DIY-Hootie the Adorable Felt Owl Ornament

Teddy Forest Owl by smallgirl

Okay...so this is a lovely Teddy Forest Christmas ornament...but Christmas was two days ago. However, owls look nice around the house anytime, so I decided to post anyways.

Supplies:
Felt in a colour of your choice (we used Ecofi, felt that is made from recycled plastic bottles, but wool is still the most eco-friendly choice)
Scrap felt for feet and beak
Scrap of cotton or flannel fabric for belly
Scrap of ribbon or twine for hanger
Sequins for eyes
Glitter glue for the wings
Polyfil or scraps for stuffing

Tools:
Scissors
Sewing needle and thread
Stuffing stick/chop stick

What to do:
1. Cut two of the following body pattern from the felt. Add the marks in on the wrong sides.

2. On the right side of one of the body pieces, sew on sequin eyes, beak, and belly
3. On the wrong side of the second cut piece sew or glue your ribbon hanger
4. Sew the two pieces together, wrong sides facing, from A to B (you won't be able to see them once you sew both sides). Note that there is no turning involved, so your stitches will show.
5. Stuff from the opening in the tail, using a chopstick to help move the stuffing.
6. Sew the tail hole closed.
7. Draw on the wings with glitter glue.

Voila! You have a gorgeous owl!


by smallgirl

*This tutorial is for personal home use only, not for resale, manufacture, etc, and was created by smallgirl

DIY- Helpful plastic teddy bear toys double as bracelet organizers

Not all the bears that live in Teddy Forest are of the fuzzy variety. These plastic bears are earning their keep as bracelet organizers. So, here's a fun DIY to make old toys useful again.

Mrs. Panda and Baloo are so helpful!

It's easy:
1. Grab an old toy, like a sturdy action figure
2. Affix it to your dresser with some reusable putty (like the blue plasticine stuff that you get from office supply stores)
3. Move the arms to an upright position, and start hanging your jewellery! This would be super fun in a kid's bedroom (and remember, jewellery isn't just for girls anymore).

For added fun, you could also glue the arms in place and paint your toys with thick artist acrylic paint.

Happy Recycling!

DIY Craft- Recycled Forest Friends!

Egg carton forest friends photographed by smallgirl

I love creating things from salvaged and recycled materials. This fun project is a great alternative to the plastic toys kids get bored with so quickly these days. I made this project with my young cousins last month and with a group of kindergarten students last summer, so it is definitely kid-friendly (and fun for silly adults like me).

What you need:
Scissors
Markers and pencils
A paper egg carton
Fabric scraps
Wiggly eyes
Glue

What to do:
1. Cut the egg carton into individul egg holders. Each egg holder will become a creature.
2. Draw the animal's body shape onto the egg holder and cut it out
3. Glue wiggly eyes, fabric, and draw on the animal to give it its own personality
4. If you want to make it into a hanging ornament, simply poke a hole in the top with a sewing needle and thread some string through.

Voila! You have a new friend for your own forest!

Have a recycled-fun day!

DIY Craft-How to recycle a bus ticket into an artist trading card

One crow sorrow, by smallgirl

The bears and I have been fascinated by artist trading cards lately and made some today out of all those used bus tickets sitting in my purse. Artist trading cards, or ATCs are tiny 2 1/2 inch by 3 1/2 inch works of art, traded by their makers with other makers, much like trading sports cards (does anyone do that anymore?).

What you need:
Scissors, Glue stick, Cardstock scraps, Ruler, Pen
Bus tickets
Paint, markers, sparkles, collage materials, etc for decorating

What to do:

1. Base coat your bus ticket with paint or colour it
2. ATCs must be 2.5 by 3.5 inches, so you will need to add a bit to your bus ticket.
3. Here's how: Cut some 2.5 and 3.5 inch strips from your cardstock

4. Glue the strips together to form either an "L" shape or a box shape. As long as you have cut with the right measurements, all you need to do is line up the corners of your strips. This is your frame.

5. Position your bus ticket over the frame until the edges are parallel and glue. You now have a card to work with.

6. Go wild! Create whatever cool images you want on your card and start trading.

Three crows a wedding, by smallgirl

Seven crows a secret, by smallgirl

Seven crows ATCs by smallgirl

Here, I've decorated a set of ATCs with the beautiful West Coast bird, the northwestern crow.
Let me know if you want to swap :)
Happy trading!
For more info on ATCs, go here: http://www.artist-trading-cards.ch/

DIY Craft- Fun block stamp prints with recycled materials :)

do it yourself recycled block printing by smallgirl

The teddies in Teddy Forest have a super-fun stamping technique to share. It's cheaper than linoleum block printing, uses recycled materials, and doesn't require sharp tools, so it's easy with kids from kindergarten up (and fun for adults too!).

What you need:

Scissors
Ballpoint pen and pencil
Thin foam, like an old take-out container or scrap funfoam
Piece of thin cardboard, cut from a cereal box or cardstock will do
Glue
Washable paint
Paper to print on

What to do:
1. Draw your shapes/picture on the foam with a ballpoint pen and cut them out with scissors.
2. Scratch additional detail onto the shapes/picture using a sharp pencil. Try to go deep, so that the paint won't fill the depressions.
3. Glue your shapes onto a piece of thin cardboard. You now have your block print stamp!
4. When the glue is dry, spread paint on your shapes. Acrylics work well.
5. Press your stamp onto paper. You may need to practice a few times to find your desired amount of paint, as it can spread with pressing.

Bears in starlight by smallgirl

Voila! You have a fun, beautiful print! If you carefully wipe off the excess paint with a bit of water, you can use your stamp again and again.

Happy crafting!

As seen on: http://stamping.craftgossip.com/tutorial-make-a-stamp-from-recycled-materials/2012/08/21/