[For Seniors] Let’s Start a Fun Craft Activity

A trivet made from flyers

Easy! Make a trivet with flyers

All you need are unwanted flyers! Roll them into sticks and weave them in a crisscross pattern.

Keep weaving them alternately until you reach a suitable size.

Finally, tuck the protruding ends toward the center, and you’re done! If you make the weaving flyers thick enough, the result will be sturdy enough to use as a trivet.

Milk-carton bamboo-copter

Let's make a nostalgic toy with a milk carton: bamboo-copter (taketombo)

How about making a nostalgic toy, a “taketombo,” using just a straw and a paper carton? Since it’s a toy many of us enjoyed in the past, making it yourself might feel quite moving! After you’re done, try flying them together—I’m sure it’ll be a hit!

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Murakami Shinpei

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knitting

My First “Finger-Knitting Crafts”

Knitting with yarn is a lovely craft that creates a very calm, pleasant time.

Using needles requires care, but finger knitting—where you loop the yarn around your fingers—is reassuringly safe.

It would be wonderful to take your time and slowly learn to make beautiful things! I think it will add one more enjoyable pastime as a new hobby!

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Murakami Shinpei

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Setsubun wreath made with yarn

[Setsubun] Handmade Setsubun wreath with yarn / 100-yen shop DIY / wreath / yarn

In February, the first big event is Setsubun! To get ready for it, how about making a cute, cozy wreath using yarn? First, crumple about three tissues into a ball.

Wrap the ball with yarn in your favorite color to make a sphere.

If you want to make red or blue oni (ogres), use red or blue yarn; if you want to represent beans, use beige-toned yarn.

For the oni spheres, attach felt pieces to create the face and hair.

Make about eight spheres in the same way, arrange them in a wreath shape as you like, and glue them together with a hot glue gun.

Add decorations like plum blossoms if you like, attach a string to hang it on the wall, and you’re done.

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SAKI

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Oni roly-poly doll

[Handmade for Setsubun] Okiagari-Koboshi Oni 👹

In February for Setsubun, let’s make an ogre-themed roly-poly toy.

Inflate a balloon to the size you want, then use diluted glue to stick torn pieces of shoji paper onto the surface.

Layer the paper so it’s three to five sheets thick, then brush on more glue and let it dry.

Once it’s completely dry, pop the balloon and drop some glue and a marble into the hollow shell to weight and fix it.

Finally, decorate it with hair and horns to make it look like an oni, and you’re done.

It takes time to dry, so it’s nice that you can enjoy the process at a relaxed pace.

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yuri

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Clattering paper cup

[Senior Indoor Recreation & Crafts] We tried making a “paper cup doll” using paper cups, rubber bands, and straws.

This is a toy-like craft where you turn a paper cup into an animal.

You’ll use a battery as a material, but there’s no electricity involved, so it’s easy! First, hook a battery onto the rim of the paper cup with a rubber band to make a wobbly base.

Then add ears, limbs, and a face, and it’s done! Its cute, wiggly movement is very unique.

stained glass

[Senior Recreation] Rec Artisan Series Part 179: “Stained Glass Made with Ohajiki (Glass Marbles)”

You might associate it strongly with hands-on making experiences, but there’s actually an easy idea you can try! First, prepare a clear plastic file folder, and cut it to any size you like while keeping the binding edge intact.

Open it up and decorate the inside by sticking on small counters (ohajiki), and you’re done in no time.

Everything you need is easy to find, and it takes hardly any effort!