Friday, September 28, 2012

Fall Crafts with the kiddos...part 1

Yesterday we had an Apple Party to celebrate the arrival of fall, and the ending of September (I'm going to redecorate my house with pumpkins in October, so we're enjoying the apples until then!).

To get the house ready for the party, Ethan and I made lots of cute (Pinterest inspired, of course!) apple crafts. Most were super simple, and didn't take much time. There are quite a few of them though, so the crafts are going to take up a couple of posts...

First, we decorated the glass door and the front door window. This was actually two crafts, but we did them on the same day.
Over the door is a streamer banner with apple paint prints that reads "Welcome Fall." On the window/door itself are "stained glass" tissue paper apples. So cute, right?

Apple Paint Print Banner:
Supplies:
apples, cut in half from top to bottom
paper (we used a roll of butcher paper, but you could really use anything)
paint (we used washable finger paints to make sure my kitchen floor was safe ;-), but any paint would work)
scissors
marker
streamer
mini-clothespins (or staples/tape - this will be used to attach the apples to the banner, so it's personal preference or what you have on hand!)
tape (or stick pins - this will be used to attach the banner to your chosen location, I used tape because it's hard to stick pin through a plastic blind header!)

Instructions:
1. Dip the half apples into the paint, and use like a stamp onto the paper. The more times you use the same apple (without re-dipping the paint), the more interesting the apple prints get. The first print will be very paint-y, while the later prints will be more apple-y.
2. Let dry. Cut out the apple prints and decide on the color order you want them in on the final banner (Ours went red-green-red-green-etc.).
3. Write your message using the marker. Remember to leave a "space apple"  between words!
4. Pin your apples to the streamer - I actually measured the distance between each apple and made it all mathematically even (oh, so OCD!), but feel free to be creative!
5. Attach your streamer to the wall (or, as in my case, the header to the blinds on the backdoor), and enjoy the cuteness of fall!

"Stained Glass" Tissue Paper Apples (and leaves!):
Supplies:
clear contact paper (can be found in the kitchen supply aisle)
tissue paper
construction paper
pen/pencil
scissors
tape

Instructions:
1. Decide on your design - you can freestyle your shapes, or you can (like me) find something cute online and trace it ;-) - and draw it out on the construction paper. Be sure to make the shapes large enough to leave space in the middle for the tissue paper.
2. Cut out your shapes. Then, cut out the insides of your shapes - you really only need a little border to give some defined shape to the project. If you would prefer a thicker or thinner border, go for it! Ours were about an inch wide for the apples, and about half an inch for the leaves.
3. Cut your tissue paper into small squares. I cut ours into strips, then into squares - trying to keep them mostly even!
4. Cut your contact paper to be a square just larger than your shape. You'll need two even pieces for each shape.
5. Peel the backing off one piece of contact paper and lay it, sticky side up, on the table. Center a shape in the middle of the contact paper and press down evenly.
6. Fill it in! This is the fun part where you get to be creative. You can make patterns or be totally random with your placement (even for my OCD mind, the creative ones were the ones that turned out better, because real apples and leaves don't usually have stripe patterns!). Simply place the tissue squares into the center of the shape, pressing them lightly onto the contact paper.
7. When your shape is filled in as you like it, peel the backing off the second piece of contact paper. Carefully align the edge of the two pieces, and press the sticky side of the second piece slowly onto the finished shape. This can take a little patience, because you don't want air bubbles or things to stick in the wrong place! Press the finished square firmly together to make sure it will hold well.
8. Cut out your finished shape - leave a little border around the edge (ours was about a quarter inch) to make sure you don't accidentally cut your shape!
9. Attach to your windows and glass doors with tape, and enjoy the light coming through!


Ethan had a great time with the apple painting - he thought it was so funny to be using food to paint!

No comments:

Post a Comment