Young Entrepreneurs

We had a garage sale over the weekend so Funny Bunny and her friend set up a lemonade stand.  They sold lemonade, cookies, lollipops, and beaded jewelry.  They had been making the jewelry since last summer, so there was quite a bit and they were very excited. 

We did not interfere at all.  The girls greeted each customer, answered questions, and gave change all own their own.  Several people saw their bright smiles and stopped just for them.  :)

They decided to donate half of their proceeds to the Safe Animal Shelter.  They were able to donate $20 and still had a little to keep for themselves. 

I'm so proud of them both.  It was a great learning experience.

Flower Hair Clip Tutorial

Flower Hair Clips are fun to make and so simple and easy your children can make them without your help {we use a low temp hot glue gun so it is not too hot if it gets on little fingers}. 

Materials:
Flowers
Hair Clips
Tiny Pom Poms
Hot Glue Gun

We purchased our flowers at the Dollar Store {and WalMart sells them as well}.  Each bunch came with 6 flowers so for just a $1 we could make 6 hair clips!  I used a wire cutter to clip all the flowers and leaves from the stems and pulled them apart.  Once apart I lined them up in order from the biggest pedals to the smallest.

Step 1:  Place hot glue on your hair clip and attach the green leaf from the flower

Step 2:  Hot glue your largest pedal first and then follow with the others.

Step 3:  Hot glue the pom pom in the center

That's all there is to it!  If you buy several bunches of flowers, you can make plenty in no time!

Chalk Pastels

I mentioned a couple days ago that Funny Bunny has been working on a couple of art projects to enter into our local Agricultural Fair's Art Show.  Below are some of her chalk pastel drawings.  She is trying to decide which bird she likes better...maybe you can help her choose!

You can find the tutorials for both over at Hodgepodge.

Duct Tape Projects

A friend's daughter over at Schooling in the Sun has been really into making duct tape projects.  One day we were at a local activity together and her daughter, Turtle, brought some of her creations.  She had made some adorable duct tape bags for all the children there. 

Of course, the minute my daughter saw these, she was hooked.  Within the week we were at the store buying duct tape.  I didn't realize all the colors and patterns they come in.  Here's what we picked out.

So we searched YouTube and found a series of videos from Duck brand duct tape on how to make duct tape wallets, purses, flowers, flip flops, belts, ties, and more.  You can click on any of those links to see the videos or you can visit the Duck brand website where you can learn more.

Here are some of my daughter's creations

I think these are some great and easy projects to work on.  My daughter is 8 and I did have to help.  It will be hard for younger children to rip the tape off the roll, unless you use scissors, and if you do, don't use a good pair because they will get all sticky.  Also, remember that once you stick two sticky sides of tape together, you are not going to get them apart...so take your time.  :)

If you end up making some projects, please come back and let me know.  We would love to see them!

American Girl No-Sew Dress Tutorial

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the American Girl Book Club my daughter is participating in.  A friend of ours has been very gracious in hosting it at her house.  She searched online and found a really neat no-sew dress craft for the girls. 

Several of you have asked for the instructions on making the dress so I thought I would put together a tutorial of my own.  It's super easy and a lot of fun!

Step 1

Choose your material and cut a piece that is about 15" x 22".  It does not have to be exact, just close.

Step 2

Fold it in half so it is now about 11" x 15".

Step 3

Cut a hole in the middle of the folded side about 2" to 3" wide.  It's best to play it safe and cut it small.  You can always make it slightly wider if it doesn't fit over the doll's head.

Step 4

Cut fringe all the way across the bottom of the dress. 

Step 5

Cut fringe on the sides for the sleeves. Start about half way and make five or six cuts going toward the top. 

Step 6

Place the dress over your doll's head.  You can make the belt by taking cord or string, adding a few beads, and just tying it in the back.  The headband can be made by cutting a coordinating piece of fabric, wrapping it around their head, and tying it to the side.

You can see others we have done here.
 

 

American Girl Book Club

A friend of mine decided she wanted to start an American Girl Book Club.  Many of us were interested so our girls had their first meeting a couple weeks ago.  They were asked to read Meet Kaya ahead of time. 

There were 11 girls whose ages ranged from about 7 to 12 years old.  When we got there they made name tags for themselves and then sat around in a circle on the floor and discussed the book.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well they participated and interacted with each other.  It was so nice to see them all getting along so well.

After the discussion, they were given step by step instructions on how to make an easy no-sew dress for their dolls.  They all did such a wonderful job and the dresses came out great. 

Then they had a fruit and nut snack and played for a bit together. 

My daughter loved making the dress so much that she asked her grandma to take her to the store to buy some more fabric so she could make them for all her dolls.  I think they all turned out great!

She is excited for the next meeting where they will be discussing the second and third books in the Kaya series.