Father's Day Craft

For anyone who has a father in their family that loves DIY stuff...this is perfect for them!


Car Nut Frame
By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Very Easy
Age: 5 and up
Parental supervision is recommended







What you'll need:
Small wooden frame
Black acrylic paint
Washers and bolts
Permanent adhesive glue (recommended: GemTac jewel glue)
Photograph of you

How to make it:
Remove glass from frame.
Paint frame black and let dry.
Use permanent adhesive glue to decorate outside of frame with nuts and washers. Let dry completely.
Insert a family photo and the glass into the frame.

Tips:
Get nuts and washers from Dad’s toolbox with his permission or have Mom buy them at a local hardware store.
Try to find a photograph that shows you riding your toy car or helping Dad in the driveway.
GemTac is glue that is specially made for attaching jewels and glass to other surfaces. You can also use Super Glue

http://crafts.kaboose.com/car-nut-frame.html

Feel free to post a comment with a picture if you try this one!!

Family Activity - Tumblebugs

I love going to Family Fun's website to find new craft ideas. I'm not a very crafty person, but many of the ideas on this website and in their magazine are easy enough for even me!

This week we are going to make some Tumblebugs.

Set these little critters on an incline and watch them cartwheel a beeline to the bottom. The secret to their antics is a marble rolling around inside.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Scissors
Card stock
2 nickels
Tacky glue
Toothpick
Marble (1 for each bug)
Black marker
Colored tissue paper
Glue stick
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. For each bug, cut a 5-1/2- by 3/4-inch strip of card stock and two 1 3/4- by 7/8-inch card stock ovals.
2. To make an oval, lay 2 nickels side by side on the card stock and trace around them, connecting the top and bottom.
3. Glue the strip into a loop, overlapping the ends by an inch. Pinch it or use a paper clip to hold it together while the glue dries. Next, use a toothpick to line one edge of the loop with glue, then set the loop on top of an oval.
4. When the glue dries, place a marble inside. Line the edge of the loop with glue and press the other oval on top.
5. Once all the glue is dry, use a marker to add a face and other features. Cut out a couple of 2-inch-long wings from tissue paper and use the glue stick to attach them to the top of your bug.

Instructions can also be found on the Family Fun website here.

Have fun and feel free to leave a comment with a picture of your tumblebugs. If you have any thoughts on what you would like to see posted for a family craft or idea, feel free to drop me an email!

Family Activity 4/4/09

As a contributor with Sited and Blogged, I am going to start a twice monthly posting (every other Saturday) about a family activity or craft. To start this off, I'm going to post a great idea from the Family Fun website.

A Herd of Eggimals

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Plastic Easter eggs
Tiny pom-poms
Felt
Crafter's Pick The Ultimate glue or hot glue
Black permanent marker
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. To make the felt features for your critters, you can download our template. We used Crafter's Pick The Ultimate glue (hot glue also works well) to attach the pieces to the eggs and a black permanent marker to draw the face details.

2. Pig: Curl a 4-inch piece of pipe cleaner around a pen to make the tail, then glue it in place.

3. Mouse: For its tail, glue on a 3-inch length of yarn, knotted at the end.

4. Skunk: First glue the rear half of the stripe to the tail, then glue the tail and front of the stripe to the body.

Thanks to the Family Fun Magazine for this wonderful idea!