Craftzine.com blog: Toys Archives

Archive: Toys

May 10, 2012

Wee Mouse Tin House Pattern

Need a little craft to make to keep your busy-bodied children occupied while out to dinner? Mmmcrafts offer a really adorable tiny mouse pattern to whip up a miniature friend for your little tyke that is fun any time, but is definitely small enough to be a great travel toy.

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How-To: Faux Wooden Tree Mobile

April 17, 2012

How-To: Giant Homemade Sidewalk Chalk

This homemade sidewalk chalk tutorial that Michelle from Modern Handmade Child shared on Oh My Handmade looks like a ton of crafty fun! The jumbo pieces of chalk are perfect for little hands, and look like they'd last through days and days of creative sidewalk play, even with the post prolific chalk artist.

One of our favorite outside activities at our home is drawing with chalk on the driveway. You can play hopscotch, four-square, and of course draw and create silly stories. My daughters and I were talking one day as we played hopscotch about how to make chalk and I thought to myself, let's try it! It ended up being quite a lot of fun.

Check out the full tutorial to make your own!

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April 10, 2012

How-To: Felt Fairy Wands

Do you have a fairy princess at home? Maker her a lovely stitched wand with this felt fairy wand tutorial from Wee Folk Art. You can download a free PDF of the pattern over on the site!

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March 16, 2012

How-To: Rapunzel Braid Hair Clip

Do you have a princess in the house? Take make believe to a whole new level with this fancy Rapunzel braid hair clip tutorial from Abbie at Lovin' Our Chaos!

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March 9, 2012

How-To: Suitcase Dollhouse

When I was growing up, I didn't go anywhere without my favorite doll in tow. I absolutely loved setting up house and acting out stories, so I would have adored this suitcase dollhouse from Stacy at Hart & Sew! The dollhouse has three interchangable rooms, but the kitchen, with its teeny tiny SMEG refrigerator, is my favorite! I'm also really digging the bunting hanging over the mini sewing machine in the bedroom.

This tutorial was written with girls in mind, but it would be easy to make one for boys too. After checking out the full how-to, I can't think of a better toy to bring along for long car trips, waiting rooms, or weekends at grandma's!

February 27, 2012

How-To: Paper Circus Rider Toy

Next time your kids are bored, or you're needing a little creative break in a busy workday, try this fun project from Joel of Made by Joel. He shows how you can turn paper, tape and a paper clip in to a fun riding toy. He's included a printable template, but also encourages you to try designing your own characters to take on a ride.

December 27, 2011

How-To: Clear Toy Storage Bags

Now that Santa has come and gone, get a jump on your New Year's organization—and keep all of those tiny new pieces in one place—with these clear toy storage bags from Ashley at Make It and Love It! With drawstring tops that are easy for little hands to use and a clear pouch so you can actually see which toys are in each bag, they seem like a pretty genius idea to me!

December 8, 2011

Paper Doll Kit

Gifts that foster creativity and encourage fun are, in my opinion, the very best gifts to give and to receive. Lisa from Grey Luster Girl created this handmade paper doll kit for her daughters, and it's sure to bring hours of imaginative play. Customizing my dolls was one of my dearest wishes when I was a kid, and I would have been absolutely delighted to get the chance to make my own!

December 3, 2011

Scrap-Wood Dollhouse

Did you catch Joel Henriques on The Martha Stewart Show this week for the "Stay-at-Home Dads" special? I immediately fell in love with his scrap-wood dollhouse project he demonstrated on the air. It's ok to make it for me, right?

Related
"Dressy Cats" Paper Dolls

December 2, 2011

How-To: Felt Holiday Cookies

It may not be the flashiest toy in the box, but there's something magical about play food—it never fails to get a kid's imagination going, drawing boys and girls alike into hours of creative play. For me, it's always the added details that make handmade food stand out from the pack, so I'm pretty darn geeked about these felt holiday cookies from Dannyelle at Life is a Party. Aren't the seed bead sprinkles are the perfect final touch? Head over to her site to see the full tutorial and check out the other cookies that she made!

December 1, 2011

Fully Operational Toy Fort

Wow, this castle is tricked out! Jenny of Dos Family shares an awesome fort that her young friend Agnes' grandmother Lena made for her. Lena thought of multiple ways to expel objects from the fort: peashooter, slingshot, elevator, plank, tosser and catapult.

I would have so much fun playing with this!

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Another Dos Family post: Four-Level Super Mario Tower

November 1, 2011

How-To: Pocket-Sized Pool Table

Today, I saw a project that was tiny, portable, and perfect for guys and gals alike—it was like finding the holy grail of crafts! Instructables user smallenginetech created this beautiful pocket pool table using materials common to any basement or workshop, plus a few gemstone beads to keep it classy. I don't know about you, but I can think of several people who wouldn't object too strongly if a personal pool table suddenly showed up in their cubicles.

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