This winter, A got VERY involved with making paper snowflakes, and as the weather warmed up, she had a problem. What next? She approached me with this problem and I suggested that she learn how to make flowers using the same paper folding technique.

But when we sat down to do it, she just couldn’t get it. So I made her some templates. The running joke in our house is that she doesn’t even realize that it’s not so normal for your mom to just design you a template that minute when you can’t figure out a craft. But the good news is, other moms don’t need to, becauese I designed it for you.

Get the easy paper flower folding templates

Most of the templates that I found online using this technique were more complex – more “snowflake style”. I wanted to use the same method but with simpler petals. I figured I’d create a few styles (eight to be exact). Some of them look similar, but when you cut them they’re all different.

Crafting tips are below, but meanwhile, you can get your easy flower paper folding templates here. I decided to offer the basic shape I first designed for A for free, and the full bundle for a few bucks  in my shop, on Etsy, and at TpT.

Get them all

The full bundle includes eight petal shapes. Each page has the same shape in three sizes. Two are very similar in size and one is significantly larger. This allows you to stack them or mix ‘n match.

The full bundle also includes a PDF with assembly instructions, so that you can have it handy.

This is a premium download, available in my shop, on Etsy, and at TpT. Your purchase helps keep this blog alive and the tutorials coming.

Get the basic petal shape (free download!)

Get the most basic petal shape for free. This includes one size and is for those of you who don’t need much and just want a basic template for this craft.

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

Different ways to use these easy flower paper folding templates

I assembled my own flowers a few different ways. A liked to just cut them and do nothing with them – and that’s totally fine too! But I like to share some more practical ways to finalize it and turn it into something you can enjoy after you’ve crafted it.

Flat stemmed flowers

Some of my favorites are these “pinwheel” style flowers. To make these, I stacked two cut paper flowers using a brad pin. I then taped it (hot glue works more permanently) to a colorful dowel.

The result is a forward facing flower that is so much fun for display and doesn’t try to look too realistic.

I curled the petals on these to add some drama, and even made some extra cuts on one, showing how you can really play with the template within the provided framework.

A flower bouquet

Another favorite is this stemmed flower that can be arranged more naturally in a vase. It doesn’t try to look real, but it has that gathered vibe.

I used chenille stems to make stems and leaves, and added pony beads to the mix too. For these, I stacked 2-3 flowers, and I played around with curling the petals or leaving them flat.

Flat paper crafts

And finally, I wanted to show a scrapbooky use of the paper flowers. I went ahead and found buttons as the center, and glued them on a trimmed-down scrapbook paper background.

This is a great application for using the easy paper flower folding templates in scrapbook pages, but also as wall art/collages/shadow boxes, greeting cards, and as embellishments for any flat craft.

Tips for using easy paper flower folding templates

There are so many different ways to craft with this as it’s really just a basic template. I like to share ideas beyond what I tried, so that you can take it a few steps further – and because it’s impossible for me to physically try everything that can be done with this!

Adapting for different age groups

For younger kids, you may want to keep it simple. A, my main tester, is five. She really handled the simplest petal shapes in the largest size best.

This does make great cutting practice, as it can get pretty challenging. So go ahead and give them things that are a bit harder to try! My daughter tried it, skipped a few curves and grooves, and it still came out great!

You may need to help finish it for younger kids by separating the petals, if they don’t cut over the parts of the fold they were supposed to.

As for folding these correctly: I showed A how to do it once and she totally got the hang of it. So it’s definitely doable for most kids ages 6+ (she’s a relatively crafty 5.5 year old).

Either way, for younger kids I’d definitely focus on the larger flowers and then give smaller ones as they get more advanced. You can supply them with white glue and markers and they can decorate it and then glue the layers on each other.

For older kids, more advanced art supplies (as I’ll share in a bit), curling petals, and assembling it into stemmed flowers can be a cool finish.

The base flowers – paper, decorating, and more

To make these bright and colorful, I went ahead and printed the templates directly onto colored copy paper. I had the most fun with the post-cutting process. I pulled out automatic ink, easy to use paint markers and had fun adding doodles.

I also played with colored pencils – specifically these super soft oil-based ones which showed up really well on the medium blue paper.

You definitely want to print on regular paper (not cardstock) as it’ll make the folding and cutting process easier.

Some more ideas for decorating the base flowers include:

• Watercolor paints – since you’re using paper, you’ll want to go easy on this and allow for generous dry time. You can do this before cutting on the whole sheet, or after cutting, to make actual flower details.
• Paint sticks are a favorite for younger kids.
• Gel pens are fabulous for finer, more intricate doodles. Good quality gel pens are important as cheaper ones tend to be single-use.
• You can trace the template onto scrapbook paper or other fancy papers too! You really just need to main square template and the single petal. Just trace the square, fold it without the dashed lines, and use that single petal as a template on the final triangle.

There are so many more ways you can craft this, so if you have ideas, just drop a comment!

Playing with different materials

As you can see, I really did completely turn over my craft room pulling out a zillion different craft supplies. I experimented with layering different flower patterns. I really played.

I encourage you to do the same. Try buttons as the centers of stemmed flowers. Use large sequins as centers on flat crafts. Try crafting these with actual paper flower supplies. Pull pom poms into the mix.

There is really so much you can do here, and being creative with it will make it your own!

How to make a paper flower bouquet using easy paper flower folding templates

You’ll need

For the basic folded paper flowers

• The templates – get them  in my shop, on Etsy, and at TpT, printed on (colorful) paper
• A bone folder for crisper folds (optional but recommended)
• Good scissors that have a smallish (and pointed if not working with young kids) blade

For assembling it different ways (all optional/as needed)

• Coloring supplies such as paint markers, colored pencils
• Hot glue gun (adults only) – my recommendations for best hot glue guns
• Tape/double sided tape
• Dowels
• Chenille stems/pipe cleaners
• Pony beads
• Buttons
• Brad pins

Watch the video

Watch the full-length video on YouTube if you prefer to learn that way! Or scroll down for written instructions with photos.

Step by Step Photo Tutorial

1. First, if you haven’t yet, print your templates. I used colorful copy paper.

2. Cut it out on the outer solid square.

3. Fold it on the full-width dashed line. A bone folder can help you get a good, sharp crease so that your end project goes smoother.

4. Fold it again on the new full-width crease (the one that went perpendicular to the previous crease.)

5. You have one final dashed line that’ll again fold it into even halves, but this time into triangles. Fold it on that line. At this point, make sure all your folds are nice and sharp.

6. Cut out your petal on the solid line. Make sure to go along your folds as needed, but to leave the center fully connected.

7. If you’ll be placing something through the center, you can snip off a tiny bit of the still-connected corner to make a center hole for later.

8. Open up your flower You’ll see that some flowers will have “grouped” petals – that’s okay. If petals that are meant to be separate are connected, just fix that now with your scissors.

9. To make a stacked flower, cut another size.

10. Decorate your flower! My favorite way is with paint markers, creating random or floral-inspired doodles.

11. Now assemble them as you’d like! If layering flowers, stagger the leaves so that the top layer(s) fill in the gaps on the bottom one.

I hope you enjoyed your easy flower paper folding templates! Got more ideas for how to craft this? Comment below! And in case you didn’t yet, get the template in my shop, on Etsy, and at TpT!

If you enjoy fun, open-ended creative crafts like this one, you’ll also want to check out these paper clothespin butterfly templates, this origami tulip tutorial, and these viral paper clothespin puppets.

The post Easy Flower Paper Folding Templates – “Snowflake” Flowers Craft for Kids! appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

Every time I throw a birthday party, especially one that’s craft focused, I try to provide some sort of coloring page or printable activity that’s more open-ended for early finishers. This is usually not something that’s a main craft or that requires direction. It’s something the kids can just do so that they’re not bored.

When we threw A a mock-sleepover themed party, we also made a bit of a bedtime story corner, so bookmarks were just the perfect activity for that.

For A’s 5th un-slumber party (or “sleep under”), I created some really fun bookmarks in a sleepover theme and decided to offer them here as a free download as well. You can download these right here, or scroll to the end of the post to learn more about them, and get some crafting tips.

You’ll have another opportunity to download it at the end of this post, so if you prefer craft direction first, go ahead and read along!

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

Crafting the slumber party bookmarks at a party

Since crafting at a party is not quite the same as crafting this at home with the littles, I figured I’d offer some of my best tips.

We crafted it as part of a structured party setup with preschoolers. If it’s tweens or teens, a smaller slumber party, or a more open-ended craft workshop, it’ll look different. I’ll include as many pointers as I can based on the party style below.

Preparation

Print your bookmarks on good cardstock.

For older kids, coloring pages can just be cut out. Give each kid a sheet to work with. For younger kids – and as a secondary activity – I do recommend pre-cutting them. It’s not hard, and you can use a paper trimmer to keep it neater, or just cut it by hand.

What to put out

This can be just a coloring activity or a bit more of a craft. We used colored pencils, so that the kids felt like they had something a bit more grown-up to color it with, but it’s still affordable, and neat.

You can definitely play it up a few notches by offering stick-on gems or other decorating supplies. I do recommend sticking with things that don’t need dry time – so self-adhesive decorating supplies (as opposed to glue) and fast-drying art supplies.

For older kids, go a bit more sophisticated. My favorite for the tween-and-up age group is gel pens. Quality does matter. For one-time use, you can go with a cheap set, but if you want one that you can pull out again and again, go for gelly rolls. You don’t need to get the full spectrum, but get a good color assortment.

Sending it home

Before each party, I usually prepare a goody bag with each participant’s name, with extra space for the projects. (We do have a few extras that can be labeled on the fly if needed). That way, we can collect the projects we make in their bags as we go along.

When I run craft workshops at other parties, I do the same with a Ziploc bag (or organza bag for jewelry making).

For this particular party, it was even more helpful. The crafts were a big element of the favor bags (specifically the sleep masks that they decorated) so the bags had the basic favors and the crafts were added in along the way.

Bookmarks fit nicely in lolly-sized bags, and can be sent home looking nice – not just like a coloring page – but like a “make-and-take” party favor.

Tips for finishing off and crafting the slumber party bookmarks

Want to take your slumber party bookmarks up a notch? Here are some crafting tips for finishing them off.

Of course, you can also stick to just coloring. If you’re doing this in place of basic coloring/activity pages for early finishers, you really can leave it just at that. But a few little touches can bring this pretty inexpensive craft up a notch and make it look really nice.

Tassels and other finishing touches

We pre-punched holes in our bookmarks before giving them to the kids to take home. Then, we added simple tassels to each. Just thread the loop end through, and pull the tassel end through the loop. It takes a second, doesn’t require glue and is an easy finishing touch that makes it look “real”.

Some other ideas for finishing it off:

• Use a corner punch to round off the edges (do this post laminating if you plant to laminate). This is both practical – it’ll minimize distress – and makes it look much more polished. A corner punch is one of my best craft-room investments – I use it all the time to polish up my prints.
• Let kids reinforce edges by framing them with decorative washi tape. It’s a great activity extension, especially when crafting with teens or tweens.
• For teens and tweens, turn it into more of a substantial craft by letting them craft their own tassels or beaded charms from scratch.

Should you laminate the bookmarks?

If you have a designated helper, you can definitely laminate the bookmarks before sending them home. They will look much nicer and be more durable. Don’t do this for an “early finisher” activity, but if it’s a primary take-home it’ll be a serious upgrade with minimal cost and effort.

Make sure to write names on each bookmark, laminate, and cut out to the edge of the bookmarks. Any finishing touches should be added after (tassels, gems, corner punches…)

Download the free printable slumber party bookmarks

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

I hope you enjoy your FREE printable slumber party bookmarks! Got an early-finisher party tips? Comment below!

The post Free Printable Slumber Party Bookmarks Printable – a fun party activity and craft! appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

In the 90’s and early 00’s, before we had phones to keep our hands busy, we had “fidget” crafts. You know what I mean… Friendship bracelets. Boondoggle. Holographic pastel seed bead bracelets.

Among these crafts that work to keep the hands busy is the origami star from paper strips. A simple folding process makes a fun little puffy star – and is easy to make by the dozen.

The paper strips can be purchased pre-cut and glued together on one end so that they don’t make a mess. It may take a few tries to really get the hang of it, but the more you make, the more you’ll want to – and the better they’ll be coming out!

What to use your puffy origami star from paper strips for

So is this an exclusively “fidget” craft or is it actually useful? Honestly, most people make it just for fun. But yes, it can be useful, and here are some of my favorite ways.

To make it look really nice, use different shades of yellow (it’ll look like a solid color but give a little texture). Or choose a cohesive color scheme.

Confetti

If you’re decorating for Christmas, for a summer picnic, a fairy party, graduation, or anything where stars are a fit, you can use these as less-messy confetti. Team up to make piles of it and scatter them on the table, toss them in the air…

Fill a jar decor

On that note, you can also make them to fill decorative containers (such as candle holders, cylinder vases) as centerpieces. You’ll definitely need a lot of them to fill ‘er up – but this is one of those crafts that is addictive and fun to make a lot of!

“Pick a chore/activity/wish jar”

The stars can easily be folded, so you can write anything you’d like on it before folding! This is a fun way to do any “pick a” type jars – whether it’s for a family or a party! You can combine this with the idea above, writing a fortune or wish on each and having partygoers pick one from the centerpiece.

What you need to make an origami star from paper strips

• Paper strips
• A ready pair of hands

How to make puffy origami stars

I’m going to go into as much nitty gritty details as I can in case you don’t have access to the images, but the photos really say it best. First, if you’d like you can watch the YouTube video:

1. Start with a paper strip. Lay it flat on your surface.

2. Create a loose knot, leaving about 1cm on one side.

3. Flatten out your knot into a pentagon shape. This is the base of your origami star from paper strips. Proportionally, the piece sticking out should be slightly longer than the diameter of the pentagon.

4. Fold that extra bit over to the other side, so that it’s flush on the bottom of the pentagon and reaches the other side that connects to the bottom.

5. Tuck whatever is leftover between the layers of the knotted pentagon and the extra strip.

6. Now you’re going to start “wrapping” that extra bit of paper around your pentagon until it’s finished. Again, this is something that’ll become easier as you make more as it requires some “instinct” with the direction that you’re wrapping in. Fold over your paper so that it reaches the side opposite.

Fold it under again to the opposite side.

Fold it over and under again until you only have a little bit – not enough for a complete fold.

7. Tuck that little extra bit between the layers of your star. Crease into place.

8. Use your nail to poke the sides – between the corners – in, allowing the front and back of the star to puff out. Again, it might make a few tries to really get the hang of this, but once you do it a few times, you’ll “nail” it (ouch).

Repeat with all five sides to complete your origami star from paper strips!

What will you be using yours for? Comment below!

Yield: Dozens

DIY Origami Wish Stars

Active Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 1 minute

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $5

Make these tiny origami wish stars from paper strips! Write a message on them first and fill a jar, use them as confetti, or just enjoy them as a fun fidget craft.

Print

Materials

• Paper Strips

Instructions

1. Start with a paper strip. Lay it flat on your surface.

2. Create a loose knot, leaving about 1cm on one side.

3. Flatten out your knot into a pentagon shape. This is the base of your origami star from paper strips. Proportionally, the piece sticking out should be slightly longer than the diameter of the pentagon.

4. Fold that extra bit over to the other side, so that it's flush on the bottom of the pentagon and reaches the other side that connects to the bottom.

5. Tuck whatever is leftover between the layers of the knotted pentagon and the extra strip.

6. Now you're going to start "wrapping" that extra bit of paper around your pentagon until it's finished. Again, this is something that'll become easier as you make more as it requires some "instinct" with the direction that you're wrapping in. Fold over your paper so that it reaches the side opposite.

7. Fold it under again to the opposite side. Fold it over and under again until you only have a little bit - not enough for a complete fold.

8. Tuck that little extra bit between the layers of your star. Crease into place.

9. Use your nail to poke the sides - between the corners - in, allowing the front and back of the star to puff out. Again, it might make a few tries to really get the hang of this, but once you do it a few times, you'll "nail" it (ouch).

Repeat with all five sides to complete your origami star from paper strips!

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

The post Origami Star from Paper Strips appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

As I was coloring in these leaf coloring pages, I realized that I must – I mean MUST – turn them into suncatchers. They were so beautiful, with bright pops of color that just had to adorn the house for fall.

I’m thinking of all those glorious and cozy fall holidays, especially Thanksgiving! These are just perfect decorations that anyone can make.

I experimented with different methods of turning the paper translucent on a scrap paper, and found the baby oil method to be the perfect idea. It’s easy, affordable, and hard to get wrong.

I’ll be sharing loads of tips for making these, but meanwhile, you can grab the coloring pages right here!

Tips for making autumn leaf suncatchers

Using baby oil to make paper translucent

I wanted to turn the paper translucent, and I tried a few methods. I found that using dish soap mixed with water made colors run. However, baby oil, due to the nature of oil and water not mixing, really just soaked into the paper and didn’t affect the coloring.

I chose baby oil because I felt like it was very neutral and unlikely to go rancid, unlike food oils. Definitely feel free to try this with other oils!

The trick really worked wonderfully. I used a cotton ball with a clothespin as a brush to really hold enough oil to allow me to sufficiently soak it.

You can also pour the oil onto a plate and place the leaf inside, allowing it to soak in.

The only downside of the baby oil method: it does leave your project slightly greasy! However, it’s baby oil, and not a “dirty” grease, so I’m personally fine with it. It’s not necessarily the best project to store from year to year, but it’s really fun while you’re using it.

Which art supplies can you use to color these?

One of the cool things about using baby oil is that you can really use a number of art supplies, especially water-based ones. Water and oil don’t mix, so scientifically, the oil shouldn’t smudge it. And even alcohol based art supplies, like the Ohuhu markers I used, worked fabulously.

For younger kids, I’d recommend using washable markers or other water-based markers. Again, it does not matter if they are water soluble, as it won’t mix! For wax crayons or oil pastels, I would recommend testing them first. I’d imagine that if you have too thick a surface on the autumn leaf suncatchers, it will prevent the oil from absorbing.

So if you’re using something else, test it first! Just swatch your art supply, dab on (or soak in) baby oil, and see if it works!

Hanging up your autumn leaf suncatchers

One of the biggest challenges when crafting these autumn leaf suncatchers: how do you tack it up if it has a slick surface??!! While we DID dab away as much of the baby oil as possible, some will naturally sit on the surface. I’ll share the fixes that I did myself and some other ideas to play with – to see for yourself if they work.

For starters, I used Duck Brand’s Nano Grab circles. This is a very strong permanent or temporary double-sided tape (the kind with the gel texture). It just barely holds the lightweight leaves with all the grease involved, but it held for the time I tested it.

It’s also translucent, and you can barely see it through. The only caveat is that you might not know if it comes off the window cleanly. I pulled hard to get it off the window, and it did come totally off without leaving residue. I recommend deciding for yourself and testing it, as I offer no guarantees it’ll come off.

Some other ideas for finishing off and hanging your autumn leaf suncatchers:

• You can cut out frames for it using black paper and staple them in place, but it’s a bit of a complex shape, and you’ll want it around the leaf, not backing the leaf, to retain the suncatcher effect.
• You can laminate it or enclose it in clear contact paper. I don’t know how it’ll hold or how well it’ll be preserved. But it’ll be held together around it (even though it won’t adhere to the actual leaf), and you can hang it from the plastic cover.
• Punch a hole and hang it from a string or a suction hook.

These are fabulous to make as a fall craft for the classroom, a library activity, or in art class! Make these to decorate the classroom window or even your sukkah!

How to make autumn leaf suncatchers – step by step

You’ll need

• The leaf coloring pages, printed on regular copy paper, nothing thicker
• Art supplies (see notes above) – I used Ohuhu alcohol markers
• Scissors
• Clothespin
• Cotton ball
• Baby oil (other oils may work – feel free to test them)
• A protective surface
• Paper towels
• Nano-Grab mounting dots Important: I cannot guarantee that this will come cleanly off your window. I tested it on mine on the window, and it came off nicely, but I don’t take responsibility for your use of it!

Watch the video:

Watch the full-length video on YouTube if you prefer to learn that way! Or scroll down for written instructions with photos.

Process

1. Color in your leaves however you’d like! Go fancy or keep it simple.

2. Cut out your leaves. The stem is a bit delicate, so be careful with it!

3. We’re going to be using regular baby oil to make the page translucent. Start by protecting your surface – oil usually stains permanently.

4. Use a clothespin as a handle and insert a cotton ball.

5. Pour some baby oil onto the cotton ball.

6. Start dabbing and painting! You’ll want to cover the whole surface with a layer of baby oil.

7. Let it sit for a few minutes (at least) to absorb into the paper. Then, dab off the excess oil by placing it between two sheets of paper towel and patting off what you can.

8. It’ll still be a bit greasy. See more ideas for finishing it off in the intro to this post if you want alternatives. The best way I found to hang it was using Nano-Grab circles – they’re transparent and they hold the greasy surface, although not extremely strongly. Test it on a surface you don’t mind ruining before using it on a window you care about.

Your autumn leaf suncatchers are complete – aren’t you just thrilled with them?

DIY Autumn Leaf Suncatchers Using Baby Oil

Print

Materials

• The leaf coloring pages, printed on regular copy paper, nothing thicker
• Art supplies (see notes above) - I used Ohuhu alcohol markers
• Scissors
• Clothespin
• Cotton ball
• Baby oil (other oils may work - feel free to test them)
• A protective surface
• Paper towels
• Nano-Grab mounting dots Important: I cannot guarantee that this will come cleanly off your window. I tested it on mine on the window, and it came off nicely, but I don't take responsibility for your use of it!

Instructions

1. Color in your leaves however you'd like! Go fancy or keep it simple.

2. Cut out your leaves. The stem is a bit delicate, so be careful with it!

3. We're going to be using regular baby oil to make the page translucent. Start by protecting your surface - oil usually stains permanently.

4. Use a clothespin as a handle and insert a cotton ball.

5. Pour some baby oil onto the cotton ball.

6. Start dabbing and painting! You'll want to cover the whole surface with a layer of baby oil.

7. Let it sit for a few minutes (at least) to absorb into the paper. Then, dab off the excess oil by placing it between two sheets of paper towel and patting off what you can.

8. It'll still be a bit greasy. See more ideas for finishing it off in the intro to this post if you want alternatives. The best way I found to hang it was using Nano-Grab circles - they're transparent and they hold the greasy surface, although not extremely strongly. Test it on a surface you don't mind ruining before using it on a window you care about.

Your autumn leaf suncatchers are complete - aren't you just thrilled with them?

Notes

I experimented with different methods of turning the paper translucent on a scrap paper, and found the baby oil method to be the perfect idea. It's easy, affordable, and hard to get wrong.

I wanted to turn the paper translucent, and I tried a few methods. I found that using dish soap mixed with water made colors run. However, baby oil, due to the nature of oil and water not mixing, really just soaked into the paper and didn't affect the coloring.

I chose baby oil because I felt like it was very neutral and unlikely to go rancid, unlike food oils. Definitely feel free to try this with other oils!

The trick really worked wonderfully. I used a cotton ball with a clothespin as a brush to really hold enough oil to allow me to sufficiently soak it.

You can also pour the oil onto a plate and place the leaf inside, allowing it to soak in.

The only downside of the baby oil method: it does leave your project slightly greasy! However, it's baby oil, and not a "dirty" grease, so I'm personally fine with it. It's not necessarily the best project to store from year to year, but it's really fun while you're using it.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

The post Autumn Leaf Suncatchers – Baby Oil Translucent Paper Method appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

If you’re looking for pretty and simple printable leaf coloring pages, this set includes maple, oak, palm, aspen – and 8 more leaves! When you’re done, check out these mushroom coloring pages, too. This post contains affiliate links.

If you’re a fan of coloring of any age, leaf coloring pages are a must-try. Leaves are one of those wonders of nature: they are so similar in basic structure, yet so different! Virtually any plant can be identified by simply snapping a photo of its leaves.

That’s why these leaf coloring pages were kept simple: focus on the simplified shape of each leaf and have fun coloring!

And yes, grown-ups and kids can both have fun learning about leaf shapes and coloring in leaves with these. Kids can color them in more simply or get creative, and adults can practice shading and highlighting, and blending various art supplies on these.

Learn more about the Leaf Coloring Pages

A peek at the whole bundle

These coloring pages are sold as a bundle, ready for you to download and explore. They include the following leaves.

You have a magnolia, maple, ash, and palm. These are obviously not proportionate to each other and are designed to fill the page as much as possible.

There’s Linden, chestnut (note: the spelling has been fixed on your copy).

Finally, you get Lilac (did you know that’s a tree?) Birch, Poplar, and Holly.

While these are great for any time, they are fabulous for coloring and using in fall crafts – or even Christmas! Do them all at once or break them out for certain occasions.

Download the leaf coloring pages

This is a premium download, available in my shop, on Etsy, and on TpT. Your purchase helps keep this blog alive and the tutorials coming.

Tips for coloring leaf coloring pages

What I used

I always like to share my best tips for coloring these when I can.

For these, I pulled out my Ohuhu alcohol markers. I pulled out sets of similar colors – and stepped a bit outside the expected bounds, going deeper, darker, yellower, and browner than the obvious.

I protected my surface using a sheet of plastic for backing. The markers I used were fine tip on one side and chisel on the other. I do find brush-tip alcohol markers easier to blend since they fade more naturally.

Alcohol markers are fabulous for layering and blending on projects like this one because they won’t soak the page and shrivel it – they just absorb right in.

Color theory in leaf coloring pages

When choosing your colors, don’t just stick with the obvious. Think of the variation in color in what you see, and step outside the box. On the red maple leaf, I added a splash of yellow that really made it pop more than the others.

The aspen would never be a flat yellow. It always has a brown tone to it.

Studying photos of leaves as you color your leaf coloring pages is a really helpful way to get a convincing effect.

More cool supplies for coloring leaf coloring pages

If you’re not up for using alcohol markers, or just aren’t in the mood for them, try this (and yes, you can follow the steps below roughly using these media too):

• Try this with chalk pastels instead
• Soft core colored pencils are a favorite! A good mid-range brand is Prismacolor Premiere.
• Trace the design onto a watercolor board using carbon paper and color it with watercolors.

You can also add highlights using a white gel pen, sparkle using a gold paint marker, or use your imagination to overlay it with doodles and mandalas!

How to color leaf coloring pages – step by step tutorial

I usually stick to basic tips and not an exact process for coloring pages, because you need to be the artist.

However, since this is a more nature-sourced and specific – “technical” – coloring page, I’ll follow a process – but do whatever YOU’D like!

1. Swatch each color you plan to use before you start, testing how they blend. For the maple leaf, start with a darker red. Fill in around the border, adding thicker blocks of color in some spaces.

Avoid making things too homogeneous.

2. Take a lighter and brighter shade of red and color over it, blending the colors together. I recommend coloring over your darker color, too, to get a better blend. Use light blending strokes as needed.

3. Keep going lighter and brighter. Don’t be afraid to go more orange and yellow. If you go too bright too fast, choose an in-between color to blend things better.

And remember, nature doesn’t have perfect blends either!

4. Keep going, overlapping and blending.

I often like to find a very light shade that I can use to go over the whole thing and set a specific “tone”.

5. For the aspen leaf, which I colored “yellow”, I started out with tans as my deeper color, working my way into golden tones and yellow. This one I left flat and less dynamic.

6. On the oak, which I colored green, I started out with deeper colors on the inside, working my way lighter. I did jump ahead a bit on this one, coloring the outline in the light shade first just because I wanted to block that in with neat strokes to allow me to then do more fast strokes on the inside.

I did then go over the whole leaf with the same process.

Have fun coloring your leaf coloring pages! And no, you don’t need to keep them realistic! You can color them in a rainbow spectrum, see how many shades of green you can discover, or just work with any fantastical color scheme!

And yes, this would make a FABULOUS classroom project – whether it’s a bulletin board or garland. Give everyone a leaf to color and see what they come up with!

In case you missed it, download your leaf coloring pages in my shop, on Etsy, and on TpT!

If you enjoyed this, you’ll definitely want to check out my tutorial on how to draw a maple leaf!

The post 12 Printable Leaf Coloring Pages – Maple, Oak, Palm, and more! appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

When I designed baby J’s one cake topper SVG, I actually put together a few styles. I chose the one that said “one” for that event, and laser cut it from plywood as I had planned.

But then, for A’s fourth birthday, I decided to make this Happy Birthday cake topper! The number on the balloon is added externally, so that you can do it for any age group. I’ll share more details below.

Get the Happy Birthday Cake Topper SVG files

This is a premium download, available in my shop and on Etsy. Your purchase helps keep this blog alive and the tutorials coming.

About the Happy Birthday cake topper

The party theme

A’s fourth birthday was done in a dress-up theme. She’s a fancy dress kind of girl, so we made a fancy dress kind of party!

While I did not go with a solid color scheme, I did incorporate lots of gold, pink, and other metallics, just because she loves that. So I crafted the cake topper in those colors.

I also added some pearl beads in the form of a “pearl necklace” pennant banner on the bottom to fit with the theme.

Why cake toppers?

We have a family tradition that is relatively new to have a “birthday babka” instead of a birthday cake. It’s just that babkas are delicious – much yummier than birthday cake, much cheaper than birthday cake, and look pretty with a cake topper!

The simple babka really lets the topper shine.

Cake toppers really “crown off” a cake, and allow you to incorporate a theme without getting a custom cake (or making one yourself).

I like toppers because I’m more of a crafter than a cake decorator, so if you’re the same way, you may prefer it too.

Crafting the Happy Birthday cake topper

While I did not record a proper tutorial (this is a “make it to suit YOUR event kind of craft), here are some general crafting guidelines.

Materials you can use

Wood is one of my favorite materials to use for cake toppers. However, I decided to make this one from cardstock so that I can use my Cricut to cut it.

I chose glitter cardstock and metallic poster to go with the theme. If you’re making yours from cardstock, definitely use straws or skewers as the sticks – don’t rely on the spokes in the template. But your file does have spokes in case you’re using acrylic and want it to be in one piece.

Assembling the basics

Your file comes in a few layers, ready to cut however you’d like. I used a hot glue gun to connect the parts, and straws to place it in the cake.

When sending the file to your machine to cut (whether it’s a laser cutter or blade cutter like I used), you can add and attach, or slice elements to the balloon. Type the number of the birthday, add a first initial, or even try attaching a name to the bottom of the “Happy Birthday” portion.

Making it your own

You’ll want to tie your Happy Birthday cake topper into the party theme. Choose papers to match. For me, it was going all glam with the fancy dress theme.

You can choose patterned scrapbook paper to match your theme, and include it only on the smaller parts. For example, get leopard print paper for a safari theme and use it on the balloon only. Then use it in more of your party decorations too.

If you’d like, you can also dangle a banner, like I enjoy doing on my cake toppers. Try a beaded banner or a pennant-style one. On this one, I used glass pearls to give it a dress-up vibe.

If you haven’t yet, you can download the Happy Birthday cake topper right here!

The post Happy Birthday Cake Topper appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

I’m always looking for new and creative cutting practice pages for preschool – so why not make some fun hairstyles ones? When you’re done, try these alphabet do a dot printables too. This post contains affiliate links.

A is actually obsessed with cutting – any time I give her a coloring craft, she runs for the scissors! And since she loves everything dress-up and beauty, I decided to design the perfect craft for her: a hairstyle focused one!

Scroll down for more details on how to craft this or get it here:

To build scissors skills, you’ll usually use pages with all sorts of shapes to go around. These are surprisingly challenging for preschoolers because of the constant direction changes.

That makes hair textures the perfect scissors practice challenge for them! And yes – it can be hard!

How to approach learning scissors skills with hairstyles cutting practice pages for preschool

Skill-levels

I wanted these cutting practice pages to also double as a bit of a self-portrait project, however, I realized after A tried it that it was the wrong approach. (This is why you always want crafts that are really tested properly!)

Due to the various challenge levels, it’s best crafted in sequence, with the straight hair being “level 1” and the others progressing as follows:

• Waves
• Zig Zags
• Curls

Crafting the rest of it

The girl’s body and head are also great cutting practice for preschoolers, and overall, you can really take this ten steps further. A pulled out the crayons to make a simple face (AFTER she was done cutting, of course) and she was able to assemble the character on her own.

You can take also do the following:

• Print the hair on regular paper and have kids color it.
• Add buttons, etc to the body
• Make little paper hair bows to glue on
• Or, glue on any craft supplies – buttons, pom poms, small satin bows – to the hair as accessories
• Bring out the googly eyes, pipe cleaner mouth, pom pom nose, etc.
• Add some glitter glue bling: earring, necklace, headband…

Printing the template – can you print on construction paper?

The coolest part of this template: you can print it right onto the construction paper that you’re using!

Yes, you can use an ink jet printer on construction paper. I don’t think a laser jet would work.

You may need to trim the paper down to fit the printer (most construction paper is 9×12 inches, a bit larger than the 8.5×11 that a standard cheap printer will handle).

You’ll also need to print one page at a time or get the order correct on the first try (ha! I didn’t.) You’ll want the hair and faces on the right color paper.

I used a skin tone pack of paper from Pacon for the faces and brown hair, and one of Crayola’s standard colors for the blonde and redhead. I used regular colored copy paper for the body.

Download the cutting practice pages for preschool

This is a premium download, available in my shop, on Etsy or TPT. Your purchase helps keep this blog alive and the tutorials coming.

How to assemble the cutting practice pages for preschool

You’ll need

• Skin tone construction paper
• Regular Construction Paper
• Scissors
• An inkjet printer
• A paper trimmer is recommended
• Glue sticks (My daughter loves Elmer’s scented ones)
• Optional: crayons and other standard craft supplies to decorate it

Process

1. Trim your construction paper as needed (about 1/2 inch from the width and 1 inch from the height). Print out the template.

2. Have your child cut it out around the outline and cut the hair lines.

3. Glue the head to the body.

4. Glue the bangs in front and the main hair in back, sandwiching the head and body.

5. Color and decorate!

I hope you enjoyed these cutting practice pages for preschool! If you haven’t yet, you can download them in my shop, on Etsy or TPT:

The post Hairstyles Cutting Practice Pages for Preschool appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

Craft this easy and fun paper butterfly using a clothespin to make it flutter! When you’re done, try this flapping butterfly craft using a straw. This post contains affiliate links.

Ever since my clothespin paper puppets went viral eight years ago, I’ve been loving to craft with clothespins. They’re affordable, they are wood and have a nice feel…and they can animate crafts in cool ways!

So while I already did share a clothespin butterfly in this space, I wanted something where the clothespin was used for animation, and the wings were a bit more butterfly-like.

So I decided to make these gorgeous paper butterflies using clothespins as the center! While it doesn’t fully animate it, combine the opening and closing with fluttering it up and down, and you have an adorable animated paper butterfly.

I started by designing a set of wings to use with the craft – all with patterns inspired by real butterflies. I made eight sets of wings total, and decided to offer two styles for free to keep it accessible for everyone, available to download at the bottom of this post.

The full 8 sets of wings in different sizes and file formats is available for a few bucks in my shop, on Etsy, and TPT. Your purchase helps keep this blog going, and more ideas coming, despite the major shifts in search and social media.

Tips for making a paper butterfly

There are so many ways you can craft this paper butterfly – and yes, it’s great for both big kids and preschoolers! A, age 4, had fun with it, I had fun with it…

Coloring it in

I chose to color the pink and green ones in using alcohol markers (I used this set for this craft). I used a thin white paint marker for detail as well. To demonstrate that you don’t need special equipment to make this gorgeous, I used regular Crayola Supertips for the other butterfly.

I didn’t necessarily follow any real butterfly design – you can do that if you want. Instead, I chose a hue and selected a few shades of the same to color it. It helps to have a good range of colors in your marker set – a 24 or 40 pack will do it, whether you’re using alcohol markers or Crayolas.

Color this in however you like – and get creative!

More ways to use this template

While this was designed for use as a clothespin butterfly, they are a perfectly adorable sweet set of wings that can be used in any craft! Note: they are wings only!

Here are some ideas:

• If you have a large format printer, you can turn them into a costume.
• Trace them onto a sheet of clear acetate, color them with Sharpies on the reverse side, cut them out, and use them as suncatchers.
• Try black glue art with them! Trace them using glue mixed with black acrylic paint, and then watercolor between the glue.
• Use spoons to turn them into spoon puppets.
• Use them in fairy crafts as fairy wings!

Because they are loose wings, you can do so much with it, and use it as a template for many different types of butterfly crafts.

Another variation within the same paper butterfly clothespin craft: You can overlay the wings on the flat side of the clothespin, or you can attach them to the narrow sides where it opens – on each side!

Choose your favorite way to make this.

Activities to try with your paper butterfly

So you crafted your clothespin paper butterfly – now what? This is a great way to get started with Spring and Summer activities!

Here are some fun activity ideas to try with your crafted paper butterfly:

• One of my favorite thing to do with any craft is to make it alongside a story or book. So if you’re reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar – or anything about butterflies – use this to bring that part of the story to life.
• Craft it in conjunction with learning about metamorphosis. The beauty of the wings will show kids that even from a “plain” caterpillar (the clothespin), with enough hard work, something beautiful can emerge.

• Different results: give a group of kids the same single set of wings, don’t let them see each others’ progress, and watch how they get different results! Share how even given the same set of circumstances, you can influence the end result. And that each person can create something beautiful, even if it’s vastly different.
• Use it in fine motor activities – the pincer grasp of the clothespin helps build prewriting skills!

How to make a paper butterfly

Watch the video

Watch the full-length video on YouTube if you prefer to learn that way! Or scroll down for written instructions with photos.

Supplies needed

• The templates printed on regular paper (so that they flutter) – get it here or print the free sample at the end of this post.
• Markers – alcohol markers (for teens and adults) will come out gorgeous, or go for something like Crayola Supertips
• Clothespins
• Scissors
• Glue – any white glue will work but I like to use double sided tape.

Process

1. Color it in. Make it realistic or fantastical. Play with different shades of the same hue if you’d like.

2. Cut out the wings.

3. Glue them side by side on the flat part of a clothespin, or on each side of the side that opens.

Pinch them and wave them up and down to make them flutter!

Download the paper butterfly template

The full bundle

If you want all the butterfly designs, it’s a premium download, available in my Etsy shop. Your purchase helps keep this blog alive and the tutorials coming. There is also a free sampling below.

The free sample files

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

The post Paper Butterfly Clothespin Craft appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

With Spring officially here, the caterpillars are working hard on becoming butterflies, so it’s time to get some butterfly crafts going!

Today, I’m going to be sharing a fun and simple craft using easy household materials! That is, we’re going to be making a flapping butterfly craft, including a free printable to color and use to make this!

This flapping butterfly craft is constructed using an inner stick and an outer straw that connects to each wing of the butterfly using an additional strap of paper. That way, when you hold it by the straw and pull on the stick, the wings flap!

It’s quite easy to craft and kids will have so much fun playing with it too!

Thanks to the paperlike nature of a butterfly’s wings, paper IS the perfect crafting medium here!

And while you CAN laminate this for durability, you’ll likely lose a lot of that free-flowing flutter that this flapping butterfly craft creates.

In fact, if you do want to protect this, you may be better off using something like packing tape to seal it rather than laminating it for real.

How to make a flapping butterfly craft

What you need

• The template (find it at the end of this post) printed on regular paper
• Markers – this one was crafted using alcohol markers, but kids should use regular water-based washable markers
• Scissors
• Cardstock scrap
• Scotch tape
• A skewer
• Craft knife
• Regular sized plastic or paper straw

Tutorial

1. Choose if you’d like to make a larger or smaller butterfly. Print out your templates and color them in. While we stuck with a traditional Monarch Butterfly color pattern (only using orange and yellow markers), you can color your butterfly in as many colors as you’d like!

You can also add different patterns to the different sections of the wings, or add inspirational words to the blank spaces.

2. Cut the template out.

3. Flip over your butterfly so that the back is visible. Cut a 3×1 inch strip of paper. Fold it down the center. Then fold up the two ends about 1 cm from the end. Hold it so that it forms a T shape.

4. Glue it down so that the two side flaps are on the butterfly, and the center fold sticks up.

5. Split a skewer down the center, about an inch from the top. A craft knife may help you do this neatly.

6. Stick it over the center fold of the strip of paper on your flapping butterfly craft.

7. Tape or glue it in place.

8. Cut about 2 inches slit in two opposite sides down the top of a straw.

9. Slide it over your skewer and over the paper so that it passes the paper and overlaps the butterfly wings themselves.

10. Tape or glue that in place above the strip of paper, on the wing itself.

Your flapping butterfly craft is complete!

To make it fly, hold the straw with one hand and move the skewer up and down with the other. Watch that butterfly go!

Download the free flapping butterfly craft template

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

The post Flapping Butterfly Craft (free printable) appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

Today I’m sharing the next post in a series featuring the different things I made for Baby Jay’s first birthday party! First, I shared a DIY felt birthday crown for babies and then I shared a 1st birthday photo garland that was so meaningful.

I’m all about the garlands, and this one is great for any birthday party. In fact, once you learn how to make tassels from tissue paper, you won’t want to stop! It’s such an affordable and easy party decor idea that’s classy too.

Tissue paper comes in virtually any color of the rainbow, which means that you can match a tissue paper tassel garland to basically any party you’re planning. And since you get at least two tassels per sheet of tissue paper, it’s affordable to make too. A little bit goes a long way!

I made these 2-4 to a sheet of tissue paper. You can make full sheet tissue paper tassels and cluster them together hanging individually from string at different heights instead.

You can also make these as graduation decor, whether you’re making jumbo graduation caps or just looking for themed decor!

Try making these as holiday decor too, in whichever colors you’re decorating for the holidays. You’ll even be able to use the leftover tissue paper for wrapping gifts!

For Baby Jay’s birthday, I stuck to a beige and sage green color scheme, with some gold touches. I did a soft “grow with me” theme. By soft, I mean the theme, not just the colors. I didn’t make the theme “in your face” – it just seemed appropriate to accompany the “watch me grow” banner with gentle botanicals.

I always like to layer my garlands, and this one goes fabulously with flower pom poms from tissue paper, sewn paper garlands, and even a fabulous happy birthday banner!

What you’ll need

• Tissue paper sheets in your party theme colors. How many you need depends on how big you’re making them, but you can definitely make two from a sheet.
• Scissors
• Good quality washi tape
• Twine or ribbon to string up a garland

Watch the YouTube Video

Watch the full-length video on YouTube if you prefer to learn that way! Or scroll down for written instructions with photos.

How to make tassels from tissue paper

We’re going to be making two tassels at a time.

1. Take a sheet of tissue paper and fold it in half the long way – it’s probably the way it came packaged. Cut it in half on this fold.

2. Stack both halves, and then fold them in half the long way.

3. Fold in half the other way, shortening the length.

4. You can fold it again the same way to shorten it further, so you’ll need to make fewer cuts.

5. One side should have all folds and one should have all open ends.

Cut fringe into the side with all open ends.

Leave about an inch from the top (at the fold) to form a loop at the end. How wide you make your fringe depends on your preference, but don’t leave it too wide – it won’t look nice. Too narrow and you’ll accidentally be cutting fringe off.

Cut fringe like this all the way across.

6. Unfold your fringed tassel.

7. Unfold it the other way and separate the two sheets.

8. Make sure your tissue paper is on your work surface with the wrong side face up. Fold it in half so that you have fringe on the right and the left. This step isn’t strictly necessary but it makes the next step easier.

9. Start rolling up your fringed tissue paper from the bottom until you reach the end.

10. Hold it in the center.

And then twist the center to secure it.

11. Fold the center into a loop.

12. Secure the loop around both sides of your tassel with washi tape.

13. String the tassels into a garland.

You’ve successfully learned how to make tassels from tissue paper! What will you be using yours for? Comment below!

DIY Tassel Garland from Tissue Paper

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Beginner

Print

Materials

• Tissue paper sheets in your party theme colors.
• Scissors
• Good quality washi tape
• Twine or ribbon to string up a garland

Instructions

We're going to be making two tassels at a time.

1. Take a sheet of tissue paper and fold it in half the long way - it's probably the way it came packaged. Cut it in half on this fold.

2. Stack both halves, and then fold them in half the long way.

3. Fold in half the other way, shortening the length.

4. You can fold it again the same way to shorten it further, so you'll need to make fewer cuts.

5. One side should have all folds and one should have all open ends.

Cut fringe into the side with all open ends.

Leave about an inch from the top (at the fold) to form a loop at the end. How wide you make your fringe depends on your preference, but don't leave it too wide - it won't look nice. Too narrow and you'll accidentally be cutting fringe off.

Cut fringe like this all the way across.

6. Unfold your fringed tassel.

7. Unfold it the other way and separate the two sheets.

8. Make sure your tissue paper is on your work surface with the wrong side face up. Fold it in half so that you have fringe on the right and the left. This step isn't strictly necessary but it makes the next step easier.

9. Start rolling up your fringed tissue paper from the bottom until you reach the end.

10. Hold it in the center.

And then twist the center to secure it.

11. Fold the center into a loop.

12. Secure the loop around both sides of your tassel with washi tape.

13. String the tassels into a garland.

You've successfully learned how to make tassels from tissue paper! What will you be using yours for? Comment below!

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

The post How to Make Tassels from Tissue Paper appeared first on Moms and Crafters.