Desert Chica

Southern Arizona Blogger

Easy Star Wars Snowflakes

byKaren•

This easy tutorial will show you how to cut Star Wars snowflakes using a Cricut cutting machine, perfect for anyone with the scissor skills of a kindergartner like me!

I love the Star Wars snowflakes designs from Anthony Herrera. They are awesome and free! But if you are scissor challenged like me then trying to cut out the intricate details can be frustrating and tiresome. Thankfully my Cricut saves the day, let me show you how!

Porg Snowflake example for how to cut out Star Wars Snowflakes using your Circut Machine instead of scissors

Easy Star Wars Snowflakes

You don’t even need a Star Wars snowflake SVG, I’ll show you how to upload a Star Wars snowflake design into Cricut Design Space. Then let the machine do all the heavy lifting, or in this case cutting! It’s the perfect craft to add to your Star Wars Christmas decorations.

If you have scissor skills, then you can cut out a wide variety of Star Wars Snowflakes using the free design files from Anthony Herrera. The pdf files are designed simply like a standard snowflake. Print out the template on paper, fold it and then cut out the design.

3 different Star Wars Snowflakes designs
Cut out any of the cool Star Wars snowflake patterns you find online using your Cricut.

The Star Wars snowflake designs are very detailed which means lots of little details need to be cut out carefully. I recommend small, sharp scissors or an X-Acto knife if you are going to try it.

When designing my Star Wars Villains Halloween Tree I figured out how to utilize my Cricut machine so I could easily cut out lots of the cool Star Wars snowflakes. It was great because it added a lot of characters and color to our tree and saved me lots of time.

Star Wars Snowflake Template SVG

The Star Wars Snowflake design files are set up for printing the pdf and then cutting them out by hand. Alternatively you can take screenshots of the finished versions from the website and upload them directly into Cricut Design Space. Cricut doesn’t allow people to share uploaded files from Design Space which means I can’t share the actual template I created.

I can however outline the steps for you, so you can upload the files. Then cut your own snowflakes templates using your Cricut machine. It’s really rather simple and a good process to know if you ever want to upload a random graphic into Design Space.

Screenshot of adjusting the colors on the Star Wars Snowflake featuring K2S0
Adjust the the image settings to create a solid black background.

How to Cut Star Wars Snowflakes

Download or screenshot a Star Wars snowflake design you want to cut. If necessary, adjust the image settings to create a solid color background. The snowflakes I chose had a cool galaxy background which is fun to look out but makes it hard to work with in Cricut Design Space.

One you have an image you can upload it into Design Space.

Screenshot of the Star Wars snowflake designs uploaded into Cricut Design Space
Let your Cricut cut out the Star Wars snowflakes.

If you are unfamiliar with how to do that, check out the tutorial below or the video above.

Star Wars Snowflakes Tips

  • I recommend this basic Cricut tool set to help with removing the snowflakes off the Cricut mat. The spatula will help lift the design off the mat. The weeder can help you remove any excess paper from the snowflake.
  • I also recommend using a light grip mat when working with standard card stock. A standard mat will work ok if it has lost some of its stickiness.
Star Wars Snowflake featuring Mando from The Mandalorian.

Star Wars Paper Snowflakes

There are a wide variety of designs available on Anthony Herrera’s website. The last time I checked I found 73 different Star Wars snowflake designs available. He has everything from good guys and bad guys to droids and ships. Every Star Wars fan will find a snowflake design they will love.

For all The Mandalorian fans out there, there are Mando and Baby Yoda (aka Grogu) designs in the 2019 collection. There is also a Yoda snowflake design in the 2012 collection. You will find Boba Fett in the 2013 collection.

These designs are a lot more detailed than my own attempt at a Baby Yoda snowflake. But my design is more kid friendly and easier to cut out.

How To Upload An Image to Cut Into Cricut Design Space

How To Upload An Image to Cut Into Cricut Design Space

When creating personal projects, you can upload any image including licensed images into Design Space. This tutorial shows you to upload an image into Cricut Design Space.

Tools

  • Cricut Machine
  • Cricut Design Space

Instructions

  1. First find the image you want to cut. You can search images on google but you can only use them for personal use. You can't sell things if you don't own the image or rights to distribute. I usually right click to 'save as' or will take a screen shot of the image if I can't download it. Screen shot "Finding an image to upload into Cricut Design Space"
  2. In Design Space, click the upload button then browse your files to select the image you want to upload. You can also drag and drop the file into the upload space.Screenshot of "Clicking browse to select an imagine to upload to Cricut Design Space"
  3. You will now see a preview of the upload image. I generally just want cut the outline of the image, so I select simple.
  4. The image will upload into the "select & erase" screen. The blue and white checkered background is the transparent part of the design. You can remove addition part of the image by clicking on it. If you accidentally delete part of the image you want to keep, just click undo.
  5. Once you're done editing the image, select continue and then save it as a 'cut image.'Screenshot of "Saving image as a cut image when uploading to Cricut Design Space"
  6. You new image will be available in your 'uploads' section. Select it and click insert images. The design will be added to your Design Space canvas.Screenshot of "Highlighting image and clicing insert image to use new upload in Cricut Design Space"

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Did you make this project?

Take a picture and tag @karenheffren or #DesertChica!

© KarenHeffren

More Star Wars Christmas Crafts

Free 3D Cactus Christmas Card Craft

byKaren•

Christmas lights on Cacti is my favorite holiday display, so I am excited to share this free printable Christmas card with you. It’s a cactus Christmas card craft.

holiday themed cactus card to make at home

Christmas Cactus Card

I am a big fan of Christmas lights on cacti particularly a Saguaro cactus. It’s a very Arizona thing to do. Many people have cacti in their front yard, so it makes sense that they will decorate them. The easy thing to do is to plop a Santa hat on the top and call it done.

The super festive desert yards include Saguaro wrapped up in twinkling lights. My favorite house to visit during the holidays has a dozen Saguaro cacti all lit up for Christmas.

DIY Christmas Card Materials

So in honor of my favorite desert holiday decor, I am sharing this fun spinning cactus card decorated with holiday lights. This is more of a Christmas card card craft because it created an interactive 3-D card. There is more to it than just printing the card but don’t worry all the directions are on the download.

Interactive Card Tutorial

Christmas Cactus Card

Spinning Christmas Cactus Card

Craft an interactive 3D card for your friends and family this holiday season. This spinning cactus with holiday lights is a super fun Christmas card to make and receive.

Materials

Tools

  • Scissors
  • Glue Stick

Instructions

  1. Print both sheets on card stock.
  2. Cut the first page in half along the dotted line. Trim any excess white margins left by the printer. printed file to make Christmas Cactus Card
  3. Fold the green rectangle card in half by lining up the edges. This is your card base.
  4. Cut out the smaller rectangle (one with the white circle).
  5. Apply a small amount of glue to the back left and right edges of the smaller rectangle. Leave the top and bottom areas glue-free.
  6. Glue this rectangle to the inside of the card on the left. Line up the edges carefully withe the blank sides facing each other. Allow the glue to dry. Trim if necessary. printed green base of Christmas Card
  7. Fold and crease the glued-together-pieces (on the left side of card) in half backwards, forming a Z-shaped fold for the card.
  8. Carefully cut out the circle while the pieces are folded back in half. Follow along the half circle shape. Folded green pattern paper for interactive Christmas card
  9. Cut out all the card details: cacti, the "Happy Holidays" circle, gift box and lights. Christmas Cactus Card details cut out and ready to craft it
  10. Glue the "Happy Holidays" circle in the center of the right side of the card.
  11. Cut 8 inches of fishing line or clear thread.
  12. Center the thread in the middle of a cactus on the blank side. Glue it in place. Line up the other cactus and glue it directly on top, sandwiching the thread between the two cacti. Allow to dry. glue back of cactus
  13. Carefully open the unglued sections of the top left card, at the top and bottom of the circle cut out space. Place the thread from each end of the cactus through these holes. While keeping the thread taut on each end, place a small amount of glue in the holes and press together, gluing the thread inside. Allow to dry. Christmas Cactus Card
  14. Glue additional holiday decorations to the card.

Notes

Twist the cactus in one direction several times before closing the card. This helps the cactus spin more when the card is opened.

Did you make this project?

Take a picture and tag @karenheffren or #DesertChica!

© KarenHeffren

Just print the file and follow the directions. Watch the video if you are more of a visual learner!

Christmas Cactus Card
Make a cactus Christmas card craft for the holidays.

Phineas and Ferb Pumpkins

byKaren•

My boys are big Phineas and Ferb fans, they’ve watched every episode at least 5 times. Naturally, we loved watching the new Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe that premiered on Disney+ recently. The movie sparked a few crafty ideas for me including these Phineas and Ferb Pumpkins!

Phineas and Ferb Pumpkins

DIY Phineas and Ferb Pumpkins

Using a few more of my favorite crafting pumpkins, we made some super cute Phineas and Ferb pumpkins. They were fairly easy to make using the characters distinct color scheme and a few key details.

I recommend printing Phineas and Ferb images to use as templates for their hair, eyes and Ferb’s collar. You could freehand draw these as well but you know I prefer the easy route, and I am not an artist. 🙂

Ferb Face details for Phineas and Ferb pumpkins

How to make a Phineas Pumpkin

Phineas Pumpkin Craft

Phineas Pumpkin Craft

Yield: Phineas Pumpkin

Use small pumpkins and craft supplies to make this Phineas pumpkin for Halloween this year.

Materials

  • 3 small craft pumpkins
  • paint: blue, yellow, cream
  • craft foam: red, white blue
  • orange duct tape

Tools

  • glue gun
  • scissors

Instructions

  1. Start by painting 3 equal sized (small) pumpkins. Paint one blue, one yellow and one cream. It may take several coats of paint to completely cover the pumpkins.
  2. Cut strips of orange duct tape in thirds lengthwise. Add the stripes of orange to the yellow pumpkin to mimic Phineas' shirt.
  3. Google an image of Phineas and print to use as a template for his eyes and hair.
  4. Use white and blue craft foam to create Phineas' eyes. Use tape, glue dots or a glue gun to attach them together.
  5. Cut Phineas' hair out of red craft foam. Staples or tape extra red craft foam to the back of the hair to help it attach it to the top of the cream colored pumpkin.
  6. Hot glue the pumpkins together and then glue the eyes to the front of the cream pumpkin.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Did you make this project?

Take a picture and tag @karenheffren or #DesertChica!

© KarenHeffren

You could make these with real pumpkins but I craft pumpkins are easier to work with and we will get to enjoy these fun Disney pumpkins next year too.

How to make a Ferb Pumpkin

Ferb Pumpkin Craft

Ferb Pumpkin Craft

Yield: Ferb Pumpkin

Use small pumpkins and craft supplies to make a Ferb Pumpkin for Halloween this year.

Materials

  • 3 small craft pumpkins
  • paint: yellow, purple, cream
  • craft foam: white, green and black

Tools

  • glue gun
  • scissors

Instructions

    1. Start by painting 3 equal sized (small) pumpkins. Paint one purple, one yellow and one cream. It may take several coats of paint to completely cover the pumpkins.
    2. Google an image of Ferb and print to use as a template for his eyes, hair, and shirt collar.
    3. Use white and black craft foam to create Ferb's eyes. Use tape, glue dots or a glue gun to attach them together.
    4. Cut Ferb's hair out of green craft foam. Staples or tape extra green craft foam to the back of the hair to help it attach it to the top of the cream colored pumpkin.
    5. Hot glue the pumpkins together.
    6. Hot glue the eyes to the front of the cream pumpkin and the collar to the front of the yellow pumpkin.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Did you make this project?

Take a picture and tag @karenheffren or #DesertChica!

© KarenHeffren

Phineas and Ferb Crafts

You could make these for a Phineas and Ferb themed party as well. I think making a Perry pumpkin would be necessary though. Maybe I will make him next year.

Check back for more Phineas and Ferb crafts soon, including our Beaver Pete shirt. Don’t get the reference? Go watch Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe on Disney+!

More Pumpkin Ideas

The Mandalorian Pumpkin

byKaren•

Our Baby Yoda pumpkin needed a guardian, so the boys and I came up with a simple Mandalorian pumpkin idea. It’s the perfect Star Wars craft for this Halloween.

Star Wars painted Pumpkins for Halloween

DIY Mandalorian Pumpkin

This is another super easy no carve pumpkin idea. It doesn’t even take amazing painting skills either. Basically it’s just grey paint with a few key details. In fact I was only going to turn one pumpkin into Mando’s helmet but Quinn insisted that he had to be taller than our Baby Yoda pumpkin, so we added a second pumpkin and a little more detail. It turned out great!

Easy Mandalorian Pumpkin Tutorial

I love the small craft pumpkins you can buy at Dollar Tree but my other favorite pumpkin option is the old school plastic candy buckets. Many stores only sell plain buckets now, but sometimes you can find the pumpkin shaped ones at discount stores. Yard sales and thrift stores are also a great place to find old pumpkin shaped buckets.

Orange pumpkin bucket with paint and duct tape

The Mandalorian pumpkin needed to be larger than the Baby Yoda pumpkin, so instead of 2 small craft pumpkins, I used two candy bucket pumpkins for Mando. By the way, placing the smaller craft pumpkin on top of the larger pumpkin bucket also works great for certain pumpkin styles like the BB-9E pumpkin and Incredibles pumpkin.

Mandalorian Pumpkin Supplies

Beyond two pumpkin candy buckets, you also need grey paint, brown craft foam, black and silver duct tape, the Mandalorian helmet template and a glue gun. You could actually paint the helmet design if you want to skip using black duct tape but I didn’t want to worry about messing it up. Plus duct tape is one of my favorite craft supplies. 🙂

Mandalorian Pumpkin Bandolier

The one key detail I wanted to add to Mando besides his helmet was his bandolier. I really wanted to keep this pumpkin craft simple and I had to remind myself of that when I was planning the pumpkin details. You could add additional armor or leather details but my crafts tend to do better when I do less instead of more.

My bandolier is simply brown craft foam and silver duct tape, glued to the front of the bottom pumpkin. It’s simple but effective and easy for most people to create. Don’t forget my trick when cutting duct tape. Check out detailed instructions to make the Mandalorian Pumpkin below.

Mandalorian Pumpkin

Mandalorian Pumpkin

Yield: 1 Mandalorian Pumpkin

Celebrate Halloween and season 2 of The Mandalorian this year with an easy Manalorian pumpkin.

Materials

  • 2 Pumpkin candy buckets
  • Grey paint
  • Black duct tape
  • Parchment paper
  • Silver duct tape
  • Brown craft foam

Tools

Instructions

  1. Paint both pumpkin buckets grey. It may take several coats of paint for coverage.
  2. Print out the Mandalorian helmet template. Trace the image on parchment paper. Cover the back of the parchment paper with strips of black duct tape, ensuring the entire image is covered. Flip it back over and cut out the design.
  3. Attach the helmet design to one of the painted pumpkins.
  4. Cut a strip of brown craft foam to use for the bandolier. I cut my rectangular craft foam in half lengthwise to create a longer strip. Use duct tape on the back to attach the the strips together.
  5. Add thin strips of silver duct tape to the bandolier for additional detail.
  6. Use a hot glue gun to attach the bandolier to the second pumpkin. Then glue the top pumpkin to the bottom pumpkin.

    Did you make this project?

    Take a picture and tag @karenheffren or #DesertChica!

    © KarenHeffren

    The Mandalorian Season 2

    Can’t wait to see more of the Mandalorian in action? You are in luck, The Mandalorian, season 2 arrives on Disney+ starting October 30th. If you haven’t watched it yet, then be sure to binge season 1 before season 2 starts!

    More No Carve Pumpkin Ideas

    Baby Yoda Pumpkin

    byKaren•

    With all the other Baby Yoda projects I’ve done this year, does it surprise anyone that I wanted to make a no carve Baby Yoda pumpkin?

    pumpkin decorated to look like baby yoda from The Mandalorian TV show

    DIY Baby Yoda Jack-O-Lantern

    I am sure other people will be creating more elaborate Baby Yoda pumpkin designs but if you want easy, then you’re in the right place. I really like to think if I can make something, anyone can. That’s why I opted not to include a face on my pumpkin. Feel free to add a face to your pumpkin but my attempts at it were laughable. 😀

    Easy Baby Yoda Pumpkin Tutorial

    The gist of my Baby Yoda or ‘The Child’ pumpkin is painting a craft pumpkin and adding the ear and robe details. That’s it! So what do you need for this project? Well a pumpkin of course. I love the small craft pumpkins from Dollar Tree but any pumpkin will work. Even a real pumpkin, it just won’t last forever like mine will. 🙂

    The Child Pumpkin Supplies

    Actually you will need two craft pumpkins for this project. Besides the pumpkins, you will also need green paint, green craft foam, a glue gun, brown material for the robe and the ear template. I found brown burlap in my craft stash and loved how it turned out.

    The hardest part of this project is choosing what color green to use. This is a personal decision based on what you think looks best and also what color paint and craft foam you can find. I ended up adding yellow paint to my green paint to adjust the color a little bit.

    Baby Yoda Pumpkin

    Baby Yoda Pumpkin

    Yield: 1 Baby Yoda Pumpkin

    Make Baby Yoda pumpkin craft for Halloween with a few simple materials.

    Materials

    • 2 Craft Pumpkins
    • Green Paint
    • Yellow Paint (optional)
    • Brown Fabric
    • Green Craft Foam

    Tools

    Instructions

    1. Start by painting your craft pumpkins green. What color green you choose is up to you. I added yellow paint to my green to adjust the color a bit.
    2. Print a copy of the Baby Yoda ear template.
    3. Use the template to trace the Baby Yoda ears out of green craft foam.
    4. Attach the ears to one of the green pumpkins using a glue gun. You may need to carve the ears a bit to better fit the curve of your own pumpkin.
    5. Remove the stem off of the 2nd green pumpkin. This allows the head 'pumpkin' to sit on the 2nd pumpkin better.
    6. Wrap the 2nd pumpkin with your brown fabric, gluing in place. I added a second piece of brown fabric at the top to give the illusion of a collar.
    7. Glue the pumpkin head on top of the pumpkin body.

    Notes

    Matching the green paint with the green craft foam can be a challenge, just do the best you can.

    Burlap worked great for our robe but I think an old tan towel would work as well.

    ** Optional ** Add a face to your Baby Yoda pumpkin if you have the patience and skills

    Did you make this project?

    Take a picture and tag @karenheffren or #DesertChica!

    © KarenHeffren
    Add burlap to create Baby Yoda Robe on Pumpkin craft
    Baby Yoda Pumpkin

    Baby Yoda Season 2

    Ok, ok I know ‘The Child’ isn’t really Baby Yoda but that is what most people call him, so that is the easiest way to label all my fun crafts. Speaking of The Child, I can’t wait to see more of his adorableness in season 2 of the Mandalorian on Disney+ starting October 30!!

    Mandalorian and Baby Yoda Pumpkin Crafts
    I didn’t like my Baby Yoda face… but I am showing you in case you want to add a face.

    Mandalorian Pumpkin

    Baby Yoda needs his buddy Mando, so we have an easy Mandalorian pumpkin idea too!

    More Baby Yoda Ideas

    The pumpkin won’t work with my Star Wars Halloween tree because that is themed to villains and Baby Yoda is too adorable to be a villain.

    Star Wars Villains Halloween Tree

    byKaren•

    Some people have said Halloween is cancelled because 2020 has been crazy. I am not cancelling Halloween, I am digging my heels in and go full steam ahead with fun Halloween costumes and decorations including a Star Wars Villains Halloween Tree.

    Star Wars Halloween Tree

    What is a Halloween tree?

    A Halloween tree is basically just a tree decorated for Halloween, similar to a Christmas tree. You could call it a Halloween Christmas tree if that makes more sense to you.

    How to make a Halloween Christmas Tree

    Put up your artificial Christmas tree a couple months early and decorate it for Halloween first. Thereby making it a Halloween Christmas tree. 🙂

    Star wars Villains Halloween Tree

    How to decorate a Halloween tree?

    Decorate your Halloween tree with ornaments, tinsel, ribbon, garland and anything else you like to decorate a Christmas tree with. A very common way to decorate your Halloween tree is with typical Halloween colored decorations like orange, black, purple or green. Dig through your Christmas ornaments and use bulbs that match the color theme you chose.

    Or theme you Halloween tree to something more specific like all pumpkins, or all bats. Anything Halloween, or scary works. Obviously scary is a relative term. 🙂

    Star Wars Halloween Tree

    We are definitely Star Wars fans, we’ve used Star Wars for a Halloween theme several different times. In fact, our family is having another Star wars Halloween party this year. So a Halloween tree focused on Star Wars villains made sense for us. Check out all our ideas for a Star Wars Halloween Tree below.

    My friend Kate is decorating her Halloween tree with Disney villains. She’s sharing some of her DIY ornaments like this super fun Painting The Roses Red ornament from Alice in Wonderland.

    Star wars toys

    Star Wars Tree Ornaments

    Since our focus was a Star Wars villains Halloween tree, I started by digging through our Christmas ornaments to see what Star Wars villains ornaments we already owned. I had a few including my special Darth Vader magic ornament from Hallmark.

    Then we raided my son’s action figure box and found a few more to Star Wars villains to transform into ornaments. How did we do that? With a glue gun and ribbon of course!

    Star wars toy with ribbon hot glued to back

    Lightsaber Christmas Lights

    Our tree already has lights but I wanted to add Star Wars Christmas tree lights. Luckily, I already have a great tutorial for lightsaber Christmas lights. I’ve made several versions over the years including red and green ones for my Christmas tree and a set of blue and green ones for my nephew’s Star Wars baby shower. This time around, I made a set of all red lightsaber lights to represent the Star Wars villains! These are so easy to make! Go check out all the details on how to make lightsaber Christmas lights.

    String of red lightsaber Star wars lights

    String of Death Star Lights

    I bought a string of decorative soccer lights several years ago, knowing they could crafted into perfect death stars. They sat in my craft stash awaiting completion until the perfect time. When is the perfect time? Right now for my Star Wars villains Halloween tree of course! 🙂

    Paint soccer ball lights grey to create Star Wars light saber lights

    This was such an easy project. I just painted them a matte grey and added a simple black circle design with vinyl to represent the super laser. Originally I wanted to completely cover each death star in black squares and rectangles but thankfully Peter suggested a simpler design might be better. He was right!

    Star Wars Death Star Lights

    Star Wars Snowflakes with a Cricut

    These Star Wars snowflakes are amazing but I don’t have the skills to cut out the intricate designs with scissors so I don’t usually make them. Then I realized I could have my Cricut cut them out for me! I will share a post with all the details on how to do this very soon.

    Star wars snowflakes on a Halloween Tree

    I cut out 4 different Snowflake designs on card stock, making multiples of each one. It adds lots of color and more Star Wars villains to the Halloween tree. There are lots of Star Wars snowflake designs available on that website but I chose the following:

    • Praetorian Guard (2018) cut from red card stock
    • AT-ACT (2016) cut from grey card stock
    • Jabba The Hutt (2014) cut from cream card stock
    • Wampa (2014) cut from white card stock.
    Star Wars Snowflakes on a Christmas Tree

    DIY Star Wars Tree Topper

    Let’s not forget the top of your Halloween tree! Honestly my first choice as a Death Star tree topper but we haven’t splurged on that yet. Peter came up with a free (for me) alternative. A fun Darth Vader candy bowl that he had been using in the garage to collect screws. He graciously offered to give it up and drill a hole through the center to create a Darth Vader tree topper. I think a Star Wars stuffed animal would be another easy (and inexpensive) tree topper idea.

    Darth Vader Christmas Tree Topper

    More Star Wars Tree Decorations

    My original plan was to add a black and red ribbon to the tree. Or maybe black and red beads. I love ribbon and beads more than tinsel or garland. I was also trying to make this a budget friendly project, so I raided my stash of ribbons before I went shopping. I found a super wide burlap ribbon with a black chevron pattern on it and I sliced it down the middle to double the length of it. I don’t remember why I bought it but I love how it looks on the tree.

    burlap ribbon with black chevron design

    Additional Halloween decor ideas for a tree include red or black ornament bulbs, strings of red or black beads, and a cool Star Wars tree skirt . I might hit up the clearance sales after Christmas this year to a get a few more details for our Halloween tree next year.

    Star Wars Halloween Tree Decorations

    More Star Wars Halloween Ideas

    Turkey pear craft

    byKaren•

    Are you ready for Thanksgiving yet? Fall is just about here and I’m busy planning away. Not that I want to rush through Halloween because costumes are my favorite! Thanksgiving is Peter’s favorite holiday though, so I need to give it some festive love too. Let’s make a turkey pear craft perfect for kids from preschool to middle school.

    Pears decorated like turkeys

    It’s a healthy snack and activity rolled into one thing, the perfect craft for both a lazy fall afternoon or to keep kids busy before Thanksgiving dinner. Let the kids eat their turkey pears after you’ve taken a picture for posterity’s sake (or Instagram) 😉 or keep them on display.

    My turkey pear craft was inspired by one Elliot made in preschool. I am pretty sure every preschool makes apple turkey crafts with fruit loops, mini marshmallows, candy corn and other unhealthy (although yummy) ingredients.

    The apple turkey craft is very colorful and sweet but I wanted to update it with healthier ingredients and more fall like colors. We ditched the marshmallows and used Cheerios instead of fruit loops. Plus I think a Bosc pear looks more like a turkey than a red apple.

    Turkey Pear Craft Tutorial

    bosc pear with toothpicks
    Bosc pear with cheerio feathers
    Bosc pears decorated like Thanksgiving Turkeys

    We used multigrain Cheerios to give the turkey “feathers” a little color without being bright. Add a couple of raisin eyes and a small orange peel to the front of the pear and you have a festive pear turkey!

    Thanksgiving Turkey Pear

    Thanksgiving Turkey Pear

    This easy Thanksgiving craft is a fun activity to do before dinner and can double as an appetizer for kids.

    Materials

    • Bosc Pears
    • Cheerios or similar cereal
    • Raisins
    • Orange
    • Toothpicks

    Instructions

    1. Start by adding 3-5 toothpicks to the back of your pear. The toothpicks will hold the Cheerios to create the turkey's feathers.
    2. Add cheerios to each toothpick until they reach the very top. I try to vary the colors of cereal as I add them to make more interesting feathers.
    3. Tear a raisin in half and attach to the front of the pear to create the turkey eyes. The stickiness of the raisins allows it to naturally stick to the pear.
    4. Use a small piece of orange peel to complete the turkey face. The orange peel will also stick to the pear but not as well (or as long as the raisins). It will stick long enough for you to enjoy your turkey craft and then consume it though.

    Notes

    Craisins work just as well as raisins. Other 'O' shaped cereals will also work but I like the colors of Multigrain Cheerios for this craft.

    If you want to display this craft for more than an hour, you will need to attach the orange peel to the pear better. A small dab of glue or tape would do the trick, although you won't want to consume then.

    Recommended Products

    As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Did you make this project?

    Take a picture and tag @karenheffren or #DesertChica!

    © KarenHeffren

    Healthy Thanksgiving Appetizer

    Keep the kids busy this Thanksgiving before the meal with a turkey pear craft - if they get hungry it can be their appetizer too!

    Sometimes waiting for the big meal can seem like forever. I love that this turkey pear craft is an activity that then becomes a healthier Thanksgiving appetizer. What do you think of my Thanksgiving turkey pear craft?

    Bosc Pear decorated like Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

    More Thanksgiving Ideas

    3 Little Things To Make With Cricut Joy

    byKaren•

    This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.

    The Cricut Joy is the perfect crafting machine for making simple little projects. I’m excited to partner with Cricut today to share share 3 little things to make with your Cricut Joy for a baby shower gift. Themed baby onesies, gift bags and a custom card.

    baby onesies with cute iron on designs

    What is the Cricut Joy?

    If you aren’t familiar with Cricut’s newest cutting machine, let me share what makes it awesome! The Cricut Joy is compact and portable, it easily fits on a shelf or countertop. Because it packs away easily and sets up instantly, you can move it from room to room. No craft room required. Just don’t tell my craft room that. 😉

    Bonus feature? You can cut specially designed Cricut materials without a cutting mat using the Cricut Joy. Of course a tiny Cricut Joy sized mat does come with the machine, so you don’t have to use the Cricut Joy Smart Iron-On if you don’t want to. Cricut Smart Vinyl comes in lengths of up to 20 feet!

    How Big Is the Cricut Joy?

    Portable can be subjective so let me explain how portable it really is. It’s about the size of a small toaster and weighs under 4 pounds. Take it on vacation with you, or over to a friends house for a crafting party. You can craft anywhere.

    It only takes a few minutes to unbox your Cricut Joy and link it to your device when you first set it up. And I mean it literally only took 5 minutes. I use my Cricut Joy with a MacBook but there is also an app that allows it to work with mobile devices like tablets and cell phones.

    How Do You Turn on a Cricut Joy

    Once you’ve set up the Cricut Joy for the first time, turning on the Cricut Joy each subsequent time is very easy. Just plug it in and connect via bluetooth.

    Now that you are ready to start a project, open up Design Space and make sure you have your Cricut Joy machine selected. I love the simplicity of the Cricut Joy. There are no buttons on the Cricut Joy. There is only one cord, the power cord. Everything else is controlled within the Design Space app.

    Everything that comes with the Cricut Joy Machine

    Make Baby Onesies with Cricut Joy

    We always love making custom shirts with my Cricut Maker. So I considered making my boys’ new back to school shirts using my Cricut Joy for this post. But it turns out the Cricut Joy isn’t the only adorable new addition to our family this year. I have a niece arriving soon and I wanted to customize a few baby onesies for her. It made sense to share how to use the adorably small Cricut Joy to create a few adorably small baby onesies.

    Sticking with one cut and one color, I was easily able to cut each design quickly (under 15 minutes) for each onesie. Now coming up with a design you like may take some additional time depending on how creative you are or want to be. I included links to my designs below if you want to make one of the onesies in this post.

    How to make custom onesies with Cricut Joy

    1. Open up Design Space and make sure the machine selected is the Cricut Joy. I had a few ideas for baby onesies that I wanted to make and decided to just utilize the images available in Design Space. In this example I wanted to create a onesie with a puppy dog and added the words “My big sister has paws.”

    2. Click on a the plus sign to create a new project. Then click the images icon to choose an image. Alternatively, you could also click the upload icon and upload your own image file.

    3. I searched for a puppy image I liked and click insert image. Once the image is inserted into your project, you can manipulate the size and rotation. I also like to change the color to match the vinyl I am using so I can get a better overall feel for the design before I cut it.  This step isn’t necessary, the machine doesn’t care what color vinyl it cuts.

    4. Now add any text you want to the design. I added “My big sister has paws” and then adjusted the size, font and placement. Once you are happy with the design I suggest welding the design together, the machine will cut it exactly as it shows on the screen.

    5. Then click the green ‘Make It’ button in the top corner. The next screen allows you to review your design and also tells you how much material you need to make the design. If you need to adjust the size, hit cancel to go back and resize the design. Once you’re ready to cut, be sure to turn on the Mirror mode before continuing.

    6. If you have more than one Cricut device, the software may prompt you to select with Cricut model you are using. Then select the material you are working with. Popular materials will be shown but there is a link to browse all materials if you happen to be working with a different kind of material.

    7. Now load the material into the machine. If you are using Cricut Joy Smart Material you won’t use a mat. If you are using different iron-on vinyl, you will need to place the material on the mat (shiny side down) first before loading it.

    Cricut Joy machine with mat loaded

    8. Once you’ve loaded the material successfully, click cut in Design Space. After the cut is finished, carefully weed the excess material from the design. Double checking the placement of the design before ironing it on. I always refer to the Cricut Heat Guide to determine the proper settings.

    Cute Baby Onesie Designs

    You can make your own cute baby onesie designs easily within Design Space. Or if you like any of my designs, I’ve included links to the projects below so you can easily recreate them.

    Customize Cards with Cricut Joy

    I’ve never been a handmade card crafter. They’re cool, just not my thing to make. Mostly because I am terrible with scissors but also because my hand writing sucks. The Cricut Joy makes it so easy, it’s crazy! Using the special Cricut Joy Card Mat, card inserts and pre-made designs in Cricut Design space and you will have a cute card done in just a few minutes. No scissor skills or beautiful handwriting required!

    llama themed baby shower gift

    Customize Gift Bags with Cricut Joy

    I ended buying several baby gifts, along with the baby onesies I made for my new niece. When I was ready to start wrapping the gifts I realized I could actually theme the gifts together and create custom gift bags for each theme.

    I added vinyl designs to plain gifts bags I already had. The llama gift bag had llama themed gifts, the sloth gift bag had sloth themed gifts, and my last bag was filled with the rest of the onesies and a few pretty outfits I found online. The last gift bag didn’t really have a theme so I decorated the bag with a welcome message. By the way, Princess David is not my niece’s name but rather a silly family joke. I may still call her Princess David on occasion though. 😉

    baby shower gift bags featuring a sloth, llama and princess crown made with Cricut Joy and vinyl

    If you decide to decorate gift bags, don’t mirror the image when cutting regular vinyl. Regular vinyl is applied directly on the bag like a big sticker.

    More Cricut Projects

    DIY Desk Organizer

    byKaren•

    This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PilotforSchool

    School is fast approaching, whether that is your child attending classes in person or remote learning at home. Either way, keeping school supplies organized for homework or all the classwork is essential. I created a simple DIY Desk Organizer for each of the kids using cereal boxes and duct tape.

    Custom Desktop Organizer

    We are opting to start the school year online instead of at school like we normally do. This means we have more school supplies at home and an even greater need to keep our desktop areas organized and ready for school each day.

    The best part of back to school is back to school shopping. There’s something fun about buying new school supplies to start off the school year. This year we won’t be organizing the supplies in new backpacks but instead in our new school supply box caddy.

    Back To School Supplies

    At the top of our back to school supply list are G2 Gel Ink Pens and FriXion Clicker Erasable Gel Pens by Pilot Pen. Whether you’re taking notes, stocking up on school or office supplies or writing in a bullet journal, Pilot has the perfect pen for you.

    Click the image below to add them directly to your cart.

    G2 is the #1 selling gel ink pen in America. G2 has smooth writing gel ink which I love. It is the ideal pen for overachievers and supports the local community with a $100,000 G2 Overachievers grant and a $15,000 G2 Overachievers Student Grant.

    The #1 selling erasable pen brand is FriXion. This makes sense because there is no wear or tear thanks to the unique, thermo-sensitive ink formula. So you can erase and rewrite until it’s right without ruining the page. My boys love using pens but when doing school work, erasing is important to correct any mistakes.

    Pens to purchase on Walmart website

    I often do grocery order pick up from Walmart because I love ordering from home and having my order loaded into my trunk for me. I almost went that route but instead purchased them online with free delivery right to my house.

    School Supply Box

    With a wide array of fun pens and other school supplies to organize, I knew I needed a simple but effective way to keep things separated and sorted. Rather than buy an office organizer which can get rather pricey, especially for two kids, I opted to create a simple DIY desk organizer from empty cereal and cracker boxes, customized and decorated with my favorite craft supply, duct tape!

    cardboard materials and duct tape

    DIY Desktop Organizer Supplies

    • Empty cardboard food boxes
    • Cardboard toilet paper rolls
    • Duct tape

    The first step in making your desktop organizer is gathering your materials. I used three different sized cardboard boxes to create my design. Start by cutting down each box to fit the supplies you want to store in it. You want the box to be an inch or two shorter than the supplies.

    cardboard food box

    How To Make a DIY Desk Organizer

    Stack the cut boxes together by size, centering them together. Use a strip of duct tape on the bottom to hold them together. Now you’re ready to start adding strips of duct tape around the organizer starting at the bottom.

    We chose to alternate different colors of duct tape for our design. My boys chose their favorite colors from my duct tape stash. I was a little sad no one chose tie dye or Halloween themed duct tape. 😉

    Keep adding strips of duct tape until the entire thing is covered. You can adjust the duct tape somewhat if necessary, as long as you don’t press down too hard when you first put it on. Use a ruler to smooth the duct tape in place and into the corners.

    Keep adding duct tape until the entire thing is covered. Keep the strips level or at slight angles depending upon your desired design. If necessary, add additional strips of duct tape to the back of the craft to finish the look.

    Now cut the cardboard rolls until they are slightly shorter than the smallest box. How many you fit in will depend upon your box size. These will help keep pens, pencils and markers organized and upright in your desk organizer.

    I took the desk organizer design a step further and added my son’s name to it. For this extra detail I used my die-cutting machine to cut their names out. I recommend using parchment paper when cutting designs out of duct tape. Check out my how to cut duct tape post for tips and tricks if you’d like to add this detail to your organizer too.

    I sized our school supply organizers to fit pens and pencils in the front compartment, composition books in the middle compartment, and folders and notebooks in the back compartment.

    DIY desk organizer

    How To Cut Duct Tape

    byKaren•

    I know it’s hard to pick favorites but I am pretty sure duct tape is my favorite crafting material. Duct tape comes in a wide variety of colors and designs making it easy to decorate and customize crafts. Learning how to cut duct tape is the key to working with it though.

    How to Cut Duct Tape

    If you’ve ever tried to cut duct tape with scissors you know that the tape tends to stick to the scissor blades. If you want just a strip of tape, you can easily rip it off but then the edges are jagged. If you want to cut a specific shape or design you need to be able to successfully use scissors.

    How to Cut Duct Tape with Parchment Paper

    The simplest way to cut duct tape with scissors is using parchment paper. When you place a strip of duct tape on parchment paper it will only slightly adhere to it. Now when you cut through the duct tape, the parchment paper will prevent the tape from sticking to the scissor blades. Once you’ve made your cuts, the duct tape easily peels off the parchment paper and the cuts have clean edges.

    Using parchment paper allows you to cut designs out of duct tape as well. Simply draw your design or shape on one side of the parchment paper, then flip it over and cover the entire shape with duct tape. The parchment paper is thin enough that you can see the design on the opposite side. Now turn the parchment paper back over and carefully cut out your shape using scissors. Peel off the parchment paper backing when you are ready to use it.

    How to Cut Duct Tape with a Cricut machine

    While I often cut duct tape by hand using parchment paper and scissors, I love that I can also cut duct tape using my Cricut Maker. This is helpful when I need a more intricate design cut. my scissor skills are usually on par with a kindergartner, that’s why my Cricut saves me.

    There are different opinions on how you can cut duct tape using your Cricut machine. Some people think you need to add a backing like parchment paper or wax paper before you put it on the cutting mat. Honestly I’ve had the best luck with just lightly adding the duct tape straight to the mat.

    There is a setting for duct tape on your Cricut machine. My Cricut Maker cuts the duct tape well but the duct tape wants to stay stuck to the mat, even when using transfer tape.

    I am successful (with patience) by first weeding the excess duct tape, then using strong grip transfer tape and finally carefully using my Cricut spatula to lift up the duct tape design

    If you want to use duct tape regularly then I suggest buying sheets of duct tape, it already has backing that will come off easy.

    Duct Tape Crafts

    Being able to easily cut duct tape into various shapes allows you to create lots of fun duct tape crafts. One of my favorite duct tape crafts is my BB-8 paper lantern that required a lot of duct tape designs in different colors. I use duct tape in crafts year round from lightsaber Christmas lights to Halloween costumes.

    DIY Captain America Shield

    byKaren•

    Just about everyone loves Captain America, he is a Marvel fan favorite for sure. When you think about Cap what is the first thing that comes to mind? For me it’s his shield. Every Captain America super fan needs their own shield. Check out this simple DIY Captain America shield tutorial.

    Captain America Shield made from duct tape and a frisbee.

    Captain America Craft

    This is an easy project and if your child does ok with scissors (can safely cut relatively straight lines), then they can definitely make their own Captain America shield themselves.

    captain America Shield Materials

    Supplies

    • Red Frisbee
    • Red, White and Blue Duct Tape
    • Parchment Paper

    I bought 2 red frisbees at the dollar store. I love duct tape, so I already had red, white and blue duct tape at home. I personally don’t recommend generic duct tape, it doesn’t cut as well.

    How to Make a Captain America Shield

    If you have a solid red frisbee to start with than you can skip the first round layer of red duct tape. If your frisbee is like mine, then you will need a circle of red duct tape to cover up the frisbee graphic.

    Start by drawing your various circle on parchment paper to make cutting the duct tape feasible. Captain America’s shield has an outer red ring (the largest circle), followed by white, red and then blue. I found various bowls, lids, duct tape rolls, etc around the house to use as circle templates.

    Once you’ve traced the different sized circles. Add strips of duct tape to the back, slightly overlapping so that it fills in the entire circle design. Now you can flip the parchment paper over and cut around the circle you drew. Do this for each circular layer. The duct tape will peel easily off the parchment paper.

    Screen Shot 2014-03-30 at 6.46.27 PM

    Captain America Shield Template

    I didn’t have anything to use for a star template, so I printed the graphic above. You could also just free hand draw the star design on parchment paper but I just don’t have that kind of skill. It was less stressful to just trace the star instead. Make sure you use white duct tape to create your star design.

    DIY Captain America Shield with Duct Tape.jpg

    Now layer each piece of duct tape on your frisbee to create your Captain America shield. Place the white star at the center of the shield.

    DIY Captain America Shield Duct Tape Frisbee.jpg

    The last step is to add a handle. Instead of cutting small holes in the shield for a handle, we created it using more red duct tape. Start by folding a longer piece of duct tape in half, lengthwise. Then tape each end of the strap to the back of the shield.

    Captain America Shield Duct Tape Handle.jpg

    How’s that for an easy DIY Captain America Shield? No messy spray paint involved, just duct tape and a frisbee.

    Homemade Captain America Shields.jpg

    This was the perfect craft for Elliot because the costume he received at Christmas didn’t have a Captain America shield. Now he’s ready to throw his shield and battle Thanos! 😉

    Boy dressed as Captain America holding a DIY Captain America Shield

    More Captain America Ideas

    Looking for more Captain America fun for your kids? Check out these other Captain American ideas below:

    Mulch Diggums Shirt

    byKaren•

    Artemis Fowl is now available on Disney+. We were super excited to watch Artemis in action. To celebrate its release I wanted to share an Artemis Fowl project I made this weekend, a Mulch Diggums shirt.

    Mulch Diggums Shirt

    It wouldn’t be surprising if everyone’s favorite character in the movie is Mulch Diggums. He has a lot of funny lines and spends most of the movie narrating the adventure. It doesn’t hurt that Mulch Diggums is played by Josh Gad, aka Olaf from Frozen and looks a little like Hagrid from Harry Potter. He appears to be crazily oversized dwarf, which is of course an oxymoron but still true and funny. He calls himself Dwarfus Giaganticus during the movie which seemed like a great idea for a Mulch Diggums shirt. 

    Mulch Diggums Artemis Fowl Shirt

    I created the Mulch Diggums shirt design in Design Space, just adding a fun beard to the text ‘Dwarfus Giaganticus.’ It’s easy enough to create your own version or just click through and use my design file in Design Space. 

    Artemis Fowl Movie Review

    We really enjoyed Artemis Fowl. In fact, we have been waiting to see the movie for over a year, it was originally supposed to be released in theaters last fall. Quinn and I read the first Artemis Fowl book and couldn’t wait to see a movie adaptation. So we are already Artemis Fowl fans and are just happy to see the characters in a movie.

    That being said, I do think the movie lacks details and enough backstory to make it confusing to the general public. If you’ve read the Artemis Fowl book series (or even just the first one like us), then you will already have a general understanding about how things work in that universe. If you haven’t read the books, then some things won’t make sense in the movie. It’s still a fun adventure if you are looking for a new movie to watch on Disney+.

    Artemis Fowl Party Ideas

    Looking for more fun Artemis Fowl ideas? Check out this list of movie reviews, DIY projects and recipes. Go ahead and plan a fun Artemis Fowl movie night for next weekend.

    Artemis Fowl Movie Review: 

    Photo Credit: popcornandtequila.com

    Can We Just Throw This One Away And Start Over? 

    Artemis Fowl Review from a Mom’s POV

    Photo Credit: getdressedmommy.com

    Mom's point of view movie review of Artemis Fowl on Disney+

    Create the Ultimate Artemis Fowl Movie Night at Home

    Photo Credit: elvamdesign.com

    Check out these fun ideas for an Artemis Fowl movie night including fun cupcake toppers to download!

    Artemis Fowl Inspired Kids T-Shirt DIY

    Photo Credit: sprinklediy.com

    Do your kids want to be just like Artemis Fowl? Check out this super cute 'Mastermind' shirt you can make at home.

    Artemis Fowl on Disney Plus

    Photo Credit: theeverydaymouse.com

    Artemis Fowl activity packet and fun popsicle idea!

     

    Fun Movie Shirts For Tweens

     

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