Two fun and easy kid crafts

A and I like looking at the craft books at the library. We recently borrowed one called Creative Kitchen Crafts by Kathy Ross.

One Sunday afternoon, we looked through it to see what we could make. We found the "bird recipe card holder" idea and had fun making it.

We cut down a party hat for the bird's body. Then A made the wings and beak out of felt and glued them on. I cut a slit on the top of the cone for the bird's mouth. This is where the recipe card will sit. Lastly, we glued on googly eyes.

It really works--and it is such a cute decoration in the kitchen. For the next craft, I looked through my craft books and found another one written by Kathy Ross. It's called Gifts to make for your favorite grown up. We wanted to make something for her teachers as a thank you for a great school year.

I looked through it first and saw something I knew we could make. When A looked through the book, she noticed the same craft and said, "This is what we should make!" I said, "Good, because I was thinking the same thing." :)

We found a few small canning jars to make painted candle holders. I made a heart stencil using scrap paper for each one and taped them onto the jars. A used nail polish to paint the jars. Before the paint dried we sprinkled salt on the hearts.

Once they dried, we tore the paper off and tied a ribbon around the top of each jar. We bought votive candles and placed them inside. It was a simple and cute gift that her teachers liked.:)

Have you made some fun and easy crafts with your kiddos lately? I'd love to hear about what you're doing.