Reindeer Brooch

This is an idea that my mother-in-law told me about as a great craft project for this blog. This idea is not mine- although it is really cute and I had to make it once I heard about it. ;)

This project really depends on how fast your paint and glue dry. If you get impatient you can dry your paint with a hairdryer and have this entire project completed in about 15 minutes or less! Your child can paint the puzzle pieces while you get the antler's formed and make some bows for some crafty teamwork!! :)

Note: If your child is doing the painting and you choose to use craft glue instead of hot glue, this project will take a bit longer due to the craft glue's drying time.

Supplies:
Brown Acrylic Paint (can be beige if you choose brown for the antlers)
2 puzzle pieces (one needs to be an edge- not a corner, the other a middle piece)
Scrap of 1/8" green or red ribbon (less than 6")
Red pom pom (1/4")
2 wiggley eyes 7mm size
1" straight pin with closing mechanism (I didn't picture it in the supplies below, but it is shown in the last step)
1 Chenille stem (can be beige or brown- I used beige because I painted the reindeer brown)
Hot Glue gun (can use a thicker craft glue)




Step 1: Trim your edge piece of puzzle to have only the two tabs left. These will be your reindeer's ears.



Step 2: Paint back of puzzle pieces brown and let dry.



Step 3: Tie ribbon into a bow. Trim excess.

Step 4: Cut chenille stem in half.

Step 5: Fold the stems in half.

Note: Do this to both of them at the simultaneously so your antlers will look the same.

Step 6: Fold the chenille stems to make your antler's forks.

Note: Do this to both of them at the simultaneously so your antlers will look the same.

Step 7: Pinch your antler's forks together.

Note: Do this separately now, you don't want to bind them to each other. :)

Step 8: Twist (like you do a twist tie for a bread bag) the end of the chenille stem together to finish your antlers.

Step 9: Glue your 2 puzzle pieces together as shown below.

Step 10: Glue your wiggley eyes to the face of your reindeer as shown below.

Step 11: Glue your red pom pom to your reindeer's face as shown below.

Step 12: Flip your reindeer over, and place a drop of hot glue to place your antlers on, as shown below.

Step 13: Flip your reindeer over to look at the face, and glue bow from Step 3 as shown below.

Step 14: Flip reindeer over and glue pin in place.

That's it! :)

Thanksgiving Creativity

It's that time of the year again... school has finally settled to routine, the leaves have begun to change, the mornings welcome a warm mug even more and the holiday rush begins! Families begin to gather, catch up with one another and create new memories that will last a lifetime. With that being said, here is a quick and simple way to not only create a memory, but a keepsake of your little ones this Thanksgiving season.

You will need the following items per child:
1 sheet of brown construction paper
1 sheet of red construction paper (tissue paper can be substituted)
1 sheet of yellow construction paper (tissue paper can be substituted)
1 sheet of orange construction paper (tissue paper can be substituted)
1 drawing marker (black works best to show up on paper)
1 pair of googley eyes

Glue, paste, glue stick or tape (this can be adapted for the age of the child)

Step 1. Trace the child's hand outline on the brown construction paper.

Step 2. Draw "feathers" on the red, yellow, and orange paper. You can draw the feathers by making an elongated, rounded diamond or you can simply trace the child's hand outline again on each color of paper.

Step 3. Cut out the traced hand on the brown paper.

Step 4. Cut out the feathers on the remaining colors.
Note: If you are making the feathers by tracing the child's hand outline, cut out only the child's finger outline (leaving the palm) from the paper.

Step 5. Snip along the edges of the "feathers" to make them fringed.

Step 6. Snip along the finger outlines on the brown hand to make those "feathers" fringed as well.

Step 7. Place the brown turkey down with the palm down and fingers aimed away from the child.

Step 8. Layer and glue the colored "feathers" with the other "feathers" until you feel it is complete.

Step 9. Glue the googley eyes on the middle of the palm portion of the turkey hand.

Step 10. Cut a wattle (small heart) from the leftover red paper. Glue heart upside down beneath eyes.

Step 11. Cut a beak (small triangle) from the leftover orange paper. Glue beak on top of wattle, to turkey's face.

Let it dry, and now you have a keepsake of your child's hand from this Thanksgiving season. Date the back, and if your child can, have them autograph their work. Bring it out next year after they create a new turkey hand and compare them to see how much your child has grown in the year.