Kid Craft: Clothespin Alligator, Snake, and Turtle

AUGUST 9, 2016 BY JENNIFER & KITTY O'NEIL LE AVE A COMMENT

Make a super fun set of clothespin critters including a clothespin alligator, a clothespin turtle, and a polka
dot clothespin snake! These clothespin critters are so fun because the clothespin action makes their
mouths open. We were thinkingwhat other critters could you make? Maybe a dog or a even a horse if
you gave it longer legs!

How To Make The Clothespin Alligator

Materials For The Clothespin Alligator
1 wooden clothespin
1 green pipe cleaner
1 sheet of green paper
2 googly eyes, 7mm
green craft paint
white craft glue
foam paintbrush
scissors
ruler

Steps To Make The Clothespin Alligator

1. Paint the clothespin green.
2. Cut a strip of green paper the same width as the clothespin and about twice as long. Start 1 from the
end and fold the green paper back and forth like an accordion to make the alligators spiny back. Glue the
first inch of the green paper to the top of the clothespin at the mouth end. Glue the other end to the tail.
3. Cut the pipe cleaner in half. Glue one half inside the open clothespin. Fold the ends back to the center
and close the clothespin. Shape into legs. Glue the other half into the other end of the clothespin to make
another set of legs.

4. Glue on the googly eyes.

Hissin Snake: Paint a clothespin red, add a yellow paper tongue, and glue on hole-punched paper dots.
Snappin Turtle: Cut a circle of green paper for a shell and add triangles of light green paper on top.

How To Make Your Own Owl Cell Phone Sleeve

Materials & Tools
1 Sheet of felt in each of these colors: turquoise, orange, yellow, purple, and magenta
2 Buttons, lime green, 3/4
Beacons Fabri-Tac Glue
Scissors
Ruler

Steps
1. Lay your phone on a sheet of turquoise felt. Cut a rectangle of turquoise felt 1 inch larger than your
phone all the way around. This will be the back of the sleeve.

2. Cut an owl shape out of turquoise felt for the front of the sleeve. (Draw your own owl or use the
template.) Next, cut 2 big circles out of orange felt and 2 smaller circles out of yellow felt for eyes. Cut 2
purple felt wings, 2 magenta felt wings, and 1 yellow felt bill.
3. Glue the purple wings onto the owl shape. Glue the magenta wings onto the purple wings. Make eyes
by gluing the yellow circles onto the orange circles. Glue a button onto each eye, then glue the eyes on
the owl.
4. Turn the owl over and put a line of glue along the bottom and along the side edges of the owl. Flip your
owl over and press him onto the turquoise rectangle from step 1, so the owl makes a pocket. Then flip him
back over and slide your phone inside. When it rings, asks Whoooooooo is it?!

Hula Girl Clothespin Dolls

JULY 12, 2016 BY JENNIFER & KITTY O'NEIL LE AVE A COMMENT

Say aloha to summer fun with beachy Hawaiian Hula Girl Clothespin Dolls! These darling clothespin dolls
are made from the old fahsioned clothespins the ones without a spring. You can find them in craft stores
with unfinished wood items. To make the hula skirts we used raffia. Well show you how we tied the knots.
Its fun!

How To Make Hula Girl Clothespin Dolls

Materials For One Hula Girl
1 wooden doll clothespin
2 green rhinestones, 2mm
1 magenta self-adhesive flower gem, 1/2
5 pink and purple self-adhesive flower gems, 5/8
natural raffia
brown satin ribbon, 1/8 wide
tan satin ribbon, 1/8 wide
turquoise satin ribbon, 3/8 wide
tan craft paint
pink paint pen
white craft glue
foam paintbrush
toothpick
scissors
ruler

Steps To Make One Hula Girl

1. Paint the clothespin tan. Let it dry.
2. To make the grass skirt, cut a 6 piece of tan ribbon. Cut 20 pieces of raffia 10 long. Fold each piece of
raffia in half and attach to the ribbon with a hoop-knot.

Knot Know-How: Making a hoop-knot is easy! Just fold a piece of raffia in half. Pinch a U-shape at the
folded end. Bend the U-shape over the ribbon and slide the other ends through the U. Pull tight.

Then tie the grass skirt ribbon around the waist of the clothespin.
3. For the hula girls top, wrap a piece of turquoise ribbon around the body and glue in the back.
4. To add the hair, cut 6 pieces of brown ribbon. Glue the ribbons onto the head to make the hair in the
back. Cut longer pieces of ribbon and glue across the top of the head to make the top and sides of the
hair. Trim the ends.
5. Glue 2 rhinestone eyes on the face (use a tiny bit of glue on a toothpick!). For the lips, draw a little heart
on the face with the paint pen.
6. Create a flower necklace lei by sticking on the small flower gems. Finish the hula girl by sticking the
large flower gem onto one side of her head, like a flower over her ear. Now shes ready to dance the hula!
Weve loved making clothespin dolls since we were kids. Weve made a Frozen princess, flower fairies,
and even black cat dolls for Halloween. Arent they fun!?
Jennifer & Kitty

111111111111111111111111111111111

Make A Frozen Princess Clothespin Doll

DECEMBER 27, 2014 BY JENNIFER & KITTY O'NEIL LEAVE A COMMENT

This darling Frozen princess clothespin doll wears a dress and cape made from coffee filters! Perfect craft
for a little girl!

Tools & Materials

1 Loew-Cornell Woodsies doll clothespin
Optional: doll clothespin stand
2 Basket-style coffee filters, 8 diameter
Silver rickrack, 1/2
Plaid FolkArt Acrylic Paint: Light Flesh #229, Metallic Blue #670, Disco Crystal Glitter
Paint #2963
Satin cord, 1/8, ivory
Snowflake stickers
2 Self-adhesive rhinestones, 2mm, blue
Pink paint pen
Glue dots
Foam paintbrush
Scissors
Scallop-edge scissors
Steps
1. Paint 2 coffee filters blue. Let dry. Paint over blue with glitter paint. Let dry. Paint the clothespin head

and neck flesh. Paint the body blue. Draw on lips with paint pen (we drew a little V to look like heartshaped lips). Stick on rhinestone eyes.
2. Fold one coffee filter in half, then in half again. Cut off 1 of the coffee filter end in scallop. Snip point
1/4 to create a hole in the center of the filter. Open up and slide onto the doll. Secure with glue dots.
Decorate with snowflake stickers. Fold the second filter in half. Trim the bottom edge 1. Fold straight
edge over. Glue the center to the back of the doll and fold the sides down as a cape. Decorate with
snowflake stickers.
3. Cut 8 pieces of satin cord, 6 long each. Glue dot the hair to the dolls head and sweep to side. Braid
and tie the end with a piece of cord. Trim the ends. Cut a 2 piece of rickrack and glue dot on as a tiara.
Decorate with a snowflake sticker. Glue dot another 2 piece of rickrack around the waist.
We love getting pinned!

Bottle Cap Bugs!

JULY 1, 2014 BY JENNIFER & KITTY O'NEIL LE AVE A COMMENT

Whats More Fun Than Bottle Cap Bugs?! Kids can make these cute critters from bottle caps and pipe
cleaners. Add a magnet and let them crawl up the fridge!

Materials
Bottle cap
Plaid Folk Art Enamels: Turquoise, Licorice, Engine Red, Yellow Citron
Black pipe cleaner cut into three 4 pieces
2 googly eyes, 8mm
Craft glue
2 squares of mounting tape, 1/2
3/4 flat button

Steps

1. Paint bottle cap turquoise. Let dry. Paint half of bottle cap black. Decorate turquoise part with black dots
or strips. Place bottle cap on aluminum-foil coverd cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes
to cure the paint.

2. Glue eyes to bottle cap on black section.

3. Fold pipe cleaners into legs. Press a piece of mounting tape into bottom of bottle cap. Stick center of
legs to the mounting tape. Cover with second piece of moutning tape. Place button on top.

Kid Craft: Ribbon and Button Bracelet

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 BY JENNIFER & KITTY O'NEIL LEAVE A COMMENT

Make an easy and colorful Ribbon and Button Bracelet with bright buttons! This is a fun craft for kids and
great to do at parties!

Materials To Make One Ribbon And Button Bracelet

5 big buttons
5 small buttons
Craft glue
12 grosgrain ribbon
Steps To Make One Ribbon And Button Bracelet
1. We think this is a fun craft to raid your button stash! Dump out your jar of buttons and find 5 big colorful
buttons. Then pick out five small buttons. Make sure the small buttons fit on top of the big buttons. Glue
the small buttons onto the big buttons.
2. Glue the big buttons to the ribbon. Let dry! You can do more than five buttons if they fit. Just make sure
you can still fit the bracelet around your wrist. This bracelet is also cute with just one big button in the
center.
3. Instead of putting a clasp on this one we decided to leave the ends of the ribbon. So have Mom tie the
ends of the bracelet in a bow on your wrist! Then make another one. Stack the bracelets up for an arm
party!

Kid Craft! Turning Turkey Pinwheels

NOVEMBER 25, 2013 BY LEAVE A COMMENT

Turkey Pinwheels are as much fun to make as they are to play with!

Materials
1 Sheet of colorful, 2-sided scrapbook paper
Construction paper in brown, red, and yellow
2 googly eyes, 10mm
Drinking straw
1 straight pin
7 beads, red, 6/0
Doublestick tape
Scotch tape
Craft glue
Glue stick
Scissors
Ruler

Steps
1. Cut a 6 square of two-sided paper. Fold corner to corner, then cut slits about an inch from the center
using scissors. Fold every other tip into the center and tape down with doublestick tape.
2. Cut a large circle and a small circle out of brown craft paper. Glue the small one onto the large one
using the glue stick. Cut out a red turkey waddle and glue it on, followed by a yellow triangle for the bill.
Glue on the googly eyes using the craft glue.
3. Poke the straight pin through 1 bead, through the top of the turkeys bill, through 3 beads, through the
center of the pinwheel, through 3 more beads, and into the drinking straw. Bend the end down and tape it
with Scotch tape. Then watch that turkey shake its tail feathers.

Kid Craft! Tommy The Turkey Centerpiece

NOVEMBER 27, 2013 BY LEAVE A COMMENT

Make Tommy The Turkey the center of attention at your Thanksgiving table!

To make his head and body, cut a three-inch and a six-inch Styrofoam ball in half and paint them brown.
(Plaids Apple Barrel paint works great on Styrofoam!) Poke a toothpick halfway into the top of the body
and stick the head on top. Cut big feathers out of red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple craft foam, then
glue them together alternating colors. Attach the tail-feathers to the body with hot glue. Decorate the
feathers with shaped sequins. Stick toothpicks halfway into a mini hay bale and stick the body on top.
Give your turkey big googly eyes and a craft foam bill and waddle. To make each leg, twist four gold pipe
cleaners together and bend the ends into toes. Hot glue the legs under the body and bend the knees.
Make a sign out of construction paper, alphabet stickers, and a craft stick. Gobble gobble!

Summertime Pompom Animals

JULY 10, 2013 BY JENNIFER & KITTY O'NEIL LE AVE A COMMENT

Make your own pompom animals like a chipmunk, squirrel, fox, bunny, mouse, and bird. When youre not
playing with them, you can carry them in their little garden tote!

What Youll Need for Chipmunk & Garden Tote

Empty Pringles can with lid
12 x 12 sheet brown paper
1 sheet light green paper

1 sheet dark green paper

double-stick tape
Beacons Tacky Craft Glue
Flower stickers
Brown ribbon
scissors
brown, white, pink felt
1 brown pompom
2 googly eyes, 10 mm
triangle head can opener
ruler
What To Do
1. To make the chipmunk, cut a 2 x 1 rounded tail out of brown felt. Cut a squiggly stripe out of white
felt and glue it onto the tail. Glue the tail onto the back of the brown pompom.
2. To make ears, cut 2 triangles out of brown felt and 2 smaller triangles out of pink felt. Glue the pink
triangles onto the brown triangles. Make a part in the pompom fur and glue the edge of each ear inside.
3. Glue on the googly eyes.
4. To make the Garden Tote, wrap the brown paper around the can and tape it in place. Trim the
overlapping paper. Poke a hole in the lid and the bottom of the canister with the can opener. Poke the
ribbon ends into each hole and tie a knot in each end.
5. Set the can on its side. Cut out 2 bush shapes from the light green paper and a bigger bush shape from
the dark green paper. Tape them onto the can. Decorate the bushes with flower stickers.
The Pocket Pals
To make the mouse, use a gray pompom and make pink and purple felt ears and a purple felt tail.
To make the squirrel, cut out a tan squiggly tail and glue it onto a tan pompom.
To make the fox, cut a flame-shaped tail out of orange felt and use a red pompom.
To make the bunny, use a white pompom and cut long pink and white ears.
For the bird, use a blue pompom and add turquoise felt wings and a yellow bill.

Pompom Turkey Friends

NOVEMBER 19, 2012 BY LEAVE A COMMENT

This goofy gobbler is so cute, youll want to make a whole flock! Start by cutting feathers out of orange,
red, and brown craft foam, then glue them together to make a fanned-out tail. Glue a brown pompom to
the feathers to make the poufy body. Cut out a pair of yellow craft foam feet and glue the pompom body
on top. Glue on googly eyes and a yellow craft foam bill. Now thats one quirky turkey!

Grateful Gobbler
NOVEMBER 15, 2012 BY LEAVE A COMMENT

This turkey book is a great craft for kids on Thanksgiving Day!

Make this fun, fanned turkey book to show friends and family what youre grateful for!
Materials
1 sheet red, orange, yellow, and brown paper, 8 x 11
1 brad
2 googly eyes,
adhesive foam tape
Tools
tacky glue
hole punch
pencil
scissors marker
1. Print and cut out the feather, head, body, beak, and waddle templates. Trace the feather template three
times on the red, yellow, and orange papers. Cut out the feathers. Trace the head and body shapes onto
the brown paper and cut them out. Trace and cut the beak from the yellow paper. Trace and cut the
waddle from the red paper.
2. Glue the googly eyes onto the turkeys head. Fold the beak in half and glue the bottom half to the
turkeys face. Glue the waddle to the back of the head so it hangs down from the turkeys neck.
3. Use a hole punch to punch a hole in the bottom of each feather. Punch a hole in the top of the turkey
body. Slide the brad through the body and all the feathers, then bend the ends of the brad back. Use a
piece of adhesive foam tape to attach the head to the top of the brad.

4. Use the marker to write what you are thankful for on each feather of the turkey!

Witchy Pinecone Owl

OCTOBER 27, 2011 BY 2 COMMENTS

Heres a fun Halloween

craft for kids. Collect pinecones from the yard and dress them up as witches! Make the hat and eyes from
craft foam or felt.

Set one by the front door to greet guests. Line up a row of them on your mantle. Or use them as placecard
holders for your Halloween party!

Meet The Mummies!

OCTOBER 25, 2012 BY JENNIFER & KITTY O'NEIL 1 COMMENT

Upcycle plastic bottles into a mummy family for Halloween! We used real gauze to create our little undead
family. Your trick-or-treaters will love that they glow in the dark!

How To Make The Mummy Family

Materials
2 plastic bottles, 1-liter size
1 plastic bottle, short and fat, 16 oz. (like a powdered coffee creamer)
1 plastic food storage container, 14 oz. (like a Ziploc Smart Seal small bowl)
2 Styrofoam balls, 5 diameter
2 Styrofoam balls, 4 diameter
1 old white sheet or 2 yards of muslin
3 rolls gauze, 4 wide or 2 yards cheesecloth
1 scrap of cardboard, 6 x 6
Martha Stewart Crafts Acrylic Craft Paint, Glow-In-Dark
1 craft foam sheet, purple
1 craft foam sheet, black
sand, beans, or pebbles (for weight)
Tools
2 large paper cups
5 paper plates
craft stick
foam paintbrush
white craft glue
scissors

Steps For Each Mummy

1. Remove the bottle cap. Add some sand, beans, or pebbles to the bottom of the bottle for weight. Poke
the neck of the bottle into the Styrofoam ball. (Use the 5 Styrofoam balls for the large bottles and the 4
ball for the short bottle.) You may need to scrape out some Styrofoam with scissors to make neck of the
bottle fit.
2. Tear the sheet into long strips about 1 to 2 wide. Make a watered-down glue mixture in the cup that is
half glue and half water. Dip a strip in the glue-water, squeeze off excess, and wrap it onto the bottle and
ball. Continue wrapping until the mummy is covered.
3. Cut the gauze into 2-wide strips. Wrap the mummy completely in gauze.
4. Dilute the Glow-In-Dark paint with water in a cup, mixing half paint and half water. Dab the paint-water
onto the mummy with a foam paintbrush. Stand the mummy on a paper plate to dry (as it will drip quite a
bit).
5. Cut two 1 circles out of purple craft foam. Cut four straight strips about 1 1/2 long our of black craft
foam. Crisscross two strips over each purple circle and glue in place. Glue onto the mummys face about
halfway down the head. Cut a semi-circle smile out of black craft foam and glue below the eyes.
Steps For Cat Mummy
1. Add some sand, beans, or pebbles to the plastic bowl for weight. Turn the bowl (lid on) upside down.
Make a slit in the top edge of the bowl with scissors. Poke one end of a craft stick into the 4 ball. Poke
the other end of the craft stick into the bowl.
2. Cut two triangle ears out of cardboard. Poke each ear into the top of the Styrofoam ball. Cut a tail
shape out of cardboard. Cut a slit in the side of the bowl and slide the tail in.
3. Dip strips of sheet in glue-water, squeeze off the excess, and wrap onto the bowl, head, ears, and tail.
Continue wrapping until the cat mummy is covered.
4. Cut gauze into 1 to 2-wide strips. Wrap the cat mummy completely in gauze.
5. Dab the Glow-In-Dark paint-water onto the cat mummy with a foam paintbrush. Stand the cat mummy
on a paper plate to dry.
6. Cut two 1 circles out of purple craft foam. Cut four straight strips about 1 1/2 long. Crisscross two
strips over each purple circle and glue in place. Glue on the cat mummys face about halfway down the
head. Cut a small circle nose out of black craft foam and glue under the eyes.
We love getting pinned!