I posted this fun craft project last year and it was popular with many of you. I wanted to post it again this year for those of you who are new readers or who may have missed it last year. It’s a fun one for kids of all ages and allows them to be creative and create a unique bug.

Here’s what you need:

• Egg Carton
• Paint
• Pipe Cleaners
• Craft Glue
• Foam, Construction paper, Cardboard etc (to make wings – the more sturdy the material, the better)
• Googly Eyes (you can also just use marker to make the eyes)
• Marker

First thing you need to do is cut each of the egg cups out of the carton. Trim the edges so it looks smooth and will sit flat. Use a pin or other sharp object to poke 2 holes in the top of the cup (for the antenna).

Use your favorite color paint to paint each cup. I found that the foam craft brushes work for painting, as they seemed to do a better job coating the surface of the cups without paint running or clumping up. Allow to dry completely.

Put 2 dots of craft glue onto the “front” of the cup, whichever side you want to be the face. Put two googly eyes onto the glue. If you don’t have any you can just use a marker to draw in eyes.

Cut pipe cleaners into ~2 inch long pieces. Place one through each of the holes you made in the top of the cup. Bend the ends to make them look like antennas.

Cut heart shapes out of the foam or other material you are using to make the wings. Place a dab of glue onto the pointy end of the heart and stick to the sides of the cups to create wings.

Use markers to draw a nose, smile, etc on your bug. That’s it! Super easy and very cute. These would also be adorable to make and give out as Valentines. Here is a picture of the love bugs my daughter and nephews made last year. They had a great time doing it and they look so sweet.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I am obsessed with crafts involving kids hand and foot prints, especially when they are holiday related! That said, I am sure many of you have seen this idea before, but just in case you haven’t or you still haven’t made it I thought it was worth a quick post.

This is an easy one. All you need is an ornament, finger paint, and some markers. Simply have the kids dip their hands in some white finger paint then have them grip the bottom of the ornament in their palm, wrapping the fingers up around the sides. Allow to dry and then decorate with markers – add a hat, scarf, buttons, etc to give each snowman a personalized touch! I also added my daughter’s name and the year. That’s it – simple and cute!

Halloween is just days away, and we are stuck inside due to this Hurricane so I thought it was the perfect time to do some crafts! I am obsessed with crafts made with kids hand and foot prints. I love looking back over the holidays/seasons to see how much they have grown. That’s why I was super excited to do this one. All you need is:

• Poster board or construction paper
• White and black finger paint or construction paper
• Black Marker

I didn’t have black finger paint so I used construction paper for the spider and paint for the ghosts. I used the marker to make eyes on the ghosts once dry and I had some googly eyes so I glued them on for the spider. Super easy, cute, and my daughter had a blast doing it!

My daughter’s 3rd birthday was this week and we had her Hello Kitty themed party this weekend. My daughter loves balloons and I knew she’d want some Hello Kitty balloons at the party – unfortunately our local party store only had one Hello Kitty design and I really didn’t feel like paying a small fortune for balloons that were all the same. I already had all the supplies I would need, so I decided to make some myself.

It was rather easy. All I used were latex ballons, construction paper, a marker, glue stick, and a balloon stick. I decided to use balloon stick because then I wouldn’t need helium (and they would last longer). I just sketched out ears by hand. Once I got one that was the right size and shape I used it as a template for the others. Add a little glue, stick onto the balloon and hold for a few seconds and viola! Cut a few small circles for eyes and a nose and some strips to use as wiskers and you’ve got yourself an inexpensive Hello Kitty balloon! My daughter loved them and they were a nice addition to the other decorations.

I first posted this craft idea last year – we have lots of new readers this year and some of you may have missed it last Halloween. It’s a great project to repurpose glass jars into reusable light-up pumpkins! You can reuse these year after year. You most likely already have all the supplies you need to create these, and it’s a great one to have the kids do too!

Maerials
Glass jar with all labels removed (wide mouthed jar works best)
Orange Crepe or Tissue Paper
Black Construction Paper
Scissors
Foam or Bristle Craft Brush
Mod Podge or other crafting glue/sealer
Design Templates – create yourself or download many online for free

For my jars, I used Mod Podge with sparkles. I thought it would give the finished product a nice shimmer, but you can also use regular Mod Podge or another decoupage glue of your choice.

Make sure labels are completely removed from the jars. Measure the distance from the top of your jar to the center of the bottom of the jar. The number of paper strips you will need depends on the size of your jar, so cut enough to cover the entire jar.

Use your brush to spread a coat of glue on the surface of the jar. Place one strip of paper on top of the glue and firmly press down and smooth out. Repeat with te remaining strips, overlapping each strip slightly to avoid bare areas and give it that “pumpkin” appearance.

Use your templates to create your design on the construction paper. Cut out and glue to the front of the jar. Once these are in place. apply a thin layer of glue over the entire jar. This will seal everything together and give it a nice finished appearance. Don’t worry if it looks white (like my pic below) – it will dry clear. Allow to dry overnight.

Once your jars are dry, it’s time to light them up! You can use tea lights or battery operated votive candles. Battery operated candles will obviously be safer, especially if your kids are helping. And that’s it – an inexpensive decoration that the kids can personalize and be proud they helped make! I put mine on my porch last Halloween to welcome Trick-or-Treaters and I will be using them again this year. They looked great!

I’m always looking for fun crafts to do with my daughter and I like to make them seasonal if possible. Spring is here and Easter is only a few days away, so it seemed appropriate to make some flowers! I love crafts that involve handprints or footprints because I like to go back and look at how my daughter has grown in her 2 1/2 years! This would also be a great project to do for Mother’s Day too. We are giving these to my daughters grandparents on Easter (if you’re reading this Noni and Oma, be expecting one for on your fridge!)

This is a super easy one to do. I used foam paper to make it a little more sturdy, but you can use construction paper, colored paper, scrapbook paper, etc. Just trace your child’s hand on green paper and using an orange colored paper cut out a flower pot shape (you can find lots to print online and use as a pattern). Apply flower stickers or cut outs to the tip of each finger to create a “flower”. Use a little craft or hot glue to attach the “plant” to the flower pot. Easy, right? I told you!

Add a little poem or saying if you choose. I wrote my daughter’s name and the date on the bottom as well.

Go here to get several free knitting and crochet patterns from Michaels. I know nothing about knitting or crocheting, but these are great for those of you who do or are looking to learn

Looking for a fun craft idea for Halloween? Here’s a great project that repurposes glass jars into “reusable” pumpkins! You can create these with whatever sort of image you like and they can be reused year after year. You probably already have most of the items you need and it’s easy to do. This is a fun activity to do with the kids or even by yourself – let’s be honest my 2 year old didn’t exactly help, other than tell me she wanted a ghost pumpkin