DIY Apple Stamped Banner / Bunting

Apple decor is perfect for Fall and for back to school... and it's even better if it's handmade. I am loving this adorable DIY apple stamped banner / bunting. It's fun to craft, and it makes a wonderful piece of custom decor for your home.

I found a pre-cut canvas banner for less than $2, but you can use cardstock instead (if you can't find inexpensive canvas). 

Then, to make a banner: cut an apple in half, apply a light coat of red paint with a paint brush, and use the paint covered apple to stamp the bunting. 

Wait for the paint to dry, and then you can add details (seeds and a stem) with a brown Sharpie.

Then, use hot glue to attach a piece of twine or string to the back of each "flag".

This is what it looks like when it is all finished. Cute, right?

I think a DIY apple stamped banner / bunting is the perfect project for this time of year. It's great for Fall, and works well for the first day of school too.

Happy crafting!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids

Holiday crafts are fun for kids, and today I am sharing some simple Thanksgiving crafts that your kids will love. While the children are busy making adorable turkey crafts, you will have the time you need to peel the vegetables for your turkey dinner. Clever, right?

1) Tissue paper turkey - Tissue paper squares in Fall colours can be used to create this adorable turkey craft. Kids will love this one! Find the full "how to" here.

2) Scrapbook paper turkey - Angular shapes and colourful paper come together to create this fun art deco turkey. Find the full "how to" here.

3) Handprint turkeys - No one can resist a handprint craft for a holiday. It's a craft and a keepsake in one adorable package! Find the full "how to" here.

4) Scrap Paper Turkey - It doesn't get much easier than this sweet scrap paper turkey. Cut different shapes from scrap paper, and glue them to a piece of construction paper. Then, glue on two brown circles, an orange beak, and googly eyes. 

Do you have a favourite turkey craft? I hope you enjoy making one of mine with your little one, and I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Preschool Theme: Fall

I teach a weekly class of 3 and 4 year olds, and each week we have a fun Preschool theme. Today I am sharing three easy and inexpensive Fall crafts that Preschoolers are guaranteed to love!

To make a beautiful fall tissue paper wreath:

1) Cut the centre out of a paper plate.
2) Cut several one-inch tissue paper squares in lovely fall colors.
3) Have the Preschooler crumple the squares of tissue paper, dip them in white glue, and attach them to the paper plate. Continue until the entire plate is covered.
4) Punch a hole in the top of the wreath, and insert a ribbon for hanging.

To make a simple Cheerios bird feeder:

1) Attach a button to the bottom of a pipe cleaner (to prevent the Cheerios from falling off).
2) Have the Preschooler thread Cheerios onto the pipe cleaner.
3) Make a loop at the top of the pipe cleaner, and hang in a tree for the birds to enjoy.

To make an adorable scarecrow puppet:

1) Print the template that you can find here for only $0.99US.* (You can use a photocopier to enlarge it to the desired size.) 
2) Have the Preschooler color the puppet, and use glue to attach two googly eyes.
3) Cut out the puppet.
4) Use tape to attach a dowel or craft stick to the back of the puppet.

And check out this simple video...

Aren't these three Fall crafts totally adorable? I think they are perfect for Preschoolers (and older kids too). What's your favorite thing about Fall?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Handprint Turkeys - Thanksgiving Craft

Canadian Thanksgiving is this weekend, so I thought I would share a simple "turkey" craft the kids will love.  (And moms will love it too because we are all suckers for little handprints, aren't we?)

To make a handprint turkey:

1)  Paint your little one's hand with washable paint.  (You can do the fingers in different colors if you want.)

2)  Press the hand (with thumb out) onto a piece of paper or paper plate.

3)  Add a googly eye, wattle, beak, legs, etc...

That's it -- a fantastic craft and an adorable keepsake.  Happy Thanksgiving!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

{Fall} Book Page Banner

Don't you just love an easy, inexpensive, and fun craft you can do with the kids?  This simple {Fall} Book Page Banner makes a great Fall/Thanksgiving decoration.

You can make your own banner in three easy steps:

1)  Draw or print out pumpkins for the kids to color and cut out.

2)  Trim a book page, and cut a "V" shape out of the bottom.  Then, punch two holes at the top of the page.

3)  Use tape or glue to attach the pumpkins to the book pages.

String together with twine, and that's it!  Cute, right?

Are you decorating for Fall?  I would love to hear what you are making.  :-)

 ♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
** If you haven't already "liked" me on facebook, I would love to have you join me here.


Update October 11, 2012.... look how my clever boys transformed our Fall Banner into a Halloween Banner.  Sweet, right?

Scarecrow Paper Doll

How adorable is this Scarecrow Paper Doll? You can beat a simple, old-fashioned paper craft, and your kids / students are going to love this one. Download the template, print it, colour it, cut it out, and play with it for hours. It's the perfect fall craft.

I love that you can change its clothes too! Just print the scarecrow onto card stock. You can download the template I designed from my Etsy Shop for 99cents US here.) You'll also need a craft stick for the back, a couple of googly eyes, and a piece of foam core for the nose.

OK, let's get started.

1) First colour the scarecrow and his shirts.

2)  Cut out the pieces.  {Be very careful you don't cut off the "tabs" on the shirts.}

3)  Tape the craft stick onto the back of the scarecrow.

4)  Use glue or tape to attach the eyes and nose.

Now the scarecrow can be used as a puppet, and you can change his shirts {using the tabs} whenever you want.  Fun, right?

Isn't it adorable? Kids will love designing the clothes for this scarecrow paper doll. I remember playing with paper dolls when I was a little girl... and I may have played with this one too! ;-)

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You may also be interested in these FALL crafts for kids.

5 {Easy and Inexpensive} Fall Crafts and Activities

The kids are back to school, the weather is getting cooler, and the days are getting shorter -- Fall has definitely arrived.  But... don't despair... "embrace" Fall with these 5 {easy} and {inexpensive} crafts and activities. 

Click on the links {below} for full tutorials and free printables.


1)  Homemade Birdfeeders {3 ways} - Kids will love making these simple birdfeeders, and they'll be helping the birds get ready for winter too!

2)  {Printable} Fall Checklist - Print off this list, hang it on the fridge, and have fun completing all the Fall adventures.

3)  5-Minute {no-sew} Pumpkin - Kids and adults will love making this simple piece of Fall decor. It's easy, inexpensive, and totally adorable!

4)  {Easy} Paper Bag Kites - It's a craft and a fun excuse to get outside. Your kids are going to love this one!

5)  DIY Fall Wreath - This is a perfect craft for moms. All you need is a glue gun and little bit of patience. You don't have to be super-crafty to make this one!

What is your favorite thing about Fall?  I think mine is our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. 

Happy Fall!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

** If you haven't already "liked" me on facebook, I would love to have you join me here.

Fall Wreath {with Monogram}

I guess it is time to accept the fact that summer is over {sigh}, so in an effort to "embrace fall", I made this beautiful Fall wreath for my front door.

Isn't it pretty?  It is actually a combination of two projects I did before.  I have included links to the tutorials {below}.

Click here to find out how to make the Twine Monogram.

Click here to find out how to make the Felt Flower & Grapevine Wreath.

How do YOU embrace Fall? Do you have a Fall wreath hanging on your front door?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Nature Collage

Last week I wrote about taking my boys on a nature walk.  We made our own baskets and collected lots of great stuff, and when we got home, we made a collage.  It was a lot of fun, and the artwork turned out really cute.

Here is what we used:

• Stuff we collected on our nature walk (twigs, leaves, grass, etc...)
• A piece of canvas from the dollar store
• Paint (and a paint brush)
• Glue

First, we painted the canvas, and we let it dry overnight.

Then, we used LOTS of glue to attach all our "little treasures".

Didn't it turn out great?  Now we have a great piece of artwork AND a wonderful reminder of our afternoon wandering through the woods. 

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

FALL WREATH with DIY felt flowers

I have been on a mission to find an inexpensive, nice fall wreath ever since my husband painted our front door a few weeks ago.  (It was more difficult than I thought it would be to find what I wanted.)  Then... I found a plain 18" grapevine wreath for $4.97 at Walmart, I saw a beautiful wreath online, and I was able to make one I LOVE!  Here is my version:

So, are you excited to make one? I guarantee it is easy, and even a beginner crafter can do it.   

Here is how I made mine:

1)  Cut circles out of felt.  I used a CD as a template.  (My version uses 18 yellow flowers and 12 off white flowers -- so you will need 18 yellow circles and 12 white circles.) 

2)  Cut a "spiral" shape out of each felt circle.  

3)  Starting on the outside, wrap the felt until you form a flower.

4)  Secure the end with some hot glue. 

5)  Arrange the flowers on the wreath until you are happy with the how it looks.  Then, secure all the flowers using a hot glue gun.

Didn't it turn out great???  The beautiful fall colours even make me a little less sad that summer is over.

♥ 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

5 Minute Felt Pumpkin

Fall is such a great season.  Who doesn't love the awesome weather, Thanksgiving and Halloween?  To get me in the "Fall" spirit, I made this adorable felt pumpkin in just five minutes.  

Cute, right?  Want to make one?

You'll need:

• Orange felt
• Some cotton batting
• A little twig
• Some green ribbon

And, here's what you do:

1)  Trace a circle onto a piece of felt, and cut it out.  (I used a plate as a template.)

2)  Draw some 1 cm lines (about 1.5 cm apart) around the perimeter of the circle.  Then, use scissors to cut out slits where you have made the lines.

3)  Weave ribbon in and out through the slits you have cut -- making sure both ribbon ends are outside of your circle when you are finished.

4)  Add some stuffing, insert the stick (stem), and pull the ribbons ends tight.

5)  Tie a bow to create a perfect little pumpkin.  (PS - How cute is my four year old little pumpkin?  :-)

These felt pumpkins are so quick and easy, you could easily whip up a pumpkin patch full! 

♥ 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)