Baby Carrie's Button String

source: My Little House Crafts' Book by Carolyn Strom Collins

You will need:

-string, embroidery floss or strong thread-such as quilting thread
-scissors
-an assortment of buttons, can use flat, shank or snap buttons
-ice cube tray or similar container (optional but helpful for organizing the buttons in the order desired)

Cut a piece of string to desired length-10"-12" for example. Tie a double knot one end. Slide buttons onto the string/thread. Cut off enough string/thread on the opposite end to tie another double knot. 

  
Cost: ø

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Cardboard Horse (Stampede)

http://www.annwoodhandmade.com/cardboard-stampede/


'Shalom the Horse' by Cap'n Mad Ellen

I like the shell buttons (scoured from the Button Box) that I used to attach the legs to Shalom!

Effervescent Ethel's pegasus/horse 'Midnight'





Round up:

-horse patterns (see link below)
-cardboard
-heavy duty craft scissors
-glue (we used Mod Podge because school glue isn't up to the task)
-pencil, to trace
-buttons
-clothespins (optional but helpful with holding the glued parts together whilst they dry)
-craft wire (bendable craft wire!)
-specialty paper, paint or ink
-filament or similar if you choose to hang up your horse. I might glue on a larger paper clip to my back of my horse and turn it into a Christmas ornament.


Cost: ø


Instead of painting our horses we chose instead to use recycle greeting cards. Note: *I wouldn't recommend this craft/art project to children under the age of 9-10. I ended up doing most of the crafting. Cutting out the cardboard, threading the buttons onto the wire and cutting the wire (paid a few visits to the ship's doc) is too difficult for most children unless they are blessed with superhuman manual dexterity powers.  Ship's bandage supply greatly diminished!



Patterns and instructions: https://www.annwoodhandmade.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/horses1.pdf

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Halloween Ribbon Tree

Our beloved Effervescent Ethel created this quick and simple crafty masterpiece rounding up ribbon spools from her special Ribbon Box (see this link) : : http://dadiddleycraftcraft.blogspot.com/2015/05/ribbon-box-for-easter.html 

*Good to Know!*: This craft is easily customizable depending on the occasion: birthday, Christmas, Easter, baby shower, graduation, bon voyage, etc. In addition, you may choose to craft one tree or several smaller trees. 

To make a Halloween Ribbon Tree:

-ribbon spools in various sizes
~
-Version #1: chopstick, small dowel, knitting needle, pencil or similar to hold the spools together
OR:

-Version #2: Use craft wire and thread the spools in the same manner. Bring the wire up through the top spool and wrap around the top spool to secure (for Version #2 you will need to make two holes on the top spool). If the wire looks funky, go ahead and cover the top of the spool with a scrap of decorative paper, ribbon, or fabric cut to size to hide. Maybe I should take a photo of this process. Coming soon! Note that I did not add the wire to our tree until after I took the photo. A bit of cheating on my part. But I must remind you that I am Captain (CAP'N MAD ELLEN) of this here ship! Pirates cheat. That's just what we do. It wasn't until after the photoshoot that a candlelight flickered in me belfry: craft wire! Good ol' faithful craft wire. Thee I love!
~
-tree topper, optional

DIRECTIONS:


We stacked the ribbon onto a 9" piece of 1/4" diameter wood dowel. Some of the spools did not have a hole in the center so we punched a hole. After threading the spools onto the dowel, place the top spool (make a hole on the bottom only of the top spool). Add a tree topper decoration of choice. We topped the Halloween tree with a *wire pumpkin crafted several years ago. Link: http://dadiddleycraftcraft.blogspot.com/2014/10/floral-wire-pumpkins.html

Cost: varies

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Cap'n Mad Ellen reminds you:



There were women pirates, too! Being a pirate wasn’t just for men. Famous female pirates include Mary Read, Anne Bonny, Grace O’Malley, and Ching Shih

Halloween Black Paper Cat

Instructions here:



1. http://artprojectsforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Black-Paper-Cat.pdf




2. http://artprojectsforkids.org/portfolio/black-paper-cat/

Here's what you will need to make your Halloween Black Paper Cat:


-cardstock or similar sturdy paper: black + the scraps, green and a scrap of yellow (We opted to use a neon green index card for the eyes, orange cardstock for kitty to stand up on and neon pink index card because EE wanted her kitty to have a pink nose. EE glued "scary" fur on kitty's back-also using scrap pieces of black paper.)
-glue stick
-scissors
-ruler
-pencil
-free Halloween Black Cat printable instructions' page (see #2 link above)

Optional:

-glow in the dark paint
-paintbrush for small detail or use a toothpick  (we added a sliver of glow-in-the-dark paint to the slits of the eyes.)






Cost: $3.50 to replenish cardstock in basic solid colors: black, white, tan, green, etc. (I found a great deal on Paper Studio™ cardstock at Hobby Lobby recently for 50% off.)











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Matchbox House

https://homemadecity.com/2011/11/21/matchbox-house/


   Upstairs

Downstairs

Here's what you'll need:

-empty matchboxes (you can buy a package of these very inexpensively)
-tiny coloring pages printout (link: https://homemadecity.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/matchbox-house-all.pdf)
-glue stick
-scissors
-markers, crayons, color pencils or similar to color the drawings
-(optional) we added  borrowed a  Guatemalan doll from the Worry Doll kit to add to our mini house

Cost: ø

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Aluminum Pie Pan Sun

Two weeks ago and many thanks to Effervescent Ethel's Dear Grandmother (aka the Lady Bertha Cannonbait and thank you pirate name generator for the inspiration!), I had a few hours to myself and chose to host a craft party/craft therapy session for one (your Cap'n). I had on hand this lone 5"-6" aluminum mini-pie tin left over from a marathon bake-off last year and quickly assembled this ridiculously easy craft project.




ALUMINUM PIE PAN SUN

-discarded/recycled pie tin, clean and dry  (any size)
-gold spray paint
-gold sequins, gold buttons, gold glass beads, gold stickers, gold glittery washi tape or similar, to decorate
-glue
-gold thumb tack, gold thread or similar, to hang (you could also spray paint a thumb tack or nail gold, as a suggestion)
-craft scissors sturdy enough to cut aluminum 


Directions:

Spray paint two coats on the front, one coat on the back. Use scissors to cut out the sun rays. Decorate as desired. Set aside to dry and dry flat. Hang up on wall or ceiling.

Cost: ø

Note: Craft a moon instead of a sun with just a few small changes. Or, if you're feeling particularly crafty, why not recreate Earth's solar system?! 


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9 Patch Quilt: Little House on the Prairie-Inspired

Back in late April and into June Effervescent Ethel worked on a hand sewn quilt inspired by the Little House on the Prairie series of books that we are reading for homeschool. This box set is available used on the secondary market if you poke around enough on the Amazon site. You should be able to find a good deal: 


https://www.amazon.com/Little-House-Volumes-Set/dp/0064400409/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472605779&sr=1-1&keywords=little+house+on+the+prairie

We visited our local quilt shop and were shown fabric reproduction prints from the American 1860s. Effervescent Ethel settled on shades of blue predominately and I helped her to finish the edges of the quilt with complementary seam binding. Please don't fret if the squares don't match up evenly. It is a reminder however, that basting the rows of squares together will help avoid shedding of tears later if the squares aren't even and someone (usually a parent) has inherited the task of seam ripping.


To sew the 9 Patch Quilt-Little House on the Prairie-Inspired, here's our shopping list:


-100% cotton quilt fabric (note for future reference: we are saving the leftover scrap fabric to make a Laura Ingalls'-inspired rag doll sometime this upcoming school year)
-cotton quilting thread (do not be tempted to use off brand, cheap thread)
-sewing scissors
-sewing needles
-square template
-sewing straight pins
-sewing marker, pencil or piece of (tailor's) chalk
-lining: scrap piece of lightweight cotton, batting or flannel; cotton muslin, lightweight flannel or similar
-seam binding
-seam ripper or similar, just in case (My mother was never a fan of seam rippers and I don't remember her reason. I haven't thought about her disdain for seam rippers in years until I wrote that last sentence.)
-time and patience, time and patience, time    and    patience!

From the desk of Cap'n Mad Ellen: Eighteen pieces of fabric in total were cut out to make a front and back.  


Tip #1: once placement of the fabric squares has been determined, take a picture with your cell phone to help you remember which piece goes where. If you don't have a cell phone with a camera (handy), use a pencil and lightly mark the reverse side of each square the correct placement, for ex: Row #1: left side, middle, right side; Row #2 row: left side, middle, right, etc.

Tip #2: for young and/or inexperienced sewers, it is helpful and highly recommended  to baste the fabric squares together. It also is a good idea to draw sewing lines to help guide in sewing the seams straight-or straighter. :)

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