If you’ve got an old t-shirt that you’d like to give a new lease of life then you could turn it into a tasselled scarf, you don’t even need to do any sewing!
You will need:
T-shirt
Scissors
Step 1.
We’re going to use the body of the t-shirt to make this scarf so start off by cutting across the t-shirt under the arms, leaving you with a tube of fabric.
Step 2.
We’re now going to make the fringe, make a series of cuts from the cut edge of the tube to about 5 cm from the opposite edge (the t-shirt hem edge,) like in the picture. Make sure you don’t cut all the way up to the edge!
Step 3.
Gently tug on each of the fringes so that they curl in on themselves slightly.
Step 4.
You’re now ready to wear your scarf! If you used a large t-shirt to start with you might be able to wrap it twice, giving you a double fringe.
As we move into Spring it’s nice to be able to go outside and gather a few bits of greenery for our homes*. Here’s a simple upcycling project to turn a glass jar into a beautiful decorated vase to show off your finds.
*Always be careful if gathering plants from the wild; only gather things that are plentiful and take care not to damage anything and only take a very small amount of any plant.
You will need:
Glass jar
A selection of ribbons, lace or other trims
Double sided tape
Scissors
Step 1.
Put two strips of double sided tape down the length of the jar, on opposite sides. These will anchor the ribbons in place.
Step 2.
Starting at one end of the jar lay a piece of ribbon or lace on top of the double sided tape, don’t totally cover the tape as you’ll need to stick the other end of the ribbon onto this tape too. Keeping the ribbon/lace taut, stretch it around the jar so it meets up with the starting point, sticking it onto the double sided tape so it lines up.
Step 3.
Work your way down the jar wrapping ribbons and lace around to create a pleasing pattern.
Step 4.
When the jar is fully covered you can cover up the ‘seam’ (where all the ribbon ends meet) with another piece of ribbon, stuck down with another piece of double sided tape.
Step 5.
Use another piece of ribbon to tie a bow and attach this at the top of the ‘seam’ with double sided tape.
Step 6.
Pop some pretty twigs or flowers in your new vase and admire your hard work!
Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
Make the most of the sunshine and make yourself a beautiful suncatcher from a plastic lid. When the light hits the suncatcher it will light up the colours like stained glass! We used lids from food pots but any clear plastic will work for this craft.
You will need:
Clear plastic lid/circle
Permanent markers in different colours
Ribbon or thread
Needle
Scrap paper
Pencil
Step 1.
On your scrap paper draw around your lid and then in the circle draw out your design, or use ours!
Step 2.
Place your plastic over your design and using the permanent markers* colour it in on the plastic.
*Felt tip pens are no good for this craft, they’ll just wipe off.
Step 3.
Use a black permanent marker to draw in the outline, over the coloured areas to give it that stained glass look.
Step 4.
Thread your ribbon or thread through the top of your plastic to make a hanging loop.
Step 5.
Hang your suncatcher in the windows and enjoy the jewel like colours. Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
1st March is St. David’s Day, the patron saint of Wales. The national flower of Wales is the daffodil so to celebrate St. David’s Day we have a daffodil themed craft for you this week!
You will need:
Yellow card
Yellow paper
Green card
Paper fastener
Ruler
Pencil
Glue stick
Step 1.
We’re going to start by preparing the main part of the daffodil (the pinwheel.) We need to start with a square, ours is 21 x 21 cm. Draw diagonal lines from corner to corner and then measure 5 cm out from the centre along each of the four lines.
Step 2.
Cut along the diagonal lines from the outside edge to the 5 cm line.
Step 3.
Using the pencil very carefully poke a small hole in the centre and at alternate ‘points’ of the square. Put this piece to one side for now.
Step 4.
Now we’re going to make the centre of the daffodil. Cut a strip of yellow paper 10 cm x 5 cm and mark a 1 cm strip along one long edge.
Step 5.
On the 1 cm strip that you’ve marked cut a series of slits from the long edge to the 1 cm line about 1 cm apart. On the other long edge cut lots of slits close together and about 2 cm long.
Step 6.
Put a line of glue along one of the short edges of the yellow paper strip and roll it into a tube and stick in place. Tuck the short tabs that you cut to the inside and cut and then glue a circle of yellow paper over the tabs. Use the pencil again to carefully poke a hole in the bottom of the circle. Put this part of the daffodil to one side.
Step 7.
Next we’re going to make the stem for our daffodil. Cut a piece of green card 10 cm wide and as long as you’d like the stem (ours is around 30 cm.) Divide the strip into four columns; three columns 3 cm wide and 1 column 1 cm wide. Fold along the lines you’ve marked.
Step 8.
Carefully poke a hole in the middle of one of the 3 cm columns about 3 cm from the top.
Step 9.
Now we’re ready to put everything together! Put the paper fastener through the hole in the base of the yellow paper section first and then through the holes in the corners of the pinwheel, working your way round in order. The paper fastener then goes through the hole in the centre of the pinwheel and lastly the hole in the green card. Fold down the edges of the paper fastener, making sure you leave enough slack for it to spin.
Step 10.
Finally, put glue along the 1 cm wide column of the green card and glue it to the edge of the furthest 3 cm column to make a prism.
Step 11.
You’re done! Take it outside to test it in the breeze (unless it’s raining!) Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
Did you know that 27th February is International Polar Bear Day? To celebrate these beautiful and endangered creatures we’ve got a simple stand up model for you to make. We’ve left ours plain but you could decorate it with cotton wool, paper or fabric to add more texture.
You will need:
Polar Bear Model Template
White card (or use recycled card and paint or collage it white)
Pencil
Black pen
Scissors
Glue stick
Step 1.
Use the template to cut out 2 body piece, 2 ears and 3 pieces of card for the supports.
Step 2.
Glue an ear onto each polar bear. It’s a good idea at this point to make sure your polar bears are ‘facing’ each other so you end up with a left and a right side rather than two lefts or two rights!
Step 3.
Use the black pen to draw an eye and nose onto each polar bear.
Step 4.
Now we’re ready to join the two sides together. Using the marks on the template as a guide fold over each end of each support piece. Again using the template as a guide glue the three supports onto the body of the bears.
Step 5.
Your bear should now stand up! Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
Here’s a fun little craft to brighten someone’s day!
You will need:
Small box
Pipe cleaner
Scrap of card or Funky Foam
Glue
Pen or Pencil
Scissors
Step 1.
We’re going to begin by making our spring. To do this wrap the pipe cleaner around the pen or pencil to make a coiled spring. Leave a bit of pipe cleaner uncurled at each end, we’ll use these bits to put the design on and to fix it into the box.
Step 2.
Now we’re going to make our bird. Cut two little bird shapes and two little wings from your card or foam. Make sure your design is small enough to fit in your box! I used a pen to draw little eyes on my bird.
Step 3.
Glue the birds on either side of one end of the pipe cleaner spring.
Step 4.
Glue the wings on to the bird.
Step 5.
Bend the free end of the pipe cleaner at a right angle to the spring and glue it into the bottom of the box.
Step 6.
When the glue is dry, carefully press down the spring and put the lid on the box. When you open the box again the spring should pop up!
Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
To celebrate Chinese New Year we have a special lantern garland for you to make. Lanterns symbolise the hope for a brighter future, red is considered a happy colour in China and gold is a symbol of wealth.
You will need:
Gold paper or card
Red and yellow paper
Glue or double sided tape
Ribbon or yarn (about 1 metre or as long as you want your garland to be)
Bits of fancy trim or ribbon (optional)
Ruler
Pencil
Scissors
Craft knife (optional)
Step 1.
We’re going to start by cutting out the gold, red and yellow paper. For each lantern you will need a piece of gold paper and a piece of red or yellow paper.
For the smaller lantern:
Cut a piece of gold paper 5 x 10 cm and a piece of coloured paper 6 x 10 cm
For the larger lantern:
Cut a piece of gold paper 8 x 15 cm and a piece of coloured paper 9 x 15 cm
Step 2.
The next step is to cut the slits in the coloured paper. We measured our lines out first with our ruler and pencil. To make the rounded lantern it’s easiest to use a craft knife and a cutting mat to cut the slits but for the other lantern you can fold the paper in half and use the scissors to make the cuts. Whichever method you use make sure you don’t cut right to the edge!
Step 3.
Now we can construct our lanterns. Start by rolling the gold paper into a tube and glue it or stick it in place.
Step 4.
Now we’re going to add the coloured paper. Glue along the top and bottom edge of the coloured paper and then carefully wrap it around the gold tube, matching up the edges.
Step 5.
For each lantern cut a strip of paper around 0.5 x 10 cm and use it to make a handle. Glue it in place.
Step 6.
If you’ve got some fancy trims or ribbons then you can glue them around the top and bottom of each lantern for a bit of extra decoration.
Step 7.
Thread each lantern onto the ribbon, tying them in place to keep them nicely spaced out.
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching we thought we’d share a card project with you to get your heart racing!
You will need:
A Blank Card (or a piece of card you can fold in half to make a card)
Selection of lightweight papers
Sharp needle
Thread
Pencil
Scissors
Paper clip
Step 1.
We’re going to start by making our heart template. To do this fold one of your lightweight papers in half and draw a half heart shape along the fold, as shown. Cut it out and open it up, you should have a heart shape! Make sure it fits on the folded card.
Step 2.
Using the heart you just made as a template, cut out a heart from each of your lightweight papers. Our card has 4 hearts.
Step 3.
Stack your hearts one on top of the other and place the stack in the centre of the card front. You might want to use a paperclip to hold them in place as you work. Using the needle carefully pierce a series of holes in a line down the centre of the heart, being sure to go through all the layers. This bit can be quite tough so take your time. Make sure that the hearts all stay lined up as you work.
Step 4.
Using the holes you just made as a guide, make a line of running stitches down the centre of the hearts, going through all the layers.
Step 5.
Write a message in your card and send it to someone special!
Have you seen any snowdrops yet? I love spotting the first snowdrop, a beautiful reminder that spring is on it’s way! Here’s how to make your own from pipe cleaners.
You will need:
White pipe cleaners
Green Pipe cleaners
Step 1.
Make three small loop shapes from one of the white pipe cleaners, these will be your petals.
Step 2.
Pinch the petals together and use one of the green pipe cleaners to wrap around the top to hold them together.
Step 3.
Bend the rest of the green pipe cleaner to make the stem.
Step 4.
Make some more! Tie them together in a bunch or pop them in a little jar or vase and enjoy!
Happy Burns Night! Today Scot’s all over the world celebrate Burns Night in honour of poet Robert (or Rabbie) Burns. Traditionally, a meal of haggis, neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes) is served whilst people recite poems and sing songs by Burns. We thought we’d show you how to make a card featuring another famous Scottish emblem; the thistle!
You will need:
Blue, green and purple felt
Green embroidery thread
Plain Card and envelope*
Needle
Scissors
Glue stick
Thistle template (print out a little bit smaller than your card)
*You don’t have to make this as a card, you could just make it as a small picture
Step 1.
Begin by cutting a background from the blue felt, slightly smaller than the front of your card.
Step 2.
Use the template to cut out 2 leaves, a stem and the round part of the flower from green and the top part of the flower from purple felt.
Step 3.
Make little cuts into the purple felt to make little petals. Make sure not to cut right to the edge!
Step 4.
Lay the stem and flower head parts onto the background. Make sure the green circle overlaps the purple edge. Pop a pin in to hold things in place while you work. Use running stitch to attach the stem.
Step 5.
Make a set of diagonal stitches across the green circle, making sure you go through the purple felt underneath at the top edge. Make another set of diagonal stitches in the opposite direction.
Step 6.
Now place the leaves in place and use pins to hold them whilst you work. Use running stitch to attach them.
Step 7.
Glue your finished thistle onto the front of the card and you’re done! You can now send the card to someone special or keep it as a decoration!
Here’s a good way of helping you get a bit more organised! Stick these pegs on your fridge (or other magnetic surface) and use them to keep track of all those important bits of paper.
You will need:
Wooden Pegs
Small magnets or magnetic tape
Scraps of pretty paper
Buttons or other embellishments
PVA glue
Glue gun (optional)
Step 1.
Using your peg as a guide, cut out strips of paper the same length and width as your peg. The easiest way to do this is to place your peg on the paper and draw round it.
Step 2.
Use the PVA glue to attach the strips of paper to one side of the peg.
Step 3.
You could now add some buttons and other embellishments to make your pegs extra special. Make sure you use plenty of glue to make sure they’re really secure! Allow the glue to dry before moving onto the next step. You can also trim any overhanging edges once the glue has dried.
Step 3.
Glue a magnet or small piece of magnetic tape to the back of the peg. Again, make sure to use plenty of glue!
Step 4.
When the glue is dry you can put your memo peg on your fridge. Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
Here’s a good way to upcycle old containers to make cute panda pots with fluffy pom-pom ears! You can use them as storage pots, plant pots or whatever you like. You could also adapt the idea to make different animals.
You will need:
A pot or container to cover
Two colours of felt; one light and one dark
Wiggly eyes
Yarn
Scrap cardboard
Scissors
Coloured pencil
Ruler
PVA Glue
Step 1.
Start off by measuring and cutting a strip of the light coloured felt that is the same width as your pot and that is long enough to wrap around the pot. You may need to join two strips together if you have a larger pot.
Step 2.
Glue the strip of felt around the pot, trimming off any excess. Make sure you use plenty of glue!
Step 3.
Cut out two eye patches and a nose from the darker coloured felt, use our template as a guide and scale it up or down depending on the size of the pot you’re using. Glue them onto the front of your pot and glue the wiggly eyes in place too.
Step 4.
Next we’re going to make the ears! Following the instructions from our pom-pom ice cream tutorial make two pom-poms from your yarn. Glue them in place on either side of the pot.
Step 5.
Your pot is now ready to be used! Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on.
If you’re home is looking a little bare after taking down the Christmas decorations then why not make yourself a moon and stars garland to cheer things up a bit? You could even make use of any shiny packaging and ribbons left over from Christmas.
You will need:
Card: we used metallic card but you might have some nice bits and pieces saved from Christmas packaging you could use
Ribbon (a piece as long as you want your garland, ours is around 2 metres)
Templates (you can use ours or use a small bowl/roll of tape to make your own)
Pencil
Scissors
Hole punch
Step 1.
On the back of your card draw out your templates. Use the bowl/roll of tape to make a full moon and two crescent moons. You’ll also need to draw four stars. Cut them out carefully using the scissors.
Alternatively, you can use our templates! Print them out and either glue onto the back of the card and cut them out or print them out, cut them out and draw around them onto the card.
Step 2.
On the right side of the card (the shiny side) add some details to the moons and stars using a pencil. The aim is to make indentations more than anything so a blunt pencil works best. You could add faces, patterns or different textures.
Step 3.
Use the hole punch to make a hole in the top of each card piece.
Step 4.
Thread the moons and stars onto the ribbon, think about what order you would like them in.
Step 5.
Hang up your garland and admire your hard work!
Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
This week we are trying an origami fold with a difference. You may not know, but many traditional origami folds involves cutting! In this form the practice is known as kirigami and like origami it does not use glue.
This dragonfly is finished with two small cuts to form its double wings.
Masks have been a bit of a thing this year haven’t they? Here’s a fun version that you can make to welcome in the New Year!
You will need:
Card
Template (use ours or make your own)
A stick (the ones you get for gardening are good!)
Glue
Sticky tape
Scissors
Things for decorating: pens, feathers, collage materials and so on
Step 1.
Firstly we need to cut our mask shape out of the card. You can use our template or design your own.
Step 2.
Now for the fun part! Decorate your mask; be as outrageous as you like. You could use felt tip pens, collage or whatever else you can think of. Here are some that we’ve made at Heathlands to give you some ideas.
Step 3.
When you’re happy with your mask use the sticky tape to attach a stick at the side so you can hold it up to your face.
Step 4.
Parade around in your beautiful new mask and have a very Happy New Year!
Did you enjoy our Paper Snowflakes tutorial from a couple of weeks ago? Here’s another papercraft activity that’s perfect for using up leftover Christmas wrapping paper.
You will need:
Wrapping paper (or other lightweight paper)
Scissors
Pencil
Needle and Thread
Glue
Step 1.
Cut a rectangle of wrapping paper (ours was around 40 cm x 20 cm.)
Step 2.
Fold the paper into a concertina, with each fold being around 3 cm wide.
Step 3.
Fold the concertina in half and secure with a small stitch.
Step 4.
Draw a couple of curves onto the folds, try and make it more or less symmetrical! Remember to leave most of the fold intact.
Step 5.
Cut out the curves you drew (remembering to leave most of the fold intact otherwise you’ll end up with a pile of confetti!)
Step 6.
Put glue on one of the folds at the centre of the folded concertina and stick it to the opposite fold. Open it up and repeat on the other side to complete your decoration. Add a bit of thread to hang your decoration and admire your hard work!
We love Christmas at Heathlands. It the time of year where we relax our timetable to play games, make delicious food and even sing karaoke!
This year will be a little different but everyone has still been working really hard to make Heathlands as festive as possible.
As part of our festivities we are making our own Christmas decorations. We have already shared some with you and this week we thought we’d show you how to make an origami Christmas tree that you can decorate just like a real one.
We will also add an instructional video when it is loaded on YouTube.
It’s time to start thinking about decking the halls with boughs of…brussel sprouts! Here’s a fun craft to add a bit of humour to your festive decorating this year.
You will need:
Green yarn and a little bit of black yarn (to make the pom-poms)
Ribbon, twine or thick yarn (to hang the pom-poms on)
Wiggly eyes
Cardboard or Pom pom makers
Scissors
Glue
Step 1.
Make your brussel sprouts! Using the green yarn make some pom-poms; you can use a pom-pom maker (if you have one) or follow the instructions from our Pom-Pom Ice Creams post. Leave the piece of wool you use to tie the pom-poms off quite long so you can use it to attach to the garland.
Step 2.
Glue wiggly eyes and a small piece of black yarn onto each pom-pom to give them faces.
Step 3.
Use the long piece of yarn left over from tying off the pom-pom to attach it to your ribbon. Leave a gap at each end of the ribbon to hang your garland up with.
This week for our origami I thought we would try a cute little bird! Why not make them with red paper and use them as Christmas ornaments for your tree?
This week we’re going to show you how to use air-dry clay to make some festive hanging decorations.
You will need:
Air dry clay
Ribbon
Paint (we used acrylics)
Festive shaped cookie cutters
Pencil or similar to make a hole
Things to add texture such as lace, leaves or textured wallpaper
Rolling pin
Mat or wipeable surface to work on
Step 1.
Begin by rolling your clay out in a nice even layer, about 1cm thick.
Step 2.
Lay your textured things on top and roll over them lightly with your rolling pin (if it is somethin flat) to leave an impression in the clay.
Step 3.
Use the cookie cutters to cut out different shapes, try and choose areas with good texture.
Step 4.
Use the pencil to make a hole near the top of each cut out shape (to hang it up with.)
Step 5.
Allow the clay to dry out thoroughly, this may take several days.
Step 6.
Paint your decs! We stuck to one colour highlighted with a bit of white for each decoration to highlight the textures but you can use as many colours as you’d like.
Step 7.
When the paint is dry, thread a bit of ribbon through the hole and your decorations are ready to hang up.
We think they’d make lovely presents or extra special gift tags. What do you think?
Paper snowflakes are quick and easy to make and look beautiful in a wintery window. Here’s how to make your own!
You will need:
Squares of paper (you can use any size, the bigger your square of paper the bigger your snowflake will be.)
Scissors
Step 1.
Fold your square of paper in half diagonally to make a triangle
Step 2.
Fold the triangle in half again to make a smaller triangle
Step 3.
Fold it in half again!
Step 4.
Start cutting into the folded triangle, you can cut any shapes you like but be sure to leave at least some of the folded edges intact or you will end up with a pile of confetti rather than a snowflake!
Step 5.
Open up your snowflake and marvel at its beauty!
Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
This week for our origami we are making a cute little fish! The folding at the start of these instructions are important to lay out the structure for the subsequent folds.
Oh the weather outside is frightful but snow globes are so delightful! Here’s how to make your own.
You will need:
A clean jar with a tight fitting lid
Polystyrene (from packaging for instance) or plasticine
Glue (we used a hot glue gun but you could use any strong waterproof glue instead)
Adornments for your snow globe (little plastic or resin figures and plastic leaves work well, whatever you use needs to be waterproof)
Glitter*
Water (it’s worth boiling the water first to make sure it’s sterile)
Glycerine
*Most glitter is made of plastic which can end up in our oceans if it gets washed down the sink so please be very careful to dispose of any spillages in the bin rather than down the sink. If you’re buying glitter you can now buy environmentally friendly plastic free glitter.
Step 1.
Decide whether the lid will be at the bottom of the snow globe or the top. Ours had to be at the top as it is curved so would have fallen over if we’d had it at the bottom. You also need to with make sure that your decorations fit into the jar!
Step 2.
We began by cutting a circle of polystyrene from some packaging the size of the bottom of the jar or slightly smaller than the lid if you’re going to have the lid at the bottom. If you’re using plasticine then make a ‘lump’ of plasticine to fit the bottom of your snow globe.
Step 3.
Fix your decorations into the polystyrene/plasticine. We used hot glue to make sure everything was very securely fixed, make sure all of your decorations are firmly attached so they don’t come loose when you shake the jar.
Step 4.
Fix the polystyrene/plasticine to either the base of the jar or the inside of the lid. Again, make sure it’s really secure so you can shake it without it coming loose.
Step 5.
Now we add the glitter!
Step 6.
We can now add the water, as our decorations were glued to the bottom we could fill the water up leaving about a 1-2 cm gap at the top. If you’re decoration is in the lid then you need to remember to put less water in so there’s space for your adornments. Add a spoonful of glycerine, this will help the snow move about rather than sitting on top of the water.
Step 7.
Re-attach the lid, using glue to make sure the seal is permanent. Give your snow globe a shake and watch it swirl!
Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
Diwali is the Indian Festival of Lights and celebrates the victory of light over darkness and goodness over evil. To celebrate this festival we’re going to show you how to make a paper lantern.
You will need:
Black paper or card (we used a sheet of A4)
Coloured tissue paper
Glue stick
Scissors
LED tealight candle (don’t use a real candle!)
Ruler
Pencil
Step 1.
Using our template as a guide, draw out the lantern onto the card. The lantern has three sides and a base but to make it simpler you could make it without the base.
Step 2.
Cut the lantern out, making sure to leave tabs to glue the base and side together. We used a craft knife to cut the shapes out of each section but you can just use scissors.
Step 3.
Put glue around the edge of each cut out shape and then attach pieces of tissue paper across the cut out areas to fill it with colour.
Step 4.
Put glue on the tabs and stick the lantern together.
Step 5.
Pop an LED tealight candle in your lantern and admire your hard work. Happy Diwali!
Diwali [or deepawali] is the Indian festival of lights, usually lasting five days and celebrated in the Autumn, in the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika, mid October to mid November.
The festival is widely associated with Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity and it celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. Diwali is also a harvest festival, and is different from many other Indian festivals in that there is no fasting, but instead feasts celebrating the seasonal bounty.
Other traditions include cleaning or decorating homes, prayers and rituals and one of these is lighting Diyas. Diyas are small oil lamps, that are often floated on the Ganges river, during Diwali they represent enlightenment, knowledge or wisdom. Floating on a river these appear like little boats.
So we thought making a floating boat for our origami instruction would be perfect coming up to the festival. This year is between the 12th and 16th of November.
Here at Heathlands we are very proud of the support our members have given to the poppy appeal over the years. For many years now we have staffed the poppy appeal table at our local ASDA but due to restrictions this year we cannot. So instead we are making poppies to sell here!
Here are our origami instructions for you to make your own poppy at home. We will update the post with a video when it has been loaded to YouTube.
You will need:
x1 15cm square of red paper
x 1 10cm square of black paper
How to make it:
1. Fold your red paper in half lengthways in both directions and then again diagonally. Four folds in total. Repeat this with your black paper.
2. With your paper in half diagonally, fold in the widest points to match the top points. Again repeat this for the black piece.
3. Insert the black piece of paper into the red as above, taking care to make sure all the folds match.
4. With the closed folds facing towards you and the open end away, turn up each flap, folding it to the middle. Repeat this, turn your work over and repeat again on the other side.
5. Fold your work in half from top to bottom, so the top point meets the bottom.
6. Open this fold out so that the top layer goes up, the next layer turns outward and the bottom layer remains down.
7. Flatten out your poppy and turn back the points of the petals and points on the centre to “round” the flower off.
Remember remember the 5th of November; gunpowder, treason and plot! This week we’re sharing a fun craft you can try at home to create a beautiful firework picture.
You will need:
Thick card (we used a bit of old mountboard)
Wax crayons
Black paint (we poster paint)
Washing up liquid
Brush
A knitting needle or similar pointy thing
Step 1.
Cover your card with your wax crayons, we did lots of patches of different colours. Make sure you get a really thick layer of colour down.
Step 2.
Mix a little bit of washing up liquid in with your black paint. Paint a thick coat of this mixture over the top and then leave it to dry.
Step 3.
When the paint is totally dry use the knitting needle (or similar pointy implement) to scratch designs into the paint, revealing the colours below. Try making different types of mark to represent different types of fireworks.
Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
Do you remember a while back we shared a post showing how to make tassels? We thought we’d re-visit that idea to make some terrifying Halloween decorations!
You will need:
Yarn (white for ghosts, orange for pumpkins)
A piece of cardboard (ours was about 17 x 7 cm for the ghost and 9 x 7 cm for the pumpkin)
Scissors
Felt scraps
Glue (PVA or fabric glue is best)
Yarn or thick thread
Step 1.
Cut your cardboard to size, the length of your piece of cardboard determines the length of the tassel.
Step 2.
Begin wrapping your yarn around your cardboard.
Step 3.
Keep wrapping! The more wraps you have the thicker your tassel will be.
Step 4.
Cut a piece of yarn or thread and slide it under one half of the wraps. Tie the wraps tightly together at one end. Leave the ends of the yarn you’ve used to tie it up to hang the tassel up with
Step 5.
Cut the wraps at the opposite end of the cardboard.
Step 6.
Cut another piece of yarn and use it wrap a section of the tassel about 3 cm from the top to make a head.
Step 7.
Cut eyes and a mouth from the felt and stick them onto the ‘head’ to make a face.
Here’s a really simple but effective way of making a wreath using strips of fabric and knots. By changing the colours and materials you use you can make wreaths for all seasons!
You will need:
Fabric (we had several pieces in coordinating colours)
Cardboard
Scissors
Plates or similar to use as a template, one smaller than the other
Pencil
Step 1.
First we’re going to make the ring for our wreath using the cardboard. Use the plates to draw two circles, one inside the other, and then cut out the cardboard ring. Our ring is about 4 cm wide.
Step 2.
Cut or rip your fabric into strips about 2 cm wide and then cut into pieces about 20 cm long. Leave one strip long enough to use as a hanging loop.
Step 3.
Take a piece of fabric and tie it around the cardboard ring. Use a double knot so it’s nice and secure.
Step 4.
Keep tying pieces of fabric onto the ring until it is full. Use the longer piece of fabric to make a hanging loop (tie it on.)
Step 5.
Give any extra long bits a trim to tidy it up. You could also add some extra embellishments such as buttons or feathers if you’d like.
Hang it up and admire your hard work!
Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
How would you like a frieze of cats to decorate your house with? Here’s how to make your own!
You will need:
A long strip of paper (ours was about 15 x 85 cm)
Scissors
Pencil
Felt tip pens or coloured pencils
Step 1.
Fold your strip of paper into a concertina. Our concertina folds were about 10 cm wide. Don’t worry if you end up with one end a bit short, you can just trim this off. Leave the concertina folded up.
Step 2.
Draw a cat onto the top fold, you can use our template as a guide to help you. Make sure that part of the cat ‘joins’ on each folded edge, this is what will hold the frieze together.
Step 3.
Cut the cat out, make sure not to cut through all of the folded edges!
Step 4.
Open up your frieze and decorate each cat.
Step 5.
Hang your cat frieze up and admire your hard work!
This origami fold is a little more complicated than previous activities we have done, but the extra work is definitely worth it!
This week for our paper folding, we thought it would be fun to make a little decorative friend. All you’ll need is a piece of square paper and two googly eyes.
To make your own cute puppy friend follow video and the instructions below:
To coincide with our special activity book edition, kindly supported by Cumbria Wildlife Trust, we thought we’d share this lovely frog / toad origami fold.
This one is a little bit trickier as the folds get quite dense. But we’ve made a video to coincide with visual instructions to help you out. Both can be found below:
The seasons are changing and we’re now officially in Autumn so we thought we’d share a seasonal craft idea with you. This week we’ll show you how to make a garland for your home to celebrate the new season.
You’ll need to head outside and collect a few bits and pieces for this craft; leaves, pine cones, feathers or whatever catches your eye! There are lots of beautiful colours around at the moment so take some time to enjoy your surroundings. Remember to always be safe and careful when collecting things and if in doubt leave it alone!
You will need:
String or Twine
Thread
An assortment of natural objects you’ve collected such as leaves, pine cones, feathers and so on
Scissors
Step 1.
Spend a bit of time looking at what you’ve collected and organising your collection, you might separate things by colour, shape or just choose to mix everything up. Lay your collection out in a line, try laying them out in different arrangements so you can decide how you’d like your garland to look.
Step 2.
Cut a piece of string or twine a bit longer than you want the garland to be. This will form the base of your garland.
Step 3.
Use the thread to tie each of your objects onto the string. Try and have the objects hanging down at slightly different lengths for a more natural look. Leave a bit of string clear at each end of the garland.
Step 4.
Use the clear ends of the string to hang your garland up. Admire your hard work!
To celebrate the United Nations Day of Peace (21st September) here’s a simple flying dove for you to make.
Did you know that Pablo Picasso was invited to design an emblem of peace in 1949 and he chose to create a simple drawing of a dove, based on a picture given to him by fellow artist Henri Matisse?
You will need:
White card
Pencil
Black pen
Scissors
String
Print out of our template
Step 1.
Print out our template (either onto card if you can or onto paper and stick the paper onto the card.)
Step 2.
Fold the card in half so you have the dove on one half and a plain A5 rectangle. Cut out the dove, including the slit in the back. This is easiest if you lightly fold the card and snip into first, like in the photos. At this point you can draw on some eyes and a beak if you’d like to.
Step 3.
Fold the other half of the sheet of card into a concertina, like you’re making a fan. Each section should be the same width as the slit in the back of your dove. Fold the concertina in half to make two wings.
Step 4.
Carefully slide the concertina through the slit in the dove’s back. Bring the two wings together and thread a piece of string through each side. This will hold the wings together and allow you to hang your dove up.
Have fun and don’t forget to share your beautiful peaceful doves with us!
As the weather is changing, we are thinking about the turning of the seasons at Heathlands. The leaves are changing colour and starting to fall, the nights are drawing in and its becoming chilly.
Today we have been making patterns and pictures using leaves and crayons. These rubbings can also be made with textures around your home, think about coins, baskets, keys or even cutlery!
Below are written instructions and a how to video:
You will need:
Paper
Wax crayons
Leaves
Step 1
Collect your leaves. Try to get ones that aren’t too dried out as they will crumble. If your leaves are wet, dry them off.
Step 2
Place a leaf under your paper with the bottom, textured side of the leaf facing up.
Step 3
If your crayons have paper wrappers on them, take them off and pick a colour. Turn the wax crayon on it’s side and rub the crayon over the paper where the leaf is with pressure.
Step 4
Repeat step 3 with different leaves and different colours and fill your paper.
We are back with another installment of our paper folding activities!
This week we’ve made some durable paper airplanes. These are made with standard A4 paper. You could even “up-cycle” a piece that’s already be printed / drawn on and no longer in use. Or why not decorate your paper before you fold?
Our YouTube video shows you how to make your own plane or you can follow the instructions below.
Cress is a very fast growing plant and is great in salads, sandwiches or as a garnish. Why not make a funny face to grow your cress in?
You will need:
Paper pot* or empty yogurt pot (or similar container)
Permanent marker
Cotton wool
Cress seeds
Water
*You can find a video we made showing you how to make a paper plant pot on our YouTube channel.
Step 1.
Use the permanent marker to make a funny face on your pot. Mark made these designs inspired by emojis!
Step 2.
Fill the pot with cotton wool and slowly add water until the cotton wool is damp, not soaking.
Step 3.
Sprinkle the cress seeds over the surface of the cotton wool and give them another spritz with the water.
Step 4.
Place your pot in a warm, light place such as a window sill and wait for the cress to germinate! Keep the cotton wool damp, the seeds should start sprouting in a few days.
Step 5.
When the cress seedlings get to a few centimetres long then you can snip them off and enjoy them in a salad or sandwich.
Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
We love our very large collection of buttons at Heathlands! We’re going to show you how we’ve used some of them to create lovely necklaces.
You will need:
Buttons
Cord or strong thread
Scissors
Step 1.
Cut a piece of cord the length you’d like your necklace to be, remember to make it long enough to go over your head once it’s finished! Our cord was about 65 cm long.
Step 2.
Tie a knot about 5 cm down from one end, this will stop all your buttons sliding straight off!
Step 3.
Start threading your buttons on like beads. You can cover your whole cord with beads or use knots to separate groups of buttons.
Step 4.
When you’re happy with your button arrangements tie the two ends of your cord together and try your necklace on.
These pom-poms are fun and easy to make and you can use different colours to make them look like different ice cream flavours!
You will need:
Yarn
Card or paper, cream coloured if you have it
Cardboard
Scissors
Brown Felt tip pen
Glue stick
Step 1.
Make your ice cream (pom pom!)
Cut a squared off ‘U’ shape from your cardboard.
Step 2.
Wrap your yarn around the ‘U’ until it’s nice and thick.
Step 3.
Tie a piece of yarn as tightly as you can around the middle of your yarn wraps.
Step 4.
Cut each end of the yarn wrap, as shown and then give your pom pom a trim!
Step 5.
Make your cone!
Use the brown felt tip pen to draw a grid of squares onto your paper. We used a piece of A4 paper which we then cut in half so we could make two cones.
Step 6.
Roll your paper into a cone shape, using a bit of glue to secure it, and then trim the top.
Step 7.
Put your ‘ice cream’ into your ‘cone’ and you’re done!
Have fun and don’t forget to tell us how you got on!
These stained glass effect cards are created using tracing paper and felt tip pens and look really effective displayed in a window.
You will need:
Tracing paper
Felt tip pens
Window cards (cards with a window already cut in or make your own!)
Pencil
Scrap paper (to practice your design)
Glue stick
Step 1.
Place the ‘window’ of your card on top of your scrap paper and trace the window shape. You can then practice your design in this shape, you could repeat this several times to make several designs. Simple designs that you can divide into colourful sections work best, have a look at our examples to give you some ideas.
Step 2.
Put your ‘window’ on top of the tracing paper and using the pencil lightly trace the shape of the window.
Step 3.
Place your design (on the scrap paper) underneath the tracing paper, matching it up with the window shape you traced. You can now use this as a guide to copy your design onto the tracing paper, use the pencil to lightly trace the design.
Step 4.
Use the felt tip pens to colour in your design, try to choose strong bright colours for the best results.
Step 5.
To really make it look like stained glass you can outline each colourful section with a black pen.
Step 6.
Cut your completed stained glass window out, leaving about 1-2 cm border all the way around.
Step 7.
Put some glue on the border of the tracing paper and glue it into the window of the card.
Have fun and don’t forget to show us how you get on!
Heathlands 