Ballerina Bunnies – drawing tutorial and coloring page

Ballerina Bunnies – drawing tutorial and coloring page

by | Apr 20, 2023 | Craft Tutorials

Our 11-year-old’s love of bunnies and ballet comes together in this post.  Follow along with her tutorial on how to draw a cute ballerina bunny.  Or if you prefer a coloring page, print our FREE Ballerina Bunnies coloring page.  These sweet bunnies are practicing their ballet positions and steps.  Have fun!

Click on the coloring page image to get your FREE printable of the ballerina bunnies!

Love bunnies too?

Meet our bunny and learn to make a flower crown bunny treat.

ballerina bunnies

Love ballet too?

Learn to make a ballerina sylph doll!

Have fun!

Ballerina Sylphs and Flower Fairies Tutorial

Ballerina Sylphs and Flower Fairies Tutorial

by | Apr 19, 2023 | Craft Tutorials

Inspired by the ballet, Les Sylphides, we decided to make some pocket sylph dolls.  They are so fun to make, and even more fun to play with.  Follow along to learn how to make your own ballerina sylphs, flower fairies, and poet dolls. Our YouTube video (see below) will guide you through each step.

les sylphides flower fairy doll
sylph and poet

These sweet little dolls may be tiny, but they require quite a long list of materials and tools. To help you in making these dolls, we’ve put together a detailed list of supplies, with clickable links. We found that the right materials are key to making these dolls.  Once you have the materials gathered, you and your children can enjoy making a variety of dolls. Each doll will be totally unique! 

Here is a list of the materials we used:

Floral Wire

Floral wire should be cloth covered, 18″ long, and 22 guage.  The guage is important.  We tried a different guage at first, and it was more difficult to bend.  Interesting fact – the higher the guage, the thinner and more easily bent the wire is.  22 guage seems a nice balance between easy to bend while making the doll, but stiff enough to keep its form when the doll is finished.  We found our floral wire at Hobby Lobby.  A similar wire can be found on Amazon.

Wooden Beads

We used 3/4 inch diameter wooden beads for the fairy doll heads, and 1/4 inch diameter wooden beads for the fairy doll bun.  For the poet dolls, we used 1 inch diameter wooden beads for the head.  This variety pack of beads works well.

Tools

For the tiny details on these dolls, we decided to get a fine tip hot glue gun. We think this type of glue gun is really helpful. This KeLDE glue gun comes with some hot glue sticks.  Hot glue sticks, of course, are also needed for the dolls. You will also need needle nose pliers, scissors, and ruler or tape measure.

Paints, paint brushes, toothpicks, and Q-tips

We used Apple Barrel acrylic paints to paint on the hair and faces. It is also helpful to have small paint brushes and toothpicks to paint on the small features of the dolls. We used Q-tips to paint the cheeks. Optionally, you may choose to apply a layer of Mod Podge to make the painted faces more durable.

Embroidery floss

We used skin-toned embroidery floss, as well as ballet pink for our fairy dolls.  We also used a variety of colors for the bodice of the fairy doll.  For the poet, we used skin tones, as well as white for the tights, and blue or black for the shirt. We like DMC floss, but a large variety pack of floss can also be nice to have on hand.

Model Magic or Wood Putty

To fill in the hole at the top of the bun of the fairy, or the head of the poet, we used Model Magic. You only need a tiny amount of Model Magic, but the extra can be used for so many other creative projects!  Wood putty could also be used.

Tulle (and a needle and thread)

For the skirts of our ballerina sylphs we used a roll of 6 inch wide tulle. You will also need a needle and thread.  For a no-sew version, simply use flower petals for the skirt.

Artificial flower petals

We used small artificial flower petals (such as daisy or hydrangea petals) for the sylph and fairy wings.  The flower fairy skirts are made from larger flower petals. We found our flowers at a local craft store.

And now… let’s make

Ballerina Sylphs and Flower Fairies!

Watch our YouTube video for step-by-step details on how to easily make ballerina sylphs and flower fairies.  (For tips on making the male poet dancer dolls, see below.)

If you would like to make the poet from Les Sylphides, follow similar steps to the fairies, but make it slightly larger.  Use a 1 inch bead for the head.  Make the arms 1.75 inches long.  Simply fold the ends of the legs to make little feet.  Use white embroidery floss for the tights and the sleeves. Use a blue or black embroidery floss to make the shirt.  Add wistful poet scarf with a small white or metallic piece of floss.  Ta da!  Ready to dance!

les sylphides doll poet

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Time to play with your fairies! Flutter… Dance… Have Fun!

Looking for more springtime flower ideas? Check out our April Showers Bring May Flowers post.  You’ll find ideas for flower crafts, outdoor flower walks, May Day and Mother’s Day baskets, and even a Flower Name Bingo Game, perfect for a springtime party.

flower bingo

Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Homemade Easter Decorations that Last

Homemade Easter Decorations that Last

by | Apr 6, 2023 | Craft Tutorials

Making Easter decorations together that can last for years is a special treat!  In this post, we’ll show you how to make an Easter scene with peg dolls, hand painted wooden eggs, and an Easter garland.

Easter Story Peg Dolls

Our family really enjoyed creating an Easter peg doll scene a few years ago.  Having an Easter scene provides a tangible experience for children to imagine the details of the story of Easter, like a manger scene does at Christmastime.

We chose 2 3/8 inch size peg dolls, but you could choose any size. We loved looking at the ideas on Catholic Icing. for inspiration on how to paint the peg dolls. If you are not up for painting, Catholic Icing also has printable decoupage designs to make creating the peg dolls even easier.

Catholic Icing also has a very well done resurrection story that combines the multiple gospel stories into one to make it easier for children to understand the details.

 

easter peg dolls

We found that getting some extra peg dolls was helpful so that our toddler could paint the dolls however she wanted to while the older children and mom and dad worked on the details of the Easter figures.  She loved painting and playing with these dolls!

good friday peg dolls

We originally made our Calvary Hill and tomb using air dry clay.  We found that the clay crumbled over the years.  This year, we remade Calvary Hill and the tomb using Model Magic.  Modle Magic is much sturdier and lightweight, so we think it will hold up better to playing.

 

 

We used a plastic container for the base of the hill, then covered it with Model Magic. We then placed real stones on the hill, and secured a wooden cross into the clay.  Finally we pained the Model Magic and stones with a watered down light brown acrylic paint. For the tomb, we began with a cardboard structure, and covered it with Model Magic, then added rocks and paint. Our 4-year-old had so much fun placing the rocks in the clay! It takes quite a bit of model magic to make the tomb and Calvary Hill, so we recommend a large tub of Model Magic.

We also remade our crucified Jesus figure this year. (Once again, air dry clay did not hold up over the years, but we think Model Magic will.) We used a wooden bead for the head to make the head about the same size and look as the peg dolls.  We used floral wire to form the body, and then covered the wire in Model Magic.  In order to easily attach the figure of Jesus to the cross on Good Friday, we tied a string under the head that fits around the top of the cross.

peg doll jesus crucified

We wrap the Jesus figure in a small cloth and place the figure in the tomb on Good Friday.  On Easter Sunday morning, the children wake up to find the stone rolled away, and the tomb empty.  We like to hide the figure of the resurrected Jesus somewhere in the room so that the children have the experience of looking for Jesus, like his friends did on the very first Easter morning. We also place flowers near the tomb as a reminder that the tomb was in a garden… and to add even more Easter joy!

easter peg dolls

Painted Wooden Eggs

We made this set of nesting eggs many years ago, and it is still a favorite to display when we decorate.  Even the youngest children can decorate eggs… our newborn at the time used her fingerprints to make dots on the egg. It’s fun to paint names on the eggs, as well as the year the eggs were painted.  

To create your set of eggs, find a wooden egg set (or multiple sets) that allows each member of the family to paint at least one egg. 

We used acrylic paints to paint the eggs, and then gave them a coating of Mod Podge.

nesting easter eggs

The year my parents had their 12th grandchild, each grandchild painted a wooden egg, and we presented them with a carton of a dozen eggs on Easter.  We got two sets of these wooden eggs (which are already painted white).

Rather than use an old egg carton, we found cute colorful cartons to store and display the eggs.

Joyful Easter Banner

Catholic Easter Garland

Creating an Easter garland together can be fun, as each member of the family can create a part of it.  If you are looking for something simple, consider coloring our Easter hymn garland (an instant download on Etsy).  For full details on creating this simple, garland, click here. Or use your own ideas to create your own beautiful banner to celebrate Easter… so many possibilities!  Have fun!

Happy Easter!

Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Spring Folk Art Trees

Spring Folk Art Trees

by | Mar 24, 2023 | Craft Tutorials

We’ve been studying about Colonial history this year.  The cheerful and simple folk art depicting Colonial times inspired us to learn more about folk art.  

To learn about how to make folk art trees, we watched a video on Deep Space Sparkle.

This great tutorial from Deep Space Sparkle focusses on trees in the autumn, but as it is springtime, we modified the designs for spring. 

We also chose to draw the designs with colored pencil, rather than Sharpies (a little safer with little ones!).

We also found inspiration from Cheryl Bartley designs.  She has free coloring pages too!

 

We had so much fun on a late winter (almost spring!) afternoon, looking out at the trees, and creating folk art together.  Before creating our art we spent some time looking closely at the trees.  Only God can make so many branches and leaves, but the simplicity of folk art allows us to capture the beauty of trees in a simple and fun way. Hope your family can enjoy some art time together too! Here is a sampling of our art…

folk art spring tree

folk art trees with flower embellishments

Our 8-year-old had fun adding spring blossoms to her trees.

folk art forest

folk art trees in a forest

Our 11-year-old enjoyed making a peaceful spring forest scene.

folk art winter

folk art trees with sparkling snow

Spring often comes with surprise snowfalls.  Our 8-year-old added a sprinkling of salt over her watercolor to make her trees look like they have a glimmer of snow.

folk art tree toddler

folk art trees by our toddler

Folk art is for any age.  Our toddler had so much fun painting her trees too!

folk art trees

folk art spring tree garden

Even Mama joined in the fun of painting. Making art together brings so much peace to the day!

Looking for art supplies?

Check out the links below for art supplies we love for this project.

Enjoy!

 

Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Paris Picture Books – a Fun way to learn French

Paris Picture Books – a Fun way to learn French

by | Mar 21, 2023 | Craft Tutorials

We love learning through picture books!  Both young children and older children can benefit from reading picture books. In this post we have fun crafts and learning activities for you to learn French while enjoying children’s picture books set in Paris:  The Red Balloon, Madeline, and Kiki and Coco in Paris. There are activities suitable for a variety of age levels and language learning levels.

To get all of the FREE French learning printables in this post, click here.

The Red Balloon

red balloon

We’ve been reading The Red Balloon lately, and our 4-year-old just asked today if we could meet “that little boy in Paris who goes to school” with his balloon.  So cute!  We had to explain that the story is quite old, and the boy is probably the age of a grandpa right now.

There is definitely something endearing about this story!

I had to explain to my children that Paris looks quite different today.  These photos were taken not too long after World War II when Paris had been through quite a difficult time. For a book with modern images of Paris, try Kiki and Coco (at the end of this post).

 

The Red Balloon Craft – Make a Flying with Balloons Picture

Reading The Red Balloon provides a great opportunity to talk with children about the fact that what they see in a photograph (or in a video) might not actually be real.  This art project allows children to make a photo that makes it seem like they are floating over Paris with a bunch of balloons.  Simply follow the directions in the FREE printable to make your own picture.  The printable has a photo of the Paris sky and balloons.  You may take a photo of your child on tippy toes, pretending to hold balloons, or use one of the provided images,

The Red Balloon craft idea

The Red Balloon French Activity – Find French in the Photos

Red Ballon Vocabulary Activities

Looking closely at the photos in The Red Balloon, you can find so many French words. Download our FREE printable to learn the meanings of the words and find the words in the story photos. Then try to match the words to the provided images in our word matching activity.  Have fun!

Madeline

madeline

This classic book full of rhymes, beautiful illustrations, and sweet lessons might just be one to add to your home library. We kept checking out a copy from the library over the years, and finally decided one should be on our bookshelf too.

Madeline also subtly teaches about Paris through its memorable illustrations.

 

Madeline Craft – Make a House and Dolls

madeline house
madeline house

We made this house several years ago, but our daughters still talk about how much fun they had making it and playing with it.  We made the house out of a large printer paper box, used hot glue to attach the roof and chimneys, then painted it with acrylic paint.  While some of the details of the house might be best done by an adult or an older child, we found that painting the vines was especially fun for younger children (and though not pictured here, we let our youngest paint the sides of the house however she wanted to while we worked on the details of the front).

We used small wooden peg dolls to make Madeline and her friends (only 2 of the 12 pictured here).  We painted them with yellow acrylic paint and cut felt circles to make their hats.  For tall Miss Clavel, we used a wooden round clothes pin, and painted it blue.  

Madeline French Activity – Paris Landmarks

madeline paris landmarks

Download our FREE printable Paris map activity to learn where the many landmarks pictured in Madeline actually are on a map.

You may also like to try this speaking and writing activity connected with the Madeline story. Learn and practice questions like, “How are you?”  “Where do you live?” and “What do you love?” If you are brand new to French, consider entering the French text on the worksheet into  Narakeet (this turns text into audio, just select French as the language). Need to look up the French words for things you love?  Try this online dictionary: ReversoDictionary.

madline speaking activity

Kiki and Coco in Paris

kiki and coco in paris

Kiki and Coco in Paris could be called a modern day Red Balloon story. Wonderful photographs of Paris the tell the story of a girl and her doll, rather than a boy and his balloon.  It’s adorable, and book to be read many times over, imagining Kiki’s fun trip to Paris with her doll, Coco.

 

Kiki and Coco in Paris Craft – Make a Doll

felt doll
natural fiber doll

Making a doll can be so fun and rewarding for children.  Our homeschool elementary sewing group made felt dolls a number of years ago.  Each doll turned out adorable and unique!  We found the pattern for these at CasaMagubako on Etsy, and each girl modified the style to make her own unique doll.

For older girls, making a Waldorf-style natural fiber doll can be fun.  These dolls last for years!  I made many of them as a teen, and my children still play with them today.

For young children, just giving them some fabric scraps, stuffing and a needle and thread can be a great opportunity to create their own special doll.  I still remember one of the dolls I made, probably around the age of 5… loosely stitched together with pick fabric, a face drawn it, and some lace to decorate it.

If you would like to make a doll just like the one in the story, Jess Brown has her own book:  The Making of a Rag Doll.

 

Kiki and Coco in Paris French Activities

Kiki and Coco word activity

Instantly download these FREE printables to learn some French while enjoying the story of Kiki and Coco.  We recommend just enjoying the story a few times first, then trying the activities.  The first activity lists the French translations of some of the items seen in the pictures of the story (for example, a doll, a slide, and a dog).  The idea is to say the words in French when you see them in the book.  The second activity gives spaces for the child to draw pictures of some of these French words (or second-grader loved this!).  The third activity is a word search to help solidify the vocabulary knowledge (this one is a challenge – suited for upper elementary and older).

Amusez-vous bien!  Have fun!

Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Water Princess Giving Well Activity

Water Princess Giving Well Activity

by | Mar 11, 2023 | Craft Tutorials

The book, The Water Princess, tells the story of the young Georgie Badiel spending entire days walking to get water for her family in Africa. Inspired by this story, we decided to make a paper well that can be used like a Lenten paper “rice bowl” to collect money for those in need.

Simply print the free printable on cardstock and read along to learn how to create the well. The French version of the well says, “Mon Puits pour la Vie” (my well for life – “puits” rhymes with “vie”).  The English version says, “My Giving Well.”  There is also a plain version (as requested by my daughter so that she could use it with her doll house).

If you would like to read the Water Princess before you create the well, click the image for an Amazon link.

the water princess

Let’s make a well…

lent giving well

Click Here to Get your Free Printable

Print your printable on cardstock.  The printable comes in a French, English, and plain version.

the water princess

Step 1

After printing on cardstock, cut out each of the pieces of the well.

the water princess

Step 2

Tape or glue the stone well into a circle.

the water princess

Step 3

Fold tabs up around water circle.

the water princess

Step 4

Tape or glue the water circle to the inside bottom of the well.

the water princess

Step 5

Fold posts in half.

the water princess

Step 6

Fold roof in half on solid line.  Cut slits on dotted lines.

the water princess

Step 7

insert posts into slits in the roof.  Then gently bend tops of posts to secure them to the roof.

the water princess

Step 8

Tape or glue the posts to the side of the well.

the water princess

Step 9

Place coins in your well.   After saving coins, donate to people in need.

You could use your well to collect money for the Georgie Badiel Foundation listed at the end of the book: https://www.georgiebadielfoundation.org/  (Sparkles and Sprinkles is not affilliated with this foundation, but you can learn more by clicking on the link.  For French speakers, there is a neat video of a women speaking in French about the impact having a well in her community has had on her life.)

You could also use your well to collect money for other organizations that help those in need, near your home or around the world.

“…but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

« …l’eau que je lui donnerai deviendra en lui une source d’eau jaillissant, jusqu’à la vie éternelle. » Jean 4:14

Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.