Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere

Fire Kisses: Wax paper, matches, paraffin wax (household wax), glue, thread or ribbon. Wrap “chunks” of wax in wax paper, like peppermint candy. Tie with ribbon. Glue three matches in a triangle form onto the “Fire Kiss”.

Square Knots: Pink and blue loopy thread (multi-colored loopy loops to make pot holders) Using the different colors, cut the “loops” so they form a string instead of a circle. Begin making square knots using one pink and one blue. Make as many square knots as you desire. Attach a jingle bell to the end, with piece of string.

Pot-O-Beans: Bottle caps, beans (or noodles), paper clips, black paint. Paint the bottle cap. Shape paper clip like handle and glue into cap. Glue beans into cap. (or use fun noodle shapes like TEXAS)

Camp Axe: Brown fun foam, twigs, black heavy thread or small twine. Cut foam into shape of axe. Glue onto twig. Apply thread in criss-cross pattern over axe blade. Pin can be attached to thread.

Marshmallows on a stick: White pony beads, twigs, pin backs. Glue two pony beads onto stick. Glue pin on stick.

Rose Pins: Earring posts and backs, mini flowers, ribbons. Glue flower to small piece of ribbon to earring post. Use earring back to attach. Ribbons can be geared towards color of rank (daisy - yellow; junior - green, etc…)

Juliette Low Hat: Bottle caps and brown fun foam and brown paint. Paint the bottle cap. Attach to small round piece of fun foam with glue. Put pin on underside of hat.

Reindeer Puzzle Pin: 3 small puzzle pieces painted brown. One piece is the face, the other 2 glued behind link antlers. Goggley eyes and red nose painted on tip of face piece. Little holly leaves and berries on one of the antler pieces. Pin glued on back.

Crayon: Glue pin to new crayons.

Felt Swaps: pennants with activity name and date. Felt kite, yarn for tail. Felt trefoils with troop number written in fabric paint. Teddy graham cookies, spray painted gold, glued onto felt strips as medals.

Pipe cleaners: twist red and white to form candy canes. Make wreaths with green pipe cleaners and decorate with ribbon, pom poms, or sequins.

Swap Hats: Miniature straw hats, ribbon, miniature buttons, flowers, etc. Glue ribbon to outside of hat around the bowl. Glue buttons, flowers, etc….on top of ribbon. Attach pin to bottom rim of hat.

Styrofoam Hat: Take a Styrofoam cup, color it, place it on cookie sheet in oven (400 degrees) watch it closely! It will shrink into a little hat. It takes only a minute, so watch it closely. Hot glue pin onto inside of rim.

Any sticker or picture put in between two pieces of clear contact paper and punch a hole on top for safety pin.

Latrine: materials: white pipe cleaner, coffee stirrer, glue. Cut your coffee stirrer into 2 inch pieces. Cut your pipe cleaner into 1 inch pieces. Make a little loop with the pipe cleaner and put the two ends in the two little holes after you put a little glue on the ends of the pipe cleaner.

Instructions for American flag pin swap

Materials:

· 20 blue beads

· 20 red beads

· 30 white beads

· 10 small safety pins

· 1 big safety pin

Using the grid pattern below, place your beads on the pins. (Each column equals one safety pin. Read pattern from top to bottom.)

B	B	B	B	B	W	W	W	W	W
B	B	B	B	B	R	R	R	R	R
B	B	B	B	B	W	W	W	W	W
B	B	B	B	B	R	R	R	R	R
W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W
R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W

Then hang small safety pins by the loop onto big safety pin from last to first.

Glow in the dark. Glow in the dark stickers on black contact paper or cardboard. Make a circle of cardboard and black paper and put star and planet glow in the dark stickers on it. Or paint wooden cutouts and decorate with fabric paint--write troop number, name of event, I love GS, etc. Some fabric paints glow in the dark. * Small scraps of leather can make tiny saddles, using yarn and pipe cleaners for the stirrups. * Wooden cut outs--attach eyes, paint, etc. * Eyelet trim (inch and a half wide). Cut into sections and glued to white ribbon makes a cute apron. * Make friendship pins with beads on a safety pin. * Mini sit-upons. * Felt pennants with activity name and date on them. * Peanut trolls, with pin on back. * Puzzle pins painted in hot colors, sealed with iridescent colors sprinkled on them. * Fuzzy dice made from soft foam cubes with marker dots hung from a pin. * Prismatic mylar, cut to make CDs, pasted onto cardboard. * Octopus--pom pom with two wiggly eyes. Braid four pieces of yarn and attach to the bottom of the pom pom in the center of the yarn so there are eight arms. * Indian--pom pom with narrow strip of felt and tiny feather to make headdress. Glue on wiggly eyes, etc. * Teddy graham cookies, spray painted gold, glued onto felt strips as medals. * Peanuts sprayed with polyurethane, pom pom wig, wiggle eyes, bean nose. * Magic wands--popsicle sticks, painted black with each end painted white. * M & Ms wrapped in colored cellophane. * Fans folded from wallpaper border remnants, glue lace on edge and ribbon rosette at base. * Felt kite, yarn for tail. * Toilet paper roll--straws cut into 1.5" sections, cut and glue toilet paper to fit, and run a piece of yarn through it. * Campfires made from cinnamon sticks and red, orange and yellow felt. Small rolled logs can be made from brown grocery bags. * Pipe cleaners--cut into quarters, wrap yarn around the middle to form a spider. Twist red and white pipe cleaners together to form candy canes.Make wreaths with pipe cleaners and decorate with ribbon, pom poms or sequins. * Silk leaf with a rolled pipe cleaner in it to resemble a worm. Wrap a pipe cleaner around a thin paintbrush (Pencils work, but give fatter worms). Hot glue the worm to the leaf, add eyes and antenna if desired. Glue a pin to the other side. * Native American--beads threaded on yarn, with a small feather tied to one end. Also small strips of brown felt, glued to form headbands. Add a small feather and decorate with fabric paint. Teepee--frame formed with two toothpicks. Triangle of black felt glued to it. Then tan and cream-colored felt was wrapped around to form the teepee (Flat with only two toothpicks). Glue down--brown yarn was tied at top to secure it. Decorate with fabric paint. * Tiny plastic seasonal shapes available at craft stores. Have girls draw faces on them if desired. Attach string to them with safety pin. * Mini potpourri using lace ribbon and potpourri. * Mini cups or champagne glasses. Put several pom poms in them, a small red pom pom on top, and a section of plastic straw to create a sundae. * Felt trefoils with troop number written in fabric paint. * Pom Pom critters--Add eyes and feet and antenna if desired. Add beak and feathers for a bird, flippers for a seal, a trunk for an elephant. * Bottle caps can be glued to the flip top part of an aluminum can and spray painted black to resemble a cast iron skillet. Pin goes on the bottom, and felt can be used to put food in the skillet. * Use netting and yarn to make mini dunk bags. Cut the netting in circles and have girls thread yarn through the top to make a drawstring. Maybe you could create mini dishes to put inside. * Mini baskets, filled with tiny pom poms to look like an Easter basket. Or put small flowers in it.
A FEW IDEAS FOR SWAPS .... YOU CAN COME UP WITH MORE!
* Wooden clothespins, large and small. Painted and made to look like different people or animals. A pin is glued to the back. * Individual "leaves" of a large pine cone can be the head of an animal. Add eyes, then twigs for antlers and you have a deer. A small red pom pom can turn it into Rudolph. * Shells--glue eyes on to make shell critters. Or take those with natural holes and string them on one end of a piece of yarn. On the other end glue a fish, drawn, colored and cut from construction paper. * Nuts are great for animals, baskets, and many other things. * S'mores from cut up sections of a box, a square of brown felt and a cotton ball. Glue all together with yarn and attach to a pin. * Laminate (with clear contact paper) nice leaf rubbings. * Pizza made of tan felt with red, yellow and green felt scraps glued on. * Construction paper and typing paper can be folded and cut to make a mini book. Selected stickers can help give it a certain theme.
I saw a really cute one today. The leader cut 1 1/2 inch pieces of twigs, that were about 3/8 inch in diameter. The girls glued on small plastic ants, from a party store (KG Marx) that come about 200 to a bag. Voila--ants on a log! (like the celery/peanut butter/raisins snack). Then they hot glued a pin thing on the back.
magic wand... paint popscicle stick black , ends white, glitter on ends
toilet paper roll... cut straw 1" wrap strip of white felt, glue, leave end dangling, run a wire through to "hang"
glitter glob.... drizzle glue-gun glue onto wax paper in small design. Cover with glitter. Let cool, peel off paper, glue on a pin
Friendship swords - Use the longest straight pin you can find. Cut 1 inch of plastic lacing. Stick pin through one end of lacing, add several seed beads. Stick pin through other end of plastic lacingforming a handle. I think I would use a wire cutter and cut the tip of the pin off for safety.
Miniature Air Mail - Cut heavy stock paper (I used index cards) 1x2 inches. Decorate as an airmail envelope. Put your name and address on it. Waterproof with contac paper. Punch hole for hanging. This is a great idea for those who have penpals. A great swap to send to your new penpal to always remember the address and to possibly introduce swaps for the first time.
A few swaps for a WESTERN theme: Green fun foam cut out in the shape of a cactus. Use black markers or fabric paint to make the lines, or add your troop number. Cowboy hats cut out of tan fun foam. Decorate with markers. Cowboy boots cut out of red foam. Add a Star shaped sequin on the bottom of the boot for a spur. Decorate with markers or paint for the "stitching" on boots. We found inexpensive metal "wooden nickels" at Hobby Lobby and glued them on a pin back.
OUR service unit favorite: using a small twig 11/2-2 inches long glue a white pony bead on one end. Marshmallow on a stick ready to cook! or you can use brown florist twist paper with a wire in the middle. cut off 11/2-2 inches and untwist a little to look like a twig. Glue a white pony bead on one end. Sunflower service unit-Olathe Kansas
A cute turtle cut out of green fun foam. Glue on sequins for the turtle shell.
England: Royal Guard-Paint mini clothespin black, leave one side of top plain for face. Cut red felt 1 1/2x3 inches fold in half and cut slit for head to fit thru, this is the red coat. Use 1 1/2 piece of white pipe cleaner twisted around waist for belt. Glue a 1 inch black pompom to top for hat. Glue pin on back.
British Phone booths or Red Double Decker Buses Cut red plastic canvas into rectangle about 1 1/2x2. Use black and white scribbles paint to outline door for phone booth, wheels, etc. for bus. Crown Jewels- Use metallic gold poster board (I cut up gold gift box) or paint poster board gold. Cut into crown shapes about 1-2 inches. Glue on a "jewel". Pearly Queens- Use fun foam cut into any shape(We did blue hearts) glue on several white "pearly" buttons. ( Pearly King or Queen is the title given to the stallholders (costers) at English markets that decorate their vests,hats,etc with bright buttons pearl or brass).
Baby Bunnies
Supplies: small dollpin (clothespin without the hinges), scraps of material,
wiggly eyes, fine tip black marker, safety pin or pinback
Directions: wrap clothespin in scrap of cloth with prongs sticking out as
the ears. Draw a little face on him and glue on wiggly eyes. Attach a
safety pin to cloth, or glue on a pinback.
Brownies
Supplies: Peanuts, carefully opened with nuts removed and shells glued
back together, brown felt, wiggle eyes, brown pipe cleaners, markers or
paint, and glue.
Directions: Take two 3" pieces of pipe cleaner and carefully push
through peanut shell making arms and legs. Bend to make elbows and
knees. Cut small brown triangles out of felt to make hat. Glue on hat and
wiggle eyes. Draw or paint on face and belt. Glue pin on back.
-Alice- Girl Scout SWAPS/Yahoo Club
CAMPFIRE SWAPS
Supplies: Small twigs (or cinnamon sticks), puffy paint in rred, oranfe,
and yellow, glue
Directions: Girls can paint the end of the sticks to represent flames.
Bundle twigs and twist with red and yellow pipe cleaners to resemble
campfire. Glue pin on the back. "Fire" can also be made with felt.
-Alice- Girl Scout SWAPS/Yahoo Club
Dunk/Dip Bag - Using 4" net fabric circles, weave embroidery floss
around edge with a needle, making pull string for dunk bag. You can add
plates by cutting circles from discarded meat trays, coloring with
markers. Pull string and knot to close. Hang from a saftey pin. -Alice-
Girl Scout Swaps Yahoo Club
Buy a set of mini doll house size dishes. Look for them at a $1.00 store.
Denise/Girl Scout Swaps - Yahoo Club
LADYBUG SWAPS
Supplies: plaster of paris (follow directions on container), disposable
bowl, plastic spoons, red paint, black paint, wiggle eyes, pin, glue.
Directions: Mix plaster of paris according to instructions on container in
disposable bowl. Using plastic spoons, spoon plaster of paris on them
and level the plaster of paris on the spoons. For those of you that have
never worked with plaster of paris it hardens rather quickly. After I
spooned all I could on the spoons I set them on an old cookie sheet to
harden (about 20 minutes). After all of them hardened I popped them out
of the spoons. I painted them completely red and then add the black
when they had dried. I added 2 wiggle eyes and glued a pin on the back.
These ladybugs are really cute! If you have raw edges when the plastic of
paris hardens it can be filed gently with a nail file. Have fun!
-Alice- Girl Scout SWAPS/Yahoo Club
MOUSE SWAP
Supplies: Egg shaped woodsie (large) Grey embroidery floss 2 wiggle
eyes 1 small pink pompom grey paint pin back hot glue Directions: Paint
the egg shaped woodsie grey and allow to dry completely. Glue small
pink pompom on the small tip of the woodsie. Glue eyes just above the
pompom. Braid three pieces of grey embroidery floss to make tail. Glue
tail on the opposite end for the nose and eyes. Glue pin back on the
bottom side. **Note: I was also thinking you could use a little liquid
startch to make the tail stiff. For younger girls you could use grey
markers to cut down on the mess.
-Alice- Girl Scout SWAPS/Yahoo Club
Roasting Marshmallows
Supplies: twigs, white pony beads, glue, pin
Directions: break twigs and glue on some white pony beads on ends.
Glue a pin or pin back to main stalk of twig.
-craftbin.com-
Ruler Swap -
Supplies: 1 tongue depressor, black marker, glue, pin back.
Directions: Cut off the rounded ends of the tongue depressor. Using the
black marker, make 1/8" long ruler marks along the edge of the tongue
depressor. On the area left, write "GIRL SCOUTS RULE
TROOP#----". Glue pin on the back. ** You can get as detailed as you
want on the ruler part.
-Alice/Girl Scout SWAPS/Yahoo Club-
Sit-a-pon
Supplies: Green plastic (whatever size you want it) hole puncher green
yarn filler
Directions: Cut out 2 squares of the plastic. Punch holes all around the
edges of the plastic. Fill with anything e.g. paper towels, cardboard etc..
Lace the yarn around the plastic. Write your troop number on the plastic
with black pen

S'more Swaps

Cut two 1" squares of tan felt (graham crackers)

On top of one, put a slightly smaller square of brown felt (chocolate)

On top of that, stretch out a cotton ball (marshmallow)

Put other tan felt square on top.

Can glue the layers together or take tiny stitches (to look like cracker holes)

Attach small safety pin to one corner.

P-nut Baby

With glue gun, attach two wiggle eyes to a peanut.

Cut triangle of white cloth to use as a diaper and attach with glue gun.

Glue on pin back.

Bed Rolls

you need; two pieces felt 2" x 4"

2 pieces of yarn 5-6", a safety pin, and Elmer's glue

Lay the pieces of felt on top of eachother. Roll them up tight. Tie with yarn at ends.

attach pin with glue.

Swaps means Share With A Pal.

SWAPs are a little something that you make that can be traded or "SWAPed" with others.

SWAPs have a safety pin, clothes pin or string so as to allow the SWAP's attachment to something. Some

troops have SWAP hats, others have friendship knotted necklaces, others have simple thick yarn necklaces

and some just attach them to their patch jacket. Usually the SWAP has something written on or attached to it to

denote the giver and/or the event given at. SWAPs can be for whatever reason you chose.

Here's some examples: Thinking Day-A shrink art flag from the country your troop decides to study (punch the

hole before you shrink it!!), a camping event-each scout makes a swap representing her camp name, your's

might be made from grey fun foam cut out in the shape of a manatee , Be A Reader event-a green packing

foam s-shaped peanut with wiggle eyes attached to make it look like a bookworm. At a HGGO III event one

participant made a little 1-1/2 inch square dunk bag using netting with a thread for the drawstring, fun foam for

a plate and an odd shaped bead cut in half for the cup-It was adorable! The point is just to have fun with your

creativity and use a whole range of items to create something that you can create a lot of at a reasonably low

cost (remember, some events may have troops that have only one type of SWAP between all the girls and the

leaders and some troops may have a different SWAP offered by each girl and adult-you need to have enough

SWAPs to swap).

I forgot to mention to keep in mind where you are handing out SWAPs. A Hersheys Kiss and Hug wrapped in

a piece of red plastic wrap with the attached tag reading "A Hug and a Kiss to a great leader" is really cute,

but not very cute given at a camping event. It's easy to forget to detach it from the SWAP hat and your tent

becomes a far too interesting scent to a neighborhood bear. I have also seen camp SWAPs with varnished

jelly beans and spray painted popcorn. Believe it or not, an animal can still smell the food! Here's another

thought...A wonderful Day Camp leader I know has the camp name Red. She gives out Big Red gum sticks

with a safety pin poked through one end. The girls loved it, but me as a Mom had no appreciation two years

later when we got into her precious SWAP box and discovered a whole now ecosystem! *shudder* Have fun!

My girls did this when they were second grade brownies. Collect old puzzles being thrown away. Take pieces

of the puzzles and paint them to look like "critters", etc. Glue pin backs on the backside to wear for fun. We

even had one girl who painted the pieces to look like "worry dolls" and turned several into a barette!

Ever try the styrofoam hat? Take a styrofoam cup, place it on cookie sheet in oven (400), watch it! It will shrink

and shring into a little hat! Great little swap! It only takes a minute or so, so watch it closely.

Well, now that you've been flooded with "SWAP talk", have to add my two cents. When I joined Blue Spruce

SU in Mile Hi Council back in '91, my troop did a nifty craft while hosting a Rendezvous - blue-jean bags.

Great for toting stuff around camp, and mine has swaps all around the waist and pockets. A few pointers from

me: I DO NOT reccomend those cute little paper fans for swaps, since they get crushed very easily. Also, one

of the most memorable swaps I have is a felt version of a troop's crest with the event name and date on one of

those clothing labels on the back.

1. STYROFOAM MEAT AND FISH TRAYS act like Shrink Art. Cut and color them first and then place in oven

and shrink.

2. FILM CANISTERS (try Sam's Club and Price Club...they always have millions of them) can be made into an

Oscar the Grouch SWAP just by using a green pom pon glued to the cannister and the lid glued on top of the

pom pon like a hat.

3. Try using those SMALL PAPER CUPS used for catsup in fast food places (ie: Wendys). You pull apart the

sides and the cup opens up into a flower that can be decorated.

4. How about using STRAWS cut up with wiggle eyes to become worms?

5. COMMUNION CUPS can be turned into sundaes with pom pon balls and a coffee stir stick as the straw.

6. TOOTHPICKS can be turned into miniature God's Eyes.

7. BOTTLE TOPS and FLIPS TOPS FROM SODA CANS can be glued together and sprayed black to

become little frying pans (don't forget to paint in the fried eggs!).

8. PLASTIC MILK BOTTLE LIDS can be turned into a picture frame just by gluing a picture off of used GIFT

WRAP or WALLPAPER into the center.

9. Cut up the PLASTIC MILK BOTTLES into the shape of little sunglasses and glue colored celophane to one

side.

10. Turn clothes pins into works of art buy gluing collages of PLASTIC SODA 6PAK HOLDERS that have

been cut up and spray painted, WALLPAPER, PUZZLE PIECES... lots of things-just add color and glitter to

any piece of trash!

last year as brownies our troop made swaps for a halloween camporee we had over the oct 31st

weekend...we used brown satin ribbon, about 3" long, which we looped one end over the other, glued orange

pasta pumpkins to the middle, wrote "brownie troop #49" with gold pen on the ends and attached safety pins

to the back to hold onto vests. we prepared the ribbon beforehand (some moms did this) and had the girls do

the rest...they were beautiful!

a couple of years ago our brownies (now jrs) made earrings and pins using puzzle pieces theu had gathered

from old puzzles they were "too old" to play with. they also painted, glittered and glued things to the

pieces...these were such a hit with their ungirlscout friends that several of them, including my daughter, started

selling them for a quarter ea pin and $.50 an earrings set!!

Stick clear contact paper on top of a sheet of wrapping paper or cloth remnant that has many pictures in the

theme of your choice. Cut out the pictures in the shape of your choice. Use a Sharpie pen to write your troop

name, date, event etc on top side of the swap. Other pens will smear on the slick contact paper surface. Put a

safety pin through the top of the swap and you are done.

As an example:Our troop is going to an overnight with a Little Camp on the Prairie Theme. We found wrapping

paper with boots and hats. For very little money we made 150 round pins each with a boot or a hat. It is very

easy for the girls. Each girl completed at least 10 swaps in an hour.

My daughter's Junior troop made horse heads out of pecans to send to a troop in Russia--glued on wiggle

eyes, strips of colored felt for bridle, brown felt ears and forelock, added pin back and drew on mouth.

They also made Baba Yaga heads for Thinking Day out of walnuts, wiggle eyes, purple fimo clay witch noses,

and drew on red lips. Then they added a bit of cotton for hair and a 1" strip of fabric knotted in the middle as a

head scarf.

Take a film cannister and poke a small hole in the lid. Insert a piece of plastic lacing and knot on the inside of

the lid so a loop extends up from the top. Put a bandaid, folded kleenex, etc. in the cannister and attach to hat

or vest. Makes a great emergency kit for hikes, camping, etc.

Use the air dry play dough and make bones for necklaces. Shape bones and leave holes for stringing and also

make dinosaur teeth. Because the clay is dingy white there is no painting involved.

Turtles have significance in most NA cultures... Soooo... why not fashion a small turtle out of felt.. Make it

primitive and let them use a paint pen or sharpie marker to do a kind of .. spiral shape on the shell. Hook a

safety pin on and when they trade them, they can say, "This turtle is the symbol of long life to the Native

Americans, and my friendship with you." :)

Make small teepees out of thin sticks and brown parcel paper. HAve the girls draw on the papaer first!!!

When we attended a weekend camp this summer, we received swaps made from jingle bells (not the

bell-shaped kind, the round kind). The girls had decorated each bell to look like a rabbit (felt ears, whiskers,

and googly eyes). Then they inserted a safety pin into the hook on the top of each bell so that it could be used

as a pin. They were really cute (the girls who made them were 4th grade Juniors). Also, we made swaps out of

shells. We bought a big bag of them at the local discount store (I think they cost $2.99 for a big bag). Then we

glued felt and googly eyes to them. We hot glued pin backings or magnets to the back of them to make little

shell people.

NanLar: Our day camp did a circus theme last year and our unit made cotton candy as a swap. Toothpick

stuck (with a little glue) into a pink cotton ball. Another unit did same idea only made a white paper cone and

lightly glued pink cotton ball into the top of the cone.

try poking 3 short pipe cleaners through a pony bead. It makes a spider. Add a tag with girl's name & troop #

and a safety pin. She can Swap With A Pal. Each girl should make enough to trade with many girls. It

encourage the girls to meet others and make new friends.

I saw a really cute one today. The leader cut 1 1/2 inch pieces of twigs, that were about 3/8 inch in diameter.

The girls glued on small plastic ants, from a party store (KG Marx) that come about 200 to a bag. Voila--ants

on a log! (like the celery/peanut butter/raisins snack). Then they hot glued a pin thing on the back.

Here is one that takes longer and is more complicated--our girls are just making one for themselves. It is

based on the craft article in the January/Feb issue of American Girl Magazine--pencils covered with

embroidery floss and beads. They show full size pencils, but for a swap we are using a short golf-type pencil,

putting a rubber eraser on the end. Before wrapping with the floss you tape one side of a safety pin on the

pencil, and then cover the taped side as you wrap with the floss. Each one had some dangly pieces of floss

strung with beads. For some reason my descriptions of craft things never make much sense but if you look at

the magazine it may be clear!

Fill a plastic spoon with plaster of paris. Let dry completely and then pop out of spoon. It is then shaped like a

Lady Bug (or even an Easter Egg). Paint completely red then paint a black area at one end for the face, draw

a black line down the middle and cover with black dots. glue wiggley eyes on the face and attach a pin back

with hot glue. Really cute and girls really enjoy.

CORN: Cut green felt into ear of corn shape (about 1 1/4 inches long). Use bead paint in yellow, white,

oranges, browns for kernels.

INDIAN BLANKETS: Cut plastic canvas (any color) into 11/4 inch squares. Use multi-colored yarn to weave

blanket.

TURQUOISE JEWELRY: Cut poster board into 1 inch shapes (circles, diamonds). Cover with foil. Glue on

shell macaroni painted or dyed blue.

BEADED FEATHER: String 3 or 4 pony beads onto ribbon or yarn. Dip tips of feathers into glue and push up

inside beads.

TOMAHAWK: Cut craft stick into 2 inch lengths. Cut brown fun foam or felt into 2 hatchet blade shapes (about

1 inch long). Glue stick between blades and tie around with yarn or string.

INDIAN GIRL: Wrap miniature doll clothespin with tan felt, tie with brown or black yarn for dress. Make a 4-5

inch long braid, tie off both ends. Glue around top for hair. Draw on face.

SAND ART: Cut 1 1/2 inch circles of poster board. Paint with thinned glue, sprinkle on sand.

My daughter recently made ballet slippers that were really cute. She took 2 wooden craft spoons and glued

them together to look like crossed "feet". She then glued approx. 1/8" pink satin ribbon in "X" in appropriate

place to look like lace-ups on ballet shoes and finished them off with a pearl at the toe. A pin on the back

would make it easy to attach to something, i.e. use as a swap. She was experimenting when she "created"

these, but think they'd make cute dance theme swaps.

Take 6 inch strip of clear packing tape and sprinkle 1/2 with sequins, sparkle confetti, glitter or anything shiny

(and my Browines do love sparkles). Cut a circle of paper approximately 2" in diameter and add message

(ours was "Girl Scouts Sparkle" with troop #) and place face down on other half of tape. Fold tape in half end

to end to seal in sparkles and cut around circle leaving about 1/2" border. This can have lots of cute

application, including fish shapes for "Rainbow Trouts", using silver glitter and cutting into slipper shapes for a

glass slipper, whatever. It was quick, cheap, easy enough for first graders and it had plenty of sparkle.

Another favorite was to glue a tuft of cotton on an ice cream sample spoon and add bugle bead "sprinkles"

(more of that sparkle theme).

Some SWAPS ideas have been gathered from friends, forums or lists. Some are original ideas. If you see an idea here that is your ORIGINAL idea and you would like credit for it, please let me know.

Pinky's SWAP of the Month

(Being sent out in June SWAP exchange)

Beadie Dragonfly

Use the same technique as for the popular Beadie Critters, but use seed beads and jeweler's wire.

Lady Bug

Mix Plaster of Paris according to package directions. Pour into the bowl of a spoon with the spoon handle resting on the handle of a wooden spoon to keep POP from running out the back. When set, remove from spoon. Let dry 24 hours, then paint with acrylic craft paint. Spray with clear acrylic sealer. Glue on googly eyes and a pin back.

Hermie the Wormie

Tightly wind one full pipe cleaner around a pencil, far enough from the point that you will finish winding at the point (about 1-1/2 inches from point). This is Hermie’s tail-end. Glue googly eyes on the head, then hot glue the worm to a silk leaf. Hot glue a pin back to underside of leaf.

Soda Bottle Butterfly

Using permanent markers, trace a butterfly onto a plastic soda bottle, with the centerline running up and down the bottle. Color with permanent markers. (If using a green bottle, don’t need to color.) Cut out the butterfly. Bend a 4-inch length of pipe cleaner in the middle and wrap around center of butterfly, between wings. Twist a time or two and spread ends apart to form antennae. With the wings curving UP, hot glue a pin back to the bottom.

Clothespin Alligator

Paint a clothespin green. Let dry. Paint inside the clip end red for inside of mouth. Let dry. With a very fine brush, paint tiny white lines along the sides of the "mouth." (See picture) Glue on googly eyes and pin back. Use the fine brush and white paint to write troop # and/or event name on sides. (The other side of this one says ZOO SNOOZE)

Sleeping Girl Scout

Paint a wooden spoon with flesh colored acrylic paint. When dry, paint on facial features. Glue on hair. Cut a 6-inch by 1-1/4 inch piece of felt. Fold in half and glue the edges, stopping ½ inch from open end. Fold ½ inch over on one side and glue. Stuff one cotton ball inside sleeping bag for camper’s body, then insert spoon girl. If desired, make a tiny pillow, stuffed with a cotton ball. Glue under camper’s head.

Bright Buddies

Cut a pipe cleaner in half. Bend one half at the middle. Cut a 1-1/2 inch length from the other half to use as arms. Wrap yarn around 2 fingers about 7 times. Stick the bent pipe cleaner between your fingers, around the yarn wraps. Carefully slide the yarn off your fingers and stick the ends of the pipe cleaner through the hole of a ½-inch bead with a small hole. (hole about the size of a pony bead hole.) Pull the pipe cleaner so that the yarn is held tight against the bead. Put the "arm" piece of pipe cleaner between the two ends coming through the bead and twist tightly. Continue twisting until you have about an inch of twisted pipe cleaner. Slip a one inch piece of colored drinking straw over the body. Spread the legs in a "Y" shape to keep the straw from sliding off. Bend about ¼ inch of the ends to make little feet. Cut the loops of yarn and use a pin or toothpick to separate the strands for hair. Hot glue a pin back to the straw. (Can add googly eyes, if desired.)

Film Canister Swaps

Oscar the Grouch

Materials:

film canisters
green pompoms
glue
glue gun
googly eyes
silver or gray paint (optional)

Instructions:

Instructions:

Paint the lids silver or cover with glitter. Glue pompoms on top (Martians!). Glue on a pin back. For older girls, you could punch a hole in the edge and attach an earring hook.

Recycling SWAPS

Remove the tops of the acorns and set aside. Braid three strands of yarn and tie both ends. Glue center of yarn braid to top of acorn. Glue the top back on the acorn. Paint faces with the acrylic paint. Attach a pin back.

I received a swap shaped like a canteen. To make it you need

two film canister lids, one bead and a strand of ribbon the same

color. You hot glue the lids together. Then you hot glue the ribbon

over the crack of where you glued. Then you glue a bead on top.

This idea is called Ice Cream Sundae. The materials needed

are 1 plastic see-through cup (about 1 inch tall), one small red

pom-pom, 1 white large pom-pom, 1 large pink pom-pom, and a

skinny straw. You glue the white pom-pom to the bottom of the

cup, glue the pink pom-pom on top of the white, glue the red one

on top of the pink, cut the straw into a small piece, glue the straw

in and you are done.

Our Troop represented France in a Service Unit Thinking Day

program. For our swap we made croissants! We made salt

dough, rolled it out fairly thin, cut into small rectangles (approx. 1/2

x 1 inch), then sliced on the diagonal, making 2 triangles. Roll each

from shortest end of triangle to tip and arc each slightly. (Just like

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls!) Brush lightly with an egg, wash for color

and glaze, then set in 275° oven. Continue to air dry overnight. Hot

glue pin to back. We printed labels on a computer that read Viva La

France! with our Troop number and Thinking Day 2001. Troop

members signed the reverse side of the labels on a sheet and we

laminated them. Then we cut out the individual labels, punched

holes and threaded the pins through the label hole. They turned out

really well! A great memory to SWAP!

-GSCW Junior Troop 35, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

I'm from Jamestown, Missouri. Last year we went to the

Rendezvous 00'. I took foam and cut out flowers. Then I glued

them on a pin.

- L.B., Junior Troop 255

I haven't gone on a hike, but if I was to go on a European one I

would make little Girl Scout hikers for hiking the Alps. I would

use clothespins and markers. Wouldn't that be awesome?

-Melony, age 11, Troop 331, GSC Tierra del Oro, California

Last year we made a trefoil cookie swap. We used an actual

cookie. We painted liquid laminate onto the front and back (2 to 3

coats). Once dry, we glued a pin onto the back with glue gun!

Hi, my name is Robin, I'm the leader of Junior Troop 280 in Ohio. We

made the cutest swaps last year. We cut out small white

T-shirts (felt) then cut out tiny vests (brown or green felt) and

glued them onto our t-shirts. We painted our troop number on the

vest and glued a pin on the back. They were easy to make and so

cute! We also wear them on our vests, and put a ribbon on extras

for Christmas ornaments with the date.

When our troop went to Catocton Mountain camp, we made glow

worms. They were made with glitter beads and pipe cleaners. I

have been a Girl Scout for one year, and these are the cutest yet

I've seen.

-Ashley, age 13, Junior/Cadette Troop 1337, Newburg, Maryland

You could take a fire shaped piece of felt and take a stick and glue

it on. Then take a small pom-pom and glue it to a stick like a

marshmallow in a campfire.

-Nichole, age 8, Troop 880, Tampa, Florida

Girl Scout T-Shirt Scrunchies. They are used to scrunch up

the sleeve on short sleeve t-shirts into a sleeveless style shirt.

They are great for when you are playing softball or basketball and

get hot - sometimes rolling your sleeve up just doesn't stay. Take 2

strips of material 8 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Fold in thirds

lengthwise (so you have a long tube) Glue or sew the material

lengthwise. Place a piece of Velcro on one end (self adhesive

Velcro works well) and the sticky side of the Velcro on the opposite

end - other side. When you attach the Velcro pieces together you

should something that looks like a bracelet. Slide it under your

T-shirt sleeve and secure the Velcro together on top. That's it!

-Katelin

Our troop made a mini pot holder. We cut 1 inch squares of

material and glued them together with padding inside. Then we

glued narrow ribbon around them and across (like a +) and hung a

ribbon from the corner. They were really cute and everyone wanted

one!

-Hannah, 10, Tampa

My friend from Arizona showed me how to make this: it is a frying

pan with eggs and bacon. You will need: A beverage bottle

cap; yellow, light brown (not tan), gray and white foam; black

paint; black sharpies. Take the bottle cap and spray paint it black

and let dry. Take gray foam and cut into skinny rectangles (for

panhandles). Glue on to side of pan to make a frying pan. Cut

circles of white foam to make mini egg whites then cut even smaller

circles of yellow foam to make the egg yolk. Glue the yolk on the

egg, glue the egg into the pan cut bacon out of the light brown put

a black line down the middle of the bacon to make a piece of

bacon. Make your own combo's. Remember Be different!

-Brittany, age 11, Troop 384, Round Rock, Texas

This March our troop is going to March Madness! For a swap I'm

taking yellow pompoms then putting thin black thread around the

pompom. Then I'm taking 2 black pins and sticking them in the front

of the pompom. If you don't put the eyes on it looks really bad but

if you do, it should look like a bee. For a caption I'm putting

"Bee-ing a Girl Scout is great!"

-Holly, Troop 153, Michigan

When I was a Junior we went winter camping with another troop ad

we swapped tiny skis made from Popsicle sticks and twine and we

wrote the event, date, and signed our names on it.

- Kristen, age 13, Special Interest Cadette Troop 964, Keystone

Tall Tree Girl Scout Council, Pennsylvania

After learning of the potential dangers of reusing film canisters, my

troop used mini M&Ms canisters to make a first aid kit! The

lid is attached so you won't lose it and the canister is the perfect

length to hold a Band-Aid. The fact that you get to eat the M&Ms

first, is a delicious bonus.

-Tracy, San Antonio, Brownie Troop 492, Leader

I received a swap shaped like a canteen. To make it you need

two film canister lids, one bead and a strand of ribbon the same

color. You hot glue the lids together. Then you hot glue the ribbon

over the crack of where you glued. Then you glue a bead on top.

This idea is called Ice Cream Sundae. The materials needed

are 1 plastic see-through cup (about 1 inch tall), one small red

pom-pom, 1 white large pom-pom, 1 large pink pom-pom, and a

skinny straw. You glue the white pom-pom to the bottom of the

cup, glue the pink pom-pom on top of the white, glue the red one

on top of the pink, cut the straw into a small piece, glue the straw

in and you are done.

We recently completed the Jeweler badge. One activity was to

make something from clay. We used clay that looked like granite.

Each girl took a marble-sized piece and flattened it onto a cookie

sheet. Then she gently pressed into the clay either a tiny shell,

dried sea horse, or starfish. A hole was made with a toothpick to

string a length of cording to create a fossil pendant

necklace.

For day camp I made s'mores. I took two colors of brown felt

and a cotton ball and glued them together.

-Sarah, age 7, Brownie Troop 854

The swaps I like are ones that tell about your favorite things. You

could make a tiny swap of your favorite animal and paint it

your favorite color. Really the thing I like most about swaps is you

can make any thing you want.

-Julia, age 9, Brownie Troop 2320

I Painted a fish on a smooth rock, sprayed a fixative over it, and

wrote "Rockfish" on the front and wrote our town name and

Troop # on the back. The Roanoke River, which we live along is

known as the "Rockfish Capital of the World".

-Ashley, age 10, Junior, Roanoke Rapids, NC

It was a heart made from felt and had THANX written on it. It is

presented as ""You now have earned my "Heart felt Thanx"

Very simple, very creative.

- Susan Kiser, former GS and volunteer, Girl Scouts of Winema

Council, Klamath Falls, Oregon

My favorite Swap was from a girl from Hersey, PA. She got pins

donated by the Hersey company.

I made a kite (2" x 2") out of colored poster board. I stamped it

with the Girl Scout logo stamp and wrote "Soar High with Girl

Scouts. Then I taped a kite tail made from green yarn with small

white yarn tied in 3 places to the back and glued a pin to the back.

-Ashley, age 10, Junior Troop 358, DuPage County Council, Illinois

I made a Girl Scout in a sleeping bag. Cut the sleeping bag

from green felt 5" long by 2" wide. Then glue a small piece of pink

felt to the top to represent the pillow. Next glue a small flat

wooden spoon on the pillow and glue a cotton ball on the handle

portion of the wooden spoon. (The cotton ball is the body in the

sleeping bag.) Fold the sleeping bag up over the spoon and glue it

down. Cut a small curl of doll hair on the spoon. Draw a sleeping

face on spoon. Then glue a pin on the back.

-Karen, Troop 1336 & 358 Leader, DuPage County Council, Illinois

I made a shooting star. Cut a star from yellow foam approx. 1"

wide. Glue gold glitter on the top. Cut a gold pipe cleaner into three

pieces and shape them into a slight curve. Hot glue the three

curved pipe cleaners to the back of the star to represent a

shooting star. Glue a pin to the back. Attached small strips of paper

with the saying "Girl Scouts are Shining Stars!" and the name of the

event.

-Shannon, age 11, Junior Troop 1336, DuPage County Council,

Illinois

I also made the s'more swap but varied the materials as

follows:

Cut two 1 1/2" by 1 1/2" squares from beige foam using the

scalloped art scissors. Take a black marker and make five dots (like

on a dice) on each square. Cut a 1" by 1" piece of dark brown foam

using regular scissors. Assemble as follows: beige, dark brown,

cotton ball, beige - gluing each one. Attach a pin to the back, then

glue a small slip of paper with "Girl Scouts have S'more Fun!" and

the name of the event on it.

-Karen, DuPage County Council, Illinois

My most memorable swap is a tiny T-shirt. With it has tiny

clothespins and yarn like a T-shirt on a clothesline!

-Allie, age 11, Junior Girl Scout, Arizona

I am a 14 year old Cadette. I think a cool swap is a pin that

shows something about your state. You could either buy

souvenir playing cards that have your state name on them and put

a pin on them or make a foam pin of your state fruit, drink, or other

state symbol.

My all-time favorite swap (we say it means Share With Another

Person), is the emergency s'more kit: a tiny Zip-lock bag holding a

mini-marshmallow on a toothpick, a square of chocolate, a match

and two Teddy Grahams. The instructions for use were taped to

the outside (In case of emergency, light match, roast marshmallow,

put between grahams with chocolate. I got this at Edith Macy

Conference Center at an outdoor trainer's conference.

-Starfish Raintree Council, Indiana

As part of a Festival of Trees in Atlanta, Georgia, my troop made a

snowman (woman) swap made like a Beanie Baby. The girls

made them out of infant socks, beans or rice and odds and ends.

They were hot trades!

One of our favorite swaps is a pan of beans and franks. It

is made using a plastic film canister cut to look like a sauce pan,

brown "E" beads (called Pony or 6/0 beads), and hole-punched dots

from red or brown foam (to make the franks). Just glue beads and

foam in pan, then push a safety pin through the end of the pan

handle so that it can be worn.

-Troop 3249 Richmond, Virginia

I have made mini-Dream-Catchers using curtain rings, tiny

feathers and waxed thread. They are always well received at any

international or nation event I attend.

-Pat, 5th Essex Brownies, Great Britain

Campfires. These are made many ways but here's my twist on

this popular swap: Use 2 squares of cardboard, covered with

colored paper of your choice. Next, use 1 ½ inch pieces of twigs,

hot-glued over a small ball of red paper or fabric. Last, sprinkle with

red glitter while glue is drying. Don't forget to add your troop

number, name and e-mail address to keep in touch with your new

friend!

-Debbie, Troops 4086 & 4067, San-Diego Imperial Council

Make a pin using a tree limb about 3 inches in diameter that has

fallen to the ground. Cut it into half-inch thick slices, or "wood

cookies". You can carve or wood-burn names onto them, as well

as gluing acorns or other natural things onto them. You can even

use them at a rededication ceremony by drilling holes and putting

strings or ribbons on them, tying them on a small branch or wreath

-C. B., Troop 204, New Jersey

I don't have a SWAP yet. But if you can help me with a question, I

will have it back on this page. Does anyone know where I can

obtain instructions on making jewelry from beads and safety pins?

Our troop tries to create [swaps] to go along with the theme of the

event, like cutting small rectangles of felt, rolling it up, and tying it

like a sleeping bag roll. Or for campfire, we made S'Mores with

pieces of light foam as graham crackers, dark foam as the

chocolate, and a cotton ball as the marshmallow. To answer the

question about where she can find instructions on making jewelry

from beads and safety pins:

Try http://www.makingfriends.com. They have lots of

different crafts like that as well as many more!

-Lynn, Massachusetts

For Troop Camp this summer we made Silver and Gold

Friendship Pins The leader printed out a picture of two hands

shaking which were colored silver and gold. We laminated the

picture. Then to make it a little crazy looking we took silver and

gold twist, and cut pieces the width of the jumbo safety pin. We

looped the top edges through the stationery side of the pin and

stapled everything together with the picture on top. Then we cut

the twist in thin strips up to the picture. The twist squiggled up

naturally. The pins look great and symbolize the new and old friends

we will make at camp

—Junior Troop 1036, Newark, Delaware

One of the most popular swaps I remember was the GODS EYE.

These are easy and fun to make. You hold 2 Popsicle sticks

together in a + shape and use yarn to wrap around the four posts.

You should not have to glue the sticks together, after a few wraps

around each side, as it will be bound together. Start your wrapping

with the top pole and bring the yarn around the left side of the

pole, behind, and back over the top towards the next pole. Keep

repeating over, around, and back over. Remember to always

continue wrapping in this manner until a thumb width from the top

of the sticks. (If you use smaller craft sticks, stop at about 1/4

inch). Using variegated colored yarn really makes a pretty one!

For a beach overnight, my troop made beach towels. First get a

white wash cloth. Cut it like a rectangle. Roll it up and tie thread

around it. Attach a pin and your done!!! -

— Stacy L., Junior Girl Scout Troop 822

I love the sunshine or flower that you can make from a milk

bottle cap and some felt. Take a circle of felt and glue your bottle

cap (inside facing up) on the center. Cut around the edges of the

felt to create the Petals of a flower or the rays of a sun. Glue some

goggle eyes inside the milk cap and use a permanent marker to

draw a smile. If you make a flower, you can glue some petals to the

outside of the petals, and even add a stem if you really want too.

These are really cute!

—Heather, British Columbia, Canada

"I've something in my pocket, it belongs across my face"—a great

big Brownie Smile! You take brown fun foam and cut it out

(cut 2) in the shape of a pocket, glue edges together. Take white

fun foam and cut in the shape of a huge smile (maybe take a thin

sharpie and make teeth). Take the smile and tilt upward and glue

some into the pocket with most of the smile out of the pocket. Glue

pin back on. -

—Tinea and Teresa, Flower Mound, Texas

Last year I went on a wider op. My troop went on a camping trip to

the beach and collected tons of scallop shells. My mom and I put

holes in them, then made hemp chokers and strung the shells on. -

— Amy, age 16, Patriots' Trail GSC, Boston, MA

I just got back from the Hershey Park Camp-o-ree today and we

had swaps. I didn't have a chance to make swaps myself so I had

stickers and pins. One of the best swaps was from a girl in North

Carolina. Her troop took bookmarks that had the state of North

Carolina on them and downloaded information about the state to

put on the back of the bookmarks. Then they even laminated

them!!! It is one of the best swaps I've ever received.

—Annie,age 13, Cadette, New York

My troop took mini bottles of Tabasco with us to the old

National Center West. It was a cool thing from Louisiana!

Brownie troop 812 mothers came up with the idea of making a USA

bookmark. Using strips of red neoprene type material, we

painted a red, white and blue firecracker-like design. We punched a

hole at one end and put two pieces of 1 inch red, white, or blue

yarn through the hole and used a girth hitch (loop yarn through

itself to keep it from slipping out of the bookmark). From this page

the Girl Scout Friendship bracelet was a huge success this year at

our Service Unit Encampment.

We just came back from the millenium event in Pennsylvania and

this was our first time even seeing swaps. We had nothing to swap

but friendship bracelets, but we are very eager to learn more

about swapping now. I got a swap that was a little doll made from

a stick with a face painted on and a dress from crumpled up pink

and purple paper.

— Laura, 7, Brownie Troop 364, Woodland Hills, California

We took a silver ring and a gold ring, interlocked them and added

them to a laminated card with the "Make New Friends" song

on it.

—Jenny, Junior Troop 508, Redlands Council, Oklahoma

Make an ice-cream sandwich swap. Cut dark brown fun

foam into 1" x 2" rectangles and double thick white fun foam into

3/4" x 1 3/4" rectangles. Glue 2 pieces of brown on either side of

the white. Using a paint pen or permanent marked to put dots on

brown to resemble the holes in the sandwiches cookies. You can

even use a white paint pen to make it look like some of the ice

cream is seeping through the holes. I made these for my camp

name "Ice-Cream."

—Jessica H.

Make tiny paper autograph books on pinbacks. Now you

can get autographs from your new friends!

You can make red pompom apples with brown chenille stems

and green felt leaf for the educator in your life. Don't forget the pin

backs.

—Kathy, Sierra Cascade Council

In reference to "My favorite swap was a sit-upon the size of a

mouse button." [JFG: We aren't quite sure what a mouse button

is...]

JFG, a mouse button is the button on the computer mouse that you

click to do things on the computer. You should know!!! -

— Lisa, age 12

JFG: Color me Apple red.

Hi I'm a day camp aide and the cutest little swap can be made by

taking some jewelry wire and braiding it with colored

string, then forming it into a shape. Use shorter pieces to form a

star. Enjoy!

I'm from troop 087. We made little portable first aid kits.

Here's how we made them: We got empty film canisters, yarn, and

safety pins, Band-Aids, and antibacterial packets. We took all of

the items and put them in a canister and poked two holes in the

top of the canister. Then we put string through the two holes in

the top. We hope that you enjoyed the swaps!

—Candace C., Troop 087 (JFG: Be sure you wash the film canisters

first.)

My favorite swap was made from jigsaw puzzle pieces. One

painted silver, one painted gold then glued together, overlapping

with "Friends" written on it, and a safety pin glued to the back.

One of my favorite swaps is a mini sit-upon. This is like a small

pillow but you sit on it. It can also be used as a mini pin! I thought

they were really cute and I enjoy putting them on my hats since I

am a Girl Scout. One of my girls made this for a Pioneer Day

camporee.

I am a seamstress and a quilter so I always have a lot of fabric

scraps around. We took a large piece of oak tag and using "modge

podge glue" covered it with fabric scraps in different shapes. It

looked like a crazy quilt when we were done. When it dried, we

cut out trefoil shapes and glued a bead or jewel on with

glitter glue. They really looked super and fit with the pioneer days

theme.

—Mimi, Junior troop, CT

Our Brownie Troop sang Three Little Angels at a Service Unit Song

Fest. Our swap was an angel made out of pasta: 1 tube

(penne pasta) for body and 1 bowtie pasta for wings; the pasta

was painted white, a face was painted on with a tan circle painted

over the white; curly hair from the craft store was glued on top

and a dime store gold ring made the halo—the pin slipped through

the halo. It was adorable and it was a fun craft.

—Troop 1357, Brownies, 3rd grade, Valley Ranch Service Unit 112

We made an origami swap. We chose an animal first (we

decided on the swan, it represents beauty within). Then using an

origami book we made 100 swans. We chose gold (the trefoil color)

paper. Next we made small paper sashes that said our troop

number. We went to a camping trip, and traded them with other

troops. Every one said they were pretty, and it was a cool idea.

— Neha S., Troop 122

My swap idea was a Bunny in a Magic Hat that included a

little piece of paper with our troop number and city. My mom

brought home some small black plastic top hats that were so cute

(and inexpensive). We glued the ears in the hat and a pin back on

the side.

— Katie, Junior Troop 675, Richmond, Virginia

I went on a wider opportunity in 1976. No one else from my town

had ever gone on one, so I did not know what to expect. I ended

up calling my mother for a recipe for buckeyes (a snack made from

peanut butter and chocolate which resemble a seed from the state

tree of Ohio). They were the only edible swaps! I still use one of

the swaps I received then—it is a wildflower that was pressed

between two sheets of clear contact paper and includes the name

and address of the girl I received it from. -

— Mrs. H

When I went to the 5th grade overnight trip my favorite swap that

I got was from a member of my own troop! A Pinwheel. It was

blue with little sparkles in the middle made out of foam. -

— Sydney K., Troop 1772

I made a Popsicle stick girl that looked like me. I

swapped with a girl named Alicia at camp. It was fun!

For a camporee, my Brownie troop made God's Eyes. An adult

hot-glued two small twigs in the shape of a cross. We used

variegated embroidery floss to make the design so that we wouldn't

have to keep changing the colors. Then we hot glued pins to the

back. They were cute and colorful. Everyone wanted to swap with

us!

Hi. My name is Rebecca B. and I am about to go on a wider-op. I

live in Lubbock, Texas, and I am bringing something unique. I went

to a cotton oil company and got a very large bag of cottonseeds

(which we grow a lot of here). I also got some bluebonnet

seeds from the Snyder Chamber of Commerce. I filled a Zip-lock

bag halfway full of Texas dirt and put a packet of bluebonnet seeds

and cotton seeds in it. I also got some Buddy Holly pictures

(because he was from here) and put a guitar pin on the corner. The

last thing I am taking is a friendship bracelet made with my

school colors.

I made a snake pin. All you need is a hot glue gun, pipe cleaners

(preferably the long kind), pin backs, and googly eyes. First I took

my pipe cleaner and divided it into thirds( you might need to divide

it into bigger pieces depending on how big the pipe cleaner is) and

curled it into a spiral. At the outside end of the spiral, make a thin

loophole, long enough to put googly eyes on. Next hot glue the

pinback on the back. After the glue dries, flip it over to the front

and hot glue the eyes onto the loop. After it dries, you’re done.

—Shannon O., Freedom Valley Girl Scout Council

My most memorable swap was a cute tooth pick Girl Scout.

A swap girls in my troop really like is the Girl Scouts Rule!

foam ruler. Cut a piece of yellow foam about four inches long

and an inch wide. Mark every inch, half-inch and quarter-inch, just

like you'd see on an actual ruler. Beneath your markings, use

permanent marker to write Girl Scouts RULE!!! You can put the

date, event, your name, etc., on the back. Punch a hole in the

corner and attach a safety pin or a small piece of yarn.

—Junior Troop 840, Buffalo, New York

This was the best: Take a soda pop top, paint it silver if it isn't

already that color. Glue in some little pieces of rocks that have

been painted gold. Glue it to a pin. It was perfect for a gold rush

theme camp out.

For Thinking Day we learned about the country of England. One of

the swaps we made was a British soldier. We made it with a red

wooden pencil. On the top, we put a little doll head (glued), used a

black cotton ball with an "attached" thin black ribbon for the hat

and chin strap. In the front of the body we glued a golden string

sticker (it looked like the buttons on the coat). It was very cute

and useful because it was a normal black pencil.

We made a little mouse from 1/2 a walnut shell, with eyes and

glued a piece of fabric on for ears. We painted the whiskers and

mouth with crayons.

Make button covers: Use hearts, a trefoil, or any shape that

you like. Take a small piece of felt, cut it to your desired shape.

Cut small slit for the button on your clothing to fit snugly through.

If can be decorated with two eyes (the button looks like a nose),

beads, sequins, or anything at all. It's inexpensive and easy to do.

Hair braids: Take 3 different colors of yarn about 18 inches

long. Twist until very tight. (Tape to a table and twist or do it with

a partner—one girl holds it while the other twists.) When tight the

strands are tight, add a bobby pin to the middle of the twisted

yarn. Join both ends of the twisted yarn and knot them. The

Twisted yarn will instantly appear braided, and stay that way. You

may then add 4-5 beads. Attach it to the hair—it's cute. You may

substitute the bobby pin for a clip for backpacks or a keychain. Be

sure to add any beads desired before this swap. The beads won’t

fit over these other items. Our new Brownie troop visited an older

troop to learn songs and games. Each of our girls made one for

each of their girls as a special thank you. We used Brownie brown,

green for juniors (since they were bridging) and red for color. Both

troops were excited about the braids.

I am a leader of first year Brownies. For Thinking Day this year, we

studied Germany. Our Service Unit had a big Thinking Day

Celebration, and our girls made pretzels for their swaps. They

used light brown pipe cleaners twisted to look like pretzels,

attached a safety pin, and they were done!

I am the troop organizer for our school. I organized a Winter

Campfire Night for all of the troops. We had an indoor campfire at

school and each troop did songs or skits, and we all made swaps. I

made snowmen from wooden ice cream spoons:

Paint the spoons white; use a black marker or

paint to add dots for the face and buttons; use

an orange marker to draw a sideways triangle

nose. Use small strips of fabric or yarn to tie

around the neck for a scarf. Glue a rectanglular

piece of fabric or felt around the top of the head

for a hat and gather the open end of the fabric

together. Add a pin, and don't forget to write

what you want to on the back (e.g. event name

and date, your name)! Anyone have other ideas

for wooden spoons?

I made a swap at Girl Scouts. It had 1 tri-bead, and two of each

color of the different kinds, like light blue for Daisies, brown for

Brownies, green for Juniors, dark blue for Cadettes, and yellow for

Senior Girl Scouts. The body was made out of pipe cleaners. I liked

this activity. I also like my troop leader Carolyn.

Once I went on a camping trip with all the troops in town, and

what we were supposed to do with all the swaps we received was

to pin them on a hat. So on the last day of the trip, everyone had

some pretty goofy looking hats on.

Dear Girl Scouts,

This year when we went to camp we made ankle bracelets!

They were the most popular swap in the camp. Most of the credit

goes to my mom for coming up with the idea, even though she is

not the leader. My suggestion (to make it more interesting) is to

give each bracelet a theme. I really hope you and your friends

enjoy these because they are really fun.

—Simone, Troop 952

I got postcards of Chautauqua Institution, which is in my area.

Then on the back of the postcards I drew and wrote other things

about my community.

Our troop made sushi rolls with green felt (seaweed), orange felt

(carrot), uncooked rice grains, and green foam (cucumber). We

rolled rice and foam sticks inside the felt to look like vegetable

sushi. This represented our Thinking Day country of Japan and we

traded them at thinking day with other girls in our service unit.

—Troop 3249, Richmond, Virginia

One time my troop made teddy bear pins that said, "I can't

bear to be without you!" We used them for swaps at a campout.

I especially liked the s'mores swap, which you make by gluing

tan foam for graham crackers, brown foam for the chocolate, and

half a cotton ball for the marshmallow. It was really creative.

When my troop went to an encampment we brought along

something really fun, fast, and easy to make swaps. We simply took

a bobby pin, pretty wire-ribbon and wrapped it around to make a

hair accessory. Everyone loved it!

—AMC:)

We made bookmark swaps using a paperclip,

string, and beads. We then attached a paper with our

Web page address. We will be using this at our fall

encampment.

My favorite swap was a sit-upon the size

of a mouse button. [JFG: We aren't quite

sure what a mouse button is...] It was

green with a pin on the back of it. It was

gorgous!

One of the coolest girl-made SWAPS I

ever got was made by a Brownie troop

for Thinking Day last year. They cut

miniature paint palettes out of manila file

folders then colored them tan with

markers. Then they used puff paints to

put small dots of different color paint on

the palette. They glued a pin on the back,

and VOILA! An adorable paint palette

swap!

I was a Girl Scout for many years and am

now a Brownie leader for my daughter.

When we went to Jam Camp, we made

swaps, and the most memorable one we

received was made of safety pins with

small beads on them hanging from a

larger safety pin. The beads were in the

design of the American flag. They were

really nice and my assistant leader and I

thought maybe we could copy the idea but

using a trefoil design.

This was a camping pin seen this past

week at a Traditions! training event at

Palm Glades Girl Scout Council. Take a

bottle cap. Spray both sides black. Take a

colorful paper clip and unbend it once (it

will be S-shaped). Hot glue the smaller

half of the paper clip to the top of the

bottle cap. Cut a small figure eight shape

out of white foam (to hold the yokes you

make next). Take a hole puncher and

punch out holes from yellow foam. Glue

the yellow foam to the white figure eight.

Glue the white foam to the inside of the

bottle cap, creating eggs in a frying pan.

Place a pin on the back, glued at the same

time as the paper clip so that it can be

worn. It is awesome! You could glue a

magnetic strip on the underside of the

frying pan instead of a pin and use it as a

refrigerator magnet.

Our second grade Brownies made

keychains using rings, plastic lacing and

interlocking beads We just looped the

laces into a knot around the ring and put

about 4 or 5 beads on each lace end and

tied a knot to hold the beads.

Hi I'm a Girl Scout from Junior Troop 806.

Here's an idea:

1. Take an old hat

2. Make something small and

creative to swap.

3. When you go to a Girl

Scout event wear the hat.

4. If someone wants to look

at your hat, let them look at

it and maybe they will trade

swaps with you.

My favorite swap was an address to be a

pen pal with a girl.

My most memorable swap was a empty

film canister with first aid supplies in it.

[See below for directions.]

One of the simplest and cheapest swaps

turned out to be the most popular, the

beaded keychain/lanyards-especially the

ones made with black string or cord with

the southwestern look (silver and black

beads) and colors. Also, the painted

wooden shapes, like hearts, pine trees,

and signs. Write the name of the event on

them with gel ink or "I love (heart-shape)

GS". These can be made into pins or

magnets.

We made little Brownie dolls with wooden

beads for heads, using half of a pipe

cleaner bent in half through the hole with

a few strands of yarn for hair. We took a

quarter of a pipe cleaner and twisted it

under the bead for arms and put on a little

dress with brown felt. We drew faces on

with markers and glued a pin to the back.

They were sooo cute!

Use one ring from a six-pack holder and

wrap variegated yarn (chose Native

American colors) around and around until

the whole ring is covered. Now make a

web by intermittently tying knots until you

have created a Dream Catcher. Attach a

copy of the Dream Catcher legend and

you'll make many Girl Scouts happy. [JFG:

We would love a picture of this one.]

I come from Cleveland, home of the Rock

and Roll Hall of Fame. We took rock candy

and put it in a baggie and labeled it

"Cleveland rocks."

My favorite swap was a model latrine kit.

It was a tiny bucket with a toilet brush

made from a piece of straw and a piece of

pipe cleaner. It also had a strip of tissue

rolled up to look like toilet paper.

The swap I remember most is from a girl

at 1995 day camp whose camp name was

Tick. Her swap was a little tick made out

foam with goggly eyes.

Our Cadette Troop 1588 is making flag

pins. It is easy and inexpensive and we

have a lot of fun making them!

I like to make crafts like friendship

bracelets and yarn dolls.

Shrink art swaps. Stamp animal heads on

shrinkable plastic with permanent ink.

Color in with colored pencils. Punch a hole

on top. Then shrink as directed on

package. write girl name and troop # on

back before you shrink the plastic.

I made wood cut-outs the shape of

Michigan. Then I painted them green

(land) and blue (water). After that I put a

star where my town was on the map, and

put the name of my council

I went on a National Wider Op last year

and I was told about swaps for the first

time then. Since I live in New York I made

a swap that reminded me of my city. I

made a New York bagel with cream

cheese from fun foam pieces. Everyone

like them so much, some girls took two.

At a wider op I received a zip-lock bag

with grits in it along with a recipe on how

to prepare them. I thought that was the

neatest thing. I often think of that swap

and the girl who gave it to me. Another

neat swap was called beach in a bag. It

was sand and shells in a small zip-lock

bag. A little note inside told me all about

the beaches in New Jersey where the girl

lived.

My favorite swap is a marshmallow on a

stick. It is also very easy to make. Just

take a small twig and a white pony bead.

Glue the pony bead on the twig and you'll

be hungry for more!

My troop made these cute bugs.

Directions: Glue 3 colored cotton balls

together (from biggest to smallest). Then

put eyes on the smallest ball with a

mouth.

I'm going to an international

wide-opportunity, so I made swaps that

had something to do with the U.S. I made

some penny earrings by drilling a hole in

each penny and attaching it to an earing

hook. They were cheap and easy to

make.

I made a swap that had my camp name

on it and things I liked around it (e.g.

camp name: Sugar. What I made: A

rainbow with sugar for a cloud! Everyone

thought it was original!

Our Service Unit held an encampment and

I made a swap of my favorite camp

thing—'smores!! I used 3 different felts -

tan (cracker), dark brown (chocolate),

and white (marshmallow, of course). I

glued them together, added a pin on back,

and put my and name and troop number

on front. It was so cheap and easy to

mass-produce, and it told about me!!

I rolled up felt with string to look like a

bed roll and attached a safety pin so you

could pin it on.

Hi, I'm Amanda, I'm six and was a Daisy

Girl Scout last year. My mom is helping me

type. My favorite swap last year was a

crown made from the sparkly wire with

angels and ribbons hanging from it. (The

type that is around at holidays).

I have attended two different events in

which we exchanged swaps. For the first

one, I made an apple collage. I took a flat

wooden apple, about 2½ inches wide, and

then tore up different types of red and

green tissue paper and glued them on the

apple. After the paper was dry, I applied

another coat of glue to make a smooth

finish. Then, I drilled two holes in the top

and looped a wire through the apple so it

could be hung up. JFG: You must be from a

place that grows apples.

For the second event, I used hemp and

beads to make chokers.

On a trip I recently went on, I received a

swap that would be easy for girls with

short attention spans to make. Collect

some small rocks from your area. Then

put a few rocks in a film canister. For the

finishing touch, write "_______ Rocks"

(e.g., Florida Rocks, New York Rocks.)

with puff paint on the film canister lid. It

was really cute!

I live in North Carolina, so for my swap

this year, I got foamies and cut them out

in the shape of a foot and put a black fuzz

ball on the heel. North Carolina is known

as the "tar-heel state"—get it?

I especially liked a mini-bean bag that was

made of velvet and rice. It was really

cute.

My most memorable swap was one I

found left by another Girl Scout that had

stayed in the cabin before me. So to keep

the thing going, I left one of my swaps,

and left. When I went there last time mine

wasn't there, but a new one was!

Snake On a Log Pin:

Materials:

1 green pipe cleaner ,

1 small 3 inch twig

Hot glue

1 safety pin

Elmer's school glue

1 pair of Tiny plastic eyes

Directions:

-Coil pipe cleaner around twig and cut

off the excess.

-Use Elmer's Glue to stick on eyes on

one end of the pipe cleaner

-Hot glue the safety pin on the back.

You're done!

—Sara, second grade Brownie

My daughter and I made a cherry pie

swap. We used a bottle cap for the pie

plate. We cut a small circle of tan felt to

serve as the dough, and glued it into the

bottle cap. We next glued small red plastic

beads to be the cherries on top of the felt.

After the bottle cap resembled a cherry

pie, we glued it onto a square of red and

white checked fabric, that looked like a

table cloth. We had fun and the girls

seemed to enjoy them.

—Kelly and Taylor, St. Louis, MO

Our Bainbridge Island, Washington day

camp is loosely following a Medieval

theme. One swap we'll be making is a

coat of arms pin. I printed a simple shield

shape on different colored paper, making

available ribbons, paper scroll material,

and different images to represent

admirable traits for the girls to choose

from. For example, a rosebud for inner

beauty, a swan for grace, a butterfly for

kindness, etc. Each girl chooses the traits

she aspires to, or sees in her friend, and

cuts them out and glues them onto the

shield. We will laminate them (but it’s not

necessary), then add a pin back.

We recently did swaps at our Hawaiian

day camp. Most of the girls were not

familiar with swaps, so we started out

giving each unit different colors for a

making a Hawaiian lei and an octopus pin.

The girls were allowed to either keep the

one they made or trade it with a new

friend! The leis are made from 20-1/2

inch starburst beads, alternated with 20

seed beads on a stong piece of thread.

Tie the thread into a knot and attach a

safety pin to the thread.

The octopus was made with 1 inch

pom- poms, 4 pieces of braided yarn

about 4 inches long, two small wiggle

eyes, and a pin back. The braided

yarn was centered on the bottom and

glued so it looked like eight legs.

Last year our troop was able to go to

Thinking Day, and we visited France. They

made their swaps out of little loaves of

dough that they baked, which looked like

French bread, attached to a pin.

My friend made a swap necklace out of

material that we could pin all our swaps

to. Then you can wear it around your

neck the whole time you are at a

conference or meeting and people can

see all your swaps. When you get home

you can hang the whole thing on the wall,

or doorknob, or take it with you to a

meeting and show everyone what you

swapped for. It is really cool.

I like the stress balloons that people make

with balloons and rice.

My favorite swap at camp Keowee was

when a Cadette Girl Scout gave me a

flower and a piece of paper that told

about Mexican Girl Guides. I also liked

when my whole troop got a cotton ball

with goggle eyes and a feather as the

hair.

I went on a Wider Op to Utah a few years

back and a couple of swaps that really

stuck in my mind were a pin in the shape

of a Hula dancer that was hand made (it

looked as if a lot of time had been put into

making it) and a bag of "cow seeds" to

"grow my own herd." They were

sunflower seeds painted white with black

spots on them. I think a good swap shows

where you come from and what your

personality is like. It is extra special if they

have some special meaning behind them

or are funny!

I'm going on a wider opportunity this year

and I am going to make leaf prints on

muslin for my swaps. To do this all you

need to do is take a small piece of muslin,

put it over a green leaf, and pound on it

really hard for a while. The leaf prints

come out looking really great, and since I

live near a forest, they tell a lot about

where I came from.

Well, first you take a bottle cap, and pull

out the edges, so that it is in the shape of

a gold-pan. Then, you spray paint the

front and back of the bottle cap black.

After it has dried, you can glue in gold

beads or paint gold flecks in the pan.

Attach a pin back to the back of the gold

pan. TA-DA! You just made a pan of gold

to carry with you wherever you go!

The BEST swap I ever received was from

a Belgian Girl Guide. She had put together

a little booklet about her country and her

everyday life: school, family, games,

Guiding, neighborhood. She included

photographs of her family, her Guide

company, the town where she lived, and

drawings of national dress, and a rhyming

game her friends played (along with a

translation in English). It was obvious that

she had put some time into her swaps,

and I still have this one. Every time I look

at it, I can remember Rika's great sense

of humor and friendliness. Hey, it was only

34 years ago!

I love Girl scouts. The swap I like best is a

ladybug each of the Girls in our troop

made. It was fun learning how too make

them.

I'm a leader now, but I made swaps as a

Girl Scout, too. I thought they had

disappeared as I haven't found anyone in

our area who knows about them. I got

one from a girl named Dawn at a troop

encampment in about 1976. It was half of

a walnut shell with a yellow wooden bead

in it. The bead was covered on the bottom

half by a small piece of fabric. Wiggly eyes

were on the top of the bead. It was a

baby nut! I still have it and I hang it on my

Christmas tree every year—I remember

meeting her at camp and all of the fun

things we did together. I have also shown

it to my daughter. I don't know where

Dawn ever ended up, but I remember my

Girl Scout sister well.

We are going to a Junior encampment in

June that has a Native American theme.

We made drums out of plastic bottle caps

and felt to swap. We sewed the felt

together, leaving the bottle cap sides

exposed, with black floss in this design

/\/\/\/\/ around the sides. We then

glued the tip of a Q-tip on top. Our troop

number is written on the other piece of

felt.

This is the first big camporee I'm going to,

and I want to keep in touch with all the

new friends I will make. I took clothespins

and colored a face and body with magic

markers. For the arms I cut a pipe cleaner

in half, wrapped it around the middle and

positioned the arms. Then I made small

cards with my name and e-mail address,

and also wrote my name and address on a

pre-stamped post card so my friends can

write me after camp. I hole punched the

small card and post card and attached it

to one of the pipe cleaner arms.

At our district encampment the theme

was sports. I received a cheerleader

made from a clothespin. Her face was

painted on and her body was wrapped

with a swatch of felt. She had curly hair

from yarn, and a pipe cleaner wrapped

around for arms—with a silvery pompom

in each hand.

Our Junior troop is getting into

backpacking. We made little backpack pins

out of fun foam. The frame is a flat black

rectangle with a 2mm slit, 2mm in from

the top. To give bulk to the pack, we cut

out a cross shape and folded the sides,

bottom, and top in and hot glued it. We

glued a flat recangular "pocket" with our

troop number on it to the pack. We rolled

up a rectangle "sleeping bag" and tied it

with elastic cord, then glued it in place.

Finally, we glued a pinback to the back of

the frame. It was the hit of the event at

which we swapped. (JFG: Send us a

picture or a swap and we will post it!)

I am going on a Wider-op and I am going

to make a swap that is a turtle, because I

collect turtles. I am going to get green

pipe cleaners and two different sizes of

small styrafoam balls and glue eyes to it,

and voila, a turtle swap.

I made a signature pillow, with wider

opportunity date, name of wider

opportunity, with heart piece on top.

My Brownie troop was working on the 3

R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). I made up

a scavenger hunt for them to do at home

with their families over Easter break. The

last thing on the list was to make

something out of recycled items, then

bring it to our next meeting to share. I did

the scavenger hunt with my daughter,

then we each made something. I made

for each girl and registered parent a

"Home-made seed packet" designed by

me, then filled it with seeds from my own

garden. (I even used "used" paper for

the package.) My daughter made a

"paper box" for me to carry them in for

our meeting. I had a lot of fun, and

decided to make up more for our next

swap.

—Dawn, Leader Brownie Troop 118

Fair Winds Council

Since the Convention will be in Kansas

City, Missouri, this year, we heard that

"KC was the place to be." So we made a

bee and named him KC. We used a yellow

and black pipe cleaner, safety pin, yellow

bead, and fun foam, cut like wings. We

shared these at a Girl Scout mall event.

My Troops made heart shaped pins with

"Girl Scouts Have Heart" on them. We put

our Troop numbers on them and showed

that indeed: "Girl Scouts Have Heart!"

I've never given swaps, I'm not even a

Girl Scout. But for something like this, I

would reccomend a picture frame with a

picture of yourself in it. The frame should

have a bit of you in it. —Cat:)

We had a girl at a wider opportunity bring

embrodery thread in an assortment of

colors. She made friendship bracelets for

girls as she talked with them, after asking

them what colors they wanted for their

bracelet. That way she spent some time

with each person and made something

that each person wanted.

I suggest jewelry, pins, bandanas, and

friendship bracelets.

The best swap I ever received was in

1980 at Almost Anything Goes, in Sharon,

Connecticut. A Girl Scout from Washington

State was swapping little plastic vials of

dust from Mt. Saint Helens (this was right

after it had erupted). Each had an

address label on it with her address so

that we could write and thank her. I still

have it many, many years later.

Use empty film canisters to create bubble

necklaces. You need: 1 canister, 1 bead

string or ribbon, 1 small piece of plastic

squares (like from a strawberry basket),

a glue gun. Do this: Hot glue bead to lid

and run string through the hole. Hot glue

a strip of plastic squares about 1/2" by 1"

inside the lid for a bubble blower. Add

bubble solution and decorate the outside

of the canister with stickers. It is fun and

easy! (The recipe for bubble solution can

be found in the Brownie Girl Scout

Handbook on page 258, Science Wonders

Try-It.)

I think the neatest swap I ever received

was from a Belgian Girl Guide. She was

very artistic, so she made little booklets

about her life in Belgium, with drawings

and photographs and dried flowers and

short stories about what it was like to live

in Belgium. That was many years ago, but

I still have Rika's little booklet...and the

many letters we shared across the

Atlantic, long after the event was over. I

loved the way she used her natural

talents to create a special swap!

The best swap I ever received was a cloth

bag made to hold swaps at large event

(150 girls). A girl made the bags for those

of us in her patrol. The bag had the name

of the event on it, and was perfect for

packing up everything. We used it to

write autographs on, too.

The most popular swap I have made was

by simply twisting pipe cleaners together

into bracelets. It was fast, cheap, fun,

and everyone loved them!

I made little babies. Take a garden glove

and cut off the fingers. Stuff the fingers

with something soft and sew the bottom

closed. Loop thread strands and attach on

the top for hair, and draw or paint a face

with fabric color on the front. Stitch a

small square piece of cloth onto the

bottom of your baby, as if it were

wrapped in a blanket.

Make a mini first aid kit and pack it up in a

recycled plastic film canister. Include

Band-Aids, cleaning swabs, a quarter for

a phone call, rubber bands, safety pins,

etc. Use red tape to make a cross on the

outside. You can even punch two holes

near the top and string it onto a necklace.

It is handy to have at camp! Note: We were

informed that you should be sure to wash film

cannisters with soap and water before using, as

there is can be a residue that could be harmful.

Here's another one use for film canisters:

Make a mini sewing kit and pack it in a

film canister. Include needle, several

colors of thread wrapped around a piece

of cardboard (don't forget Girl Scout

green and blue), different size safety

pins, and some hooks and eyes. Note: We

were informed that you should be sure to wash film

cannisters with soap and water before using, as

there is can be a residue that could be harmful.

I made 150 mini friendship knots out of

1/4 inch leather strips for the participants

in a Wider Op.

My favorite swap was a pillowcase my

whole troop signed. My best friend and I

traded. They were very colorful and didn't

take much time.

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