Egg carton owl craft

This is a little craft project for a rainy day (or a boring morning). All you need is an empty egg carton some paint and maybe a feather or two.

Here is a very good instruction on how to make your own:

Source: http://repurposedplayground.blogspot.hk

We had a lot of fun making our little owl and it turned out really cool I think!

DIY Teatime

We just made this cute little teaset craft. The inspiration came from a picture I had seen on Pinterest. Bonpoint - the French fashion label - had one for sale. Here is what it looks like:

Source: http://pinterest.com/

First I thought we could do this from paper mache but then I came up with the idea to use party cups and plates. I found small cups for nuts that I used for the cups and to match the plates I just cut circles out of bigger ones. Then we sticked small origami paper circles inside the cups and in the middle of the plates. We also made little spoons from cardboard paper. We just lay spoons on the paper and draw along the outline and then cut them. It was a nice little craft and my daughter is playing a lot with the tea set now.

DIY: Washing machine

We have been busy with crafting lately. Here is another summer fun project. A washing machine made of a cardboard box. First I taped the open side of the box. Then I painted it white with wall paint. Next I used a plate to draw the door and then cut it open with a carpet knife. I also cut a rectangular hole for the washing powder loader which is made of a rectangular tin. I also added a program wheel made of a jar lid. I just punched a hole in the middle and used a brad to fix it to the box. Then came decorations with stickers, tape and colour pens. My daughter was watching every step and took hold of the new toy as soon as I put the last sticker on it. Since then we had quite a few wash days in our living room...

DIY Needlefelting: Make a Bambi

Hello! I am Bambi. I am made of 100 % wool. The other ingredients you'll need are a felting needle and a sponge. Shape the body with the wool (roll it in your hands to form woolen balls for the body and the head, make sausages for the legs) and then start punching the felting needle into the wool (put the sponge underneath so that you won't punch holes into your desk). Now see how the felt starts to form. You'll have to punch for quite a while though... You'll need a good amount of felting (sheep) wool to make a nice dense structure so that the bambi can stand on it's own feet. Once the bambi is more or less ready you can use hot water and soap to continue the felting process. Rub the soap into the body and start rolling and squeezing the bambi. The felt will get more dense like that. Once you are satisfied with the result use warm water to rinse thoroughly. Embroider eyes, nose and mouth and have a contented look at your work!

DIY: Car playmat to go

I made this car playmat from two no longer used fabric napkins and a few other fabric scraps. First step was to sew the two napkins together. Therefore I cut the seam on one side of both napkins and sew the two napkins together. The new seam is covered with black ribbon (or bias tape). Then I cut decorations from the fabric scraps. Flowers, birds, dragon flies, clouds and little houses. I spread them over the playmat and appliqued them with a zig-zag stitch. Then I added a little 'garage' for the toy cars and some wooden play signs. It was made from a rectangular piece of fabric. The open side has a bias tape hem. I fixed the rectangle on the sides and divided it with seams to form four little pockets. Last came the streets. I painted them with fabric paint and fabric markers. And afterwards I stitched the outlines with black thread. Add three cars and a few signs for playing and then roll and fold the mat and put it in a small drawstring bag. Now you are ready to go and play!

DIY: Tassel necklace

I made this little tassel necklace for my daughter. You will need a bit of cotton yarn and thread for the tassel. Just wind the yarn around two fingers and then cut one end open. Fix the other end with the yarn. That's your tassel. Put a nice string through the hole, add some beads and buttons or other deco objects and close the string with simple knots on each end. Like this you can make it wider and tighter as you like.

DIY: Simple leather tote

Here comes my new yellow leather tote. I made it for my birthday. A gift to myself so to say... It's very simple. Just eight rectangles (20 cm x 23 cm) that are put together to make the front and the back. Then you need two more rectangles (10 cm  x height of the bag) for the sides plus one rectangle (10 cm x width of the bag) for the bottom. The handles are made of another two rectangles (8 cm x 80 cm).
You start with the front and the back. Start sewing two pieces together and repeat this until all pieces are used up. Then put two of the new pieces together for the front and the same for the back. The seams show to the outside. Then sew the sides to the bottom piece (seams go inside this time). Now sew the new sides to the front (seams on the inside). Do the same with the back. Now you need to work on the handles. Fold them over and sew along the edge leaving 10 cm open on both sides. Open the ends of the handles and put them flat against the inside of the bag. Fix the handles with a horizontal seam. Voila that's it. Enjoy your new masterpiece!