Green Crafts

I was flipping through a current issue of Better Homes and Gardens when I came across a few cute ideas. These projects would be great to do with children to show them how to reuse/re-purpose things that you have in your home. The link above has tons of neat craft ideas. These ones just happen to use things you probably already have in your home.


LEAVE A MESSAGE
The first project is for a magnetic message board. Here's what you need:
A metal cookie sheet (Teflon or non-stick won't work).
Some sandpaper
Paint of your choice
Wallpaper scraps, tissue paper, gift wrap, construction paper... ANY kind of paper to decorate with

Rough up your sheet with the sandpaper.

Paint it and make sure it completely dries.

Now cut or tear your paper and glue it on the flat surface of your sheet (leaving the painted edges exposed). The magazines suggested spray adhesive but that's not my favorite. I would try Mod Podge. It works great and is easy to clean up with soap and water.

Buy cool magnets OR make your own. I "framed" Alex's artwork behind flat glass rocks for Christmas gifts last year. Mod Podge the paper or "art" on the back of the clear stone and glue on a heavy duty magnet with hot or tacky glue.
Another cute magnet suggestion from BHG was to cut out pretty pictures from magazines and glue them on all of those business magnets you have on your fridge. You can either cut them to the shape of your picture or leave them rectangular. <---Cute idea!

Have fun with this project! These make great gifts. Another spin on this particular craft is to buy either a roll or squares of cork and frame them. (This is what I did for Christmas.) Glue extra game pieces, pretty pebbles, buttons or beads to flat thumb tacks and tack on a cute message for your recipient.


SODA OASIS
The next project is making a terrarium. If you've ever made one as a child, you probably remember how much fun it was to watch your plants grow. What a great learning craft for kids of all ages! Here's what you need:

Glass container or clear plastic bottle
Small pebbles
Activated charcoal (available where aquarium supplies are sold)
Potting soil
Seeds or small plant clippings

Select your container. A mason jar, fish bowl or pop bottle will work. (If you're using a pop bottle, clean it well and cut off the lower 1/3. Save the top for the lid.)

Cover the bottom of your container with about an inch of pebbles (aquarium rocks work well too) for drainage.

Add a thin layer (maybe a 1/4 in.) of the activated charcoal to filter the water that you'll add.

Place 2-3 in. of potting soil on top.

Plant your garden! Ferns, begonias, cacti, succulents and moss will grow well.

Water your plants or seeds well and place a lid on your container. If your container doesn't have a lid, a piece of plastic wrap secured with a rubber band will work just fine.

Watch your terrarium come to life! Explain to your kids how it works. The water in the soil will eventually form droplets on the inside and top of your container. Once they get heavy enough, they'll fall like rain. This process will keep repeating.

**If you don't see this process occurring, add more water.


TEEN TIME OUT
The final project is a great one for older kids! Here's what you'll need to make your own decoupaged chair:

A salvaged wooden chair of your choice
Sandpaper
Scissors
Magazine clippings or pictures, old sheet music for your music lover, tissue paper, fabric scraps, etc. Basically any paper that can be glued. Let your teen get creative and use movie or concert ticket stubs, CD liner notes, photos of friends printed on lightweight photo paper...
Mod Podge
Sponge brush
Paint (optional)
Drop cloth

(I've actually done this with the top of a wooden bar stool. I cut out flowers and other neat pictures from magazines and decoupaged them to the top. They've served as everything from plant stands to actual stools in our home.)

Sand your chair to make sure the surface is smooth and ready to accept the glue. Wipe it clean. You can paint the parts of the chair that you won't be covering if you want to.

Cut or tear your images and gather your papers for decorating.
Sometimes it works getter to cut as you go so you'll be able to fill in gaps rather than having to rearrange your design a million times. Choose the system that works best for you.

Lightly cover the back of your image and the spot on the chair that you'd like to cover. Lightly cover the top of your image once you're sure you have it where you'd like it.

Apply two to three coats over the entire area once you're satisfied with your design. Use long, smooth strokes for a glassy finish or blot the area for a textured look.



Have fun and get creative! Share your craft ideas, too!