Terrific Tips for Crafts and SWAPs
Contents
"Make New Friends" BraceletGirl Scout Friendship Necklace
Pretty Face Goodie Bags
Homemade Cosmetics
Age Level Yarn Bugs from Makingfriends.com
Troop Pride Necklace and Number SWAP from Makingfriends.com
Yarn Octopus
Hershey's Kiss Rosebud
Green Angel Necklace
Bathtime Bubble Jelly
Recycled Stationary
Quick Holiday Give-aways
Uses for Old Crayons
Layered Mixes in a Jar
Dream Catchers
No-Sew Polar Fleece Blankets, Pillows and Scarves
Balloon Yo-yos
Recipes for Flubber and Other Gooey Stuff
Yarm Bluebonnets
"Make New Friends" Bracelet
Idea by Sarah S.assorted pony beads - you need a different color for each girl and you need to have the same number of each color as there are girls in the troop (ex. 7 girls need 7 beads in each of 7 colors)
gold and silver pony beads - 1 of each per girl
leather lace* - about 14" per girl
envelopes - 1 per girl
Preparation:
Place all of the beads of one color in an envelope and seal. Cut a piece of lace for each girl.
Directions:
Distribute the laces and the envelopes. Tell the girls to give one of their beads to each of the other girls. Each girl will wind up with a bead of each color. Now, give each girl one silver bead and one gold bead. They string the beads onto the piece of lace starting with one metallic bead and ending with the other. Now comes the tricky part. It may help to work in pairs. Take one end of the lace and string it through the metallic bead on the other end of the string of beads. Tie an overhand knot. Now take the other free end and string it through the other metallic bead. Size the bracelet to the girl's wrist and cut off any excess lace. There should be enough extra lace to allow the bracelet to slide on and off. Tie an overhand knot in the end of the lace. The bracelet may be tightened on the girl's wrist by moving the metallic beads farther apart. Wear the bracelets and sing "Make New Friends".
* Satin cord also works for this project. Gimp is not thick enough to keep the bracelet tight.
Girl Scout Friendship Necklace
from Tejas GS Council Day Camp Leader's Book 1994 (I think - the book has no date in it.)(This refers to the old Five Worlds to Explore - can be adapted to the new program)
RED - The World of Well Being
YELLOW - The World of Out-of-Doors
BLUE - The World of People
ORANGE - The World of Today and Tomorrow
PURPLE - The World of Arts
GREEN - The World of Girl Scouts\
Pretty Face Goodie Bags
To hold badges and patches for a Court of Awards ceremony
To hold service project goodies for distribution
To hold any kind of goodies!
Materials:
One per girl: Construction paper circle in peach, tan or brown, brown paper lunch bag
Group supplies: assorted yarn for hair, crayons or markers, scissors, yarn or ribbon to tie bags shut, hole puncher, glue
Directions:
1. Have each girl draw a face on her paper circle to look like her face.
2. Glue on yarn hair. Put aside the face to dry.
3. Fold over about an inch and a half of the top of the bag.
4. Punch two holes in the folded-over portion.
5. Thread a piece of ribbon or yarn through the two holes and tie a bow. Bow needs to be on the side where the top is folded over (need link here).
6. Put glue onto the bottom half of the back of the face.
7. Place the face glue side down on the side of the bag that does not have the bow. The top half of the face should stick up above the folded top of the bag.
8. Decorate bag however you want.
To use:
Undo the bow and open the bag. Place goodies inside. Retie bow.
Homemade Cosmetics
2 Tbsp citric Acid
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
1/4c Baking Soda
3 tbsp Coconut oil
Mix Citric acid, cornstarch, and baking soda. Set aside.
Melt Coconut oil in a sm bowl in a microwave. Add fragrance. Slowly add dry ingredients and blend well. Shape into 1 inch balls and allow to dry overnight on wax paper. Store covered. Can be wrapped in pieces of foil.
NOTE:Coconut oil and citric acid can be found in health food stores.
Fairy Dust Glitter Gel
This fun, whimsical gel is great for your skin. Apply a little anytime you want to sparkle and shine. * Kids love this trendy gel.
1/4 cup aloe vera gel
1 teaspoon glycerin
1 drop food coloring (your choice)
1/4 teaspoon fine polyester glitter (any color)
5 drops fragrance oil (your choice)
Mix aloe and glycerin in a small bowl. Stir in glitter, fragrance and color. It is ready to use immediately.
Notes: You can buy fine polyester glitter at most craft stores, try Michael's near the T-shirts. Walmart has CLEAR aloe gel. Also, use cosmetic fragrance oil (also at Walmart and Tom Thumb?). It is INTENDED to be put on your skin. Potpourri oil can be irritating. Small pill bottles from the pharmcy make inexpensive containers to put the finished gel in.
Home Made Lip Gloss,
1t. aloe vera gel
1t. petroleum jelly
fruit-flavored essential oil
Stir together aloe vera gel and petroleum jelly until mixed well. Add a few drops of fruit flavored essential oil and transfer to a small container.
Bubble Bath Balls
You mix 1 1/2 cps Ivory Snow (HAS to be!)with 1/4 cp water and beat with a mixer until it stiffens up (add a bit more soap, pinch by pinch until it does). Make sure your hands are dry. Wet hands make smooth bath balls - make 1 inch wide balls. After they dry, wrap in netting and tie with a ribbon. To use, break open the ball under the tub's running faucet.
Bath Salts
Put some Epsom salts in a 1 lb. coffee can. Place a couple drops of food coloring in and after replacing lid, have the girls shake it up. If the color is too light, add another drop or two of food coloring. Do not use red food coloring as it makes a very ugly shade of brownish orange (IMHO). We like blue, yellow and green. If desired, spray with a favorite perfume or go buy the essence oils in Michaels, JoAnn's, or WalMart type stores. To package, place colored salts in a small jar. If using canning jars, place a circle of fabric over the lid and screw on the ring. If using baby food jars, place a drop of glue on the center of the lid. Glue down a circle of fabric and now you can tie a pretty ribbon around the neck of the jar.
Note: This could be used to substitute for requirements for the Junior "Looking Your Best" badge or the Cadette/Senior "From Fitness to Fashion" interest project.
Age Level Yarn Bugs from Makingfriends.com
Brownie Bear Yarn Bug - click on the link below and scroll down to the Bear Yarn Bug.
Junior/Cadette/Senior "Far Out" Yarn Bug - click on the link below and scroll down to the Far Out Yarn Bug
Troop Pride Necklace and Number Swap from Making Friends.com
Just click on the link to go to the Makingfriends site for the directions:Troop Pride Necklace
Troop Number Swap
Yarn Octopus
1 sheet of cardboard
1 rubber ball - (I use styrofoam)
ribbon
scissors
liquid white glue
colored scraps of felt
1. Wrap the entire skein of colored yarn around a very long rectangular piece of cardboard. You can find cardboard of the right size behind the shirts Dad gets back from the laundry.
2. Clip a small piece of yarn off the free end of the wrapped yarn, and slip under all the strands on one end of the cardboard.
3. Draw all the strands together on this end by tying a tight knot with the piece of yarn.
4. With the scissors, cut through all of the yarn at the other end of the cardboard.
5. Place the yarn, with the knotted part on top over the rubber ball.
6. Push the yarn strands together so that the entire ball is covered.
7. Tie the yarn under the ball tightly with a piece of extra yarn.
8. Divide all the yarn under the head into eight equal parts.
9. Tie the eight sections very loosely to keep the yarn separated.
10. Take one section and divide it into three equal parts.
11. Braid the strands of each of the 8 parts.
12. Tie the bottom of each braid with a piece of yarn or thin ribbon.
13. Tie a big bow under the octopus' head.
14. Glue on felt eyes and mouth with liquid white glue.
This is from a sheet from a long time ago.
Cindy Carnicom from the WAGGGS-L mailing list
Hershey's Kiss Rosebud
This is from Pinky's websiteClick here to get directions.
This makes a nice gift to show appreciation for people who have helped the troop.
Green Angel Necklace
from Troop 74's WebsiteClick here to get directions.
Bathtime Bubble Jelly
by Mary Lynn Watson, Craft House InternationalClick here to get directions.
Recycled Stationary
by Julie and Bill StephaniClick here to get directions.
Quick Holiday Give-Aways
- chocolate and butterscotch chips
- plastic or other spoons
- sugar (optional)
1. Melt the chocolate
2. Dip the spoon in chocolate halfway or more, if you prefer
3. Allow to cool and set in the freezer or fridge
4. Re-dip spoon in butterscotch chips to double dip, but only 1/4 of the way so both flavors show on spoon
5. Sprinkle lightly with sugar if you like
Hot Chocolate Muggies
- 2 1/4 cups of nonfat dried milk
- 1 1/'4 cup of sugar
- 1 1/2 cups cocoa
- 1 bag of mini marshmallows
1. Mix all ingredients with spoon. Add marshmallows at your discretion.
2. Wrap 4 tsp or more in an 8"x8" piece of colorful cellophane
3. Gather corners and bunch at top (insert chocolate spoons here now )
4. Tie with ribbon and knot
5. Put in a mug, if you like
6. Print out recipe:
Hot muggies: Place this mixture in your mug and add 2 tbs of milk. Mix until smooth. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of hot milk. Enjoy.
We mix our cocoa and tie it into a little bundle with colorful saran wrap. Then we insert the chocolate spoons on top so it looks like a colorful bouquet of flowers. We either put all this in a bag or an inexpensive coffee mug as the gift from our girls to their parents. The chocolate spoons are meant to be used in the cocoa but can be used in other things like coffee or even alone! They look grand.
Hope you enjoy this. My 2nd - 3rd graders did all this in less than 35 minutes. We still had time to do our other stuff.
Wilma
New Mexico
troop694@zianet.com
Uses for Old Crayons
from the WAGGGS-L mailing listA less labor-intensive craft uses white candles and dips them into colored waxes, creating patterns.
If someone has an old electric frying pan, there is a beautiful craft which creates "stained-glass" paper by coloring on paper on the heated pan. The paper becomes translucent as the wax sinks in, the heat makes a water-color-like effect. These can be very nice when hung on windows so light comes through.
Lorraine Fiamengo, Girl Scouts of Konocti Council
Note: We did this with our Cadettes with just one color of wax and the girls really enjoyed it! - Sarah
But our way of using them up-- or really, re-using them-- was to use a pencil sharpener (or pocket knife as we got older) to shave a whole bunch of different crayons onto wax paper or into a bowl. Mix up the shavings, then spoon into muffin tins (might have been greased?), about 1/3 full. We then put them in the oven on a fairly low temperature for a while, and when they came out and cooled you had a big multi-color-crayon that wrote really neat. Probably could be done in a mini-loaf pan and then cut to make rods of crayon, which could then be included (one or two in each) with a coloring book and a simple crayon pack as a gift for kids in the hospital or family shelters.
Leanne Powner, Campus Girl Scouts, GSCNC
When I worked at GS camp we heated up rocks and pushed crayons onto the rock so they would melt. It is especially fun with glow in the dark crayons. Some important notes: The girls need to be able to identify their rock once it is hot. We used tongs and oven mits to handle the rocks when they had just come out of the oven/fire and handed them to the girls. The rocks just need to be hot enough to melt crayons. We never had a rock explode but that only happens at really high temperatures.
Julia/Gilligan
In grade school, we took a piece of wax paper, shaved bits of crayon onto it (potato peeler or edge of scissors) placed another wax paper on top, and ironed it. Turns out kinda stained-glass-like... then we cut it into shapes and put it in a black construction paper frame and hung it in the windows/from the lights
~Christy
Layered Mixes in a Jar
All Recipes / Recipe Index: Cookie Mixes in a Jar
Gifts in a Jar
You will want to read the information she has on the left hand side before making any of these recipes.
Vanilla's Jars and Mixes
Gifts from the Kitchen
Busy Cooks. (search for "jar")
From: wilma, troop 694, rio grande gsc, new mexico
SAND ART BROWNIES:
1 wide mouth quart jar
On the bottom of the jar put 3/4 teaspoon salt
Next add 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon flour
Using funnel add 1/3 cup cocoa
Then add another 1/2 cup flour
Then 2/3 cup brown sugar
Then 2/3 cup white sugar
Then 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Then 1/2 cup vanilla chips
Complete creation by putting chopped pecans/walnuts on top
Put lid and decorate with seasonal material
Make sure to include recipe for baking on gift tag
tag: Sand Art Brownies
Combine contents of jar with
1 t vanilla
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
Pour into greased pan
Bake at 350 degrees:
7x11 pan 30-35 minutes
9x13 pan 25-30 minutes
From: Jennifer Hinson
I have three books sitting in front of me that I was given."Cookies in a Jar", "Gift Mixes" & "Cake in a Jar" They are all by Jacie Gannaway. I don't know where my cookie mom got these but it gives an address.
It says, "To order a copy of theis book send a check for $3.95 +$1.50 for shipping to, Cookbook Cupboard, P.O. Box50053, Austin, TX 78763, Send a note asking for the book by name. If you would like a descriptive list of all the fun titles in the The Kitchen Crafts Collection, send asking for an order form."
From http://members.tripod.com/~MaryMae/jarlinks.htm
Layered Soup Mix In A Jar
Friendship Soup Mix
1/2 cup dry split peas
1/3 cup beef bouillon granules
1/4 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup dry lentils
1/4 cup dried minced onion
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 cup alphabet macaroni or other small macaroni (can be put in a plastic sandwich bag to make it easier for the recipient to get out of jar)
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
3 quarts water
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
In a 1-1/2-pint jar, layer the first eight ingredients in the order listed. Seal tightly.
Yield: 1 batch.
Instructions to attach to jar:
Friendship Soup Mix:
To prepare soup:Carefully remove macaroni from top of jar and set aside. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, brown beef; drain. Add the water, tomatoes and soup mix; bring to a boil Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Add reserved macaroni; cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until macaroni, peas, lentils and barley are tender. Yield: 16 servings (4 quarts)
Dream Catchers
by Lynda MusanteClick here for Dream Catcher instructions
No-Sew Blankets, Pillows and Scarves
Submitted by Deb to the WAGGGS-L email listThese are the directions for no-sew polar fleece blankets and pillows. I've also included directions for a polar fleece scarf which is really easy to do and is a great way to use up your leftover fabric. Let me know if you have questions.
NO-SEW POLAR FLEECE BLANKETS AND PILLOWS
(Possible service project)
-Add 6 Inches to desired height & length (ex. for a pillow that is 18" by 12" finished size, cut fabric 24" by 18").
-For an adult size blanket, I used 2 yards for length & the width the fabric came in.
-We like to use a printed fabric on one side with a coordinating solid fabric for other side.
-We cut our edges with pinking shears, but this is optional.
Tools needed:
-Sharp scissors or rotary cutter and cutting mat.
-Two pieces of cardboard, one cut into a 3 inch square and the other 3 inches by 1 inch.
-Pinking shears (optional).
-For pillows, I made stencils from poster board.
-Fiberfill for pillow. Pillow forms also work, but you have to be careful to get an exact fit.
Directions for cutting:
-Lay pieces on top of each other with wrong sides together, matching raw edges.
-Cut 3 inch square out of each corner, using 3 inch cardboard square as a cutting guide.
-Cut strips along each edge using 3 by 1 inch piece of cardboard as a guide. (3 inches for height of fringe and 1 inch for width)
-Strips need to be cut through both pieces of fabric at same time.
-Sometimes the last piece of fringe at end of the side won't come out even. This won't show when the blanket is competed.
Directions for finishing
-Tie each strip together in a double knot. (tie top blanket to bottom blanket)
-Corners will come together, but will be rounded.
-Leave a small opening to stuff pillow.
FYI
-We made these into lap quilts for a nursing home and they were a big hit.
-Cotton fabric also works, but to prevent raveling cut edges with pinking shears.
-These can also be done in a single layer, tying fringe side to side.
Sit upons
-I have made sit upons with this method using vinyl table cover fabric.
-An idea I had, but haven't done yet is to make a sit upon from cotton for both sides, but to cover one side with iron on plastic for protection.
Solid or print polar fleece or combination of both:
-3/4 yd OR (3) 1/8 yd pieces of outerwear fleece (adult size) OR
-1/3 yd OR (3) 1/8 yd pieces of outerwear fleece (child size)
Cut:
(3) 4" x 60" pieces of fleece (adult) OR
(3) 3" x 50" pieces of fleece (child)
Directions:
1. Stack pieces, matching all cut edges.
2. Using a narrow zigzag or lightening stitch, stitch lengthwise down the center of all layers.
3. Cut fringe 1/2" wide and to within 1/4" of stitching on each side of long edge.
Balloon Yo-yos
9 inch balloons
Long rubber bands
Water
To make:
This yo-yo balloon is about the size of a baseball.
1. You'll need to fill it with water and air to make it that size. (Aprox. 3/4 cup water and then blow to make it the right size!) The air is very important as it acts as a cushion for the water.The ratio is 1/4 water to 3/4 air.
2. Tie it off.
3. Snip the rubber band and tie a loop in one end.
4. Tie the other end snugly around the balloon stem.
That's it! The kids can use markers to personalize these. They're a LOT of fun and cost about 3 cents apiece to make. They also make great party favors! Enjoy!!!
Note: Always use caution with broken balloon pieces and children. Discard pieces of broken latex balloons immediately. Broken balloon pieces can also be fatal to wild animals.
From The Idea Box
Contributed by: Lisanne Dickenson
Recipes for Flubber and Other Gooey Stuff
From Katie BaronSolution A: 1 ½ cup warm water, 2 cups Elmer’s Glue, food coloring
Solution B: 4 teaspoon Borax, 1 1/3 cup warm water
Mix solution A in one bowl, mix solution B in another bowl. Dissolve both well. Then just pour solution A into solution B, DO NOT MIX OR STIR! Just lift out flubber. It's neater than "Gak" or "slime". And it also a safe chemical reaction for the kids to see. Use a glass bowl for solution B so the kids can see the flubber form in the bowl. It just becomes a big "cloud" of rubbery stuff. Store in baggies. If you half the recipe, you only need to half the solution A and it will work the same.
Fruity Putty
0.3 ounce package of sugar free fruit flavored gelatin
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Mix the dry ingredients in a pan. Add the boiling water and cooking oil. Stir over medium-high heat until the mixture forms a ball. Place the ball on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container. Cut the fruit picture from the gelatin box and paste to the lid. Use different flavors to make all different colors and smells.
Gooo-Blek
1 cup of corn starch, 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water, bowl
Pour the corn starch into the bowl. Add the water on top. Mix well until a thin mixture occurs. Let it sit until it gets solid. Even though it appears to be solid, the heat of your hand when you pick it up turns it to liquid!
Goop #1
1 cup of liquid starch, 1 cup of Elmer’s glue, a few drops of food coloring
Mix together until it forms a ball. If it is sticky add a few drops of liquid starch. It will first become very stringy until you have mixed it well.
Goop #2
2 cups salt, 1 cup water, 1 cup corn starch
Cook salt and ½ cup water for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add corn starch and ½ cup water. Return to heat. Stir until mixture thickens. Store in plastic bag. You can add food coloring if you want.
Goop/Slime
1 Part Liquid starch to 2 Parts Elmer's Glue, add Food Coloring
Mix and enjoy. It's supposed to be like slime.
Gunk
1 Part Cornstarch to 1 Part Water
Mix and color with food color or Tempera Paint
Ooblik
This one sounds dumb, but your kids will like it. In a large pan with sides or on a tray with sides, pour in a bunch of cornstarch. Add a little bit of water. Let the kids mix it up with their fingers. If it's too stiff to mix, add more water until it's just a little bit stiff. Add toys like funnels, measuring cups, wooden spoons, spatulas, or be creative! To save this mixture, let it dry out completely, then put it in a plastic bag for another rainy day. Of course, there's always the old stand-bys of sand and water, mud etc.
Silly Putty #1
½ cup liquid starch, ½ cup Elmer’s glue
Mix starch and glue together. Store in a closed container in the refrigerator.
Silly Putty #2
½ cup Elmer's glue,½ cup Starch -- liquid, Food coloring
Do NOT substitute any other glue for Elmer's glue! Slowly add starch to glue and knead with fingers. The more you work with it the better it gels. Add food coloring if you want.
Silly Putty #3
Mix well 2 parts White Glue (Elmer's) with 1 part Sta-Flo Liquid Starch If you use Elmer's School Glue instead of regular white it doesn't bounce or pick up pictures.
Soap Slime
Old Bits of Soap, Bucket of Water Put the pieces of soap into the bucket of water and let it stand overnight. By the morning the soap has dissolved and leaves a thick slime. Looks good if green paint or food coloring is added to it.
Yarn Bluebonnet
Blue and white variegated yarn (or red and yellow variegated yarn for an Indian Paintbrush)
Green coated wire
Metal or plastic forks with long tines
Preparation for one Bluebonnet:
Cut a 12 inch piece of wire
Cut a piece of yarn so that one end is white and the other is dark blue
Directions:
1. Fold the wire in half and place it on the fork between the two center tines.
2. Using the white end of the yarn, wrap three times around the fork starting just above where the wire is. Do not wrap too tightly.
3. Bring each end of the wire up and over the yarn wraps so that each is now on the opposite side from where it was.
4. Wrap the yarn 3 more times around the fork, then bring the wire ends up and over to the other side.
5. Repeat step 4 until you run out of yarn. You may need to push the yarn wraps further down the fork to make room for the last few wraps.
6. Pull on the wire to slip the Bluebonnet off the fork. Fluff it up so that the wire is not so obvious.
7. If you like, you can make a loop with the extra wire and hang the flower from a safety pin to make a cool Texas SWAP.
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