Cardboard Tube Bobsled

We have to wait two more years for the next Winter Olympics, but this is as good a time as any for crafts inspired by winter sports. I challenged myself to see if I could turn a cardboard tube into a bobsled. I modeled it (loosely) on the 2022 USA bobsled design. It was definitely a challenge. Affiliate links below. 

Cardboard Tube Bobsled

Materials: 

• cardboard tube (paper towel roll)
• scissors
• Supertite glue
• binder clip
• Folk Art acrylic paint (True Blue, Silver)
• 2.5" craft sticks
• blue pony beads
• star punch
• white cardstock
• flag sticker
• Apple Barrel white paint pen

Steps: 

Start by cutting out a triangle from one end of the cardboard tube. This is going to be the front of the bobsled. Overlap the two pieces so that they form a flat, narrow front. 

Glue this front portion closed, using a binder clip to hold it in place while the glue dries. I ended up also wrapping washi tape around the end to hold it snug while it dried. 

When the glue is dry, cut the tube to your desired length, then remove the portion where the passengers sit. 

Now it's time for painting. Use True Blue on the bobsled. Use Silver for the four runners. While you are waiting for the paint to dry, punch out white stars. When the paint is dry, glue one pony bead to each runner. Put the flag sticker on the front of the bobsled, then write USA with the paint pen. Glue the stars on each side of the bobsled. 

Finally, glue the runners to the bobsled. When the paint is dry, pick your crew. I went with Gandalf, Wyldstyle, Harry Potter, and Plain Blue with Red Hat from 1978. 

Harry can't see over the top. Good thing he's not steering.

I had a lot of fun making my bobsled. And obviously I had fun photographing it (other than the lack of light... all these rainy days are terrible for photos). I learned a lot about bobsleds, bobsledding, and bobsledders in the process. For example, I learned that bobsleigh and bobsled can be used interchangeably and the one that you use probably says something about where you live. I also learned more about the differences between bobsled, luge, and skeleton, as well as the Olympic history of the bobsleigh. And the history-making Tunisian bobsled team! Such a fun story. Makes me want to watch Cool Runnings again!

Heart Turkey Magnet

I was joking about making place cards for Thanksgiving since it will only be the three of us this year, but then I noticed that the wood hearts sitting near my desk would make awesome turkeys. The next thing I knew, I had this:

The turkey is not connected to the place card; it's leaning up against it. It's actually a refrigerator magnet that my theoretical guests could take home after the meal and put on the fridge. Affiliate links below. 

Heart Turkey Magnet 

Materials:

• wood hearts
• Nutmeg Brown paint
• orange embroidery floss
• orange pony beads
• ribbon (not the one I used, but a good set of colors)
• googly eyes
• cardstock
• craft glue
• magnets

Steps: 

Paint two hearts brown and set them aside.
 

Cut two pieces of embroidery floss, each around 3 inches. Tie a pony bead to one end of each piece to make the turkey's legs. Cut seven pieces of ribbon, each approximately 3 inches. These will be the tail feathers.  

With the heart upside down, glue the legs and the tail feathers to the turkey body. Add glue to the second heart and sandwich it against the first, trapping the ribbon pieces and embroidery floss between the two. 

Cut out a beak and a waddle from cardstock. Glue them and the googly eyes to the turkey's face. Adhere a magnet to the back and the turkey is done. 

Yarn and Pony Bead Christmas Tree Ornament

I had so much fun making this festive Christmas tree ornament! It's really easy to do and, other than the paint drying time, it comes together really quickly. Affiliate links below. 

Yarn and Pony Bead Christmas Tree Ornament

Materials:

• 6" craft sticks (2)
• 4.5" craft stick
• 2.5" craft stick
• Folk Art paint (green, brown)
• Supertite 
• 16 feet of green yarn
• pony beads
• ornament hook

Steps: 

Paint the three largest craft sticks green. Paint the mini craft stick half green and half brown. When the paint is dry, glue the large sticks together to make a tree shape. 

Then glue the small stick to the bottom of the tree so that the brown part becomes the trunk. 

Cut a 16 foot length of green yarn and thread pony beads onto one end. I used 28 beads, but you can add more or fewer if you want a different density of 'ornaments' on your finished tree. You can do the same with the yarn. If you want your tree more or less filled in, adjust the length of the yarn. 

Take the yarn end that does not have the beads near it and tie it tightly around the green portion of the tree trunk. Now wind the yarn around and over the tree until it is mostly filled in and you've reached the string of beads. 

Slide one bead down the yarn so that it rests on the tree. As you continue wrapping, slide beads down one at a time. You may need to unwrap and rewrap the yarn a few times to get an arrangement you like.

Tie the yarn end around the trunk of the tree, with the knot on the back side. Weave the yarn tail into the ornament. Add a hook for hanging, or nestle it between branches on the tree. 

I love my new ornament!

Cub Scout Pack Pride Pin

I've been cleaning out my Cub Scout leader stuff and passing it on to our local pack. I've unearthed some items I'd forgotten about, like the Pack Pride Pins our Cubs made during their Blue & Gold. In that post back in 2013, I told you I'd share a tutorial in a future post. Oops. I guess this counts as a future post, six years later! Affiliate links below.

Cub Scout Pack Pride Pin

Materials:

• safety pins
• white lanyard lace
• pony beads (blue, yellow)
• number beads (these are 6 mm; I can't find the 9 mm that appear in my photo)

Steps:

Sort out the beads you will need. Each Pack Pride Pin needs 4 yellow beads, 10 blue beads, and three number beads. 

Cut a piece of lanyard lace approximately 18" long. Fold it in half and use a cow hitch to attach it to the safety pin. You'll now have two cords hanging down securely from the safety pin.

String one yellow bead through both cords and push it up toward the safety pin. 

For Row 1, lace three beads (blue-yellow-blue) on one cord, then lace the other cord through the same beads in reverse order. Pull both cords snugly.

For Rows 2-4, follow the same steps as Row 1, but replace the yellow bead with a number bead (blue-number-blue). Pull snugly after each row. 

For Row 5, repeat the steps from Row 1. 

String the final yellow bead onto both cords and push it toward Row 5. Tie off the ends with an overhand knot or a square knot. Trim the cords if needed. 

Twisteezwire Critters

I was browsing the Twisteezwire website while writing up my review of their Mask Kit when their Puzzle Piece Bug tutorial caught my eye. I'm always on the lookout for fun crafts using puzzle pieces! (You may recall the ridiculous situation with a puzzle purchase awhile back that resulted in me having a large stash of useless puzzle pieces.) I showed the tutorial to Trevor and he was totally onboard with the idea of making puzzle piece Twisteezwire bugs. Affiliate links below. 

We each started by choosing a puzzle piece and Twisteezwire. We followed the steps to make three sets of legs to create a basic insect. We continued with the antenna. Then we used Glue Dots to attach googly eyes. With the basic technique mastered, we were able to use our own creativity to make some totally cute (if I do say so myself!) critters. Introducing....

  

Dot, the Ladybug

(by Cindy)

To make Dot, you need a red puzzle piece, 3 Twisteezwires (red, black, and white), six red beads, two googly eyes, glue dots, six black sequins, glue, and wax paper. Make a basic bug with the puzzle piece, red legs, and black antenna. Slide a bead about 1/2 inch up each leg and twist to secure. Add eyes. Create wings by looping the white wire, sliding it through a set of legs on the underside of Dot, then forming another loop. Tear two small pieces of wax paper that are slightly larger than the loops. Put glue on the back of the loops, then attach the wax paper. Let the glue dry completely, then trim the excess wax paper away from the loops. Glue the sequins to Dot's back.

Buggy, the Bug

(by Trevor)

To make Buggy, you need an orange puzzle piece, two Twisteezwires (green and orange), six orange buttons, two googly eyes, and glue dots. Make a basic bug with oversize antenna. Thread each leg through the button holes, then twist to secure. Add eyes.

Chesapeake, the Blue Crab

(by Cindy)

To make Chesapeake, you need a neutral-colored puzzle piece, Twisteezwire (blue and black), eight blue beads, two black beads, glue dots and googly eyes. Start by making a basic bug. Add a bead to each of the middle and back legs, twisting to secure. Add two beads each to the front two legs to form claws. Cut a small length of black wire for the eye stalks and attach like you would antenna. Glue googly eyes in place.

Spinner, the Spider

(by Trevor)

To make Spinner, you need a neutral puzzle piece, tan Twisteezwire, a large black pom pom, a medium black pom pom, glue, glue dots, and googly eyes. Begin by cutting the tan Twisteezwire into fourths, not thirds like usual. Attach the first three sets of legs as usual, and add the final set of legs opposite the third set, using the same technique. Bend up the end of each leg slightly to allow Spinner to balance. Glue the large pom pom onto the back of the puzzle piece and the medium pom pom onto the front. Use glue dots to attach the googly eyes to the face.

........

What do you think? Any favorites? Trevor is already talking about the next set of critters we're going to make!