My friend Nooshi is amazing at identifying a cool party theme then really running with it. A couple of weekends ago she threw a marvelous Messy Party for her son’s third birthday and the party was unbelievably fun and beautifully creative. Here’s a run down of how she made it all happen:
Today, April shares a kickin’ recipe for what I will now forever refer to as “me dough!”
“My daughter calls play dough 'me dough!' She runs to her craft table, sits down, and politely declares that it’s time for her favorite craft of all. She wants it and she wants a lot of it. In great colors, too, like teal and magenta.
I’m thrilled to welcome new guest contributor April. A local mama and lover of all things cool and crafty, among other things, April will provide content on crafting with kids. Today, she provides fodder for weekend Valentine crafting:
I firmly believe that everyone’s got a little creativity at their core, and sometimes all that’s needed to unleash the creative beast is the right canvas. And for those who love hosting parties but need a little help figuring out how to personalize the details, there’s Garnish, purveyor of cool party and gift packaging ideas that will keep your guests coming back for more. Reader Catherine from Thunder Bay, Ontario wrote in about Garnish, where you can use the Bits & Pieces line as a springboard for inspiration, or just go ahead and borrow one of their stylish themed ideas. We love that you can order specific quantities, and that they’ve done the hard work of tracking down the materials so you can get right to the fun of personalizing the look.
Want to win the Garnish goods for a party for 10*? Here’s how:
When we finally got around to transitioning Laurel out of her crib a few months ago, it was a joyful (for her) and emotional (for me) moment. Despite being decidedly short on leisure time, I decided to commemorate the occasion with a quilt, and found excellent inspiration in Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. The project took longer than the estimated 8-12 hours - largely because I adjusted the pattern, added an extra detail, and obsessed over getting the measurements right - but the results were marvelous. Click here for details and project photos. I wish the book offered a few more diagrams (although it probably doesn't hurt to exercise the spatial orientation neurons a bit...), but I otherwise highly recommend this book for beginning or experienced crafters.
If you’re looking for a fun project to do with older kids, consider finger knitting. My ultra crafty sister-in-law (as in, she spins and dyes her own yarn) showed me this technique recently; the process is perfect for mamas and kids because it’s needle-free and fast, particularly if you use a bulky yarn (this bolero yarn is similar in bulk to what I used). I made some fab coordinating mama & daughter scarves in under an hour, and I can’t wait until Laurel’s paws are big enough so she can try making one on her own. For excellent instructions and photos, see Knitty.com.
Here's a fab Halloween lead from Tracy:
“For those with 'babes in arms' this Halloween, check out the sling costume ideas from Mammas Milk. I especially love the peacock, since feathers are so au courant in fashion and design. Most suggested costume accoutrements are available at local craft shops. If you don't have the shown sling color for a particular costume, I think it would be easy enough to drape another piece of fabric in the desired color. Also, the site shows older toddler models, but this concept would work for younger babies too. Think snoozing baby with green cap on and green felt circles stuck on the outside of the sling for the classic pea in a pod costume!
Before the weather turns frigid, I wanted to write a post about tie dyeing, the central activity of Laurel’s recent Color Party. I obsessed about this topic more than I’d care to admit because I wanted the activity to be fun, safe, and hopefully minimal in the mess department for both kids and parents. I’m thrilled that the activity worked out favorably on each of these counts; here are the tips to get your own groovy color party going.
Classic New England. Lull your residents into submission with a few days of spring weather, then hit them with another dose of winter.
If you’re in need of a fun indoor activity this slushy weekend, check out this week’s On The Farm feature from Kids Craft Weekly. Laurel – who loves singing Mary Had a Little Lamb and Baa Baa Black Sheep – went crazy over the Wild and Woolly Sheep project (shown, from KCW). This project is ultra low maintenance, easy to knock together with little other than basic bathroom supplies. And as if in homage to her urban exposure to animals, Laurel pointed out that we ought to make a fire hydrant to go with the sheep, which we executed by taping construction paper to a toilet paper roll, then rolling and taping a paper cone for the top.
If you’re looking for something to do during today's snow day, easy kid’s craft activities are possible with minimal or recycled materials. Paper plate crafts or sock puppets are good options; the latter can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. We’ve found that two features (e.g., eyes and ears, or eyes and a tongue as with our fleece snake family) are enough to render an animal likeness that kids love.
If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at painting but feared the investment and the intimidation of thinking up your own imagery, check out a fabulous new twist on paint by numbers for adults.
Savoir Faire’s Design and Paint by Number Greeting Card Sets ($15.15 at ArtCity, Inc.) include 8 folded notecards (5 x 7” Fabriano watercolor paper) and envelopes, 8 acrylic paint pots, and a paintbrush. Templates and instructions will help guide your inner artist to render stylish artwork for correspondence or framing.
Moms are the ultimate multitaskers; at the park the other day I met a mom who was knitting some groovy socks while looking after her son. I used to be an avid knitter, but I had never seen anything like the little knitting pouch wristlet she was working from and I had to try tracking one down.
A super stylish option is the GoKnit Pouch from KnowKnits ($18; available at KnitPicks.com). Made of lightweight, ripstop nylon fabric (in hot pink, lime green, or turquoise), this pouch has a loop that can go over your wrist, belt loop, or purse strap and includes an interior snapped guide loop to keep your yarn in order. Measures 6 inches in diameter by 8 inches tall.
Pursuant to my last post, Auntie Sha-Sha has renewed my faith in the fact that elegant, hand crafted ornaments can in fact be made quickly and glue-free.
Sharon made a fleet of amazing bell cranes (shown) for Laurel, and confirmed that they were simple to put together. Fold a paper crane using origami paper. Thread ribbon through the top of a bell (she used 1/2 inch bells and 1/8 inch satin ribbon, about 16 inches long). Hold the ribbon ends even and together and tie a knot about 3/4 of an inch up from the top of the bell. This knot will sit under the belly of the crane (to fix space between the crane belly and the bell). Thread the ribbon ends through a needle with a large eye and insert needle in existing hole in the bottom of the crane and poke a hole through the top point. Pull the ribbon all the way through and tie a knot at the end.
For non-denominational cranes, you could forego the bell (leave a longer ribbon end under the belly and snip to separate), or replace the bell with a different trinket (e.g., snowflake, dreidel, photo).
Sometimes Martha’s crafts are not for the faint of heart.
Over a decade ago, shortly after one of my sisters got married, I saw Martha’s feature on beaded ornaments and decided to make a set of six for my sister and her husband to celebrate their first married Christmas together. The ornaments looked so pretty and sparkly in the feature, and I had tons of beads and supplies. All I needed was some Styrofoam balls and a couple of hours, no?
No. Obviously, part of the problem was that my beads were not pre-strung so the stringing process added several hours to the project, but the other major setback was the glue and wrap. I had the right materials and followed the instructions, but the bead strings kept slipping and twisting and popping off; I spent more time cleaning glue off the bead strings and my hands than doing anything else.
Countless hours later, and too late for Christmas, all I had to show for my efforts was one ornament (shown) and a tattered Martha Stewart magazine in the corner. I kept the ornament since it didn’t seem right to give a gift that had so much cranky construction mojo behind it. And while we always have a good laugh at my expense when we unveil the ornament, from now on Laurel likely will be the artistic muscle behind future decorations; we’ve already got the makings for a fleet of fabulous (and easily storable!) glitter stars.
My recycling efforts have merged with Laurel’s love of painting to create easy and pretty holiday décor: paper glitter stars.
When Laurel paints, we use small paper plates to hold the colors (she can’t be trusted with entire bottles…). She’s a one color-per-plate kind of girl and when we recently used glitter paints, I decided to save the plates since they were so sparkly and pretty. After the paper plates dried, I flattened them under a stack of books. Yesterday, I cut star shapes, punched a hole in the top, and strung the stars up to a curtain rod with curling ribbon (click image to enlarge). Cutting and hanging the stars took all of 10 minutes, and Laurel loves seeing her artwork up, and pointing out all the different colors.
More of Laurel’s paper stars likely will adorn our Christmas tree, saving us from the inevitable disastrous interaction of curious toddler + fragile ornaments.
Halloween apparently is a dangerous event to leave to the collective output that is Laurel’s imagination and my problematic sense of proportion.
Laurel repeatedly asked to be a “big yellow grape” this year. And despite a sewing history limited to right angles, I was emboldened by “Project Runway.” If fiendish Laura could design, sew, and bead twelve evening gowns in a couple of months (during her final trimester at that...), a yellow orb shouldn’t be a big deal, right?
Several yards of yellow felt and some very sketchy geometry later, I came up with a rough plan to create two grape halves to be held together with shoulder straps, plus a stem hat.
Given our Halloween experience last year (Laurel refused to put on her costume), I wasn’t expecting much. And while we never actually made it out the door to trick or treat (partially my bad, what with the girth of this beast) Laurel was excited to try on her costume, and then was patient enough to pose for pictures (click thumbnails to enlarge). Even better, while I was stuffing these bad boys I realized that at the very least the grape halves could serve as big, fun cushions. Laurel agreed; the other reason we never made it out the door was because we spent the next hour sitting on the big yellow grape cushions, reading books.
Is the mere thought of impending holiday travel and family chaos already making you anxious?
Engage in some preventative art therapy with the Couple’s Genealogy Tree from Red Envelope ($120). This beautiful do-it-yourself kit allows you to interact with your family at a creative distance. The set includes: two espresso-stained wooden frames, 100 orange and red maple-shaped leaves in two sizes (denoting maternal and paternal family members), ivory mounting board, family name placards, instructions, mounting tape and template. Each frame measures 12" x 1 1/2" x 19" high.
Sometimes the craft projects suggested by high-end magazines result in more frustration than fun.
So we're appreciative of a project idea from Child (September issue) that is both unbelievably cute and doable. These brown bag critters (click thumbnail to enlarge) make for cheery school lunches, favor bags, or a creative activity at home.
Have your child decide on an animal, then fold down the top of a lunch bag and trim the end to be round or pointed (depending on the animal). Cut out colorful paper pieces (pretty paper scraps from other projects, wrapping paper, construction paper, stuff from your recycling bin) for the animal appendages (e.g., arms, ears, tail). Adhere the pieces to the bag using double sided tape or washable glue sticks. Create eyes, whiskers, etc... out of craft accessories (e.g., googly eyes, pipe cleaners); or for a low budget approach, draw in these details with markers.
I am a craft nerd. One of these days I’ll unveil my design site to you all; I love when special occasions arise so I can design paper goods (e.g., invites, announcements, stationery, memory books or boxes) or sew cute little felt animals onto shirts and blankets.
Not surprisingly, I was intrigued when my friend Andrew suggested I check out Craft. Craft was launched by Make (a project guide for science/tech gurus), and focuses on the art and science of all things crafty.
The neuroscientist in me couldn’t help but appreciate Craft’s recent post on The Museum of Scientifically Accurate Fabric Brain Art. Marjorie Taylor and Karen Norberg’s creations are inspired by research from neuroscience and dissection. Shown here is their construction of the two cerebral hemispheres (separated), cerebellum, and spinal cord.
OK, I'm afraid this post evidences that I'm a nerd twice over.
Your babe loves rooting around in the recycling bin, so why not encourage this green perspective by engaging in a hunt for craft supplies? Kids Craft Weekly offers craft ideas for toddlers and preschoolers, with an eye towards incorporating everyday household items or recyclables into imaginative, budget-friendly projects. This week’s theme on Pigs will leave you with a litter of eco piggies, and your babe oinking for more.
Ah, rain. It can feel like the kiss of death, especially on a holiday weekend. If you aren't up for battling the crowds at the mall or grocery store, check out the rainy day activity guides at FamilyEducation.com. Aside from the general resource page, there also are activity pages specifically geared towards toddlers, preschoolers, and kids ages 6-10.
Since villages typically no longer raise children, parents often are faced with the guilt of their babe not recognizing beloved relatives and friends during visits and holidays. I picked up a great, easy idea from my sister in law to work on face recognition: a family and friends photo book.
For babies, just load up an inexpensive album with photos given that your little one first will be fascinated by looking at the faces, then likely will rip the pages once he/she learns how to pull the photos out (an entertaining game in itself...). For toddlers, you have an instant activity together: engage their help in picking out the album at the store; when you get home, have them choose which photos go in which slots. Ask them to decorate the book with stickers. Toddlers love helping out and you’ll be amazed by how quickly they pick up the names of loved ones.
For older kids, or as your own personal project, create a keepsake book. A cute album that won’t break the bank is the Studio K Stripes Dots Album (regularly $19.99, currently on sale for $14.99 at Joann.com). Acid and lignin free, this album includes 20 top-loading page protectors with white inserts to hold 40 layouts.
Move over Martha. What’s cuter than these do-it-yourself animal card kits from Paper Source? Fun to use as invites or greeting cards, you can choose from chick, goldfish (shown), cow, and frog designs.
Kits come in sets of 10 for $14.50 and include instructions, cards, envelopes, and adornments (seals and stickers). You will need a circle punch, 1/8-inch hole punch and glue stick (available at Paper Source or craft stores such as Michael’s). Designed to be made by adults or by adults with “help” from kids.
Paper Source has four locations in the Boston area (Cambridge, Boston, Brookline, Wellesley) as well as national locations and web-order shopping.
