Date: Thu, 27 Oct 1994 07:52:03 -0500
From: Barb Stephens <bsteph@CREIGHTON.EDU>
Subject: Re: Ideas/Access
Lisa put out a call for more ideas, especially regarding crafts. Besides the den games I picked up at our Pow Wow, I attended a very good demo on den crafts. There were no written instructions, but the presentor showed and quickly explained each item she brought. I only got about 2/3 of them down on paper, and the instructions are a bit sketchy, but hopefully some of you can figure them out.
The BEAUTY of 90% of these crafts is that I believe they truly can be done by any Cub Scout (7, 8, 9 years). I have found that some crafts that appear to be simple in style still require a lot or coordination, and I have had to help more than I intended. Anyway, here are some ideas:
Pull/manipulate one cotton ball into a ghost shape and glue two "eyes" to it. Use a looped piece of masking tape (rolled sticky side out) to attach to clothes.
Use black pipe cleaner to make jack-o-lantern face on a 1"-2" diameter orange pom-pom. Glue to top of a pencil.
Cut one black pipe cleaner into four equal lengths. Push all 4 through one black (large holed) bead, centering the bead on the pipe cleaners. Spread and bend the legs to look like a spider. Make enough spiders to place about 2-3" between spiders as they hang from a ring. Attach spiders using yarn to a 4-6" diameter ring (wood, plastic, paper plate, etc). Use "loose" cotton to spread a web-like haze over top of ring and down some of the yarns. Use three pieces of yarn or ribbon to make "hanger."
Insert stick of a "dum-dum" lollipop into a large (1") gumdrop. Cover sucker part with a white kleenex. Form "head" by wrapping a rubberband over the kleenex just under the sucker. Draw a face on the ghost's head.
Use a black magic marker to draw a face on a small (3-6" diameter) pumpkin.
Use artificial autumn leaves and/or small ears of Indian corn grouped with a few miniature pumpkins, or a few lollipop ghosts, etc. for a centerpiece.
Cover a milkweed pod (pear shaped) with foil. Glue a fluffed piece of cotton inside bottom and add a miniature ornament (deer, sleigh, Santa) or a cut-out from a card. Hang with an ornament hanger.
Cut a piece of coiled jute rope about 12-24" long (1/2 - 1" diameter rope; the larger the diameter of rope, the longer the rope can be). Tie ends together with thin, pliable wire. Add ribbon wrapped around rope (leaving much rope visible). Make a bow out of ribbon, and/or add small Christmas decorations glued to rope.
Cut out pictures of collector's plates found in many magazines. Glue these to: paper plate, cardboard, small light-weight wood circle, plastic/play plates cut to the size of the picture. Glue on a silver or gold looped string for a hanger.
Place glue on ends of individual cone "leaves" and sprinkle glitter on. Or, you can use glitter colored fabric paint glued directly to ends of cone "leaves."
Find a stick (1/2 - 1" diameter) that looks like a Y with an additional portion extending between the forks. The forks are Santa's arms, the center portion is Santa's head, and the base of the Y is Santa's legs. Paint it appropriately, using tempera paint. (Paint the light colors first - white fur, then flesh, then red suit.)
Glue a 3-4" diameter red satin ball ornament to a sugar cone. Add cotton around juncture between cone and ball and on top of ball. Use hanger from satin ball extending through cotton fluff on top to hang from tree. (Can use a piece of yarn or ornamental string or ribbon for hanger also.)
Use three clothespin pieces: two pointing down (4 legs); the third pointing up (ears). Add "eyes", a small red pom-pom nose, a ribbon on the neck, and a pom-pom tail.
Cut paper towel tube into widths to match the width of Christmas ribbon. Wrap ribbon (or felt) around tube and glue in place. Add smaller ribbon trim (strung sequins or ¼" solid ribbon) to outside edges, or a Christmas card cutout to center of felt.
Fold a 4-6" length of 1 ½" Christmas ribbon and staple at top with a tree hanger or silver or gold ornament string. Inside the ribbon loop, insert a piece of colorful tinsel. Glue a small figure over staple (with more tinsel).
Glitter "paint" three small pinecones. Use small sire to wire them together. Center the pinecones on a 4-6" diameter paper doily, scrunch the doily so it "waves" as a background to the pinecones, and pinch out a portion of the center of the doily. Add scotch tape to build a longer 1-2" extension to the pinched doily, so it can be pinned on a blouse or coat. More colorful decoration can be added behind the pinecones (ribbon, tinsel).
You need a piece of moldable, but kind of stiff wire, and twice the length of a "threadable" lace (lace that has a seam tape binding, like most eyelet laces). "Thread" the wire through the lace and wrap the wire ends together. Mold the wire into a heart shape. Add ribbons, bows, or other appropriate decorations.
Glue cotton balls on a styrofoam egg for tail and feet. Bend white pipecleaner around a thicker pink pipecleaner for the ears. Add bead "eyes", a small pink pom-pom nose and thin wire whiskers. Place on a cardboard circle with hole cut out for base of egg to rest in. The cardboard can be covered with fabric or lace.
Wrap fresh eggs in onion skin. Carefully insert the egg (with skin) into old pantyhose and ties the ends so the egg can't escape. Hard boil the eggs. Remove the pantyhose - eggs are marbled.
Melt some paraffin inside a can placed in a pan of hot water (on the stove). Paint the melted paraffin over fresh greenery or small Spring flower placed on a hard boiled egg.
Loop some Christmas tinsel into a small 1 - 1 ½" circle. Place an appropriate sticker over the tinsel, i.e. flag for Flag Day, bunny for Easter, Santa for Christmas, witch for Halloween, etc. Add a looped piece of masking tape (sticky side out) to the back for a quick pin.
Use a rope ring, grapevine ring, styrofoam ring, etc. Wrap ribbon around ring, leaving generous portions of ring showing. Add bow at bottom of ring and/or appropriate decoration: Christmas ornament or greenery, flag, baby bootie or rattle, artificial flowers, small wooden duck or deer, etc.
To a "finished" (stained, painted) board 1x4x12, glue a piece of flat metal (so the metal is "framed" by the board). Add a picture hanger to the back of the board. Give as gift (include a homemade magnet as a starter).
Cut a board 1x4x6 (or longer if desired). "Ruffle" (wave) all edges with a rasp or a router. Pound in 10d finishing nails in a row, 1-2" apart, 1" from the edge. Either woodburn a "title" or add another row of nails offset from the first row.
Decorate a 4-6" diameter clay pot using magic markers, or cut out fabric (pinking sheared) pieces attached using a watery (Elmer's) glue mix. Be sure the bottom has a hole for draining. Keep kitchen scrubbers in it.
Use 2 liter or 20 oz plastic bottles. Decorate them with stickers, or fill them using: tissue paper (bunched or shredded), shiny cloth, Easter grass). Include an appropriate sized ball (nerf or light weight rubber).
Cover punched hole(s) of Hi-C size can with masking tape. Use tin snips of all purpose scissors to cut out a 4-5" circle on the side (not end) of the can. "Seal" the sharp edges with a layer or two of masking tape. Working on a wax paper surface, paint a thin layer of plaster-of-paris on all sides, the top and bottom. Let the can rest on the side opposite the hole; it will dry quickly. Then apply a thicker coat of plaster-of-paris to all sides again. Use a fork to scratch the log texture into the plaster-of-paris. When it is completely dry, paint the sides (log portion) brown, and the ends ("log ends") a light tan. Crumple up newspaper and stuff in the can. Insert greenery and/or flowers and/or small flags and/or pictures/symbols on a stick, appropriate to the occasion. (Cub Scouts can use cutouts of a Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos symbol, etc. on a stick or straw.)
Barb Stephens bsteph@creighton.edu
Creighton University Phone: (402) 280-2263
Omaha, NE 68178 Fax: (402) 280-2573