Halloween Party Favor Gift Boxes
Posted Oct 28, 09 -Filed Under Eco-friendly gift wrapping, crafts (recycled materials), holiday crafts: Halloween (recycled stuff), reuse books, reuse paper | Leave a Comment
Make your own unique gift boxes for your Halloween party. You’re sure to get complements on these clever boxes made from vintage text books and encyclopedias.
How to:
Search for old school text books. Look for interesting vintage books that only use a few colors like the one used in the photo above. Books that are entirely done in black and white would also be great. You should be able to find some really cheap.
Find the sections on the skeletal system, the nervous system, the human heart and anything else that has to do with bones, blood and innards or any kind.
To fold the boxes, see my post: How To Fold Origami Gift Boxes: Easy To Follow Photo Instructions
Up-cycle A Plastic Paint Bucket Into A Fun Halloween Trick or Treat Pail
Posted Oct 16, 09 -Filed Under Eco-Friendly Craft Collectors (These sites direct you to cool projects etc. from around the web), crafts (recycled materials), holiday crafts: Halloween (recycled stuff), party décor (recycle and upcycle), reuse paint can (plastic) | Leave a Comment
Here is a chance to make use of the paint buckets from your last home-improvement project. Transform them into playful Trick or Treat pails!
How to:
All you need is some black plastic paint buckets, some scrap paper, scissors, glue and some clever kids.
Try making a ghost, Jack O Lantern, scary or scared face, and even a Frank N Stein head.
Cut out the face(s) from scrap paper if you can. Use full sheets of paper only when you need them. We keep a box of colored paper scrapes leftover from other projects. Glue the pieces on with white glue or use Mod Podge. Next, paint on a layer of Mod Podge or equivalent product to help protect your creation so it can be used year after year.
My daughter liked making these Halloween themed pails with me.
If you’d like, add some text like I did. I provided the file here: just print it out and incorporate it as desired.
Robot Monster Pitcher: Coffee Pot With A Scary Halloween Makeover
Posted Sep 28, 09 -Filed Under children's activities (recycled materials), crafts (recycled materials), holiday crafts: Halloween (recycled stuff), party: robot, reuse "trash", reuse coffee pot, reuse flatware (second-hand) | Leave a Comment
Allow the guests at your children’s Halloween party to serve themselves a drink with this scary monster bot.
All the pieces for this menacing yet useful guy were recycled.
Don’t turn your back on this grabby little monster: he may steal your candy.
What to put in your Robot Monster Pitcher? Robot Oil (i.e. Apple Juice) of course!
I used this at my daughter’s robot party too.
How to:
Get your hands on a second-hand coffee pot. Then gut out the innards. Clean it really well. The exterior bottom of my coffee pot was damaged by its previous owner from overheating but I think it adds character to our monster. The inside of the pot wasn’t damaged. Check the inside before bringing one home.
Eyes are burned out red Christmas light bulbs. Arms are thrift-store forks. Mouth was made from a metal shower curtain ring that I bent up using a pair of pliers.
Gluing the pieces on:
Gorilla glue worked for the arms. When the glue was dry, I used a razor blade to clean off the glue that squeezed out. A clear epoxy worked for the eyes and mouth.
Be creative and design your own scary Robot Monster Pitcher.
P.S. These posts take me a long time to develop. Don’t forget to send me a dollar once in a while so I can continue to do posts. Is it worth that to you?
Robot Costume For Children: Eco-Friendly Fun
Posted Jun 3, 09 -Filed Under Eco-Friendly Craft Collectors (These sites direct you to cool projects etc. from around the web), children's activities (recycled materials), crafts (recycled materials), holiday crafts: Halloween (recycled stuff), party: robot, reuse boxes, reuse broken appliances, reuse plastic/ metal bottle caps | 1 Comment
My daughter and I had a lot of fun making this goofy robot costume. I did all the cutting and she thought of all the embellishments. I love it when she comes up with great ideas on her own. At our robot party, we made sure we took photos of all the kids wearing the costume. The videos were even better.
Here is a cute/ funny video. Someday I hope to do a little video editing to change the sound track to something a robot would dance to.
To make this costume, we took two boxes and cut a hole for the face and another hole for a child’s head to go up into the head box.
This costume was made entirely with recycled items: cardboard boxes, broken calculator (very cool don’t you think?!), bottle tops (make good knobs), broken watch, previously used but clean aluminum foil, antennas (from broken radios)… even the arms were made from a salvaged piece of dryer vent. So many possibilities.
This project took very little time to complete.
We made this costume for a robot party but you can make one for a Halloween costume or anytime the kids have some free time.
You may want to check out our robot building game that doubles as a party favor.
Handmade Butterfly Fairy Wings Made From Recycled Materials: On Every Girl’s Dress-up Wish List
Posted May 19, 09 -Filed Under crafts (recycled materials), holiday crafts: Halloween (recycled stuff), reuse coat hangers, reuse panty hose/ tights | 3 Comments
They will flutter into another world of their imagination. What will they discover in this world?
Butterfly wings- food for the imagination
How to tips:
I used salvaged wire coat hangers (5) and bent them to form the frame for the wings. When I got a shape I liked, I made matching wings for the other side. I connected the wire pieces with some duct tape. (I sketched over the photo so you could see where I placed the wires. Next, I stretched an old pair of nylon tights (cream colored) across the frame. This is one good use for tights that have a hole in them or otherwise need to be thrown out. I first pinned the nylon in place, stretching it as I went around. I cut off the extra material and hand sewed in place, rolling the edge around the wire to cover it. I also sewed the top wings to the bottom wings. I only sewed half way because I wanted the wings to spread apart a little. After making some sketches of butterfly wings, I painted them. I embellished the wings with a small piece of a black boa (found at a craft store) and some ribbon.
I made these wings 7 or so years ago and they still look good despite all the use.
Halloween Mood Lighting: Make Crafty Lights Out Of X-rays!
Posted Oct 25, 08 -Filed Under crafts (recycled materials), holiday crafts: Halloween (recycled stuff), party décor (recycle and upcycle), reuse glass bottles/ jars, reuse lamp, reuse x-rays | 2 Comments
X-rays from my husband’s head MRI and x-ray from his broken elbow turned out to be perfect for making Halloween themed décor. X-rays by their very nature are great when put in front of a light so it wasn’t much of a leap to come up with these lighting ideas. You will need to ask around for unwanted x-rays. Your friends will think you are weird but who cares? Or, ask your vet if they have any animal x-rays that they will be throwing away.
Night light
How to: Cover a night-light with a portion of an x-ray. I used a creepy head x-ray because of the eyeballs at the bottom.
Candle Votive
How to: Cut the x-ray in a rectangle of desired proportions. The ones pictured here are 5 ½ inches tall. Bring the sides around and overlap a little. You could use a stapler or glue but I used a paper clip on the top and one on the bottom because I can easily unroll them for storage. Inside you can use small jars to put in tea lights or a votive. Be careful of where you place your candles because the bottom of the jars can get hot.
These x-rays are creepy looking and therefore provide great mood lighting for a Halloween party!
Lamp shade
How to: Get a second -hand lamp and use the shade as a stencil to cut out a new shade out of an x-ray. Use black electrical tape along the seam. Also, you can use the tape to trim around the top and bottom of the lampshade.
bones +skulls+innards = Halloween
Easy Ghost String-Lights Made From Recycled Single Serving Milk Bottles
Posted Oct 23, 08 -Filed Under Eco-Friendly Craft Collectors (These sites direct you to cool projects etc. from around the web), crafts (recycled materials), holiday crafts: Halloween (recycled stuff), party décor (recycle and upcycle), reuse plastic bottles | Leave a Comment
How to:
Set aside suitable single serving milk bottles. Make sure you wash them out really well; old milk smells really bad. I got these bottles at Chick-Fil-A. If you don’t eat at that restaurant, ask all your friends to save them for you or find a similar bottle elsewhere. Depending on your needs, you may want to start collecting well in advance. (I’ve been known to save all year or longer for projects.)
Paint on the faces with black acrylic paint and let dry. Your kids will want to make some too! I accidently discovered that if you paint the face and let it dry a little but not all the way, you can use your brush to slide around the paint to make even scarier faces.
When your paint is dry, use a hole- punch to make two holes at the top of the bottles (see arrows in picture). Then use scrap ribbon or wire to attach your ghosts to a set of string-lights: use the holes you just made. Put one ghost over each light.
Easy Ghost Party Favors Made From Recycled Single Serving Milk Bottles
Posted Sep 28, 08 -Filed Under Eco-Friendly Craft Collectors (These sites direct you to cool projects etc. from around the web), MYO gifts from recycled materials, crafts (recycled materials), holiday crafts: Halloween (recycled stuff), party décor (recycle and upcycle), party favors, reuse plastic bottles | 1 Comment
How to:
Set aside suitable single serving milk bottles. Make sure you wash them out really well; old milk smells really bad. I got these bottles at Chick-Fil-A. If you don’t eat at that restaurant, ask all your friends to save them for you or find a similar bottle elsewhere. Depending on your needs, you may want to start collecting well in advance. (I’ve been known to save all year or longer for projects.)
Paint on the faces with black acrylic paint and let dry. Alternatively this might be an activity for guests at your Halloween party. Even young children can do this simple craft. Make a few in advance to set out as examples. I accidentally discovered that if you paint the face and let it dry a little but not all the way, you can use your brush to slide around the paint to make even scarier faces.
Print out ghostly messages on your computer, cut into strips and glue to the bottom of each bottle (See photo.) Write “Find a trick or treat inside. Maybe both”. Or write ” No trick, there is a treat inside!”
For fun, you may want to surprise your guests with a “trick” inside. Take a strip of paper and fold it accordion style with the word “Boo!” at the end. Glue the other end to the inside of the bottle cap. Children will find it when they open their bottle.
Fill these Halloween themed party favors with gummy worms or other treats.
Imaginative Children’s Costumes Made Of Unwanted Sweaters
Posted Jan 30, 08 -Filed Under Eco-Friendly Craft Collectors (These sites direct you to cool projects etc. from around the web), holiday crafts: Halloween (recycled stuff), reuse sweaters, sewing | Leave a Comment
Seven year old designer, Jade, modeling her latest creation.
Children will have a blast creating their own costumes out of unwanted sweaters. Jade made this super fun Dude-A-Wild Thing costume by cutting up sweaters. When she had things just the way she wanted them, she hand-sewed the pieces back together. Even the eye is made from cut up sweater fabric. She got her costume inspiration from a stuffed creature I made from sweaters. My inspiration ironically was from her. When she was smaller she would always draw charming critters that she called Dude-A-Bobs.
This is another great way to encourage your children to use their creativity and to learn to sew. If the stitching isn’t perfect, not a problem!