Merry Macaroni Garlands

Grab the kids and deck the halls with boughs of pasta! This easy décor idea uses simple dyed pasta that puts a twist on the traditional garland. It’s fast, fun, and brightens any space (even after the holidays!).

What you’ll need:

•  1 box or 16 oz. of dry penne rigate that will be dyed in different colors of your choice. Note: the amount of pasta you will use depends on what you’re decorating. So if necessary, buy extra pasta. Also, learn how to dye your pasta here.

• Kid beads. We used plastic stars to complement the colors we dyed our pasta noodles.

• Cotton kitchen string or yarn

———-

How to dye dry pasta:

What you’ll need:

• 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol

• ½ cup penne rigate

• 2-3 drops of gel food coloring in colors of your choice

• Plastic ziplock bag (a bag for each color you use)

• Paper towels

1. Combine the rubbing alcohol and food coloring in a plastic bag.

2. Add the pasta. Make sure the bag is zipped.

3. Mix contents together. Let it sit for 15 minutes in order for the color to soak into the noodles.

4. Pour the pasta onto a paper towel and allow it to dry.

———-

1. Cut string to size. Size depends on what you will be decorating.

2. Tie a knot at one end of the string.

3. String the pasta and the beads using any pattern of your choice. Or allow your little ones to string the pasta and beads as they please!

4. Tie a knot at the end when you’ve finished stringing the pasta and beads.

5. Decorate  your tree or banister!

———-

Other variations:

Use macaroni noodles. Note: we had trouble threading the elbow macaroni through the string. But feel free to use floss threaders!

Happy decorating, everyone!

Clumped Thumbprint Cards

Holiday cheer is here and the Clump-o-Lumps are oh-so excited for the season. This unique card-making idea lets your family and friends know to bring on the good tidings. Plus, they’re literally one-of-a-kind—you do use your thumbprints, after all. Finger painters everywhere, have fun! And parents, don’t fret—the mess factor is kept to a minimum.

Note: these instructions nail down the basic skills of thumbprint cards. If you’re comfortable with the basics, check out our array of advanced ideas below.

What you’ll need:

• Non-toxic markers in the colors you want to use

• ColorBox inkpads in green, blue, gold/yellow, and red—again, feel free to use colors of your own choosing

• Two or three sheets of 8.5″ x 11″ card stock, in white and brown (the inkpads we used looked best on these colors). Fold the card stock in half and cut down the fold. Two cards can be made out of one standard sheet.

• A damp towel to wipe inky hands

——————–
1. Click on a card design. It will direct you to that card’s step-by-step instructions.

——————–

Christmas Tree Card

1. Using the green inkpad, dab your index finger in ink and create a triangle using your fingerprint. We started off with five prints for our base and worked our way up, in a pyramid shape. This is your tree.

2. Using your markers, draw and color in the tree’s trunk. Also, add a star.

3. Be sure to wipe your fingers off with a damp towel before you use a different color inkpad. This is to prevent colors from mixing. Then, using your pinky and the red inkpad, create ornaments for the tree. Afterwards, using your thumb and the blue inkpad, create the body of Bird-o. Use your pinky for Bird-o’s arms.

4. Using a black marker, outline Bird-o’s features, including his eyes, top feather, and wings. Use a white gel pen to fill in his feathers and beak, and a yellow marker for his legs.

Final result:

——————–

 Snow Globe Card

1. Using a cup and a black marker, trace a circle. This is the top of the globe. Then, draw in its base.

2. Using the white inkpad and your index finger, paint snow at the bottom of the globe.

3. Be sure to wipe your fingers off with a damp towel before you use a different color inkpad. This is to prevent colors from mixing. Then, use your index finger and the green inkpad to create Frog-o’s body. Use your pinky for Frog-o’s eyes and legs.

4. Using a black marker, draw a gleam shape, so the globe appears extra shiny. Then, draw in Frog-o’s features, including his eyes, mouth, and arms.

5. Add final touches to your card. Use a red marker to draw and color in Frog-o’s tongue. Also, use a white gel pen to color in his eyes. Finally, use the white inkpad and your index finger to create snowflakes inside the globe.

Final result:

——————–

Santa Hats Card

1. Using your index finger and the green, gold, and blue inkpads, create Frog-o’s, Tig-o’s, and Bird-o’s “bodies,” using one fingerprint per animal. Be sure to wipe your fingers off with a damp towel before you use a different color inkpad. This is to prevent colors from mixing.

2. Using your pinky and the red inkpad, create each character’s Santa hat, placing your print on the head of each character.

3. Use a black marker to create the fluffy tip of each Santa hat, and color in with a white gel pen.

4. Using your black marker and a red pen, draw in Frog-o’s features, including his eyes and tongue.

5. Draw in Tig-o’s features using the black marker. Color in with a white gel pen.

6. Draw Bird-o’s beak, and color in with the white gel pen. Use the white gel pen to also touch-up Tig-o’s teeth and to fill in the bottom edge of each character’s Santa hat.

Final results:

——————–

Advanced Thumbprint Cards

Be Merry Card

Happy Holidays Card

Thank You Card

Check out other COL Craft Corner DIYs right here.

Trick-or-Treat Tote Bags

Can you believe Halloween is only a few weeks away? Annual sugar rush, here we come! Although, walking around and around during the kids’ Trick-or-Treating routine can quickly become less than sweet (and more so monotonous). But we’ve got just the thing to mix it up. Why don’t you retire those old pillowcases and instead try this fun and uber-easy alternative instead? The better to hold candy “loot” in, friends.

What you’ll need:

• A black medium-sized canvas tote bag (we used a 13.5″ W x 13.5″ L x 4″ D)

• A Clump-o-Lump stencil. Click on a character to download that stencil: (each is ready to be printed on 8.5″ x 11″ paper)

• A bleach pen

1. Print out the standard 8.5″ x 11” COL stencil you would like to use and cut along the outside line. Then tape the stencil down onto one side of your canvas.

2. Place a piece of cardboard or a folder inside the tote bag, to prevent the bleach from bleeding through.

3. Outline the COL character stencil with the bleach pen. Be careful to not let the bleach get on your skin or in your eyes. And watch out for bleach bubbles, as they may pop and smudge your outline!

4. Wait two hours for the bleach to dry. Note that when the bleach dries, it will leave an orange, powdery residue, which will eventually come off (see step 7).

5. Remove the paper stencil from the canvas.

6. Use the bleach pen to fill in the lines of the canvas’s shape to match the inside lines of the stencil. Use the stencil as a guide.

7. Wait another two hours for the bleach to dry. When all is dry, shake off the excess. The bag is washable, so you can use it over and over, and over again!

• Tip: Put in the dryer for 20 minutes to help shake off the dried remnants with ease.

8. Have a safe and happy time Trick-or-Treating! (And share some candy with us).

Check out other COL Craft Corner DIYs right here.

1. Rachel Robbins

Rachel’s board gave us great ideas for toddlers. And Rachel, are you perhaps a Star Wars geek? Because that would okay in our book!

2. Tianna Crane

Tianna’s board was full of creative alternatives to kids’ beds. A teepee made out of an old dress? Yes, please.

3. Rebecca Weaver:

Rebecca’s board had so many fun (and easy) DIY projects for the kids. We’ve added them onto our list to share!

Congrats to all the winners. You will be receiving a message from us very soon in order to get your two Clump-o-Lumps of choice!

And stay tuned for more contests coming your way, Clump-o-Lump fans!

Backpack Snacks: Frog-o’s “Rib-bites”

School’s in—meaning the daunting art of packing the beloved brown paper bag is once again on our minds. But don’t fret, friends! Frog-o suggested this tasty snack recipe that’s sure to ease any hungry, on-the-go stomachs this fall. Plus, they’re really (like, really) fun to make. So invite the little ones to help you in the kitchen for these back-to-school treats!

What you’ll need:

• Green grapes (make sure they’re dry!)

• Vanilla wafers

• Room-temperature caramel

• A plastic bag

• A hammer (or something to crush the wafers with)

1. Place about 15-20 vanilla wafers in a plastic bag and make sure the bag is closed. You can use more or less wafers, depending on how many “rib-bites” you want to make.

2. Using the hammer, crush the wafers into fine crumbs. Place the crumbs in a bowl.

3. Wash the grapes and make sure they are completely dry before using them. Then dip each grape halfway in the caramel.

4. Roll the caramel grape in the wafer crumbs, coating the grape.

5. Place the finished grapes on a plate and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to let the caramel set.

6. Pop ’em out and pack ’em! Enjoy!

. . . Don’t get in the water!

Clump-o-Lump Paper Plates

Spend a day with the little ones, turning leftover party plates into a few of your favorite Clump-o-Lump characters. These party plates work great as summer puppet show masks, bedroom decor, or even as a way to save your favorite snacks from falling on the floor! This post is for all the Frog-o fans and how to make a Frog-o plate.

Frog-o

What you’ll need:

• 2 green paper plates

• 1 red paper plate

• 1/2 black paper plate

• Kid-safe scissors

• Pencil

1. Cut out a quarter of a green plate, leaving the curved edge intact. The shape is like a rounded triangle. Line up the shape to another quarter of the plate and cut the same shape out.

2. Cut the red plate in half. Cut a one-and-a-half-inch strip from the middle of the plate. Cut one end of the strip so that it curves. This is Frog-o’s tongue.

3. Using the white side of the black plate, draw two circles with one-inch diameters. Cut these circles out and glue them onto the green triangle shapes.

4. Cut a little less than a quarter of an inch off the top of the other green plate. Glue the green triangles onto the top of the green plate, with the curves upward.

5. Glue Frog’s tongue to the bottom of the plate. With the straight edge of the black plate still intact, cut a quarter-of-an-inch strip. Position it on the green plate so the curves line up, and glue it down above his tongue. Yup, this is his mouth.

6. Finished! Check out how to make other character plates here. And send us pics of your own Clump-o-Lump plates to blog@knockknockstuff.com! We’ll share your lovely creations with the world!

Clump-o-Lump Paper Plates

Spend a day with the little ones, turning leftover party plates into a few of your favorite Clump-o-Lump characters. These party plates work great as summer puppet show masks, bedroom decor, or even as a way to save your favorite snacks from falling on the floor.

Click on a character and get to crafting:

• Bee-o
• Frog-o
• Bird-o

Materials:

• Medium-sized paper plates in silver, yellow, green, black, red, and baby blue

• Child-safe scissors

• Pencil

• Scotch Quick Dry Tacky Adhesive

• (Not shown) Standard ruler

• (Not shown) Newspapers or a tablecloth to cover your work space. Just in case!

Bee-o

What you’ll need:

• 1 and 1/2 black plates

• 2 yellow plates

• 1/2 plate of any color (you will use the white side only)

1. Using the scissors, cut the curved edges off of the any-colored paper plate.

2. Using a pencil, draw two small arches away from the straight edge. Then cut the shapes out. These will be Bee-o’s teeth!

3. Cut off the edges of the black plate. Then, cut two, three-fourths-of-an-inch thick strips. Cut the edges of one side of the strip, so the tips are round. These are Bee-o’s antennae.

 4. Using leftover scraps from the same black plate, draw two circles, with one-inch diameters. Draw another circle that’s three-fourth-of-an-inch in diameter. Cut all of these out and glue them down accordingly, using the two one-inch circles as Bee-o’s eyes and the other circle as her nose.

5. Using the already-halved black paper plate, cut off a half-inch strip and then a quarter-inch strip. Align the half-inch strip   toward the bottom of the plate, so the curves of each black strip align with the yellow plate. Then, leaving space in between, align the quarter-inch strip above the half-inch strip. Glue them both down. These are Bee-o’s stripes.

6. Glue the teeth below the first strip, and glue the eyes and nose.

7. Align the curves of the antennae with the plate and glue down.

8. Using the white side of the other yellow plate, draw two wings, about four inches long. Cut them out and glue them on the plate with the white side facing up.

9. Finished! Check out how to make other character plates here. And send us pics of your own Clump-o-Lump plates to blog@knockknockstuff.com! We’ll share your lovely creations with the world!

Clump-o-Lump Paper Plates

Spend a day with the little ones, turning leftover party plates into a few of your favorite Clump-o-Lump characters. These party plates work great as summer puppet show masks, bedroom decor, or even as a way to save your favorite snacks from falling on the floor! This post is for all the Bird-o fans and how to make a Bird-o plate.

Bird-o

What you’ll need:

 • 2 baby blue paper plates

• 1 yellow paper plate

• 1/2 black paper plate

• 1/2 paper plate of any color

1. The first step is to make Bird-o’s beak. Cut the edges off of the yellow plate, to make it easier to cut and draw on.

2. With a pencil, draw a beak shape on the white side of the yellow plate. Cut it out and glue it to the blue plate.

3. On the white side of the black plate, draw two one-inch diameter circles. These will be Bird-o’s eyes. Cut each of these circles out and paste them onto of the blue plates.

4. To make Bird-o’s feather, cut out the curved white side of any color plate. A two-and-a-half inch strip should do. Glue the feather down.

5. Using the other blue plate, draw her two wings. We drew the bottom of each wing to have a bit of a wave, but feel free to make the wings any way you would like. On each wing, be sure to keep an inch-thick of the curved part of the plate intact, since this will attach to her main body (the plate that has her beak and other features glued to it). Cut each wing out and glue the raised, curved part of the wing to the back of the body on each side.

6. Finished! Check out how to make other character plates here. And send us pics of your own Clump-o-Lump plates to blog@knockknockstuff.com! We’ll share your lovely creations with the world!