DIY Reed Diffuser

What you need:reed-diffuser-instructions
• Glass bottle or vase with a small neck opening
• Diffuser reeds (or bamboo skewers)
• 60 ml alcohol
• 60 ml water
• 50-100 drops essential oil (orange is the best)

What you do:
• Make sure your reeds or skewers stick out several inches from the top of the container for maximum scent.
• Mix together alcohol, water, and essential oil in the container.
• Stick the reeds or bamboo skewers inside.
• After about an hour, flip the reeds over to saturate the top part of the reeds that stick out above the oil level. (This helps to speed up the process of the oil soaking up from the bottom diffusing through the entire reed.)
• Rotate the ends of the reeds or skewers once a week to refresh and prolong the fragrance.

Tip: You can substitute alcohol and water with 120 ml vodka.

Bok Choy Roses

What you need:Bok Choy Roses
• Canvas
• Paint
• Bok Choy
• Cutting board
• Knife
•  Brush

What you do:
• Using the knife, cut off the bottom of the bok choy.
• The bok choy leaves  can be saved to make a dinner. (The closer to the bottom you cut, the tighter the “rose petals” will be.)
• Paint the back ground.
• Let it dry.
• Use the  brush to apply a light coating of paint to the cut side of the bok choy.
• Use this as a stamp to make roses on the canvas.
• Use green paint and the paint brush to make rose stems and leaves.
• When finished, wash off the paint from the bok choy and compost it.
• Let you artwork dry.
• Display!

Heart Stamp

What you need:Heart stamp
•  Paper
• Acrylic Paints
• Potato
• Heart shaped cookie cutter
• Small, sharp pairing knife

What you do:
• Cut the potato in half near the widest portion.
• Using the small heart shaped cookie cutter, insert it into the potato until the top is flush with the flat end of the potato.
• Using a small sharp pairing knife, cut into the potato about 1/4 of an inch down until you feel your knife touch the cookie cutter.
• Continue cutting all the way around the potato until the waste is easily removed.
• Start stamping the hearts!

Crazy Love

What you need:Crazy Love 1
• Paper
• Black marker
• Watercolor
• Brush
• Straw

What you do:Crazy Love 2
• Draw the head of you figure, leaving enough space for the hair.
• Place a big drop of paint on the sheet with a brush.
• Take the straw and blow the paint towards the desired direction.
• Let it dry.
• Display.

3D Heart

What you need:3D Heart
• Egg carton
• Paint (white and red)
• Canvas
• Glue
• Scissors
• Brush

What you do:3D Heart 2
• Paint the egg carton white.
• Let it dry.
•  Cut  apart egg carton sections.
• Trim evenly.
• Glue the sections to the canvas.
• Let it dry.
• Color everything red.
• Let it dry.
• Display.

Handprint Swans

What you need:Handprint Swans
• Canvas
• Paint
• Brush
• Hands

What you do:
• Paint the canvas (make the background).
• Let it dry.
• Paint hands.
• Press the hands on the canvas. (Fingers need  to face outward, while the palm towards the center).
• Using a paint brush, fill in some spots of the handprints that didn’t really show up.
• Paint the necks of the swans in a heart shape.
• Let it dry.
• Paint the beak and the eyes.
•Let it dry completely.

Tissue Paper Heart

What you need:Tissue paper heart
• Card Stock
• Red and Pink Tissue Paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Tape
• Bamboo Skewers
• Pencil

What you do:
• Draw a heart on the card stock.
• Cut it out.
• Cut tissue paper into 2″squares.
• Crumple each piece into a tight ball.
• Dip into white glue and place onto pattern.
• Continue crumpling and gluing down pieces until the entire pattern is filled.
• Attach the heart to the bamboo skewer with the tape.

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Clothespin Wreath

What you need:Clothespin wreath
• Wire hanger
• Clothespins

What you do:
• Bend a wire hanger into a heart shape.
• Clip clothespins onto hanger.

Valentine’s Crafts

Valentine’s Day is a great excuse for a crafty session with the kids – after all there is nothing better than getting a little something made by  someone you love!  We’ve got a large collection of Valentine craft ideas here – something for every age group and ability – so please have a good explore below…

Clothespin Wreath

clothespin wreath cover

Tissue Paper Heart

Tissue paper heart

 Making Kids T-shirts

Macaroni Kid Frame

Macaroni Crafts

 Heart Candle Holder

Crepe Paper Rosettes

Valentines Tea Bags

Heart Bookmark

Wreath of Hearts

Felt Fortune Cookies

Heart Ornaments

3D Heart

3D Heart Cover

Crazy Love

Crazy Love Cover

Heart Stamp

Heart Stamp Cover

CD Candle Holder

Macaroni Jewelry

Paper Flowers

Making Flowers

Sunflower Frame

Worm Art

Pinwheels

Tree Sculpture

Twig Trivet

Egg Shell Frame

Magazine Holder

Clothespin Vase

Swirl Vase

Yarn Wrapped Vase

Sponge Painting

Rorschach Painting

Butterfly Art

Crayon Art

Valentines Day

Valentine’s Day History

Every February we celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving flowers, candy and cards to those we love. We do this in honor of Saint Valentine. You may be wondering, “Who is St. Valentine”? Time to brush up on your Valentine’s history!
Legend has it that Valentine was a priest who served during third century Rome. There was an Emperor at that time by the name of Claudius II. Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those that were married. With this thought in mind he outlawed marriage for young men in hopes of building a stronger military base. Supposedly, Valentine, decided this decree just wasn’t fair and chose to marry young couples secretly. When Emperor Claudius II found out about Valentine’s actions he had him put to death.
Another legend has it that Valentine was an imprisoned man who fell in love with his jailor’s daughter. Before he was put to death he sent the first ‘valentine’ himself when he wrote her a letter and signed it ‘Your Valentine’, words still used on cards today.
Perhaps we’ll never know the true identity and story behind the man named St. Valentine, but this much is for sure…February has been the month to celebrate love for a long time, dating clear back to the Middle Ages. In fact, Valentines ranks second only to Christmas in number of greeting cards sent.
Great Britain is the country who is given credit for starting the printing of greeting cards, especially those expressing love, admiration, infatuation and other emotions.
St.Valentine’s Day did not come to America until 1629 but 100 years passed before the first Valentine Cards appeared in the United States.
The colors of Valentine’s Day are: Pink, Red and White for most cards and decorations, but is also on other Valentine commercial items like clothing, stuffed animals, candles, etc.

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Heart Candle Holder

What you need:
• Tissue paper
• Glass jar 
Mod Podge
• Sponge brush

What you do:
• Cut out a strip  of tissue paper that is equal to the width of your jar.
• Cut some tissue paper hearts of different colors and sizes.
• Using a sponge brush, gently brush the Mod Podge around the top and the bottom of the strip of tissue paper.
• When gluing on the hearts, always start your brush strokes from the middle and move out to the edges.
• Cover the entire heart with a layer of Mod Podge.
• Keep adding more hearts until you have finished gluing them all the way around the jar.
• Let it dry.

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Crepe Paper Rosettes

What you need:
• Styrofoam ball
• Crepe paper streamers
• Ribbon
• Sewing push pins
• All purpose glue
• Ruler

What you do:
• Measure your crepe paper strips at 9 x 1  inch.
• Cut.
• Crumple the strips up, to make them softer and more fabric looking.
• Straighten them out.
• Begin to roll. Start small and then get a little looser. Like a real rose.
• Gather the end piece of crepe paper and then add a dab of glue to the outside of the flower, itself, and stick it on the edge.
• Start putting flowers on the ball.
• Use some sewing push pins to adhere the ribbon to the ball.

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