Fun Toy, Decor & Fashion Crafts for Tweens

As a tweenager you can get pretty restless at home; your interest keeps circulating between a selected few hobbies but you’re bound to get bored pretty soon. And while you love to get out and about, after a few visits to the mall your wallet might be telling you to stop. So you end up broke and bored while you’re stuck at home. Well, fear not! We’ve got some super fun crafts for tweens that we know you can’t get enough of. These are small projects which can be easily customized according to your tastes. Once you have the basics down you can keep getting creative with it! These crafts are divided into two categories:

1. Décor and Toys
2. Fashion and Accessories

Décor and Toys

Cloud Slime

Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbfJ8_3RSYc&t=396sSource:https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/cloud-slime-recipe/ Slime is a timeless piece of art and hands-down one of the best creations of the crafts community. Not only is it satisfying and therapeutic but also extremely versatile. Slime can be used for playing, stress relief, and cleaning. Whether it’s an aromatic slime, glitter slime, or glow-in-the-dark slime, each of them has its own charm. But if you’re already bored with making classic slime, here’s where we turn things up a notch. Today we’ll be making cloud slime. This is one of the hardest slimes to make and will definitely keep you going for a while. Cloud slimes have this elegant matte look with an extremely fluffy texture and are filled with instant snow to give you that cloudy look. Our method ensures your cloud slime will not only have a steady drizzle and no fallout but also won’t have that wet feeling that slimes usually do. Here’s how you’ll make the perfect, dense, and sturdy cloud slime without a mixer.

Ingredients:

• Elmer’s Glue-all
• Borax
• Water
• Food-Dye (color of your choice)
• Instant snow
• A large glass bowl
• Spatula

Step 1: Mixing the Ingredients

For a big batch of cloud, slime take 1½ cup to 2 cups of Elmer’s Glue-all and pour it in a big glass bowl. Remember that the slime will expand after adding the instant snow so start with less than what you want to end up with! Add in a few drops of your desired color of food coloring and mix it till you get a uniform shade throughout.Now here’s the tricky part, because instead of measuring the ingredients to add, you will have to start going by the consistency of your mixture to ensure that your cloud slime comes outright.

• Add plain water to your mixture slowly in a minute amount until it’s really thin.
• Then in a separate container add 1tbsp of Borax to a cup of water and slowly start mixing that in. Borax acts as an activator, this is when your slime will start to thicken up, only to have a more rubbery consistency. Once you’re done adding the activator what you’ll have is a super jiggly slime, but this isn’t very stretchy yet.

Note: If you feel like your slime is still too sticky for your liking, go ahead and add in a little more activator but make sure it doesn’t end up super rubbery and hard to work with.

Step 2: Let it SNOW!

Time to grab your instant snow for this. Since we added a lot of water into the slime mixture, we need to make sure the instant snow absorbs most of it to give it that non-wet matte finish. So we will be alternating between adding dry snow and wet snow.

• Add about half a tbsp of dry snow and fold that into your slime.
• Then take the same amount of instant snow in another container and add a little bit of water, just enough to wet the snow, and add it to your mixture
• Time to get handsy and knead the slime like you would knead taffy. Fold it on itself a few times and then proceed to stretch it and fold, again and again.
• Alternate between dry and wet snow adding very minute amounts till you get a perfect consistency.

Voila! Your cloud slime is ready! The final step is to pack it in an airtight container for an hour or two just to allow all of that instant snow to absorb the water and expand. Once you have your slime ready, take it to school and show off your unique creation! You can get creative by changing colors and adding different additives like glitter to your slime too!

Not getting what you wanted?

If you mess up along the way or your slime seems a bit off, here’s where a little touch-up is needed.

• If your slime seems wet or not as fluffy as you wanted, either add a bit of dry snow, or if you feel like you have enough instant snow, add more activator instead. Make a concentrated solution of activator by taking two tablespoons of Borax and mix it in one cup of water. Dip your fingers in this solution and continue to knead your slime like taffy. It might break apart and seem like it’s getting worse but hang in there, this takes time and it will start looking a lot better.
• If there’s snow on the surface and it seems like there’s fallout, use water to fix this. Again do not pour large amounts, it’s always easier to add than to take something away. Add extremely small amounts of water and knead it to work it in. This might also get worse before it gets better. Cloud slimes are a little time-consuming but very much worth the effort because of their unique texture and elegant finish!

Caution! Do not touch your eyes or mouth while handling any chemicals.

Fashion and Accessories

DIY Stickers

Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WVcfExLRU0&t=504s There’s always that particular catchphrase that you’d wish you would have a sticker or maybe a cute picture on the internet you would want to stick on the back of your laptop. Maybe you’re out of allowance and really want some merch. Well, we couldn’t write about crafts for tween and leave out how to make customized stickers. Here’s a simple method that will enable you to make whatever stickers you want with things already present in your home.

What you’ll need:

• Butter paper/wax paper/baking sheet
• Transparent tape (with the largest width you can find)
• Printer paper

Step 1: Print your images

Print whatever logo, picture, or catchphrase you wish to have a sticker of onto printer paper, you can have as many as you want on one page just remember to space them so that they’re not too close to each other. All stickers must be at least 3 to 4 centimeters apart from each other. Cut the images out, if you like you can cut them out with a ½ cm border.

Step 2: Cover your wax paper with tape

Cut your transparent tape such that it’s at least a centimeter larger than your image on all sides. Take the piece of tape and stick it onto the wax paper close to the edges. If the width of your tape is smaller than the images then stick two tapes in succession, just so they can cover your whole image. Make sure they overlap each other a little bit.

Step 3: Sandwich your images

Carefully place your image on top of the tape you stuck on the wax paper. Center it carefully, and then cut another piece of tape. Place the second piece of tape on top of your image, exactly like you positioned the first tape. Make sure there are no air bubbles or wrinkles, smooth it out if needed.

Step 4: Cut your stickers out

Finally cut your sticker out, again you can choose to leave a ½ cm border if you wish. Your sticker is ready for use, just remove the wax paper on the back to reveal the sticky side of the first tape and you’re good to go!

DIY Scrunchies

Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WVcfExLRU0&t=504s If you’re someone who lives for the aesthetic then this DIY is for you. Whether you’re a VSCO girl or someone with just really long hair, scrunchies are a must. Instead of spending your hard-earned allowance on your scrunchie obsession, you can easily make your own cute scrunchies at home with just a few materials. This method is not only cost-effective but can also help reuse and upcycle clothes or fabric you were going to throw away. You can easily find the materials you need for this craft at your home, saving you those trips to the craft store too.

What you’ll need:

• A piece of cloth
• Glue gun/ needle and thread
• A wide cylindrical jar or any circular container
• A hair tie

Step 1: Cut out a piece of cloth

Here is your opportunity to be eco-friendly. Instead of throwing out old t-shirts or leftover fabric, use them to make a scrunchie. For this, you can use any type of fabric whether it’s cotton, silk or velvet. We prefer silk as it protects your hair from damage caused due to tugging or excessive friction. This can prevent unnecessary breakage, especially if you sleep with your hair tied.Once you’ve chosen your piece of clothing, cut a rectangle of 48×9 cm. This is the size we prefer, however you’re welcome to play with the measurements to make your scrunchie bigger or wider, as to your liking.

Step 2: Glue the ends

Place the piece of fabric you previously cut on the counter, with the inner side facing down. Fold the fabric in two and glue the 9 cm ends together using a glue gun.

Step 3: Place the hair tie and cloth on the jar

Pinch the two sides of your fabric and pull them apart, making a circular shape. Wrap your fabric around the jar such that you passed the jar through the circular hole created by the fabric. Make sure the inside of the fabric is facing out. Then place your hair tie around the jar such that it’s in the middle of the fabric, dividing it into two equal parts.

Step 4: Glue the ends

Fold the edges in on both sides of the hair tie and glue them together, slowly going around the whole fabric. Wait for the glue to dry and Ta-da! Your scrunchie is ready, just remove it from the jar and you’re good to go.

Don’t have a glue gun?

Even if you do not have a glue gun, you’re good to go as long as you have a sewing kit, namely a needle and some thread. You can replace all of the steps done by a glue gun by sewing the ends together instead!

Polymer Clay Marble Earrings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg9e8L7q5ZMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiqCDaR37eUHave you ever gone to the mall and just not found the type of earrings you were looking for? Either the color was off or the size was too big? Well, luckily polymer clay is an extremely versatile material and is perfect to make crafts for tweens. You can not only mix polymer clays to get your desired color but cut out the shapes yourself to match your outfit perfectly. Welcome to the world of creativity as you’re able to play with the endless possibilities that come with making polymer clay jewelry. You can make studs, tops, hanging earrings, etc. So let’s get started!

What you’ll need:

• Polymer clay (2 colors)
• A rolling pin
• Posts
• A circular object/cutter (of the size you want your earrings to be)

Step 1: Make the design

Choose the base color for your marble earrings and roll out the clay of that base color. Take small pieces of polymer clay of another color (this will make your marble design), and stick them randomly on the rolled-out dough. Make sure to press them in so that they don’t fall off while you mix the clays. Proceed to start folding the clay in on itself until you achieve the desired marbled look. The clays should not be fully mixed together so fold slowly.

Step 2: Make the earrings

Roll out the clay using a rolling pin. Take a circular object or cutter about 1.5 inches in diameter and cut out two circles. Then proceed to cut out two more circles approximately 1 cm wide using a different cutter. Take the smaller circles and place them on the top edges of the larger circles, overlapping only a little. Press down the part of the smaller circles that is overlapping with the larger one so that they stick to each other.

Step 3: Bake the earrings

Line a baking tray with baking paper so that the polymer clay doesn’t stick to the tray while it bakes. Take both your earrings and place them on the baking sheet. Polymer clay doesn’t expand so you can put as many earrings on the tray as you like without worrying. Bake the clay at 110°C or 230°F for thirty minutes.

Step 4: Time to finish it off

After baking the clay, it’s time to attach the posts. If you do not have posts you can use any small studs you might own that have a flat surface. Use Loctite glue to stick the surface of the studs to the back of the smaller circle of your earring and voila! Your stylish and chic earrings are ready. Just remember to let the glue dry completely before you wear them.

Conclusion:

We hope you enjoyed these lovely crafts for tweens, and do try them out at home as they’re super simple and easy to do and don’t require any dangerous materials or tools. Although we do recommend that when handling chemicals like Borax, you do it under adult supervision and make sure not to ingest any. Happy Crafting!

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