Archive for the ‘Seasonal Activities’ Category

17 Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters

Monday, May 13th, 2013

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Here are 17 creative ways to use cookie cutters! Each of the activities are hot-linked to the tutorial that will show you exactly how to do each activity and tips to make your projects more fun. Your kids will have a blast as you go through these simple, exciting activities:

#1 Fruit Shapes: I give you tips on how to cut fun shapes out of fruit.

#2 Shape Books: Shape books can encourage young writers to write fun stories, descriptions, or summaries. The booklets are just their size.

#3 Sandwiches: Make these cute shape sandwiches, perfect for taking to your next tea party.

#4 Tissue Paper Art: Make wonderful tissue paper art, such as flowers or stained glass windows.

#5 Pancakes: Make pancakes the shape of cookie cutters. I warn you about my mistakes.

#6 Bubbles: Use a cookie cutter as a bubble blower! (Includes link to more bubble activities.)

#7 Patches: This is how you can make a fun patch for your clothing.

#8 Gift Bags: Gift bags are another one of the many creative ways to use cookie cutters, and the recipients of your gifts will enjoy getting their gift in a unique bag.

#9 Quesadillas: Go south of the border with your cookie cutter mania. These quesadillas are simple and will delight your kids.

#10 Jello Shapes: These jello shapes are easy to make and disconnected from the cookie cutter more easily than any other food.

#11 Garlands: These garlands will make people feel special and only take 15 minutes to make.

#12 Dolls and Pillows: Some cookie cutters lend themselves well to make a felt doll. The gingerbread man cookie cutter is fabulous for this toy.

#13 Rice Krispie Treats: Here is the recipe for Rice Krispie treats, as well as tips on how to get them to come out better.

#14 Scrapbooking: When you need a specific shape for your pictures, you can slap down the picture, grab a cookie cutter of the desired shape, and trace around the cookie cutter.

#15 Soap Shapes: Make beautiful shaped soap without having to buy an expensive kit.

#16 Jam Tarts: Make these easy jam tarts with ready-made pie crust, jam, and a cookie cutter!

#17 Sand Shapes: Ideas for how to use cookie cutters effectively in the sand.

Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #17: Sand Shapes

Friday, May 10th, 2013

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Another creative way to use a cookie cutter is to make sand shapes. This is a particularly fun activity in the summer, when your kids want to play in the sand at the beach. You can press the cookie cutter into some wet sand, and out comes a beautiful shape.

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If the sand is too dry to hold the shape, just pour a bucket of water on the sand, and it will be able to hold its shape better. Run your fingers around the outside of the cookie cutter to get the best result from your cookie cutter shape. Fool simple people into thinking you found a fossil by taking a fish cookie cutter, and after making a fish shape in the sand, add bones by drawing lines with a popsicle stick.

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You can add embellishments to a sand castle by using cookie cutters in the shapes of whatever decoration you want. A square cookie cutter might be perfect for windows or the shape of rocks or bricks on your castle. A gate can also be made with a square cookie cutter. Bushes can be formed by a flower cookie cutter, if you can stand it up on its edge. I would get a flat cutting board behind it so that you can press down hard on the cookie cutter to form the bush on its side. Then lift the cutting board away.

For more ideas on what you can make with sand, check out The Wonderful World of Sand and Dirt.

Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #16: Jam Tarts

Thursday, May 9th, 2013

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You can make these easy jam tarts with ready-made pie crust, jam, and a cookie cutter! Delightful, easy, and delicious!

First you will need to unroll the pie crust. Press a cookie cutter in the desired shape on top of the pie crust. If you want to make more tarts, you can roll out the dough to make it thinner. I did the pie crust both ways (thick and thin), and they were both delicious and tasted about the same.

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Make sure to cut two of the same shape: one for the top and one for the bottom. Place one piece on a cookie sheet or pizza stone. (I prefer using my pizza stone for baking cookie-type foods because they never burn.) Spread raspberry jam on the lower piece of pie crust. (I also made some chocolate tarts by spreading Nutella on some of the tarts.) Then top with another piece of pie crust. If you want, you can brush the top of the tart with egg white so that it browns more nicely.

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Now serve these jam tarts with some British tea with milk and sugar in a gorgeous teapot, and invite friends. Enjoy the tarts!

Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #15: Soap Shapes

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013

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In our blog series “Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters,” Idea #15 is to make soap shapes. Go to the local craft supply store and buy a block of soap. These are refills and are not as expensive as a soap-making kit. You don’t need the soap-making kit because I will show you how to make shapes out of soap using cookie cutters.

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Grab a glass dish, and line it with wax paper. Using a large butcher knife, chop off some pieces from the large block of soap. Put them in a Pyrex measuring cup. Place the measuring cup in the microwave, and zap it for 20 seconds. Then zap it for 10-second intervals until it is fully melted. If you want to add fragrance, color, or decorations, you can add those and stir them in. Pour the liquid soap into the wax-paper-lined dish. Wait for at least an hour or two for the soap to solidify at room temperature.

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Now grab your cookie cutter and shove it down into the soap. Pull it out. You will have a cookie cutter with the soap in it. Gently push it out, and your gorgeous soap is finished. You can give these soaps away as gifts.