Project Twofer!

I have a teeny weeny itsy bit of an issue with kids' crafts. You see, there's only so much room on the fridge for all the macaroni mosaics and fingerpaintings. I love these things, but I also love projects for kids that are actually functional in some way.

Well. Today we have two projects you can do with the kids that--GASP--won't end up in the garbage next week!! One is just for funsies and the other would make a great end-of-the-year teacher gift.

First, some cutie-pie felt hairclips:

And then a fun silk flower pen bouquet:

Both projects after the jump!

These hair clips were a result of my recent stash-busting. I had purchased a package of multi-colored felt sheets months ago to use on my daughter's school project. After the project was completed, I put the felt remnants safely away with my Kid Craft supply stash so I wouldn't forget about them. Time elapsed.

I forgot about the felt. Well, at least until a few days ago when I noticed these barrettes at Target:

At $2.00 for the package of 6 barettes, I couldn't resist. I snatched them up and brought them home, where I promptly fired up the glue gun and began Edward Scissorhanding all the felt scraps.

And then I got tired of scissors, so I put two of the barrettes away for some other, less lazy day and started glueing.

ADORABLE. And less than $0.35 each! I still have a ton of felt left over and plans to get another package of barrettes. I know the girls would love to design and make their own clippies. So that's on the agenda for a summer day, someday soon. Heaven knows the days will be long enough without fun projects to keep idle hands busy.

Speaking of summertime, or as I like to think of it, the End of Days (school days, that is) I was thinking of a fun, practical, thoughtful, and above all CHEAP gift for my girls to give their teachers on the last day of school.

And lo, I had an idea.

Silk Flower Pen Bouquets. Behold:

For this little project, you need a bunch of flowers from your dollar store, a package of pens from your dollar store, and a roll of floral tape from your dollar store. For these materials, I recommend your dollar store.

You'll also need a pair of wire snips to cut your flower stems.

 I cut my flowers from the main stalk, being sure to leave a three inch stem. Then, using my fat sausage thumb, I held the stem firmly against the pen and wrapped the floral tape tightly from the end of the pen near the flower to the tip of the pen and back again.

 Back at the end of the pen, I wound the floral tape around the pen and the stem and snipped it close to the bloom.

  After I made a few flowers, the kids joined in and made their own. These are too easy and they're fun as well. And that's all she wrote! I placed several of the flowers into old pickle jars and tied a ribbon around them.

I bought two different bunches of flowers, one 12-pack of pens and a roll of tape and I've got two cute little gifts for my daughters' teachers for about $4.

We'll probably make these again closer to the end of summer for the kids to give to their new teachers for next school year. And since my son is starting Kindergarten this fall (*sniff*), we'll make one for his teacher, too.

So there you have it! Two inexpensive kid-friendly projects!