Tag Archives: Kid Friendly

Easy DIY Kid Friendly Bat Halloween Décor Craft

This super easy DIY Halloween décor craft makes kid friendly bats that are lightweight enough to hang anywhere you like. All you need to make them are glue, google eyes, stiff felt sheets (or craft foam), and big pompoms. In fact, the idea came from my mother bringing me a bag full of sparkly pompoms saying, “They were on clearance, and I thought you could make something out of them.” Challenge accepted. I already had some giant friendly spiders, but couldn’t find any similar looking not-so-scary bats. The pompoms would be perfect for constructing my own.

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To create your own, first print out the template image at the end of the article. (Simply right click the template image on your computer then select print.) You can even set your printer to a different scale if you are using different sized pompom centers.

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Cut out the template and trace the image onto the felt. I used a silver Sharpie marker so that I could see the lines later. This is a great time to get the kiddos involved.

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Cut just inside the lines, unless you prefer an outlined look.

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Glue on the google eyes and wings. Try doing this at different angles to simulate various stages of flight. I used hot glue because it bonds immediately, but you should use something else if little ones are helping. Cheap clothespins make great clamps to hold items while glue dries.

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I already had spiders, but it’s easy to make your own by simply gluing the ends of pipe cleaners to the pompoms. Those are purple tinsel ones in the picture. You can also find them in a thicker variety that would look better on the larger centers. See pictures of them “crawling” over my tablescapes and staircase in the upcoming “Glitter-ween” party article.

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In order to hang the little guys later, slide a piece of thin wire through the back of the pompom and twist the ends together. If you’re using a different type of pompom, you can always glue a loop on. I prefer enclosed circles rather than hooks to prevent anyone from getting their fingers stuck. Also, they pack better after the holidays without sticking into each other.

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These hung really well from the round wall of my spiral staircase. They looked like they were flying to the second floor. Spooky shadows were created by luminarias beneath them on the stairs.

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I wrapped a chandelier in spider-web ribbon, then added the bats. One set down right in the center, another three looped right onto the metal tops holding the light shades, and only one needed to be wired onto the chain.

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Hang them anywhere and everywhere, and have a Happy Halloween!

Faithfully yours,

Leigh

lefideledesignsbatwingtemplate

 

DIY Glitter Pumpkin Tassels for Halloween Decorating

 

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This DIY Halloween project makes perfect use of all those leftover ribbon scraps that are just too pretty to throw away, but are too short to do much else with. There are many kinds of tiny pumpkins available at craft stores, and they don’t have to be glittered like these. I love to mix various textures and finishes of materials because it produces more visually compelling creations.

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I used some of the scatter pumpkins that were decorating my living room console. I really don’t know what sparked the idea, but I just had to turn some of them into tassels. The conundrum was how to accomplish this, but as one of my studio art professors said, “Art is about problem solving.” My answer came in the form of a hot glue gun.

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I first glued the ends of a few inches of shimmering green yarn onto the plastic stem of the pumpkins, in order to form a hanging loop. Then I glued matching flat ribbon, as I coiled it around the stem, until it was covered completely. Clearance and dollar bin ribbon are great for projects like this, when you need just a few lengths to complete the job.

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I gathered up all my coordinating ribbon scraps, and then cut additional lengths off new rolls that I had set aside for this year’s “Glitter-ween” Party theme. In that way, the finished product would harmonize with the other crafts I had already completed. I cut the wired ribbon into longer lengths to purposely be able to bend it into waves later. That would add dimension and separation by introducing “negative space” into the piece. Sometimes the empty places are as important to the composition as the materials themselves are. The wider ribbons, I either cut in half or folded in half and glued together. Cutting the gluing ends flat and the trailing ends pointed, into a V or W depending on the width, adds a touch of polish.

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I began gluing bent tips of the darkest and thickest ribbons to the center of the pumpkin bases. From there I just kept turning and gluing until I got to the thin ribbons and yarns. Those I added to the outside areas where it seemed like some color was needed to fill to the space.

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This is where to just keep adding intuitively until it looks finished. I always say that I work on a project until I’m afraid that I’ll mess it up if I add any more. Then and only then, is it finished. If you feel like something’s missing, take a break and come back to it later with a fresh perspective. If you still feel that it’s just not quite right, ask a creative friend for their opinion. Sometimes a conversation about a design is enough to generate even more of your own ideas.

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Laying out all the pumpkins helps to see if any errant lengths need to be trimmed down. Then it’s time decorate with them.

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They look fanciful hanging from lamp switches where light can reflect on them. That’s a glittered bell wreath perched atop the lampshade.

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They make great ornaments for indoor trees. Adding a Happy Halloween sign helped too.

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They connect the space between table and chandelier when suspended from the lights. The bats are an easy craft that will come with a PDF template in a future posting.

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If the loops are made large enough, they’ll hang on any doorknob, even an armoire.

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They can even hang from a tack nail on the wall where a bit of empty space needs decorative filling.

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Best of all, they’re one-of-a-kind handmade in the USA creations that not everyone on the block has seen in a store’s ad, and I had fun making them. Here’s hoping you do too!

Faithfully Yours,

Leigh