Making Stuff: Puppets from Recycled Materials

I’m happy to be a part of the “Puppet Play: 20 Puppet Projects Made with Recycled Mittens, Towels, Socks & More” blog book tour because there is nothing I love more than recycled crafts and creative play.  Luckily, we got our copy of Diana Schoenbrun’s new book just in time for a fun, Spring Break, “please stop fighting with each other” activity.

The girls quickly picked out their projects from the book and got right to work.

Pumpkin decided on a Crazy Cat made from the sleeve of an old striped sweater.  Princess fell in love with Betty the Elephant (made from legwarmers) as soon as she spotted her on the cover.

I would describe the book as a family craft book since many of the techniques used (sewing, handstitching, & more intricate shape cutting) might be a little tough for younger kids to complete on their own, but there are still many parts where the kids can be involved (and sometimes we just substituted glue for stitching).

For our crafty family, the book was totally inspiring, making us look at lonely old socks in a totally new way.  The materials used were all things I had hanging around the house (except for the leg warmers but we were lucky enough to find a pair for 10 cents at our local thrift store). The step by step instructions are easy to follow and the included patterns make sure each puppet will turn out to be a successful project even for a self-proclaimed “non-crafty” family. 

Want to stalk the wonderful author of Puppet Play? Find out more about Diana here:

website – blog – twitter – facebook

And check out the rest of the Puppet Play blog book tour at these other sites!

May 3rd Oh My! Handmade
May 4th Craft Sanity
May 5th Sew Mama Sew
May 6th Little Birdie Secrets
May 7th This Mama Makes Stuff (oops! I’m a couple days late)
May 8th Roots and Wings
May 9th Whip UP
May 10th Fiskateers
May 11th Zakkalife
May 12th Prudent Baby
May 13th Make + Do
May 14th Craft Test Dummies
May 15th Cute Everything
May 16th Schmancy
May 17th Progressive Pioneer
May 18th Pink and Green Mama
May 19th Arrow Cabinets
May 20th The Happy Honeybee
May 21st Craft Gossip