Friday 16 October 2009

jumping jellyfish

so i ended up making the jellyfish on my own as mr james didn't seem very interested in helping (but took all the credit mind you!)

anyway, here's a little tutorial if you're interested in giving it a go yourself :)



ingredients:
plastic drink bottles, ends cut off
(you could use yogurt tubs or similar)
different types of ribbon/string/yarn
different sizes bobbly things
(i got mine in a kids craft kit from kmart)
piece of net curtain*
pair of girls opaque stockings**
shiny stickers
sticky tape (for just in case you need it)
hole punch
scissors


steps (from left - right, reading across)
(you can click on the image to make it bigger)

  • cut the ends off of the bottles & punch holes around edges
  • cut one leg of the stockings off & then cut into strips (you could use the other leg to make a snake hand puppet or a snake softie perhaps)
  • remove the toe end & pull the strips so that they go thin & curly
  • separate your yarn & cut your ribbons, net curtain etc
  • tie the pieces through the holes you punched
  • sew your bobbly bits onto a long piece of thread
  • (i sewed through once, then back through again so they wouldn't slide down/off the thread)
  • i stabbed a couple of holes in the top of my jellyfish to hold the string it would hang from & threaded that through, tying it off with a knot (see close up below)
  • i then tied the thread with the bobbly bits onto this string on the inside of the bottle base (inside the jellyfish head)

  • stick your shiny & sparkly sticker things all over the jellyfish head
  • hang it up & you're done!
 

you could use any colours or pieces of ribbon/fabric scraps that you have on hand, i happen to have a son whose favourite colour is blue & i had everything else in my craft drawers
 
*  the net curtain is from when i used to make my own felt from scratch, i used to roll it up in the net curtain & a bamboo blind but that's a whole other story!

**  i got the girls opaque stockings at the salvation army shop, two pairs for 50c so i got lots in different colours for you-never-know-when

the main thing is that you use your & your kids' imaginations & have fun together :D


 
james' jellyfish
(i'm just happy he tried)

have a great weekend kids!
we're going to look at yet more houses so fingers crossed something comes up that we'll like :)

adios amigos
x

2 comments:

Annie said...

Fab activity. Happy memories came flooding back of fun crafting activities with my 3 little ones [my baby is 22 next week!]. Thanks for that. A x
p.s. thanks for dropping in to my blog

Apryl said...

its brilliant... H was never into crafts except to make a mess, get covered in paint/glue, and rub playdough into the carpet... he is nearly 6 (in 4 more sleeps) and is only starting to take an intrest in drawing... but at least he likes to help me cook and bake..