Bubble Wands
Bubble wands are fun for kids of all ages. With the steps involved in making these wands, though, this is definitely a craft for adults.
First cut your dowel down so that it's about 15" long. Then paint it with your acrylic paint. I paint half of the stick at a time and allow it to dry before painting the other end.
While the paint is drying, you can prepare your bubble frame. On the piece of wood draw a star shape. Try to make it as symmetrical as possible because any oddities are a bit magnified by the wire later on. When you are happy with the shape of your star, hammer a nail into each corner and point. Hammer the nails all the way through the board so that they stick out about ½" on the back side. The back side will now be the front, or working surface.
Starting about 3" down from one end of your wire, begin at one of the star points and wrap the wire around the nails, inside on the corners and outside on the points, as in the diagram below.
Pull the wire off of the frame and wrap the short end a few times around the longer wire end to close up the star shape. Position the wire star over one end of the dowel and wrap the short end of the wire tightly around the top of the dowel. Wrap the long end of the wire spirally along the length of the dowel. When you reach the end of the dowel, wrap it two or three times close together as you did with the short wire at the top.
Now it's time to add the marble for a bit of pizazz. Start to form the wire into a circle that is wider than the dowel. Set the marble on it and continue wrapping spirally. It doesn't take many wraps before the marble is held securely. Clip off any excess wire and, if neccessary, make adjustments so that the marble sits centered on the dowel.
Similarly adjust the star so that it is centered and flat. You're done! Maybe make up a whole batch to have on hand for the next family picnic. You don't have to make stars, any shape will work. Just position the nails at critical points to achieve the shape you want. This website has lots of recipes for bubble solutions that will have you going in no time: bubbleblowers.com.