BIRTHDAY pARTy: Take Home Activity

DIY Flowered Headband “Loot Bags”

Inspired by Frida Kahlo

Theory & Practice : Supplies : Preparation : Printables

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Theory & Practice

Originally, I thought we were going to have the time for five activities at the party.  Inspired by both Frida Kahlo and my daughter, both of whom tend(ed) to draw their self-portraits with flowers in their hair, I assumed that some sort of flowered hair accessory would be in order.  After purchasing the supplies necessary for my Frida Kahlo Flowered Headbands, I realized, however, that it would be difficult to give the guests the individual attention they would need to complete the project in a short-enough stretch of time. Thinking about the four activities I already had planned, I figured we would be lucky to finish 3.5 of the four activities with time to enjoy our cupcakes before parents began to arrive to take the girls home.  The supplies, however, were already bought. [Ironically, most of them came from the art store as opposed to the dollar store, maxing this craft out at the top of my $30 per craft budget. So, if one left this activity out of the picture, so to speak, the craft budget would likely max out at just $100 - not bad at all].  Instead of keeping the supplies to use for something else, I decided to go ahead and send the girls home with a take-home version of the headband that they could complete with the help of their parents. A loot basket  filled with the four sets of objects we had already made at the party was surely “loot” enough. Still, I figured we might as well go for the gold and package these items up “to-go style” for everyone to enjoy.  The headbands were a big hit – I had several of the girls from the party come up to me in teh schoolyard on the following mornings to report their progress.  With this in mind, I think it’s safe to say that on its own,  this craft would make a good “loot bag” for any party!!

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Supplies

Sheets of Felt in 2 Colours
2 sheets/1 per colour per 3-4 guests
Sparkly Buttons
Plastic Headbands
Embroidery Floss
Embroidery Needles
Small Clear Plastic Loot Bags
Curling Ribbon
1 Pair Sharp Scissors
Multi-Coloured Index Cards
11.5×16.5 cm, 1 per craft per guest
Paper Clips
mine looked like tiny clothes pins
Computer
Printer
Printer Paper

Optional Loot Basket for all Activities 
9x12in Plastic Basket for each guest
Avery Label printed with each guest’s name

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Preparation

Print

1. Since I was packaging up this take-home activity in a small lootbag, I planned to include the five index cards/instruction sheets that I had designed for each of the party crafts. On sheets of 11.5×16.5cm cardstock I found at the dollar store, I printed out the double-sided instruction/artist-bio cards I designed for each activity, choosing a different colour for each craft. You’ll see the text and a downloadable version of each index card on the web-page for each activity. I have also included links to those word docs below in the Printables section. Additionally, the text of the Kahlo activity and the word version of that card are both among the Printables. 
2. For this headband activity, I designed patterns for the large and small headband flowers, scanned them into the computer, and printed multiple patterns on plain paper.  You’ll find these in the Printables below.
3. Then, using the “collage” feature on my favourite photo site, http://www.picnik.com, I put together a photo-strip of head-band making in action. I printed them out on plain paper so that the guests would have a visual guide to go with their instructions. (See Printables section below for all of these templates.)   

Cut and Package

1. I cut my pages full of flower patterns and how-to photos into individual images, 1 of each item per guest. 
2. Using SHARP scissors, I cut my felt into 10cm/4in squares, reserving 2 squares of each colour for each guest.
   (They only need 1 of each colour, but I wanted to leave room for error.)
3. I cut the embroidery floss into 60cm/24in lengths, one length for each guest.
4. I pinned one button to one of each of the guests’s squares of felt using the embroidery needle I wanted to include.
5. I used a pretty paper clip to secure sets of the five index cards for each guest.
6. I packed all of these items, along with a plastic headband, into a clear plastic loot bag and tied if off with some pretty purple curling ribbon.

Here’s the finished product:

Optional Loot Basket:  The week before the party, I picked up a 9x12in basket for each guest at the dollar store and placed an avery label with their name on one of the handles.  I had these stacked in a pile at the outset of the party. These came in handy as a place for the guests to deposit their finished crafts after we’d finished each one.  Towards the end of the party, I snuck in this pre-wrapped take-home activity, and I placed their plastic-wrapped Mini Action Painting in this bucket, too.  This way, each girl went home with a basket full of goodies.

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Printables

Here’s a sheet of Photo How-To Strips you can print, cut, and include in your loot bags.

Here are sheets of Large Flower Pattern templates and the Small Flower Pattern templates.

Here are the word-docs for the four main project Index Cards: Mini Action Paintings Index Card  : Pop Art Index Card : Secret Wish Fashion Photo Ornament Index Card : Chanel Chic Pearl and Ribbon Jewelry Index Card 

And, here’s the printable Frida Kahlo Flowered Headband Index Card I provided to the guests in the loot bag. You’ll also find the text below!  Good luck!!_______________________________

TAKE HOME CRAFT: Frida Kahlo Flower Headband

Supplies: Headband, Two Colours of Felt, Button, Needle & Thread, Sharp Scissors,      (Optional: Hot Glue Gun), Flower Patterns

Using the patterns provided and a pair of sharp scissors, cut the gray felt into a larger sized flower and the purple felt into a smaller sized flower. Thread your needle and knot it at the end.

Stack your felt flowers (smaller on top) and place a button at the top and center of these flowers. Starting from the bottom center of the felt, sew up and through the hook on the back of the button and back down through the center. Continue sewing up and through the button and back down again about 5-7 times. If you are NOT using hot glue, keep your needle and thread attached to the flower. If you’re using hot glue, knot and trim your thread, and attach the flower to the headband now.

To continue with the sewing method, place the flower where you would like it on the headband. Wrap the thread underneath the headband and sew back up and through the button, Sew back down through the flower, around the band, and back up through and button, etcetera, another 5-7 times. Now, knot and trim the thread!
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INSPIRATION: FRIDA KAHLO (1907-1954)

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter.

She was known for her self-portraits.

She often painted herself with flowers or pretty dragonflies in her hair.

Kahlo was a survivor. She was often very sick, but she would not stop painting!

She said that she painted her own portrait so often because she knew herself better than anyone else!   

How well do you know yourself?

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The Lunchbox Season : Summer of Funner : In Defense of Burning

September 22, 2011

It’s a toy and a treat all in one, a cookie lollipop wrapped up with a little magic and mystery.  Last year, for the bakesale at the school’s Fall Fun Fair, we baked our first batch of Sugar Cookie Wands. This year, we got it down to a science, finding even more ways to get the kids actively involved.  

These Sugar Cookie Wands are great for bakesales, alternatives to birthday cake (say, at movies or sports parties), in loot bags, as stand-alone party favours, and holiday treats.

Supplies  *  Ingredients  *  Baking  *  Decorating  *  Wrapping  * Labelling

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SUPPLIES

50 (1/2 Package) Wooden Coffee Stirrer Sticks
1-2 Rolls Clear Cellophane Wrapping Paper
1 Roll Festive Curling Ribbon
1 piece Colourful Cardstock or 2 Index Cards
Parchment Paper for Baking

All of these supplies are available at our local dollar store.  The kids really like choosing the ribbon colours and poking around. Alternatives to the Coffee Stirrer Sticks may include tongue depressors, wooden popsicle sticks, 8-in wooden skewers (pointed tips removed with scissors, cut tips never inserted into cookie dough) and lollipop sticks (from the bulk or baking supply store).   Do not use bamboo skewers for this project, they take on a strange odour when wet!!!

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INGREDIENTS
makes 48-50 cookie wands

Dough

1 1/3 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tbs milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour

Icing   1 500g bag icing sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, food colouring

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BAKING

Making the Dough

• Have the kids cream the butter and sugars in a mixer.
• Let them crack the eggs and add them one at a time.
• Add the vanilla and milk and mix until smooth.
• Add baking soda and salt.
• Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until incorporated.
• Refrigerate dough until needed.

 The Wand-Maker’s Technique

• Heat oven to 350 F.
• Line two cookie sheets with parchment.
• Have two more parchment liners ready for the remainder of the dough.
• Have the kids form tim-bit sized balls of cookie dough with a teaspoon or with their hands.
• Insert a coffee stirrer stick half-way into each ball.
• Flatten the dough into a disc as the kids see fit: try pressing them flat between your hands, try pressing your hand onto the ball of dough on the baking tray, or try pressing it with a flat bottomed jar, a cup, or a rolling pin.

  Have the kids align the pressed cookies onto parchment lined cookie sheets so that the sticks don’t stray too far. They came up with the skull & crossbones pattern to the right. You can fit about 12 per sheet.

• Bake for 9-11 minutes.
• Leave on hot baking trays for 3-5 minutes.
• With cookies still on parchment, cool completely on wire racks.

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 DECORATING

Making the Icing

• Have the kids divide the sugar from the bag into 2 or 3 bowls.
• Add 1/2 tsp vanilla to each bow.l
• Add milk 1 tbs at a time to each bowl, stirring hard, until icing becomes of a thick  but drizzlable consistency.
• Add food colouring 1 drop at a time to create the kids’ choice of 2-3 colours.

The Icing-Spreader’s Technique

• This is messy. You might want to cover your table or workspace with a plastic cloth or an old cotton sheet.
• Once cookies have cooled, rearrange each batch on their parchment paper sheets so that the cookies are in the center and the sticks jut out from the edge of each sheet.
• Choose a “base” (usually your darkest) colour of icing. Using a tablespoon, have the kids drop or swirl icing onto each cookie, beginning in the centre.
• Icing WILL run to the sides and off of the cookies. 
• Choose your second colour of icing. Using a teaspoon, drop or swirl icing onto each cookie, attempting to fill in the naked places on each cookie you missed the first time.
• If you chose to make a third colour of icing, swirl, scatter, or dallop this on to your cookies now!
• After letting the icing harden on the cookies for 10-15 minutes, remove cookies from the parchment sheets and place them on wire racks to continue to set without sticking to one another or to the gooey parchment sheet.  You might want to place the wire racks on top of the old parchment sheets or your tablecloth. The cookies WILL continue to drip. The kids will try to lick and taste the icing from the now-empty parchment sheets. Will you let them?    
•  Be sure the icing is set completely before wrapping your cookies.

  Alternative Decoration Ideas

• Instead of starting with cookie balls, roll out your cookie dough a little thicker than you normally would for cut-outs and use cookie-cutters to create special shapes for your wands. Carefully insert a stirrer stick in the midst of each cookie’s thickness. Tricky…
• Impress white or coloured sugar into the cookie before baking .
• Add food colouring straight to your dough for a coloured cookie base.
• Ice each cookie in a single colour for a monotone look. Or gradually darken the hue of the icing as you go along for a paint-deck style array.
• Add coloured sugars, sprinkle or decors to a single or multicoloured cookie.
• Make some icing a little thicker and, using a small-nosed squeegee bottle, draw faces or shapes on each cookie.
• Use fruit juice instead of milk in your icing.

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WRAPPING

• Cut 50, 12-in lengths of ribbon.
• Slicing across the entire length of the roll of cellophane, cut 12-in wide strips.
• Cut each 12-in strip into 4 equal sections (you should have long rectangles).
• Place a section of cellophane on the flat surface in front of you such that the longer portion of the rectangle of cellophane is horizontal and the stubbier portion of the rectangle is vertical. 
• Place the cookie part of your wand in the center bottom of the rectangle of cellophane.
• Fold the cellophane down over top of the cookie, forming a new rectangle whose vertical height is now half of its former size.
• Fold the cellophane to the left side of the cookie at a 90 degree angle back behind the cookie, so that what was the right side of the top of the rectangle is now bent over and running parallel with the stick.
• Do the same to the cellophane to the right side of the cookie.
• Fold the right side in small increments at an angle towards the front of the cookie.
• Do the same with the left side of the cookie.
• Wrap the ribbon around the base of the cookie and tighten into a knot.
• Tie a bow with the ribbon.
• Curl the edges if you like.

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LABELLING

Finally, you can create a card listing the name and ingredients of the Cookie Wand by writing or printing on a piece of cardstock or an index card. We used the same technique to make this card as we did to create our  canning labels, scanning a photo into picnik.com, adding text to list our title and ingredients, and printing it out in black and white on cardstock. Then, the kids folded and taped the cardstock to make a stand-up card.  Finally, we penned in “Buy Me For: __” to leave space for the organizers to set a price. Alternatively, you could print the name and ingredients on a small set labels and attach each label like a “flag” to the stick.

Voila!  Sugar Cookie Wands!

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The Lunchbox Season : Summer of Funner : In Defense of Burning