Crafts

Crafting a clam shell owl is fun and easy, anyone can do it and the finished product is a nice addition to any home, office or garden décor.

To make these darling craft creations you will need the following:

Materials

Medium to large clam shells

Modeling craft clay

Waxed paper

Pencil

Newspaper

Paint brushes

Acrylic craft paints (in appropriate colors)

Cup of clean water

Paper towels

Clear Acrylic craft finishing spray (flat or glossy)

Instructions

Wash sea shells to remove all sand and dirt.

Dry thoroughly before using them for this craft project.

Cover the work area with a small sheet of waxed paper.

Mold a log or branch shaped base from the clay, large enough to reach from end to end of the widest end of the clam shell and thick enough to support the weight of the shell.

Gently press down on the log shaped base to slightly flatten the top and the bottom so it will not roll or rock.

With the thick point of the clam shell facing up press the wide thin section of sea shell into the center of the clay base.

Let the clay set up before painting.

*Follow all craft manufacturer instructions for clay setting time.

To create the images of an owl on the outer face of the shell, use the pencil to draw a downward triangle in the middle of the top of the sea shell.

On each side of the clam shell make semicircles to resemble wings.

In the center of the shell toward the top draw a pair of large eyes and a beak.

After your owls image is to your liking paint over the pencil lines and fill in where desired.

Paint the log or branch to resemble actual tree bark.

When the log or branch is dry you can paint feet for the owl.

Let the sea shell owl craft dry completely

Coat with acrylic finishing spray and dry.

*Follow all craft finishing spray manufacturer instructions for proper usage.

When your sea shell owl is complete you can display it anywhere you like. I made these wonderful sea shell owls when I was a kid and have been passing along this craft idea for many years. I enjoy displaying my friendly owls in the garden.

This is a fun and easy way to spend time with the kids and get rid of all those clam shells you got at the beach.

These wonderful ornaments aren't just for decorating your tree, you can use them as party favors too. Add them to your holiday cards or attach them to presents they make great ribbon accessories. Why just send a card when you can send a hand made ornament too. These are perfect for school children to hand out during classroom holiday parties.

These candy cane ornaments are easy to make and kids love to make them. Wouldn't it be nice to have candy canes that won't get eaten? You can decorate with them and have them for many years to come.

To create these wonderful candy cane decorations all you will need is the following.

Tri-beads (white, red); Tri beads are usually sold in packages of 100 pieces. The average cost for these items is roughly 2 dollars.

12 inch pipe cleaners (white); Pipe cleaners are usually sold in packages of 100 pieces. The average price for these items is roughly 2 dollars.

Each 100 piece package of tri-beads will make about 5 candy canes, so purchase enough beads to create the desired amount of candy canes.

Clear a large enough workspace to accommodate all participants who will be crafting candy canes.

Using plastic bowls or trays place colored beads in separate containers for easy access to each.

Precut all pipe cleaners before you begin so children will have all the components ready that are needed for the project.

To make one candy cane you will require the following

20 - Red tri-beads

16 - White tri-beads

1 - 6 inch piece of pipe cleaner (cut 1 12 inch pipe cleaner in half)

First you will need to cut your 12 inch pipe cleaners in half to make 2, 6 inch pieces.

Curl in the end of one of the cut pipe cleaners to prevent beads from slipping off during stringing.

String beads, beginning with the color red, string 4 red beads, then string 4 white beads.

Continue stringing beads in colored intervals until you have five red sections and 4 white sections.

When you have completed stringing all 36 beads, twist the finished end so beads do not slip off the pipe cleaner.

Bend beaded pipe cleaner to resemble a real candy cane and you're finished.

Continue following the directions above to create as many beaded candy canes as you desire.

You don't have to limit your beading to the traditional colors of red and white. You can substitute the white beads for clear beads or use any color combination you require for your festive decorating needs.

No matter what colors you choose, this project is a wonderful way to get children involved in the holiday decorating process. It's fast, easy and can be done with little to no mess at all.

Enjoy this time crafting with your children and their friends, but don't worry if you notice some adults getting in on the fun. Who could resist, this fun and easy craft for the holiday season.

Happy crafting.

Begin by laying the material on a flat surface. If material is wrinkled iron it until wrinkles are smoothed out. Trim the material to fit around the outside of the box leaving at least two inches extra to tuck into the box. As if you were wrapping a gift.

Follow the instructions and the warning label on the spray adhesive and spray the outside of the box with a light coat of adhesive. Let the glue set up as per the manufacturers instructions and gently begin attaching the material to the box beginning in the center of the back of the Christmas Card Memory Box. This will prevent the seam from being visible while on display.

When you have the outer box covered it is time to repeat the steps above to the lid of you box. If your lid is attached to the Christmas Card Memory Box be sure to leave enough material to cover the entire outside of the lid leaving at least two inches to fold over to the inside of the lid.

When you have completely covered the outside of your Christmas Card Memory Box trim the remaining material to cover the sides of the inner portion of the box. Follow the same steps as above and adhere the material to the inner sides of the box.

Trim more of the material to cover the inside bottom of the box and the inside of the lid, following the steps above.

The bottom of your Christmas Card Memory Box should have a thicker piece of material. Felt is the best material to use, it is durable and will not scratch any surfaces it is placed on nor will it wear and fall apart. Choose a color that is comparable to your main box pattern.

Let the box dry and prepare your work station for the finishing touches. There are many choices when it comes to accents and personalizing your Christmas Card Memory Box. Any personal accent used will be unique to your lifestyle and design preferences.

Using a hot melt glue gun is the most effective way to add accents to your box. Using spray adhesive to attach smaller accents to your Christmas Card Memory Box will be over glued causing your project to look messy. Every craft supply store carries hot melt glue guns.

Here are a few ideas to help get you started.

Ribbon is a great way to hide any imperfections you may have encountered as you attached the material to the Christmas Card Memory Box. Cover any seams in your Christmas Card Memory Box with ribbon. You can even glue ribbon around the entire box and lid to give the effect of an actual Christmas gift. Finish it off with a very large bow in the center of the lid.

If you would rather make your Christmas Card Memory Box more personalized there are many wonderful accent items available in every craft supply stores. Look in the section where scrap-booking supplies are located, there are also wonderful items in the jewelry crafts isle.

You can clue actual photograph to the lid of your Christmas Card Memory Box if you a photograph, create a frame for it by using the scrap material you have left over from your Christmas Card Memory Box. By framing you photograph it will keep the edges of the photograph from getting ruined. If you have an empty pasta box with a plastic window large enough to cover your photograph cut it out and put it between your photograph and the picture frame you made out of the plastic from a pasta box.

No matter how you choose to decorate your Christmas Card Memory Box, it will be a wonderful addition to your family heirloom collection for generations to come.

Begin by familiarizing the kids with Martin Luther King Jr. and his famous speech. Then have the kids create an, "I have a dream book". This activity can adjust it to suit the needs of any age group. The amount of pages required for the dream book is not important; it can be as long or as short as you require and be created using written word or picture collage.

Have the kids create their very own Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, "I have a dream book" by writing a number of things they would like to change in the word today and their dreams of the future. Once this is completed they will need to put their ideas into book form.

Create pages using construction paper. Cut pages into a special shape such as rainbows, clouds, circles, hearts, etc. To assure each page will be the same shape and size, create a template on a heavy piece of paper first. You can recycle an old file folder or cereal box these will do nicely.

Once you have your template place it on piece of construction paper and trace around the shape and cut it out. Continue this step until all the pages needed to complete the book are available.

Use a hole punch to create two holes to bind the pages together. You can attach all the pages of the book by using brass fasteners, ribbon, yarn, rope or string.

Decorating options are unlimited depending on your resources you can use just about anything you like.

Each page will represent a dream. Kids should write the dream at the top of the page and below explain the dream using written words or a picture collage. The possibilities are endless for this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Have the kids bring old magazines to the classroom, young kids love to cut pictures out of magazines and newspapers, if this is not possible assign it as homework and have them gather the pictures on their own.

If this assignment is for older kids, focus on sentence structure. Have them read a book about Martin Luther King, Jr. and create their book in a more structured way, depending on your present lesson plan.

Kids of all ages will enjoy making an, "I have a dream book" to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Article Resources:

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/home.jsp

Kissing Booth Supplies

Table or counter

Comfortable seating for kissers

Kissing booth signage

Plastic table cloth

Streamers

Helium balloons

Ticket deposit box

Breath mints

Hand sanitizer

Lip balm

Photographer (optional)

Kissing booths should provide kissers of both sexes, male and female.

Kissers must be attractive and willing to pucker up.

Distance between the kisser and the ticket holder should be at least 2- 3 feet, to provide enough personal bubble space.

Separate the ticket border by marking the table or counter with a foul line to indicate recommended distance for kiss redemption.

Lip balm and sanitizing gel and breath mints or spray is required prior to kissing.

Designate a high traffic area for your kissing booth this will bring more customers to the booth and you will earn even more money.

Decorate a table or counter for the kissing booth with plastic table cloths, streamers, posters and balloons. There are no wrong colors or decorating ideas. Create a fun space for kissing and have fun.

To designate ticket sale locations for easy customer purchase. When ticket purchases are fun and easy people tend to spend more money. Using a large bunch of helium balloons you can indicate where tickets are sold. Post signs on the kissing booth that read tickets are available for purchase under the big bunch of balloons.

You can even make money selling balloons and images of the people being kissed. If you are lucky to obtain a celebrity kisser you can most certainly make money selling tickets and photographs.

Offer a free gift with ticket purchases to entice people to spend more money. A simple monogrammed pencil that reads #1 kisser is a fun way to market the booth and lure in potential customers.

Using different color tickets for the booth will allow for specific boy or girl kissers identification.

Tickets come in a variety of colors and can be specially ordered to meet your specifications from almost any printer. Though an off the shelf purchase will cost less and provide the same results.

Most tickets are on a roll, each ticket is numbered and has a duplicate ticket attached to itself that reads KEEP THIS TICKET. You can use the retention stubs of your tickets for a raffle. Instruct the purchaser to retain their stub and designate a place and time the raffle will take place.

Raffles can be fun when you give away special items, coupons or marketing materials. If you want to draw an even larger crowed and earn the most money possible, a 50/50 is another option. Designate a percentage of the kissing booth proceeds to be given away to the raffle winner.

When people know they can win money if they purchase a ticket they will surely spend more of their own money to get it.

Kissing booths are a wonderful way to stir up excitement and drama at any function. Office parties, conventions and lectures are more fun when you add a kissing booth in the mix.