Don’t throw that milk container away! Recycle it into a Halloween Treat Bucket, perfect to take along with you when you go trick-or-treating. Kids will have fun making this recycled Halloween container, and taking it along on night to collect their candy haul.

Recycled Halloween Treat Bucket Materials:

• 1 recycled milk container, washed well
• 2 sheets of orange paper (construction, card stock, or scrapbooking)
• 1 sheet of black felt or craft foam
• 2 green chenille stems (pipe cleaners)
• markers
• glue dots
• scissors
• hole-punch
• pencil

Instructions:

1. Fold a piece of paper in half and draw pumpkin stem in the top area of the paper. To draw it, make a round or oval shape, then draw a few lines going down from the side edges and the middle.

2. Draw the round part of the pumpkin around the stem, and add a few wrinkle lines coming down from the stem. Draw 3 more pumpkins the same way on your remaining orange paper. Note: make two of the pumpkins shorter, to better fit on the handle sides of the jug.

3. Cut out each pumpkin around the outline.

4. With a washable marker, draw a line around the lid area of the milk jug, and down around the front of the jug. Cut around this line with a pair of sharp-pointed scissors, leaving the handle intact. (See photo.)

5. Attach the four pumpkins to the sides of the milk container with glue dots.

6. Make a hole in one of the front pumpkins with the hole-punch.

7. Thread a chenille stem through the hole. Twist the stem to secure it to the pumpkin, and then twist it around the pencil to make the curly pumpkin vine tendrils.

8. Do the same with the other front pumpkin so it also has a chenille vine.

9. With felt or craft foam, cut pumpkin eyes, noses, and mouths to decorate your pumpkins as jack-o’-lanterns. Attach the facial features with glue dots. Alternately, draw faces on the pumpkins before you attach them to the container.

Additional Recycled Halloween Bucket Tips:

Different Decorations: Instead of jack-o’-lanterns, cut out different shapes to adorn your treat bucket. How about black cats or ghostly shapes?

For Younger Tots: Give your toddler or pre-schooler a half sheet of paper and let them draw or color. Cut scribbles into a pumpkin shape.

Personalize: Use foam letter stickers to put your child’s name on the container and keep everyone’s treat bucket straight!

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There’s enough candy on Valentine’s Day! Make quick and easy healthy valentine snacks for your kids to give out in class. Here are some Free printables for apple sauce squeeze pouches, oranges, and juice boxes.

To make them:

Download the free printable, print it out on your printer.

Cut out the labels to fit your healthy snacks. then attach with double-sided tape.

EASY!

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After reading an article about how much fun kids pottery wheels can be at Artful Parent, I became interested in trying out a kids pottery wheel. Um, I mean, I became interested in having my kids try out a toy pottery wheel!

After reading many reviews of many different brands of toy pottery wheels, I learned some tips for successfully using them. They are simple to use, but there are also some common pitfalls that many reviewers complain about. Over in my article for eBay*, I’ve written down my Tips for Using Kids Pottery Wheels, so check them out! (*I wrote that article as a part of a paid collaboration with eBay.)

Artful Parent recommends the Faber-Castell Do Art Pottery Studio, and it also has the best reviews on Amazon. The only thing that I notice about it that I potentially don’t like is that it is only battery-operated and doesn’t include an AC adapter for plugging in the pottery wheel. I would prefer to plug my wheel in, instead of having to use up batteries and then hunt around for (or buy additional) batteries when they inevitably run out.

I’m looking forward to trying out a toy pottery wheel. How about you? Do you have any experience with these?

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Looking for a cheap and easy holiday craft? Here’s a tiny owl wreath that is simple enough for kids to make, and cute enough to tie onto a package or hang on your locker. I used all dollar store materials for this craft, including the cute owl stickers and the pretty ribbon. Find out how to make these in my column over at eBay: [how to make tiny owl wreaths]

Project Materials:

• Pipe cleaners, $1 or on hand
• Grosgrain ribbon, $1 or on hand
• Owl stickers, $1
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks, on hand
• Scissors, on hand

Total: $1 and up

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Want to refresh a boring white t-shirt? Look no further than your backyard! Collect greenery from your yard to use in this cute botanical t-shirt made with fabric spray paint. My kids and I had a great time spray-painting t-shirts, and they turned out looking so great! Find out how to make this project in my column over at eBay: [DIY Botanical Spray Painted T-shirt]

Materials needed:

• A white t-shirt, $1 or on hand
• Tulip Color Shot Fabric Spray paint, $7 each

You can get a better deal on the fabric spray paint if you buy a multi-pack and use a coupon at your local craft store!

Why should you use this fabric spray paint instead of regular spray paint?

Tulip Color Shot is formulated for use on fabric, so it contains a paint softener, which gives it a way nicer feel on fabrics that you will be wearing. They have good fabric coverage, and an even spray pattern (without splatter). I have tried other fabric spray paint brands, but I prefer this brand and I recommend it.

Disclosure: I received this complementary product from the manufacturer, but was not compensated to write this post. Affiliate links included in this article. All information, wording, and opinions are strictly my own and I was not asked to post this article.

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Right about now, my kids are getting a little tired of being home, playing together, and the heat of the summer. Any time I can provide them with a new activity, it’s received well, and gives them (and me) some minutes of peace. Last week, we made this cute Airplane Mobile, and the 10 year-old and 8 year-old had a blast making it. It’s simple and fun, and the final result is an eye-catching decoration for your child’s bedroom. I posted the instructions over at Live.Craft.Love, so go check it out: [DIY Airplane Mobile]

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I remember doing yarn painting projects like this one from Kate at Picklebums when I was a kid. this, however, is a much less messy version that the watered-down-white-glue method of my youth! The secret is using contact paper or another self-adhesive surface. You get all the fun of this classic kids craft without the headaches of the cleanup! It’s a great project for a summer day or for a scouting group. [how to make yarn paintings]

Project estimate:

• Yarn, on hand or $1 and up
• Contact paper, $1 and up

Total: $1 and up!

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My kids love to raid the recycling bin for craft supplies (lately my 9 year old son has been creating weapons, but I digress!). Here are nine ideas for crafts you can make using cereal boxes (and no guns on the list–you’re welcome!). I posted this article over at eBay: [9 Cereal Box Crafts for Kids to Make]

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If your kids are like mine, you hear the phrase “I’m bored!” waaaay too often! When that happens, I either kick my kids outside, or let them do a chore to alleviate the boredom, but here are some great water play ideas that will occupy them for quite awhile outside! Get all the instructions for Bubble Snakes, a Pool Noodle Sprinkler, and a Magic Plastic Bag Trick at eBay: [fun outdoor water activities for kids]

Have a Bubble Snake race!

She created a sprinkler out of WHAT?

Very cool “magic” trick for kids to do!

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Face it, kids are hard on clothes. Some clothes get stained, or ripped way before they are totally worn out. Here are 16 ideas for saving kids clothes that I have personally done myself — I can stand behind these ideas! Check out my full article at eBay: [how to save worn out kids clothes]

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