Creating projects with beads and altoids tins @WBCL

I have such a stash of beads and people give me more plus I have been known to buy a bag here and there like the beautiful gold ones from Oriental Trading that doing a project with them is always a creative surprise. The kids and adults are told at the beginning that these are what ever has been thrown into the bag left from other projects so who knows what is there. I gave the tins a quick coat of flat paint then put out beads in bowls and plastic lids of Aleene's tacky glue. There was some trading between tables to get a specific bead here and there too. The results are really nice and it is easy for kids of any age to do this with help from an adult--some of whom did their own boxes.

Making jewelry takes a bit of beads and more

We have been planning this jewelry making session since late summer. It is always fun to take a lot of jewelry findings, beads, sequins, and other items and give them to the kids so they can create some wearable items. I had intended to use more of the pole tops for rings but was unable to locate them in time for the session. Instead we took buttons and one half of a pipe cleaner with some beads and created what we thought was even a better project.

Bottle caps and other findings make really fun art @WBCL

We have done projects before with a variety of bottle capsAnd they are always interesting to work on and see what the kids come up with. This time was no different except that I had a number of other small plastic objects to put into the mix for them. We started with an 8 x 8 piece of cardboard as it is rigid enough to use for the project. They selected the caps, Beads, and bits of plastic that they wanted to use on their project. At some point one of the moms asked about glitter and several of the girls chimed in "oh yes." It is interesting to see how differently every project turned out.

Jewelry making from recycled materials @WBCL

I saw the ring making project on Pinterest earlier this year and put the call out to the neighborhood and the parents in this class to save the little ring pulls from cardboard drink and milk boxes. Finally we had enough to do our project. In order to be sure that our sequins and jewels would stick to the plastic I gave each one a quick sanding. We used Alenes tacky glue then added sequins, beads, and big gemstones from a donation. I also had some fun foam bookmarks that I thought would be ideal as bracelets. We were not disappointed. I little Velcro on the ends then the kids covered the entire top with a variety of sequins and beads. Everyone went home wearing their creations. This was a great project as any age of child could do this with a little help from mom or dad.

Learning to weave on a frame leaves no one behind @WBCL

 This is an adaptable project that just works better each time I bring it out. I used the plastic lids from tomato boxes as they had notches along the edges to use as pins to start the weaving. We talked about warp and woof and how we were going to do the project. Everyone got a long piece to set their warp and a needle and shorter pieces to do the weaving. A lot of "over and under" was mumbled as they got the piece going and could not wait to add the beads into the design. Some got a lot, some got just a few. All were removed from the frame and tied to hang complete with beaded fringe at the bottom.

Making Mardi gras masks @WBCL

 We were a little late with this one but Valentine's day won out last week and we created the best Valentine's Day cards complete with envelopes.

 I cut masks from fun foam in a variety of colors then gave the kids a selection of materials to decorate them with. We used sequins,  beads from Mardi Gras necklaces, feathers, glitter, and a few other things the kids found in their baskets. 
This is always fun because none of the masks ever turn out alike. The kids love wearing masks and cannot wait to put them on.