fluff" in the bottom of each box and then on top of the "snow" I place a tiny holiday message written on an itty bitty strip of paper (printed like a fortune cookie "fortune" on my computer). On top of the message sits a snowman that has been carefully glued to a shimmering white button. The whole effect is very endearing. One year, when I worked as a teacher's aide, I let each child choose their own box and the kids were delighted. I had explained how I had made each one by hand and the kids were really amazed. They enjoyed peaking into the boxes and choosing the miniature figure they liked the best. If you have time, or a child ten or older with time, you can easily do the same. I've never met anyone who didn't seem honestly pleased.
Interspersed during the day's activities, I also melted the nubs of old crayons into animal shapes and made tiny key chain shapes with perler beads. Students love to win prizes and I enjoy having both handmade and store bought incentives at my disposal.
At the end of the day, as I surveyed the results of my efforts ,I was very satisfied. It isn't often that I can make snowmen from tiny hunks of plastic, or boxes from items headed for the recycling bin. Mass production of crafts has never appealed to me so I find some solace in the unique differences that appear in objects that are created in the same manner. The boxes are all made from the identical patterns, but the colors and pictures are all distinct. The snow people are all just a bit different. Some have top hats while others have baseball caps. Some might be skinny and sporting a scarf while others are pleasingly plump with just buttons gracing their bodies.
Each of us, like my snowpeople, are unique with special talents and gifts. What are you good at? What do you enjoy? Are you a great speaker like my husband, who has spoken to a auditorium full of adults with confidence? Can you tell a good joke? Are you kind to animals? Do you make a "hole -in -one" when you play golf or putt-putt? Everyone has at least one thing they enjoy and are good at. Yours may not include making scads of "treats" and if not, don't despair, there is always someone out there more than willing to share some tiny bit of happiness they knitted, melted or baked with you!
If you want to learn more about the joy of Shrinky Dinks visit: http://www.shrinkydinks.com/.
This site sells the product directly. You may also want to locate a local craft store. In Central Ohio we have a store called Michael's Arts and Crafts that regularly stocks the product. Check out: http://direct.where2getit.com/cwc/apps/w2gi.php?template=search&client=michaels for a store near you.
If you have old cards and are dying to know how to make the tiny boxes, check out either: http://www.kid-at-art.com/htdoc/lesson16.html (this is the method I use) or http://www.craftideas.info/html/card_box.html (this method is not as complicated).
Sharing our talents with those around us is an adventure that makes everyone happier!
If you have old cards and are dying to know how to make the tiny boxes, check out either: http://www.kid-at-art.com/htdoc/lesson16.html (this is the method I use) or http://www.craftideas.info/html/card_box.html (this method is not as complicated).
Sharing our talents with those around us is an adventure that makes everyone happier!
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