When traveling or attending a special event, silence is sometimes required. However, for the parents of young kids, keeping children silent for an extended period of time can be incredibly challenging, at best. Use this homemade felt activity book to entertain your child and keep him or her silent on those special occasions.

This book contains one page for each of the four seasons, where the pages reflect the activities of the season. A pocket on each page contains a collection of felt shapes the child can button on or remove to modify the scene

You will need…

• Pinking shears
• Scissors
• White glue
• Felt, enough to make four pages that are 7 1/2-by-16-inches
• Felt for the cover of the book, piece should measure 7 3/4-by-16 1/4-inch
• Template printed for shapes
• Green felt (for grass and trees)
• White felt (for snowman, clouds and moon)
• Blue felt (for water)
• Yellow (for duck)
• Brown (for squirrel and nuts)
• Orange (for snowman’s carrot)

1. TO make the pages for the book, cut the 7 1/2-by-16-inch piece so felt. Fold each page in half crosswise and crease. On each left-hand page, add a rectangle that is 5-by-4-inch felt and sew the bottom and sides to create a pocket to hold the shapes for your book.
2. Cut our permanent scenery and attach it using white craft glue.
3. Sew four to six buttons on the page in various positions.
4. Add stitching to create things like flowers or the strings of a kite.
5. Glue the backs of the pages together and allow time to fully dry.
6. Cut out a piece of felt for the cover of your book, measuring 7 3/4-by-16 1/4-inches. Wrap the cover around the pages and glue it to the first and last pages. After it has had time to dry, reinforce with a few stitches through the spine.
7. Cut out the felt shapes for each season and cut slits in each for the buttonholes. Place the shapes, according to each season, in the page pockets.

Children naturally explore with hands outstretched and palms facing downward, which is why it can be so challenging when it’s time to learn how to use scissors properly. To properly grip scissors, the child must rotate the hand from the natural palms down position so that the thumb faces up and pinky points at the floor. It also requires the child to spread his or her hand out into an unnatural position with the thumb and pointer finger spread apart to open the blades of the scissors.

When your child begins to show interest in using scissors when he reaches the age of two or three, use these tips to help him learn to use scissors:

Give your child a pair of training scissors and practice with, without ever cutting anything. Show him how to properly hold the training scissors each time he picks them up, which in the beginning is challenging in itself.

Demonstrate for your child how he needs to open the scissors by spreading his index finger and thumb as wide as possible and then bring them together to close the blades. Explain how the wider he spreads his fingers apart the further the blades will open and the further you will be able to cut with each cut.

Be safe and stay with your child while practicing with scissors, even blunt tripped training scissors. Staying close by is also useful to help prompt your child with supportive comments and verbal cues to for properly using the scissors.

If your child is struggling to grip the scissors properly, have him put the scissors down and shake your hand, at which point he will rotate his hand naturally so that it is in the correct position. After a couple of demonstrations shaking hands, place the scissors in his outstretched hand instead of your own hand and provide instruction for placing his hand in the scissors.

Have you recently adopted a new pet or do you have hundreds of photos taken (on your phone and everywhere else) of your pet? Do something with all those priceless images! Create a pet scrapbook with all those pictures of your own pet, or consider making a scrapbook for a friend who has newly adopted and give them a place to put all those photographs that will be coming.

You will need…

• High quality scrapbook or photo album with acid-free pages
• Photo corners
• Decorative scissors or hole punches
• Acid-free background paper
• Ribbon
• Glue dots
• Acid-free double-sided tape
• Labels

If you are making the scrapbook for someone else, you may want to acquire a photo of the new pet for the initial page or two and then cut out words for themes for the following pages. Possible ideas for the other pages include:

• Pedigree or adoption papers if the animal is from a rescue shelter
• Photos from the breeder or shelter, or even a classified ad
• Any photos of the parents or littermates, if you have them
• ID tags
• If it’s a baby, the first collar when the pet outgrows it
• Picture of a favorite toy
• Memories of first meeting
• Box tops or images or favorite treats
• Inspirational photos
• Photos of trips together, if applicable

If you are making the scrapbook for your own pet, begin by developing a layout for each page. Use the list above or come up with other ideas to select a dominant item and experiment with placing other items around it to compliment that item. Choose a complimentary background with colors that enhance and add interest. Don’t be afraid to crop photos, but you may want to create duplicates before doing so, in the event you mess up or change your mind about how you want to use the photo. Always start with the background, as it’s easiest to work from the bottom up.

For more scrapbooking tips or to purchase scrapbooking supplies, visit us at ShopScissors.com.

Looking for the perfect DIY Valentine’s Day gift to give to the loved ones in your life this year? Try making some tasty candy to satisfy the sweet tooth of anyone you share it with. This gift will be guaranteed to delight anyone who receives it, regardless of personal taste, and will be especially valued because of the time and energy you put into making it.

Instead of making hard red candy, consider giving the gift of chocolate. Check out this Rocky Road Candy recipe from About.com, guaranteed to be a hit for the holiday occasion, and extremely easy to make, with an estimated preparation time of 10 minutes.

This Rocky Road drop candy features dark chocolate, marshmallows and toasted nuts. Experiment by adding nuts, white chocolate or dried fruit, depending on your taste and that of the person you will be gifting the candy to. If you only have large marshmallows, use kitchen shears to cut them into smaller pieces before you begin.

What you will need…

• 9 ounches (1.25 cups) dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• ½ cup chopped, toasted walnuts
• Coconut (optional)
• White chocolate (optional)
• Dried cranberries (optional)

1. Cover an ungreased cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
2. Using a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave (or over a double boiler). Stir the chocolate until it is completely smooth.
3. Stir in the walnuts and marshmallows slowly until they are completely covered with chocolate and well mixed.
4. Drop the candy mixture onto the cookie sheet using a teaspoon and allow it to chill in the refrigerator until it has hardened.

Looking for a centerpiece or wall décor to decorate your home for Valentine’s Day? Enjoy fresh flowers for the holiday with an easy-to-make Valentine’s Day arrangement of carnations that form the shape of a heart. Consider using a mixture of red, white and pink carnations.

What you need…

• Approximately 75 carnations
• Pruning shears
• Floral food
• Bucket
• 8-inch floral-form heart
• Tray

1. Prepare the flowers. Using pruning shears or a sharp knife cut the stems of the carnations at a 45-degree angle to allow for better water absorption. As you a preparing the carnations, be sure to make a cut above one of the nodes that run up the stalk of the flower to help the stem draw the water it will need to remain in bloom. Mix the floral food and place it in a bucket. After removing any leaves that would be below the waterline, allow the carnations to stand in water overnight.
2. Prepare the foam heart. Fill your sink with cool water and mix in floral food, according to the directions on the packaging. Submerge the heart in water for one hour and then place on a tray.
3. Create arrangement. Cut the stems of the carnations approximately 1 inch from the head of the flower. Starting from the middle of the heart insert the stems, clustering the blooms close together. Place the flowers at varying depths to create a more three-dimensional shape. Continue your progress until the entire heart is covered with carnations.
4. To use as a centerpiece, set the heart on a tray or plate. If you prefer to hang the heart, drain the arrangement fully before hanging. Every 4 days, place your arrangement in the sink and water it from above. Make sure you allow it plenty of time to drain after you water. With regular watering, your arrangement should last up to 2 weeks in a cool, humid location.

Valentine’s Day is just over a week away…which means, if you have kids, putting together candy for your children to hand out to teachers and classmates. Check out this fun and simple idea to personalize those treat bags and create the perfect hand out that your child’s friends and teachers will love and that your child will be proud of.

You will need…

• Scissors or pinking shears
• Fine-tipped red marker
• Tape
• Cellophane bags
• Heavyweight matte paper
• Scanner
• Picture of your child
• Valentine’s Day candy

1. Find a picture of your child or take a new one of him or her blowing kisses. If you are taking a new photo, make sure your child’s head is at the bottom of the image to make it easy to assemble the tag.
2. Scan the picture and print it out onto heavyweight matte paper.
3. Cut out the tags with your child’s image using scissors or pinking shears, ideally, to create a unique edge at the bottom of the tag.
4. Use the marker to draw hearts, a message or write the names of the recipients on the tags.
5. Fold the tags in half and place them over the top of the cellophane bags that have been filled with candy.

For more craft tips, continue reading the ShopScissors blog.

After Madonna performed at the halftime show last night, I started thinking back on the great music of the 80s and it occurred to me: what a great idea for a kid’s birthday party! Be prepared, however, for your kids to think of 80’s as “very retro”!

What you will need…

• 3D glasses
• 80s music (Madonna and Michael Jackson are a couple obvious choices)
• 80s movies for playing in the background (Karate Kid, E.T., Labyrinth, or The Little Mermaid are just a few choices)
• Posters of Madonna, Michael Jackson, or Molly Ringwald
• Karaoke machine

Invitation

Take a picture of your child dressed up like Cyndi Lauper or Michael Jackson. Scan the photo into your computer and use PowerPoint or PhotoShop to type “Who’s Bad?” or “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” on the front. Print the photo and on the back in fun lettering write the party details.

Decorations

• The 80s were all about color, so hang brightly-colored crepe paper streamers all around the party area.
• Put up 80s posters on the wall (you should be able to find these online or, if not, print out headshots of 80s icons and place them all over the walls).
• Place a box of clothing for kids to dress up in when they get to the party. If you don’t have any, buy cheap sweatshirts and cut the neckline out of them, provide bangle bracelets and strips of fabric for headbands.
• Give guests 80s hair as they arrive: for guys this means Mohawks with a lot of hairspray and for girls it means crimped hair, big bangs (if applicable) and big bow headbands.

Food

Many of the foods popular in the 80s are still popular today, such as hamburgers, hot dogs and French bread pizza. Arrange bowls of 80s candy, such as candy necklaces, ring pops, Nerds, Bubble Tape, and Pixy Stix.

Party favors

• Kids scissors like the junior splat scissors that look like they were splattered with paint
• Heart-shaped sunglasses
• Bandanas
• Headbands
• Mini Uno Games

For more fun party ideas, continue reading the ShopScissors blog.

Today’s Feature Friday product was inspired by a recent review.

A floral designer from El Paso writes, “I can’t work without it. The curved blade is the best to cut the floral stems when designing arrangements. And the wood handle is very comfortable. Very durable and easy to resharp.”

Another, earlier, customer writes:

“Great knife! I love using curved blade knives for floral designing. You do have to be careful as this knife is VERY sharp and I cut myself pretty good with it.”

This 7” Floral Knife has a sharp, curved blade that allows you to cut the floral stems quickly and easily are you design your arrangements. The wooden handle provides comfortable handling and the blade continues to hold its edge and can be re-sharpened over and over.

For more information on the 7” Floral knife or to look at our florist tools, visit us online at ShopScissors.com.

Yesterday I wrote about how you can manage to put together a beautiful quilt. On the chance that you are a beginning quilter, you may be wondering what tools you should purchase to begin making your own quilt. Check out this list of top 10 quilting tools from Blackberry Quilts.

1. Hand sewing needles. You will want a high quality sewing needle that is strong and will easily slice into the fabric.
2. High quality thread. Low quality thread isn’t worth the headache it will cause you. Purchase high quality thread that will not break or ravel.
3. Sharp scissors. Sharp fabric shears are worth the money when you are cutting fabric quickly and easily.
4. Straight pins. You will go through a lot of pins as you piece your blocks together. It’s important to purchase fine, sharp pins for your projects.
5. Seam ripper. While we all like to think we won’t make mistakes, chances are it will eventually happen.
6. Radio. A television is too distracting, but you will need some music to work to.
7. Good lighting. It’s important to have good lighting so you don’t strain your eyes and can see the detailed work easily. A large window will work well if you are working during the daylight hours. If not, invest in a lamp that can be moved close to where you are working.
8. Chair. Since you will be spending significant time working in the next year as you make your quilt, it’s important to invest in a comfortable chair that will support your back and help you avoid soreness.
9. Cutting mat and ruler. A mat is important for protecting the counter or table you are working on. You will also need a ruler for straight lines.
10. Rotary cutter. This tool closely resembles a pizza cutter but has come to be the greatest time saver available to quilters.

For more tips on quilting or to find other sewing projects, continue reading our blog.

Have you ever wanted to make a quilt but felt that you had no time? Between work, kids, errands, and other activities, we find that our New Year’s Resolutions quickly fall off the map and we’re back to our normal routines and those goals remain unmet. Whether you have made a quilt before or it has always been a goal, now is the time to start!

With a little diligence and just a little time committed each month, you can find yourself with a beautifully designed quilt by the end of the year, and one that came together more quickly and easily than you could ever have imagined.

Commit to making one block each month! With just one block, you will find you can easily make time for the otherwise daunting task of making an entire quilt for your home.

For step-by-step instructions for making your quilt, visit the website for the Block of the Month on Fiskars.  Do keep in mind that this is an intermediate quilt and meant for experienced quilters.

For more quilting tips or to purchase a pair of Fiskars scissors visit us online at ShopScissors.com.