Rock Mushrooms!

This is a super cute, easy way to liven up your yard or planter. I found two long skinny rocks to use as the bottom, and two round "mushroom top" shaped rocks for the top. You can paint these mushrooms any color, red, green, yellow, purple, really any color would be cute. I used about three coats on the top rock before painting the spots, and two on the bottom. I hot glued the rocks together, and there ya go little mushrooms!

An Octopus Craft Great For Kids! My first Craft Memory.

This was a great craft to do as a young girl. It taught me to braid at an early age, and inspired me to learn more braiding techniques. We had an underwater themed bathroom, and the first octopus I made sat on a shelf in our bathroom. I always took such great pride in knowing that I had actually made that, and it fit in with the room decor. 

Thanks to Aunt Annie's Crafts I was able to find the instructions on this craft again.

Yarn Octopus

What you will make:

See how easy it is to make a little yarn octopus that is the perfect size, about 5 inches, to hang on your backpack. It also makes a terrific gift or craft bazaar sale item.  It only takes a little yarn for each octopus—about ¼ ounce. These little cuties are just right for your yarn leftovers.

This is a great project for groups of kids or family craft time. Two four ounce skeins of yarn, in contrasting colors, will make over 30 little yarn octopi. Making small balls of yarn for each child will make the craft go faster.

Here's what you need:

• Two colors of yarn—24 feet of one color and 4 feet of the other color
• 1 or 2 cotton balls
• Two wiggly eyes (8mm)

• Ruler
• Scissors
• White glue (Elmer's, PVA)
• Optional: Scraps of felt

This project is rated EASY to do.

How To Make a Yarn Octopus

Read all of the steps before starting.

Step 1: Cut Yarn

Cut twenty-four 12-inch (20 cm) pieces of the primary color yarn. Cut eight 4-inch (8 cm) and one 12-inch (20 cm) pieces of the second color yarn.

Step 2: Layout Yarn

Lay the yarn on a flat surface so it looks like the spokes of a wheel with the middle of each piece of yarn crossing all the other yarn pieces in the center of the wheel. It is best to lay two or three pieces of yarn together as you go around the wheel.

Step 3: Form Head

Enlarge

Put a small wad of cotton, about 1-inch in size, in the center of the wheel. To form the octopus' head, gather the pieces of yarn up around the cotton and tie them together with a 12-inch piece of the second color yarn. Make sure to tie a good knot. Adjust the pieces of yarn to cover the cotton completely.

Tip: Get a friend to help with the tying.

Step 4: Braid Legs

Separate the yarn into eight groups of six. Braid each group, tying the ends with a piece of the second color yarn. You will end up with eight braids that are the octopus' eight legs.

Tip: Gently hold the octopus' head between your knees as you braid.

Step 5: Glue Eyes and Mouth

Glue two wiggly eyes onto the head. Use yarn or felt to make a mouth for your octopus and glue it on the head. Once the glue has dried you can play with your new little toy.