How To: Crafting a Waldorf-style Doll from Upcycled Materials

Last week, I posted an entry about a Waldorf-inspired doll that I had made for my newest little addition (due in December). It isn't a full-fledged Waldorf creation because I was trying to craft with materials that I already had on hand. Rather than using natural wool, I used some leftover Poly-fil. Rather than buying organic fabrics, I upcycled old t-shirts.

The results came out pretty cute, so today I would like to share how I did it.

Materials:
- old t-shirt in a skin tone color (I used peach, but tans or browns would be lovely for this project)
- old t-shirt or onesie (at least 9m size) in another color to make a dress and hat
- stuffing for the head (used some leftover Poly-fil but a nice wool or natural cotton would be much easier to work with)
- embroidery thread for eyes, mouth, and dress
- sewing needle, doll-making needle, pins, scissors
- sewing machine (optional)

 Step One: Get Ready
Once you have all of the materials together, start by prepping your pieces. This doll is completely customizable as far as size goes. The important thing to work on is proportion. For the skin tone fabric, you need to cut out probably an 8" square to cover the head. For the dress and the hat, I just kind of eyeballed sizes. The basic shape of the dress is a square, but I cut out the  long, half-oval shapes at each end to make the corners easier to tie. On this particular doll, I still had some trouble tying-- the tabs could have been longer!

Step Two: Form the Head
Begin constructing the head by creating a small, tight ball of stuffing. This will be the "pit" or "seed" of the center of your head. I used a Poly-fil stuffing (definitely NOT traditional Waldorf), but I really recommend a natural wool or cotton for this. The Poly-fil was extremely slippery, and that made it very difficult to form a nice, rounded head. Aside from being more natural, a cotton or wool stuffing would stick to itself better, resulting in a denser and more nicely-shaped head.

Once you have a good kernel formed for the head, add flat layers of stuffing over top to encase the kernel and build up the head in layers until you have a fairly dense sphere. As you layer the flat squares of stuffing over the head, you will have leftover corners hanging from the bottom of the head to form a neck.

(Sorry if this is not very clear in the picture-- I found it really difficult to show this process of head formation. If you are still confused, look at some other Waldorf sites for clarification or feel free to send me a message!)

When you are happy with the shape and density of the head stuffing, use the flesh-colored square of fabric to wrap it up. Again, the extra corners of fabric will come around to the bottom to form the neck of your doll. Use thread to tie the neck closed, then use needle and thread to stitch back and forth to secure the opening. (If you want to create a doll with a more distinctive, Waldorf-shaped face you would need to wrap the head in stockingette first, shape the face, then add the skin-color fabric. For simplicity, I left my head spherical.)


Step Three: Embroider the Face
I think this is probably the most difficult step of the doll-making process. I recommend that you start by smoothing out as many wrinkled from the face as possible (or, pick a side that has fewer wrinkles to start). Next, pin the location of the eyes and the mouth. Pinning first will help you line everything up before you start sewing. The eye line should be located about midway on the doll's head, with the mouth just a bit lower.

I didn't have any embroidery thread on hand for this project, so I just doubled up the regular thread in my needle. Starting from the back of the head, push your needle all the way through the head to sew the mouth. Do the same for each of the eyes. I used a regular hand-sewing needle, but there are doll maker's needles specifically designed for this task. I am thinking that the doll-maker's needles would be a bit longer, which would help keep the head from getting compressed during the embroidery process.

One of the trickiest things to remember is don't pull your thread tight. I made that mistake with my first doll, and it had everything to do with the face looking all squashed when I was done. Again, I feel like having the right kind of thread and the right kind of needles would have helped make this part of the process go much more smoothly. However, if you are like me and really want to do this without buying a ton of supplies, know that it can be done!



Step Four: Sew the Dress and Hat
Use a sewing machine to sew the right sides of the dress together, leaving at least an inch gap in the top center. (If you are awesome, you could hand sew this part too.) I used a simple straight stitch, but a zigzag stitch or a serger would work here too. Turn the dress right-side out by stuffing everything though the gap at the top. Get your corners straightened out, and tie a knot for each "hand" and "foot" of the dress. Not only do the knots look cute, but they make for good chewing later!

Also sew the edge of the hat together. I cut the one edge of the hat from a seam so that I would have one less piece to sew later. The already-finished edge forms the base of a sizable right triangle-- all your need to sew is the hypotenuse.

Next, attach the dress and hat by hand. I am not really great at hand sewing, so I used a simple whip stitch (at least, I think that's what it's called). Go as simple or as fancy as you like. I think the stitching adds character-- that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

And you are done! Now you have a sweet little rag doll to keep for your own child or to give away. This little cutie is going to my nephew, who will be born in February. I am really excited for all of the babies on the way (and a few that just arrived!). I hope you enjoy the opportunity to make something really special for a wonderful, new, little soul!

 Happy Crafting <3

Waldorf-Inspired Doll from Upcycled Materials

When my second daughter was a newborn, her absolute favorite toys were a pair of Kathe Kruse Waldorf Gugguli dolls. She still plays with them sometimes, so I am hesitant to simply hand them down to my next little one. However, the price on the dolls has nearly doubled (!!!) since I bought the first two.

What's a budget-conscious, crafty mama to do? Well, make her own of course.

My upcycled t-shirt rag doll. She has kind of a squished face, but otherwise I am really happy with the results!

I have been scouring the interwebs for awhile, looking at various tutorials on doll making-- particularly these Waldorf-style, soft dolls. I thought about getting a kit, but even those tend to get pricey. I decided to deviate from a strict Waldorf composition (natural wool, organic fibers, etc.) since I wanted to make this on a budget.  I raided my fabric stash and came up with a peach colored t-shirt and a magenta t-shirt what were beautiful colors and huggably soft. Upcycling still counts as eco-friendly, right?! Plus, nothing soothes a baby faster than the smell of mama's t-shirt.

I love you, squishy face!

Unfortunately, I do not have the steps for a tutorial to post right now. I wasn't very confident that this would come out resembling an actual baby doll, so I didn't take any pictures while I was piecing it together. But, fear not! I found out today that I will be getting another little nephew in February (yay, babies!), and I think he totally needs one of these. I will take pictures and post a tutorial once it's done.

I should also note that I deviated from the traditional Waldorf style of head formation. This is partly due to laziness and also partly due to intimidation. However, I have seen rag dolls and towel dolls in the Waldorf style with spherical heads, so I am not completely out in left field here. Since I don't have a lot of detailed instructions available at the moment, I will post links to a few of the amazing pages I used for inspiration and technical advice:

Echoes of  Dream Basic Waldorf Instructions

Make Baby Stuff Waldorf Doll Tutorial

Natural Family Crafts Waldorf-Style Doll

Woolhalla Flannel Baby Pattern on Etsy  

Well, folks, that's all for now. I am heading full tilt into nesting and crafting mode (new baby! Christmas holdiays!) so I hope to sustain enough energy to put some really fun projects up here over the next few months. I plan on starting my next soft baby doll here soon, so keep checking back for the tutorial!

Peace, Love, and Crafting!

Child's Apron Sewing Tutorial

My 3-year-old daughter has been interested in cooking for awhile, but lately, she has been asking to help prepare every meal. Over the weekend, she helped my husband make a pancake breakfast, and when he posted a picture to Facebook, a friend commented that she needed an apron.

Crafty mom signal! Time to swoop in and start sewing!

So, I rummaged through my fabric stash and came up with this combination of materials to make a fun, kid-friendly apron for my little chef. If you want to sew along at home, here's what you need:

- 1/2 yard of primary fabric (you will use this for the backing as well)
- 1/4 yard of secondary fabric (for pocket and straps)
- two buttons
- thread, notions, etc.


Step 1
Cut out your fabric. You will need and apron front and back from the primary fabric, a rectangular pocket, and material for two straps. Honestly, I just held the fabric up to my daughter and eyeballed it. Once I had the basic rectangular shape, I folded the primary fabric in half length-wise to make sure the arm indents were the same size. Using the dotted fabric was extremely helpful because I used the dots to help line everything up evenly.

Once I had the main fabric in shape, I cut a rectangular pocket from the secondary fabric. The straps were also cut from the secondary fabric. They were 2" wide and 22" long. In retrospect, I would have liked the straps a bit wider. When I make this apron again, I would cut the fabric for straps 4" wide and only about 20" long. The extra width will not only look better, but it will provide a more stable field for the button holes.

Step 2
Prepare your pocket for the apron's front. This part has a few sub-steps:

a. I folded the top edge over and sewed it first.

b. Then, I folded and pressed the sides and bottom of the pocket (see photo, top left).

c. Next, I pinned the pocket to the front of the apron. This way there is only one seam showing on the outside of the pocket, but all of the edges still remain neatly tucked in (see photo, bottom left).

d. Sew the pocket down along the sides and bottom.





Step 3
Press the raw edges of the straps to the inside and press. Then fold in half (with raw edges tucked in) and press again. If you want to pin the straps at this point, it's optional. I tried it both ways, and I felt that pressing was sufficient to hold the shape of the straps while sewing.

Obviously, if you have a bias tape maker, you can just use that to form the straps rather than pressing and pinning by hand. (And I will be completely jealous.)

Once the straps are folded, sew them together.

Step 4
Pin the front and back of the apron together, insides out. Pin the straps in between the layers of fabric at the top.

Sew the sides and the top of the apron together, but leave the bottom OPEN. Once you are done, you will flip the fabric right-side out through the bottom, bringing the straps out to the top.

Step 5
Almost there! This thing is actually starting to look like an apron now. With your apron flipped right-side out, press the apron to make the edges stiff. Tuck the raw edges on the bottom inside and press or pin.

Then, sew the edges of apron along the bottom, sides, and top with a 3/8"-1/2" seam allowance. This gives the apron a little extra support and helps to ensure that that top ties are securely fastened.


Step 6
I didn't get a good, close up picture of this, but sew a button into each corner of the apron underneath the arm indents.

Next, make at least one button hole at the bottom of each apron strap. Since my straps were a bit long, I made three button holes on each strap so that the apron can grow with my daughter.

Put the apron on with the straps criss-crossed in the back, and button. Now your little guy or gal has an adorable, custom apron to wear while making a mess in the kitchen!

Happy crafting (and cooking)!

There be a Pirate Party (Part 1)... Arr!

My 3-year-old was not interested in the potty (the link with pirates will be clear in a moment here... bear with me). She has the dexterity to dress and undress herself. She has the ability to communicate the need to go. She is perfectly capable of staying dry for extended periods of time. But whenever I tried to sit her on the potty, she would refuse to go and inevitably wet herself within the next 10 minutes.

We tried bribing her with dance lessons.

We tried bribing her with getting her ears pierced.

Then one day she announced that she needs to have a pirate party. I said, "You can have a pirate party when you start using the potty like a big girl." She said, "Okay." We made a "treasure map" with a path of potties leading to the promise of said Pirate Party. Each day she used the potty for the whole day, she could earn a check mark on the treasure map. Once all the potties had a check mark, then she got her party.

The first two days went okay with the exception of a few accidents. This was okay... at least she was trying! Then she decided to take a day or two off. I kept reminding her about the super awesome Pirate Party. She started trying again. After some more accidents and a few small breaks (usually a day or less), she finally started going to the bathroom. All. By. Herself. (If you have ever potty trained a particularly stubborn child, you can relate to my barely contained excitement at this point.)

The check marks were adding up. She was wearing underwear all day. If she did wear a diaper on a long car trip, it stayed dry. Finally, we reached our goal... Party Time!!!

So in the space of about three days, I threw together a Pirate Party. Very few things were handmade because of the time factor, but I was still really happy with how it turned out. We had a bunch of family in town from Florida, so the timing was perfect to make a REALLY BIG DEAL about my little girl's major milestone.


One thing I did get to make was this custom banner. I used my computer to print out the letters and pirate clipart. Then, I pasted the letters onto colorful scrapbooking paper and cardstock. I decided to go with the triangle shape this time to make them look like flags. The color theme was just kind of generic, tropical brights. If you thought pink dinosaurs were hard to come by, pink pirates are even worse!
(Obviously the banner is longer, but it included my daughter's name, and I want to give her some anonymity here.)


Since my 7-year-old nephew was in town to celebrate with us, I decided to set up an arts and crafts table for the kids. They had construction paper, markers, and stickers to make their own treasure maps. They could also use the paper towel tubes to customize their own telescopes. I found the wooden pirate and sea creature masks at the local JoAnn Fabrics for a dollar each. I was a little miffed that I could not find girl pirates anywhere. Really, people?!? This is 2011. Girls don't have to be princesses anymore!

 Anyway, I will get back off of my soap box now. To the left is a photo of the treat baskets I whipped up. They aren't terribly original, but I thought the little buckets were cute. The older kids got skull-and-cross bones bandanas, an eye patch, a ring pop, and some candy necklaces. My 15-month old got the cockatoo Beanie Baby since I didn't think she was big enough for the candy. All of the kids got some chocolate gold coins, play coins, a little harmonica, and a little spying scope. One handy hint my husband discovered: pick up medical eye patches from the pharmacy. They are much sturdier and less expensive than the cheesy, plastic, party patches!


I got a combination of solid-colored and pirate-themed tableware for the party. My daughter especially liked the pirate map plates. As you can see, I grabbed random Beanie Babies and shells to decorate the buffet station and the craft table. The floral patterned fabric is just a 1-yard by 1-yard drop cloth that I use under my daughters' chairs. I thought it looked fitting to the tropical/ pirate thing and used it to decorate here.

Most of the party was outside so we could play in the kiddie pool and the sprinkler. The water was a tad chilly for the Floridians, but my kids loved it anyway. We just set up a bunch of folding chairs and a picnic blanket under the shade tree in our back yard and let the breezes keep us cool. We even enjoyed our pirate-themed dinner (fish sticks, french fries, and "golden coin" carrots... daughter's choice!) outside.

Of course, the center piece of the party was the amazing Treasure Map Cake that I made. Check out There Be a Pirate Party (Part 2)... And Treasure Map Cake! for the tutorial.

Sketching Out Some Scientist Barettes

A few weeks ago, my precious 3 year old requested some Fairy Barrettes. I happily busted out my glue gun and felt scraps and set to work. They came out so cute that I wanted to go buy supplies to make more, but between work and life it just hasn't happened yet.

Fast forward to today when I am getting her dressed for Easter dinner at Nana's house. I thought maybe her fairy barrettes would make her hair look extra special, so I asked her if she wanted me to put them in. (If you have a 3 year old who is finicky about her hair, you will understand why this is necessary. The only thing I insist on is brushing it.) As usual, her response managed to boggle and delight:

"No, Mom. I don't want fairy barrettes. I need some scientist barrettes." (her emphasis)

My first thought: "This is awesome." My second thought: "What the heck is a scientist barrette?"

So I thought about science and what it might mean to my daughter. She watches Sid the Science Kid, which definitely has helped to structure and expand her natural curiosity into something a bit more focused. It has labeled her inquiry as science. My husband and I have also encouraged her by purchasing a mini-greenhouse to sprout vegetables, putting a solar system night-light in her room, and buying scads of dinosaur books. Oh yeah, and we all watch documentaries together. Her favorites are Blue Planet and Walking With Dinosaurs.

Basically at this point, I am thinking, "Almost anything can be science!" which is a realization I have had in the classroom before too. I had to narrow down my scientist barrette ideas to a few key concepts that would be meaningful to her.

I wanted to make the sun, the moon, and the Earth because of her fascination with the aforementioned solar system night light. In her words, "This is my most favorite night-light ever. It is awesome."

I also sketched out some key tools for scientific inquiry-- ones that she would be familiar with from Sid the Science Kid. I figure a magnifying glass, a science journal, and a pencil are iconic "scientist" tools in her mind. (She has already started keeping her own science journal, by the way.)

I decided to draw all these thoughts out his time so I could make sure I bought the right materials at the store. I am not sure how all of the details will work out. I may try my hand at drawing on these a little more, or I may just make the real barrettes a little simpler.



My question to you, dear readers-- what does science mean to you? How does the natural world impact your crafting or your hobbies? What would you create for "scientist barrettes"? Feel free to post your answers and ideas in the comments.

I am really excited to start this project. I will post pictures when they are finished!

Felt Barrettes fit for a Fairy Princess

My 3 year old, like most 3 year olds, is not big on the sleep thing. Her new nap avoidance strategy is coming up with cool things to do so I won't put her to bed. This afternoon she said "Mom, I need some fairy barrettes." I wasn't sure what that meant, but she clarified for me that fairy barrettes "have orange flowers." You learn something new every day!

Unfortunately for my 3 year old, she still had to take her nap, but she fell asleep to the promise of fairy barrettes when she woke up-- I had a project to do. Since this was an unplanned thing, I had to rely on materials that I already had on hand. Luckily I have been collecting some felt to play with in crafty projects, and it turned out to be perfect for creating flowery barrettes fit for a fairy princess.

Materials:

-  barrettes and/ or ponytail holders

- several colors of felt

- scrap t-shirt fabric (had some leftover from my Upcycled T-shirt Throw Pillow Project)

- buttons (for embellishment)

- paint or glitter pens (for embellishment)

- scissors
- hot glue gun and glue sticks

I started by cutting out flowers from the felt, and layering colors. I found it helpful to double up the fabric on the base piece to add a little extra rigidity. Then, I hot glued all the layers of the design together to make a felt medallion.

In most cases, I just glued the medallion directly to the barrette. On the bendy barrettes, I got the most stability from mounting the flower on one corner, where the barrette is a little thicker. The bar barrette was great for a centered design since it had so much surface available for anchoring the felt. The ponytail holder required an extra piece of felt to help anchor the medallion. A generous layer of hot glue helped to keep this nice and stable-- it worked a lot better than I expected!




After the first few, I decided to deviate a little from the orange flowers request. These came out a lot cuter than I expected, and I wanted to try out some other design ideas that I had. To the left you can see the results of my experimentation. These barrettes were super easy and surprisingly fun to make; I am eager to go buy some more barrettes because the possibilities are endless. Older children could even help by picking out colors, painting designs with a fabric pen or cutting out shapes!




When my daughter woke up from her nap, she was very excited about her barrettes (yay, cool mommy points!). She wore them around for the rest of the afternoon, and they held up well. To the right is a picture of her modeling.

Happy crafting for all those fairy princesses out there!

Upcycled T-shirt Throw Pillows

A little more than two weeks ago, my husband says to me "we need to buy some throw pillows for the couch." I say, "Bump that-- I'll just make some. I have some old t-shirts I want to use for a project, so I don't even have to buy fabric. This will be easy."

And it started off easy. I went through the t-shirts and picked out a few colors that would look nice in our living room (left). Initially, my plan was just to cut, stuff and sew. But then, I decided that making covers would be better so they could be easily washed. After I made that change, I got to looking at the one shirt with a design on it, and I thought, "Wouldn't it be neat if I could make the other pillows coordinate with this design?" The wheels of creativity were set in motion, and my project got considerably cooler-- and a heck of a lot more involved.

Materials:

- T-shirts (at least one for each pillow you plan to make... avoid spandex blends as much as possible)

- double-sided fusible interfacing for appliquéd pieces

- single-sided fusible interfacing for backing the base fabric

- Velcro (if you want to make removable casings... I used iron-on but sew on would work just fine)

- fabric for inner pillows (amount varies based on number of pillows)

- stuffing (I prefer the silky Poly-fil)

- an iron

- sewing machine

- thread and notions 

I began by cutting the shirts off under the armpit to create roughly rectangular shapes with one raw, open side and one finished, open side. I designed my appliqué patterns using the scraps left from cutting the t-shirts (right). I know from experience that sewing with t-shirt material would be kind of a pain. It's stretchy, so it tends to bunch and move when sewing appliqué. Stitched t-shirt to t-shirt doubles the bunchy factor. So, I ended up breaking down and trying some fusible interfacing. By accident, I only got one-sided fusible, but even that helped the stretching on my designs tremendously. If were ever to do this again, I would also get some interfacing for the back of my base fabric to get some more stability there as well. You live and you learn, right?

 Here I am sewing on my appliqué designs (left). As you can see, I normally straight stitch around the edges before finishing with my zig-zag stitch. Had I gotten double-sided fusible interfacing, I probably could have avoided that. This is normally how I do all of my appliqué since I am too lazy (cheap? set in my ways?) to buy interfacing. Although the appliqué was the most time consuming part of this project, it also gives a lot of character to the pillows. If you don't have the patience to do this, it is very optional-- do what works for you!



Next, I sewed up the raw edges on the pillow casing from where I cut the shirt under the armpits. On the finished edges, I ironed on some Velcro designed for bonding to fabric (right). This creates an outer, washable casing for the pillows.

With the casing all ready to go, it was time to work on the stuffing. I cut the fabric for lining materials to match the casing, thinking that this would leave enough seam allowance (below, left). In reality, I should've cut the lining with an extra half inch around the edges. This would've helped to fill out the final product more.

 

 With the lining sewn and stuffed (above, right) I was able to finally complete my throw pillows. Here are the final products in all their glory (left)! My 3 year old has already claimed them for herself. They are comfy and super soft because of the t-shirt fabric. You can more easily see here where I tried to play off the one t-shirt design with my appliqué.

Overall, I am really happy with my final product, but as always, there are things I would change if I were to do it all over again. I hope this helps you find some inspiration in your closet now!

A Pink and Yellow Dinosaur Party (Part 3)

After months of planning and crafting, we finally had my daughters' birthday party last weekend. We have been crazy busy, so it has taken me awhile to post the decoration pictures-- but better late than never, right?

 To the left is a picture of the birthday banner I made for the girls. The letters were colored and printed with the computer. Then I cut the letters out and pasted them onto some cardstock (I  probably have 3-4 fat stacks on hand at all times). I added some dinosaurs and glittery gem stickers for embellishment. They are hard to see in the picture, but in person, the banner was appropriately sparkly. I bunched holes in the corners and strung the letters up for a fun, FREE, custom birthday banner.



To the right is a look at the table decorations, including the tablecloth that I made. Our table is just the right size for me to make super easy fabric tablecloths. Basically, I just pick out 2 yards of fabric from the bargain bin, sew up the edges and presto! Since we don't use a tablecloth any other time of the year, I usually keep them for drop-cloths to use under my daughters' chairs.

Also note the placemats I made. I colored designs of different dinosaurs (T-rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Pteranodon, and Apatosaurus), glued them to colorful paper, and laminated them. The lamination is neat because now the girls can color on them with any washable or dry erase marker, similar to one of Emily Green's Imagination Mats (e.g. Emily Green Hootie Do You Love Placemat). Unfortunately, my laminator tops out at legal-sized paper, but I am pretty sure I could get a bigger design done at Staples for a reasonable price.


This last picture shows the cakes laid out on the table as a center piece. I cannot claim credit for these beauties-- it's all Nana! And really, with talent like this in the family, I have zero desire to work on my own cake-decorating skills. I will stick to crafting, thanks!

So anyhow, this is the final post in a series that began two whole months ago. It's hard to believe that my babies are already 3 and 1. The party was fun, and all of the work was totally worth my 3 year old's excitement when she saw the decorations. She is already asking for next year's party!

A Pink and Yellow Dinosaur Party (Part 2)

The time draws near for my daughters' birthdays and their Pink and Yellow Dinosaur Party. Since their birthdays are exactly a week apart, we will have the family party on the Saturday between their birthdays. I'm not sure when we'll have the childcare party, but it will be somewhere in that week time frame as well.

Earlier, I decided that I would be making the following party items:

- Appliquéd pink dinosaur shirts for the birthday girls (done!)

- Big stuffed dinosaurs for their birthday presents (done!)

- A "Happy Birthday" banner 

- Placemats for the family party (done!)

- Dinosaur cupcake toppers (for the childcare party-- done!)

- Little stuffed dinosaurs for gift bags (for the childcare part-- done!)

- A tablecloth for the party (done!)

- Dinosaur-shaped crayons (done!)

So, I feel pretty happy that in the next two weeks, all I have left to do is make the party banner, food for the family dinner, and the cupcakes. I will post the table decorations (tablecloth/ place mats / party banner/ cupcake toppers) at a later date. Tonight, I mainly want to share the stuffed animals I made and show the finished treat bags for the childcare party. 

To the left, you can see how the plushies came out. I made the pattern myself, and there was definitely a learning curve. However, I was pretty happy with the results... I just hope the birthday girls like them! Both of the dinos were made from upcycled receiving blankets and fabric scraps I had lying around. I had to buy the ribbon and buttons (which are both sewn and hot-glued for added security), but the cost was pretty minimal compared to buying stuffed animals.

To the right, you can see an image of the completed treat bags. I just used some white, paper bags and ribbon (nothing fancy) since there was so much goodness inside. I really wanted the treat bags to be special since I am combining the parties and ultimately saving myself a fair amount of work. Each treat bag (these are for 2-4 year olds) has a dinosaur activity pad, a dinosaur crayon, a mini-brontosaur plushie, and a noise maker. The activity pad and the noisemaker are store bought, but I already had a lot of crafty stuff on my plate and though that these would be a little challenging to do on my own.

I am getting really excited for the parties, and I look forward to posting more soon!

Upcycled Dinosaur Crayons

In addition to crafting some plush brontosaurs for my daughters' pink and yellow dinosaur party, I decided to make some dinosaur shaped crayons for the goodie bags. Since the other children at their childcare are all between 2 and 4, I figured the chunky crayons shapes would be perfect for them to color. Also, this craft gave me the excuse to upcycle all of the old, broken crayons I have sitting around the house. When I decided that I was going to do this, I also started saving all of the crayons that my kids get from restaurants (my husband deserves credit for that idea). Why let them go waste?

Materials:

- crayon pieces, labels peeled off

- 1 or 2 cooking pans (depending on how many colors you are using)

- tin cans or aluminum cans (1 for each color)

- popsicle sticks or wooden skewers for stirring

- a candy mold (I used this one)

- wax paper (to cover the workspace)

- lots of paper towels (for quick clean up)

1. After peeling the labels off the crayons and sorting them by color, I put each color into a metal can. Tins cans work especially well because the edges aren't as sharp, but a cut aluminum can does just fine. I would recommend breaking the crayons up into little chunks-- they will melt faster. (I forgot to do that and it was a pain.)

2. Heat the cans in your pans on the stove. A low heat (2-3 on my stove) was sufficient. If you turn it up much higher, you start to get a funky odor and stress out your pans. Use the popsicle sticks to stir as needed. If you mix different shades of the same color, the stirring will help blend everything together.

3. Pour heated wax into the mold. The cans don't get super hot, so you could do this with bare fingers, but I thought it was easier to use a pot holder once I got the can out of the pan. Since the shapes in my mold were pretty big, each child is only going to get one crayon. I wanted each crayon to have different colors to give it a neat effect. On the first batch, I stuck the mold in the freezer between each layer of colors. This allowed each layer to be very distinct, but it took a lot of patience. On the second batch, I pour the colors into the mold without allowing cooling time in between. The result was more of a tie-dye effect, which is visible in this picture.

4. Once the crayons cool completely (again, the freezer helps speed this up), they pop right out of the mold. These are some of the crayons from my first batch to show the distinct layers. The whole process took about 45 minutes and was pretty fun. Be sure to wear clothes that can get dirty... I ended up with quiet a few splatters.

Happy crafting!