Valentine's Boxes {Craft Project}

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Everyone has been there.  It's the night before Valentine's day and you need a box to take to school and receive all your treats in, but you didn't plan ahead and now you need to rush to cobble something together.  I'm here to tell you, it doesn't need to be difficult and you can make something cool with materials you have in your own house.

Valentine's Boxes Craft Project

Materials Needed:

A cereal box

Brown Kraft paper

Stickers or colored papers

Scissors

Glue

Start with your cereal box and cut a hole where ever you would like people to insert the Valentines.  We did ours on the front side of the box.

Wrap the box in Kraft paper like you would a present, but apply glue under the paper so it adheres to the box.  Find the hole you cut in the cardboard box and cut a slit in the middle of it.

Fold the paper into the box and glue down for a nice opening.

Let your child use their imagination and place stickers, paper cutouts and draw on the box as they want to.

I added a piece of ribbon to the top of the box to serve as a carrying handle.

Enjoy your Valentine's box that you made in less than an hour!!

Sock Snowman Craft

These were such a fun craft to make.  It is one of those crafts where you can really use your imagination and with the amount of socks that you can buy, the sky is the limit!!!

Here are the materials you will need:

White tube socks

Fun socks

Rubber bands or yarn

Ribbon and any other embellishment that you want

Rice

Puffy Fabric Paint in black and orange

How to assemble your snowmen:

Start with an empty sock and fill it with rice, tying the top of the sock.

Stand the snowman up and using rubber bands or yarn, tie tightly where you want the "balls" of his body to be.  You can also cut off excess sock above the knot for his head (but do leave some to fold back over the knot.

Cut the ankle off of a sock and use the tube as a shirt for your snowman.  Here I also used a strip of the sock to make a scarf.

Cut the toe off of a sock and use it as a hat.  This could be the same sock or a different sock for fun! Use the puffy fabric paint to dot on eyes, mouth and nose of your snowman.

I spent the most time on this snowman below.  I found the tuxedo sock and knew I had to make him really fun.  I did not trim the top of the sock, instead I filled it with extra filling to make his hat stand super tall.  I also sprayed him lightly with fake snow so it would look like he had been outside, and dusted his cheeks with makeup to give him rosy cheeks.

Overall, these were a super fun decoration and as you can see every snowman came out differently!  It was so much fun!

Snowman Play Doh Gifts {Craft Tutorial}

My FAVORITE play doh recipe!

I'm not much a fan of the stuff that makes irreparable messes in my home, such as slime, gum, glitter and play doh,  but this is seriously the best dough!  It's super soft, smells amazing and will leave your hands feeling silky smooth!   We enjoy making large batches and sharing it with family and friends, especially around the holidays!  

Here is a quick how to for the best play doh ever and these adorable snowman play doh gifts you will want to share with all the favorite children in your life!

Materials Needed:

For the dough:

• Hair Conditioner - if making snowmen, you will want to make sure it is white.
• Corn Starch

For the containers:

• Mason Jars
• Acrylic Paint in Black
• Acrylic Paint in Orange
• Ribbon, String or Yarn
• Optional - Cookie Cutters
• Optional - spray sealant

Directions:

To make the dough:

Mix 1 part Conditioner to 2 parts corn starch until you have a smooth doughy consistency.  

That's it!  

Marvel at your wonderful two ingredient, barely any effort dough!  It is literally that easy!

Next, make your jars:

Paint the lids of the jars black and set aside.  

Use the acrylic paint to paint one side of the jar to look like a snowman - just a few dots and you'll be done!

Note:  Acrylic paint will scratch off over time.  If you would like to protect your craft, I would recommend using a spray sealant like the one listed above.

Now you can optionally dress up your snowman with a bit of ribbon and a cookie cutter if you want to provide one as a gift.

Now gift and enjoy!

Encouraging Children in Crafts- No Sew Pillows and "Baby" Quilt for the Beginner

As someone whose life is so totally entrenched in the arts- from photography, drawing, printmaking to yarn art and sewing, I encourage my children on a daily basis to create and think creatively.  When they're bored, I try to set them up with arts and crafts.  Sometimes I have a lot of time and we make something elaborate, and others it's a fleeting learning experience made from popsicle sticks, toilet paper holders and glue.  

One of the most important things to remember when teaching your children (or other people's children) about art is that it is one subject that is totally subjective.  What is aesthetically pleasing to one person is not to another, what meaning I draw from a painting will probably differ from the meaning you draw from it.  This is not to say that either is wrong, with most art it is the reaction, the discussion, the feeling that determines the success of the art.

It is ok to make mistakes, it is ok to draw a purple ladybug (c'mon, many artists have had a weird streak!), and it is ok if it doesn't look like it could sell at a gallery, let alone a shelf at walmart.  It is the creation, the exploration and curiosity that make teaching art so much fun.

Here are two examples of where I had to let go of perfection (the kind I would expect from myself) and let my kids have fun with it.

Zebra Pillows

We were at the craft store one day and I always have to go to the clearance section- sometimes you can get great swatches of fabric for super cheap just because it's small or the last of a roll.  I found this awesome zebra fleece which I estimated from the measurements should be enough to make two small throw pillows.  I set this fabric aside for a rainy day and when it came, it was the easiest craft ever and the girls were both totally entertained.  

How it's made:  

Cut two squares of fleece about 4-5 inches bigger than you want your pillow.  Cut 1" strips about two inches in all the way around the squares (holding them together).  Tie matching strips together around three edges, lightly stuff with poly fil and tie knots around half of the remaining row.  Add more stuffing if needed, finish tying knots around.

How to encourage your children to help:

I have a 3 year old and a 7 year old.  I pretty much let my 7 year old do her entire pillow by herself.  She was able to cut the strips, tie all the ties and stuff the pillow.  (I think she did need some help with a few ties but she did 99% of the pillow by herself)  For my little one, I cut all the strips and it was a good lesson on how to try to tie knots.  She especially enjoyed stuffing the pillow.  They both love their pillows and display them on their bed, and it makes them proud to show someone what they made!

Simple "Baby" Quilt for the Beginner

I had been sewing up a storm and my 7 year old girl had been watching me begging to do a project of her own.  I set her down with some different fabrics, told her to cut some squares of matching sizes and that took her about an hour.  We packed everything up and the next day she began making rows.  It's a simple straight stitch to make a row of four blocks, three times. Then, she sewed the three strips together.  She picked a solid fabric for the backing and I attached the border for her.  Then, she picked a zig zag stitch and "quilted" all over the blanket.  (I think this was her favorite part)

No, it doesn't look perfect, but it's a great first try.  She loves it, and "gave" the blanket to her baby, who sleeps under it on her zebra pillow in bed at night.  

I love encouraging my children to develop themselves through art- Whether they want my yarn scraps from when I'm weaving in ends, or if they're using our old toilet paper rolls, I want them to explore their creativity, discover their likes and dislikes, and find yet another way to express themselves.

Is there a way that you encourage your children through crafting? Leave me a comment!