Round and round we go!

When I saw this at abstractoctopus, it went straight to one of my book marks.  I wanted a less bulky look so I cut up my magazine papers into 1/16s and folded that down halfway.  Me and my ambition - I paid sorely for that.  I was tearing magazines for days!

Instead of gluing it and using a bulldog clip to hold it together, I just rolled it into 1 big roll using scotchtape to join up the papers.  Then I used my glue to spread it all over and allow for it to seep between the cracks.  I'm out of modge podge but the normal glue seemed to work just fine!

The tot has staked his claim on it already and has been using it for his doodads.  It was fun making but I doubt I'll make another one.  Too time consuming for impatient ole me!

Do you have any other ideas on how to make fancy boxes out of magazine paper?

Have a look here for more ideas on how to use up those magazines!

Home made rubber balls...

Do you remember the rubber band skipping ropes we made as children to play "Zero point" and those rubber balls that would bounce almost as high as the point at which they were dropped?  I do.  And when I googled zero point, it said it was a "traditional" game.  That made me feel old in an instant!

Anyhow, the tot is too young to play zero point and I had a lot of rubber bands.  So I thought, why not make a rubber ball with them?  So I wound rubber bands over one another repeatedly.  It's that brainless and easy.

The ball bounces quite well but I would highly recommend that you do not encourage any throwing - it hurts if you are hit with it!  And play with it outside.  The window can shatter from the impact.  It's that solid.

Paper baskets!

I came across zipper8design's woven basket (which was inspired by Nifty Thrifty Things) and had to try my hand at it.  It also fell right into my theme of recycling magazines currently - perfect!

It wasn't easy to do initially.  But once I got the idea of what was actually going on, I couldn't stop.  I ended up making 4 in 1 sitting.

I loved how it contained my sewing thread and needles altogether when I was doing my mending.  No more digging around for the spool that has rolled off the table!

The tot asked that I make one into a basket - which I happily obliged with my 1st trial version.  He carried it around, proclaiming that he was going to the market!

I made some modifications as I went along, using all the tips from Zipper8Design and Nifty Thrifty Things.  Nothing major but it helped me make the baskets with a bit more ease.

1. I used magazine paper instead of newspaper - the paper weight is heavier so I folded the strips twice only and got it stiff enough.  When I folded it thrice, the paper was a bit too stiff and kept coming apart.  
2. As the paper strip length was also shorter, I cut down the number of strips to 6x6.  When I tried anything more than that, I got a very shallow container and it was very difficult to keep the shape as the strips wouldn't catch well.
3. I used 1 cm strips - the thinner the strips, the narrower the base of the basket and the taller the basket.

Hope this inspires you too!  Have fun!

Have a look here for more ideas on how to use up those magazines!

Teaching tiny fingers on the cheap

It's important for toddlers to practice their fine motor skills as this helps them learn to use their fingers and improve their dexterity.  One of the recommended activities is to string up pasta with a string to form a necklace. However, I'm not exactly keen that the tot "plays with food" as I'm concerned that he would get confused with real food.

My solution?  Paper beads!  With my stack of magazines growing, I had lots of material.  It's a very, very simple project and you can even involve your child in making them.  After the beads dried, the tot has been having fun threading them onto the stick again.  He also uses them to count and treats it like "money"!

Paper beads
Material
Colorful paper
Ruler
Pen knife
Glue
Satay stick

Instructions

1. Using the ruler, cut the paper into long triangular strips.
2. Apply a small amount of glue to the paper on the "wrong" side of the paper (the side that is to be hidden).
3. Using a stick, roll the paper tightly around it, starting from the broader end.
4. Allow glue to dry before removing from the stick.

Tips

1. Heavier paper gives you larger beads, as with longer strips of paper.
2. You can use "wet glue" or tape glue.  Tape glue may be less messy but trickier for toddlers - I don't let my tot near it as he ended up unwinding the entire reel once!
3. Varying the width of the strip's base varies the length of the bead.
4. You can actually spray the beads evenly with lacquer if you intend to wear these beads!

Have a look here for more ideas on how to use up those magazines!

Using up those magazines

Looking at the stack of old magazines that I had ploughed through, part of me said "Just chuck them in the recycling bin!".  Another part said "What could you do with these?"  So this is the list that I made:

1. Using it to wrap breakable things for packing - it sure beats the carbon that is left behind from the newspapers we usually use.  Much cleaner in my opinion!
2. Shredding it and using it as stuffing in wrapping presents - cheaper than using new colored paper.
3. Make disposable boxes - very useful for messy craft times and dinners with loads of cast offs e.g. crab eating sessions
4. Make paper chains - fast and easy decoration for parties and the like
5. Origami - endless possibilities!
6. Make paper beads - the kids love it for stringing or playing.  Their imagination is the limit!
7. Make paper dolls - I love cheap toys that allow children to use their imagination.  Can you tell?
8. Make collages - I remember doing this when I was in Primary school!
9. Paper basket weaving - great as containers!
10. Paper boxes - it can look nicer than you think!

Hopefully, I'll be able to put up some photos of the above projects (if I get to do them!) over time with instructions.  Watch this space!