VACATION
CRAFTING
VACATION
CRAFTING
150+ SUMMER CAMP PROJECTS FOR
BOYS & GIRLS TO MAKE
Suzanne McNeill
CONTENTS
LOOK WHAT YOU CAN MAKE!
FOAM
SEASHELLS
STRING
HEMP
FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS
PLASTIC LACE
RUBBER BANDS
PONY BEADS
FUSIBLE BEADS
TIE-DYE
DUCT TAPE
INTRODUCTION
ARE YOU READY FOR A CRAFTY VACATION?
Getting away from it all doesn’t have to mean getting away from entertaining craft projects! Even during the most exciting school breaks, you sometimes have an hour—or a whole afternoon—with nothing to do. The fast, fun crafts in this book are perfect whether you’re enjoying a summer afternoon at the kitchen table or you’re away from home without all your usual art supplies. You only need easy-to-pack or inexpensive materials available almost anywhere you’ll be vacationing. These crafts can fill your downtime with inspiration and enjoyment for your entire family. And if you only have an hour free here and there, don’t worry—most of these projects work just fine if you start them, put them down, and pick them up again later in the day.
So, let’s get started! Use craft foam, seashells, or pretty string to make decorations for your room. Deck yourself out in hemp jewelry and make friendship bracelets for your besties. Practice your plastic lace skills on lanyards and your rubber band skills on cell phone cases. Make some pony bead animals and try your hand at tie-dye. From duct tape to fusible beads, there’s something here for everyone. It’s time for vacation—and time to get crafty!
MATERIALS AND SKILLS
A QUICK LOOK AT WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED!
There is such a variety of projects in this book that it would be impossible to list all the materials, tools, and skills you’d need for all of them in one place. Luckily for you, virtually every item to make every project in this book is available at large craft stores. If you’re at home, you’ll probably have some of the basics like scissors and glue on hand already. But if you’re going on a trip, you’ll want to make sure you look at the specific projects you want to make before you go so that you can bring along the materials and tools you’ll need. Some projects do require quite particular materials or tools that you might have trouble finding at the beach or deep in the woods! Read on to get an idea of the general materials you’ll need for each of the sections in this book.
FOAM: Foam crafts are all about what you add to the foam and what you add the foam to! You’ll need craft foam, which is available in a ton of colors, and then miscellaneous materials that can usually all be found at the craft store, like wood craft sticks, wiggle eyes, glitter glue, chenille stems, and more. Technique-wise, it’s usually as simple as cutting and gluing!
SEASHELLS: You can either purchase shells or use shells you’ve collected yourself during a sandy day at the beach. Speaking of sandy, be sure to wipe or wash your shells well before you start crafting with them to make sure the adhesive stays stuck! Since shells can be heavy and textured, it’s best to use hot glue or a heavy-duty glue like E6000 to glue shell projects.
STRING: You can use embroidery floss and craft thread for a surprising number of crafts! From funky string art to classic dream catchers, you usually don’t need much more than some kind of base material like a wooden plaque or a plastic canvas to make string projects.
HEMP: