DIY: Playsets

Felt Sandwich-Making Play Set

• Use different colors of craft felt to create a sandwich-making play set. Flat items like lettuce, tomato, pickles and bacon can easily be cut to their shape, and with fabric markers or through decorative stitching, details can be added that make the foods seem more realistic.

  For bread, use a two pieces of white felt sewn together into a pocket with stuffing between them. Add a 2-inch piece of brown felt around the edge for bread with a crust. Lunch meats can be cut into circles, and the colors should approximate the color of the actual food--turkey and chicken are light tan, roast beef is a dark brown, and ham is a shade of pink. Cheese can be square-cut from yellow felt, with holes removed to make Swiss cheese. Place the items in a brown paper bag, perhaps with a pencil and small pad of paper so the recipient can take orders.

Clay Tea-Party Play Set

• A tea set can be constructed out of polymer clay. While the items aren't actually safe for use with food and drink, they are hard enough, once cured, to withstand any amount of pretend-tea parties they might incur. Between the two major brands of polymer clay, Sculpey and Fimo, there are almost 100 colors to choose from. Colors can be mixed, matched, swirled and added to before being cured by oven.

  Sculpt a small teapot, dishes and cups to the shape of your liking. They do not have to be absolutely perfect. Once finished, cure them by baking them as directed by the manufacturer in an oven. They will have a matte, or non-shiny, finish. To mimic the look of real china, sand the clay under running water with 400- and 600-grit wet/dry sandpaper. Buff the tea set with a piece of denim until it shines. Or forgo the sanding and use a gloss glaze to finish.

Magnetic-Fishing Play Set

• Cut two pieces of felt shaped like fish and glue them together around a magnet. Magnets can be procured from arts-and-crafts supply stores, or take the magnets from old refrigerator magnets that can be had very cheaply from yard sales or thrift stores. Make an abundance of fish in a variety of colors. Embellish the fish with wiggly eyes, craft glitter or fabric markers to achieve semi-realistic effects, or leave them plain for a more simplistic look.

  Use a long wooden dowel for the fishing rod. Cut a notch in the end. Use a piece of string or thin cord glued around 1/2-inch of the tip of the rod, and held in place by the notch. Create a hook by cutting the shape from gray felt. Use hot glue to attach another magnet, one strong enough to pick up the magnetic fish, to the hook. Bundle the items for storage wrapped in a blue blanket, which can then be laid out as the water on which the fish sit.