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DIY Harry Potter Wand

August 31, 2022 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Easy Homemade Harry Potter Wand With Chopsticks

Last month my youngest turned ten (I can’t believe how fast he is growing up!).  He asked for a Harry Potter themed birthday party.  I’m pretty sure he decided on this idea from our recent Universal Studios trip….but I wasn’t complaining!  Once we decided on the theme I knew we couldn’t have a Harry Potter themed party without having wands (amiright??).  So, with a little bit of DIYing and patience we whipped up a few budget friendly wands!  My son and I had so much fun making these DIY Harry Potter Wands!  They are SO easy and addicting to make!  I seriously didn’t want to stop creating!

These homemade Harry Potter wands with chopsticks are the perfect craft for any Harry Potter lover, including kids and adults!  And, do you want to know the best part????  They were also really cheap!  The only thing I had to buy were the chopsticks and some hot glue!  Fortunately, I had paint and paintbrushes at home, but luckily they are both really cheap to buy if you need some!

Sweet Frugal Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
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How to Make DIY Harry Potter Wands

The first thing you need to do before making these homemade wands is to gather your supplies.  You will need:

  • Wooden Chopsticks
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Glue Sticks
  • Acrylic Paint
  • Paintbrushes

1.  Squeeze Hot Glue Onto Chopstick

The first thing you will need to do to make your DIY Harry Potter wand is to warm up your hot glue.  I like to place the hot glue gun over a paper plate, so that the melty glue will drip onto the plate as it warms.  This makes for easy clean up!

Once your hot glue is warm and melty, it’s time to make the design of your homemade wand.  I love this part!!

All you have to do is take your hot glue gun and slowly squirt hot glue onto the handle part of one chopstick.

This is the part when you can let your creativity shine!  You can put a lot of hot glue on the end for a nice, thick handle.  Or, you might choose to only put on a small amount of glue.  Feel free to add some swirly glue designs too.   I tried to cover about 1/3-1/4 of the chopstick with glue, just depending on the design I was going for. Whatever you think will look good!  

One of my favorite things about these homemade wands is that no matter how your glue comes onto your chopstick, the finished product will still look good!  I worried a few times that I had messed up a wand with clumps of hot glue, but once I was done, it always looked just as good as all of the other wands!

2.  Let The Hot Glue Dry

Next, you will need to set your chopstick onto a paper plate and let the glue dry.  Hot glue dries fairly fast, so it shouldn’t take very long before being able to move to the next stop.

3.  Paint Chopstick

Once the hot glue is dry, you can start painting your chopstick/wand!  We all decided we preferred the dark and moody colors for the wands, but really anything goes!  It was so fun to mix colors together and make something magical and unique!

This step is so easy, just dab a little bit of glue onto your paintbrush and paint the wand!

Once you are done painting your wand set it onto a paper plate to dry.

Most of our wands needed two coats of paint.  So, make sure to check the wand once the paint is dry to see if it will need to be painted again.

Enjoy!

That’s it!  Your DIY Harry Potter wand is complete!  See how easy that was???  It’s the perfect craft for adults and kids and everyone in between!  All that’s left to do is to spend hours casting magical spells (Acio wand!).

 

You might like these other easy crafts:

  • Easy Toilet Paper Pumpkin Craft Tutorial
  • Nature Bookmark Tutorial
  • How to Make Tissue Paper Pom Poms

 

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easy DIY wizard wand - chopstick diy wands

how to make harry potter wand - cheap homemade wand tutorial

Have fun making your own DIY Harry Potter wand!

Easy Toilet Paper Roll Crafts

March 2, 2022 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Crafts you can make using a toilet paper roll.

Are you looking for some easy toilet paper roll crafts for kids to do?  Because I have you covered in this article!

Start saving your toilet paper rolls because there are SO many fun creations you can make with them.  This list includes some amazing kid friendly toilet paper roll crafts.  Not only will you get to repurpose that toilet paper roll, you will also get to have fun crafting with your kids.

toilet paper roll craft ideas - easy crafts for kids

1.  Toilet Paper Roll Pirate

How cute is this toilet paper roll pirate from Two Kids And A Coupon?!?!  It’s the perfect craft for any pirate lover and will be easy to customize however you want!  All you need is a toilet paper roll, some craft paper and glue!

2.  Toilet Paper Seedling Pots

Get your kids excited about gardening with these Toilet Paper Seedling Pots from The Forked Spoon.  It will only take 10 minutes to put this craft together, and your kids will love getting to watch their seedlings grow in their homemade pots!

DIY Upcycled Toilet Paper Seedling Pots and Painted Stone Garden Markers

  • Related:  9 Easiest Vegetables To Grow In First Garden

3.  Butterfly Toilet Paper Roll Craft

Here’s a super fun toilet paper roll craft idea from Fun Money Mom perfect for preschoolers.  This butterfly toilet paper craft requires a few more supplies than some of the other craft projects, but it is still quick and easy to throw together.

4.  Toilet Paper Roll Pillow Box

I love these toilet paper roll pillow boxes!  What a fun, functional craft project for kids to make with a toilet paper roll.  They can use them to give gifts to their friends or store their special objects.  

5.  Toilet Paper Roll Princess Bracelet

Here’s a unique craft idea!  Use a toilet paper roll to make a princess bracelet!  The little girl in your life will love getting to decorate her bracelet to match her personality!

6.  Toilet Paper Roll Hedgehogs

Simple Every Day Mom has the most adorable toilet paper roll hedgehog template!  You will only need a few supplies in addition to the template and toilet paper roll to make your own hedgehog!

two toilet paper roll hedgehog crafts

7.  Marshmallow Shooter

We made these marshmallow shooters last summer and they were so much fun to play with!  You could make them using a patriotic theme like Big Family Blessings does, or customize them to fit your personality!

8.  Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder

Your kids will have so much fun learning more about birds with this easy toilet paper roll bird feeder craft from Honey and Lime.  It doesn’t take very much time at all to put together your bird feeder, so you can just sit back and enjoy watching the birds!

9.  Toilet Paper Roll Monster

Here’s another fun toilet paper craft idea for the kids!  Make toilet paper roll monsters and read the book to go with it!  It’s a great activity for teaching kids about emotions and how to handle the way they feel!

10.  Toilet Paper Roll Shaker Instrument

Start a family band with these toilet paper roll shaker instruments!  The instrument is made by filling a toilet paper roll with pasta and closing it off with masking tape.  Plus, the kids will get to decorate the outside however they would like!

  • Related:  At Home Preschool Activities

11.  Astronaut Toilet Paper Roll Craft

I love this easy craft idea!  The tutorial includes a free astronaut template for your kids to color and attach to the toilet paper roll.

12.  Toilet Paper Roll Dragon Blower

You can even use a toilet paper roll to make a dragon blower!  This is a great tutorial from Ruffles and Rain Boots about how to make a toilet paper roll dragon blower.  It is sure to provide hours of fun for your little one to run around with and watch the tissue paper blow.

13.  Snowman Toilet Paper Roll Craft

These snowmen toilet paper rolls are so cute!  Plus, they are a very simple craft project…..which to be honest are my favorite kind of crafts!  You can even make a whole family of snowmen to play with!

14.  Toilet Paper Roll Fireworks Stamp

Our family loves to turn toilet paper rolls into fireworks stamps.  Then, with a little bit of paint you can use the stamp to make a fun firework painting!

15.  Toilet Paper Roll Unicorn

Check out this adorable toilet paper roll unicorn!  It’s seriously the cutest thing ever, and so easy to make!  It’s sure to bring a smile to any little girls face!

16.  Toilet Paper Roll Binoculars

Go on a Nature Scavenger Hunt with these toilet paper roll binoculars!  Go Places With Kids shares a full tutorial and adorable template to help you whip up a few darling binoculars for your kiddos.

17.  Toilet Paper Roll Rocket

If you make the astronaut that I shared earlier in this article then you must also make the rocket ship to go with it!  It’s so easy to make with a little bit of paper, cutting and gluing!

18.  Toilet Paper Roll Fairy House Luminaries

These Fairy House Luminaries are such a creative way to use up your toilet paper rolls.  I love the idea of setting a battery tea light inside!  So fun!

19.  Toy Car Storage Out Of Toilet Paper Rolls

If you have a car lover in your house you must make him a car garage out of toilet paper rolls!  It’s such a cute way to display your toy cars and use up some toilet paper rolls while you’re at it!

  • Related:  Easy Toilet Paper Pumpkin Craft Tutorial

20.  Feelings Learning Activity With Toilet Paper Rolls

Teach your kids about their feelings with this toilet paper roll learning activity/craft. It’s so important for young kids to learn how to handle all of their many feelings, and Two Pink Peonies teaches exactly how to do that with a few toilet paper rolls, markers, and paper.

21.  Toilet Paper Roll Pencil Case

Can you believe how awesome this toilet paper roll pencil case is?!?!  It’s such a genius way to repurpose toilet paper rolls.  You will have to put in some effort and patience to make the pencil case, but it is the perfect craft for summer to prepare for back to school!  Your kids will feel so proud bringing their very own handmade pencil case to school.

closed diy pencil case

22.  Toilet Paper Roll Fish

Kid Friendly Things To Do shares the cutest fish craft tutorial using a toilet paper roll!  I would love to make these in a lot of different colors!

In Conclusion

We all go through so many toilet paper rolls each week, so instead of letting them go to waste, try one of these fun craft ideas!  It’s a great way to spend an afternoon with your kiddos, without having to spend a lot of money!

 

Check Out These Other Craft Ideas:

Easy Craft With Nature Items: Nature Bookmark Tutorial

How to Make Tissue Paper Pom Poms

 

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toilet paper roll crafts for kids - how to repurpose toilet paper rolls

Enjoy these easy toilet paper crafts!

How to Make Tissue Paper Pom Poms

September 9, 2021 By: Sweet Frugal Life4 Comments

Easy Tissue Paper Pom Pom Tutorial.

Have you ever wondered how to make tissue paper pom poms?  I LOVE to make them!  They are one of the easiest, cheapest DIY decoration around.  I have made some for my daughters rooms, and they are always a staple at all my kids birthday parties. 

A lot of stores sell pre-made pom poms, that just need to be fluffed up, but I’m telling you…..those are not worth the money.  You can easily make them yourself for a much cheaper price!  I promise you can even do it if you are NOT a crafter, these are that easy!

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Supplies for Tissue Paper Pom Poms

You only need a few supplies to start making tissue paper pom poms.

  • 6 sheets of tissue paper.  You can use more tissue paper if you want to, the more sheets you use the fluffier your pom-pom will be.
  • String
  • Scissors

And that’s it!!  Make sure to check your local Dollar Tree for great prices on tissue paper.

How to Make Tissue Paper Pom Poms

First, unfold your tissue paper and layer each of the sheets on top of each other.  Smooth it out and make sure all of the sides are even with each other.  This doesn’t need to be perfect, just do the best you can!

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Starting at the shorter end fold the tissue paper (all sheets together) accordion style.  Your finished product should look similar to the pictures below.

  • Related:  How to Make Your Very Own Pom-Pom Garland

Take some string, (I just used thread because it’s what I had) and tie a knot in the middle of the folded tissue paper.  Leave a long piece of string, this is what you will use to hang your pom-pom with.


Now, snip two small cuts on both ends of the tissue paper.  This is what gives the flowery shape to the pom-pom.  This is not a necessary step!  There have been plenty of times I’ve forgotten to do it, and they still turned out super cute!


You are almost finished! 

Now, gently separate each sheet of tissue paper from each other.  This will fluff out the pom-pom.  Fluff one side of the pom-pom and then the other side.

The tissue paper might begin to tear during this step.  Try to go slowly, so if you do notice a tear you can stop it before it gets bigger.  The rips usually blend into the pom-pom, but they still aren’t fun to get.


Adjust the fluffs until you get it just right, and you are done!  It only takes about 10 minutes to make your own tissue paper pom-pom!  Quick and easy at it’s best!

I used these pom-poms for my daughters Pancake and Pajamas birthday party.  It’s such a fun, cheap decoration.  My favorite part of making these pom-poms are that their are so many fun and beautiful colors to choose from.  The look can be very different depending on the colors that you choose.


 

Make sure to check out my video below for another tissue paper pom-pom tutorial!

 

 

Related Articles:

How to Make a Rice Bag Heating Pad

DIY Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial

 

Pin For Later:

homemade pom poms birthday decoration

tissue paper pom pom tutorial - easy DIY party decorations

I hope you love these DIY tissue paper pom-poms!

DIY Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial

September 2, 2021 By: Sweet Frugal Life3 Comments

Check out this No Sew Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial!

Halloween is just around the corner!  I love this time of year; I love the pumpkins, the crisp cool air, the changing leaves, and the excitement in my children.  My kids love to dress up and run around the neighborhood trick or treating.  The urge to craft came on strong the other day and I decided it would be so fun to make my kids new bags for trick or treating.  I wanted to create something cute, but also simple and frugal (because that’s how I roll!).  I came up with the idea of this DIY trick or treat bag.  I’ll be honest with you….it was even EASIER than I originally had planned!  (win!)

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Disclosure:  “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”

DIY Trick or Treat Bag Tutorial

My favorite thing about this tutorial is that it is an easy craft projects for non sewers, but comes out looking professional!

The first thing you will need to do to make this no sew Trick or Treat bag is to gather all of your supplies.

Supplies Needed:

  • –Canvas Craft Tote
  •  Scrap fabric (I chose Halloween colors)
  • Wonder Under
  •  Iron/ironing board
  •  Pattern for tracing

Find Your Pattern

Now that you have gathered your supplies it’s time to find your pattern.  You can choose any design, picture or pattern.  It doesn’t even need to be Halloween related!  

When we were choosing patterns I asked my kids what picture they wanted on each of their bags.  My daughter requested a cat and my son asked for a spider, so those are the patterns I searched for.

You can easily find patterns by searching on google, they are fairly easy to find.  Just type in the pattern that you want.  For example, if you want to use a spider just type in, “spider tracing pattern.”  You will find many different patterns to choose from!

Another great option for patterns is to look at clip art in Microsoft Word.

Once you have found the pattern you want to use, print it and cut it out.

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Prepare Your Design

Next you will need to transfer the pattern onto your chosen fabric.  I recommend following the directions on your wonder under fusing, they are all a little different.

When I transferred my pattern I cut out a large square of wonder under (large enough to cover the entire shape), and ironed the rough side onto the wrong side of the fabric.


Then I used my tracing pattern to trace the shape onto the paper side of the wonder under.

Once the pattern is traced, cut the picture out (fabric and all), fabric scissors are really helpful to cut out the fabric.


Lastly, gently pull off the paper backing of the wonder under.

 

Iron On The Picture

Now, center your cut out fabric picture on the bag where you want it.  Use a warm iron to iron the picture to the bag.  The wonder under fusing will fuse the fabric to the bag, making it stick.

I have found that holding the iron steady for 5-10 seconds over each section of the picture helps give the applique a nice firm hold.


That’s it!  You’re done!  See, I told you it would be easy!!  It probably took me a total of one hour to finish both bags!  Quick crafting, is my type of crafting!  Imagine all the fun designs and fabric you could iron onto a bag!  So many fun ideas!


In Conclusion

Use your imagination when making this DIY Trick or Treat Bag.  There are so many fun possibilities.  You could iron on a pumpkin, ghost, witch hat, bat, skeleton, or fun lettering.

I can’t wait to watch my kids go trick or treating with their new bags!

 

Related Articles:

Easy Pumpkin Craft Tutorial For a Fun Fall Decoration

Fall Bucket List for Families

Monster Rice Krispie Treats

 

Pin for Future Reference:

easy trick or treat bag tutorial - halloween bag tutorial

easy no sew halloween bag tutorial - how to make a trick or treat bag

 

I hope you love this DIY Trick or Treat Bag as much as we did!

Easy Fourth of July Craft For Kids

June 7, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Life12 Comments

The perfect easy 4th of July activity for kids.

Looking for an easy fourth of July craft for kids?  This is for you!

Is their really any holiday better than the 4th of July????  Sunshine.  BBQS.  Parades.  Family.  Friends.  Fireworks.  I love this holiday.  And I love celebrating it with my three kiddos.  We always make a fourth of July craft or two in the week before Independence Day.  This Fireworks Stamping is one of our favorites!  It’s so easy, cheap and fun!  

A lot of our crafts revolve around toilet paper tubes….because you really can’t get any cheaper than toilet paper tubes, right?!?!

Fireworks Stamping Craft

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Supplies Needed

First, gather your supplies.  Fortunately you don’t need very many items!  Yay!

  • Three toilet paper tubes (or more if you prefer)
  • Acrylic Paint (I chose red, white and blue…because I’m original like that…..)
  • Construction paper (any color, but I recommend white or black)

Prepping Your Easy Fourth of July Craft

Now that you have your supplies, it’s time to do a little prep work.

First, you will need to cut thin strips all along the bottom of each toilet paper tube.  Cut the strips about half way up the tube.

Once your strips are cut, fan them out so that the bottom  of the tube is flat.



Start Stamping

Now for the FUN part!!  The fireworks stamping part!

All you have to do is lay your construction paper on the table and pour some paint onto a paper plate.

Next, dip each toilet paper tube (the fanned out part) into the paint and then stamp it onto your paper.  The stamp will make a firework design.  Try to mix it up using different colored paint and paper.



Add Some Bling

Once your paper is full of fireworks, you can sprinkle some glitter on top of the paint to give it a little extra sparkle.  This is totally optionally, but it does make the fireworks stand out a little more.


 

All Done!  Hang your fireworks craft up for the world to see!


Fourth of July Fun

I hope you have so much fun making this easy fourth of July craft with your kids.  This is such a great craft for all ages!

Related Articles:

How to Make Easy Nature Bookmarks

50 Free Screen Free Summer Kids Activities

Easy Summer Break Ideas For The Kids

 

Pin for future reference:

preschooler fourth of july craft idea

Firework Stamping - Easy craft for preschoolers

I hope you enjoy this easy Fourth of July craft for kids.

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