bosch schrodinger: Create some fun with Popsicle sticks

I love to make crafts. I might not necessarily be great at it, but that is fine with me. I enjoy making crafts. I?m in it for the ?fun factor?.

Ever since my kids were little they have been doing crafts along side of me. I always tried to gear the craft towards them more so than me. After all, you don?t want a 5 year old using a hot glue gun.

If you have ever visited a craft store you know that you can go crazy buying the various craft supplies, especially if you love crafting. I try to stay out of those stores because I always spend a small fortune buying fun craft supplies.

What I like to do is use items around my home and re-purpose them. I love to give my kids a handful of things from around our home and see what creative things they make with them. Of course I?ll add in some other craft supplies like Googly eyes, pom poms, paint and glue. In fact we used to keep a plastic box with a lid (about the size of a shoe box) that I would toss in miscellaneous things that I thought the kids could use in their crafts. Many rainy days were saved with the crafting supply box.

One of the best crafting supplies are Popsicle sticks. I used to love to build things with Popsicle sticks when I was a young girl. I used to use them to create houses for my Fisher Price Little People and furniture for my Barbies. After I was done enjoying my Popsicle I would wash off the sticks and keep them in a sandwich bag until I had enough to build my creation with. Back in the day we had the double Popsicles so I would get two sticks every time I enjoyed a Popsicle.

What I love about using Popsicle sticks for crafts is that you can glue them together easily using just a simple glue. Plus you can color on them with crayons or paint them. What I liked about them is that sometimes the wooden stick would be stained the color of the Popsicle it came from. When I would create furniture for my Barbies with them it made the furniture more colorful and funky. I grew up in the 70?s and the stained colors on the sticks gave the Barbie furniture a ?groovy? look.

I wish I had pictures of my creations. I made beds, chairs, tables and even skiis with the Popsicle sticks.

My kids used to love working with Popsicle sticks too. One year my kids make reindeer Christmas tree ornaments out of Popsicle sticks. All we did was form a ?V? with two sticks and then use a third stick across the top. Then they decorated it with glitter and googly eyes.

I found a photo of one of the reindeer. It?s seen better days (it?s missing an eye). Since our decorations are packed away in the basement this is the only photo I have.

I covered up my son?s name for safety reasons.

The Popsicle reindeer is to the left of the picture. The red nose is made with glitter (there just happens to be a red light bulb under it ? that is not the nose). He?s also missing an eye. There was also green glitter towards the top of the deer (near his ?ear? and ?antler?). There were two or three red sequins there too to resemble holly and berries. We used curling ribbon to hang it on the tree.

One year my son?s class made snowmen Christmas ornaments out of Popsicle sticks too. They turned out really cute.

All you need to do to create this cute ornament is paint several sticks white and some sticks black. Then assemble like it is in the photo. Then decorate it with googly eyes and craft foam cute into facial features and a band for his hat. Then simply glue a ribbon on the back and you are ready to hang it on your tree.

Some where we have an Elf made out of styrofoam, felt, googly eyes and pipe cleaners that is standing on a Popsicle stick to resemble a snowboard, but I couldn?t find?it.

My kids used to make ornaments each Christmas not only for us and our tree but also for their grandparents and great-grandparents. It?s so much fun to look back on these craft projects and reminisce about making them and to see how far they have come with their crafting abilities. I hope to make these crafts again some day with my grandchildren.

Chances are your family is enjoying a lot of Popsicles during the summer months (although they are great year round), maybe even the new Yosicles too. If so, consider saving up your sticks to use towards rainy day crafts projects, or during the holiday season have your children create ornaments or other gifts to give to family and friends. They are extremely inexpensive to make but because they were crafted by your child?s hands it makes them priceless.

Popsicle crafts are also great for an after school activity too! You can have your child create a simple frame and decorate it with glitter, crayons or stickers and attach their school photo and give it as a gift to a grandparent or for you to proudly display on your desk. Add magnets to the back of it and display it from your refrigerator too.

If you need more Popsicle or Yosicle stick craft ideas simply Google it. You will find A LOT of inspiration. Even Martha Stewart crafts with Popsicle sticks. Check it out ? http://www.marthastewart.com/275621/crafts-with-popsicle-sticks/@center/276964/60-days-summer. Her house is a million times better than the ones I made for my Little People. I also adore her ice cream shop. That is such a cute idea.

Do YOU enjoy making crafts with the sticks from your yummy Popsicle or Yosicle sticks? Do you save them like we do? What kinds of crafts do you enjoying making with them?

To learn more about Popsicle and this summer?s cool new treat, Yosicles, visit www.Popsicle.com. You can also find them on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/Popsicle). Be sure to check out the Facebook page for more craft ideas. Currently they are using Popsicle sticks and Q-tips to make some adorable crafts.

While you are there make sure to download your Yosicle coupon and enjoy the free games in the Fun Lab.

Popsicle is also on Twitter (@Popsicle).