Miss Dawn's Notebook

Gifts Kids Can Make

Bookmarks Brooches Candles Clay Flower Pots Fabric Painting Magnets Necklaces Marbelized Stationery Note Holder Photo Frames Picture Luminaries Sachets Scrubber Snow Globes Stationery Storage Box Suncatcher

Bookmarks

Materials: laminating film, ribbon, glitter or confetti
Cut two pieces of laminating film about 2 1/2" x 6". Then place a 3/4" ribbon down the middle so that it comes out of the bottom of the film. Sprinkle it with glitter/confetti and stick the two pieces of laminating film together.

Brooches

Materials: thin cardboard, paint, glue, macaroni, glitter, pin, yarn tassle
Cut pieces of thin cardboard into triangles and squares and paint them. Glue on colored macaroni and then sprinkle it with glitter. Glue a pin on the back. Add a yarn tassle on top

Candles

Materials: white taper candles, candle decorating wax
The decorating wax is thin sheets of beeswax which can be cut into shapes and pressed onto the tapers, or smeared on thinly.

Clay Flower Pots

Materials: clay flower pots, paints, decorations
Little clay flower pots can often be found at garage sales or purchased for very little at discount stores. These can be decorated in many ways with sponge paints, finger paints, etc. or by gluing on objects such as buttons, seashells, pebbles. If you are actually going to plant something in the pots, they should be sprayed with a coat of clear acrylic to prevent the moisture from the dirt from soaking through the pot and damaging the artwork.

Fabric Painting

Materials: t-shirt, fabric paints
Let the kids go wild on their t-shirts!

Magnets

Version1:
Refrigerator magnets made by pouring plaster of paris in simple candy molds. Then paint them, spray with clear acrylic to seal and glue a little magnet strip on the back.
Version 2:
Felt shapes can be used to make refrigerator magnets. Add pom poms, glitter, googly eyes…

Marbelized Stationery

Materials: paper, shallow box, paint, jumbo marble
Place paper in bottom of box. Roll marble in paint (jumbos hold more paint). Drop marble in box and roll around, reapplying paint as necessary.

Necklaces

Version 1:
Materails: embroidery thread, gummy candies, gumdrops, yogurt-covered raisins….
Gummy candies or shaped gumdrops strung on a piece of embroidery cotton make cute necklaces.
Version 2:
Materials: cording, wooden cut-out, wooden beads
Paint the beads and cut-out and thread onto cording.

Note Holder

Materials: glue, ½" pom poms, wooden clothes pin, two googly eyes, magnet
Here's an easy caterpillar that can be used to hold notes to the refrigerator: Glue small 1/2" pompoms to one flat side of a wooden clothes pin. Glue two eyes at the mouth of the clothes pin and glue a magnet to the other flat side

Photo Frames

Version 1:
Materials: photo, cardboard, decorations (buttons, pasta, pom poms, sequins, shells, glitter, paint…)
Use cardboard to make a "card" with an extra piece on the outside to form the picture frame. Decorate the frame outside with pasta pieces, buttons, whatever they want… inside the child can write a message...using alphabet pasta to spell out the words.
Version 2:
Materials: photo, styrofoam meat trays, decorations (buttons, pasta, pom poms, sequins, shells, glitter, paint…)
Make picture frames using styrofoam meat trays. An adult will need to cut out the middle and then the kids can decorate them using markers, sequins, buttons, etc. They can be used as a frame for a polaroid picture to give to grandmas, etc. or a frame for art work.

Picture Luminaries

Materials: decorative napkins, glue, jar, salt, felt, votive candle
Cut pictures from decorative napkins. (If the napkins are two ply, separate the plies and only use the outside with the picture on it.) Paint thinned down glue (about the consistency of cream) on the jar where you want the picture and carefully smooth the picture in place. Let dry and then paint the entire jar with thinned glue. Pick up the jar by sticking your fingers inside and roll in salt. Let dry, then glue a piece of felt on the bottom. Put a votive candle inside and when the candle is lit, it will make the picture show through the "frosting" of salt.

Sachets

Materials: lace, potpourri, elastic bands, ribbon
Cut out 5" circles of lace (layer two or more if lace pattern is loose). Fill the center with potpourri, then gather edges up and wrap with rubber band to close. Tie ribbon around rubber band.

Scrubber

Materials: tulle netting, raw oatmeal, grated soap flakes, food flavorings, rubber band, ribbon
Take scraps of tulle netting (the fine stuff) and mix raw oatmeal, grated soap flakes, and food flavorings in a bowl. Place a dollop of the mix on the netting, gather it up tightly with a rubber band, and add a nice narrow ribbon.

Snowglobes

Materials: baby food jar with lid, glue, small figure or mini ornament, glitter, silicone, water, ribbon
Glue a small figure to the inside of the lid, put some glitter in the jar, smear a dab of silicone around the rim of the inside of the lid, add water to the jar, screw on the lid and let sit until the silicone has time to dry. Turn it over and glue ribbon around the lid. Shake to make it snow.