flamingo party hats

My now five-year-old requested a flamingo birthday party this August. The hats we made were perhaps my favorite part of the decorating that went into her bash. They were simple to construct and everyone got a kick out of them. If you have a flamingo party in the future.....

- Simple pink or red (can be painted) party hats
- Shades of pink feather boas (I found mine at Michaels)
- Light yellow and black scrapbook papers
- Hot glue gun
- Sharpie marker

Just freehand draw the beaks (I looked at some flamingo silhouettes to get an idea) and make them with extra length on the end to fold over and adhere to the inside of the hat. I slid the beaks through the slot where the hats are put together and glued them in place. I glued the lengths of boa to the base and these hats were party ready!

makerspaces

Libraries are community hubs, a place for gathering as much as they are a space for housing books. In just the past couple of years it seems the idea of libraries being home to spaces set aside specifically for creating is catching on and speedily spreading. It is the development of the "makerspace". Whether it be craftsmen/women of similar artistic endeavors, children armed with their Legos and imaginations or tech enthusiasts engineering their latest projects- these groups have a space to gather and utilize to create.

Sometimes the spaces are called labs and contain equipment and tools otherwise unavailable to patrons, but often they are rooms dedicated to hosting a writing group or knitting circle. The important aspects of a makerspace in the library is that it is a place of creativity and collaboration. Check your local library's newsletter or website and see if they are part of the trend toward makerspaces. Also, this post on The Unquiet Librarian blog has links to much more information about makerspaces and their creation and some generally fantastic ideas about how they tie into participatory learning.

Image: danwoog via google

diy snowglobes

My sister had the sweetest favors at her little girl's first birthday- snowman snowglobes. They were made using polymer clay, glitter, water and baby food jars. There is a simple tutorial to follow at crafts-for-all-seasons.
They make great favors, decorations or an afternoon art project for older children. The end result is awfully cute....

Mulling Spices and Pomanders

Photo from LivingInWilliamsburg photo blog

A favorite Christmas tradition in my family (though perhaps not for my younger brother) was a trip to Colonial Williamsburg. They have beautiful natural decorations there and sell cider and have bonfires in the square. It's about as cozy as it gets, and everything smells wonderful. I think it's where the Demeter fragrance team must go to bottle up their Fireplace perfume.

This year, some friends and I decided to make our own old-fashioned Christmas decorations. We strung cranberries and popcorn and made orange pomanders. Secrets to pomanders: use a rubber band to establish lines and buy your cloves at a Latino or Asian supermarket (or even the Latino aisle in your own market) where they're about 1/6 the cost.

 

We also made cider sachets—mulling spices wrapped in cheesecloth. I got the recipe from Real Simple, which also had cute printable labels. A bonus activity was getting to pretend you're a WWII nurse assembling bandages while cutting all that cheesecloth.

 

Last two photos by Elena Rue

snowglobe cards

Over the past couple of days we have been working on snowglobe cards. I cut the globe forms and circles out from cardstock or construction paper and the kids grabbed white paint and markers to create the wintry scenes. Years ago I saw these on a teacher's bulletin board and I always remember them when the first snow falls.
We are using our snowglobe cards as holiday greetings and Christmas thank yous- they are versatile little suckers!

child's own studio

A friend of mine told me about Child's Own Studio , where talented artisan Wendy Tsao takes children's drawings and brings them to life in softie form. Unfortunately, she is not taking new orders right now, but it is actually the shop's flickr photostream that inspired me to post about it. The pictures of all the childrens' designs and Ms. Tsao's creations based on the art are guaranteed to bring you cheer! (hopefully she will take new orders again soon...)

 All images: Child's Own Studio

i heart mini clothespins

Why is it that some things are even better when miniature? This is true for mini clothespins. They are the perfect decorative touch, great for gift wrapping and can be all dressed up for fancy occasions... 

 Images: etsy, wanelo, etsy, creaturecomforts, etsy

paper zoo

On the blog Handmade Charlotte there is a fantastic tutorial for making paint chip animals. The tutorial has printable templates (which is a huge bonus) and even tips for storage, but what I like most is that this is a DIY kid craft that can be altered in so many ways and still work.
You can use the template or design your own zoo of creatures. The paint chips have great color and weight, but this could be done with heavier scrapbook paper as well. You could leave your animals as they are or add drawn smiles, polka dots and hairy backs.

It is one of those crafts that could appeal to 2-year-olds and 10-year-olds alike (even 37-year-olds....).  Whether you use your animals as decorations or action figures, this is a winner of a project!

Images: handmadecharlotte

sea glass earrings

While on vacation at Cape Cod, I thought a great project for my daughter (and  for me) would be to spend an afternoon collecting sea glass that we could later make into earrings to gift to my sister and mother, who were also vacationing with us. I had visions of gathering enough glass to make sets of earrings for the cousins for Christmas and for my friend who adores the beach.
Wouldn't you know, we did not find a single piece! I know certain beaches are better for uncovering sea glass and we definitely were not on one, but I am still including a link to the project.
If you find yourself with an excess of sea glass just begging to be repurposed- this is for you.

Images: marthastewart, coastallivingblog   Project: marthastewart

love this hack

Thank you to The Painted Hive for providing an awesome Ikea hack.... for lovers of card catalogs and a good DIY - the perfect rainy day project!

knitting pretty

  

I saw this magazine and for the umpteenth time wished I had learned how to knit years ago.This might be what inspires me to overcome my shyness and join a class. 

Images: Interweave, designedlykristi, pinterest, historicneedlecrafts

2 Easter Projects

I have two simple projects planned for the Easter holiday season to help decorate the house. The first is a paper craft that adds a little character to those dyed eggs. All you need to do is print out these stencils onto craft paper and snip yourself a few of the little critters featured in the above shot. They will be part of our holiday centerpiece.
For a hands on activity that even toddlers can do, the lifestyle blog four flights of fancy provides step by step instructions on how to create snazzy Easter eggs decorations with whatever art materials you might have on hand and some clear contact paper. The perfect thing to display on your windows or make into a garland and the design is completely up to the kids!

Images: Good Housekeeping and fourflightsoffancy

crayons, two ways

A couple of Valentine projects that I would like to try happen to involve crayons. They also happen to involve a heat source, so I am still debating giving it a go with my kids. I think for school age kids, they are fantastic activities.
The first is Martha Stewart's Crayon Hearts. It just takes some waxed paper, kraft paper, crayon shavings and an iron....the tutorial walks you through the few steps it takes to get those beautiful, glassine-looking hanging hearts for your windows. I really like the look of them hanging in a layered bunch.

The second is a DIY heart-shaped swirl crayon....
The Elizabeth Hall Photoblog has great pictures and instructions on how to create unique heart shaped crayons for valentines. It would be the perfect way to make use of the tiny crayon nubs in the bottom of your art bin! This just may be something I have to try this year after all.....

Images: marthastewart.com, elizabethhallphotoblog , heather sitarzewski

holiday cards- take two

At week's end , I will have to decide what to do with my holiday cards. The cards of the non-photo variety can be used for decorations if I am particularly fond of the design or colors.
With just a circle punch or two, they could be turned into a wreath.....
but, with the same punch, patience, and the ability to follow directions- you could wind up with some intricate ornaments for next year's tree.

Images courtesy of scoutiegirl (1,3), bhg.com, marthastewart

the perils of wanting to be a crafty mom

When I was pregnant with Sweet Pea, I spend a lot of time thinking about what kind of mother I wanted to be. Of course I knew I wanted to be a loving and kind mother who taught him to love animals and camping and all that jazz, but I also knew that  - despite my lack of natural abilities - I wanted to be a crafty mother.

With this desire in mind I undertook my first crafty project - Christmas stockings for my family unit of three. And, as you see in the image above, I did indeed finish one stocking. But the process of making it was BRUTAL. After getting advice from sewing master Mae, I still completely forgot how to use my very basic sewing machine and so had way too many moments of frustration. For example, I yelled at my husband for trying to help me thread the bobbin, I burst into tears when I ran out of thread, and really, really wanted to throw the whole damn machine across the room for getting jammed with knots. I also thought I could wing the pattern and so first made a majorly jacked up club foot stocking before I used this Martha pattern. I am not kidding when I say that I seriously wasted hours of time - and ignored my son - in order to make this one stocking for him.

In the end, you may ask, what lesson did I learn? Well, I know now that I don't have the patience or the skills to be a sewing mom. But I also learned that I don't have to be good at it to actually do it - as long as I enjoy it (which I actually did - a tiny little bit) and no one gets hurt (my husband's feelings not included).

Hand Print Santa

As a parent of young kids, I am always looking for some holiday projects we can try that are preschool-age friendly. I thought I had seen most of them, from the felt mouse candy cane holder to the Popsicle stick reindeer, but at parent-teacher conferences in kindergarten last week, I spied a new one!
Sunday afternoon we gave these hand print Santas a whirl. It was a simple craft that was a smashing success. All it required was some washable tempura paints, a few brushes and construction paper. We decided to use the dozens of palm-y St. Nicks as holiday cards and gift tags. I will tuck a couple of them away for future Christmas decorations as well.
I would definitely recommend this craft as a fun and easy way to get into the holiday spirit with little guys and gals.

Beeswax Tapers

When is Vivi going to move nearby so that we can roll beeswax taper candles for Christmas gifts? When?!
I am anxious to try this out, but it seems a better project for two ambitious gals given the bulk ordering of the wax sheets.
What a cool holiday project though- rolling some honeycomb tapers, pairing them with a beautifully designed matchbox and packaging them oh so perfectly for those little presents you always need.
Maybe next year.....
I did find a site, Toadily Handmade, that sells sheets of beeswax in many colors specifically for rolling or actual entire kits for family projects (or blogger buddy Christmas crafts) . If you decide to put this on your to-do list for the holiday season, or anytime, it makes it pretty easy!

Images: yourbeeswax at etsy (1,2) and toadilyhandmade (3)

Festive Clothespins

A package of clothespins is so reasonable and available at most any craft store- really, it is like a bag of potential for a dollar. These examples don't even touch upon all the kids' crafts that start with a clothespin....these are some grown-up ideas for the holidays :).

Clothespin Card Garland, Clothespin Advent Calendar, Christmas Wreath, Clothespin Christmas Card