In the recent issue of Parents magazine, I shared some ideas for handmade gifts that kids can make for teachers, babysitters, family members, or anyone who deserves a little love…like these little felt cord-keepers are no-sew and easy to make! Get the full instructions and templates on Parents’ website! (The buttons are just decorative…they’re glued on!)
Read MoreAs I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been contributing craft ideas to the incredible At Home section of the New York Times for the last few months. Because we’re not all able to get to stores like we once did, they have asked me to create crafts where newspaper is the main “art” supply (like these newspaper crows, this newspaper flower wreath, rolled newspaper beads, and paper mache animal masks! This month, I made accordion-folded paper leaves to decorate your holiday table!
Read MoreFor the past few months, I’ve been contributing craft ideas to the incredible At Home section of the New York Times . Because we’re not all able to get to stores like we once did, they have asked me to create crafts where newspaper is the main “art” supply (like these newspaper crows, this newspaper flower wreath, and rolled newspaper beads).
Probably the most one of the most classic craft uses of newspapers is for paper mache. This month, I molded the paper mache over a balloon to make simple animal masks!
A great excuse to go out into nature and find some fallen pine cones or thin twigs, these animal portraits make cute cake toppers or a fun art project! I made these guys for The Week Junior’s How-To page.
Read MoreSpooky birds, such as crows and ravens, are perfect Halloween decor, and can be easily created with newspaper and a few simple supplies! I showed how in the recent At Home section of the New York Times! (In case the title of the post shocked you, a group of crows is referred to as a “murder”!)
Read MoreFor my latest How-To column for The Week Junior magazine, I used my favorite material, recycled cardboard, to make these bird plant decorations! With school starting, it’s a great time to make one of these to dress up your desk or workspace!
Read MoreI had so much fun making play sand for The Week Junior’s great How To column! This project is perfect for a rainy day since you (hopefully) have these ingredients already! I used baby oil but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with another kind, like vegetable oil.
Read MoreThree of my favorite things: reading The New York Times, making things, and paper flowers. So, it was pretty dreamy to make newspaper flowers out of the Times (so, reading it while crafting with it)!! These ran in their At Home section but if you missed it, you can find it here or in their app by searching "Turn the News Into a Rose”. The printable template makes it a super easy project!
Read MoreThe Week Junior asked me to design a bookmark craft for their Summer of Reading campaign. I love having a fun bookmark and was happy to do it! Bookmarks can get a lot of wear and tear so I thought sturdy duct tape would be a good material to use. And, I love making things into animals, always!
Read MoreWe Americans produce an average of 4.4 pounds of trash every day. Yikes! Of course, it’s great to recycle, and even better, buy less plastic. You can also transform plastics in your home and recycle bin into all kinds of things….like animals! I was thrilled that in today’s New York Times Weekend Arts section today, they reran the spread of recycled plastic animals that I made a couple of years ago for their excellent monthly (print-only) Kids section in a mini kid’s section dedicated to recycling and the plastic problem.
Read MoreRaid your recycle bin and junk drawer to make some funny face planters! I made these guys for The Week Junior magazine. Mr. Potato Head, that classic toy, was my inspiration for making the facial features move-able (they’re attached to magnets!).
Read MoreThese days, we’re finding ways to celebrate our loved ones from afar, so it’s a great time to make a handmade card! And it’s always a good time to use recycled materials. With that in mind, I made some easy pop-up cards for The Week Junior magazine! I love the typography and colors of coated cardboard from the recycle bin, and it makes a sturdy pop-up!
Read MoreMy brother and I used to make marble runs out of blocks and his Hot Wheels track and it was one of our favorite things to do! I made this marble run out of recycle bin items like paper towel tubes and recycled cardboard for the new-ish magazine, The Week Junior. Have you seen it? It is a fantastic news and activity magazine for children aged 8-14. I am thrilled to be contributing to their How To column!
Read MoreI was thrilled to contribute to today’s New York Times for Kids section! This issue is mostly dedicated to coronavirus’s impact on kids and advice for dealing with life in isolation. For example, if your craft supplies are running low, the newspaper itself will provide all the materials you need for a fun meditative origami project, paper cranes!
Read MoreFirst, I should say that I’ve stretched the definition of the word “craft” in the title of this post. The items here, vases, planters, and organizing containers, are simply plucked from the recycle bin, so, no real crafting!! (Unless you count label-removal…and by the way, Goo Gone and very hot water work well for this!)
Read MoreYesterday, I did a really fun Instagram Live for @CountryLivingMag and showed how to make these easy coffee filter flowers, and a few ways to use them to create spring decorations for your table and home. I have made a LOT of paper flowers in my life and the are THE EASIEST...and fastest!! They take only a few second to make each once the filters are dyed and dried. The bigger step here is dyeing the coffee filters which also really easy (and fun!) but allow a few hours to overnight to let the filters dry. Dye as many as you can and use them for lots of flower projects! (We have a whole chapter of coffee filter projects in our book!) By the way, I used food coloring to dye these flowers since they will be coming into contact with drinks. If you're not using these near food or drink, you could use thinned out craft paint to dye them instead.
Read MoreI’m back again with my favorite craft material, toilet tubes! I made these three different egg holders for an IG Live yesterday and I got a few inquiries for the how-to so I thought I’d throw together this quick post to show you how to make these easy egg holders! Please forgive that they are a little messy!
Read MoreMaking a matzo house is a fun Passover craft and all you need is a few sheets of matzo and something to glue it together with, like chocolate hazelnut spread or frosting (or peanut butter, though it’s not kosher for Passover), and a few little items like nuts, dried fruit, shredded coconut, or chocolate chips for roof tiles, doorknobs or pathways!
Read MoreI made these little cuties many years ago for Martha Stewart Kids! Felt, buttons, pipe cleaners, crepe paper, tiny pom-poms, markers, and other crafty materials make perfect animal body parts! I used blown out eggs so that I could keep these forever but you can make them on plastic eggs too!
No need to follow these. Set out bowls with small, lightweight craft materials and some white glue, markers and scissors, and see what your kids come up with!
As I’ve written many many times, recycled toilet and paper towel tubes are some of my favorite materials. The charm of these animals is that they are animal-like but still look like cardboard tubes— cylindrical and raw cardboard brown. (Though, of course, painting them is a fun thing for little kids to do!) Older kids handy with scissors can make these creatures and adults should handle any cuts made with the utility knife. Once they see how many ways there are to cut cardboard tubes, they will come up with tons of ideas of their own! Create a habitat by cutting paper watering holes and cardboard trees. The eyes are made by hole- punching black construction paper. To glue on tiny circles and other shapes, dot glue onto the tube with a toothpick. Alternatively, the features can be drawn on with a marker.
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©2015 Jodi Levine. All photographs by Amy Gropp Forbes unless otherwise noted.
