Handpainted Plate, $15 from The Storybook Rabbit.
Felt Balls, 100 for 3$34.99 from Yummi Shop.
Biscuit Bowl, $22.50 from Atelier BB.
Red Fox Moleskine Notebook, $10 from Sass and Peril.
Needle Felted Gnome, $12 from Felt Jar.
Fair Isle Fabric Fat Quarter, $9.50 from Katherine Codega.
Elf in the Book Bookmark, $25 from myBOOKmark.
Christmas Tree Wrap, $16 from Smock Paper.
Embroidery Art and Screenprint, $30 from Fric de Mentol.
Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s a quick round-up of DIY things from around the web. And if you’re looking for holiday crafts, be sure to check out my list of 100 Holiday Crafts.
Yarn Block Prints from Whip Up.
3D Paper Ball Ornaments from How about Orange.
Shopping List Folio fromTerri Harlan for Lark Crafts.
Wood Slat Wreath from Lowe’s Creative Ideas.
Potato Stamp Gift Tags from BIRCHseed.
Floral Party Hats from Oh Happy Day.
DIY Gift Wrap Ideas from A Pair of Pears.
Three-Tiered Skirt Tutorial from Make It and Love It.
Bloomsbury Mug, £6.00 GBP from Summersville.
Set of 8 Linen Napkins, $39.99 from JB World.
Printable House Ornaments, €3,00 EUR from Chichiboulie.
Handmade Soap, sample set of 6 for $8 from Herbivore Botanicals.
Fox Softie PDF Pattern, $10 from Dolls and Daydreams.
Chunky Baker’s Twine, $18 from Sew Lola.
Painted Wooden Buttons, $12 from Stefanie Style.
Dish Towel, set of 3 for $36 from Leah Duncan.
Vintage Feedsack Fabric, 25″ x 26″ for $6 from kimmymade.
Marie of Make and Takes asked me to be part of the blog tour for her new book, Make and Takes for Kids: 50 Crafts Throughout the Year, published by Wiley. If you are familiar with Marie’s blog, you know that she offers kids’ crafts, recipes and activities perfect for parents with busy lives, homeschoolers, teachers, and anyone interested in making fast and fun crafts with the kids.
In her new book, Marie offers 50 simple and easy crafts for all seasons of the year. Each craft includes learning objectives, a supply list and clear instructions. The crafts are just right for kids of all ages with projects that work for both boys and girls. These crafts are simple, featuring supplies you may have on hand: pipe cleaners, glue, construction paper, plus re-purposed materials such as toilet paper tubes, milk jugs and egg cartons.
I thought I’d take this opportunity to give some ideas for crafting with kids around the holidays. We all love the idea of a meaningful, handmade holiday, but life can become chaotic around this time of year trying to clean your house, cook, or prepare to go out of town, often while working and taking care of the kids’ homework and carting them around to activities. I’ve noticed lately with the time change that I’m struggling just to get a meal on the table and get the kids in bed at a reasonable time. So it’s not surprising that when I received the book from Marie, I looked and found lots of great crafts to try, but we haven’t had the time! Here are a few simple ideas to help you keep the kids busy and make a meaningful holiday:
1) Go shopping or gather materials. Have craft supplies on hand and get everything organized before the holidays. If you are re-purposing materials like newspaper or toilet paper tubes, go ahead and gather those.
2) Make craft kits. Make a list of the activities you’d like to try with the kids and pre-cut or gather materials as needed. Put each project in its own basket, making a kit that the kids can pick up and make on their own. Kids who can read can easily follow the instructions in this book.
3) Give choices. My older daughter is very independent and really hates any prescribed activity, but she will follow along with a book, making her own variations. I often find that letting her choose the project gives her ownership and makes her much more interested in it.
Now that I’ve said all this, I’d better follow my own advice! Check out Marie’s book if you get a chance, and you can find the instructions for this Thankful leaf project (below) over on Skip to My Lou.
All photos by Nicole Gerulat.
You can also check out some of these other crafting resources for the kids this holiday season: Make and Takes, The Crafty Crow, Alpha Mom, my list of 100 Holiday Crafts, and this new Martha and Friends interactive site.
What are your favorite sites, books or other resources for kids’ craft ideas?
Well, I made some progress on my sewing room. I folded fabric on some existing shelves using chipboard as you can see on the left here. I think the vertical filing will work out much better than my previous piles, but it’s the putting things back in their proper place that’s the real problem, isn’t it? When I had a desk job, I always cleaned and organized papers on Friday afternoons before I went home, but being at home all the time, my sewing room is always disorganized. In addition to the existing shelves, I bought a bookshelf from IKEA for notions, boxes and baskets, and hung a pegboard. Then I painted our old CD shelf (above, right) for fat quarters and half yards. Now my husband has to go through all his CDs that I boxed up. Out with the old.
But of course before I finished organizing, I’ve started sewing again. Making a baby quilt, possibly two of them.
And to make you feel better if you haven’t been organized lately, here’s the basket of fabric bits yet to be folded and put away.
Next, I need to add a design wall and figure out a nice way to store an ironing board. Do you quilters out there have any ideas for a design wall that looks good? I was thinking of just wrapping some white flannel around a large frame and hanging it on the wall, but that still doesn’t sound so great. I’d love to hear your ideas.
