To make a balloon jack-o-lantern, you need:

• Orange tissue paper
• White glue (watered down)
• Paintbrush
• Black or yellow construction paper
• Green ribbon (not pictured)

This is a pretty easy Halloween craft for kids, too.

Start by ripping your tissue paper into small, irregular pieces, no bigger than about 2" x 2". As you can see, even the baby is "helping" with this one!

Affix the tissue paper pieces to the balloon by brushing on a layer of watered-down glue, pressing the paper on, and then covering with another layer of glue. Overlap the paper to cover all of the balloon.

Since our balloon was a pretty dark color, we did about three layers of tissue paper to make our jack-o-lantern nice and orange.

Cut the jack-o-lantern face out of construction paper and glue to your pumpkin.

Hang the craft up using green ribbon, and curl some to fall around the top like pumpkin vines.

Enjoy your own rain shower without getting wet when you make this kid's craft.

I am so thrilled that spring is here, and we celebrated its arrival by making a rainstick.  Everything we needed for this craft was already around the house, and some of it was even recycled.  How’s that for getting into the spirit of April?  Not only have we covered the whole “April showers” thing, but we kind of hit on Earth Day, as well.

Once your rainstick craft is done, you can turn it from end to end and hear it “rain” as the rice inside slides from one end to the other.  I find that turning it slowly makes for a more realistic rain effect.

Related Pages: Recycled box aliens, 12 More Recycled Crafts for Kids

To make a rainstick, you will need:

• An empty paper towel roll
• Left over tissue paper
• Scissors
• White glue
• Paint brush
• Rubber bands
• Wax paper
• Aluminum foil
• Rice/Popcorn kernels (if I made another one, I would just stick with the rice because I think it sounds more like rain)

The materials for an April showers rainstick craft.

Start with a sheet of aluminum foil about 25" long.

Roll the aluminum foil into a long tube to make the interior of the rainstick craft. I wrapped ours around a dowel.

Curl the foil into a spring. Again, I used the dowel.

You'll want the final coil to be just about the length of your paper towel roll. It then gets placed inside the rainstick.

Wrap wax paper around one end of your rainstick craft, and affix it with a rubber band. I then cut off the excess.

Have your kiddo help you pour in rice, popcorn kernels, or whatever you've decided to use to make your sound effects.

Seal up the other end of your rainstick craft with wax paper and a rubber band.

Cut your tissue paper into small pieces (about an inch or so). We recycled tissue from presents we've received.

Mix white glue with a little water and use your paint brush to decoupage the tissue paper on to your rainstick.

I decoupaged the tissue paper right over the wax paper to make it less likely to come loose and fall off.

What I Learned the Hard Way: I originally had cut out wax paper circles to put over the ends, but I found them really hard to work with, so I ended up just using a bigger chunk of wax paper and cutting it after I put the rubber band on.  Also, the popcorn doesn’t sound nearly as good as the rice.

This craft is so stunningly pretty, even I had a hard time believing that kids could pull this off. Creating this faux mercury glass look is as easy as using glitter – though I must admit it is just as messy. (OK, it’s actually a little messier – but it’s worth it! Promise!)

I used a dollar store clear glass items and adapted this tutorial from Dollar Store Crafts on how to make an apothecary jar.

Related Pages: DIY Modern Art Plates, Family Keepsake Plates, Snowflake Crafts

Faux Mercury Glass Cake Stand - Gifts Kids Can Make

What You Need to Make This DIY Mercury Glass Cake Stand

Safety Note: Metal leaf is very light and will blow up into the air at the very slightest air movement. I doubt the stuff is unsafe, but if you have  a child with respiratory problems, this project probably isn’t suitable for them.

A clear glass serving plate – if you can find one with a molded texture on the back, it will make the final result look even prettier!

A clear glass candle stick holder

E6000 glass glue

A soft dry paintbrush

Metal leaf – this is the same kind used for gilding. I used silver, but gold is also available. You don’t need full sheets, just a package of scrap leaf.

Leaf sizing or ModPodge. I recommend the outdoor ModPodge for this project because you may need to wash the cake stand at some point. If you use the metal leaf sizing, you will also need metal leaf sealant for your topcoat.

*Note: The finished cake stand is NOT dishwasher safe! Not even close! Get it only wet enough to clean your surfaces.

How to Make This DIY Mercury Glass Cake Stand

Wash and dry your glass pieces, and be sure to remove any price tags or stickers (and any adhesive residue left behind).

Glass cake stand parts from the dollar store

Apply your metal leaf sizing or a very thin layer of ModPodge to the BACK of the plate. You don’t want to risk your food coming into contact with your craft materials. Follow the directions on the product – mine told me to wait 30 minutes for the sizing to become sticky.

When the plate is ready, carefully sprinkle the metal leaf flakes onto the area you glued with the ModPodge or sizing.

Applying metal leaf to the back of the plate

Now take your soft dry paintbrush and simple start pressing the metal leaf onto the glass surface. This part is so much fun! It’s almost like you are painting with silver!

Brushing the metal leaf onto the back of the plate

Don’t worry if there are tiny imperfections and holes, because it just makes it look more mercury glass-ish.

I’ll warn you now. When you are done with this part, you are probably going to need one of these:

This project kinda requires a Dustbuster or vacuum cleaner!

Moving along, then…

Repeat this same process on the outside of the candle stick holder.

Here’s what you’ll have when you are done:

Finished Gilded Cake Stand Parts

Let the project dry for a little while, and then use your E6000 glue to attach the candle stick holder to the very center of the bottom of the plate. Let the glue dry overnight.

Lastly, put on 1-2 coats of Outdoor ModPodge or metal leaf sealant over the bottom of cake plate and candle stick stem. Don’t put it on top of the plate – you want that to be just plain glass so that it’s safe to be in contact with food.

And you’re done! This is SO PRETTY when it is finished – really, it looks so totally store bought, your gift recipient will NEVER guess it’s dollar store origins!

Make a Cake Stand

Remember, this is Day 6 of Twleve Days of Gifts Kids Can Make! 6 down, 6 to go!

Yesterday I got a big cork bulletin board and hung it up. I needed cute thumbtacks and clips for it, though, because I’m not the kind of gal to put up boring stuff on my walls! Since I took the “Stash Busting” pledge with Heather of Dollar Store Crafts to buy no new supplies for the month of April, I decided to make some out of things I already had on hand.

A few years ago I made some marble magnets based on the brilliance of Megan over at NotMartha - so it wasn’t too much of a stretch of the imagination to make thumbtacks instead. But I also have some photos that I didn’t want to poke a hole into, so I also made some coordinating clothespin clip tacks:

Although this project is a perfect tweens and teens craft, I must admit that I’m keeping these all to myself! My kids can make their own! They are super easy and fast to whip together.

Materials List for Cute Thumbtacks and Tack Clips

Scrapbook paper with a small-ish pattern

E6000 glass glue

Mod Podge

Flattened clear glass marbles

Flat head thumbtacks

Mini or regular size hinged wooden clothespins

How to Make the Clothespin Clips

I found mini 2 inch clothespins at JoAnn a few months ago – I pulled these out and measured the width carefully. Then I cut several strips of scrapbook paper at that exact width.

Scrapbook Paper Stips for Decoupage

I had to cut a lot of them, because the clothespins are really small, and I was picky about what pattern to decoupage onto the clothespins. If you have a smaller or repeating pattern, you won’t need nearly as many strips of paper as I did.

*NOTE – you may want to paint your clothespins in coordinating colors – if you want to do this, paint them and let them dry before going onto the next step.

Decoupage Clothespin Thumbtack Clips

Decide what parts of the paper you want on your clips, cut them to size, and then decoupage the paper onto the clip. I used glitter Mod Podge that I won from Amy over at a Mod Podge Rocks contest, so I also covered the sides of my clips with the Mod Podge. If you do this, make sure you don’t glue your clothespin shut!

Decoupage Clothespin Clips

While I let these dry, I started on my marble magnet thumbtacks. It’s too bad my office isn’t lit very well, because they are very sparkly and you can’t see that at all.

Marble Glass Bead Thumbtacks

I’ll let you go over to NotMartha to learn how to make the thumbtacks, but I will say this – getting the paper cut out just right for these is kind of a pain in the butt. I used a 3/4 inch circle hole punch, but the circles are just too big enough to look bad. So I have to trim the outside off, which makes my pretty perfect circles not pretty or perfect anymore.

Paper Cutouts for Marble Thumbtacks

The good news is that while in use, you can’t see that the paper doesn’t have perfect edges. The glass marbles have a magnifying effect on whatever image you choose, so the edges aren’t seen. You can only tell when you look at the back – so only you will know they are messed up!

Once your Mod Podge is dry on the clothespins and the glass glue is dry on the marbles, you can grab your hot glue gun to attach flat thumbtacks to the backs:

Glue Thumbtacks to the Backs

And then you are done!

For more teen crafts, check out these T-shirt surgery ideas, this teen crafts roundup, or this cute and easy bandana quilt!

So lately I’ve been working on finding projects for my teen daughter that are challenging enough for her not to be bored, but easy enough to give her a sense of accomplishment. She is turning into a little seamstress lately, but I’m hoping to widen her horizons with some of the teen-friendly crafts I’ve found below!

12 Crafts for Teens that are Easy But Cool

Easy No Knit Scarf	Easy Friendship Bracelets	No Sew Bikini (Really!)	Make Decorated Journals
Wishbone Necklace	Ribbon Belts	Recycled Jeans Purse	Night Light Recycled Craft
Decoupaged Clothespins	Decoupaged Hangers – via	Glitter Flip Flops	No Sew Fleece Pillows

For more teen crafts, check out these recycled crafts and winter crafts, too.

What is so great about decoupage? Is it the fact that my kids can do it with practically no help from me? That decoupage is pretty hard to mess up? That decoupage projects always turn out awesomely? All of the above? Yes!

Decoupage Ideas for Halloween

Halloween Decoupage Projects

How to Decoupage

Really – this is brain dead easy. All you need is some Modpodge, paint brushes and paper or fabric. And technically you don’t even need Modpodge, as you can use watered down glue. I like love Modpodge because you can get it in a matte, glossy, or sparkle finish, there’s very little mess, and it lasts forever. They even have an outdoor strength version- WOO!

Step 1A – figure out what you are going to decoupage – it can be glass, plastic, wood, metal – practically anything. It can be jewelry, kids crafts, or even home decor. You can cut out pictures or fabric to adhere to your item or you can print out your own designs (though ink jet ink can smear – I have a laser printer that works perfectly for decoupage). You can also add pieces of ribbon, sequins, and pretty much anything that can be glued to a surface.

Step 1 – brush some Modpodge/decoupage medium onto your item

How to Decoupage - Step 1

Step 2 – place your paper or fabric onto the decoupage medium

How to Decoupage - Step 2

Step 3 – put a thin coat of more more Modpodge/decoupage medium on top of your paper or fabric

How to Decoupage - Step 3

Step 4 – Repeat until your project is covered!

Once it is dry, you can and should put at least one more coat of Modpodge over the project to seal it and protect it.

Making these Decoupage Halloween Candle Holders

I got all of the the glass candle holders at my local dollar store. Cheap, cheap, cheap!

For my Jack O’ Lantern mummy, I used strips of white tissue paper and cut out a pumpkin face out of black paper. This particular pumpkin face is from the Punkinhead font.

For the tall owl candle holder, I used this Fiskars Owl Squeeze Punch, cutting out the owls from scrapbook paper scraps.

For the orange pumpkin tall candle holder, I measured the circumference of the glass and created an orange rectangle in a drawing program. I then used this Halloween borders font to add the pumpkin and vines, then simply printed it out and decoupaged it onto the glass. I don’t recommend this if you only have an ink jet printer unless you test it first to make sure your ink won’t bleed all over the place. Then again, for a Halloween decoupage project, that might just look pretty cool.

More Halloween Kids Crafts

Easy Halloween Finger Puppets

Easy Halloween Handprint Crafts

Paper Bag Crafts for Halloween

Make a Pillbox Hat from a Microwave Dinner Tray	Recycle a Sock into a Giraffe Sock Puppet	Make Stuffed Animal Headphones Via DollarStoreCrafts	Adorable Egg Carton Crafts Roundup on The Crafty Crow
One Pretty Thing Shares 12 More Recycled Crafts!	Make Egg Carton Caterpillars	Make a Nightlight from a Recycled Crystal Light Container	Recycled Jello Box Aliens
Make a “fossil” from coffee grounds	Turn an old pair of jeans into a denim purse	Refashioned T-Shirts	Upcycled Photo Holder or Jewelry Holder

For more green goodness, check out our collection of Earth Day printables, crafts, and activities for kids from all Woo! Jr. Network websites!

Until I come up with a cool tissue paper saving system, I figured I should do something with the scraps right away, because, you know, it’s not really the right week to throw things away like that! So I had already set aside my kids’ raisin boxes and Jello boxes, and I needed a craft to post on Space Jr. because I haven’t done any there yet, so making aliens was the logical solution!

You can totally make these cardboard box aliens without tissue paper scraps and without the mess of decoupage. Just use paint instead.

What You Need to Make this Easy Alien Craft for Kids

• Jello, raisin, or other small empty carboard boxes
• Pipe cleaners for the antennae and legs
• Googly eyes
• Tissue paper scraps
• Wire cutters
• Decoupage glue
• Glitter glue (optional)

How to Make this Easy Alien Craft for Kids

First cover the boxes with the glue and tissue paper. Lay down a thin layer of glue with a paint brush, then lay down the tissue paper, then cover it with another layer of glue. The silver alien used scraps of silver tissue paper, which is very opaque compared to regular tissue paper so I only needed one layer of it. With the purple monster, I had to use about 4 layers of purple tissue paper to ensure you couldn’t see the artwork on the food boxes.

I then added some cut circle scraps from this decoupage project for the eyes, and found some other colored triangles or rectangles to make the mouths. These I glued on just like the rest of the tissue paper.

After the decoupage is dry, use a razor blade to cut four tiny x’s into the bottom of the box, and two tiny x’s in the top as shown. This is where you will insert the antennae and legs.

Cut two pieces of pipe cleaner for the antennae, and three to four for the legs. It was a bit easier to make them stand up on their own with more legs.

To make the spiral antennae, wrap the pipe cleaners around a pencil or paint brush, then pull it off.

Make tiny feet by simply bending the pip cleaners into an oval on the ends.

Then simply stick the ends of the pipe cleaners into the tiny slits you cut with the razor blade.

All that’s left to do is glue on your googly eyes. This is optional too, because you could just as easily decoupage or paint on the eyes. I wanted to use glitter glue to make them, well, more alien-y. I also used two different sized eyes, because I thought it was cuter that way!

If you’re really into aliens & monsters, you’d probably also like these robot alien coloring pages and these fuzzy monster coloring pages, too!

As you can tell, this week I’ve been on a recycled crafts kick for Earth Day. But what’s really happening is that I’m relapsing into my terrible pack rat ways as suddenly I am having a hard time throwing anything out at all! I suppose the earth shall thank me someday for this, but my husband isn’t thanking me. *grin*

And is anyone else appreciating the irony of making a nightlight out of a Crystal Light container? I know, I should have quit while I was ahead.

Recycled Nightlight Craft

What You Need to Make a Recycled Night Light Craft

Recycled Night Light craft Materials

• An empty Crystal Light container
• A night light from your local Dollar Store (the real cheap kind shown below)
• A plastic covered large paper clip
• Mod Podge or other glue for decoupage
• Paper or fabric to decoupage the plastic Crystal Light container
• A paint brush for the glue
• Ribbon trim (about 30″ inches)
• Wire cutters
• Razor blade to cut the container
• A small ruler or other straight edge
• A medium sized nail and a hammer to poke two holes in the plastic
• Glue gun

How to Make This Night Light Recycled Craft

Cut the Crystal Light Container with a Razor Blade

First you need to cut up your Crystal Light (or Wyler’s Light, to be PC about it all) container. In this photo, I was using the tall Wyler’s Light container, or this would also be the same size as the extra large Crystal Light packages (with 6 tubs, not 4).

First I held the ruler straight edge to the side of the container and carefully scored the plastic to slice the container open from top to bottom. I then was able to cut through the container easily (but carefully, because it’s easy to slip on a curved surface). I repeated this step so that I cut out about a one-inch piece from the side of the container. Then I was able to lay the plastic flat on a carboard surface and cut the container into two even pieces, as shown above. If I messed up at all, it was easy to clean up my edges with sturdy kitchen scissors.

Poke Holes in the Plastic with a Nail

Next I poked two small holes into the bottom corners of the plastic with a hammer and nail. I recommend using a larger nail than the one shown above, because I ended up needing to find a screw to twist into the holes to make them a little larger. You need them to be large enough to stick the end of the paper clip through them.

Decoupage with Recycled Tissue Paper

After you have poked the holes into the corners, now is the time to decoupage the plastic however you like. I used tissue paper circles to coordinate with the ribbon in my example at the top. My daughter took the leftover tissue packing paper we get at the dollar store when we buy fragile items, and we used a circle hole puncher to cut out and decoupage her night light.

You probably don’t want to use paper from a book or magazine, unless you are happy with the reverse side showing through. Because when the night light is turned on, it really glows through the paper.

Quick decorating tip - you can also use fabric that coordinates with your child’s room decor!

Now you want to unbend a paperclip and wrap it around the base of the night light. Be sure you’re doing this with plastic wrapped wire and around the groove of the night light at the base (made for sliding the plastic cover onto the light). Higher end night lights aren’t nearly as easy to use, as they don’t have this handy groove to hold your wire.

Twist the paper clip around the base with your fingers or with the wire cutters, and then use the wire cutters to make two “L” shaped bends in the paper clip as shown in the second photo. Slip the ends of the paper clip through your holes.

Lastly, you will need to lay a line of glue from your hot glue gun underneath the wires and glue the ends of the paper clip to the back side of the decoupaged container. If you don’t do this, the cover will flop all over the place.

Now you want to cover the edges of your plastic cover with ribbon to hide the wire and make the edges look polished. Start at the back and cover the back two ends with ribbon first, and add enough glue from the hot glue gun around the paper clip to cover it up too.

To put ribbon across the top and bottm, fold over the edge just a bit and glue it in place to give the corners a clean look (like in the inset in the second image above). Then simply glue the ribbon onto the top and bottom edges with the glue gun.

And viola! You  are done! Start to finish the craft takes about 30-45 minutes, not including drying time for the decoupage.

Be sure to check out the rest of our recycled crafts and all of our Earth Day activities and printables!