make believe crafts – Our Beautifully Messy House

Elf Donuts, Fairy Donuts, Wee Folk Donuts

December 14, 2015December 17, 2015 Porter Leave a comment

What kid wouldn’t love making these teeny, tiny “donuts” for the fairies, gnomes, and Santa’s elves? They’re just too cute! L and I make chocolate-sprinkle donuts, powdered sugar donuts, and cinnamon sugar donuts; because, you know…it’s nice to give the wee folk some options after all. We make these “donuts” throughout the year for L and her fairy tea parties, but we also like to whip up a batch at Christmastime and leave them alongside Santa’s cookies and the reindeer’s carrots on Christmas Eve…we wouldn’t want any elf to be left out! They’re rather simple to make and your kids will go nuts when they see them! Sometimes it’s the littlest things (literally)!

Ingredients:

O-shaped cereal
chocolate chips or baker’s chocolate
syrup (or honey)
powdered sugar
brown sugar
mini-sprinkles

Materials needed:

small bowls
toothpicks
double-broiler (or microwave)

Chocolate-Sprinkle Donuts

First, melt your chocolate in either a double-broiler or in the microwave.

Next, carefully dip your O-shaped cereal into the chocolate.

And L’s favorite step, cover in sprinkles!

Yumm!!!

Powdered Sugar Donuts & Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

These donuts are super easy to make. First, dip the O-shaped cereal into a little bowl of syrup or honey.

Next, remove the cereal with a toothpick, and toss around in either a bowl of powdered sugar…

…or a bowl of brown sugar.

It’s that simple, but oh so sweet!

A few weeks ago, L gave two of her classmates homemade fairy sets for their birthdays. Sure enough, we included some fairy donuts in little, folded-paper boxes!

Sometimes you really do have to make your own magic! Enjoy!!!

DIY Capes…Wizard Capes…Superhero Capes

July 19, 2014September 29, 2015 Porter Leave a comment

Before I move on to any other posts, I thought I ought to share how to make a cape to go with your magical wand! Now this can be a wizard cape, a superhero cape, a cape for a child or an adult.

Materials needed:

jersey knit fabric
ribbon (about 5 ft, depending on the size of the wizard)
thread and needle
sewing pins

First, you must determine whether you want a short or a long cape…both have equal flying abilities. Lay the fabric out on a flat surface and cut out the cape, a little wider at the bottom than the top. If you like, you can measure and draw the cape first…I just eyeballed it. Using knit fabric makes this a super easy craft because the edges will not fray and there is no need to hem the sides.

Next, lay the ribbon out along the top edge of the cape and pin it in place. If you know how to use a sewing machine, this next step should be quick and easy…if you want to do it by hand it is also fairly quick and easy. All you need is a simple, straight stitch across the top of the ribbon and one along the bottom.

Your cape is done! Too easy, right? If you want to add some embellishments…some beads or buttons…you can sew them on as well. To make my nephew’s cape extra wizardly for his birthday I sewed an owl in the middle. (See above, top photo.)

I like to avoid tying anything around a child’s neck, so to attach the cape put the ribbon over the shoulders, then back under the arms and tie it in the back. Off to flying school!

Wizard Wands…Fairy Wands…Magical Wands

July 16, 2014September 29, 2015 Porter Leave a comment

This is such a simple craft to do and, paired with a wizard cape or hat, it makes for a fun gift too! I first made these for my nephew’s birthday party…and they were a big hit! Depending on your kid’s age, he or she can help with some and maybe even all of the steps.

Materials:

sticks from the yard
acrylic paint
glitter paint
a small marble
glitter hot-glue-gun glue and glue gun

Collect sticks! If you don’t have good ones in your yard, go on a nature walk around town collecting some. The more twisty-turny they are the better! Make sure they are strong ones and won’t break easily. Brush sticks off, gently removing any loose bark.

Paint! Most of my acrylics are not labeled “non-toxic” and they are permanent, so I did this step on my own. Sometimes I let L paint with acrylics, but I cover the kitchen counters and nearby appliances with garbage bags, cover the chair she stands on with a towel and make sure she’s wearing her smock. You be the judge on this one! After the paint dries, apply another coat if needed and then paint with the glitter paint. You could stop here if you want and have a pretty awesome wand…I like to add the marble on top though to make it a little safer!

Attach marble! Find a marble that’s the right size and color you like. Old marbles are another great thing to find at antique stores…whenever we see a jar for a good price, we snatch em up. Using the hot glue gun, apply a little dab of glue at the tip of the stick and quickly push a marble in place. To secure the marble, apply more glue around the base and then make a little dripping effect down the wand. Plan on using about one whole glue stick per wand. And that’s it!

Too easy, right? It’s fun watching your kid’s imagination soar while playing with their wand. L likes to think she can make the leaves of a tree dance or birds fly with hers. I always remind her of two rules though… #1: No hitting anything or anyone, and #2: No running with the wand. If you make a wand, please share your pics with us! I’d love to see what else you add…ribbons, jewels, etc.