A Papier-Mache Basket

What You Need:

• Balloons
• Liquid starch
• Old newspapers
• Old cake or pie tin
• String
• Paper or plastic cup
• Colored tissue paper
• Can of flat white spray paint
• Jar of gloss medium and varnish
• Paintbrush

Step 1.

Instructions:

1. Tear newspapers into 1-inch-wide strips that are 2 to 3 inches long. Blow up the balloon and tie the end with an overhand knot.

Step 2.

2. Pour starch into the pie tin. Cover the balloon with newspaper strips that have been dipped into the starch. After the balloon is covered with this layer, add a second layer. Overlap the strips and completely cover the balloon, except for the knotted end. Tie a string above the knot of the balloon. Hang the balloon in a cool, dry area to dry overnight. Add more strips, if necessary, and let these strips dry.

Step 3.

3. Snip the knotted end from the balloon, let the air escape, and remove the balloon. Let the paper ball dry for a few more hours.

4. Cut 1 inch off the top of the plastic cup to use for the base. Cover the base with paper strips. Fasten the wide end of the base to the wide end of the ball with more strips. Cover the hole where you removed the balloon with strips. Let the ball dry.

Step 5.

5. Draw a zigzag line around the ball's middle to mark the top of the basket, and a pair of parallel lines over the top (the narrow end) to mark the handle. Cut out the enclosed areas to form the basket. Spray-paint the basket white. When completely dry, apply tissue paper.

TIP: Paint small areas of the basket with the gloss medium and varnish. Lay cut strips of tissue paper over the medium. Paint the medium over the top of the tissue paper. Cover all sides of the basket with the tissue paper. Let dry.

"Flower Power" Woo Doll

Peggy Flynn is a spunky, fun spirit who uses her artistic talents to create a number of theatrical dolls. One day after an exhausted Peggy completed one of her more elaborate full-bodied dolls, she asked herself the question, "How can I make this easier?" That led to the birth of her whimsical totem figure, the Woo Doll.

Materials and Tools:

colorful fabric
polyester filling
needle and thread
sewing machine
scissors
flower, raffia or marabou trim
glue
beads or charms
paint (optional)
wooden base (optional)

Figure A

Steps:

1. Make a pattern for your Woo.

2. Trace Woo and Woo face onto fabric and cut out pieces.

3. Sew face on sewing machine and turn inside out.

Figure D

4. Cut hole in traced body for face.

Figure E

5. Baste face to Woo body by hand and then sew onto body using zigzag stitch.

Note: You can also paint or embroider a face and then later sew on the eyes and mouth, as shown in step 8.

Figure F

6. Sew body and stuff with poly filling.

7. Sew bottom closed (after whispering good intentions, this is after all a positive energy totem!).

Figure G

8. Sew on eyes and embroider mouth.

9. Glue on flowers, raffia or marabou, etc. Add beads or charms.

10. Sew loop on back to hang it on a wall.

Kitchen in a Box

A cardboard box, gussied up as a play sink and stove, will send your toddler into pretend rapture--for real. In fact, the hours of play she'll get out of this sweet kitchen make it well worth an evening of cutting and painting. (For a simpler version, just tape the box closed, cut a hole for the bowl, and call it a sink. She'll still adore it.) Offer plain old rolled oats (which are safe to eat) and pint-size cookware for even more fun.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Large cardboard box (ours measures 14 by 18 by 26 inches)
	Tacky glue
	Additional flat cardboard (cut from a box is fine)
	Scissors, craft knife, and pencil
	Metal bowl with 1/2-inch lip
	White paint, colored craft paint, and brushes (optional)
	Cord or kitchen twine
Time needed: Afternoon or Evening

1. Seal the flaps of the box closed with glue.
2. Cut cabinet and oven doors, burners, and a faucet from the flat cardboard.
3. Turn the box on its side so you can lay the cabinet and oven doors on the front of the kitchen. Trace around them, then cut out 3 sides of each rectangle; leave the fourth side uncut to act as a hinge. Glue the freestanding doors on top of the hinged ones for durability.
4. Flip the box over and, on the top side of the kitchen, trace around the bowl's rim. Cut a hole 1 inch smaller than the diameter of that circle.
5. Cut a slot for the faucet. Use a sharp pencil or the craft knife to punch holes for the towel rack and door handles (you may need to work from both sides).
6. Paint the box white, if you like
7. Add the final touches: glue on the burners and faucet; paint on details such as stove knobs, hinges, and hot and cold water handles; lace cord through the holes, then knot it on the ends to make door handles and a towel rack. Finally, position the bowl in the sink hole and hang a dish towel from the rack.

Cereal Box Sandals

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Empty cereal box
	Scissors
	Pencil
	Duct (or packing) tape
Time needed: About 1 Hour

1. Cut out the shoe shapes plus as many straps as your child wants. Tape the straps in place using masking, duct, or packing tape. For the best fit, wrap and tape the straps and soles together around the child's bare feet. Kids can leave the sandals au naturel or decorate them with whatever their feet desire. Note: these sandals are best as loungewear as they may be slippery on certain surfaces.

Caterpillar

What You Need:

• Purple sweat suit
• 4 pairs of small work gloves
• Fiberfill
• 3 yards sequined trim
• Visor and 2 chenille stems
• 2 plastic foam balls and crafts glue
• 12x18-inch thermal fleece rectangle
• Purple felt scraps

Instructions:

For sweat suit: 1. Prepare gloves. Stuff three pairs of work gloves with fiberfill, starting with fingertips.

2. Prepare sweatshirt. Sew rectangle to front of sweatshirt, leaving top open. Stuff. Sew top shut.

3. Decorate sweatshirt. Sew or glue on sequined trim and felt scraps.

4. Add gloves. Sew on stuffed gloves: one pair to sweat shirt and two pairs to pants.

For visor: 5. Decorate visor. Glue felt scraps and sequined trim to visor.

6. Add antennae. Twist to attach chenille stems to sides of visor. Poke plastic foam balls on ends.

Eggshell Bouquet

Decorate the Easter table with an arrangement of these delicate blooms.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Eggs
	Floral wire or pipe cleaners
	White glue
	Tempera paints and brushes
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Crack eggs in half and gently break off pieces to get a flower shape.
2. To make the stem, roll one end of the floral wire into a spiral and glue to the base of the flower. Stand flowers upside down while the glue hardens (about 30 minutes).
3. Paint stripes of color on the flowers by starting at the center of the egg and pulling the brush to the edge.

Balloon Platoon

No matter how rough the waters get, the fearless crew aboard this inflatable toy raft will stay high and dry.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Styrofoam tray
	Long balloon
	Rubber bands
	Paper clips
	String
	Ping-Pong balls
	Permanent marker
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Cut an oval base from a clean Styrofoam tray (it should measure about 9 inches in length). Poke six holes through the base about 3/4 inch in from the edge.
2. Inflate a long, thin balloon (the type you can twist into animal shapes) until the inflated part measures 24 inches. You may need a bicycle pump or a handheld air pump (sold at many department stores). Tie overhand knots at each end of the inflated portion.
3. Slip six rubber bands around the inflated balloon. Then, tie together the knotted ends of the balloon to form an oval.
4. Place the balloon on the oval base and thread an attached rubber band through each of the holes in the Styrofoam. Attach paper clips (as shown) to keep the rubber bands from slipping back through.
5. Finally, tie on a long string for a towline and assemble the passengers (just draw faces on Ping-Pong balls with permanent markers).