Showing posts with label crafts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crafts. Show all posts

Getting Our Children Crafting and Creating: 4 Things to Remember

 

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Crafting is an amazing hobby for the entire family. Crafts can spruce your home up and can provide hours of fun. The problem in the modern day is that our kids may not necessarily like the idea of getting into crafts, especially when they're a bit older. They may be more interested in watching videos on YouTube or playing their Switch, but it's important to get our children interested in crafting. It is never too late to teach our children about arts and crafts. Let’s show you a few ways to ensure that it's a part of your children’s lives.

Provide the Right Resources

The most important place to begin is finding the type of crafting that your kids would prefer to get on board with. Your children may be more interested in sticking pasta on paper or they may want to fashion little characters with amazing detail using macrame cotton rope to be a tiger's tail or hair for a little Stick figure. 

Whatever your children need, it is important to have an abundance of tools. We have to remember that creativity is something that shouldn't be limited in scope. When we have more tools at our disposal, it means that we can fulfill our vision better. But in order to get your child interested in something means providing a wider palate of tools. Your kids may not know what they're interested in just yet, which is why it's critical to provide as much inspiration as possible.

Make Sure You Can Clean Up

You might think it's a good idea if you can get them interested in arts and crafts but you might be dreading the cleanup! We've all been there! The best thing you can do is to have an area dedicated to arts and crafts. It might not be in the house, but setting up in the garden shed exclusively for messy play will take the stress out of the equation. If you have to do it in the house on a rainy day the best thing you can do is to have paint-proof mats laid everywhere, as well as make sure that your kids are protecting their clothes from glue, paint, and glitter! 

As nice as it is to encourage our children to get into arts and crafts, we could be stressing out about the mess they make which, over time, could stop them from wanting to create. Of course, we don't want a messy house, but it's critical that we get the balance right.

Do It Together

This sounds simple, but lots of parents give their children things to do and then leave them to it. It all depends on how old your child is; if your child is 9 or 10 they've already got a number of years of experience in playing video games and may not necessarily want to get involved in things like messy play. 

With a child of this age, it's important for us to sit down with them and gain an insight into what they would like to create. It could be as simple as giving them a pencil and some paper and asking them to draw how they are feeling. Arts and crafts are certainly things that appeal more to younger kids, but if you have younger children, ensuring that you stay with them and get creative to see what you can come up with as a family is a wonderful way to spend quality time together, but it also allows them the freedom to experiment with designs and colors. 

It can be a great lesson for you as well; sometimes we don't use our imagination as much as we should. The great thing about spending time with your kids creating stuff is that there are no rules! You can do anything you want, and this is something that, as parents, we can benefit from remembering once in a while!

Inspire Them

While creating can be an amazing thing, it benefits us to give our children inspiration. You can choose to go to an art gallery or museum but this could be intimidating for young children. However, spending time as a family can be a wonderful experience to provide a dose of culture. You can always start by getting a copy of The Art Book as a coffee table read. 

When your children start to look at the different painters and sculptors, from medieval to modern times, it can provide a great springboard for your child to do something more the next time they approach the canvas. It's important to remember that we don't fill them with a sense of dread and everything they create is going to be fantastic. We just need to give them that encouragement. 

Creativity is a tool with no rules at the outset, but as your child gets older, they may attempt to create something that they pictured in their head but are not getting it right. The expression “art is never finished, only abandoned,” comes to mind here, but it can be an amazing way to help streamline their talents, especially if your kids are showing interest in crafts or starting to create different pieces of art. 

The best thing about getting into crafts is that nothing is off-limits. You can create collages out of recyclable materials, make sculptures out of clay, sew pieces of cloth together to make an heirloom, and on it goes. The more your kids get inspired the more they will create, and this is an amazing thing to see.


Being artistic is an amazing way to express ourselves and we can use crafting to connect with our children on a different level, but it can also help our children become more in touch with their emotions. One of the biggest problems with using digital tools is that there is not always a hands-on approach that can be better utilized with arts and crafts. If you want your children to be more creative, in tune with their emotions, develop problem-solving skills, and express who they are in healthy ways, it is a great idea to get your children interested in crafting and creating.


How to Liven Up Your Craft Projects

 The chillier months will soon be with us, and that means that we’re all likely to be spending a little more time at home than we have done during the last few months. This is a great opportunity to get into some domestic hobbies, and right at the top of that list are craft projects. This is a fun way to spend a day, and you’ll also be adding some new skills to your repertoire, too. But of course, you can’t just expect your crafts to be solid gold — you’ll need to work on making them as good as possible! In this blog, we’ll run through some useful tips that’ll put you on the right path and which will ensure that you end up having fun and creating something you truly enjoy.


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Find Inspiration


One of the hardest things about starting a crafts project is…getting started. When you’ve got essentially a blank canvas staring at you, you’ll need to find a way to narrow down your focus and pick a particular project. But good news: there are plenty of options out there! If you’re struggling to find a project, then look at getting inspiration from other people. There are plenty of arts and crafts websites, videos, and magazines that’ll put some useful ideas in your head.


Work Together


There’s a lot of value in undertaking a craft project on your own, but don’t discount the idea of working with other people, such as people in your family. For one thing, it can be really enjoyable to work on something together with your loved ones. And second, you might just end up creating something of better quality than you could have on your own. We all have our own skills, and when you put all those skills together, you usually end up with something that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Give it a try!


Quality Materials


You could have all the crafts skills in the world, but if you’re not using quality materials, then you could find that the end product isn’t quite as special as you hoped it would be. So don’t let your project down by using subpar materials; get the best! There’s the excellent flannel fabric that you can buy, and once you have it, you’ll find that you’re able to make a wide range of DIY products that very much look the part once you’re finished. Using the best materials you can find is a surefire way to bump up the quality level of your project. 


Just Have Fun


Finally, remember to have fun with your project! You’ll hope that your end result comes out well, but when it comes to DIY crafts, remember that it’s the journey, not the destination. The more fun you have when you’re doing your project, the more you’ll enjoy making crafts — and that probably has the biggest impact on the long-term quality of your products since you’ll want to engage in the activity more. And it’s only practice that makes perfect! 


Crafts Where the Quality of Your Water Matters

Water is important not only for your health but also in various processes. In its purest form, there are many uses for distilled water. You can improve water quality through systems like Brita reverse osmosis and use it for various applications. For instance, several crafts require you to use high-quality water. This article discusses some of these crafts in detail. 

Making Homemade Perfume

Perfume making is a craft that needs high-quality water. Instead of using a perfume that everyone else is using, you can make a unique one using different ingredients. Listed below are some of the materials you will need for this craft:

  • Distilled water

  • Fragrance oils, essential oils, flavor, and infused oils such as vanilla extracts

  • Glycerin


Other materials you will need include a decorated glass bottle to store the finished product (preferably colored glass), measuring spoons or cup, a glass jar for mixing the fragrance, wrapping paper or aluminum or wrapping paper, especially when using clear glass bottles, a funnel, dropper, pencil, and paper for writing your recipe. 

Advantages of Homemade Perfumes

There are several advantages of homemade perfumes; here are some of them:

  • They do not contain ingredients grown with toxins, pesticides, or chemicals, leading to environmental damage and skin sensitivity. 

  • By using natural and essential oils to make homemade perfume, you create emotional and physical healing properties such as mood-lifting, relaxing, energy-enhancing, and calming. 

  • Compared to perfumes with synthetic properties, homemade perfumes are not tested on animals. The ingredients in mass-manufactured perfumes include musk and phthalates, which can cause harm to animals. 

  • Non-natural fragrances mask the wearer's skin, while homemade ones create a more individual and personal scent. 

Canning Fresh Produce

This is another craft that needs high-quality water. By preserving food, you encourage certain bacteria to crowd out harmful bacteria. Preserving food also means freezing time to prevent it from going bad. Canning is one of the most reliable methods of preserving food. This method relies on distilled water for the best results, and you can buy distilled water online which makes this a lot easier.
 

The simplest method of canning is water bath canning, where you fill jars with acidic foods such as cucumbers, berries, or tomatoes mixed with vinegar. Cover them in a pan of distilled water until a seal forms under the lid. This process forces air out of the food and then out of the jar, creating a vacuum in the acidic environment. By doing so, the harmful bacteria will not survive. 

Water bath canning can also create several delicious foods such as jellies, jams, pickles, and whole tomatoes. If you have advanced equipment, you can try out pressure canning. Even though this procedure requires specialized equipment and more skills, it can unlock a wide range of flavors and food options. Keep in mind that the success of this process comes down to minor details like the quality of water you are using — always ensure it is distilled! 

Making Cosmetics

Quality water is also needed in making cosmetics. In this craft, water plays a very important role. Given that water can dissolve the highest number of solutes, it can dissolve most ingredients used in making cosmetic products. This makes distilled water an essential ingredient in making cosmetics, from shaving creams to shampoo.

Even in the mass manufacturing of these products, pure water is needed. This is because the presence of unwanted particles like magnesium and sodium can interfere with the precise and delicate production of cosmetic products. Distilled water doesn't contain any impurities, making it perfect for use in the production of cosmetics. Furthermore, since cosmetic products are mostly used on the skin, pure water is the most reliable, as it does not contain any chemical that can cause irritation.

Making Fun-Shaped Ice Cubes

This craft needs water without any impurities. Distilled water can make shiny and clear ice cubes in less time compared to contaminated water. The process of making ice at home is simple. Start by filling your decorative shapes with distilled water. Then, stick it in a freezer and wait for several hours.

Releasing the ice is not complicated either. Take out the ice shapes from the freezer, twisting or spinning slightly to allow the fun shapes to pop out. This will get you perfect fun shapes ready for consumption! It is important to keep in mind that ice in any form should only be made with distilled water. Anything other than that could result in poor-quality ice or impede on the flavor of your preferred beverage.

Finally

Several crafts use distilled water. This article has discussed some of them and how distilled water is used. You can try out any of these crafts at home!


6 Summer Decor Crafts and Activities for the Whole Family

 Summer is around the corner and what a relief! With the state of the world right now, your family needs every bright moment it can get to have fun and enjoy more time together. And that’s exactly what the sunny and relaxing summer season brings with it. Of course this summer your family might not jet off to a far off land for a vacation, but who says you can’t have fun in your home?




While summer is the idyllic time to relax and have fun, it can quickly become monotonous if you’re not creative enough. You can only play so many lawn games or visit the beach as a family. What about those sweltering hot or rainy days when you can’t venture outside?

The last thing you want is for your kids to go back to their gizmos and lounge on the couches all day long.

With some creativity, you can get everyone busy with the following summer décor craft ideas. Here are fun activities that suit the whole family and the best part is that you give your house a touch of warm summer décor style while also bonding. So, here you go.

Outdoor Wall Art

Love painting? Well, maybe you don’t have a potential Picasso in your house but who said you can’t have some with colors? Kids love working with paint and you can bring some summer fun to your outdoor walls with colorful art. Homeowners have always welcomed summer with a proud display of art and this is a fun DIY idea for your home.

Get a large DIY wall board and brainstorm what to paint. This is a simple yet exciting idea to bring everyone outside. Let everyone have a go at the brush and create a welcoming message to display on your lawn. When you have a cookout or a get-together, this becomes the highlight of your outdoor space.

Glass Jar Flower Vase Garland

The applications for glass jars in your home are endless. Summer is synonymous with splashes of color and you can bring your house to life with your favorite summertime flowers. Collect glass jars in the house or even buy some and line them up.

Tie the jars together in a garland, put some water in each jar with your favorite flower cutting. Hang these indoors on your windows, dresser, or anywhere else to bring some life to your living space. 

Decorative Leaf Garland for Your Book Stand

If you love books, the bookstand is hallowed ground where you always find yourself when looking for peace. And what better way to appreciate this space than with a simple but decorative leaf garland. You can work on the leaf garland and create any design that your family suggests.

Remember, any décor craft ideas are only fun if everyone chips in. At the end of the DIY project, you’ll bring some rainforest vibe into your living room. This will easily turn into the focal point of your home’s décor.

DIY Summer Wreath

What better way to prepare your home for an exciting summer than with a colorful porch wreath? This is a classic summer craft idea, and it gives your home a touch of beauty and elegance. The best part about a summer wreath is the fact that it requires all hands on deck.

Source the right flowers to bring color to your home décor. This is where your family comes in handy. You also need some simple items from the dollar store to add some fun to the wreath and to personalize it. Whether you want a wire wreath, branch wreath, or any other type, you have all the time to prepare.

Milk Carton Birdhouse/Bird Feeders

If you have a nice garden, chances are you have beautiful guests from nature throughout the summer. Birds also love their summertime out. Why not create some fun activity from this? Birdhouses and bird feeders not only add some beauty to your garden but also attract more birds to your compounds.

You can create some fun activity out of DIY birdhouse or bird feeders using recycled milk cartons. Bring everyone outside for some fun. Design how to build the birdhouses and feeders. Your kids will love the idea and you’ll add some color to your lawn. This DIY project might not be permanent but it sure is fun.

Decorate With Your Kids’ Art

You have to agree that summer brings out the artist in everyone. The kids especially have a go at creating amazing stuff every time they go out. Whether you’re at the beach or in the park, kids are always making stuff.

From seashell crab magnets, ice cream cone key chains, shell people to crayon drawings, you can collect all these pieces and use them to bring your living space to life. Think of a board on the wall where each piece goes. It soon becomes a competition where the best piece of art competes for space on that all-important board. This is one of the fantastic decorative ideas for your home.

The opportunities for summer décor craft projects are limitless. You’ll have so much fun and bring the family together while at it. Whatever idea you have in mind, you can always make it work if you bring all hands on deck. To move from crafts to interior design, visit Home of Cozy for furniture reviews and get started! Go on and add some simple family fun to your summer.


12+ Fall Mason Jar Crafts

Mason Jars are fantastic for storage, but did you know they are also a favorite supply for crafters? 
This collection of 12+ Fall Mason Jar Crafts has fabulous ideas. I have a feeling you are going to love these ideas for how to use mason jars in your fall crafting sessions.


From lovely luminaries to mason jars that look like Indian corn, this collection has ideas for everyone. I can't wait to hear which is your favorite. 


Fall Leaf Mason Jar Luminaries by Create Craft Love
Fall Pine Cone Mason Jars by Pillar Box Blue
Fall Mason Jars by Crafts by Amanda
Hanging Fall Mason Jars by Live Laugh Rowe
Fall Leaf Mason Jar Candle Holders by Creative Homemaking
Fall Mason Jar Centerpiece by DIY Beautify
Plaid Painted Mason Jars by Daily DIY Life
Mason Jar Centerpiece with Burlap Rosettes by Oh My Creative
Fall Themed Mason Jars by My Turn For Us
Glittery Pumpkin Mason Jars by The Best Ideas for Kids
Scarecrow Mason Jars by Easy Peasy Fun
Fall Harvest Corn Mason Jar by Thrifty Jinxy




You can find more mason jar ideas here.
Some of our favorite fall crafts include:


Queen of Hearts Bookmark

These easy no sew queen of hearts bookmarks are perfect for making and sharing! Give a few as a gift, or keep a few near your bookcase.



Summer is here and I am loving the lazy mornings by the pool. As soon as the kids get up they are want to jump in and spend the day there. We often joke they are going to grow fins if they don't come out and dry off for a little while. I don't mind sitting pool side, observing the kids and reading a book.  So, in the warm months, book marks are essential to my life.



I wanted to make something a little bit fancier than a paper bookmark so I checked out my craft supplies and decided to make a few of these. They were so easy and required no sewing, but are substantial enough to not fly away on a windy day.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I will earn an advertisers fee.



Supplies:

Wide Ribbon
Hot Glue Gun



Directions:


Cut a section of ribbon that is twice as long as the average book.



Fold the ribbon in half and liberally add hot glue.
Fold the ribbon over on to the hot glue and press.
At the end of the ribbon, insert a necklace clasp so that it just  barely hangs out of the ribbon.



Secure with hot glue.
Attach a jump ring to the clasp.
Attach the charm to the jump ring.
Secure with hot glue.



These are great for stashing around the house, where ever you like to relax and read.



These no sew bookmarks are also awesome to share. My husband is a school librarian and we love to make bookmarks to share with the kids, so I have a stockpile started for the day our kids can return to school and enjoy a visit to the school library.





You can find more craft ideas here
Reader favorites include:









FREE Unicorn Coloring Page for Adults

I made a pretty to share with you! This patterned unicorn coloring page is perfect for teens and adults!

Print one or a hundred, but please, only use them for personal use. Don't sell them please!

My daughter Harp loves to color. She often grabs our dual coloring book and asks me to work on a page with her. She had a unicorn themed birthday party so we made these to share with the grown ups who patiently waited during all of the fun. 

I decided to share a little whimsical fun with you too. Harp and I have a stack of these leftover, and we like to pull them out here and there. We have quite a few coloring pages on site here. Make sure you check them out and print some for preschoolers or elementary aged kids. 




                                                Print this FREE Unicorn Coloring Page for Adults 


I don't have many printables for adults yet, but I have tons of abc themed worksheets and coloring pages to print. Find some of them here
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H

Check out these unicorn fine motor bins!

4 Ways To Get Your Crafting Business Taken Seriously

Crafting is more than just a fun, therapeutic and rewarding pastime. It can also be a highly lucrative
business that can either become a profitable side hustle or even liberate you from your day job. Selling
your own handmade crafts harkens back to a simpler time when people made an honest living from
their hands. And in this increasingly tech-savvy and fast paced world, there’s a great deal of appeal in
that both for skilled crafters and the people who buy their wares. 



Image by Pixabay via Pexels


But building a business of your own from scratch can be extremely challenging… especially if you’re
running it in your free time out of your spare room / studio. It’s very common to suffer from impostor
syndrome and feel that everything you do marks you out as an amateur. You know that you need to
adopt the mindset of a business person… but you’re not quite sure how. 


Get to know your audience


Before you know how to sell in the kinds of volumes that are meaningful to you, you need to get to know
your audience. What do they want? What do they expect? How do they want to feel? And how can your
products fill that gap for them? Are they looking for something beautiful to display in their home?
Something practical that will stand the test of time? Or something cute, fun and novel


The great thing about crafts is the sense of community it provides. So the best place to start marketing
is in your own online community where people know you, respect your talent and see the value in your
work. From your interactions online you should get a fairly strong idea of what kind of people buy the
things you make. 


Start building a brand


Building a brand is a bigger challenge than you may think. It’s not simply a case of finding a graphic
designer and creating a logo. It’s about establishing a set of standards and qualities that you want your
branding to stand for, and that your customers can rely on. And that takes time and thought. As Amazon
founder Jeff Bezos once said “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room”. 


Invest in a business presence


Whatever your branding, you likely want to be perceived as the kind of small, independent homespun
business that cares about its customers. But that said, you also want to be taken seriously as a
professional. And that means establishing a professional presence. Your own business
mailbox and virtual business location service can help with this, as well as ensuring that you don’t
need to give your home address to customers. It’s one of those small but important touches that will
establish you as a professional.


Establish yourself online with content marketing


Finally, content marketing is a great way to establish the quality of your products as well as the
experience and insights of the person who makes them. When people invest in their products, they
invest in you, as well. Creating blog posts, vlogs, “how to” tutorials and other forms of content online
not only helps to establish you as an expert, they also increase customer’s personal investment in you


Glow in the Dark Galaxy Slime


My kids have been begging to make slime for a while now. I finally caved and made a really pretty glow in the dark galaxy slime. This was easy and fun to make. My kids loved it in the daytime, and at night too!



























We loved this slime because it can technically be made with stuff you already have. I happened to have glow in the dark powder at home, so I added it. Use whatever glitter or confetti you have to make this easy slime. 

I am including affiliate links below. If you make a purchase it helps to my site up and running via commission paid via advertisers.

Supplies:
1 cup of cornstarch
3/4 cup of water
A craft stick



Directions:

Mix the glow in the dark powder with the cornstarch.



Slowly add the water to the blue cornstarch.



Add a generous amount of extra fine black glitter and silver star confetti.



Begin to mix the slime with the craft stick.




As it begins to clump together begin kneading by hand.



Your slime is ready when it is dry to touch but squishy!




If your slime is too runny add a pinch more cornstarch.




This will glow in the dark if left to 'charge' in the sun. You can also use a black light to really bring out the glow in the dark properties.






You can find all of my kid crafts here.
Reader favorites include:
Green Button Trees

Straw Necklaces