I adore fall, the colors, the textures and the change of season is so fun and educational for kids. I think it's a wonderful opportunity to craft with your kids, so here are 10 wonderful ideas:

1. I ran across this fantastic tutorial for fleece scarves for kids. This sewing project is reasonable, fun and practical: http://crafts.kaboose.com/cozy-scarf.html

2. Cute Mason Jar lantern to put orange Halloween candy in: http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/pumpkincraft1/l/blhalptrjar.htm

3. Need a project and some holiday decorations, then here are a few options for construction paper strings:
Leaves: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/string/
Strings of Jack o Lanterns and Ghosts:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/halloween/string/

4. This craft is one my kids are really looking forward to; it's a leaf collection album. Our plan is to collect leaves while walking to and from school and paste them in our album. It includes great printable templates with some leaves all ready to identify, plus some mystery leaves.
http://www.kidzone.ws/plants/collection.htm
With some fun facts about why leaves change colors and photos (to help with identification): http://www.kidzone.ws/plants/index.htm

5. Preserving Autumn Leaves from is from a horticulturist for the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Office: http://archive.tri-cityherald.com/HOME/GARDEN/garden10272.html

6. For your "green bag", book bag or to go pick from your local orchard, here's a tutorial on a really cute apple print bag. It's easy for the kids to do and I like the finished bag enough to do it myself: http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10422 .

7. Equally as stylish and yet something the kids can help out with are Corn print place mats: http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/feature/famf117tabletop/famf117tabletop3.html

8. And wow, again these t-shirts are cool enough to wear as a grown up. Simply buy brightly colored t-shirts, get out a bottle of bleach, collect leaves and go: http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10018

9. If your kids like to collect items and love bugs, this is the craft for you! You can take found objects and make wonderful bugs to display around the house: http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=12005

10. Then if you all like to look at and identify birds as the days grow colder, attract them with this bird cake: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/bird_cake.htm . It's easy to make and should make for some well fed birds!

Well, that should keep you all busy for the fall with some fun, inexpensive (or free) ideas to entertain your kids and decorate in the beauty of fall.

Labels: crafts, family life

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Ok, Martha, I normally enjoy my little organizing tip of the day, but really! This is how she recommends we store fabric scraps. Sheesh!

First, has she SEEN the amount of scraps I have? Really, it would take about 500 of these hangers to store my fabric scraps. Second...this totally looks tacky. Where would you hang this that it wouldn't look like a bunch of ratty pieces of fabric you should throw out?

So, I missed tacky Tuesday, but honestly I think this works....now I'm off to have my nails done!

Martha....I'm disappointed!

Labels: crafts, organization, Tacky Craft Tuesday

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If you have school age kids, chances are your summer is winding down like ours is and the weather is heating up. So, the more we're stuck inside, the more I'm hear complaints of "I'm bored". So, I went hunting throughout the Internet for some great ideas for crafts to keep your kids busy these last days of summer.

Kool Aid Play Dough
Try this cool colored dough you can make at home. Smells great, too!
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup salt
1 packages unsweetened Kool-Aid - any flavor/color
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:
Mix all the dry items, then mix all the liquid items. Blend together. Put in a saucepan on medium heat. Stir contstantly until the mix pulls away from the sides of the pan. Take the ball of dough and put on counter to cool and then knead until ready.

Shrinky Dinks (thanks to http://www.curbly.com)
Ingredients:
Clean #6 Plastic
Permanent Markers
Scissors
Aluminum Foil
Oven and Tongs or Oven Mitt

*Obtain a piece of #6 plastic (polystyrene). Most clear containers at salad bars, delis, and grocery stores will work. Just flip it over and look for a "6" inside the recycling arrows. If you ask nicely, they'll usually give you a fresh one.
*Cut any excess plastic away to make a flat sheet
*Draw or write your desired image or text on your plastic canvas using permanent markers. The total image will shrink to about a third of its original size, and five or six times its original thickness.
*Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees, and place a rack in the lowest position. Create a "tray" out of the aluminum foil by bending up the sides. Technically, you could cover a baking sheet with foil, but the thinner surface allows for more direct heat and quicker shrinking.
*Place your art in the tray, then use the tongs or an oven mitt to place the foil on the bottom rack.
*At first, for the first minute your art will curl up all crazy like. Then, it will flatten itself out. Once it is finished, take it out. If you have an oven door through which you can see, then just keep an eye on it. If your door is solid, open it just slightly (as you would do when broiling) after 90 seconds. Total time for a large piece (5-6" starting size) will be about 3 1/2 minutes.
*Using the tongs or oven mitt, remove the tray. At this point, it's still pliable, so if you want to flatten it more, or add waves or bend the corners, do so CAREFULLY within the first ten seconds.
*Now, you can do as you please. It's still cut-able, sand-able, drill-able, glue-able, and plenty more. Attach it to a bracelet, make a magnet or make a necklace.

Print out coloring sheets:
http://www.dltk-kids.com/
http://www.coloring.ws/coloring.html
http://pbskids.org/coloring/
http://abcteach.com/directory/fun_activities/coloring_pages/

Kool-Aid Painting
What you need:
* Several packets of Kool-Aid
* White construction paper
* Tape
* Ice cubes

What you do: Tape a large sheet of construction paper to the table or floor. Sprinkle the paper with Kool-Aid and hand each child a cube of ice. Instruct them to move the ice over the Kool-Aid powder, turning it to liquid. Keep "painting" until the ice is fully melted to make a sweet-smelling, watercolor masterpiece.

Summer Collage Placemat
Preschool kids love nothing more than cutting and pasting – which makes collages a perfect craft idea for them.
What you need:
* Summer-time editions of your favorite magazines
* Scissors
* Summery colored construction paper
* White craft glue or glue sticks
* Clear contact paper

What you do: Instruct your children to cut out pictures of what they like about summer and then glue them onto the paper. Cover the collage with contact paper (Mom will need to do this part) to make a fun and functional summer place mat.

Pet rocks
*Rock, Acrylic craft paint
*Suggestion decorations: yarn, wiggle eyes, markers, glitter glue, sequins, beads, pom poms, etc
*White craft glue
Start by washing your rock with warm soapy water. If your rock is jagged or has nooks and crannies, use a scrub brush to get all the dirt out. And decorate your rocks however you like using just about anything. If it will stick, use it!

Pet Rock Pig, paint a smooth oval shaped stone with pink acrylic paint and let dry.
Pet Rock Monster, paint a bumpy or odd-shaped rock green and let dry.
Cut ears out of felt to make a floppy eared puppy dog!
When projects are completely dry, spray with acrylic sealer spray.

Labels: crafts, family life, kid art

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This first photo was titled "nana's Loo Roll Lady" and I love the term. They are kind of the ultimate tacky craft. However, some are done lovingly and with some charm.

Labels: crafts, Tacky Craft Tuesday

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Labels: crafts, kid art

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With the kids home this week, we've been busily trying to work and keep them happy (entertained?) so I haven't had a lot of time for blogging.
However, we had a fantastic trip out to a suburban mall:

My daughter cracked me up by asking "Mommy, why do all the houses out here look the same and how do you tell where you live?" - I explained that houses had numbers so they could tell which one is which and she said "Yes, but how do you tell which one is YOURS!". Chalk one up for individuality!

I got a couple of Round Robin Blocks finished - the theme of this one is "flower garden" - the beads are kind of a mosaic wall and then there's flowers! Obviously! heee hee!
Not as thrilled with this one, but there's some pretty fiber under some neat stars. The stars came out of a package with the original "The Denver" sticker (department store - LONG gone in Denver) on it.
Then there were the Easter crafts, we made these last Saturday. My daughter made the very furry bunny and we christened it "psycho bunny"!
Well, quick post, but we're off to the Butterfly Pavilion to pet Rosie! Woo hoo!

Labels: beading, crafts, embroidery, family life, kid art

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My first article on Art Versus Craft led me to some interesting insights. Basically the first article was really a question, "What defines "ticky tacky" and where's the line between that and art and craft."

I posted this on the Fiber Arts board and got some fabulous responses: http://fiberartsmixedmedia.ning.com/ Probably the biggest response was discerning "crafter" from "craftsman" and artsy from crafter. A lot of this was imagination and taking techniques and "winging it".

"The crafters are the ones who as you say "cut and stick", use kits, copy trends (usually slavishly), jump on the bandwagon with popular items"

Not to mention crafters who sell their items to people who have no idea the amount of work or technique that goes into them:

"I just hate to be lumped in with the cut and stick brigade. I wouldn't want to deny any of these people the enjoyment they derive from their hobbies, but when they fetch up with their cut and stick cards at the same artists and craftsman market as me and tell me that I am putting off customers because my well designed and lovingly created handmade goods are too expensive, I GET A BIT CROSS!"

But some defend the word craft and all it includes. After all, many traditional quilters copy and repeat patterns and yet are amazing crafters…using techniques that make items special, like color and technical ability.

" I would like to reclaim the word "craft" which I think contains the idea of a special body of knowledge and skill passed on from generation to generation. My art is what I make; my craft is the skills I have learned in order to make it well."

A couple of great resources came up in this discussion, one is a fiber artist, Gwendolyn McGee who has a wonderful insight into art vs craft that can be found here. Another person suggested "Notes on Camp" by the late Susan Sontag.

Labels: crafts, ponderances

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I'm in the mood to stir up trouble! Not sure why, I woke up in a feisty mood this morning! I'm pondering something tho. As I posted the other day I had a good surf around the net, being in complete awe of some of the art/craft that people do. Amazing.

However, in running Helping Handmade, I'm also made aware that there are a LOT of very very tacky crafts out there. Quite a few of these are done in the name of reusing recyclables, but frankly are they really the sort of things that you will have around your house for years? Does that matter?


What defines "ticky tacky" and where's the line between that and art and craft. Obviously by my link the picture above, I don't consider this box to be "high art". I'm sure it could have a purpose, but it also is akin to things that you are given and in a year or so (when it's safe) they are donated to charity or put in a garage sale. We have a good friend who's mother makes doll tops for air fresheners - some might scoff, but she lovingly puts detail into them and my daughter adored it!

I know the angst of crafters who lovingly make afghans and quilts tho and those end up in garage sales or in someone's basement too. So, how do we increase appreciation, but also draw the line. I hate being compared to a crafter who uses glue and tacky elements to create something....however, I have seen amazing creativity with just a bottle of glue and some paper.

Obviously my mind is not made up on this, but I thought it would be great fuel for discussion. What do you have that might end up in a garage sale and do you think people are gaining any awareness for the work that goes into a lot of craft items?

Labels: crafts, ponderances

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Labels: crafts, helping handmade

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