Browse down this page for descriptions and illustrations of the projects in date order, then select a project and have some crafting fun!
Creepy-Crawly Spider Bracelet Friday Fun (Oct 14, 2022) - Make a creepy, crawly spider that can wiggle and twist about with a few movements of the wrist. Traced fingers are the basis for this animated spider toy, and a paper fastener allows it to swivel around. This is a fun and easy Halloween project that is especially good for mixed-age groups of children.
VERY EASY
Cutouts for Halloween (Oct 10, 2022) - Make super easy indoor and outdoor decorations for Halloween with Aunt Annie's patterns for Halloween cutouts. The ghoulish shapes include jack-o'-lanterns, bats, spiders, cats, and ghosts that can be used to decorate windows, doors, porches, and more. The jack-o'-lantern cutout can even be used as a mask!
EASY
Silly Faces Mix-and-Match Cards Friday Fun (Oct 7, 2022) - Just a few simple materials and a little instruction is all it takes to make a set of mix-and-match cards. Cut all the cards into three pieces and mix them up to make silly faces. Giggles are a sure thing!
VERY EASY
Custom Collapsible Square Box Pattern (Oct 3, 2022) - In this project, you will create a custom pattern for a collapsible square box in the exact size to meet your needs. Use the pattern to make your custom-size box following instructions in the Collapsible Box craft project.
EASY
Thaumatrope (or Mini-movie) Friday Fun (Sep 30, 2022) - Kids will have fun making this spinning toy known as a thaumatrope (or mini-movie.) It appears to magically create one picture from two and demonstrates one of the visual concepts behind movies and videos.
EASY
Handmade Paper from Recycled Scraps (Sep 26, 2022) - In this project, learn how to make paper by hand from recycled scraps of paper. Learn techniques that will give the best results at home, along with simple and inexpensive alternatives for children or beginners who just want to experiment.
AVERAGE
Chinese Paper Lanterns Friday Fun (Sep 23, 2022) - Chinese paper lanterns make colorful and inexpensive decorations. Best of all, they are so quick and easy you can get the kids involved in making them. Follow the instructions in this craft project to make colorful lanterns using a single sheet of paper.
VERY EASY
Oval Box with Lid (Sep 19, 2022) - Make an oval box with a lid in a several sizes and depths. The technique used to make these boxes is based on the band boxes popular in the 19th century, and is well-suited to making boxes with curves, like this oval box. This is an elegant box that will compliment that special gift.
AVERAGE
Spy Glass Color Wheel Friday Fun (Sep 16, 2022) - Use red, blue and yellow cellophane to make a color wheel that teaches about combining the primary colors. Have your child see how many colors can be made by overlapping the cellophane layers. To see even more colors, the color wheel doubles as a spy glass that your child can look through to make the colors around them change.
EASY
Finger Puppets (Sep 12, 2022) - In this project, make four different finger puppets with a circus theme: acrobat, strongman, clown, and elephant. The puppets in this project are very simple—just print, color, cut and glue. They can be made with paper or cardstock.
VERY EASY
God's Eye Friday Fun (Sep 9, 2022) - If you are looking for a craft that kids love and is great for groups, look no further. God’s Eyes are made with just a few supplies and even small children get wonderful results.
VERY EASY
Cutout Edge Cards (Sep 5, 2022) - Special edge treatments are one of the things that can set your homemade card apart from a store-bought card. This greeting card tutorial shows how to add a cutout edge detail to your rubber stamped cards. Also, see how to draw a background using felt-tip markers.
EASY
Bubble Print Paper Friday Fun (Sep 2, 2022) - Use paint and bubble blowing liquid to make this kid-safe alternative for marbled paper. With this technique you will make pastel-colored prints of soap bubbles on paper that then can be used for other craft projects.
EASY
English Board Solitaire (Aug 29, 2022) - Sometimes it’s fun to play games by yourself! English board solitaire, also known as peg solitaire, is an easy little game that has been played for centuries. You can make this board by just printing, cutting, and playing! Or, make a special keepsake board with more durable materials.
VERY EASY
Tic-Tac-Toe Travel Game Friday Fun (Aug 26, 2022) - Make a reusable tic-tac-toe game board to play on long car rides, at a park, or on the beach. This simple to make game board with playing pieces easily packs in a backpack to play any time or place! Wherever you go, X (or O) marks the spot!
VERY EASY
Bath Buddies Friday Fun (Aug 19, 2022) - In no time flat, you and your kids can make enough soap buddies for weeks of bath time fun! Kids of all ages enjoy the squishy fun of making little soaps in a variety of shapes and colors. Shape them into balls or create cute shapes with soap molds.
VERY EASY
Foam Ball Hand Puppets (Aug 15, 2022) - Create quick and easy clown hand puppets based on Styrofoam® balls used as the puppet head. You can use felt cutouts and/or pom-poms and wiggly eyes to add a funny face to your clown puppet. Once you have made the clown puppet, try your hand at making other puppet characters by changing the felt cutouts and the fabric drape!
EASY
Circly Paper Chain Snake Friday Fun (Aug 12, 2022) - Link rings of construction paper together to form a long multi-colored snake that makes a terrific decoration hung from the ceiling, draped around the room, or framing a bulletin board. Turn the activity into a contest to see who can make the longest snake, create the funniest (or scariest) snake, or the most creative snake.
VERY EASY
Strip Folding Cards (Aug 8, 2022) - In this greeting card tutorial, learn how to use folded paper strips to give your card added depth with three-dimensional layers. This card making technique is a great way to enhance a small image or photo and to use decorative paper leftovers.
AVERAGE
Match Cards (Aug 1, 2022) - Make a set of match cards using Aunt Annie's designs or print blank cards to create your own unique deck of cards. Included in the project are the rules for playing three different games with the match cards and a bit about the history of playing cards.
EASY
Sweet Strawberries Friday Fun (Jul 29, 2022) - Make strawberries from walnuts in the shell that are painted red. This is a quick and easy project that both kids and adults will have fun doing! The strawberries can be used as decorations on gifts or around the house and make a wonderful gift to brighten anyone's day!
VERY EASY
Basics of Quilling (Jul 25, 2022) - Quilling is the art of rolling narrow strips of paper into coils or scrolls, and arranging them to form elegant filigree. In this project, you'll see how to use a toothpick to roll coils and scrolls then pinch, shape, and arrange them into decorative patterns.
EASY
Doorknob Hangers Friday Fun (Jul 22, 2022) - In this project, see how easy it is to make doorknob hangers to communicate with your family and friends. Create a hanger with any message and pictures you like. You might put 'Do Not Disturb' on one side and 'Wake In Time for School' on the other side. Use your imagination!
VERY EASY
Geometric Solids (Jul 17, 2022) - In this project, make four of the five Platonic solids—cube, tetrahedron, octahedron, and icosahedron. These geometric models can be used for things beyond learning about solid geometry. Decorate them and make a colorful mobile or use them as gift boxes.
EASY to AVERAGE
Love Bugs Friday Fun (July 8, 2022) - Make cute little bugs to give as gifts. They are molded in plastic spoons using plaster of Paris. This craft is great for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and any gift-giving occasion. Children of all ages, even as young as two, will enjoy making these love bugs as pins or magnets.
VERY EASY
Stenciled Flower Pots (Jul 4, 2022) - Turn a plastic flower pot from ordinary to extraordinary with stenciling. In this project, you will learn how to apply acrylic paint stencils to a small plastic flower pot. This technique can then be used to decorate larger plastic flower pots, plastic hanging baskets, plastic wastebaskets, or just about any plastic container.
AVERAGE
Easy Party Favor Bag (Jun 27, 2022) - In this project, learn how to make a small party favor bag that is self-closing. These easy to make bags are ideal for packaging small party favors of food, candy, soaps or jewelry. Choose from four sizes of printable patterns with or without the colorful dot designs.
EASY
Father's Day Gift Bags (Jun 13, 2022) - Make gift bags for Dad using patterns specially designed for Father's Day. Print the black & white patterns on colored paper and the colored patterns on white paper. These bags are in perfect sizes for homemade cookies or brownies.
EASY
Decoupage Box (Jun 6, 2022) - In this project, you will learn the basics of decoupage by decorating a box made from cardstock with images printed on your color printer. The same technique can be used to decoupage wooden boxes, glass vases or plates, etc. With the wealth of images available for downloading and printing, this traditional craft is well-suited for today.
EASY
Catch the Hare Game Board (May 30, 2022) - Make a roll-up game board for the game of Catch the Hare that includes a pocket for storing game pieces. The game board is made of paper and felt using iron-on adhesive, and requires no sewing. This Moorish hunt game is known as Cercar La Liebre in Spain and dates back to the 13th century.
EASY