wooden tangram tutorial July 22nd, 2010 I’m sure you know what a tangram is but didn’t know it was called a tangram (when I looked it up, I think I might have typed, “that clever triangle-y puzzle thing”). If you’ve never even seen one, well then: it’s sort of a puzzle and sort of a game that involves five triangles, one square, and one parallelogram. The objective is to figure out how to make a given shape, which is shown only in silhouette, using the pieces and not overlapping any. My kids and I had a blast just playing around with the shapes and seeing what we could make. Materials: balsa wood (or sturdy cardboard, foam core, or actual wood wood, but you will need different tools for cutting the wood)a sharp pencilrulerexact-o knifefine grit sandpaperpaint brush and paint (optional) Directions: 1. 2. 3. 6. 7. You can even make a little cute box for your new tangram set to go in.
Homemade playdough Making playdough is so much more fun than buying it. Making it is half the fun in playing with it! I found this awesome easy recipe at Homemade Mamas. 1 cup flour 1/2 cup salt 2 Tbsp. oil 2 tsp. cream of tartar 1 cup water food coloring Mix all of the ingredients together in pot (nonstick if you have it). Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently until it forms a ball. Turn out onto counter, let cool, then knead a few times. A few things to keep in mind: Make sure you mix all the ingredients before you put it over heat. I added the food coloring after the playdough was cooked and removed from the pan.
Sponge Water Bombs This post is part of a series created for Positively Splendid. It aired last week, and I’m reprinting it on my blog for all of you. When I think of summer, I think of two things: HOT and “Ohmygoshhh, the kids are going to be home for how many months?”. What better way to survive the Heat and the Kids then with WATER! Sponge Water Bombs are a favorite summer must have here at the Hepworth house. Nothing beats a hot day like a good ol’ fashioned Water Fight, and these Sponge Bombs are sure to get everyone good and wet! These fun Sponge Water Bombs are so easy to make you won’t even believe your eyes. I found them at Target, but I’ve seen them everywhere from the Grocery Store to the Dollar Store. Even cleanup is a cinch. Have a fun, wet and wild summer! Thanks, Amy, for inviting me to share a fun summer idea with your readers!
How to Make a Hula Hoop How to Make a Collapsible Hoop: Since I've been getting quite a few requests for collapsible hoop-making instructions lately, here are the basics. In addition to what you need to make a regular hoop, to make a collapsible, you need: Four connectors per hoop instead of oneBulk bungee corduncoated coat hanger wirea power sander (or a lot of patience)several pairs of pliers and several hands Fair warning on two points: First, sanding down the connectors produces plastic dust that you do not want in your eyes or lungs. Here's how it works: Measure off a length of tubing to your desired hoop size, and cut. Heat one end of each of the four tubes, and slide the non-sanded ends of the connectors into each, up to the halfway point, leaving the sanded ends sticking out. You should be able to pull the hoop apart with some effort, but when spinning at top speed it should stay together.
Make your own Magnetic Paper Dolls (and a fabric cover for your metal base) Thank you for such kindness and sympathy towards my last post. My grandmother will be greatly missed. And we’re all doing perfectly well. She’s one happy lady right now. :) I have been a little set back with holiday prep, due to my trip to CA. Anyway, I was walking through some store, some day (haha…..I can’t remember specifically because I’ve seen them several places), and a set of magnetic dress up dolls caught my eye. So while at Hobby Lobby, I saw a little book of paper dolls (over by the coloring books) and decided that $4 (plus a bit more for the other supplies) was way better than $30…..if I just took the time to make them myself. And before I explain any further…….my original plan was to find some cute boy paper dolls and make one of these for my little guy too. Anyway, the book of paper dolls worked perfectly for this project. And I don’t want my little lady to lose any of her pieces……so I made a little fabric cover. My little girl loves to imagine. She’ll love this. Supplies:
Bear: Tutorial and Pattern Last week I showed you one of the projects I’ve being working on. I wanted to make something really special for our wedding photographers, so as a Thank you present I made 2 little bears for their son and daughter. Now that I actually finished and shipped the teddy bears, I didn’t want to just show you how it turned out, I also I wanted to share the pattern and some basic instructions on how to assemble. So gather your materials! and get ready to make your very own teddy bear! IMPORTANT: This project is not for beginners, and if you have never made stuffed animals and are not familiar with patterns, I would recommend you to start with a more simple project and attempt this teddy bear once you have the skills and patience to put together pattern pieces and are familiar with your sewing machine (if you are not fully hand-stitching it). First you need to download the pattern (I printed my pattern on cardboard so that way the process of tracing to the fabric will be easier.)
Il me va comme un gant ! : Nain.de.Jardin Et pour cause... C'en est un ! Le Mâm' Sca'lett du gant, vous connaissez ? Après le doudou chaussette, une idée qui fait un pied de nez aux mitaines enrhumées ! Nonnn... Une idée à croquer, née sous les doigts agiles de Miyako Kanamori. Où comment recycler tout en douceur l'ultime gant de Poupette, gardé dans l'hypothétique espoir d'un retour de son jumeau... Et de vos mains agiles rendre vie à cet esseulé. Un doudou doigts doux. ***Nain.de.Jardin***