Make a Junk-Mail Flower Collage!

Collage A

Collage B

Instead of dumping the Junk-Mail, cut it up and make a flower collage! 

I used a clothing catalogue, which had such a large range of shades and hues, it was hard to decide which colours I wanted to use...

You will need...
A4 Card

Junk-Mail (or magazine / comic / newspaper)

Buttons (one for each flower) Or just use contrasting colours, cut out from paper, card or felt.
Glue

Double sided sticky pads or glue dots (to attach the buttons and bow)

Thread (I used waxed thread) - Optional (Collage B)

Bow - Optional (Collage B)

Acrylic Paint or Felt Tip Pen - Optional (Collage A)

Die Cutting Machine (Collage A) Optional - use the Flower Template instead


I have made two collages - the one on the black card (Collage A) - I painted the stems with white acrylic paint - like this...

and then I cut out my flowers using my Big Shot Die Cutter - however if you don't have access to a Die Cutting Machine, then use these Flower Templates, which is what I used for the collage with the cream card (Collage B).

Click here for your flowers templates

How to Do It...

Cut out you flowers as detailed above.

Paint the stems if desired (Collage A)

Place your flowers on the card and when you are happy with your layout, stick them on.

Then place a button in the centre of each flower and attach them on using a double sided pad or a glue dot.

If you haven't painted your stems you can use thread, (Collage B) and if you like add a bow!

I am sure you will come up with many variations of this collage - just use your imagination and create your own design!

Enjoy being creative...! 

Valentine Heart Streamers - Tutorial

 

Its that time of the year again! 

Valentine's Day when hearts are everywhere as we celebrate love...!

So if you want to join in the fun of creating your own hearts, with your groups or maybe with your school class or your own children, here is a very simple way of making Valentine streamers.

You will need...

Thin card - One A4 sheet each of white and red card made 7 large and 10 smaller hearts

Stapler

How to make...

Cut your card into strips - 

Larger heart - my strips are 1.5 x 21cm (cut across the width of the A4 sheet)

Smaller heart is created by reducing the length of the strips - so 1.5 x 16cm

Staple four strips together at one end

Take the two outer strips and bend them downwards to meet at the bottom point of your first heart. 

Hold them together and add two more strips - one on either  side. 

Staple these four strips together and then bend down the two outer strips to form your second heart.

Repeat until you have made enough Valentine Hearts for your desired length of streamer. 

It's so easy and great fun to see them popping into shape!

Hope you enjoy making Valentine Heart Streamers and spreading the love!

How to Make Felt Valentine Hearts - Tutorial & Templates

Valentine's Day on 14th February - time to make Felt Valentine Hearts!

They can be hung on a door handle or placed in a wardrobe....for a delightful waft of lavender amongst your clothes...! 

What a lovely Valentine gift for you to make! 

Here is the tutorial - with printable heart templates...

You will need... 💗💗💗

Felt (you will need approx 2 x A4 sizes of main colour and scraps of contrasting colour)

Embroidery thread

Button

Ribbon or cord to make hanging loop

Stuffing - we used Polyester Fibre Toy Stuffing

Lavender Oil (or any perfumed oil) Optional

To Make... 💗💗💗

Print out the template... Here are the Heart Templates

Cut out two of the large hearts and one each of the smaller hearts.

Attach the two small hearts with a button on top, onto one large felt heart.

Attach your looped ribbon to the top of the other large felt heart.

Stitch the two large hearts together - use either blanket stitch or just a running loop stitch, leaving a gap to insert your stuffing (with, if desired, a few drops of perfumed oil)

Stitch up the gap and you're done! 💗💗💗

These felt hearts are easy to make and are not only for Valentines Day - 

they really are Anytime Hearts!

Quiz - "Songs ... Fill in the Colours!" Printable with Answers

Time for a Quiz I think - the weather is typically January, so we need to keep busy indoors...!

So here it is with "Answers" for you to print out - Enjoy!

Quiz - Songs ... Fill in the Colours!

If you want more quizzes - have a look at my eBook 

41 Easy Quizzes with Answers 

Wishing you all a positive and peaceful 2023

Let's all make it a better year than 2022!

Printable Santa Template - For Tree Hangings - Tutorial

If you want to make your own Santas - here is the link to download and print the Santa Template - print straight onto thin card if you can and then colour-in and cut out the six parts. 

Attach the arms and legs with paper clips (Brads) and then glue a flat lolly stick behing the body, with about an inch sticking out at the top. 

Attach Santa's head to this with a double-sided sticky pad. 

Add a loop and hang him on the Christmas Tree! 

Cotton wool beards and glitter can be added if so desired!

Craft at Mencap Braintree - with Christmas Carols, Tea and Donuts!

Click on the Christmas button above to find all the other Christmas Craft on my Blog...

Quiz - Match the Collective Noun to the Animal - Free Printable Quiz!

 

A new quiz for you to enjoy with your groups - 

Ten common animals to match to their Collective Noun!

Here is the link - Click and Print! Quiz - Collective Nouns

Hope you enjoy this Free Printable Quiz - Collective Nouns!

If you would like more quizzes 

please have a look at my eBook - 41 Easy Printable Quizzes

Halloween Buttons!

 

A very easy Halloween Button craft to do with your groups...

What you need...

A4 sheet of card for background 

Yellow or orange card for your pumpkin 

Black buttons for your spiders and orange etc for the pumpkin

Glue stick 

Black felt tip pen 

How to make...

Print out your pumpkin - here is the Pumpkin Template 

With thanks to One Little Project for this free template!

Print your Halloween word - Halloween Template

Cut out both of these templates and stick them onto your A4 card

Stick your coloured buttons onto the pumpkin and scatter and stick the black buttons around the card

Draw on the spider legs...

Have a Happy and Scary Halloween...!! 

Tutorial - Lollipop Halloween Spiders and Ghosts!

  




Lollipop Halloween Spiders and Ghosts were great fun to make!

Lollipop Halloween Spider

You will need...

A lollipop on a stick

4 pipe cleaners (chenille craft stems)

2 Googly eyes (we used 7mm) 

Double sided sticky pads

 How to make... 
 
Fold each pipe cleaner in half and twist the centre once around the stick of the lollipop, making a leg on either side - eight legs in all. 

Push the legs up towards the round lolly "body" and attach a small double sided sticky pad to keep them in place and on this pad attach the googly eyes.

Lollipop Halloween Ghost

You will need... 

A lollipop on a stick

A piece of old sheeting (or you can use tissue paper) about 25 to 30cms square

Ribbon - we used black, purple orange and yellow - 3mm width

A Loom Band or small elastic band

Black felt tip pen

A plastic straw (optional)

How to make...

Place the round lollipop in the centre of the white sheeting and fix around the head with a small elastic band. 

Tie ribbons around the neck and draw a face with your black pen. 

As the lollipop sticks are short in length, we used the plastic straw as an extension! 

Our groups at Mencap loved this easy, fun craft...

Have fun at Halloween...!
 

Paper Plate Dream Catcher Tutorial - Easy and fun to make!

These Paper Plate Dream Catchers are great fun to make and easy for any age and ability...

You will need... 

A good quality paper plate -  needs to be rigid enough to keep its shape

A length of Yarn - we Used Cotton Yarn DK - 2.5m plus 2 or 3 pieces for the dangles - each about 40cms long - Also about 30cms to make a tag to hang it.

Beads with large holes - we used Pony Beads

Feathers - dyed ones available at craft shops

Colouring-in pens or paints

Punch to make holes 

Sticky Tape

How to make... 

Cut out the centre of the plate.

Punch holes around the inside hole as per photo - about 2.5cm apart - no need to measure - don't have to accurate!

Working on the "bottom" surface of the plate - colour or paint the decoration - our plates had ridges which added to the effect!

Take your long piece of yarn and secure one end with sticky tape to the inside of the plate.

Thread the yarn through the holes - back and forth - no fixed pattern - just as you like! When about two thirds through, thread some beads onto the yarn (see photo above) 

When all the holes are used up, secure the end again with sticky tape, on the inside of the plate.

Punch a hole centre top and make a loop to hang up your Dream Catcher.

Punch two or three holes along bottom edge for dangles...

Tie a bead about a third of the way down on your yarn - then thread beads onto the longer piece above the tied bead.

Thread the end of this yarn, above the beads, through the punched hole and secure with sticky tape inside the plate.

Repeat with other one or two dangles.

Tie feathers onto the ends of yarn below the beads.

Sweet Dreams!

Nicola with her Dream Catcher

Andy painted his Dream Catcher with Acrylics

 

Harry Potter Pop-Ups - Tutorials

 After a visit to London's "Harry Potter's World" our Craft Group at Mencap were keen to colour-in some Harry Potter characters - loads to find online and printable.

So we decided to use them to create some more Pop-Up pages...

See our previous Pop-Ups - Frozen & Monsters

For an excellent tutorial on how to make Pop-Ups have a look here...

Extreme Paper Making - Pop-up Basics

Here are some more we made...

 So easy to do and who doesn't love Po-Ups! 

Have a go - instead of just sticking pictures into your scrapbooks - make them

 POP-UP!

Painting Wild Flowers with Wet Watercolours!

This is a very exciting way to paint wild flowers, as you never know what you will end up with!

As you are painting watercolours "Wet on Wet" (wet paint on wet paper) it does its own thing - great fun and easy to do, so very suitable for your groups. 

And you get great results, even for the "un-artistic"!

You will need...

Watercolour paper (as you are wetting the paper, you will need watercolour paper - anything else won't work!)

Watercolour paints

Brushes

Black pen - waterproof ink. (I used Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.8, but any similar will do)

Get ready...

Mix your paints before you wet your paper.

I mixed green (2 separate shades - one darker)

Flower colours - I mixed Yellow (2 shades) and Crimson

Wet your paper by brushing over with clean water.

Wait a few minutes and then using a large brush, wash on the lighter green with upward strokes and feather the top edge. 

While still wet, apply the dark green - let some of the light green show through.

Next - check if your paper is still wet - if not then re-wet the top of your picture. (careful not to go into the green area)

Then apply the colours you have prepared - just load the brush with paint and then touch the paper and the paint will spread by itself.

Put different size blobs of the different colours - in random order (these are wild flowers - not planted in rows!!)

Lastly, take your brush and flick (hold the brush parallel to the paper and tap it sharply, with your finger, just below the bristles) small blobs of paint randomly over the whole picture. 

Do this with all your different flower colours.

Let it dry thoroughly (I use my hair dryer on low heat to speed up the drying process)

Once the paint is dry, take your pen and draw in your flowers. 

Try to draw freely - don't be too precise - the paint is not precise, so the drawing too must be "Random"!

To make it look natural, have some flowers "side view".

Scribble in grass at the bottom, over the green area. Stand back and admire your work...!

Have fun!

Make a Felt Wall Hanging - Sunbonnet Sue, Bunny and Flowers! Printable Templates!

 

Some years ago I purchased the Sunbonnet Sue pattern and I have now decided it was time to create a new Felt Wall-Hanging - Sunbonnet Sue, Bunny and Flowers -  which you can all make at home or with your groups!

About Sunbonnet Sue - Bertha Corbett Melcher is credited as a creator of the Sunbonnet designs. She illustrated children's Primer books in the early 1900s. Her book, “The Sunbonnet Babies” was published in 1900. In this book she depicted girls with their faces hidden by their bonnets.

I have given you a tutorial of my Sunbonnet Sue Wall-Hanging, but you can add or take away any of the embellishments - have fun and be creative...!

You will need...

One A4 sheet of felt for background

Scraps of felt for Sunbonnet Sue, Bunny and Flowers

A string of daisy trimming - or whatever you have 

Buttons for flowers and bonnet

Cotton wool tail and googly eye for bunny - 

Fabric glue or double sided tape to attach tail and eye

Embroidery thread for stitching

Ribbon and a wooden dowel to hang 

How to make it...

Print the pattern / template of Sunbonnet Sue and Bunny and Flowers

Sunbonnet Sue Template

Bunny and Flowers Template

Cut out your Sunbonnet Sue, Bunny and Flowers from your felt

Taking your A4 background felt, turn over a hem of about 2cm along the long edge and stitch down

Turn your A4 felt over and attach Sunbonnet Sue one layer at a time, using a small running stitch, finishing with the bonnet

Attach the bunny, again using a small running stitch

 

Attach the flowers, by stitching them to the background with a button in the middle of each one. 

Attach a cotton wool tail to the bunny and an eye, using fabric glue or double sided tape

Stitch the daisy trim along the top as in the photo

I attached a button on the bonnet as well as a few single daisies from the daisy trim scattered around.

Slip your wooden dowel into the top channel, tie on your ribbon and you will have a Sunbonnet Sue Wall-Hanging to make everyone smile...!

Four Platinum Jubilee Place Mats - Free Download, Print & Colour-in!

If you are joining in with the Platinum Jubilee Sunday lunch (5 June 2022) - at home or in your street - why not prepare Place Mats for you and your family and guests!

Here are four different Platinum Jubilee Place Mats - get out those paints or crayons and get the kids or your groups busy!

Enjoy the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, wherever you are! 

Four days 2 - 5 June 2022...

70 YEARS - God Save the Queen!