Tips & Tricks: How to Make Your Seedling Activity Kit December 23 2016, 0 Comments
Hi Friends!
To help you along on your creative journey, we’re sharing some tips and tricks on how to make our most popular kits. We’re here to help you begin your new art project with confidence and ease. As always, if you have questions or need additional help, please don’t hesitate to contact us—we’re just an email away at help@seedling.com.
Happy Crafting!
1. Colour the Earth & Colour the Galaxy
To start, use a bike pump to inflate your ball. Fill with enough air so the fabric is pulled taut along the ball’s surface and there are no wrinkles. Your ball can be played with both indoors and out, so we’ve included permanent markers in your kit to make sure your colorful design stays bold and bright. Before you begin coloring, protect your workspace by laying down cardboard, a sheet of plastic, or several layers of newspaper your table. Don’t forget an apron or smock to keep your clothes marker-free!
2. Bird Wings & Butterfly Wings
Your custom wings are meant to fly both both indoors and out, so we’ve included permanent markers in your kit to make sure your design stays bold and bright. Before you begin coloring protect your workspace by laying down cardboard, a sheet of plastic, or several layers of newspaper your table. Don’t forget an apron or smock to keep your clothes marker-free!
3. Snow Globes & Disney Pixar's Finding Dory | Design Your Own Aquarium
Before you begin creating your aquarium, protect your workspace by laying down cardboard, a sheet of plastic, or several layers of newspaper your table.
Our globe kits contain polymer “clay” that is much different than modeling clay. The molecular structure of the polymer allows it to maintain its shape when submerged in water, whereas traditional modeling clay would dissolve. The polymer may seem hard and crumbly at first, but continue to work it around in your hands and roll it around on your tabletop for 5-10 minutes until it becomes warm and pliable. Eventually the clay will become very easy to shape—you’ll even be able to combine 2 colors to make a third shade—just stick with it!
Use the opening of the plastic globe as a cookie cutter to create a clay mound or base for your sculpture, then create the “scene” for your globe.
Before you bake the clay, place the globe over your completed design to make sure all your elements fit inside the globe. Make any adjustments, if needed, then bake according to instructions.
When creating the EVA seal for your globe, use the globe as a cookie cutter again—press firmly onto the EVA sheet to create an indent, then carefully cut out the circle as accurately as possible so the seal makes a tight fit to prevent any water from leaking.
Once your clay creation has cooled and cured from the baking process, invert the plastic globe and place into the cardboard base (with the hole facing upwards) to keep it still, then carefully fill about halfway with water. Add your glitter, then gently insert your clay creation down into the opening of your globe. Continue to add water until the globe is full and there is no air inside. Place the foam seal in the cap, then screw the cap onto the globe tightly.
Before you begin creating your cape, protect your workspace by laying down cardboard, a sheet of plastic, or several layers of newspaper your table. Don’t forget an apron or smock to keep your clothes mess-free!
Use the included paintbrush to paint the craft glue onto the felt and foam shapes before sticking to the cape, making sure to extend the glue all the way to the edges of the shapes so they don’t peel away from the cape when dry. Too much glue will take longer to dry and will saturate the materials, so use sparingly as you create.
Once the cape is done, let dry completely. To wear, tie the straps loosely in a bow, never a knot, and let the superhero adventures begin!
5. Design Your Own Marble Maze
To start designing your Maze, place the grid card flat on your table or workspace. Peel and stick the double-sided sticker onto the Maze wall, then stick to the grid by pressing the wall down firmly onto the grid card. Repeat until you’ve completed your maze path. Add Start and Finish stickers to indicate where your maze path starts and ends. Punch out a few of the perforated holes in the grid card to make your maze more challenging. Lift your grid paper off the table and gently place into the maze box. Place a marble at your Start sticker, and get ready to roll!
6. Disney’s The Little Mermaid | Design Your Own Fintastical Mermaid Tail
Before you begin creating your cape, protect your workspace by laying down cardboard, a sheet of plastic, or several layers of newspaper your table. Don’t forget an apron or smock to keep your clothes mess-free!
This kit contains colorful tulle, felt pieces and glitter glue. Start by trimming the tulle to strips about 12-18” (or 30-45cm) in length. The tulle can be woven in and out of the ribbon on the waistband of the tail, or cut into smaller pieces and glued with glitter glue to add texture on the surface of the tail. Use the glitter glue to place the felt shapes and characters onto the tail. Let dry completely. To wear, tie gently around the waist in a loose bow.
7. Create Your Own Designer Tutu & Create Your Own Ice Princess Tutu
The tulle in your tutu kit takes some trimming! Lay the tulle out then roll up into a tube, lengthwise. Cut strips about 4” (or 10cm) wide from the bottom edge of the tulle to the top. Continue across the length of the tulle until all your tulle is cut into strips.
To attach the tulle to the waistband, take one strip of tulle and fold so the short ends of the tulle meet. Slide the looped end of the tulle behind the elastic, then thread the two loose ends up over the elastic band, and through the loop, then pull to secure. Repeat with the remaining tulle strips around the elastic band until it’s full and fluffy.
Before you begin creating your nightlight design, protect your workspace by laying down cardboard, a sheet of plastic, or several layers of newspaper your table. Your kit includes permanent markers to make sure your design stays bold and bright night after night. Don’t forget an apron or smock to keep your clothes marker-free!
9. Design Your Own Superhero Mask
Before you begin coloring protect your workspace by laying down cardboard, a sheet of plastic, or several layers of newspaper your table. Don’t forget an apron or smock to keep your clothes mess-free! Lay the mask flat on your workspace. You can use the included craft glue or the glitter glue to stick the elements to your mask. Make sure to extend the glue all the way to the edges of the shapes so they don’t peel away from the mask when dry. Too much glue will take longer to dry and will saturate the felt, so use sparingly as you create. Let the mask dry completely. To wear, place on face, then gently tie ribbon behind the head in a bow.
10. Disney's Alice in Wonderland | Design Your Own Tea Party Set
Before you begin coloring protect your workspace by laying down cardboard, a sheet of plastic, or several layers of newspaper your table. Don’t forget an apron or smock to keep your clothes mess-free!
Be sure to paint thin layers of ceramic paint onto the pieces and wash your brush thoroughly when changing paint colors. When you’re finished painting, let the pieces dry for 24 hours before baking. After you’ve baked the set, let the pieces cool and cure for another 12-24 hours. Remember, this set is for decorative and play use only—please do not use with food or drink.