Crafts for Boys

Quick picks

So, the anticipation is over and the summer holidays are finally here! (well they are in France at least ;o)) Whilst it would be lovely to think that the next 8/6 weeks will be a heady mix of wall to wall sunshine and carefree children brimming over with ideas to fill their precious free time; we all know that it's more likely to chuck it down with rain and the kids will be bored witless by tuesday....

so to help stave off some of the holiday blues here are my top three picks of places to get ideas / things to do.

1. Book - Usbourne '50 things' series, and particularly '50 science things to make and do'.

by Kate Knighton and Georgina Andrews

Tom LOVES his copy - it covers all sorts of topics and explains the science behind the activity.  Nothing is expensive or complicated, the instructions are easy to follow, and the sprial bound book is practical and has so far survived various spillages! Just hours of fun for boys (and girls) who like messy science :o)  

 

2. Web  www.activityvillage.co.uk

 

I LOVE this site. It was set up in 2000 by Uk based  Lindsay Small and has just oodles and oodles of great free stuff to keep kids of all ages busy - loads of printables, and craft ideas, and recipes, and games, and jokes, and puzzles, on just about every subject under the sun. So there really is something for everyone, and plenty of boy stuff too :o)

 

3. Blog Slightly cheating, but obviously there's our blog too :o) reread some of the posts and think laterally you might just find the inspiration you and your kids are looking for.  And if that's not enough, here's a quick bonus project to get you started.  

Tom's stilts:   Materials - Two large metal cans (I used dried baby milk tins) ;

acrylic paint; thick cord; duct tape; short lengths of plastic tubing; suitable drill and bit

 

• Carefully drill two holes in both tins - directly opposite each other.  The hole should be big enough to fit the plastic tube snugly.  (It will work without the tubing, but the tin is likely to cut through the cord )

• Decorate the tins as you choose - I used acrylic paints, which so far are standing up to being bashed around! (although on closer examination is starting to chip a bit) But you could use adhesive paper or metal paints. 

• Insert the tubing, then thread the cord through knotting tightly UNDERNEATH the tins.  I also stuck the knot to the underside of the tin with some duct tape.

• To make them easier to use, I fashioned a couple of handles out of duct tape, but this isn't vital.

• Have fun - but please don't sue me if your child breaks their ankle!!!   

 

Don't forget to keep looking over the hols, as we're all going to be travelling around, there won't be any formal posts, but we'll be keeping you up to date with our travels.  And make sure you pay attention, there'll be a test at the start of the new term ;o)

Happy Holidays xx

 

 

maxi figures

If there's one toy that ALL the boys I know love, it's LEGO. So when I was looking for an idea to use as the basis for several cards this summer it seemed an obvious choice. However, I'm not one to choose the easy option of making three identical cards, I wanted to personalise them to suit each recipient. Hence I came up with my version of the minifigure, each reflecting the current interest (obsession?!) of 'my' boys. So, first meet Anthony's favourite (ice)hockey star...

Dan's beaver scout....

And last but by no means least, Tom's Tintin and Snowy.

 Apologies to LEGO for borrowing their idea, but the characterization is entirely original and they've made three boys very happy!!

What can I do Mum?

posted by Helen

It's a phrase often heard round here and my reply is often a list of crafty things in the hope that I might inspire Tom to leave the computer or my phone for half an hour atleast. Today, after running through all the usual options which were greated with slience, I tried a different tack and suggested sewing and knitting, which to my great surprise resulted in an enthusiastic, "oh yes, we could knit a shark for me to cuddle in bed!!!!!!!!!"

I'm not sure the words cuddly and shark appear together very often, but it is very Tom, so we set off on a hunt for some grey wool. Now I like a challenge but i did think this time we'd bitten off more than we could chew. But after scratching my head and sketching for 5 minutes I came up with a basic pattern and with varying amounts of help from Tom (it did take a little longer than half an hour) we succeeded. Apparently it's not as big as Tom had hoped, but there was only a little bit of grey wool (actually left over from a tea cosy I made for Cara ) so that was my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Rather than two identical halves, I just made the body to be stuffed, leaving the tail and fin as single pieces. I incorporated a red section for the mouth, then crotcheted some teeth on afterwards. So here he is, Tom's new friend, Sharky, a smily and cuddly knitted shark!

(Please scroll down for the photos!)

bathroom blues

Thankfully both my boys love bathtime and all the associated toys (no need to mention Tom and all things fishy...) However this (combined with a lazy mummy) results in my bathroom being a complete tip.  When we replaced our windows and put obscured glass in the bathroom, I struck on the idea of re-using the old shower curtain to make two bags to put the bath toys in - out of sight, and out of mind (for me at least.)

Before...

 

I cut the curtain into four pieces and used the two with holes at the top for the bags.  That way hopefully the draw strings won't tear too easily.  I then painted two scenes in shades of blue (to match my tiling in the bathroom) - in theory there's one with with boats etc for the boat toys, and one with marine creatures for the fish, etc, but I'm sure that won't last!

 

I sewed a double seam along one side to make and tube, then using yellow and brown thread, I used the largest zigzag stitch to make the sea bed.  Hopefully this will allow any water inside to drain out.  I finished the bottom edge with pinking shears and found some nylon thread to make the drawstring.  Hopefully tidying the bathroom will now be more fun for the boys and less of a headache for me!   

After...

 

 

... just wanted to sneak in my bathroom scales too which I rejuvenated with an old cork place mat and my trusty acrylic paints.  I love paint :o)

 

Happy First Birthday!

posted by Helen and Cara

Yay, we made it! 75 posts, 6076 page views and 362 comments later and we're still bursting full of ideas to share with you.  Thank you all for looking :o)

So to celebrate in style, here are some Star Wars themed projects (it is May the Fourth, afterall...)  to get the next twelve months off to a flying start...

Helen's X-wing party set:

This was a 30 minute make, (although I did have to wait a little longer for the paint to dry...) and could be easily adapted to include you own (hmm, your kids own ;o)) Star Wars character or vehicle. 

I splatter painted a sheet of A4 card, used half for a birthday card, then one quarter for a place name and two eighths for gift tags (nothing if not thrifty me) I made a template for the fighter then used some recycled card to make the shapes and labels with pen details to finish. (Backdrop provided by Tom who as usual didn't want to miss out on the fun.)

 

  

 

 

... is out of this world

 

 

 Cara's Woolly Wookie:

With Anthony's birthday coming up on Saturday, I wanted to make him a gift. With most of my craft supplies packed away because of our renovations, my choices were limited.  I had an idea for a needle felted Chewbacca and I knew that my wool and needles were in a box that wasn't too hard to get to ;)

 

I made him up in a couple of nights while watching TV after packing and sorting all day, it was quite relaxing ;)  Philippe and Juliet even helped at the end with the face and his bag thingy.  Philippe insisted that I hide it right away even though Anthony is at his grandmother's until Friday ;)  The metal bits are foil leafing and the bag is just a bit of fabric.

 Here is is with the Yoda that Helen made for Jacques last year, just because I thought they looked cute.

MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU !

 

 

 

Birthday Countdown - Helen's best according to Cara ;)

posted by Cara

Helen and I started this little blog almost a year ago.  We decided to have a little look back at the year by choosing our favourite projects, so I am going to link you up to my absolute favourites from Helen's posts.

Third Runner up:
I love this fish frame, it's even more amazing in real life when you can really see all the details up close.

Second Runner up:
Practical and adorable all in one, Anthony gets great use out of his craft box, and Philippe does as well when his brother's not looking ;)

First Runner up:
This project makes me want to grab a mini Harry Potter, a teeny broom and a snitch and get down and have some fun!  Check out Helen's Hogwarts play scene at the bottom of this post!

My Absolute Favourite!!!
I didn't have to look hard to find this adorable, crocheted Yoda.

"Looking? Found someone you have I would say, mm?"  

I don't know what to say about this little guy except that Jacques loves him as much as I do and is sometimes caught sleeping with him when he thinks no one is looking.  She did a fabulous job, he looks great!

"When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good, you will not, hm?"

Making models with Grandad

 
posted by Helen

OK, so I have been a bit quiet on here recently, but things certainly haven't been quiet around my place. Tom had two weeks holiday from school and Nana and Grandad came over to stay with us, which was lots of fun :o)

My dad has made models ever since he was a boy ( and still does!) He spent many hours with my brother and I and now it's wonderful to see him and Tom working on projects together.  Here are some of their creations from this last holiday, plus some of my Dad's works of art. 

 
 
 
 These are a space ship and a boat made from off cuts from another DIY project. 
 

 This one you'll have to guess their purpose first...

 
... here's a clue:

 
 They're bridge supports for Tom's railway!

And last, but not least, the two brilliant clocks that Dad made for Tommy & Joe, which probably deserve a post in their own right, but I wanted to share them now :o)

 

 

 

 

ship ahoy

Tom's recent pirate frenzy has been lots of fun all round.  Joe has loved chasing Tom round and round hunting for treasure and Mummy has had a good excuse to make stuff too.

First step were the hat and eye patch, but that really didn't represent much of a challenge, but a pirate just can't do much pirating without a boat.  Of course it was Tom who did most of the making, but with a bit of subtle diplomacy, it turned out reasonably close to how I envisaged it!!

So here it is our tissue box / cream egg box/ barbecue skewer/ old sheet galleon and it's proud owner creator and namesake:  The Good Ship Tom

 
 
 

 
 

 

Our four bears

posted by Helen

There are many amazingly realistic soft toys available these days (how old do I sound??), but I love my seventies bear with her round legs and squashy nose! My husband has a very similar bear ( except his is pink!!) so when I found out I was expecting for the first time, I decided to make a similar bear for my new baby.  My mum found an old knitting pattern in a Woman's Weekly (probably from the same era and in all likelihood by the very talented designer Jean Greenhowe) so having plenty of time on my hands I made one for Tom. 

Having set the precedent, when I found out I was pregnant again, baby number two was going to have to have a bear too.  Of course this time I didn't have hours to while away, so I've just finished Joe's bear - in time for his first birthday!!

 

Being super organised, I couldn't find the pattern from the first bear so I decided to have a go at copying it... with mixed results.  He's a bit on the wonky side, and rather bigger than the others, but I'm sure Joe will love him.  His bear family already do!

 

 

 

Mummy Maker

Posted by Helen and Tommy

I’m not really complaining, but being away on holiday then having the kids around all day hasn’t left me with much time to make things for myself.  Instead I’ve had an extra pair of hands to ‘help’. So this week I’ve decided to share a few of my favourite projects made by Mummy and Tommy. Not all are original ideas,  'Mister Maker' is a big favourite in our house, but where they are ‘Mummy Maker’ I’ve included brief explanations.

Space alien city

This was adapted from Tom's 'Mister Maker' book and is made from recycled plastic bottles and pots, with added craters, aliens and um, dinosaurs!

 

Relief Giraffe

Draw outline on black /brown paper then rip up small pieces of masking tape into ‘spots’ and stick on.  Paint all over in yellow / orange.  When dry, remove tape and draw on features.

Concertina Bee

Cut two ovals at the same time- one from yellow and one from black.

Draw curved lines on the yellow at approx 1cm spacings leaving more at either end.

Cut along the lines.

Separate into two sets of alternate stripes and stick one set on either side of the black.

For the wings, make a long and thin concertina from tracing paper. Cut a slot in the top of body and poke wings through. Fold in half and stick top edges together.