Here’s another tutorial I did for CraftsUnleashed- it’s so fun and easy for the kids to do! Would be fun for their rooms, as well. I got the idea for decorating a mirror from this post I wrote about Pattie Wilkinson’s washer necklaces! Remember getting your first locker? How cool it felt- and SO grown-up- to have your own private space. A space not just to keep your books, but a space that became a home-base for the day. A […]
Kid’s Craft: Button Photo Ornaments
About this time of year, my kids get the itch to start making gifts for friends, teachers, and grandparents. I came up with a kid-friendly craft that will enable them to give a gift they’ll be proud of- and it’s a great way to share those wallet-size photos from school pictures! I used a manual die-cutting machine for this (the Spellbinders Grand Calibur) because my kids, ages 6 and 10, know how to use it independently and frankly the results […]
Crafty Project: Hand Made Post Cards
Recently my family and I took a trip to London. We certainly wanted to send home postcards to our families, but somehow sending store-bought cards seemed really unoriginal. So we decided to make home-made postcards! We started out by purchasing the Strathmore watercolor postcard blanks- but really, you could just cut your own (4 inches by 6 inches is standard.) I brought a fine-line Bic marker for a bold line, and the Sharpie Pen for a thinner line. I also […]
Kid’s Nature Journal from Paper Bags
My little girl LOVES nature- and we cannot take a walk to the corner without picking up leaves, seeds, and flowers to press. Since I reviewed the Cinch binding tool, I decided to make her a special nature journal so she can collect her treasures & keep them safe. You need: The Cinch book binding tool and binding wires (I used 1 inch wires) OR a 1/4 hole punch 4 paper lunch sacks 6X9 f Foamie sheets, in your choice […]
Kid’s Craft Kit Review: “Make Your Own Lip Balm” from Creativity For Kids by Faber-Castell
My little girl is a GIRLY girl- she loves to craft, and if it’s something she can wear or use (like soaps or lotions) then she is in her own pink heaven. That’s why when she got the “Make Your Own Lip Balm” kit from Creativity for Kids (a subsidiary of Faber-Castell), I knew she’d be begging me to let her open it up and get crafting! This kit comes with: 5 cosmetic tins lip balm carrying case lip balm […]
Kids Craft Kit Review:Shapelets Stretchy Band Design System
For awhile at my house, “Silly Bandz” were all the rage- they were worn, traded, lost, argued over, and even used as bribes (ok, that was me.) So imagine how the idea of making your OWN DESIGNS in stretchy bracelets sounded to my kids? Yup, they went ga-ga over it! And last weekend, when it was particularly rainy, I broke open the kit and let them go wild. I received the kit as a sample at CHA Winter, which included […]
Father’s Day Polymer Clay Keyfobs
Here’s a great, quick Father’s Day gift you can whip up in no time. I originally published this tutorial on CraftsUnleashed, but I thought it should be shared here, too. These would also be cool zipper pulls for luggage or backpacks, too! Sometimes it’s a little, functional gift that shows Dad how much you care- and you can make these in an hour or so with just a few colors of polymer clay! Polymer clay is a wonderful medium for […]
Craft Product Review: Garden Art Kit from Artterro
Since April is my “Go Green” month, I thought it was high time to revisit the marvelous art kits by ArtTerro. Previously I’d reviewed Painting with Wool, the Bubble Wand, and the Wire and Bead Sculpture Kits, so this time ’round we’re going to talk about the Garden Art Kit– apropos, right? The Garden Art Kit is described thusly on their website: Combine thick high quality copper and thinner colored wire, glass, shell and wooden beads and marbles to make […]
Kid’s Craft Review: Cupcake Soap Kit
My crafty daughter loves to play with clay and loves to mold soaps, so I thought this would be a great Christmas gift- the “Make Your Own Cupcake Soap” kit by Creativity for Kids. This kit is jam-packed with product it includes White Soap Clay Brown Soap Clay Yellow Soap Clay Light Pink Soap Clay Red Soap Clay Purple Soap Clay Green Soap Clay Pink Bath Salts Iridescent Glitter Plastic sculpting tool 3 Paper cupcake liners 3 Plastic cupcake storage […]
Crafty Toys of Christmas Past
I was looking through some scrapbooks from my youth the other day, and I ran across some Christmas photos. There, in it’s faded glory, was my Lite-Brite, my set of Fashion plates, and that craft with plastic-flowers-you-put-on headbands. Man, what was that thing called??? Anyway, it got me thinking… I got so many great crafty toys as a kid, and I’m sure that influenced the crafter I am today. So I put it out there on Facebook, with the simple […]
Fall Party Juice Box Cuffs or Napkin Rings
I’m the mom to two kids, and I love to participate in their school events. A few years ago I came up with the idea of decorating the juice boxes for their Halloween class party- I mean, why shouldn’t the drinks be as cute as everything else? And this year I’ve modified the design so that the kids can take the cuffs OFF the juice boxes and take them home to use as napkin rings…or wear as bracelets! So here’s […]
Kid’s Craft Product Review: Artterro Needle Felting Kit
This is another open-ended craft kit sent to me by ArtTerro– this time it’s a needle-felting kit they’re calling “Paint with Wool.” The Paint with Wool kit includes four 4X4 inch wool felt squares that are off-white, lots of strips of colorful wool roving, and 3 needle felting needles, and a basic instruction sheet. This kit is geared for ages 8 and up, but I tried it out on both my 9 year old son and my 5 year old […]
Kid’s Craft Kit Review: Magic Fabric Creation Studio
I love crafting with my kids. My 5 year daughter is especially enthusiastic and occasionally tells me about a craft product she sees on TV and then BEGS me to buy it. Such was a the case with the Magic Fabric Creation Studio by SpinMaster. (Coincidentally, they also make Bendaroos, which she also loves. ) When the nice folks over there offered to send her a kit to try out, she was overjoyed. So exactly what is Magic Fabric Creation […]
Kid’s Craft Kit Review: Bubble Wand Kit By Artterro
A while back I was offered the chance to review the ArtTerro open-ended, eco-friendly craft kits for kids and we had a great time playing with the Wire and Bead Kit. When the kids saw the Bubble Wand Kit, they got really excited. And with some of the hot weather we’ve been having, it was the perfect excuse to get outside, craft, and PLAY! The kit comes with two pre-drilled dowels, two lengths of copper wire, two marbles, and instructions/patterns. […]
Recycled Zipper Pulls and Luggage Tags
It’s a new school year and new backpacks and jackets have been purchased- but it’s only a matter of time before my kids yank the pulls right off of the zippers! So I’m getting the jump on repairs by making some fun, recycled ones that the kids can personalize. We’re building the base on an unlikely substrait- Formica samples from the home improvement store! You can pick a few up the next time you’re there, and if you ask nicely, […]
Kid’s Craft Review: ArtTerro Wire and Bead Art Kit
ArtTerro is a brand-new company to me, and I’m so pleased that they reached out and offered to send some kits for my family to “craft test.” Their tag line is “Art of the Earth”- and with a slogan like that, who wouldn’t be interested? Here’s some of what they say about their mission: We love art and wanted to share that experience with our kids. We searched high and low for eco-friendly, open-ended art projects with beautiful materials but […]
Baby Shower and Gift Ideas
It’s been a busy week for me over on CraftsUnleashed– I came up with three baby- themed ideas for their “Baby Week.” I thought I’d show you what I made over here, too. If you want the step-by-step ideas, just click the links and it’ll take you to the full post. Rebel against “cute” and make a vintage-look Baby Card using a Cricut machine and the New Arrivals cartridge. I also used K & Co.’s “Cut-n-Paste” paper stack. Make some […]
Cute Hair Clips on CraftsUnleashed!
Hey, crafty friends! I’ve been crafting up a storm for a series of posts on CraftsUnleashed on fabric crafts and “Christmas in July” crafts. So I’m sharing some goodness over here, too. If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know I love Yo-Yo’s. (The fabric ones, not the toy things.) I even reviewed the Clover Heart Shaped Yo Yo maker and the Clover Shamrock Yo Yo maker. But today, I’m keeping it simple with circles. I won’t bore […]
Knitting Looms and Jury Duty
Last week was quiet here on CTD, because your crafty friend was called up for…JURY DUTY! I can hear the collective groans from you readers, but really, I didn’t mind too much. First of all, I believe in our judicial system and my civic and moral obligation to serve. The other reason I didn’t mind so much was that I knew that I could catch up on my crafting with all that waiting around! So after a quick think about […]
Memory Frame Craft up on CraftsUnleashed
We’re doing a little “grads and dads” memory frame challenge on CraftsUnleashed, and I have to confess I was stumped on this for a while. Of course, my inclination was to make something for my husband from the kiddos, since Father’s Day is right around the corner. But then I realized that no one was working on a grad frame, and it would be fun to see one of those. One problem: I don’t know any high-school or college grads!!! […]
