Crafty Crafts

Save those coloring books!

2011-04-02T10:43:00.001-07:00

So are you tired of spending a fortune on coloring books? Well dont waste the money. Take those coloring books and photo copy them. We have a printer that will copy but even at a few cents a page the money you will save is great and you willl be able to reuse favorites again and again.

We are following a New blog

2010-11-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

Hello and Good Morning, Or whenever it is for you.

A dear friend from my childhood is doing some amazing stuff with Jewelry. So Today My post is a pitch for her. If you are in Utah you have to check her classes out. Her blog has been added to the sidebar of this page so it is available for quick reference.

Calkin's Casual Jewelry

Along with this I am going to suggest a few readings for those who would like to get started in some Jewelry or Beading projects.

Back to our Craft Box

2010-10-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

So back to the Craft Box. Remember this is nothing more than a place to keep certain craft items that you can just pull out and do a simple craft.

Well since it is Halloween we are going to Pull out that Craft box and Let the kids have some fun.

Give each Child a Paper Bag. For this I like the ones with Handles. You can also grab some great plan canvas bags for cheap at most Craft stores. Then you can reuse these over and over.

Let each child decorate the bag how they want. Either for a shopping bag or for their Trick-o-Treat bag. Depending on the age provide Paint, Crayons or Markers. I prefer Paints for this project and the Canvas bags. We love doing hand print creations. Like Hand print hearts or Turkeys. For Halloween you can decorate with pumpkins and other. For more elaborate bags you can use the Pumpkin Carving Stencil sheets and put the designs on the Bags instead.

Have fun with your bag and remember everything you need except maybe the bags should always be in your Craft Box. So if it is not there...Add it!!!

Gearing up for Halloween

2010-10-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

So this is super easy and way cheap. If you don't want the mess of Jack o Lanterns this makes a great decoration for your porch.

When you are at the Grocery Store next. Be sure to get some extra paper bags. I usually get the small ones or the medium ones.

When ready to make these you will need a black Pen and some scissors Also I usually pick up the battery operated tea lights from dollar tree. DO NOT USE REAL CANDLES

While the Bag is flat let the kids (or you) draw on the faces.
Very Carefully Cut them out.
Make sure the Mouth or Eyes are big enough to slid in the Battery operated light source of your choosing.

Open the bag. You can either cut the tops of the bags into a pattern and leave open or We like to gather in the top of the bag and tie it off with Yarn. This way it looks like a Pumpkin.

these create really awesome decorations and you can vary them to set on your walkway lights if you want.

Have Fun!!!

Your Craft Box

2010-07-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

Okay so this week we are going to work on our list of basics that you will need to watch the sale ads for.

You can usually pick these things up at a Dollar store or on a dollar sale. So don't spend a lot and feel free to add things that you might use. Also take things you might already have an put them in your box so you have everything in a central place.

Okay so here is your shopping list:

Scissors (both safety for kids and some good sharp ones for adults)
Sewing needles
Straight Pins
spools of thread (any sizes and colors)
Ribbon
safety pins
clothes pins
water colors
crayons
colored pencils
chalk
stamps
ink
pens
markers
Unused Coloring Books

Okay so now for the tip of the week....
When buying a coloring book. Make copies of the pages for coloring and save the book for originals. This way you don't waste money and you have the book for years to come. I will take the pages and put them in page protectors in a binder so all the coloring sheets are in one place.

These are a few coloring books in my collection

Reuse those Damaged Books

2010-07-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

So in the attempt to work on our Craft Box we are going GREEN...

Yep we are going to go back to the 3 R's we learned in school. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

This week we are going to continue to build our supply box.

Do you have any books that the kids have shredded or there is just no way to repair. Don't through them in the trash or recycle bin yet. Take those covers and separate them into pieces. the saved covers will go in our Box for some fun projects.

Now take the Pages that are not destroyed. If you have a shredder run these through. Don't cross Shred you want long strips. Put in bag that can be sealed. Place in your Box. Pull the bags out and use the shredded pages for presents. they are great stuffing for a bag or box for a young child.

Preparing for Fall

2010-07-14T07:02:00.000-07:00

Okay all my Crafters....We are getting ready for our fall crafts

So all those Popsicle's the kids are eating...Save the sticks. Once the Popsicle is gone place the sticks in a cup. Add a light mixture of Oxy, or Bleach and Water. Let soak for 10 minutes. Rinse Really well and Air Dry. The color should be gone and they are all cleaned up for later use. Add the dried sticks to you craft box.

Next we are going to start our Craft box. Everything in the box is something any parent should have on hand. However as the items are used you should replace them so that you always have some supplies on Standby. Think of it as your Emergency Entertainment Kit.

Start by Finding a container that will work best for your box. I use and actual Box but some people have a place in a cupboard or closet. The Storage bins work great and so do Egg crates.

Check back for your list of things. Be sure to add your sticks.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-07-02T22:48:00.000-07:00

Originally posted on June 20, 2010.....
Happy Father's Day

So for all of us procrastinators and those short on funds here is a great gift idea if you have little ones. This can be used for just about any holiday and will be treasured forever.

you will need:
1 piece of paper (construction or drawing is best)
Paint (Acrylic or finger paints work great)
Sharpie or nice pen

Step 1: find a qoute or saying that represents the person you are giving a gift to.
Step 2: on a nice piece of paper write you saying you can place it where ever on the page you want but leave plenty of room. i usually block it in the center or in one line along the top
Step 3: Take the child's hand or foot (hands or Feet) and dip in paint. Then nicely place hand on paper around saying.
Let dry and then frame It will be a gift they will cherish always.

Brainstorming...

2010-07-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Originally posted on June 13, 2010...

Brainstorming for summer projects

These are some Ideas that me and my mom are bouncing around for some fun projects...

Beaded Christmas Orniments
Hand made Toys
Family Home Evening Kits
Church Activity Kits
All about me books
Hikes
Pool days
Library Days
Preschool Kits