DIY Life

It seems every child I know these days is allergic to something. Whether it be dairy, soy, milk, food coloring or preservatives, feeding children is getting tougher by the minute. So how do you come up with a non-allergenic treat to hand out to the kids in your neighborhood? After all, you don't want an angry parent knocking on your door at midnight, waving an E.R. bill in your face.

Don't worry. There are plenty of inedible treat ideas that are sure to make the kiddies smile, whether or not they can ingest them in five seconds flat. In fact, with these goodies, you could be the most popular street on the block! Check out some of my favorite inedible treats from our friends at Holidash:

For ages 2-4:
For the tiny Tiggers that come knocking on your door, why not offer a mini can of Play-Doh? A case of ten is just $4 at Target, and the color selection is endless. Not only will the little tikes be happy, but parents will love your ingenuity when they don't have to fight the sugar rush that evening!

For ages 4-6:
So what's in store for the pre-K Piglets? Try a few glittery, washable tattoos that are sure to put a smile on any child's face. And at just $4 for 75 tattoos, the price will put a smile on yours.

For ages 6-10:
Don't worry -- we haven't forgotten the pre-teen Poohs. Give them a bit of anonymity this year with DIY Halloween masks. You can purchase a set of 24 for just $3 -- the perfect price for a great holiday.

For ages 10-14:
For the "too-cool" Eeyores in your life, why not pass out a few DIY Halloween bookmarks? The kids can create their own, or you can get them started with a few kooky designs yourself. The kit is just $5 for 12 -- the perfect price point for the few almost-teens that are brave enough to set forth on Hallow's Eve.

Proof that a sugar-free Halloween can be just as exciting -- and affordable -- as your candy counterparts.

Zhu Zhu Pets: they're robotic hamsters ... and they're one of the hottest new toys to hit the market. In fact, Toys "R" Us has Zhu Zhus on its 2009 Hot Holiday Toys list.

Do these furry friends live up to the hype? Well, kids seem to love them. You see, Zhu Zhus are not just cute, they also run on wheels, explore, and make adorable cooing and squeaking noises, as well as a host of other endearing and amusing sound effects.

Parents are excited because they're fake hamsters. In other words: no worries about keeping an actual live pet happy, healthy and clean. Curious? See Zhu Zhus in action in this You Tube video.

September and October are big birthday months for the children in my husband's side of the family, so I'm starting to plan a few cost-effective gift-wrap embellishments that are both exciting, re-usable and that won't break the bank. This adorable DIY yo-yo is pretty high on my list, and I can't wait to see the smile on the kids' faces!

The tutorial is pretty self-explanatory, so I'll leave you to devour it on your own. I love cute embellishments on childrens' gifts, because their imagination shines through with many uses for the packaging. Of course, you get the ubiquitous bow-on-head gals, but I've also seen many children save their wrapping for paper crafts, fabric fun and felt projects.

If you're not into packaging, however, you can create these yo-yo's for bedding, curtains and/or pillows similar to yesterday's rosette tutorial! They're a beautiful way to add texture and drama to any craft you're working on and the result is always surprising!

Your front yard doesn't have to be perfectly manicured or professionally landscaped to look good. It is, however, your public face -- of sorts. Plus, your neighbors are forced to look at whatever you put out there!

Be a good neighbor: banish the following items from your front yard.

1. Plastic foliage. I'm talking anything you got from a craft store. Like this, for example. Plastic ivy. Faux dried sunflowers. Silk chrysanthemums. Plastic wreaths. Fake autumn leaves strung into streamers. Shudder.

Plastic flowers are tacky in the garden. They're unnecessary. After all, you have Mother Nature at your disposal! Why choose fake flowers? Finally, they evoke the cemetery. Enough said.

My three-year-old loves playhouses. Even if it's really just a cardboard box that he can fit into, it qualifies as the coolest toy in the northern hemisphere.

In fact, we have finally found the right plans to fit our yard, and we plan on building a playhouse for our fanciful child soon. We were actually steering clear of themed playhouses, so that Owen could let his imagination run wild; knowing him, it will be everything from a firehouse to the Hall of Justice.

If you have a little one who adores Disney's many jungle-themed rides and movies, though, this may be just the playhouse for you to try building.

After a morning browsing garage sales a few weeks ago, my mom and one of my daughters returned home with three of those square metal looms and hundreds upon hundreds of weaving loops.

After saving one loom and a bag of loops, I had no idea what to do with the excess, until my mom pointed out this fun craft -- finger weaving a jump rope.

Not only will this craft use up all the spare loops you have after your kids get bored making pot holders, lanyards, and whatnot, finger weaving is also a fun and relaxing hobby for people of all ages.

All you need to complete the project are about 250 weaving loops and a spare hand. Place the first loop on your pinky and give it a half twist, then loop it around your ring finger and twist again. Continue until you've reached your ring finger. Repeat with the next loop, then stretch the first loop over the second loop one finger at a time to "weave."

Check out the gallery below for more specific instructions and to see what the beginning of this jump rope might look like.

Sometimes it seems that we never grow up. Or, to put it more correctly, some toys -- er, motor skills and cognitive ability development tools -- are destined to be played with -- er, used -- by all ages! Case in point: LEGOs!

Don't you just hate it when you're building your current masterpiece and lacking one crucial piece? You've got to buy a whole new set, just for one stinkin' pièce de résistance. But no more! The new LEGO digital designer lets you create a virtual sculpture and submit it on-line. Then you can order exactly the pieces that you need, based on your submission.

The program can be downloaded for both Windows and Mac. Besides the usual requirements, it only needs a decent graphics card (for obvious reasons).

Finally, a way to build whatever you want without accumulating all those extraneous pieces... like that goofy little hat that no self-respecting firetruck-driving LEGO troll would be caught dead in!

[via Lifehacker.]

I don't know about your house, but in mine we go through several jugs of milk a week. Because my son loves cereal, and he also loves a big glass of milk with meals, my recycling bin gets pretty full with milk jugs alone.

RePlayGround has a fun way to reuse milk jugs -- make carton catchers. Your main materials include two half-gallon milk jugs, two toilet paper tubes, and a ball (or tin foil to wad into a ball). You'll also need a tack, tape, scissors, markers, and decorative paper.

To make the carton catchers, simply cut out the milk jugs (RePlayGround has diagrams to show you how to cut them), attach the toilet paper tubes to the spouts, and decorate. I haven't made these yet, but I do wonder if the toilet paper tube would be a bit flimsy. You could use a wooden dowel or some plastic pipe for a sturdier handle.

Want more ideas for reusing milk jugs? Anna has 15 creative suggestions.

Spend any time in an early childhood classroom, and you'll see kids flocking to the "sensory table," usually a large tub filled with sand, water, or any number of materials to give kids a tactile experience. Not only does this kind of play give young children the sensory experience they need, it keeps them engaged for a really long time.

Toy stores sell sand tables and sand/water tables, but they're usually in the neighborhood of $75 and up. Boing Boing (via Parenthacks) had a much less expensive and more versatile solution recently -- under-the-bed storage boxes.

Fill these long, flat tubs with sand and a few toys, and your child will play for hours. When they're finished, sweep up the overflow and roll the whole thing back under the bed. Genius! You can either rotate what's in your sensory tub, or have two or three waiting under there. Other great sensory experiences include dry beans, rice, water (supervise well and dump out after each use), and in the winter, snow.

Of course, nothing beats outdoor play for a sensory experience. But when it's too hot/cold/rainy to go outside, these under-the-bed sensory boxes are sure to be a hit!

When "Partners in Crime," the first official episode of Doctor Who's current season, aired in the UK back in early April, a friend suggested to me that crafty types would soon be all over the alien of the week. Because they're made primarily from human fat, the Adipose are a bit icky in concept. In action, though, they're adorable: little white globules with limbs, quirky smiles, and sweet dispositions.

Erika, of My Imaginary Boyfriend, engineered a great Adipose sewing pattern, and she's offering it for free; detailed instructions for making it up can be found on the Livejournal community Crafty TARDIS. The pattern calls for white polar-fleece (1/2 yard makes several dolls), stuffing, an iron-on transfer pen, black and white embroidery floss for the face, and a few other supplies.

We've written about Doctor Who-related crafts before, but this is much cuter than a crocheted Dalek. Still, I wonder how long it will last, given the news that the BBC is sending trademark-related take-down notices to some people who post free knitting patterns based on the show. You might want to grab it while you can, if you're interested.

(Also, see CraftyCrafty's take on the controversy.)

[via Jenny at Craft.]

Fairies or (faeries) are mythical creatures with wings and often, supernatural powers. Interestingly, though fairies are often thought to be tiny, innocent, and typically feminine, folklore has it that fairies were often known to be mischievous or even malicious.

Either way, modern fairies are often associated with nature and are pretty popular right now, both with children (think Tinkerbell) as well as older kids, teens, and adults. Chances are that if you don't already have a doll house hanging around your attic or playroom, you can get your hands on one at a garage sale or rummage sale for a few dollars or less.

Once you do, you can spend an afternoon converting that plastic plaything into a fairy fantasy land. All you need is some gray or brown spray paint, a hot glue gun, and then an assortment of natural materials of your choosing. It's bound to thrill the fairy fanatic in your life!

Do you remember Pikmin, the two-part series on the Nintendo Game Cube? These strategy games featured tiny, intelligent, plant-like creatures who could help a spaceship captain rebuild his crashed vehicle. The Pikmin came in several different colors and maturity levels, with each type having unique abilities.

The franchise was designed by Nintendo guru Shigeru Miyamoto (sometimes called "the father of modern video gaming"), and its look was unique and interesting, but it doesn't have the same level of recognition that older games do. More recently, though, the Pikmin have come back into gamer consciousness due to a featured role in the immensely popular game for the Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Craftster's AniMei has brought Pikmin to life with this cute little Yellow Pikmin mascot. To make it, you need four colors of felt (yellow, green, black, and white), matching green and yellow thread, glue, a pipe cleaner, and a small amount of stuffing.

Download the pattern from the Craftster page, cut out the pieces, assemble as shown in the photo, and you'll have a helpful little friend in no time! This would also make a great package decoration for a gift, or maybe, months from now, a nice holiday ornament, if you stitch in a ribbon loop near the top.

Last year's recalls involving millions of China-made plastic toys -- many by big name toy manufacturers parents had come to trust -- took families by surprise. Last Christmas, the Internet was filled with articles about how to find American-made toys, and many parents vowed to give only "natural" wood and cloth toys instead.

But let's face it -- when a small child opens a toy, often the thing he or she is most interested in is the box.

Boxes have plenty of play value. They can be forts or hideouts or spaceships. But when you're done using them, they can also become stable furniture that your children can enjoy. Enter Foldschool, an online collection of designs which can transform regular old boxes into functional furniture. You can print Foldschool's designs for free, and you supply the cardboard. Create stools, chairs, and even a rocking-horse type toy. Sounds like fun!

I have to admit that Spongebob Squarepants is one of my guilty pleasures: the antics of the little "absorbent, yellow, and porous" ocean dweller are always good medicine for a bad day.

So I was delighted to see this amigurumi version of Sheldon J. Plankton, the evil nemesis of our hero Spongebob's employer, Mr. Krabs. He was created by Craftster user LadyLuigi, and is one of the site's new featured projects.

To make this amigurumi, you need a passable knowledge of crochet: the instructions given for Plankton (on the fifth page of replies) may not be enough for a beginner. But if you have crocheted a few things before, you shouldn't experience any real problems.

Required supplies include:

• an H hook (approximate size)
• a couple of pipe cleaners
• black embroidery floss
• stuffing
• scrap yarn in the following colors: olive green (you'll need the most of this), pale yellow or cream, red, and white

Plankton may ordinarily be 1% evil and 99% hot gas, but in this case, he's primarily made of yarn -- and 100% adorable. I bet he won't even try to steal your Krabby Patties.

Earlier today, in the first part of this series, I posted 25 free patterns for lovable rabbits and baby sheep to knit.

Knitting is dandy, but what if you prefer a hook to a handful of needles? You're not alone: I've also come to love crochet just as much as I love knitting. Also, the knit-able patterns were heavy on bunnies, with very few lambs; crochet designers have balanced that with some absurdly cute lamb amigurumi patterns.

Between Part I and Part II, there are more than 50 patterns. However, all the commentary you'll need on yarn choices, eyes, noses, knit and crochet tips, and so on is back in the first post with the knitting patterns. For the crochet patterns, read on after the break!