DIY Sugar cubes - sweet!

Came across this nifty tutorial and thought the kids would have lots of fun making these. It looks fairly easy and fun enough to keep those little hands occupied for at least 30mins. Try it and let me know how it turns out for you! Full tutorial here.

Origami Houses

There are a million things I should be doing at my desk right now and making origami houses was definitely not on the list before I sat down to work. But the urge to make something with my hands was far too great to resist this afternoon as I stumbled upon this wonderful tutorial. Now at last I can add "able to fold tiny houses" to my resume!

Recycled Crayons

Give your Crayola a new lease of life with this project. These make the perfect size crayons that are chunky and easy for little ones to grab for a crafty project. And it is not that difficult to do! Perfect as a party project for kids!

Materials Needed:

• Foil cupcake liners or silicone cake molds
• Bits of crayon
• Baking sheet

1. Put the pieces of crayon into cupcake liners or cake molds on a baking sheet. Experiment with different sizes of crayons to get different effects. Little pieces will create a dotted look; large chunks, a bolder look. (And regular crayons tend to run together more than Cray-Pas.)
2. Set the oven to its lowest setting, and put the baking sheet on the middle tray. Leave it in the oven for about 5 minutes, slightly longer if necessary. (Crayons will melt much faster than Cray-Pas.) Take out the tray when the bits are just melted. If they liquefy too much, the disks will come out a dull brown color.
3. Remove the baking tray from the oven, using mitts. Leave the crayons to cool and harden completely, then carefully remove the crayons from the liners or molds.

Via cookiemag.

Cardboard-Box Oven Craft

The next time you are tempted to throw out that cardboard box that came with the new TV, think about how you could turn it into a fun craft project for your kid - like this cardboard-box oven by Martha Stewart! Tutorial and video here!

Craft Projects for Kids this Easter

I have been searching high and low for a simple and fun craft project to do with Vera this Easter weekend. Finally found this fun looking project that turns normal white paper envelope into something fun at Martha Stewart crafts here. You can fill the envelopes with treats to give away.

For more craft ideas that really make you wish you had more time as a mom, click here.

Clothkits

I came across a wonderful website today called Clothkits. A wonderful website if you always wanted to make your own children's clothes, toys etc but can't really sew or read a paper pattern to save your life.

Clothkits make it easy for you to make beautiful quality, well designed clothes without the fuss of paper patterns. All the cutting lines are printed directly on the fabric in a simple format that means even the inexperienced can make garments with ease. In addition to the fabric, their kits contain all you need to complete the project - thread, buttons (or any other necessary haberdashery, and of course well illustrated instructions to guide you through the project.

(Below) Tata! What the finished product should look like.

And if you really cannot handle it, you can simply get it ready off the shelf with the click of your mouse. Neat!

(above) Ready-made birdie dress.

Photo Blocks

I wondering whether it is just Vera or that kids around her age (2 years) love to play with blocks. Stacking, banging against the table, transferring from one container to another, piecing together etc... That is why I think making something like these Photo Blocks when I have the time one of these days may be fun.

You can get the materials you need to glue your favourite picture on blocks of wood (available in Art friend), or simply buy a kit here.

Decoupage Ideas for the Nursery

Here are a few fun ideas from Martha Stewart you can do for your child's nursery if you have the time and a pair of crafty hands. Just print out the animals from here, cut it out and paste onto a smooth wooden surface using decoupage glue (available from Spotlight).

Paper Dolls

Here's a little digital project for girls or boys that I saw on this blog. You remember those paper dolls and dresses you used to play as a kid. Here is how you can do a little DIY!

"Simply photograph your child in a bathing suit, then photograph the child in other outfits or costumes. Be sure to put he or she in the same position and at the same distance to the camera as you did in the bathing suit.

Print the photos out on to card stock then cut out the full body in the bathing suit. Next cut out just the clothing of the other pictures. Be sure to make tabs on the clothing to fold over the body as you would with regular paper dolls. "

What a great way to personalize a gift or make one for your own children!

Tutu-tastic tutorial

I DIY-ed a tutu for Vera's first birthday 3 months ago. Guess in a way, I was playing out my prima ballerina fantasies on my unsuspecting little one. If you think you might like to make one for yourself, the tutorial is here. Go on and try it! You can buy the gorgeous tutu fabric from Arab St (Singapore) for $3-5 a metre. Have a great weekend!