The 'Boy' In The Hat Knows A Lot About That (Tutorial)

My preschooler loves to watch The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That on PBS, so the other day when he wanted to make a craft, we thought it would be fun to dress him up as The Cat in the Hat.  So today in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday, which was yesterday (things got busy around here), I thought I'd show you how we turned an oatmeal canister into a little boys dream hat.

What you'll need:

• Oatmeal canister
• Heavy duty paper plate
• Elastic (1/2")
• Stapler
• Clear packing tape
• Red construction paper and white heavy card stock
• Pen

 Directions:

• Trace around the oatmeal container in the center of the plate and cut the circle out.  It's best to cut it just smaller than the line you drew so the canister will fit snugly in place.
• Cover an oatmeal container with white card stock paper and tape in place.
• Cut three strips of red construction paper and tape in place.
• Tape the canister to the paper plate with clear packing tape.
• Carefully cut slits in the canister for the elastic to thread through.  Adjust the elastic to fit snugly under the chin.  Remove the hat and staple the elastic.

I took a small scrap of vinyl and cut a little black nose and whiskers with a pair of scissors.  He wore them for quite awhile before they lost their stick and I needed to cut another set.  The bow tie was made from construction paper.

My sister used this fun free on-line photo editing site where you can take any picture and turn it into a cartoon drawing and turned him into a real cartoon Cat in the Hat.  It was the icing on the cake, he was thrilled! 

It would be easy to hang up a white sheet, take some pictures, and then turn them into a cartoon to illustrate a child's very own book, to use for an invitation, make into a comic strip, to frame and hang in a child's bedroom, or to try it just for fun!

A children's book could be titled "The Boy/Girl In The Hat Knows A Lot About That".  Each page could have a picture of something that they can do.  For ex.--The boy (or use their name) knows a lot about drawing a picture, shooting a basketball, riding a bike, making cookies, etc.   It would be a way of celebrating and acknowledging their accomplishments.   You could print the pictures on 4x6 photo paper and put them in a small photo album or laminate them (or not), punch three holes, and add D-rings to hold the pages together (making it easy to add new photos).  What do you think? 

The name of the site is called befunky.com if you'd like to give it a try.    I don't know very much about it, but it has a lot of features and I hope to spend some more time there checking everything out. 

Today's Fabulous Find...befunky.com

{Free} Halloween Costume E-Book

Are you thinking about Halloween Costumes yet?   All Free Holiday Crafts has put together a fun e-book filled with tutorials for 14 different Halloween costumes to make at home and it's FREE!

 "Creative and Cute Halloween Costumes:

14 Costume Ideas to Make at Home" eBook

Quoted from All Free Holiday Crafts:  "In this free, downloadable eBook of 14 Costume Ideas to Make at Home, you'll find everything from adorable character costumes to cute animal-themed outfits and so many more creative and cute Halloween costumes, we can't even begin to name them all!"

The little cardboard box train costume (with a real working light) that I made for my son(s) is one of the costumes featured in the e-book, go check it out, it's a fun one. :)

Todays Fabulous Find:   

Creative and Cute Halloween Costumes [FREE] eBook

Kids Halloween Activities

My 3 year old made a simple craft by gluing a construction paper jack-o-lantern to an empty oatmeal canister. 

He loved making it, and used it throughout the day to carry his matchbox cars around the house.   Of course, by the end of the day he was using it to play kick the can.  Boys. :)

 

If looking for some Halloween activities to do with your kids is on your list of things to do, these links are full of fun ideas to help get you started:

 Halloween craft, decoration, and recipe ideas: 

 http://www.allfreecrafts.com/halloween/index.shtml

http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/halloweencrafts.htm

Some fun printables, including coloring pages, games and much more :

http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-printables/

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/halloween/

Also, I'm always so excited and appreciative when another blogger chooses to feature something that I've made.  I want to thank Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for featuring my Fall Pumpkin Patch from her Pumpkin Parade Party as well as House of Hepworths for featuring my little pumpkins at her Hookin' Up with HOH Party.  Ladybug Blessings featured  Marlin and Merva who were linked to her Handmade Tuesday Party.   If you're not familiar with these sites, you may want to go check them out and join in on the party!

Today's Fabulous Find is Apples 4 The Teacher

 A one stop 'shop' for kids Halloween ideas. 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for the $35 CSN Gift Card, I'll be selecting a winner tomorrow.

 

WooWoo! Cardboard Box to Train Costume!

 I promised you, and here it is...how I made the Train Costume... for only $10! 

The hardest part of making the train was deciding how I wanted it to look.  Once I had a design idea, the rest of it was pretty easy.  


If you want to make one for your own little guy, here's how you do it: 

Main Train:  (This part is hard to explain, if you get lost in my words, just look at the picture.)  Choose a box that will fit the size of your child.  Make sure it's wide enough for their hips, and short enough that they can walk in it. (That's important.)  To make the cab, fold one of the end flaps of the box down to form the front of the train.  Stand the other end flap up to form the back of the cab.  Cut the side flaps vertically where the end flaps end.   On the front, tape the short side sections to the front flap, on the back stand them up and tape them to the back flap.  The left over sections of the side flaps are taped down, inside of the box.  I used packing tape and duct tape to tape everything in place.  Cut a piece of cardboard from another box to fit the opening on the back side and tape it.  Spray paint the box.

Decorative Design (on the side):    Open an empty cereal box to where it lies flat, draw your design, cut it out, and spray paint it.  Hot glue it onto the side when your paint is completely dry.

Light:  This is an inexpensive battery operated push light.  Place the light where you want it, trace around it, and then cut a hole slightly smaller than your light.  This will help it to have a snug fit and stay in place better.  I  used packing tape on the inside of the train to hold it in place.

Smoke Stack:  This is a cardboard oatmeal container.  Cut the top part of the container off to the height you want and then spray paint it.  My boys used the smokestack to hold their candy!  Pretty fun!  I used long brads and tape to hold the smoke stack on.

Front Bumper:  Once again this is a cereal box. :)  Cut around the box to make it a triangle, spray paint it, and then hot glue it on.  You'll want to add packing tape underneath and to both of the sides to keep it securely in place. 

Windows:  The windows are squares of yellow paper glued on.  Pretty simple.

Top of Cab:  This piece is poster board, cut slightly bigger than the box, spray painted black, and taped on.   (A cereal box would work fine too.)

Wheels:  This is my favorite part!  They are records from the thrift store and cost me .50 each.  Just for fun I  chose records with kids music on them.  Attach them with brads through the center of the record, through the cardboard, and then tape the brad on the inside to help hold it in place.  The gray piece connecting them is a piece of poster board covered with duct tape.  Punch holes in it to insert the brads through.

The Straps:  The straps are nylon webbing.  I actually used the strap from an old diaper bag.  You could also use old backpack straps.  (TIP:  Before you throw old diaper bags and backpacks away, cut off the straps and clips, they may come in handy for future projects!)  Measure the straps to a comfortable length and then hook them on using long brads.  You may want to use a couple in each strap to make sure they are secure.  I inserted the strap through the layers of cardboard to hide the ends.  The straps are criss-crossed in the front to help them stay up on the shoulders.

 

Engineer Cap:  You can find information about how I made an Eddy Cap for the Engineer cap here.

 

This train does take some time to make, but it's totally worth it!  Both of my boys have worn it and loved it.  You can imagine the excitement when they turn on the light, get their train whistle ready, and walk out through the door to collect candy.  I have so many happy memories watching them 'chugging' around in this costume.  Which of your kids costumes was your favorite and brings good memories? 

(If you decide to make this train, leave me a comment with a link, I'd love to check it out!)
 

This post is linked to these fabulous link parties:

The CSI ProjectTake-a-Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee Craft EditionJust Something I Whipped Up at T.G.CMade by You Monday at Skip to My LouMake it Yours Day at My Backyard EdenGet your Craft on!  With Todays Creative BlogAnything Related at All Thingz RelatedLetting the Creative Tuesday Juices Flow at These Creative JuicesTopsy Turvy Tuesdays at I'm Topsy TurvyEat, Drink & Be Scary at Somewhat SimpleI made the World Cuter Today with Making the world cuter MondaysThrilling Thursday at Paisley PassionsWhatever goes Wednesday at Someday CraftsLook What I made at Creations by KaraPower of Paint Party Wednesdays at Domestically SpeakingHooking up with HOH at House of HepworthsTransformation Thursdays at The Shabby Chic CottageMad in Crafts-Mad Skills PartyMad in Crafts-Halloween Costume PartyWhat are Little Boys Made of at Seven Thirty ThreeShow off your Stuff Party at Fireflies and JellybeansWeekend Wrap-up Party at Tator Tots and Jello Halloween Costume Party at Corner HouseSew Many Mamas Homemade Halloween Costume Party

How to Make an Eddy/Engineer Cap

Last year for Halloween my then two year old wanted to dress up as a 'train'.  I convinced him to be an engineer and steer the train.  I was too cheap to buy the engineer hat that I saw in the store so I ran a search to find a free pattern to make one.  I hit the jackpot.  I found a tutorial here at Mushroom Villagers with detailed directions and pictures too!  It was pretty simple to make and only ended up costing a couple of dollars.  I used heavy weight pillow ticking from JoAnns and of course bought the fabric with a 40% off coupon.  I'm very happy with how it turned out. 

The train costume was first made for my oldest son when he was 4.  Yes, I saved it (under the stairs) in hopes we'd be able to use it again.  I couldn't stand the thought of throwing it away.  I'll post sometime about how I made it.  You'd be amazed at how simple it is. Edited to add:  Click Here for a tutorial on how to make the train costume. I had so much fun making the Eddy cap for the costume I wanted to try one for my daughter.  It was even easier this time because I learned a little trick when cutting it out, that saved me a lot of time.  Follow the tutorial, but when you cut out the bands, cut them the same width.  This will allow you to turn the edge of the band under and stitch it with the machine so you don't have to handstitch anything.   

 

  I was very excited with how easy and cheap it was.  This hat cost me $1.50 to make!  I had the flower and interfacing already and I used 40% off coupons for the fabric at JoAnns.   Oh, how I love a great deal!!!