Spring is the season of creativity as the world regenerates anew after the long winter. Here are a couple of spring craft projects you can do with the family using your trusty ol’ printer.
Sailboats. With just a printer and some folding skills, you can create colorful sailboats that actually float on water! This simple and stylish sailboat design from the Swiss design blog Deschdanja illustrates the range of color and creativity you can incorporate into your design. These boats are easy to fold for people of all ages and can be created as small or large as you desire! Custom print any pattern or design of your choice onto your sail for a colorful sailboat race.
Here are the basic steps involved in folding your custom printed sailboat, translated from German for your convenience:
- Fold in half the long side of a rectangular paper
- The paper again, but halve again open
- Fold the upper right and left corner to center line
- Fold the top sheet of paper now projecting upwards
- Turn the paper
- Repeat on the back
- Fold corners around the top fold, only on one, then on the other side
- Lift the paper center with your finger
- Slide the right and left corner of each other, fold the paper and put the paper open side down
- The corner of the top layer of paper on top of fold up.
- Turn the paper
- Repeat on the opposite side. You now have a triangle
- Repeat step 8 and 9
14/15. Pull the upper paper points apart. The boat unfolds
16-17. Push the boat short flat
- The sides pull apart and the boot handle shapes.
From here you can attach your custom printed sail using a small wooden dowel or straw. You can also print out designs onto the main sailboat but make sure to avoid the bottom part that will be in contact with water. Then it’s time to set your sailboat adrift and see where it goes!
Kites. When spring comes to town, it brings a whole lot of wind with it. For this reason, flying a kite is always a great way to spend the afternoon. Now you can either buy a boring pre-assembled kite at the store… or you can get your whole family involved by printing and building your own! All you need is an inkjet printer, butcher paper, wooden dowels, twine, tape, and other optional lightweight materials to use for decoration. Heidi at Happiness is Homemade has a straight to the point rundown on how to build a kite at home that your whole family will love.
Once you have the basics down, use a print-ready kite template and design it with logos, photos, and colorful patterns–your imagination’s the limit. All you need now is a strong gust of wind to pick up your kite and you can watch your design take off!
Printing patterns such as those depicted in the image breathes more color onto your kite.
Name art. Springtime offers some of the quirkiest colors and shapes of any season. As flowers bloom and leaves emerge from their buds, the opportunity to creatively incorporate them into art blossoms as well. Make the world your palette and incorporate grass, wildflowers, and twigs into a name art piece. Go outside and see what you can find, considering what type of letters you can make with different branches and flower pedals. Print a background that will blend with the materials you plan on using for more depth. A chevron print or even a pastel floral pattern will highlight the overall look of your design much better than plain white. If you want to keep it simple, solid color construction paper does the trick too. Once you’ve collected everything and have your background set, affix your menagerie of natural finds to the page with glue.
Printing your name and affixing real flowers puts a good spin to this name art example.
Paper flowers. If you want to add a charming handmade spring accent to your decor, why not channel the feeling of the season with paper cherry blossom branches. These flowers are quick and easy to make and give a chic, modern look to your springtime decor. Martha Stewart Living features a great rundown on what you need and how to get started. To really bring home the effect, print out realistic looking leaves online, cut them out and affix them to your flower stems.
Spring ahead into the season with style! Whether you’re planning on a day in the park or a quiet afternoon at home, adding some fun family crafts to the mix is a wonderful way to add a sense of whimsy to it all.
