Make it: Miniature Sponge Cake & Pie

Make it: Miniature Sponge Cake & Pie

Miniature Sponge Cake Materials:
flat, expandable sponges, yellow and pink
pen
quarter
scissors
Folkart - wicker white paint
craft glue
mini ribbons
mini beads
large button

1. Trace the bottom of a paint bottle onto flat sponges (2 on the yellow and 1 on the pink). Cut out circles and glue the three together with the "icing" (pink) layer in the middle .

2. Cut a small triangle from the circle (this will be a piece of cake). Wet the sponges, let expand and set aside to dry.

3. Paint the top and sides (not the inside) of the cake with white craft paint and let dry. Using glue, attach ribbon (frosting) around the outer edge and glue beads in a daisy pattern to the top of the cake.


Miniature Pie Materials:
bottle caps
tan felt
red seed beads (or color to match fruit of choice)
Quick Hold craft glue

1. Cut a thin strip of tan felt to fit the inside rim of the bottle cap and glue in place.


2. Put a small amount of glue on the inside bottom of the cap, fill cap with seed beads and cover with glue.

3. Cut very thin strips of tan felt; crisscross felt strips over the beads to form a woven crust.

Make it: Kids Doll Bed - recycled

Recycled Doll Bed - perfect for American Girl Dolls

In this recycled project, a breakfast tray is flipped upside down and transformed into a dolly bed. The linens and pillows are made from fleece and flannel and are no sew - just a drop or two of fabric glue is all we used. From the It's a Dolls World episode of Creative Juice.

Materials:
breakfast tray with collapsible legs
wood glue
wood screws
4 wood balls or blocks (bed legs)
2" thick foam
1/2 yd. flannel sheeting
1/2 yd. polar fleece
2 empty 6-oz. gelatin boxes
Fabric-Tac glue
measuring tape
pinking/scalloping shears
craft paint (optional)

Steps:


1. To make the head and foot board of the bed, flip the tray over and, using wood glue and screws, secure the legs in a locked open position. Let glue dry.



2. Using wood glue and a screw, add legs to the bed at the four corners and let dry. The bed legs are an opportunity to use your creativity: wooden blocks, drawer pulls, wood balls, etc., can be used -- just look for objects that match in size.

4. Using a kitchen knife, cut foam/mattress to fit base of tray.

5. Cut flannel 10" larger, length and width, than foam mattress measurements. Wrap foam, gift style, with flannel sheet and secure on the bottom with Fabri-Tac glue.

6. For the bedspread, cut fleece, adding 6" to width and 4" to length of mattress measurements. Trim edges with scallop shears.

7. For pillows, wrap two large, empty gelatin boxes with fun fur, leaving 1" on each end. Using Fabri-Tac glue, glue fur to boxes, tuck ends into box sides and secure with drops of glue. Fill boxes with crumpled scrap paper for additional strength.

make it: kids Tea Table

Ikea Hack: painted kids tea table

This table is surprisingly quick to paint, when you use a few tips and tricks from us. We used a pencil eraser to make quick polka dots, added a floating medium to our paint to create smooth and simple flowers and used blue painter's tape to mark off our edges.

The table and chairs are from Ikea: Gulliver Table & Chairs

Materials:

unfinished wood children’s table and chairs
1 qt. semigloss paint (base color)
1 qt. primer
foam brush
paintbrush
drop cloths
sandpaper
folkart acrylic paint: purple (polka dots), dark pink (flowers), light pink (flowers), light yellow (flower center), spring green (leaves)
folkart floating medium
medium flat-head paintbrush
medium angle-head paintbrush
small detail paintbrushes
pencil with eraser
2 cans spray clear sealer

Steps:

1. If needed, lightly sand table and chairs; wipe down wood with a damp rag after sanding to remove any dust. Prime table and chairs, and let dry before painting.

2. Using low-tack tape, tape off design or pattern to be painted. Trim the corners so they make a sharp point. Paint areas to be painted and let dry, per directions, before removing tape from furniture.


Note: When applying decorative painting techniques for the first time, practicing first on scrap paper is advised. Once you're comfortable with the technique, begin painting the furniture. 1. To make flowers, working with an angled paintbrush, lightly dip brush into floating medium (the medium will soften the colors and help blend them together); dab off extra (this helps to embed medium into brush bristles). Next, dip the top three-quarters of the brush into the lighter pink paint and the remaining bristles into the darker pink paint.

2. To paint the petals, first make an upside-down teardrop with the brush, then fill in the center.

3. To add leaves. using a flathead brush (we used a 5/8"), dip brush into floating medium. Repeat the technique used for the petals with the colors green and just a bit of purple.

4. To paint leaves, go between the petals with a loose S stroke. Make the center of the flower with a finger dipped in orange paint. Once this is dry, remove the tape.

5. To make polka dots, dip the eraser end of the pencil into paint and dot paint on the pattern.

6. For fringe, using a small brush, dip brush into the paint of choice and make squiggly lines through the placemat.

7. Let paint dry and, working in a well-ventilated area, apply a coat of clear spray sealer to the chairs and table.