Kids Craft Ideas
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Creative Costumes for Your Pet

by Lori Hall-McNary

Betina Ballerina the potbelly pig.
Use a tutu with Velcro snaps bought from your local dancewear store. Place tutu around the waist of your pig. Make sure she can’t turn her head and eat it!

Sammie the shower dog.
Place a shower cap on your dog’s head and a towel on his back. He’s ready for the local parade come rain or shine.

Ruby the racecar cat.
Decorate the sides of a shoebox to look like your favorite racecar team. Place cat in box on the driver’s side. Your kitty will probably take a nap in the box, but she’ll look cool.

Peter the pirate pony.
Using black construction paper cut out an eye patch. Cut a big circle in the eye patch so your pony can see. Glue black string on both sides of eye patch. Tie on pony, add a pirate hat from the local toy store, and get your own costume on. Captain Hook wouldn’t mess with the likes of you two.

Boots the cat in pretty gypsy clothes. 
Eleven-year-old Ashley read how Egyptians dressed their big cats in jeweled collars. Ashley made her cat, Boots, costume fancier. She used pretty gypsy clothes from her doll Jasmine. Boots acted like the princess from the movie Aladdin. She sat on a plump pillow in her flowing royal blue costume and purred.

Any material you use must be safe for your animal. When the costume contest is over take your pet’s costume off. Animals like their skin best. Be creative, but if you’d feel dumb wearing the costume you made then don’t ask Fiddo to model it. Pets have feelings too.

Shutter Safari Scrap Book
by Lori Hall-McNary

Did you take lots of pictures of your adventures this summer?

Do your snap shots include Katie the cow from Uncle Charlie’s farm? 

How about pictures of the bluebird who sang off-tune while you played at the park?

Take pictures of animals you just met? You bet! Making an animal scrapbook is an adventure in itself. 
You can still include your domestic pet Howie the Hound dog. 
But think of this project as Shutter Safari.

What you will need:

Heavy Construction paper

Hole Puncher

Shoe String, Yarn, or Ribbon

Glue Stick

Colorful Marking Pens

Scissors

Camera

Film

Now you’re ready for a neighborhood adventure!

Armed with only a camera (those disposable cameras work great) see how many varmints you can catch on film. Hint: Start from the ground up. Look for Grubby the Gopher, or Wooly the Water Frog. If you live in an apartment maybe you can talk your folks into taking you to the park, local horse ranch, or petting zoo.

Once your film has been developed with all those zany pictures.

Cut off any uninteresting parts—like your dad’s hiking boot that got in the picture as you were trying to capture a shot of Sally the smiling pig. 

Decide how many pages you want in your Shutter Safari book. Then punch five holes along the left side of each sheet (make sure they all line up). Like lacing your sneakers: Thread your string through each individual hole. Leave enough string at hole one and five to tie a bow binding your pages together.

Glue the photos into your book and write funny captions or fast facts for each animal. You could even make up comical names for the critters. Put your best photo on the front cover. In bold letters write, written and photographed by--your name here.

Share your book with your family and friends. They’ll enjoy hearing about your Shutter Safari. I bet you’ll hear stories about their safaris into the animal kingdom too.

Personalized Gift Frame
by Lori Hall-McNary

What you need:

Shoe box or plastic bottle

Scissors

A recent picture of yourself

Glue

Yarn or string

Hole-puncher

Tape

Odds and Ins of the person's hobby you are creating the present for.

Examples:

Aunt Alice is a fisherman: use rubber worms, bobber, fishing line, (look in her old tackle box).

Grandma likes to sew: try a thimble, spool, thread, buttons, and scraps of fabric.

Mom is a karate student: find martial arts symbols and pictures from magazines, a rainbow of the belt colors from fabric or yarn, use old tournament flyers.

Sister is a student: use pencils, pens, paper clips, notebook paper, math, alphabet, or star stickers.

Dad and brother like to snow ski: cut out pictures from magazines of skiers, make snow flakes out of white construction paper, use old lift tickets.

Directions: 

Cut out any shape (oval, square, triangle, diamond, rectangle, or circle) from your shoe box or plastic bottle.

Cut out the inside of your shape (this is where your picture will show through).

Arrange your Odds and Ins on the frame.

Place a small amount of glue under each item and press down for thirty to forty-five seconds. Let it dry thoroughly.

Tape your picture to the backside (make sure your smiling face is showing).

Using the hole-puncher, punch a hole in the top of your photo frame, string yarn through it, and tie a knot or double bow.

That’s it! A great gift to give and receive anytime of the year.

                                                                                        Lori Hall-McNary