Posts in Creativity
2016 Intentions Check-In
Given that I’m a freelancer, one thing I’ve been trying to get better at is doing quarterly check-ins on my finances. And it occurred to me that it would be good to do something similar with my 2016 intentions given that it’s so easy to make resolutions or set intentions and then forget about them! To get up to speed with mine, you can read my original intentions post; below is a check-in, which, as you can see, I've had mixed results! If you feel compelled to share what you’re working on I would love to hear it!
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Friday Finds: 5 Cool Doodling Books
So today is National Doodle Day (in the UK anyway) and I figure it's just as good an excuse as any to inspire some creativity! I've long admired the ability of other people to create those pretty hipster doodles but I haven't ever had much success creating them myself. The good news is, there's plenty of inspiration out there, whether you want to learn to draw patterns, flowers, or even Star Wars characters. Here are 5 fun picks to try.
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Friday Find: Knitting Without Needles
Last Friday, my dear friend Paige hosted the coolest thing ever: a maker night! The guest was Anne Weil, author of Knitting Without Needles: A Stylish Introduction to Finger and Arm Knitting. Anne is utterly delightful and an excellent teacher -- she was unphased wrangling our chatty group of ladies! It was so fun to learn a new craft and I made this gorgeous cowl in 30 minutes! The yarn was so delicious and I want to sleep in a big fluffy pile of it every night.
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Friday Find: Watercolor Brush Pens
Tops on my birthday list were these watercolor brush pens + spiral bound watercolor journal, which I gratefully received from my in-laws. Laurel and Violet immediately pounced on them upon opening, so it wasn't until last weekend that I finally had a chance to sit down and experiment. Here's my first picture; I think I'll stave off the winter doldrums by painting pretty flowers! It was so fun to get lost in color -- I highly recommend you try it!
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11 Fun Craft Projects for Kids

Today, Rene shares a roundup of 11 easy craft projects for kids, perfect for National Crafts Month!

Whether you're stuck inside on a rainy or snowy day, or are just looking for a fun project at home, get little hands busy with cute and simple craft projects that will entertain and engage them. These 11 projects are easy for kids to tackle with minimal parental involvement, so enjoy another cup of coffee while your kids channel their inner mini Martha's!

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10 Clutter-Free Kid-Crafted Gifts

My sweet Laurel is a maker and around the holidays, she's always asking me about projects ideas. The Minimalist Parenting community loved this post on 14 kid-crafted gifts, so I figured -- what with the weekend coming up -- it would be fun to share 10 more ideas. And given my deep passion for clutter-free gifts, I've rounded up a collection of ideas that are CLUTTER-FREE. YAY! These items would be adorable for family, friend, and teacher gifts.

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Friday Find: Parachute Cord Crafts

Today's Friday Find is actually one of Jon's discoveries and it's a great find for any age and gender: parachute cord crafts. Jon bought Laurel a bracelet kit for Christmas and they had so much experimenting with knot and braid techniques that we've purchased separate cord + accessories (Laurel wears her bracelets constantly and has a whistle on one of them). You can make everything from compass bracelets to dog collars; I'm thinking about picking up this paracord project book for Laurel and Jon soon!

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For the Love of Penguins

Holidays (national or somewhat arbitrary) offer fun inspiration for projects and lessons for kids. Yesterday was Penguin Awareness Day (though I'm happy to celebrate penguins any day of the year!) and I wanted to take this opportunity to shine a light on this fine bird with project, book, and design inspiration. If you have other ideas to share, feel free to do so in the comments below!

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DIY: Easy & Cute Duct Tape Belts
duct-tape-belts-1.JPGHas the duct tape craze hit your house? It's been sticky craft madness around here ever since Laurel discovered it! We've got duct tape flowers, wallets, bookmarks, coasters, and more around the house. The other day when Laurel asked about ideas for a new project I -- ever the proponent of usable items -- suggested we make some cute belts. It's such an easy and cute project and I wanted to share the DIY with you today.
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3 Easy (Rainbow-Tastic) Party Activities for Kids
rainbow-chalkpaint-thumb.jpgAs I mentioned yesterday, I have a few posts I want to share related to simplifying birthday parties for kids. If I can manage, I'll bust everything out this week while things are top of mind. First, I want to share the 3 easy (and delightfully rainbow-tastic!) party activities I planned for Laurel's party. You can do these any time, really, and I recommend doing the chalk paint ASAP while the weather is good. So easy and fun. Enjoy!
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DIY: 10 Minute Jewelry Boards
jewelry-board-thumb.jpgI love necklaces. Except when they're clumped and tangled, as most of my collection has been for some time now. I was planning on buying a cork board to make sense of the mess, and then this past weekend, as I stared disdainfully at furniture packaging that needed to be broken down for recycling, I had a light bulb moment: turn the large Styrofoam sheets into jewelry boards! It would save the effort of breaking down the material to fit into our recycling bin, and save me the cost of cork boards! Here's the how-to for this ridiculously easy and awesome project:
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Outdoor Fun For Next to Nothing
snow-fun-1.jpgToday, Debbie (also of Two Adopt Two) shares six ideas for outdoor fun: Particularly now, as we're all buried under huge piles of snow, recovering from shoveling induced aches and pains, and the novelty of snow days has worn off, you're probably dreaming of beaches, sandals, and umbrella-laden drinks. Your kids are even tired of electronics and you've already built an army of snowmen. Now what? If lift tickets are beyond your budget, fear not. Here are six ideas for outdoor fun for next to nothing.
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