Teen Cafe - Stuff for Your Space

The theme for this month's Teen Cafe was "Stuff for Your Space". We have a mix of kids coming regularly - public school students and home schooled, middle school, high school, and graduates (they are just so darn entertaining, I keep them around.) I tried to have a variety of projects to fit - things for your car, your locker, your room, whatever. It's also getting to be that time of the year when you need a gift for the old people who raised you, and some of these would also fit that bill.

I spread the materials out around the outside walls, with some basic directions. We had:

 

Air Fresheners

 

Good for cars, closets, lockers, drawers. Backpacks, maybe, if you are prone to leaving banana peels inside, or if you just want a whiff of sugar cookies whenever you pull out a textbook.

 

Just cut a piece of cardboard to the desired shape (cookie cutters available for tracing), Cover with material or felt, punch a hole to hang, and add a FEW drops of your choice of essential oil. I bought the oils with my own money, so I could take the leftovers home! Supplies that would be used for several projects, like the material, were grouped on our little stage.

 

Earring Holders

 

Cut a piece of batting to the same size as the board, cover with material, and stretch some rbbons across at varying intervals. Hang french hooks from the ribbons, poke stud earrings through.

 

Does anyone else have a million of these boards sitting around? They are shelf dividers for some of our picture book shelves, and we have more than we could ever possibly use. They have been moving from storage space to storage space, taking up room, for at least ten years. I think it's safe to get rid of a few.

 

Picture Frames, Door Hangers, Switch Plates, and Mirrors

 

My instructions simply said, "I'll bet you can figure it out."

 

This works:

 

 

And this:

 

 

I don't know why they keep turning sideways. I give up.

 

I'd show you another picture, but I think someone who reads the blog isn't supposed to see it:)

 

The cardboard box contains small mirrors of varying shapes, covered in dirt and cobwebs, that the custodian found in a back room. I have no idea where they came from, but they were by far the most popular craft item of the evening:

 

 

 

 

 

Bulletin Boards

 

I love that I can trust my teens with glue guns, knives, etc.

 

I had cardboard ready for French bulletin boards (cover with material, criss-cross with ribbons),

 

Love these colors together! Very pretty!

 

 but then I totally scored when the guys putting in our drop ceiling tossed some ceiling tile scraps. Those make PERFECT bulletin boards, just the right weight and thickness, and you can cover them with material:

 

 

or just go around the edges with duct tape:

 

Easiest craft ever! And we got to use the fun duct tape!

Collages

 

More of the shelf dividers, covered with magazine pictures, Ellison cut-outs, or letters. We had Mod Podge to seal it, or you can cover with contac paper and use as a (low-temp) hot plate.
 



 

Everyone chose their projects and supplies, and took them to their usual tables, so they could work alongside friends. Snacks, of course, were essential! Since I know I was pretty much sugared out from Halloween, I concentrated on fruit, cheese, and crunchy/salty.

 

Trust me, there were more than 4 cheeseballs available at some point.

 

Of course, my always-creative teens tend to find other uses for craft items, such the stick-on jewels:

Lovely. And this one is a fellow firefighter. Nothing goes with bunker gear like pearls.

and the silver duct tape:

 

AND he can deflect bullets!

Ah, teenagers. Always good for...er...something, I'm sure.