DIY Superhero masks

Our MOPS group decided to make some superhero masks to go in our Operation Christmas Child boxes, so the first step was to find an easy template to use. I searched online and found some basic templates here: http://www.firstpalette.com/Craft_themes/Wearables/superheromask/superheromask.html

We used felt to make them a bit sturdier than paper- and to double up that sturdiness as well as offer 2 masks in one, we made them double sided, so the recipient could change around their look. I used my Cropadile punch/setter to make holes for the elastic. We also decided on elastic rather than ribbon or cording to tie, because then they didn't need to have to tie them, or need help. They could just start playing.

On this design, I cut out the center part of the mask template and traced on another color of felt for contrast. For the lightning bolts and stars, I just looked up some clip art and honestly- I traced on a piece of paper right there from my computer screen. I cut that out and glued it to cardstock, then used the star or lightning bolt to trace around as I had the masks.

These are also double sided - oh, just in case you're wondering, I cut out the entire mask piece first, then used the center from a second template that I'd cut out, to add a contrasting color. I used my hot glue gun to glue everything together. They came together pretty quickly, and you can personalize them to your little superhero- my daughters even wanted some- so don't feel limited to boys, by any means- make hearts, flowers, glitter glue, ribbons... There you have it, some basic superhero masks. Oh, and I bought the felt by the yard at Jo-Ann's- on sale, they have a lot of color options- and depending on how many you want to make (think birthday party, etc), it might be more cost effective to buy 1/2 a yard or so of your main colors. Happy mask making!

Easy little notebooks/drawing pads for kids

I made these little notebook/drawing pads out of scraps of chipboard and cardstock. The pieces I had were roughly 3 1/2 inches wide, so that's what I used. I was playing around and thought that there was no reason why it wouldn't work to make these little notepads for my girls- they love paper and drawing/writing, and they're the perfect size. I determined what size I had available for the chipboard, then cut the paper about a 1/16th of an inch smaller. I used my Cropadile to make holes in the paper- using the first punch as a guide for the rest. I had some book rings on hand, and "ta da!" there you go. I tied a bit of scrap ribbon around the ring, and used some leftover adhesive chipboard letters for their initials... They could have been decorated a lot more, but my girls were very happy with them ( apparently a little sparkle goes a long way with them). I might make more of them for stocking stuffers. You could make them bigger- a 6 x6 size would be cute too, giving a bit more room. You could use any cereal boxes or things like that to make your covers- especially if you wanted to decorate them more than I did. I figured I could use my Cricut to make some die cuts to glue on- you could easily do little boy notebooks like that with a car, star, or something like that. You could even use stickers- or give them stickers with it to decorate it themselves... no limits!

Photo Display /Hanger with ribbon and clothespins

For the record, it is REALLY hard to get a good picture of something that it tall/long, just saying... hence the multiple close up pictures. I used a piece of scrap beadboard, that was part of a scrap of beadboard that will hopefully end up as a different project- if I ever figure out how I want to do it. That is a different story all together. Back to the picture hanger. I painted it brown first, let it dry, then painted it an aqua color, let it dry, and then distressed lightly around the edges.

I used hot glue to glue ribbon ( on the back) at the top and bottom, and then used some scraps of cute paper that I still had to cover some mini clothespins. I found a package of 12 for under two dollars in the office supply section of Walmart. I used Mod Podge to glue the paper, then sanded around the edges. I used my Cropadile to punch holes in the top corners of the "wood"- I think it's actually made from the light MDF stuff, so it worked- otherwise I would have drilled. I used more ribbon to make a hanger for the board, then all that was left was to add my pictures.

This was part of my attempt to start doing things with all those "project worthy" scraps and miscellaneous items in my crafty stash.. I'm pretty happy with it, especially since 2 days ago I still didn't know what I wanted to do with this... :)