Crafting with Kids: Easy Stenciled Valentines

Don’t let the title fool you, this project is for us old folks, too.  It’s just so easy that I labelled it as a kids’ project.  For some reason, this year, I’ve had Valentine’s Day on the brain much more so than in the past.   I guess that’s why I managed to get this little tutorial put together in time to actually use it.  Honestly, it’s a cute project that has many uses, not just Valentine’s Day, so go ahead and let your imagination run wild.

First, this is what you’ll need:

1. Construction paper
2. Scissors
3. Paints (we used cheap craft paints)
4. Cups, plates, etc. for mixing & thinning paints, as needed
5. Freezer paper (NOT waxed paper)
6. Iron & ironing surface
7. Various items for applying paint.  We used sponges, brushes, string, and old toothbrushes

Step 1:

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT-  if you are doing this with smaller children, and would like to get started in a timely manner & not go completely INSANE, then I would suggest you assemble all of your materials BEFORE you tell the kids what you’re up to.  Otherwise, you may just have to hear the phrase, “Please, can we start painting, please, please, PLEASE?????” only about 56,802 times.  Additionally, if your kids are too small to cut out shapes or handle a hot iron themselves, then I would also suggest doing the next step before you clue them in, as that, too, can make their waiting more unbearable.  Since I did neither of the above, I decided to keep my design pretty simple.

Step 2:

Cut your shapes out of the freezer paper and arrange them on your folded construction paper (if you’re making a folded card) shiney side down.  We chose different sized hearts, but you can do just about anything.  The nice thing about freezer paper is it can be used like tracing paper, so go nuts with those royalty-free printouts:

 

Step 3:

** Disclaimer-  this seems obvious, but irons are hot!  Please use your judgement and closely supervise the little people during this step **

With your iron on a medium heat setting, and your card on an ironing board or other protected surface, press down on each piece of freezer paper for a few seconds, until all pieces are securely adhered. 

 You should be left with something like this:

(please ignore that hideous dark blotch across this photo- it wasn’t on my card, and I’m too lazy to Photoshop it out right now).

Step 4:

Now you’re ready to paint!  Gather your paints and other accoutrements and work some magic all over the surface of the card.  Be sure to cover over all of the freezer paper edges with paint to achieve the nicest images.  I personally was quite fond of the sponge technique:

Step 5:

Once the paint is dry, it’s time to peel off the freezer paper pieces.  This  can be tricky, as they tend to disappear a little under all that paint.  Once you get the edge started, though, they peel right off:

And you should be left with something like this:

From here, you can either be done, or continue to decorate them with stamps, glitter glue, etc.  and of course include your personal message.

Freezer paper is a very versatile material, and it’s something that I use all the time in my sewing projects.  The above technique can also be used to paint on t-shirts, pillows, etc. as a “poor man’s silkscreen”. Maybe we’ll cover that project next time.  Until then, have fun, & catch ya on the flip side.

How to Make an Inexpensive Curtain Rod

Since we’re sort of in the process of finishing off the boys’ room, I thought I’d share a fun & easy project that goes along with this week’s theme of money saving ideas:  custom curtain rods.  I first tried this when we lived in Florida, and vowed to never buy one of those expensive, heavy wood curtain rods (you know, the ones with the fancy finials & all?) again.  It’s so easy to make something yourself.  Please keep in mind, that this really only works for single windows.  If you have a double or triple, I’m sure you could use something else (like PVC)  for the rod itself, but mine were for singles so I used dowel rods.  Here’s what you’ll need for each window/rod:

One 3/4″ or 7/8″ wooden dowel rod- approx.  $2.50  (can be purchased at local craft or home improvement store

Two 2″ or 2½” wooden doll heads- approx. $1.99 (can also be purchased at craft store- I used my 40% off A.C. Moore coupon)

One 3/16″ dowel

Paint or stain and optional sealer

Wood glue

Hooks to hang curtains on-  Some inexpensive options to consider are the Giant Cup Hooks ($1.99 for a 4 pack from Walmart), or closet hooks ( $2.79/for two from Lowes).  Just make sure they hang far enough from the wall to accommodate the finial (doll head).

Drill and 3/16″ drill bit

These are your unfinished wood supplies

Closet hooks- will work for hanging the larger dowel size

 

These only work for hanging the 3/4″ size dowel

 First, cut your dowel down to desired size, if needed.  I personally like my curtains to hang beyond the actual window itself, so I left it at the 48″ length.  Paint or stain desired color. 

Paint or stain the wooden dowel heads also.  This is the part that will mostly be exposed, so you can get really creative here, either using a different color than the dowel, or painting cute little designs, like swirls, stripes, flowers, etc.  on it.  I painted mine orange with yellow polka dots to match the furniture in the room:

 

 

Once it’s all dry, you can seal it with polyurethane, tung oil, or whatever clear coat you choose- or none at all.  I used a clear acrylic gloss medium because it drys in minutes.  You can get it in the art & paint section of your local craft store.  Allow to dry.

Next, drill your hole into either end of the dowel rod, trying to keep it as centered and straight as possible.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be close.  You want it to go in about an inch or so. 

Do the same thing on the bottoms of your doll heads (flat side) if they’re not pre-drilled already.  Mine were, but the hole wasn’t big enough, so I enlarged it with the 3/16″ bit.

Once this is done,  cut your 3/16″ dowel down to size (about 1½-2″).  I used garden pruners to cut mine.  To make it feed into the hole a little easier, you can insert the end into a pencil sharpener for a second or two.  Also, if you find your hole is slightly larger than the dowel, just wrap it with a layer or two of masking tape.  Fill the hole in the dowel with wood glue & insert the small dowel in both ends.  Or you can insert the dowel into the finial first, like I did:

Insert one doll head into dowel on one end of curtain rod.  You can fill the hole on the ball with glue, too, but mine had a tight enough fit & didn’t need it.  Plus, you’ll need to leave at least one end un-glued so that you can remove it to get your curtains on and off:

 All that’s left now is to put your curtains on, insert the doll head on the other end, and hang your curtain with your choice of hooks:

  

Before

After

Detail

 

 

Please excuse the poor quality photographs, and the icky plastic over the window, that we inadvertently already punched a hole through!  I have also done this project with pre-made finials that were bought on super-duper clearance for, like, $5.00 and just stained the dowel to match.

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