making: garden toadstools


Today I am embarking on a new journey that I'm calling
making...

Specifically...making things with the mountain of craft supplies that I have accumulated over the years.  (some from a business I owned over a decade ago!)  Amazing scores at Thrift Stores has filled my cupboards with almost every kind of supply you can dream of and it's now time to use it up!

So my goal is to turn most of these supplies into
something pretty, something useful, or something for someone else to enjoy!
Please join me in the first steps of this (possibly lengthy) journey...

 Supplies:
(for 1 small toadstool)
6" x 3/16" dowel
1" split ball
1" oval bead with 3/16" hole
glue (wood glue or Weldbond)
red and white acrylic paint
paint brushes
drill with a 3/16" drill bit
a small vice

(for 1 large toadstool)
6" x 3/16" dowel
2" split ball
1 1/8"W x 1 1/4"H candle cup
red and white acrylic paint
 
Step 1:  paint the split ball red and the bead white

Step 2:  when the paint is dry, paint white spots on the toadstool cap

Step 3:  when the paint is dry, put the toadstool cap upside in a vice and drill a 3/16" hole in the centre about 1/4" deep.

 Step 4:  slide the bead onto the dowel (redrill hole if it doesn't slide easily) and glue the toadstool cap and stem into place.  Let dry.

For the large toadstool...
 Follow Steps: 1-3 but using the larger supplies

Step 4:  drill a 3/16" hole through the bottom of the candle cup

 Step 5slide the cup onto the dowel and glue the toadstool cap to the stem.  Let dry.

 Final Step:  if you are going to use your toadstools outdoors, you may choose to polish with a beeswax finish to protect from outdoor weather conditions.

Caution:  you may find that these toadstools have a tendency to multiply if your children see you making them!  They are a very satisfying craft project for children over the age of 4.
 (with supervision and drilling done by an adult of course!) 

To see all of the other projects that I tackle as I clear out my cupboards, you can subscribe to madebyjoey by using the buttons on the top of the right sidebar.

Thanks for stopping by,
~ joey ~

ps.  this new desire to finally clear out the old supplies was sparked in part by Maya's post and the book "Throw out fifty things".

6 comments:

  1. These are FABULOUS! I love the whimsy of toadstools, and I love gardening, so this is a dream craft in my books.

    Blessings...

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  2. What a great idea! I love toadstools and this would be a great project for the class I'm teaching in the summer to add to our children's community garden!

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  3. These are so cute! Thanks so much for linking up with Made in a Day last week!
    Kim

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  4. Too super cute! I'm putting together a tutorial link post and I plan to include these!

    Natashalh

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  5. Oh very cute!! Thanks for sharing your post with us! I hope you join us again (yeah I know it’s a day late… linky issues) at Eco-Kids Tuesday!!

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  6. These are so darling! I know I have some of those craft items, I'll have to make some.

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I really enjoy reading your thoughts and ideas about the posts that I write here. It's nice to just say hi too!
~ joey ~