Happy Wednesday to you! It's time once again to post another WFMW tip!

This week I'm sharing a a gift idea.

This week was my nephew's 4th birthday. I really didn't know what to get him, he has more toys/books/clothes than he knows what to do with already. So, I decided to find a craft project geared towards his age group, print out the instructions, and purchase all the craft supplies to send him as a gift. The craft project I chose for him was a clothespin magnet. Take a look!

Clothespin Magnet

Supplies Needed:

wooden or plastic clothespinsbuttons
google eyes, beads, small silk flowers, etc
hot glue with parent's help)
magnet strips
posterboard (white is best)

Directions:

Begin by drawing the first letter in each family member's name on a piece of posterboard. Cut out the letters, they should be approximately 3 inches in height. I must confess, I just went to Michael's and purchased a thin wooden letter initial for $1.50 instead of using posterboard.

Next, glue together two clothespins in cross cross fashion so that both open at the same end (bottom). Position your letters onto the crisscrossed clothespin to make sure it will fit comfortably. Lay the posterboard letter onto the a flat work surface.

Have the children choose what they would like to use to decorate each letter with. One child may be very fond of the color purple and may choose a variety of buttons, pom poms, flowers, and beads, all in purple. Another child may have a liking for google eyes as one of ours did! Use whatever beads, baubles and items you like, as long as they aren't too heavy. Have the children arrange their "finds" on the letters (atop the work surface) the way they would like them to be on their magnets.

An adult will need to operate the glue gun. Apply glue to the items and affix them, one at a time, to the posterboard letter. Set aside to dry completely. On the back of the crisscrossed clothespin, attach a long magnet strip (these are self adhesive and available at discount and craft stores). You can also recycle old business card and flat magnets that you have lying around by cutting them to fit and gluing to the back. When finished, glue the letter to the clothespin and hang on the refrigerator!

Here's what the craft gift box looked like before I sent it to my nephew. I found the gift box on sale at Michael's for $4.00! Cute, eh?

I got a call from my sister telling me that the gift had been received and that my nephew was so excited to have a craft project to do. She's going to send me pictures of their completed clothespin magnet.

Creating a craft gift box for birthday gifts works for me. To find out what works for others, be sure to check out the other links at Shannon's, the creator of Works-For-Me Wednesday!

My past WFMW entries are found here.

Labels: kids crafts, Works-For-Me Wednesday