OK, DD wants a craft party and I need some ideas please?

[MaggieW]

She's turning 10 and I need some crafts that a group of 10 boys and girls can do to produce something simple, inexpensive but lovely. She wants to decorate t shirts, so that's one, but three more ideas needed please? I've realised she'll have to have the party in a fortnight, as no other date suit, so the pressure is on!! TIA.

Check out Pinterest! Masses of incredibly cool crafts.

Try Pinterest!

X post!

Decorate mugs/glasses/cereal bowls with ceramic/glass pens (Baker Ross do some good glitter ones that are about £10 for 6).

You can buy canvas shopper bags really cheaply and they can decorate them. Buy fabric pens and stencils to use. Go to a haberdashers (one in a market will be good and cheap) and buy buttons and ribbons etc and they could do a bit of simple sewing too.

Transfers are fun and pretty easy. You can buy fabric transfer solution, which looks a bit like pvc glue, and you can print photos then transfer them onto bags/t-shirts/cushion covers.

Hobbycraft and Dunlem Mill would be good shops to look in.

What about tie-dying?

have you tried Baker Ross?
loads of ideas there

How about painting (and sticking bits to) cheap wooden picture frames. I think Hobbycraft do them for about £2, but you can probably get them cheaper off the internet. If you have time, it's nice to take a picture of the party guests to stick in before they leave as well.

How about making/decorating masks?

Decoupage pencil pots

• need watered down PVA glue (50:50 water:glue roughly) - or Decopatch glue which makes it glossy at the end and more 'pro' looking
• get some old magazines, catalogues, newspaper cuttings, annuals, books, maps from around the house (or charity shops)
• get a range of old pots - Pringle pots, drinking chocolate pots, dried milk pots etc. If too tall, cut in half, using the lid of the pot as the bottom of pencil pot (and glue in place).

Rip up paper, paint on glue, paint on paper, stick randomly and leave to dry.

Shrink wrap keyrings? Fimo or air dry clay models? Decorating tote bags? Sock puppets?

How about ceramic painting? Or using air dry clay/fimo clay to create models or beads or something they can take away with them?

You can get packs of ceramic paints or pens for about £8 - £10 from places like Baker Ross and then pick up some cheap ceramics to decorate or use old plain mugs or vases you've got lying around the house.

You could also customise bags or pencil cases with stickers, gems, fabric paints. Glow in the Dark paint is also great fun for this and you can pick up accessories quite cheaply from a number of places.

Done this twice for DD - Baker Ross/Yellow Moon are your friend. We did an owl themed one for her 10th birthday this year - cushions, bracelets, scratch things, big collage that they all joined in on plus something else I can't remember!

We have also done glass painting, jewelery making, and sun-catchers over the years. Cheaper than an organised party and DC love it. Also don't need to do party bags as they have lots to take home anyway :o

I'd second the decoupage idea - did this at dd's party this year and went really well - we used decoupage paper from The Range - works well because it's thinner than ordinary paper but stronger than tissue and not v. expensive - the decopatch branded stuff is much more costly.

I'll third decoupage - you can buy cheap picture frames from poundshops and cover them in "The Range" paper really cheaply!

Also - we bought a white paper tablecloth and got the kids to draw their own place mat on it and decorate in between with birthday messages and doodles - they seemed to do this activity for evvvvvvvvver.

Party crowns and bags -plain ones to decorate themselves are also great - and those mosaic things with sticky back foam squares where they can do their own design on a board coaster type thing..

Thanks all. We're going to do decoupage. I've had a look at the Range stuff but can't seem to find the paper - which section is it under please?