Easter Tulip craft

• Egg carton (with rounded cups)
• Scissors
• Paints
• Ice pick or other embroidery needle
• Pipe cleaners (spring colors)
• Cotton
• Easter basket grass (green or color of choice)
• Artificial fern leaves or make leaves from green construction paper if desired
• Glue

Cut out each egg cup from container, including the pointed corners on top.
Paint each cup with different spring tulip colors.
Allow paint to dry thoroughly.
Punch small holes in the base of each cup.
Stick a pipe cleaner through each hole allowing the pipe cleaner stem to stick up about 1/2″ on inside of cup.
Make a small ball of cotton and wrap it around the tip of the pipe cleaner stem piece inside of the cups and dap with a small amount of yellow paint.
Glue the fern stems to the base of the pipe cleaners.
Arrange in vase as desired.
Trim vase opening with basket grass and allow streamers of the grass to hang down along sides of vase.

Halloween Felt Treat Bags

I found this in All You and thought it looked fun and fairly easy.

* Templates (download pumpkin template or cat template)
* Scissors
* For pumpkin: 2 9″ x 12″ pieces of orange felt, plus 2 9″ x 12″ pieces, 1 gold, 1 black
* For cat: 9″ x 12″ piece of black felt, plus 2 9″ x 12″ pieces, 1 gold, 1 pink
* Pins
* Fabric glue
* Tapestry needle
* 2′ ribbon, about 1″ wide1. Cut all templates for bag you plan to make.

2. Stack orange pieces (for pumpkin) or black pieces (for cat) on top of each other. Center bag pattern on felt; pin in place and cut. Glue pieces together, using a thin bead of glue 1/4″ from edge of felt. Leave top edge open, as indicated on template.

3. Place remaining templates on small pieces of felt (use photos, left and below, as a color guide); pin and cut.

4. Position eyes, nose and mouth on bag pieces and glue in place.

5. To make strap, use a tapestry needle to pull one end of ribbon through the bag, as indicated on template. Remove needle and tie in a knot. Repeat with other end of ribbon.

Cauldron Candy Dish

Start with an empty round plastic container (like a cool-whip container).
Clean it, dry it, and then paint it black.
Paint three small wooden balls black as well.
After the paint is dry, glue the balls to the bottom of your plastic container.
Add a handle made out of wire if you’d like and your candy dish cauldron is done.

Little Ghosts craft

Cut square pieces of white fabric.
Make a ball out of batting, some old pantyhose or some tissue paper.
Put it in the center of the fabric square and wrap the fabric around.
Secure with a piece of string.
This is your little ghost.
Use a black marker to draw the ghost’s mouth and eyes on.
Thread some string or fishing line through a needle and run a stick through the top of your ghost’s head.
Tie it off and use the string or fishing line to hang it up.
Hang in bushes, trees, windows or from the ceiling.

Paintbrush cookies

3/4 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Mix shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt.
Stir together and chill 1 hour.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out 1/8 inch thick.
Cut in desired shapes.
Place on ungreased baking sheets.
Paint with egg yolk paint.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes.

EGG YOLK PAINT:
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp. water

Divide mixture and add food coloring.
Paint designs on cookies with paint brush.
If paint thickens, add few drops of water.

Suet Seed Cakes for Bird Feeding

2 lbs. beef suet
1/2 lb. sunflower seeds
1 c. millet
1 c. cracked corn
1 c. crushed peanuts (ground)

Grind suet.
Place in large pot and cook slowly over low heat until smoothly melted.
Let cool to a semi liquid state.
Stir in nuts.
Spread into shallow rectangle foil molds.
If using paper cups tie string to pencil and place other end in mixture to harden.
This will then enable it to be hung from a tree, or place molded mixture into a netting, like a suet bag when cakes are solid only.
Needs no refrigeration.
Keeps well in a dark, cool place, such as a corner of the cellar.

Paint for sugar cookies

1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp. water
Food color

Divide 1 egg yolk and 1/4 teaspoon water among several cups.
Color each with a food color.
Paint onto sugar cookies prior to being baked with paintbrush.
If “paint” thickens, just add a few drops of water.

Finger Paint

1 tbsp. unflavored gelatin (1 env.)
Cold water
1/2 c. cornstarch
4 tbsp. dishwashing liquid
Food coloring

Stir gelatin into 1/3 cup cold water.
Set aside.
In a saucepan stir cornstarch into 2 1/2 cups cold water until dissolve.
Bring to a simmer and stir until fully thickened.
Remove from heat and blend in gelatin mixture.
Add dishwashing liquid.
Cool and add food coloring as desired.
Store in Tupperware
at room temperature.

Peanut butter playdough

18 oz. peanut butter
6 tbsp. honey
Nonfat dry milk

Mix ingredients with enough nonfat dry milk to form into a workable dough.
Can be decorated with raisins and then eaten!

Cookie Dough Ornaments

1 c. salt
2 c. flour
1 c. water

Mix together salt and flour and add water a little at a time.
Knead dough 7 to 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
Roll dough 1/4 inch thick and then use cookie cutters.
Put hole for hanging in top of shape.
To attach small buttons, smooth on a little water, then put on.
Bake at 325 degrees until light brown (about 1/2 hour).
First color with bright magic markers when cool and then varnish (can use spray varnish).

Face Paint

1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. water
1/2 tsp. cold cream
2 drops food coloring of your choice

Mix all ingredients in small plastic mixing bowl. Make sure it is mixed well.

Bubbles

1 c. Joy or Dawn dishwashing liquid
3-4 tbsp. glycerin
10 c. clean cold water, up to 50%  more on dry days
Measure 10 cups water into a clean 2-5 gallon bucket.
Add dishwashing liquid and glycerin and stir gently to avoid froth.
A lot of bubbles for a lot of kids, you may wish to use 1/4 of recipe.

Funny Putty

1/4 c. Elmer’s glue
2 tsp. Sta-Flo liquid starch
Combine glue and starch; mix well and allow to dry slightly until workable.
Store in airtight containers.

Ghost Lollipops

Dress up the lollipops you are giving away for Halloween by wrapping a white tissue or small piece of fabric over them.
Secure it with a piece of string or a rubber band.
Take a black marker and draw eyes and a round mouth on the ghost’s face.