Christmas tree string ornaments

Another cool idea to make your Christmas tree the coolest in the neighborhood.

What we need:

• balloons, we only blow it half way, chose the right size;
• string, any color;
• scissors,
• ruler,
• white glue,
• water,
• brush,
• glitter
• small bowl,
• tablespoon,
• tissue painting,
• smmal sponge,
• old newspaper,
• plastic cup,

How to:

1. Cover the work table with the old newspaper sheet;
2. Cut a piece of string with 10 cm;
3. Blow the balloon until its circumference is 10cm, simply place the 10 cm string around the balloon, when the ends touch each other the ballon has a 10cm  circumference;
4. If you want to make several ornaments this 10cm don't need t be exact.
5. In the small bowl mix the glue (3 tablespoons) with water (1 tablespoon);
6. Cut a piece of string with about 6,5ft;
7. If you want to paint the string, now it's the time, place a bit of fabric paint in a small sponge, grab the string with the sponge, next drag the sponge along the string to paint it;
8. Let it dry for 3 or 4 hours;
9. Dip the string in the glue, until it is soaked;
10. Grab the balloon with one hand, and with the other one wrap the balloon with the string, your hands will be full of glue, don't worry water will take care of it later;
11. When you finish press the string end against the balloon;
12. Let it dry for 24h on the top of the plastic cup;
13. In the next day blow up the balloon, and pull it through the holes in the string, cut it in small pieces if you need, don't cut the strings!!!!!;
14. Glue all the ball again;
15. Apply glitter;
16. Hang on Christmas tree!

If you don't have glitter you can reuse old Christmas ribbons. Just cut the ends into small pieces. It's not the same thing but it works.

Et Voilá!
Another Christmas idea!

Enjoy!

Painting old CD's

We found this Tutorial here it’s a very good idea to reuse old CD's and DVD's rather than throw them in the trash and besides, this will keep children occupied for a while

What we need:

• Paint tutorial says it can be acrylic or nail polish. Use synthetic lacquer for longstanding results,
• CDs and/or DVD's old and broken,
• Varnish.

How to:

1. If you want to leave your CD or DVD transparent, sand it, with thin sand paper, when you done wash it and dry it well;
2. If you want to keep the "mirror" effect just clean it with alcohol to remove any grass and dust. You can apply paint on the "label" side;
3. Let your restless paint the CD/DVD;
4. Wait at least 24h before you varnish it.

You can paint geometric figures or use a stencil.

This CD/DVD's can be used for a lot of things. We can place them in the wall, one by one or as a set, we can frame them, or build some, dream catchers...

Et voilá!
Young restless will love to explore this circular canvas.

Enjoy!

Dye techniques for T-shirts

Dye a T-shirt with the desired pattern, or at least a minimally predictable pattern, it is not a random challenge, today we share with you some techniques you can use, you can check the information on dying techniques here: Stamp and dye t-shirts, summer DIY.

Note:
Make sure the rubber bands are tight!

Knot technique

• Grab the T-shirt on both ends and twist it, like a rope,

 

• Tie a knot in the fabric. 

Spiral

• Place the T-shirt in a plain surface.
• Place your thumb on the fabric; exactly in the place you want the spiral central.
• Use your fingers to secure the fabric in place, and start to twist.
• After each twist, with your free hand, flatten the fabric to prevent the spiral to fall apart.
• At the end of the twists you must have something that looks like a giant flattened biscuit;
• Put the rubber bands in place, like the picture.

Rosett:

• This effect creates a pattern of overlapping or close circles;
• Use a pencil to mark on the t-shirt a few points, these points will be the center of the dyed circles;
• Use the thumb and forefinger to pick up the fabric in the same place you painted the point;
• Hold this "tab" with the other hand;
• Repeat the process for all the dots;
• When finished you must have several of this "tabs" in your hand.
• Wrap a rubber band around each "tab", and wrap 2 or 3 around all the set.

Stripes

• Wrap the t-shirt forming a long tube. The lists will be dyed perpendicular to the tube.
• Squeeze the tube with the rubber bands, the more the bands are spaced thicker will be the lists.

Source: this idea came from here

Et Voilá!
Exclusive T-Shirts! 
Lean how to dye

Enjoy!

How to do a parachute toy

This is a old toy, no batteries needed, no updates or upgrades, just the plastic soldier and the plastic bag. Today we are going to see how to build a parachute and how it works.

We will need:

• plastic square with a 40cm (about 15in) side. You can use a garbage plastic bag,
• Scissors,
• Ruler,
• Pen,
• 8 strings with 30cm (12in) length,
• A small toy, like a plastic soldier.

How to:

1. On each side of square measure and mark, with a pen, 4, 8 and 12in, like the image bellow;
2. Cut off the shaded parts;
3. With the scissors punch a hole on each corner of the plastic, like the picture, holes must be small, large holes will compromise the parachute;
4. Attach one string to each punch you made, with a knot;
5. Attach the other string end to the toy; the toy must have no more then 10cm (4in) height.

   

   Figure2

   
   

   
   



Figure1

6. Throw the parachute from a height place, like a balcony; remember the goal is to land the toy gently.

Results:
We hope your parachute landed gently giving an opportunity to your toy to survive.
When you throw the parachute the toy (the weight) pulls down the strings, forcing the plastic to open. Now the parachute contact surface with the air is bigger, the air resistance is also bigger and that’s why the parachute goes down slowly. The greater the air resistance the smoothly the parachute falls.

Try this with your restless:

• Throw the parachute from different heights, keep a record of your results and variables:
• Compare the falling times,
• The parachute always opens?
• Cut a small hole on center of the plastic, this will help the air to escape:
• Does it fall faster with or without the hole?

Et Voilá!
A plastic soldier parachute

Enjoy!

How to do a stencil?

Today we will share some tips on "how to do a stencil". With a stencil you can print the same pattern, over and over again, in almost any kind of surface.
Cut a stencil is a boring job, but at the end is worth.

What we need:

• exact-O knife.
• a surface to cut the transparent plastic sheet cardboard/paper/rigid plastic,
• transparent plastic sheet, rigid plastic or cardboard, from a cereal box for example,
• a print of the draw you want to make stencil from,
• tape, any kind.

How to:

1. Place the transparent plastic sheet on top of your print;
2. Hold them both with tape. The plastic sheet must be a little bigger then your print, about 1in all around;
3. With the exact-O knife- allways use a new blade- cut the image.
4. First cut the longest straight lines, cut in one stroke, without hesitate, hesitation cuts will make a sloppy final result;
5. To make the task easier you must pressure the plastic+print with your free hand, Keep your hands AWAY from the blade!!!!
6. When you finish, feel free to use it on anywhere you wish

 
Your restless will love to use stencils, he can do a lot of crafts, including t-shirts, paintings, walls, whatever your imagination dictate. Keep your stencils clean and in a safe place, away from restless hands.

Check those patterns:
Free Stencils
About


Et voilá!
Similar drawing everywhere.

Enjoy!

Stamp and dye t-shirts, summer DIY

With the summer a question pops up, what do kids need to buy... and where to buy? Most of the times this is a problem because the cloths we find in stores are not exactly the ones we are looking for besides having an exclusive T-shirt is much more "stylish".

Painting a t-shirt is not that hard, there are several ways to do this, some more expensive then others, but all of them will make your restless the "number one" at school.

First of all do some shopping, buy a few basic t-shirts, the color doesn't matter, but they must be plain., those are normally cheaper and will work best.

Buy also some fabric painting (dye, paint, spray or a pen, all depends on the method you want to use).

Using transfers with iron
How to:

1. Pick an image, scanned;
2. If the image is not on your computer scan it, high definition;
3. If you are a medium user use a image edition software to center image, adjust colors and luminosity as you wish;
4. When it's done, print the your design in transfer printer paper;
5. Place a card inside the t-shirt, stretch it.
6. Use the paper on T-shirt, follow the instructions on the package; 

One idea is to use the children drawings.

Using painted iron transfers
How to:

1. Pick a black and white image, or scan it;
2. If you are a medium user use a image edition software to center image, adjust luminosity as you wish;
3. When it's done, print your design in transfer printer paper;
4. Place a card inside the t-shirt, stretch it;
5. Use the paper on T-shirt, follow the instructions on the package;
6. Color the image with fabric paint;
7. Let it dry for 48h before you wash it.

Using your restless hands/feet
How to:

1. Buy fabric paint and a sponge;
2. Cut the sponge, 1 piece for every color you want to use;
3. Place a card inside the t-shirt, stretch it;
4. Put both on the floor;
5. With the sponge paint your restless hands/feet, you can also try this with your cat or your dog;
6. Stamp the t-shirt as you wish.
7. Let it dry for 48h before you wash it.

One great idea is to stamp the feet on the back and write something like "My son/daughter/can/dog walk over my back" on the front.


Stamp with a sponge or a potato 
How to:

1. Buy fabric paint;
2. If you use a potato: cut it in half, with the exact-O knife try to crave a pattern, you can do a star, a moon, squares, hearts, keep it simple; 
3. If its a sponge you can try to do the same thing, or you can buy them already shaped;
4. Place a card inside the t-shirt, stretch it;
5. Wet the sponge/potato on paint;
6. Stamp as you wish;
7. Let it dry for 48h before you wash it.

Using dye
How to:

1. Buy dye and some rubbers (about a dozen)
2. Use rubber gloves and a craft coat;
3. Follow instructions to prepare the paint;
4. Fold the t-shirt on her own, form some clusters and use rubbers to keep them in place;
5. When you done folding, deep it in the dye, again follow instructions. if you want a multicolor t-shirt wait about 5 hours before you deep the t-shirt on the second color;
6. Wait 5h;
7. Rinse well with water;
8. Let it dry for 48h before you wash it.

Using a stencil
How to:

1. Buy fabric paint, with stencil spray works better;
2. Buy or do your own stencil; 
3. Place a card inside the t-shirt, stretch it; 
4. Place the stencil, cover all area you don't want to paint;
5. With the spray, paint the stencil, chose a safe place, spray can do a mess;
6. Let it dry for 48h before you wash it.

Et Voilá!

New wardrobe for the whole family

Enjoy!

"Super cute" wool pom-pons

We talked here about pom-pons, about colors, about wool and about how easy is to do this little wool balls. Today we leave you with some pictures about this craft, just some ideas

From Mariana's Blog:

From BananaCraft's blog

Et voilá!

Enjoy!

Bookmarks with paperclips

So simple... and so practical.

What we need:

• paper clips,
• fabric strips,
• scissors,
• needle and thread, or a stapler.

How to:

1. Cut the fabric in several pieces, different widths and lengths; 
2. Fold in half; 
3. Staple, or use the needle to join both ends;
4. Attach tissue on the paper clip by sliding it, just like a key ring;
5. Use the paper clip as bookmark, like shown in picture.

Use different paper clips sizes, or different fabric colors and patterns, customize your books!

Et Voilá!
Thank you Fabiana Tardochi

Enjoy!

A Christmas tree with plastic bottles (PET)

Imagination and creativity make all the difference.
The super restless idea this week smells like Christmas and came from here

Watch the video, all you need is a stick, plastic bottles, scissors and a candle.

the video is in Portuguese

but the walk through is easy to follow

Et voilá!
Another great idea to this season

Enjoy!

Can phone

Can phone is a project extremely rewarding, because it really works, its easy to do and its fun to do and play with.
The sound makes each can to vibrate and this vibration is transmitted along the string connecting the two cans.

What we need :

• 2 clean and empty cans,
• hammer,
• nail,
• +-20 m (+-21yd) of string.

How to:

1. Clean the cans;
2. Make sure the can has no sharp ends;
3. Place the cans, upside down, on a hard surface;
4. Punch the center of the cans with the nail;
5. Pass the string through the hole of the first can;
6. On the end of the string attach a paper clip;
7. The other string end goes on the second can, using same method, when you finish you will have 20m of string attached to 2 cans, one on each end;
8. Give your restless one of the cans;
9. Walk away until the string is fully stretched;
10. Ask your child to place his/her can on the ear;
11. Talk to the can;
12. Now it's your turn to listen.

Why?
When we talk the air vibrates, thats how the sound travel, the can also vibrate, those vibrations travel along the string to the second can, this causes the air in the second can to vibrate, producing sound.
 
Et Voilá,
Fun fun fun!

Enjoy!

Christmas presents wrapped with milk cartons

Do you remember that milk carton that ends in the trash?
Today we are going to show you how to reuse and transform that piece of garbage in something useful.

What we need:

• empty and clean milk carton,
• wrapping paper, the original carton is usually not that ugly,
• craft glue,
• paper punch,
• scissors,
• rope.

How to:

1. Cut the top of the milk carton, wash it and let it dry, do this with no rush, you don't want your present bag to smell;
2. Cut the wrapping paper with the exact measures to line the carton;
3. Glue the paper to the pack;
4. Let it dry for 2 or 3 hours;
5. With the paper punch, punch the top of the pack on both sides;
6. With the rope make a handle to the bag, like shown in picture
7. Secure rope with a knot.

This is a super restless mind idea from here

Et voilá!
Offer something really original this Christmas

Enjoy!

Multicolor wool pom-pons

Red, yellow or green, big or small, you can do them anyway you like it.
Pom-Pons, little crazy wool balls, are easy to do and your restless child will love that.
With pom-pons we can do a lot of different things, we can do little dolls, multicolored worms, book markers, apply them in clothes, frames or just keep them in a huge box to play with. The most important is that they are easy to do and kept.


What we need

• wool, in your favorite colors,
• scissors,
• 1 empty cereal box.

How to: 

1. Start by cut your card box in 2 plain card sheets;
2. After that draw a circle in one of the cards, use a glass, if you use a large glass the pom-pom will be bigger;
3. Inside that first circle draw a second one, much smaller, they must be centered and exactly aligned;
4. Cut the large circle, and the center hole you draw;
5. Repeat the procedure, you need 2 circles, you can reuse them;
6. Hold the two circles steady in you hand, and follow the scheme in figure:

 

Variations:
Use two colors of wool,
Garnish the wool balls with googly eyes, or legs, antennae, anything you want.

You can trim the pom-pons with the scissors.

Et Voilá!

Play with colors and do some art.

Enjoy!

A garden on the balcony

Another super restless idea from Andreza's blog to reuse plastic bottles (we also recycle / reuse here)
Its a simple concept, planting aromatic herbs in your balcony using bottles as pots.
Your restless will love the idea of those "little green things" growing outside, and its halfway to make them eat their vegetables.


We will need:

• 3 plastic PET bottles,
• pot soil, enough to fill the bottles,
• fertilizer,
• sand,
• seeds of parsley and chives,
• water,
• exact-O knife,
• scissors,
• shovel and rake,
• flowerpots clamps,

How to:

1. Cut the bottles with a sharp knife, open a hole with 20 cm on each bottle,
2. Punch a hole in 2 of them.. on the bottom;
3. Don't punch the third, this one will catch the water that falls from the other 2;
4. If your restless kids want to decorate the flowerpots, now its the moment, they can use paint, paper, or anything else they want;
5. Mix 3 parts of pot soil, and 2 of fertilizer, you can use exterior fertilized pot soil, 
6. Place this soil on both punched bottles,
7. Seed and water the plants (already done this here)
8. Place the sand on the third bottle. 
9. Chose a wall you can drill and attach the flowerpots clamps to it. Leave 20cm between each one.

Hang the system to a height that allows children to see the plants.

Variations:
there are several ways to do this project. You can chose to use a string system, is cheaper the the final result is the same. for this you will need 2 fixation points, you can use 2 nails.
You can plant anything you want, not just shovel and rake.


Et Voilá!

Thank you Andreza!

Enjoy!

Magnets with bottle caps

When comes to reuse and recycling we all have to take part of the process.

From here

Restless Minds is not an exception and from time to time we share a recycling/reuse idea, today we are going to use old bottle caps to do fridge magnets (other projects here)


What we need:

• caps, assorted colors and brands,
• clay, or other modeling clay,
• wool,
• buttons, pasta, dry beans, pins... etc.,
• magnets,
• glue,
• exact-O knife,
• sand,
• alcohol,
• paint,
• brushes.

How to:
First option:

From here

• If the cap is colored and pretty, why change it?

1. With the knife take off the withe cap protection, the one that protects the beverage to touch the metal;
2. Carefully, clean the cap with alcohol, sand it if needed;
3. Fill the cavity with the clay, press the clay inside;
4. Allow the clay to dry;
5. Glue the magnet, you can chose to press the magnet on the clay while this is fresh.

From here

• You can fill the cap with clay and paint it your your favorite colors, or glue buttons and other little objects such as beans. This way you can do monster head caps, or alien caps. Place the magnet on the back of the cap.

• You can just clean the cap, do the art on it with wool, pasta, beans, anything, and glue the magnet on the back. 

Et Voilá!
Magnets for everyone! your fridge will never be the same again!


Enjoy!