DIY Musical Instruments

Kids love to make music, and what better way to chase away summer boredom than with your own DIY Musical Instruments.  My girls take every chance they can to perform for us…or anyone who will watch for that matter.  So they loved the idea of creating their very own instruments and putting together a special music show.

As part of the Passport to Imagination summer campaign, I’ve partnered with Gymboree and Michaels to bring you some fresh and fabulous summer fun! Along with our rad DIY Musical Instruments, we’re looking stylish in our bright and modern rock star outfits thanks to Gymboree and their Hop ‘n’ Roll collection!

We spent the afternoon crafting our DIY Musical Instruments, then the girls put on a special musical performance later that evening for the family.  Here’s what you need to make your own musical memories.

Supplies for Fringe Musical Anklet:

• Colorful Felt Sheets
• Jingle Bells
• Sequins
• Thin String or Yarn
• Needle

1. Cut a 3″ wide strip of felt. Take the felt strip and wrap it around your ankle to measure the length you will need. Cut the strip to that length.

2. Lay the strip in front of you and measure 1″ down from the top and draw a light pencil line all the way across. Next you will cut your fringe. Make cuts from the bottom up to the pencil line in about ¼” increments.

3. Thread your needle and start to add the jingle bells.  Continue adding the bells, evenly spacing them out until you reach the end. Pull the string through so you have even lengths on either end of the anklet. Tie a knot at the first and last hole with the string to keep it from pulling through.

4. Glue sequins onto the front of the band between the bells. Let dry.

5. Tie the anklet around your child’s ankle and trim any excess string.

To go with our rocking jingle bells we decided to make a DIY Drum.  We used an old coffee can and covered it with scrapbook paper, ribbon and felt.  We made drum sticks out of bamboo skewers, paper straws and gumballs, my daughter said that was her favorite part!

The girls loved setting up for their musical performance, complete with special treats.  They loved being silly and showing off their musical talents and it was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

This summer, Michaels is offering a fun kids’ crafting program, Passport to Imagination, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 am – noon starting June 14-July 31 at every Michaels location across the U.S. Each Passport to Imagination craft session takes kids on an imaginary seven-week summer road trip from the beach to the country fair and more!  Gymboree believes in the power of play and offers cute and stylish outfits so you can coordinate looks that help your little ones enjoy the little and big moments this summer—from craft time to beach time.

As part of the Passport to Imagination, Gymboree and Michael’s are hosting a 7-week weekly Instagram sweepstakes, encouraging you to share a photo of your family getting crafty, inspired by each week’s summer destination. The weekly winner will receive a $100 Gymboree gift card, a $100 Michaels gift card and craft supplies! Be sure to follow @Gymboree and @MichaelsStores on Instagram, post a picture of how your family crafts in style, and tag your photo with #CraftInStyleSweeps!