Easy Craft Ideas

Oriental gambling

2009-10-19T21:50:00.001-07:00

The tree of gambling is growing and its roots expanding day by day. While few decades before the tree was deemed as a weed and left unattended, in recent years it has received immense attention and nourishment from different countries of the world. This is mainly because of two interrelated reasons- the alarming rate at which the gambling tree is bearing fruits in the form of revenue and the its unfailing involvement with people.

At present gambling is legal in several corners of the world. It is lately declared lawful in some of the Asian countries. As a result new resorts that are open to all are built at these places. For instance the city of Cambodia has come up with the Ho Wah Genting Poipet Casino Resort that bills itself as the Las Vegas of the East. The casino offes all the delightful games such as B6 Baccarat, Mini Baccarat, Blackjack, Casino War etc. In the Indian subcontinent there are six casinos in goa out of which 5 are slots-only establishments. The one full serving casino of this place is an off-shore casino on atwinn engine catamaran, Casino Goa. It is a lifetime experience to visit and play at this floating casino that offers a bar, a swimming pool and a great restaurant featuring a multi-cultural cuisine.

One such similar yet unique experience is at the casinos of hongkong. The reason being the construction of Hong Kong casinos on ships, either in port or as casino cruises. However it seems that water and casinos share a good liaison for the only casino in Laos, the Dan Sa Vanh is located along the Nam Ngum Lake. Besides gambling the other activities at the casino include boating and golf.

Gambling is made legal and so there are around 15 casinos owned and run by ht e government in Philippines. Out of these the Fontana Resort is not for the local people of this place but only for the foreigners.

If you are looking forward to delight in the beauty of snow capped mountains along with playing your favorite games such as Caribbean Stud Poker, Keno, Money Wheel, Pai Gow, Roulette, Blackjack etc., the Genting Highlands, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is just the ideal place to hit. Besides being an acclaimed tourist spot, the Genting Highlands, by virtue of these casinos are quite popular in the gaming world.

Lotteries and lottery related games are quite significant and greatly relished on the land of South Korea. South Koreans have an immense liking for lottery games. This can be well assessed from the fact that South Africans are the pioneers of online gambling, they had introduced in 2002. Along with it a new lottery game which is akin to financial winner, the Sports Toto is a gift to the gambling world by South Korea. But this place is not all about lotteries. There are other forms of gambling too such as horse racing and cycling.

Though legalization of gambling in various corners of the world is at a surge these days, yet gambling should be done within limits. Addiction of gambling is extremely fatal to the life of the gambler and his family.

About the Author

Mansi gupta writes about oriental gambling.

Channelled Diet Tailored Diet for More Energy Less Expense for Health and for Life

2009-04-25T02:03:00.000-07:00

**A channelled diet: Simplify shopping, meals, and life with a channelled diet. It's Atkins style (ie high protein, low carbs); if you want a good body shape, then low-carb rules!

Meal ideas:
1) Breakfast: radishes, cucumber, cabbage, peas + sweetcorn
Lunch: Two fresh mackerel + broad beans
Half a big tub of Greek natural yoghurt
Evening: Cheese, mangoes, mint sauce and cranberries (or sauce).
Ice cream
*If still hungry add: swedes and tin peaches

2) Breakfast: Bacon, tomatoes, cooked green cabbage, peas + mint sauce
Lunch: More bacon - 3 rashers - radishes, wild rice or similar, cucumber, green peas + mint sauce
Banana, mango + caramel sauce
Evening: Pork steak, 1 fried egg, spinach (cooked) fresh tomatoes. Cranberry sauce

3) Lettuce, cress, water. Herb teas - nettle, dandelion, other leaf (e.g. green tea)
Cranberry sauce, liquorice, mints (or some sort of candy)
Lunch: Pork steak, yoghurt, cranberry sauce. Two biscuits
Evening: Three mixed peppers, lettuce, ham cubes, radishes, olives, baby tomatoes, vinaigrette dressing, capers
Raisins (can go with either salad or pudding)
Slice peaches + whipped cream

4) Orange, greens (pref. raw spinach), fish oil capsule
Or cooked spinach or other greens, pine nuts + olive oil
Lunch: Bacon, cheese cubes, cranberry sauce
Rice pudding + peaches
Evening: Spinach (cooked), pine nuts, black pepper + grated cheese on top (can go on spinach or rice cakes, or both)
Rice cakes, tahini + honey
Peaches + red cranberries or cranberry sauce

5) Mackerel, fresh spinach, olives + cranberry sauce
Lunch: Cheese, bacon + cider (on a Friday perhaps!)
Cheese, raw spinach (small amount) + caramel sauce
Mints
Evening: Butternut or yellow squash, butter + nuts (walnuts, brazils + others...), nutmeg, black pepper, cinnamon
Cheese

6) Macaroni cheese, red cabbage, fresh spinach (fresh cooked in oven pref) - Saturdays - What a treat!
Lunch: Sardines in spicy sauce + raw green cabbage
Small plain Greek yoghurt
Curry! + spinach (no rice) + nan bread

7) Natural yoghurt - sour type, fresh parsley
Lunch: Bacon, cranberry sauce, few brazil nuts, cooked spinach, nutmeg, melted cheese + butternut squash - plain
Evening: White wine + capers aperitif Roast joint (pork, of course) with oil on skin, crispy, onion in bread sauce, cooked cabbage

8) Bacon, salami + greens (spinach pref), cranberries + blueberries
Lunch: cheese squares, salami, crisps + broad beans
Evening: Spaghetti, butternut squash, tuna + fresh tomato

9) Grapefruit + cooked spinach
Lunch: Egg (boiled), bread, peanut butter
Evening: Cheese, prunes, raw cabbage/lettuce + cranberry sauce, capers

10) Tomatoes, radishes, some lettuce, mint sauce + tofu drink or miso
Sardines in spicy sauce, raw cabbage, cheese, aniseed, cranberries, sweets
Evening: Stewed beef, cabbage, cream

11) Butternut or other squash, olive oil, salt, cooked spinach + cranberry sauce
Lunch: Melon, ham, capers, cheese + crisps
Evening: Pork steak, broad beans + butter sardines
Rice pud

12) Egg, cress + fresh cranberries, small yoghurt
Lunch: Fish (sardines or mackerel, tinned), peas, cranberry sauce + mint sauce
Evening: Pork with Tandoori curry paste + spinach

13) Orange butternut squash, cranberry sauce, butter, broccoli + pine nuts
Lunch: Spaghetti, yellow squash, pesto sauce, capers + cranberry sauce
Evening: Pork steaks, peaches, cranberry sauce
Yoghurt, blueberries

14) Yoghurt, mint sauce + miso soup
Lunch: Pork steak, bread sauce, white wine, aniseed
Cheesecake (blackcurrant)
Evening: Spaghetti, butternut squash, pesto + pine nuts

*If you fancy pigging out, or the meal hasn?t filled you up enough, we recommend:
Fresh pineapple (+cherries if pos), coconut + honey!
Also, oranges, peach slices, ice cream + butterscotch sauce
Or peas, sweetcorn + radishes
Note: This diet is suitable for a woman: guys might want to increase quantities or add more snacks.

If you get constipated, try:
Spring greens or green cabbage, spinach, sea salt, olive oil, pine nuts, chilli powder, bit of onion, black pepper + peach slices

This kind of diet is full of vitamins, iron + minerals.

Note the heavy use of cranberry sauce. It?s full of vitamin C and has other health properties besides, e.g. good for cystitis.
Bacon and pork: not sure why this meat featured quite so heavily, but it is in between white meat and the fattier reds, beef and lamb. The person the diet is for does seem to need a grounding diet with lots of iron, so perhaps that is why.
The combination of sweet and savoury sounds odd but in fact is fantastic. The first time they tried, for example, raw spinach and caramel sauce they were quite frightened to put it in their mouth, but it was delicious! I think a variety of tastes and flavours is good for health and your soul! Deepak Chopra recommends putting all the tastes - sweet, sour, salt, bitter, savoury - in each dish at every main meal if possible.

They keep the list handy and dip in and out of it. They don't try to stick to the number order, although it would be good possibly to try it one day... when they go over completely to this diet... when they get really organised and find more time.... etc, etc. When people change their eating habits, they change habits of a lifetime, so it's not easy to do. Takes time + reprogramming! But it pays off, with increased energy and enthusiasm. Don't feel heavy, feel light!

**Note that this diet was 'channelled' specifically for someone. Want a diet especially for you?

Email: moreinterestingjobs@yahoo.co.uk

Interests include: self-help, motivation, health, and anything that improves your life. The author uses ancient techniques that have been around for hundreds of years: numerology, I Ching, psychic insight, and astrology, that can provide deep personal insights and wisdom, helping with everything from ailments and depression to a complete overhaul of your life. Choose a career that really suits you, make decisions and find direction. Liberate your playful side, have fun, and get energized about life and living. Find ideas, find excitement and enthusiasm, find the drive to help yourself and then to serve others: care, create, move, drive, motivate, change, and love life.

Why You Should Buy Sexy Lingerie

2009-04-09T14:44:00.001-07:00

Shopping for sexy lingerie is like a hobby for most people. This is done as to spice up whatever colorful moments you have with your partner or simply just by yourself. Previously, shopping had to be done in department stores and some would shy away for that matter, but nowadays, we can do it online, even done right in your own bedrooms. This goes to show how technology has advanced.

There was a time when shopping for sexy lingerie felt like some dirty, although delicious, little secret. You only did it in a seedy part of town where nobody would recognize you. Not that there's anything wrong with buying thongs for your partner, but you really don't want some acquaintance knowing a saucy detail about your private life. Besides, in previous years the sexy lingerie shops were always located in some off location of town.

Then came the Internet. The great thing about shopping on the Internet is the anonymity. Most people are not comfortable opening the door to a brick-and-mortar store and go about picking out some feathery lingerie like they were picking grocery items. With the Internet, you can order just about any sexy lingerie you like - G-string or sexy leather for the more daring. There are several choices and there are also selections for plus-sized women.

Order any lingerie you like and have them delivered to you in a discreet package. Really, you don't need to blush when you're shopping at an online lingerie store - because there's no sales person to hand you your brassiere. And nobody will check you head to foot as you register your bondage lingerie.

Internet shopping is easy - it's like buying a book at Amazon. It's something that you can definitely do from the privacy of your home. You can even shop naked. Find your favorite lingerie at an online catalogue. There are no bashfulness, and the excitement of your experience is limited only to your own saucy imagination.

Sexy Lingerie

There is more to sexy lingerie than lace. There is also intimate lingerie, revealing lingerie, naughty lingerie, erotic lingerie, and trashy lingerie. There are more categories, but we really don't have to tell you everything.

It pays to have different sets of lingerie in your drawer. Why? Since most men love to see their women in sexy lingerie. Besides, sexy lingerie, in whatever model or color, will always make you feel sexy. What we mean is that sexy lingerie is essential to maintaining a healthy relationship with your partner. For your information (which we very much doubt), a healthy sexy life is vital to a relationship's longevity. It makes you relationship more exciting. Having a distinctive set of lingerie in your drawer can be exciting in and out of the bedroom. With a particular type of lingerie, you can be the demure seductress, the wild one, or the one in-between.

But really, there's a whole more of delight to the knowledge that beneath serious clothes, you've been wearing all day long a black lace lingerie. It's like keeping one delicious secret from the rest of the world. So, at the end of the day, have your partner undress you piece by piece. So, if you need to spice up your love life, take a trip on the Internet and see what online lingerie stores have to offer. You'll be fascinated at how much variety there is.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Right Lingerie offers a glimpse into the world of intimate excitement with its full line of intimate apparel - from SEXY LINGERIE, vinyl lingerie, leather lingerie and adult costumes. Find the lingerie to match your imagination with Right Lingerie's intimate apparel line.

NEWS OR SNOOZE: Will Your Press Release be a Doosie or a Dud?

2009-04-08T08:32:00.001-07:00

A press release can be an effective weapon in the fight for media
and public attention. In fact, many businesspeople don't even
think twice before writing or ordering a press release, correctly
assuming that a release can provide the necessary publicity to
boost sales.

As much as a well-written press release can do for your image,
you need to be sure that your business or product is appropriate
for a release. Believe it or not, a press release that isn't
truly newsworthy can easily end up sounding like a sales pitch,
which can do irreparable damage to your company's image.

A press release should make an announcement about a new product
or service, an event, or a change in the way a product or
service is marketed. If your company has changed management,
released or upgraded a product, or is staging an important event,
you have material for a solid release.

Also, any little-known business or service can make a good
release if it serves the needs of the public in an interesting
way. For example, I just wrote a release for a gentleman who
provides a service that allows homeowners to pay off their
mortgages years sooner, without making larger payments or
refinancing their current loans. With mortgage rates falling and
the real estate market picking up, that kind of material made a
very good release.

So, a story that surrounds current events and peaks public
interest usually makes good release material. Now, let's talk
about what doesn't.

If your business is, for example, an MLM that hundreds of other
people are taking part in and marketing on their own, chances are
that the media has already heard about it and won't pick up your
story. I'm not saying that MLMs are automatic losers in the
media department, because a brand-new or extremely unique program
may still be newsworthy. In most cases, however, people trying
to market an MLM should rely mainly on classified ads or
informative articles that dance around their business, then
reveal the contact information at the end.

Similarly, if you belong to an affiliate program along with lots
of other people who are using their own marketing techniques, a
press release probably isn't the way to go. Media people are
extremely busy, and easily get overrun with press releases.
Again, in this situation a classified ad or well-written article
is probably a better use of your time and money.

A clever writer can take almost any subject and turn it into a
press release without sounding like a sales letter. As great a
talent as that is, however, media professionals will easily see
through it. An effective press release doesn't just SOUND
newsworthy, it IS newsworthy. A sales letter in disguise does
not make a good release.

Above all, keep in mind that the last thing an editor wants to
read is a sales pitch; sending them this kind of material will
only get you blackballed in the media. If you're not sure your
material is appropriate for a press release, ask an expert.
Before ordering your release from an outside source, for example,
call them or send them an email, tell them about your business,
and ask them if they think a release is the right tool for you.
If it's not, chances are they can recommend something that will
serve you better.

Meredith Pond is editor and manager of DrNunley's
http://CheapWriting.com. She has written hundreds of successful
press releases. See her complete publicity and copy writing
packages for students, businesses, and entrepreneurs. Reach
Meredith at meredith@drnunley.com or 801-328-9006.

Recent research predicts that the online ad market will decline by 25% in 2001John Schultz

In 2001, net advertising is a buyer's market.

Everyone has seen the media spotlight focused on the big dot-coms who, dependent on ad revenues, have either gone out of business or been forced to cut back.

Unfortunately, it's the same story for small business owners. The economic downturn leaves many potential advertisers much more reluctant to pay the prices they would have a year or two ago.

I recently came across a message board where one advertiser summed it up this way: in these hard economic times, she has read that people are less willing to make purchases. This means that she is much more at risk to suffer a loss rather than make a profit.

Like most people, this advertiser does not have any extra money to spare - and certainly none to lose to a failed ad campaign. To turn the odds in her favor, she regularly goes bargain-hunting for ad specials.

Frustrated webmasters and online editors are feeling the pinch of lost ad revenues. This is particularly evident with the recent launch of ad auction sites such as WebmasterBids.com and EzineAdAuction.com. These sites are specifically meant to aid newsletter editors and webmasters in selling their remnant ad space - space that would otherwise remain unsold, the profits lost forever.

This doesn't mean that you can't benefit from your ad space! Quite the contrary. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Encourage Customers to Book Multiple Ad Slots.

Offer large discounts on multi-ad packages. This is a win-win situation - your customer receives excellent value, and more of your ad space is booked with less stress.

2. Auction Off Remnant Ad Space.

As mentioned above, there are at least a couple of places where you can put your unsold space up for auction. If you prefer you can set a 'reserve' price, under which you are not obliged to sell.

3. Offer Incentives to Subscribers and Previous Advertisers.

Your own mailing list is a great source of advertisers! They're familiar with your newsletter and know what type of exposure their ads would receive. Previous advertisers also have this type of first-hand knowledge. Encourage them to book with you by offering great incentives - free bonuses, significant discounts, or anything else of value.

4. Swap Ads.

Approach other editors within your niche market and offer to swap ads. This is a great way to increase your exposure, fill your ad space, and do it all without spending a single dime.

5. Barter.

Is there something you need but just haven't gotten around to doing it? Use your ad space as a bargaining chip. For example, you could ask a graphic artist to create a banner or eBook cover for you in exchange for ad(s) in your newsletter. To sweeten the deal you could offer an 'endorsed' ad.

6. Go the Extra Mile.

Provide prompt, friendly, and reliable service to encourage repeat orders. A little extra attention goes a long ways!

In the meantime, if your business relies heavily upon ad revenues for profits, start building another viable income stream. For example, one model that's becoming increasingly popular is the content-rich, fee-based membership site.

Companies that are overly-reliant on ad revenues have a choice: adjust to the ever-changing world of the Internet, or risk going out of business.

We've all heard the phrase, 'Never put all your eggs in one basket'. That's good advice for every online business owner.

John Schultz is the brains behind WebmasterBids.com, the place where webmasters can go to auction off their remnant ad space! Webmasters make some extra money, and visitors can pick up some great deals ... visit today at http://www.webmasterbids.com/

NBA Totals

2009-04-05T18:07:00.001-07:00

As we approach the mid-point of the NBA season, this is a good time to examine totals. There are a lot of factors from a handicapping perspective that go into understanding totals. Team defense, coaching, a dominant shot blocking big man, home court can be factors when looking at unders. Such things as coaching philosophy, youth, and depth need to be considered when attempting to identify overs.

Let's take a look at the most prominent over team this season: Seattle. The Sonics started 29-11 over the total. Talk about a handicapping skew! That's almost three out of every four Seattle games going over the total. Why is this? This is a case where an aberration is not taking place, as there are several reasons for this. First, this is not a happy team. Remember that coach Nate McMillan got these guys to overachieve last season, but he left for Portland. A new coach came aboard and a lot of things fell apart, so much so that he was fired and assistant Bob Hill is the new head coach. McMillan's ability to get these guys to play team-oriented basketball and defense has not materialized under the new coaches this season.

In addition, they have decent undersized role playing forwards who can rebound, but no big bodies to act as defensive deterrents. What you're left with is a bunch of scorers who want the ball, essentially. Seattle's defense has been a joke all season, currently allowing 105 points per game and .495% shooting by opponents. Both are the worst marks in the NBA. This is not something that is likely to change anytime soon.

I mentioned youth as a factor, too. This is the case with Toronto and Boston, two teams rebuilding around a slew of young draft picks. Both have good offenses but serious defensive weaknesses. Notice that Toronto allows 103 ppg on the road where they started 13-8 over the total. The Celtics allow 107 ppg on the road where they began 13-7 over the total. Because of their youth, this is a trend that is more likely to continue than for them to suddenly start playing vastly improved defense, especially on the road.

Other times, teams can change in the middle of a season. The young Cavaliers have been working on defense ever since mid-December, with coaches and players admitting that's been going on. Notice that Cleveland carries a 10-3 run under the total into this week.

Coaching philosophy is also a major reason. The Detroit Pistons went from being a strangling defensive team under Larry Brown the last few years, to one that is more relaxed and wide-open offensively under new coach Flip Saunders, who has given this veteran team more freedom to be creative offensively. The new-look Pistons are 13-6 over the total on the road.

The Spurs still bring tough defense under head coach Gregg Popovich, who also still has the tools on the court to carry it out with stoppers like Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen. San Antonio is 15-6 under the total at home, after being outstanding defensively at home last season, too. Memphis coach Mike Fratello preaches tough defense, and the Grizzlies are 14-5 under the total at home allowing just 84 ppg.

Two NBA teams are suffering offensive problems this season because of a lack of offensive options. Indiana has been plagued by injuries and a suspension and they are 14-7 under the total on the road. Minnesota is still searching for a third offensive option for Kevin Garnett and Wally Szcerbiak, and that is reflected in their 22-16 start under the total.

And sometimes, it's simply the venue. Denver continues to play its best offense at home, partly because visiting teams aren't used to the thin air. Denver averages 106 ppg at home where they started 14-8 over the total. Understanding all the facets of totals, offense, defense and team strengths and weaknesses can help sports bettors identify tangible trends to anticipate winning wagering opportunities.

About the Author

Bryan Leonard is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at www.procappers.com/BryanLeonard.htm

Good News for Lesbians?

2009-04-03T13:05:00.001-07:00

A recent study conducted by leading Australian and British sex researchers found that women who have sex with other women have a significantly improved chance of achieving orgasm. Is this good news for lesbians or does it reflect lamentable shortcomings in men's awareness of female sexuality? Croydon J Hounslow takes a deep breath and dives in...

The announcement of these findings in the Journal of Sex Research may have deeper implications for psychologists, sociologists and sexologists, but in the minds of those of us who are less well educated about such things it provokes certain inevitable reactions. My immediate and no doubt tragically male reaction to reading this was to think (and not for the first time) Good God, I wish I was a lesbian!, immediately followed by the slightly less whimsical In that case, why on earth are there any straight women left?. Now before we start, I should acknowledge that I am fully and painfully aware of just how clownishly ridiculous both of those sentiments are; but, not to put too fine a point on it, I am prone to bouts of knee-jerk idiocy. I think it's a male thing.

So, women who have sex with other women, based on the responses of 19,307 Australians regarding their most recent sexual encounter, are 7.1% more likely to achieve orgasm during sex than their exclusively heterosexual counterparts. Hooray for boobies! cries my mind on some cro-magnon level simple maths: the more boobies the better the sex! Ug!. As so often happens, I then second guess myself and realise I'm being, if you'll pardon the pun, a total tit.

I decide to look at things in a different, and frankly less appealing way; why is there such disparity in these figures? This isn't the 1950s, why aren't men doing a better job of pleasuring their female partners? Apart from the obvious cliched claim that a same sex partner is by definition a better lover as they 'know their way around the equipment', is there a lesson that straight men can learn from this? In fairness, it seems a little bit strong to start trying to draw such conclusions on the basis of a single percentage figure, a return to the survey results seems in order. Let's look at them from a slightly different angle:

Percentage of exclusively heterosexual women who said that they did not achieve orgasm during their last sexual encounter: 31.1%

Percentage of homo(and presumably bi)sexual women who said that they did not achieve orgasm during their last sexual encounter: 24%

Percentage of men (no significant difference based on sexuality) who said that they did not achieve orgasm during their last sexual encounter: 5.2%

Wow! Put it that way and suddenly it seems that straight women aren't trailing quite so badly after all, 24% of women who have same sex encounters are still going without orgasm, whereas men... Actually if we're honest about it chaps, it's hardly too surprising is it? A woman's orgasm is something achieved through subtlety, patience and not inconsiderable skill whereas most men could probably punch it repeatedly for long enough and eventually get there!

So what conclusions can we draw from this? This is clearly an area in which one must tread with care, so let me firstly state that if a woman wants an orgasm during sex, she should get one, and for a partner of any gender to fail to help her achieve this without a damn good excuse smacks of laziness and insensitivity. Now I have hopefully protected myself from allegations of unreconstructed male boorishness, I can tell you my theory.

It's no great intellectual breakthrough to state that men and women have their differences. We prioritise different things, have differing emotional makeup and do have very different expectations of certain things in life, even if we're not from different planets or locked in a perpetual battle as some writers have proposed. Now as a man and only an amateur sexologist (hur! hur! hur! what a great t-shirt that'd make!) I'm only partly qualified to comment on women's sexuality, but one of my responses to those statistics (and do remember please what I said earlier about knee-jerk idiocy) is that perhaps women don't necessarily see orgasm as the defining aspect of a sexual encounter in the same way that men do. I'm pretty sure one would be hard pushed to find a man anywhere, gay or straight, who would see a sexual encounter as satisfactory or fulfilling if it didn't culminate in an orgasm. If the same was true of women, would two women who understood first hand the female sex drive leave either partner unfulfilled in such a high proportion of encounters? Maybe men aren't doing so badly after all at fulfilling women. I suspect that, were we to compare these data with the same survey conducted in the 1950s we might find some much more depressing results.
About the Author

Croydon J Hounslow works for the UKs top dating agency

Inexpensive Baby Gifts

2009-03-30T20:32:00.001-07:00

Has a friend or a family member had a baby? This is a joyous occasion. But unfortunately shopping for a baby can often mean looking at very expensive items. You may want to express you congratulations - but sometimes buying those fancy gifts can be a little too hard for most of us. Well fortunately, there are still some gifts that you can find that the baby and new mother will enjoy and treasure. Here are some ideas for inexpensive baby gifts that the new mom will be sure to love.

Baby Sunblock and Baby Hat. This is an important gift because sun protection is very important. Any new mother would appreciate this gift, because sunblock is the type of thing that you always need and that you often run out of at exactly the wrong time. Look for sunblock from a name brand company, and be sure to get at least 45SPF and that it blocks UV rays. A baby hat for sun should have a wide rim, and probably should be cotton.

Parenting Magazine. A subscription to a parenting magazine would be a welcomed gift by many new mothers. Subscribing to a parenting magazine will cost less than twenty dollars. This is a great gift idea and it is also nice because it will come for an entire year, it is not just a gift that you give once - it will come once a month for an entire year.

Stuffed Animal. What baby wouldn't love a stuffed animal? There are so many that you can select from. A bunny, a kitty, a doggie. This is a great gift that the baby will enjoy for a long time.

Board books. Get the baby a love of reading from the very start. Give the baby board books that will inspire the baby to learn to love books (even though the baby will just be chewing on them at first...). You never know, you may be encouraging a real bookworm or a serious scholar.

Picture frame. Every parent takes tons of photos of their baby. They will no doubt need some good picture frames to put these pictures in. There are many picture frames made especially for babies, look for ones that have baby or children themes. Another great idea is a photograph album, or magnetic photo frames for the refrigerator that people can use and reuse over and over again.

By Abigail Beal

Espresso Do's and Don'ts

2009-03-30T20:30:00.001-07:00

When you finally decide to stay in for a hot steaming shot of espresso you need to follow some guidelines or you will end up with a bitter and unarguably pour coffee alternative.

The Shopping

The perfect shot of espresso starts at the store. The first thing you always want to look for when buying espresso is whole bean espresso. Never start with a pre-ground espresso bean. The flavor of pre-ground espresso beans will pale in comparison to fresh ground espresso. The second thing you want to do is select quality beans, espresso is a luxury this is not the time to pinch pennies. Third you always want to buy fresh espresso beans. Shopping at your local grocery store may not be the best choice. Try a coffee house or specialty grocer that carries fresh whole bean espresso.

The Grinding

When grinding espresso use a clean grinder you wouldn't brush your teeth with a dirty tooth brush so why grind your espresso with a dirty grinder. Never use the same grinder for espresso beans that you use for spices. The flavors of the spices will transfer to the espresso and damage the delicate flavor of the espresso beans. Grind only what you will be using today left over grounds will pale in comparison the next day. Remember that espresso is a luxury so toss the extra.

What Should my Espresso Look Like?

Look for color,
Light beige will be sour espresso
Black or dark brown will be bitter espresso
Golden brown will be the perfect espresso

Condiments and Incidentals

Use sugar to sweeten
Never use cream, espresso is meant to be drunk straight
Use small espresso cups it's almost like having a shot
Only one shot at a time
Americanas, lattes and cappuccinos all can have more than one shot of espresso

About the Author

Shauna Hanus specializes in creating gourmet recipes. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She is also the publisher of a no cost bi-monthly gourmet newsletter. Her newsletter is always fun and informational packed with tips and trivia you can use everyday. Sign up for her newsletter and learn more about Gourmayeats Weekly Recipe Club at http://www.gourmayeats.com/recipe.html

Pre Engineered Metal Buildings

2009-03-03T00:37:00.001-08:00

Pre-engineered metal buildings are created by qualified engineers and experts to guarantee a high-quality, versatile product. There are many uses for pre-engineered metal buildings.

There are quite a few agricultural options when it comes to pre-engineered metal buildings. These options include metal barns, buildings for equipment storage, houses for your animals and horses, and storage for your crops. Since these metal buildings are pre-engineered, you know that they are specifically designed to accommodate your particular purpose.

You can also purchase pre-engineered metal buildings for your home. You can find metal sheds, garages, larger storage options, home additions, porches and decks, and metal homes. You can either choose to install the kit yourself or ask for an expert. Keep in mind that metal buildings are sturdier than wooden buildings and are often portable, which makes them great options if you move frequently.

Pre-engineered metal buildings can also have industrial uses. You can purchase large storage buildings to house equipment, to provide additional office space, to use as a welding shop, and to serve larger warehouses. Keep in mind these are just a few examples of metal buildings that can be used in industry. In addition, you can purchase garages that can be used as a shop for mechanics as well as airplane hangars.

So, no matter what your needs are, you can more than likely find pre-engineered metal buildings that will suit your purpose. This option is sturdy and will offer more protection against the elements than the traditional wooden structures. They can also save you money.

Metal Buildings provides detailed information on Metal Buildings, Metal Storage Buildings, Metal Building Kits, Commercial Metal Buildings and more. Metal Buildings is affiliated with Pre-Fabricated Steel Buildings.

Put on a Happy Face! (Theme party that is!)

2008-12-17T18:27:00.001-08:00

Sometimes there is not any specific reason to host a party. After all, it isn?t anyone?s birthday. It isn?t an anniversary or even any Hallmark holiday. It is time like this that the Happy Face theme party works the best. Happy face is a generic pop culture icon that reminds us that regardless of how bad things seem, there is always something to smile about. And getting together for with your friends for a happy face theme party is really no exception.

Start off with smiles on your invitations. I generally send my invitations attached to the back of large round sugar cookies which have been decorated with black icing and yellow face characteristics. Guests are invited to come to the party in any type of clothing or dress that makes them feel carefree and happy. Anything goes in that respect. I always order smiles and happy face accessories from the party supplier so that the theme is carried through the room and the evening. For activities consider games that play off of the smile theme. For example, put together some choices of songs that have smile or happy in the titles and make a game of name that tune or charades out of them. In light of the fact that this party is built around making people happy, the perfect party game may be to have a game where it is important ?not? to laugh. Pin the smile on the happy face is an easy, and always funny game to play with kids of all ages (even grown ups).

The fun-filled party should be based around comfort and fun and relaxation. This is a no stress night for everyone - including the host. Plan on a finger food menu, or even a sandwich buffet that allows everyone to make their own servings just the way they like them. A fun desert that brings back all sorts of fun memories and ensures some serious smiles are ice cream sundaes ? just don?t forget the cherries and whipped cream! Bringing friends together for a relaxing night of sharing companies is sure to bring about smiles just as big as the happy face icon. So, what are you waiting for? Plan yours today!

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for birthday party supplies and fun free educational party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or just because parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

Sophisticated Technology Makes Sunroom Prices Affordable

2008-12-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

If you live in a geographical area which gets a lot of snow or very cold weather, you may think that adding a sunroom would not be an appropriate choice. It'll be too expensive to heat in the winter, you may be thinking.

Sophisticated Technology
But with today's sophisticated technology, that is not necessarily the case. Sunroom manufacturers have invested millions of dollars in research to find the best ways to create windows that keep cold air out, and warm air in. Combinations of inert gases inside the window panes and special glazes on the glass itself work wonders these days.

Therefore, no matter where you live, a sunroom is one of the most elegant additions that you can make to your home, and as long as you are willing to pay for the best materials you will be able to enjoy your sunroom during all seasons, from the hottest summer day to the coldest winter night.
Pre-Existing Foundation?
If you already have a deck or a porch attached to your house, you can choose to build your new sunroom on top of this structure. This is a more inexpensive option than having to lay a new foundation on which to build the room. If you choose to go with that route, you must call in a professional to check the deck or porch to ensure that it can bear the additional weight of the room. Regardless of your choice, you need to check with your neighborhood zoning laws and building codes to ensure that you can build the type of room you want.

Although a sunroom typically costs between $10,000 - $70,000, depending on the style, size and quality of building materials you choose, it is more than comparable to building the room of bricks and mortar, and this room will add value to your home should you decide to sell it in future. If you have good credit, you should be able to arrange appropriate financing to make your dream come true.

Before you buy your sunroom, be a smart shopper. Surf the web to find as many sunroom manufacturers as possible and compare every single item they offer, from the types of glass they use to the material for the frame - wood, metal or vinyl, to the various types of ceilings, to the hardware used. Compare the warranties offered, as well. And compare their prices.

The cost of the sunroom comes from two areas - the cost of the materials and the cost of the labor to put the sunroom together. If you pay for professionals to construct your sunroom, it can usually be built in a couple of days, and you know it'll be done right. If it isn't done right, then you have the legal recourse to have the contractor come back and fix what they did wrong. However, if you do your research appropriately and hire contractors that are professionals in deed as well as word, you should not have a problem. But it is nice to know that you're covered should the unexpected happen.

On the other hand, although it is possible to purchase do-it-yourself sunroom kits, and build the room yourself, you will not have the same security. If you screw up the construction, the onus will be on your own pocketbook to fix it. And if anyone should be injured in the construction of the room, it is your insurance that will take the hit. All these things should be considered.
About the Author

Andrew Caxton is the author of many resources on patio enclosures related topics published at http://www.allsunrooms.com . A focused website that offers the best articles on sunroom prices and new room cost.

Lady Soul Food's Caribbean Travel Tip

2008-12-08T18:38:00.001-08:00

The search for the Fountain of Youth, Adventure, Exploration, a desire to experience Caribbean Soul Food Cooking at its best or just escape from the cold are many of the motivations behind Caribbean travel. People have been taking Caribbean travel vacations since the colonial times. Today, millions of U.S., Canadians and European citizens, visit the islands each year to experience the tropical extravaganza that a Caribbean travel usually has in store for all its visitors.

Below are some Caribbean travel tips to help you get the most out of your tropical excursion:

Get an early start.

If there's anything you absolutely must do when you go on a Caribbean vacation that is to start early. There are a lot of things you need to take care of. Trip planning can be a tough nut to crack. Early plane rides give you more time to recover and enjoy the rest of your Caribbean vacation. Passports are now required by all United States Citizens for entry into the country you are planning to travel. One Caribbean travel tip you ought to consider is to prepare all your travel documents as early as now.

Choose an island.

Culture shock. That is bound to happen if you don't do your research beforehand. One thing you should remember about the Caribbean is that it has a culture that is as widely diverse as its people. Caribbean Travelers often say that islanders are very friendly and welcoming people, but remember they are human beings with fault factors like everyone else. So take this Caribbean travel tip: read up on the culture and people for the places you will travel.

Climate changes. In many destinations temperatures though warm to hot during the day may dip to a light sweater cool in the evenings and during certain times of the year, so be prepared.

Another thing, as you travel, keep abreast of local news coverage. If you are in an area experiencing civil unrest or a natural disaster, or if you are going to a place where communications is poor, register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for your own safety. Registration at the State Department's TravelRegistration.state.gov website takes only a few minutes, and certainly invaluable in case of emergency. In addition, you can also get up to date Caribbean travel tips and information on any country in the world by obtaining the Department of State's Consular Information Sheet.

Food

As you do your research you will realize that the foods of the islands are to many strange and new, but in some instances they are similar to the soul food cooking we here about in the United States. Cornbread, fried chicken, stews and breads along with a large variety of vegetables, meats and how can we forget the seafood. Yet the is still something about the way those people put a pot together that makes even the best American Soul Food Cooks ask how they can get their hands on those Caribbean Soul Food recipes to take home. So to avoid robbing yourself of such a great experience be sure to pack a little adventure and if you must some antacids. The foods can be very spicy. But many of the natives adjust their preparations to accommodate the tourist. Try the Caribbean Soul Food its worth it!

Entry.

Every island in the Caribbean has its own entry requirements. That is why your first Caribbean travel tip is to prepare all your documents before you leave home. If you can show proof that you are a U.S. citizen and a return or onward ticket, most countries will allow you to visit for up to two or three months.

Take this as both a Caribbean travel tip and caution: There are countries in the Caribbean with areas infected with yellow fever. If you come from any of these areas, you may be required to have a certificate of vaccination against yellow fever.

Also, some airports may require departure tax of up to $25.

Return.

There are some Caribbean countries that require only your birth certificate as an entry requirement. However, this should not be reason for you to slack off on your travel documents. Remember that U.S. Immigration requires that you document both your U.S. citizenship and identity. Take this Caribbean travel tip and make sure you can return to the United States with both these documents.

But what is the best document that can prove your U.S. citizenship? The best proof is a valid U.S. passport. Since the September 11th incident many countries and especially the United States is requiring a valid passport for travel throughout the Caribbean. It would also be wise to find out what items you may purchase on your vacation are allowable for entry into the United States and through airport security; U.S. Customs Department can provide a list.

About the Author

For more soul food and Trave Tips click the link

How to Come Up with Craft Ideas for Summer Programs for Kids

2008-12-08T17:26:00.001-08:00

Are you helping out with a local kid Summer craft program? Are the natives getting restless? Well it doesn't have to be that way, you can come up with craft ideas that will keep even the most restless kids occupied and out of trouble.

The first thing to remember is that there is more than one way to do things; it's best if you get rid of any ideas that you have to come up with the perfect idea because often with kids what you think is the perfect idea is oring to them. The important thing is to take into the account the ages of the kids you'll be working with so you can come up with craft ideas that are suitable to their skill levels. Doing a little research online can help! Check out what other groups are doing.

The second thing to take into account is your program's budget. Often summer programs have small budgets, so choosing craft ideas that don't require a lot of expensive supplies is usually important. Look for sales online, and at your local craft stores, if you want to teach a craft like beadworking, powwows are a treasure trove of high quality, reasonably priced bead supplies. And if you are fortunate enough to have a good budget, being careful about where you spend it may mean that you can do more crafts and thus keep your kids occupied, and happy for a longer period of time.

A final thing to keep in mind when coming up with craft ideas for Summer programs for kids is that contrary to what some might have you believe, boys and girls like to do different kinds of crafts. Boys aren't going to want to make charm bracelets for example, although if you have a mixed group you might consider beadweaving and then sewing it to a leather band with a snap. These are just masculine enough to get past the possible girly factor with boys! If you're groups are segregated then you should consider crafts for boys that deal with leather crafts, creating models and similar crafts. Girls are relatively easy when it comes to coming up with craft ideas because in most cases they will enjoy crafts that involve sewing, beading, or even weaving small friendship bracelets. When you're dealing with mixed groups keeping it on the more masculine side with some pretty colors thrown in for the girly girls is a good idea as well.

One thing that people who may not be used to being creative may overlook is that even if you look over kid craft books or websites and don't see any crafts that you like, if you think about it you may get other ideas just from looking at them. Remember you don't have to do what everyone else is doing, but it never hurts to check what everyone is doing and adding that to what you remember of your own Summer crafting years, and maybe coming up with something that is between the two.

By Regina Paul

Creative Fun and Easy Sewing Ideas

2008-12-08T02:45:00.001-08:00

It's time to dust off your sewing machine! Many of us purchase a sewing machine with the inspiration of creating all kinds of wonderful projects. That is, until we second glance over the tons of features on our machine. Sewing can be intimidating at times, and we often find ourselves blank on ideas to create.

Being a seamstress can be a wonderful hobby. It can also be an affordable and fun way to make all kinds of wonderful accessories around the house, and gifts for friends and family on holidays. Some even go on to pursue a business with just their sewing machine. There are all kinds of creative ideas you can make and sell these days. The possibilities are endless!

Here are some easy and creative sewing ideas to take advantage of for yourself, or a great gift. Please click the links before each description to visit each individual website where you will find a list of materials needed, and instructions on how to complete the project.

Grocery Bag Holder:
If you are one of the many people who has a clutter of grocery bags stashed in cabinets and other miscellaneous places, then this is the perfect craft idea for you. It's a very stylish way to keep things organized, and you can customize each bag to your liking. Most of the materials needed are typical household items, and the sewing process is very simple. I highly recommend this crafty project to all beginners.

Pocket Purse:
A very cute and fun craft idea. This project can be fun for the whole family. Have an old shirt laying around the house for years that you just can't bear to part with? Now you won't have to, by making it into a pocket purse you can take anywhere. Very easy and makes a great holder for small accessories. A great item to take with you on vacation, or for every day use.

Felt Checkers Game:
A definite must for board game fans. A fun and fairly easy to do project you can enjoy for years. Being felt, it is also the perfect travel idea. The instructions will teach you how to create a game bag to store the board and pieces in, so it's very easy to take anywhere with you!

Photo Tote Bag:
If you're the type that loves to show off your family photos, then this is the perfect project for you. Create a stylish tote bag with a display area for everyone to see your wonderful pictures. Very cute and useful, a great gift idea.

Birthday Chair Covers:
What better way to create a memorable birthday party, than to have customized keep-sake chair covers. Fun and easy, this great idea is sure to make your party a prime conversation piece for weeks! This craft idea can be altered to fit all occasions, be creative!

Kitchen Apron:
If you love to cook then this is a great idea for you. Simple apron patterns you can customize and design to your preference. Very stylist fun idea for around the house.

Be sure to check back on my producer page during the holidays for more wonderful craft ideas.

By Ayami Chin

Etched Colonial Style Canisters

2008-12-04T19:46:00.000-08:00

Creating your own etched Colonial style canisters are so incredibly easy, and are very reminiscent of styles found in designer kitchen supply boutiques. Create one for every supply in your home such as coffee, tea, sugar, flour, or more!

For this project, you will need:

- A variety of clear canisters, any shape or size with removable lids

- Early American Alphabet Style Stencils (found online at Primitive Stenciling)

- Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Surface Conditioner

- Delta Perm Enamel White Frost Paint

- Delta Perm Enamel Iridescent Glass Paint in Pearl/Blue

- Sponge brush

- Artist's paintbrush

- Masking tape

- Soap and water

- Paper towels

- Newspaper

Cover your work area well with newspaper. Wash each canister with soap and water. Dry well with paper towels and remove any lids on the canisters. Set the lids aside, as you will not need them until the completion of this project.
TIP: Add additional details to spice up your canisters! Delta Perm Enamel makes a fabulous line of iridescent glass paints in a wide variety of colors. Spice up plain old glass etching by outlining the lettering in color. Or, attach a shaped stencil to the canister to add a touch of variety. The only limit on the design for this project is your imagination, so get creative! This craft idea can also be used for matching spice jars. Select several of matching or a variety of odd sized or shaped apothecary jars and follow the directions as provided.

By Landra Lynn
With the sponge brush, coat an entire canister with Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Surface Conditioner. Let the glass set for an hour or longer to dry.

Secure an Early American Alphabet Style Stencil to the canister with masking tape. Again using the sponge brush, apply a thick coat of Delta Perm Enamel White Frost Paint for the first letter. Continue this process, filling out the canister label you wish to convey. (Examples: Coffee, tea, flour, sugar, etc.) Let the white frost paint dry for about an hour before removing the stencil and masking tape.

With the artist's paintbrush, outline each letter with Delta Perm Enamel Iridescent Glass Paint in Pearl/Blue. Allow the canister to dry overnight before washing, drying, and filling with your desired item. Continue this process with all your remaining matching glass canisters until you have created a matching set. The paint on these canisters is dishwasher safe when completed.

Creative Ideas and Planning for a Child's Birthday Party

2008-12-03T19:09:00.001-08:00

When it comes to planning creative children's birthday parties, you should begin by establishing a theme. The theme of the party, will set the mood for the entire event and can be carried over into all aspects of the decorations, food, and the favors. A solid and well thought out theme will be sure to have your guests talking for weeks to come.

Before deciding on a theme, you should take in careful consideration as to the likes of the child. Maybe the child has a favorite color, book, toy, or maybe even a favorite television character or sport. No matter what theme you choose, try and remember to reflect the likes and wants of the child. After all, it is his/her's birthday!

After choosing a theme, it is time to decide on the invitations. Many stores offer premade invitations where you simply fill in the blank the party information. If you are like me, however, you may want something a bit more than what you may find at your local party supply store. When it comes to invitations, here is your first opportunity to get creative and really make a full play on the theme. For instance, if you are throwing a cooking party for your favorite little chef, you can send out personalized chef's hats to each child with an attached invite on the back of a recipe card. The invitation itself, can be designed and printed using your home computer. Now, think of the look on the children's faces when they receive that in the mail! From the invitation alone, the theme has been set for that party.

Invitations offer so many ways to implement the chosen theme. When thinking of possible invites for a princess party, one has many chances to get a little creative. Sugar cookie wands, which are basically sugar cookies baked while on a wooden dowel,are one way. You can get very decorative by wrapping the cookie portion of the wand in colored cellophane and then adding a bundle of pretty curling ribbons. Simply attach a written or computer printed invitation to one of the ribbons and there's the perfect (and tasty) accessory for any princess!

There are so many fun ways to make invitations. Why not place the invitation inside a balloon, or write it on the outside of a bouncy ball? You can also use various techniques online and 'age' an invitation and present it as a scroll to each guest. No matter what you choose, when you think outside of the box, you can never go wrong.

With the theme in place and the invitations sent, it will be the perfect time to decide on favors. Favors can be another way to really stick to the theme of a party. As mentioned before, a cooking party would give the perfect opportunity to offer guests oven mitts filled with goodies, such as mini cooking utensils that can be found online, simple recipes for kids, and yummies. Princess party favors can be colorful and shiny tiaras, or a nice child's glove set. Favors can be as simple as an icecream cone filled with small candies and wrapped in cellophane, or a personalized pail of coloring books and crayons.

There are plenty of places online, such as Oriental Trading Company, that offer all types of fun and unique goodies that you can purchase in small bulk at a very inexpensive price. You can find many child-friendly and super easy craft ideas, such as make-your-own picture frames or do-not-disturb signs down to luau necklaces, glow-in-the-dark goodies, and old-fashioned popcorn bags. Whatever it is you may need to make your party a success can easily be rounded up on the internet.

Planning a child's birthday party does not have to be your normal store bought supply filled bash, but it can be a wonderfully fun and creative event with just the right creative touches. When it comes to that memory, being creative can go a long way!

By Divian Conner

Easy Craft Ideas for Gift Giving

2008-12-02T20:33:00.001-08:00

Recipe Books- You will need small picture books, magazines with recipes, or a computer. All you need to do is cut out the recipes that you find in either magazines, or from the ones that you have printed out from your computer to fit into these photo books. Even childern can do this idea. It is quick and easy to make these and who doesn't like recipes espically if it is cake, cookies, or a dinner.

Photo Books- This is a simple, gift giving idea. Just buy some small photo albums and pull out your family pictures. Now find family pictures of yourself, as well as your friends, family, or whoever you are making this picture album for and add pictures to these photo albums. It is sort of neat to find older pictures from 5 or 10 years ago from the past for your family, or your friends to enjoy.

Window picture frames- This craft idea is a little more complex, and also for older childern, teenagers, and adults. You will need picture frames, Stained glass paints, and black lead. All if this is usally found in a craft department. I usally buy it all at Walmart. Also pictures out of a coloring book, or one you found on a computer that you can print out, or a picture in a book. You will need a picture that you can put a picture frame over. Also fish line string, and glue, I usally use a hot glue gun. Ok take the picture that you chose and lay it on a flat surface, It is also a good idea to get some old news paper to put underneath the picture, that you will be drawing over. Take the glass out of your picture frame and place it on top of the drawing you would like to paint. Take the black leading and slowly go over the lines of the picture you have underneath the glass. Let the leading, dry for awhile for at least 2 hours. After it is dry, you will use the stain glass paint that you bought to fill in the leading that you have drawn. I make these all the time. It is a great, and easy gift idea and you can make alot of these. When your paint is done drying, trun the picture frame over and add fish string, to the top two corners of the picture frame. I forgot to meantion to hang these you will need a window stopper for your windows. Things to remember, Make sure that the paint it dry and also go over the sides of the picture frame to make sure that the glass will stay inside of your picture you have made. These are pretty, and look really neat, when the sun shines, through them.

Another idea I have done is to make sample bags, and add something like a kitchen towel, a coffee cup, or a potholder. I do this a lot. Just add your kitchen towel, coffee cup, or potholder add samples inside and wrap it and put it in a gift bag, or the coffee cup you bought.

I have also bought candy, and made my own candy in a cup. All you need to do is buy colored saran wrap and fill the wrapped candy , you have bought into the cups that you have bought and neatly wrap the saran wrap around the coffee cups, with candy, and maybe add a gift tag.

I hope these few ideas I have talked about will help you on making some of your gifts. To help you to save money as well as fun to make them. I have done some of these ideas I have meantioned for years. They are really simple ideas, that are cheap and easy to follow, and even childern can do some of these like the recipe books, and the candy cups, I have talked about. I hope if you have read this it has given you some good and cheaper ways to make gifts.

By Shaunee Carter

Craft Ideas Three Crafts to Sell on Etsy Website

2008-11-30T23:15:00.000-08:00

These 3 crafts are some of the best items to sell on Etsy. If you have been wanting to start an online craft store or craft business at the Etsy website, but need a little help deciding what to sell, then check out these ideas.

Most of these ideas can be made in countless ways and combinations, so take these ideas as inspiration and run with your creativity to make them your own.

Crafts to Sell on Etsy #1: Coffee Cup Cozies/ Wrappers

If you can sew a straight line then you can sew a coffee cup cozies or wrapper. These are a fabric version of the paper wrappers you get at the local gourmet coffee shop. You will need 2 colors of fabric, some Velcro and sewing machine to make these.

The great thing about coffee cup wrappers is that they can be sold for less than $10, which is a great price range to start out on Etsy.

If you do not want to come up with your own coffee cup cozies pattern, then click on my content producer page and look for my free instructions for how to sew a coffee cup cozies or fabric coffee cup wrapper. They are easy to follow and you can customize them any way you please!

Craft Ideas to Sell on Etsy #2: Cards

Hand made cards are really taking off lately. Seems like everyone love to make them, buy them, and give them. I recently received a great homemade birthday card this year for my birthday and it is one often few cards I plan on keeping! It really was a nice touch.

You can create your own cards in so many ways, the possibilities are endless. To get started making cards for free try using recycle materials like paper bags to make them. They come with your groceries and are thick an perfect for making cards and envelopes.

Craft Ideas to Sell on Etsy #3: Candles

Candles are an easy craft that can be made in the home. One of the best feature of candle is that you don't need to be able to draw to make them, own a sewing machine to sew them, or feel that you are epically gifted artistically.

If you are creative, love to make crafts, and have a great time with the creative process, then candles might be your best bet. You can get creative with containers, colors, and scents to create your own custom candles for sale on Etsy.

Have fun with the container to get a custom look. Jars, old bottles, and even teacups make great candleholders and are easy to find at local flea markets.

By RS

3 Craft Ideas to Brighten Up Your Holiday Dinner Table

2008-11-30T22:28:00.001-08:00

Want to get the kids into the Thanksgiving mood? Let them help decorate the house with these easy craft ideas. The crafts are both cute and fun. Kids will love to be part of making the holiday enjoyable for the entire family. If you are having guests this will truly be a rewarding experience for the kids.

Place Markers- These are so cute and really allow the kids to help by giving them a chance to arrange the seating for the Thanksgiving table. Simply get some card stock and cut them into 4 by 4 inch squares. Fold in half. Next comes the fun part. Remember the snacks, Bungles? Well, they make perfect little cornucopias for placing on the name card. Take some small dried floral, use what you have, your favorite, or fall floral purchased from a hobby/craft store. Glue a small piece into the Bungle snack. Then glue the mini cornucopia to one side of the folded card stock. Next, write a name of someone coming to dinner in the remaining space with calligraphy or pretty markers. Simple and cute. Of course, the kids can eat the rest of the leftover Bungles!

Crayon Bundles- This is a wonderful treat for the children making them as well as any other kids that might join them for Thanksgiving dinner. You can get small packages of crayons at a dollar store or get a party pack. Then get a brown paper bag, from a grocery store or lunch bags, and cut into small strips that are shorter than the crayons and long enough that it will encircle several crayons. Take that strip and wrap it around the bundle of crayons. Glue or tape the paper strip into place. Next, take some raffia and wrap it around the bundle in the center. Tie the raffia into a bow or just a knot with long string. These work well set out on the table with homemade coloring books. There are many sites on the internet to get free worksheets or coloring pictures. Make it fun! Good entertainment for the kids while the dinner is being served.

Cornucopia Centerpiece-This project is so much fun. It is fairly simple, but the end product is so cute. You need to get an empty cornucopia from a craft store, some brown felt and some fall floral picks. For this craft you will also need a glue gun, so adult supervision is a must. Cut the brown felt into a square piece that will fit inside the cornucopia. Then glue it to the inside. After that, arrange your floral picks anyway you would like. Simply dab a small amount of glue onto the end of each pick and put into place. You have just created a beautiful centerpiece for the table.

Now with these easy crafts complete, sit back and watch your kids take pride in their work. They have helped make the holiday a truly special one!

By Jolaine Scott

Three Craft Ideas for Reusing Your Graduation Gown

2008-11-26T18:14:00.001-08:00

Anyone who has a child graduation high school, or who has recently graduated, knows that graduation gowns can be a hefty expense. Instead of letting your purchase go to waste after it has been worn for ceremony, consider trying out these simple project ideas for a keepsake item that will last for years. Create just one of these ideas, or use scraps to make several.

Accent Pillow

It is incredibly easy to make an accent pillow out of a graduation gown. What you will need for this project is scissors, fiber fill, a sewing machine with thread, straight pins, and a length of rope with some sort of tassel that matches the traditional graduation hat. Cut out two matching pieces of the gown with scissors. Place the fabric pieces face together and secure them with straight pins. Carefully sew around the outside using a machine. Leave enough room open to stuff the accent pillow full of fiber fill. Close up the hole with stitching. Wrap the tassel around the pillow and secure with a knot.

Bulletin Board

Now that the grad is, most likely, on their way to a college dorm, this bulletin board project is perfect. This craft requires a small cork board, scissors, one half inch white ribbon, a hot glue gun, and a staple gun. Measure and cut the gown fabric so that it will wrap around the cork board on all sides and leave a two inch overlap on the back side. Secure the fabric with a staple gun. Cut pieces of ribbon to create a diamond shaped pattern on the front of the board. (I.e. giant criss-cross, x's). Secure with hot glue.

Puffed Photo Frame

Keep those fabulous graduation memories alive by creating a puffed photo frame from your gown. For this, you will need scissors, a wood photo frame, a hot glue gun with glue sticks, and fiber fill. Remove the glass and backing from the frame; set aside. Measure and cut the gown into a piece that is one half inch wider on all sides than the frame. Glue one side of the fabric to the underside of the frame and fold over the front. Add a dab of hot glue to the wood itself and attach a bit of fiber fill. Wrap the fabric over the top of the fiber fill and secure on the back of the frame. Tuck in any loose areas at this time. Once the glue has dried fully, reinsert the glass and your favorite graduation photo.

By Landra Lynn

Valentine's Day Craft Ideas for Students

2008-11-25T18:40:00.001-08:00

Students love giving parents and grandparents gifts for holidays and special occasions, and they also love craft project time. Here you'll find two easy Valentine's Day craft ideas for students, and these craft ideas are perfect for classroom projects or art class projects. These unique craft ideas are appropriate for elementary students, and they make use of inexpensive and readily available craft supplies. Consider using one of the following craft ideas with your classroom students in honor of Valentine's Day. The students will enjoy working on these fun and easy crafts that encourage imagination and creativity.

Laced Hearts

Construction paper hearts are ideal for holding messages to parents, and they're perfect for holding Valentine's Day cards from students. The students will enjoy lacing the hearts together and decorating them with crayons, paint, or any other embellishments you choose to provide to your class.

For each laced heart you'll need two sheets of red construction paper, a sturdy hole punch, enough red or pink yarn to whipstitch 2 hearts together, and art supplies to decorate the exterior. Optional supplies include glue, glitter, sequins, buttons, and faux gems.

Provide kids with two sheets of construction paper, and since uniformity is important for this Valentine's Day craft, the hearts should be pre-drawn and copied beforehand. Have the students cut the hearts out on the lines, and place the hearts together, one on top of the other.

The next step involves punching holes approximately 1-inch apart, all the way around the sides of both hearts. Younger students will require help with this step. Since the hearts won't be completely stitched closed, don't punch holes around the tops of the hearts.

Once the holes are punched around the hearts, show the kids how to lace precut sections of yarn around the edges to form a pouch. The pouch can hold a special Valentine's Day messages or cards from other students, depending on how you decide to use this craft.

Lastly, have the students decorate the outside with Valentine's Day sentiments and artwork of their choice. Optionally, students can outline designs and messages with glue and glitter. Other small craft items can be added as well to complete this fun and creative Valentine's Day craft.

Valentine's Day Clothespin Angels

These Valentine's Day angels are fun to make, and they spark a great deal of imagination and creativity. Kids can create simple clothes from scraps of fabric to dress their angels, and the wings are designed with either hearts they create with construction paper or ready-made paper doily hearts. Give this craft project a try if you want your classroom students to make something completely different this Valentine's Day. Recipients of these Valentine's Day angels will find them completely adorable and will cherish them for a lifetime.

To make one clothespin angel you'll need an old-fashioned straight wooden clothespin, white construction paper, scissors, glue, a white, silver, or gold pipe cleaner (cut in half), a hole punch, fabric scraps for clothes, and a fine-tip marker to draw a face. Optional supplies are silver or gold glitter and a small heart-shaped paper doily for alternate wings. Faces can also be painted on rather than drawn on, depending on the ages and the skill level of the students.

Begin by wrapping the body of the clothespin with fabric and gluing it in place to create clothing for the Valentine's Day angel. Next, show the kids how to make simple angel wings by folding a piece of white construction paper in half and cutting out a heart. Keep in mind, precut heart-shaped doilies can be used for this craft instead of construction paper wings.

Once the wings are complete, fold them in half, and punch a hole near the center of the folded edge. The wings will be attached with a belt fashioned from half of a pipe cleaner. Have students draw or paint a face and hair on the angel, and complete the project by using the other half of the pipe cleaner to make a halo. The halo should be glued in place and allowed to dry before handling or taking home.

The angel can be further embellished with bits of glitter on the wings, and a ribbon can be tied just above the wings for hanging. Encourage your students to use their individual creativity and imagination to make this unique Valentine's Day craft to give to parents as a heartfelt Valentine's Day gift that they'll cherish forever.

By Crystal Ray

Home Decor Craft Ideas Leopard Print Tissue Candles

2008-11-24T18:33:00.001-08:00

Pillar candles are an easy and inexpensive way to accessorize any room in your home. If your d?cor theme includes a safari or animal print look, these chic and cheap leopard print tissue candles are perfect to dress up your room.

For this project, you will need:

- One or more large brown or black pillar candles

- Heat tool

- Animal Print Luncheon Napkins (found online at Party Pro)

- Decorative edge scissors

- Glue stick

- Brown or black acrylic paint

- Artist's paintbrush

- Brown or black satin ribbon, 1/2 wide

- Hot glue gun

Begin first by cutting the leopard print section out of the Animal Print Luncheon Napkins. Use decorative edge scissors to create desired shapes for the design of your candle. (Ex: Use squares for a geometric appeal, or hodgepodge shapes for a more flamboyant look. Be creative!)

Secure the napkin pieces to your candle using a bit of glue stick. (There is no need to use much glue, as we will be securing the paper further later on in the project.) Outline the paper patterns with brown or black acrylic paint and an artist's paintbrush. Let the paint dry completely.

Using the heat tool, gently go over the entire pillar candle. The wax should just barely be melting slightly; enough to look wet. Smooth the paper napkin pieces with your fingers gently to prevent any bubbles, after you have turned off the heat tool and set it on your workspace. Let the candle wax harden, which should take no more than a half an hour.

Cut a length of 1/2 wide brown or black satin ribbon. Wrap around the candle and tie in a bow. Secure the bow with a dot or two of hot glue. Enjoy!

Safety Note: If you actually plan to burn the candle, you will want to remove the ribbon for safety reasons. Also, always take extreme caution when using the heat tool. Serious burns can ensue, so make sure to keep your hands out of the way of the tool.

TIP: Save the leftover zebra portions of the napkins! Create a matching pair with a black pillar candle, white acrylic paint, and the leftover scraps. Add additional details as desired in both projects with acrylic paint. (Red looks great with both zebra and leopard print!) The only limit is your imagination and d?cor taste, so don't be afraid to get creative!

By Landra Lynn

How to Make a Door Hanger with Craft Sticks

2008-11-23T18:33:00.001-08:00

Door hangers that display special messages along with creative designs are as fun to make as they are decorative, and you can make personalized door hangers for every occasion. With several wide craft sticks and a few other supplies, you can make a door hanger that's far better than anything sold in stores, and you can make it for considerably less money. If you want a fun and easy craft project for adults as well as kids, give the following door hanger craft project a try. They're great for group projects, scouts, school, or for any occasion. They also make wonderful gifts.

Necessary Supplies

To make a door hanger you'll need 7 wide craft sticks, latex craft paint, a paintbrush, water, wood glue, and a ribbon approximately 10 inches in length. You'll find wide craft sticks at most major craft stores, discount stores that sell crafting supplies, and online. They're really very inexpensive, and they come in various lengths. Any length can be used for this easy craft project.

Optional Supplies

Besides the necessary supplies you can use optional supplies to decorate the painted door hanger. It can be embellished with colorful self-stick foam cutouts, sequins, artificial flowers, faux gems, beads, and anything else you can think of. Even fake fur and scrapbook supplies can be used to decorate a door hanger made from craft sticks, depending on the subject you choose.

Subject Ideas

The options for making a decorative door hanger are endless. You can make a door hanger that says Keep Out, or something more welcoming. Consider the next major holiday, and come up with a door hanger design to help decorate for the occasion. The choices are only limited by your imagination. The craft sticks can represent a picket fence, and the door hanger can be embellished with beautiful artificial flower heads and painted-on grass and foliage. Use your imagination to make something beautiful and completely different. Once you make one door hanger with craft sticks, you'll want to make many more. This project is addicting, and the possibilities are infinite!

Procedure
Begin by evenly placing 5 sticks vertically on a protected flat surface, and make sure they're properly aligned with the sides touching. Next, glue a craft stick horizontally across the top, about an inch from the edge. Do the same along the bottom. The finished results will look like a privacy fence. Allow the glue to dry completely before continuing.

Next, turn the door hanger over, and paint it with latex craft paint of your choice. Allow the paint to dry before decorating it further, and add words or any designs you prefer. Once the paint has dried completely, you can glue on flowers, gems, foam cutouts, or anything else you want on your craft stick door hanger before tying on the ribbon for hanging.

By Crystal Ray

Easter Craft Ideas Pink Bunny and Chick Stamped Plates

2008-11-23T18:32:00.001-08:00

If you are hosting an Easter brunch this year, these easy pink bunny and chick stamped plates are the perfect way to spice up your table. Make a simple set of four or more, as desired. Or, pair a set together and give to your favorite hostess!

For this project, you will need:

- Four plain white dinner or dessert plates

- Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Surface Conditioner

- Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Paint in Cotton Candy Pink

- Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Clear Gloss

- Sponge brush

- Bunny Behind Egg Rubber Stamp (available online at Party Pro)

- Easter Chick Rubber Stamp (available online at Party Pro)

- Soap and water

- Paper towels

- Newspaper

It is always best when working with ceramics to start with clean items. Wash each plate with soap and water. Dry each well with paper towels and cover your entire workspace with newspaper.

With the sponge brush, coat one plate with Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Surface Conditioner. Repeat the process with the remaining three plates. Allow each plate to dry for one to two hours before continuing.

Again using the sponge brush, apply a generous amount of Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Paint in Cotton Candy Pink to the back of the Bunny Behind Egg rubber stamp. Gently press the rubber stamp to the center of one plate. Repeat with one other plate. Let the unny plates dry for two to three hours before continuing.

Apply pink paint to the back of the Easter Chick rubber stamp. Press to the center of each of the remaining two plates. Allow the plates to dry in a cool, dry area for the same amount of time as the previous.

With the sponge brush, coat each plate entirely with Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Clear Gloss. Set the pink bunny and chick plates aside overnight to cure. Wash, dry, and enjoy your new festive plate set!

TIP: These plates are perfect for Easter goodie gift giving! Make your favorite cookies, candies, or treats and pile high on one plate. Place the plate on a large square of pink or green cellophane and gather the plastic at the top. Wrap a satin ribbon around the top, three or four times. Secure the cellophane with a large satin bow. The gift of the plate can be reused long after the sweets are gone, year after year!

By Landra Lynn

St. Patrick's Craft Ideas Children's Leprechaun Hats

2008-11-22T00:54:00.001-08:00

This fun and easy craft is perfect for a children's St. Patrick's Day party or a classroom setting. Due to the use of scissors and glue, some adult supervision is necessary but the cutting portions of this project can be done ahead of time to ease the assembly process.

For this project, you will need:

- Two 12 inch by 12 inch squares of dark green colored felt

- One 4 inch by 4 inch square of yellow colored felt

- Three 8 inch by 6 inch rectangle of light green colored felt

- Black permanent marker

- Stapler

- Scissors

- Ruler

- Gold loose glitter

- Elmer's white glue (NOT a glue stick)

- Newspaper

For the gluing and glitter portions of this project, it is recommended that your work area be covered well with newspaper.

With the ruler and permanent marker, trace a triangle on one sheet of dark green colored felt that is eight inches at the base. Repeat the process on the second sheet of dark green colored felt. Using scissors, cut both triangles out.

Add a bead strip of Elmer's white glue around the edge of three sides of one triangle, leaving the base untouched. Sandwich the other triangle to the one with glue, and lightly press down around the glued border. Place a row of three to four staples around the glued edges for extra adherence. This will be the base of the leprechaun hat.

Place another bead strip of Elmer's white glue around the outside bottom of the triangle hat. Adhere one of the rectangles of light green colored felt to the bottom of the hat to form a brim. Repeat this on the opposite side of the hat. Let the glue dry.

Cut the center out of the square of yellow colored felt so it looks like a uckle. Glue the square of yellow colored felt to the center of the hat and allow it to dry. Apply glue to the outside of the buckle, and sprinkle with loose gold glitter.

With the final piece of light green colored felt, trace a few shamrock shapes using the permanent marker. Cut the shapes out and glue them on the hat for decoration.

Let the glue dry completely before letting the child wear their new St. Patrick's Day leprechaun hat!

TIP: The child can also decorate the hat using washable markers. Or, use gold colored beads or sequins instead of glitter. Be creative!

By Landra Lynn

Summer Craft Ideas for the Kids

2008-11-22T00:49:00.003-08:00

Here are 3 Summer Craft Ideas to keep your kids busy during the summer. These Summer Crafts dont require much money, if any at all.

1. Color Sand Bottles
This is a really cool craft idea. You can use any type of jar or bottle that has a lid or cork. I find that baby food jars work really well for this project.

Materials You Will Need:

Bottles or Jars (how ever many you want to use)
Sand
Water
Paper Cups
Food Coloring
Paper Towels
Plastic Spoons
Funnel

Directions:

Fill the paper cups about half full with sand. Add just enough water to the cups to cover the sand. Once you have added the water you can add the food coloring to each cup. You can mix the food coloring together to get different colors. Now you will need to stir your cups of sand up to allow the food coloring to spread through the sand. Let the cups sit for about 15 20 minutes to allow the food coloring and the sand to set. When the time is up, pour the remaining water off of the sand. Lay some paper towels out on a table or something flat. Using your plastic spoon, dip the sand out of the cup and spread on the paper towels. Give your sand some time to dry and then you can start filling your bottles or jars. Use the funnel so you can easily get the sand in the bottles or jars.

2. Decorated Flip Flops
This Summer Craft Idea is a great way to turn those boring flip flops in to fancy flip flops. You can buy the $1 flip flops to decorate. They work really well.

Materials You Will Need:

Flips Flops
Craft Glue
Feathers, Beads, Rhinestones, Buttons, Ribbon, or what ever you want to use to decorate your flip flops.

Directions:

Get crafty and glue your stuff on the plastic that goes across the top of the foot. There are many different designs that you can do and many different things that you can use to decorate. Use your imagination and you can fancy those flip flops up.

3. Ladybug Garden Decorations
This summer craft idea is sure to make a pretty piece for your garden.

Material You Will Need:

Oval Rocks (what ever size you prefer)
Paint Black, Red, & White (the acrylic paint pens work the best)
Rolling Eyes (optional)

Directions:
Paint the rock to make it look like a ladybug. If you want to put rolling eyes on it instead of painting the eyes on, then just place the eyes on the rock. This summer craft is fairly easy and a lot of fun.

Summer Crafts are a great way to keep the little ones occupied. These crafts cost very little money and are simple to do. I have made these summer crafts with my kids and they really enjoyed them. Have Fun!!!!!

By Jasmine Starr

8 Art and Craft Ideas to Do with Your Preschooler

2008-11-22T00:49:00.001-08:00

Preschoolers are a fun age. They are creative, up for anything and full of energy. Here are a few fun ideas that are targeted for the age group of 3-5.

Instruments. Its very easy to make musical instruments from items found around your house. Old bowls, or plastic containers can be made into drums and guitars. For a drum, put a piece of wax paper over a plastic container and rubber band in place. A wooden spoon makes a great thumper. Or experiment with other types of wrap to make a drum. Empty plastic bottles make great shakers when a few beans or some rice is added. Metal objects can be tied or clanged together for a chime. Rubber bands stretched over a bowl make a guitar. Then have a concert with your preschooler.

Flash cards. Using flashcards is a great learning tool, but a preschooler loves to create and often learns better and remembers what they have created. Using plain index cards have your preschooler draw and or paste pictures of whatever you want, Colors, animals, letters, and numbers are a few ideas. Then write the word under the picture.

Collages. Take family photos and magazine pictures and let your preschooler make a collage out of the pictures. Have them help you choose the shapes for the pictures then cut them out and glue them to card stock. Let them glue those sturdy images to a large sheet of paper or a poster board. Have a verity of fun things for them to add on. Glitter, ribbon, wrapping paper, yarn, crayons, makers. Many things can be used.

Puppets. Make a puppet out of a paper bag or old socks is fun for a preschooler. Allow them to decorate the puppet how ever they desire. Then put on a puppet show with your creations. Your preschooler will love seeing their art at work. Yarn, pipe cleaners, pompoms and markers are a few useful items to make puppets.

Painting. Sponge painting, and finger painting are a great way to bond with your preschooler while allowing them their creativity. Set up large sheets of paper outside where getting messy doesn't matter. You can cut regular dish sponges into shapes, or buy craft sponges in a verity of shapes. Put small plastic containers of paint down and let your child go to work. Better yet sit with them and finger paint as well.

Make your own book. Use a hole punch to punch holes through several pieces of construction paper. Use yarn to bind the book, and have your preschooler draw pictures. Preschoolers have amazing imaginations, the stories they tell are fantastic. Help them write their stories down and illustrate them.

Jewelry. Pasta is a great jewelry item for preschoolers. With its fun shapes and holes through out its very easy to make necklaces and bracelets. They can be painted or left plain. Buttons, and large beads can also be used. String on yarn to make jewelry.

Make Clay. This is actually really easy to do at home, Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup salt, 1 teaspoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar in a pot. Cook over medium heat until it holds together, mixing constantly to avoid it sticking to the pain. Cool then knead on a floured table and knead in color with food coloring. Store in an airtight container to make it last. Children love creating with clay and its easy to make with ingredients generally around the house.

By L Poulson

Wedding Craft Ideas Dinner Mint Bags and Fantasy Goblets

2008-11-22T00:48:00.000-08:00

Dinner Mint Bags

Materials Needed

1 bag of dinner mints

1 yard of white lace

1 roll white ribbon

1 bag of glass beads (wedding color)

1 bag of white feathers

This craft is fairly simple to complete and will give a whimsical feel to your guests tables. To begin measure out your lace and cut it in four inch squares. When that is completed take each square and add a pinch of dinner mints to each one. Then take all four corners of your lace and pull them together. You will then use five inches of white ribbon to tie the lace together creating a bag. Be sure that your ribbon is proportioned equally on either side of your knot. Take the end of each side of the ribbon and add three glass beads of your wedding color and tie a single knot to keep the beads from sliding down. Be sure that you leave an inch of ribbon after your knot. The final touch is adding the white feathers. Take a single feather and tie it using the remaining inch of ribbon ( I use a double knot on my feathers to keep them from sliding out of the ribbon. )

Fantasy Goblets

Materials Needed

large wine goblets

? inch ribbon (wedding color)

crystal beads, pearls, mints, any type of filler

Fantasy goblets are easy to make and give your guest tables a classy look. All you need to get started are wine goblets of any style and ? inch ribbon. ( Most brides chose to use their wedding color for the color of ribbon. ) Cut your ribbon in five inch sections for both top and bottom of the goblet. Tie the ribbon in a large tight bow at the top of the goblets stem. Use another piece of ribbon and tie a small bow at the bottom of the goblets stem letting the tales of the ribbon trail off the table. Use crystal beads, pearls, mints, or any type of filler to fill your goblet half full. Sprinkle some of your filler around the base of your goblet on the table. Some people chose to add a tea candle on top of the filler.

By Jezzabell

Simple Christmas Craft Ideas Glitter Pine Cones Wreaths and More

2008-11-22T00:45:00.001-08:00

Finding craft ideas that can be enjoyed by children of all ages can be a challenge at times. Throw in the fact that you want to stick to a budget and it becomes even harder.

Here's a few of the ideas that I've come across in recent years.

Glitter pine cone:

Gather clean well shaped pine cones, loose glitter, brown bags, spray adhesive, and ribbon. Spray your pinecone with the adhesive and then drop into a bag that you've sprinkled glitter into. Shake well and remove. After deciding where to position your ribbon add more adhesive to that area (regular glue works well for this also) and making a loop with the ribbon lay ends on the glue and hold briefly. If cone still feels tacky allow to dry before handling.

Snow globes:

You will need small disposable plastic tumblers, cotton balls, paper doilies, small and mini colored puff balls, plastic wiggly eyes, and a hot glue gun. The doily will be used as the base upon which you will you will glue down a cotton ball that you have pulled apart. Once this is done you are ready to begin assembling your snowman gluing as you go. Use three cotton balls to form the body and center it on the doily. The colored puff balls will make the buttons down the snowman's front as well as his nose. Use the mini's to make a mouth and add wiggly eyes to complete. Sprinkle with glitter if desired and then turn the plastic tumbler upside down and glue in place. If you want to hang the snow globe simply punch a hole in the bottom of the tumbler before gluing in place and thread with ribbon or yarn.

Paperweights:

Small glass baby food jars, spray paint and glue. Spray the lid with color of your choice and allow to dry. Fill the jar with items you've chosen and the glue lid on. The lid is usually the base. Some ideas for filling the jar are colored sand, decorative glass or rocks, small sea shells, buttons, beads, or different colored bits of yarn. There are of course many other things that can be used. Simply look around the house and see what you can find that will fit.

Fun with foam wreath:

Using sheets of craft foam trace hand print with fingers spread and cut out. You will need approximately 13. Once they are cut out lay in a circle with the fingers pointing out and the base of the palms overlapping. When you are happy with the look use a hot glue gun to glue together To decorate use small fun foam shapes, beads, ribbon, buttons or other light weight items that spark your interest. Hang by attaching a ribbon to the top with either glue or by punching a hole in one of the hands.

Beaded ornament

Styrofoam balls, small beads, straight pins for beading, and ribbon. These are beautiful and easy to make. Simply place a few beads on a pin and push into the Styrofoam ball. Stop when you are happy with the look you have achieved. Make a loop with the ribbon and pin to the top.

A variation of this is to take small strips of fabric that are cut so that the center is slightly wider then the ends and lay them on the ball. You will lay to strips of fabric side by side and slightly overlapping, place a ribbon over the raw edge and pin in place. Repeat until the ball is covered and then decorate with the beads.

By Deanna H.

Thanksgiving Craft Ideas

2008-11-22T00:44:00.001-08:00

Will you have a house full of children for Thanksgiving? Or maybe you would just like to get your own children involved in preparing and decorating your home for Thanksgiving Day. Children love being involved and helping out when it comes to the holidays. Here are a few Thanksgiving craft ideas for your children to enjoy.

A pine cone turkey is great fun to make and can even be used as a festive Thanksgiving decoration. You will need a nice large, open pine cone for each turkey you want to make. You will also need some brown, red, orange and yellow construction paper, a pencil or pen, scissors and hot glue. You can also use some googly eyes and glue if you would like.

First off it is easier to hold the pine cone steady if you use some clay or even play dough to place the pine cone on. This will keep the pinecone from rolling around while you are trying to create your turkey. As I'm sure you know, the pine cone will be the body of your turkey and the construction paper will be the tail feathers. Draw out some feathers on the construction paper, making sure to vary colors so that your turkey will have a nice colorful tail. Then let your children cut the feathers out. With the pine cone laying on it's side, you will then proceed to glue the feathers to the top of the wide end of the pine cone. Just alternate the colors and go from one side to the other in order to produce a beautiful and large tail on your turkey. Next draw out a long neck and head on a sheet of red construction paper and have your child cut it out. You can then glue googly eyes on it and then glue it to the small end of the pine cone. Once it's all dry you will have a great and festive decoration for Thanksgiving that your children will be happy to announce they helped to make.

A hand and foot turkey is some that my girls enjoy a lot. You will need at least one willing child to help you with this project. You'll also need brown, orange, red and yellow construction paper, googly eyes, glue and scissors. First use your child by tracing both of their feet on the brown construction paper. Then trace both hands on each sheet of the orange, red and yellow construction paper. The footprints will become that turkey's body and the handprints will become the tail feathers.

Let your child cut everything out. Once done, you should end up with two brown footprints and three sets of handprints. You will then glue the two footprints together. The heels will be together but the toes should be pointing away from each other. The heels will be the turkey's head. Glue the googly eyes to the turkey's head. Cut out an orange beak and two small legs for the turkey. Glue the beak and legs onto the turkey. Lastly, glue the handprints to the back edges of the turkey, going up the sides and over the top. This will create a nice colorful tail. Once it's all dry you will have a cute Thanksgiving decoration that you can hang anywhere in your home. If you have children of different ages then it's fun to see the size differences between their turkeys.

A string of leaves is a very simple and easy Thanksgiving craft. You only need some red, orange, yellow and brown construction paper, crayons or markers, scissors, glue or tape and a long piece of yarn. Start by drawing leaves with large stems on the construction paper. Have your children cut out all of the leaves. Next have your children decorate the leaves with veins or whatever they like. Fold the stems in half and then tape, glue or staple the stems over the yarn. Do this with each leaf until your yarn is full. Then hang your string of leaves around your house. You can make several of these to adorn your doorways and/or diningroom. These can make any home look festive for Thanksgiving Day.

Next up is the Thanksgiving Tree. This is a great project for the whole family. You will need a sheet of white poster board, pencil, markers or crayons, red, yellow and orange construction paper, scissors and glue or tape. On each sheet of construction paper trace your child's hand. If you have more than one child make sure to do their hands also. Have your children cut them all out.

On the poster board draw out a bare tree form with multiple branches. Have your children color it brown. Once that is finished have your children write one thing that they are thankful for on each leaf. Next tape or glue the leaves onto the tree branches. You can then hang this up as a Thanksgiving decoration. This is also a great activity to keep the kids busy when you are busy cooking that perfect turkey. You can have your children help you get all the supplies prepared ahead of time so that when all of those cousins arrive they can all sit down and get started on writing what they are thankful for. Then have them share their tree with the family at dinner.

Lastly is the easy indian headband. Kids love running around with these on while pretending to be the indians od the past. For this activity you will need various colors of construction paper, scissors and tape or staples. Start by cutting 1 inch wide long strips of brown construction paper. Then cut out various colors of feathers. Place a strip of brown paper around your child's head and staple or tape the ends. Next glue or tape the feathers onto the strip. It's as easy as that.

I hope that these craft ideas will be of some use to you and your children during the Thanksgiving holiday.

By Christie Silvers

Spring Craft Ideas Leaf Print Domino Tray

2008-11-22T00:43:00.001-08:00

When I think of Spring, visions of leaves and green come to mind. This chic leaf print domino tray is so easy to make and is perfect for using as a tea tray or storage tray. For a unique gift idea, try filling it with favorite Spring baked goods and using the tray as a basket!

For this project, you will need:

- 15 x 11 unfinished rectangle wood serving tray (such as this one at JoAnn Crafts)

- Medium grit sand paper

- Tack cloth

- Dominos, enough to cover the whole bottom of the tray.

- Delta CeramCoat Paint in Eucalyptus Opaque

- Delta CeramCoat Paint in Gamal Green Semi-Opaque

- Delta CeramCoat Paint in Green Tea Opaque

- Sponge brush

- Stampin' Treasures Leafy Stem Rubber Stamp (found online here)

- Stampin' Treasures Leaf Branch Rubber Stamp (found online here)

- Stampin' Treasures Single Leaf Rubber Stamp (found online here)

- Acrylic finishing spray

- Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Begin by lighting sanding the 15 x 11 unfinished rectangle wood serving tray with medium grit sandpaper. Remove any excess dust with a tack cloth.

With the sponge brush, paint the entire tray using Delta CeramCoat Green Tea Opaque paint. Use three to four solid coats, letting each layer set for a half hour in between. Allow the tray to dry completely before continuing.

Turn all of the dominos number side down on your workspace. Using the sponge brush, paint the non-number side of each tile with Delta CeramCoat Eucalyptus Opaque paint. Two coats should be more than sufficient. Let the tiles dry completely.

Heat up your hot glue gun. Apply a thick layer of glue to the number side of one of the painted dominos. Press flat into the upper left hand corner of the inside of the tray in a vertical position. Repeat this with a second domino, working from left to right. Adhere two dominos in a horizontal position next to the two vertical tiles. Continue this pattern until the entire bottom of the tray is covered with painted dominos.

With the sponge brush, apply a bit of Delta CeramCoat Gamal Green Semi-Opaque paint to the bottom of one leaf stamp. Gently press the stamp anywhere on one of the dominos in the bottom of the tray. Repeat with the remaining stamps, as desired. Let all paints dry fully before coating the entire tray project with acrylic finishing spray.

By Landra Lynn

Make Your Own Picture Frame Craft Ideas

2008-11-22T00:42:00.003-08:00

Plate picture frames are a really easy craft to do and they look very stylish. It also has two benefits: you can show off your decorative plates that you probably wouldn't use to eat off in any case because they are for decoration and they show off your pictures of family and friends.

This is really easy to do. It will help if you a compass. Not a compass that shows you which way is north obviously but one of those things that you put a pencil in and you can make a nice perfect circle (I couldn't draw a circle without a compass if my life depended on it). Set the compass to half the diameter of the center of the plate and draw your circle on the back of the picture you are using.

Cut out the circle. (This is the hardest part for me. I'm surprised I didn't fail kindergarten my cutting is so crooked.)

Double-sided crafting tape works really well for putting the picture on the plate. This way you can take the picture off and put it on another plate or put a different picture on the plate if you want to. Even nicer is if you have the ability to print your own picture, then you can get the post-it self adhesive paper which makes this project even easier. With the self-adhesive paper you can still remove the picture from the plate if you need to.

CD Case Picture Frames

CD Case picture frames are a great craft for kids to do and they make great Mother's Day or Father's Day gifts. You will need an empty CD case, wrapping paper or fun foam, glue and things to decorate it with such as ribbon, buttons, shells, etc. You will also of course, need a picture. It should be wallet size.

All you have to do is glue cut out a border from the foam or the wrapping paper and glue it to the CD case. I find it works best to glue everything on the inside of the case and not the outside, unless you find you don't have room for your picture that way. If you want your decorations to overlap the picture in anyway you will have to glue them to the outside of the CD case. Also, whether you glue on the outside or the inside affects the order. For the outside, glue the border first then decorations. For the inside, glue the decorations and then the border. After you glue on the border and all your other decorations just glue the picture inside the CD case in the center of the border. Shut the case and glue on some ribbon to hang the picture frame from and you are done.

By Theresa Sylvester

Toddler Easter Craft Ideas

2008-11-22T00:42:00.001-08:00

Making Easter crafts with your toddler will be a lot of fun. You and your toddler will create memories that neither of you will ever forget. Toddler Easter crafts are fun, fast and easy. For some great ideas on simple crafts that you and your child can make for Easter, keep reading.

Because most toddlers do not have a high attention span, you should choose crafts that are fast and easy to make. So what if it is not perfect in the end. You and your child will have a blast making them. Remember to give close supervision where scissors are needed and avoid using hot glue as it can burn your child. Elmer's craft glue will work just fine.

Making a bunny from a paper plate and noodles will be a lot of fun. Start by taking a plain paper plate and gluing uncooked macaroni noodles to the plate for the bunny's face. Cut a few straws off of a broom for the whiskers and glue those in place as well. Do not forget the bunny ears! Pipe cleaners that are bent in the shape of an ear will work and you can glue those to the back of the plate. Your toddler will love making this craft, and be oh so eager to show it off to others.

Make a bunny pouch with just some construction paper, an envelope, markers or crayons, and scissors. Using a standard square envelope, lick it so that it is shut. Then take your scissors and cut open the top of the envelope (as you would with a letter opener). Cut ears from your construction paper, and if you want to get really creative with it, cut a contrasting color for the inside of the ears. Next draw the face onto the front of the envelope. Glue the ears to the inside of the front side of the envelope. Your toddler will love making this Easter craft. If you are having an Easter party you can make several of these pretty fast and fill them with goodies for the guests.

Easter crafts for toddlers should not be complicated. They should be fun and simple things that you child will love to do. Have them help you make these fun things and then use them to decorate your home for Easter. Your toddler will be so happy that they were part of the craft making that they will want to show them to everyone that walks through your door.

By Rebecka Whitlock

Celebrate Valentine's Day with These Easy Crafts for Kids

2008-11-22T00:41:00.000-08:00

Every year your youngster comes home with a list of classmates for the annual Valentine's Day party at school. Your son or daughter loves to give Valentine's Day cards to both family and friends. this year, encourage your child to give a gift from the heart.

Presenting friends and family members with a personalized Valentine's Day card does not need to break the bank. Spark your child's creativity. Bring out the items from the craft cabinet. Construction paper, markers, and crayons are perfect for crafting that special card. Some glitter and glue will add extra pizzazz to any Valentine.
Everyday household items add that special touch.

Spruce up the traditional Valentine's Day card with a little lace. Use scraps of lace around the edge of the card to make a frame. Doilies make a nice background for construction paper hearts

Your son or daughter can create a Valentine's Day card with a surprise inside. Have your child glue a flat piece of aluminum foil to the inside of the card. The front of the card should read Roses are red, Violets are blue, My favorite Valentine.... Under the piece of foil write the words Is YOU!

Your child can cut out words and phrases from newspapers and magazines to arrange into a letter from a Secret Admirer. Buy a small box of message hearts to add some fun to your child's gifts. Use them as part of a love letter or add a few to each envelope.

Make certain all the Valentine's are sent with love. Seal the cards with a kiss. Use some red lipstick to create a great effect. Apply lipstick to your child's lips and let them add their personal touch.

Your child can give their Valentine some sugar. Using a roll of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough, roll out the dough and cut into heart shapes with cookie cutters. Ice the cookies with some pink frosting or use colored sugar. A heart-shaped chocolate chip cookie is always perfect for that sweet one on your child's list.
Give the gift of flowers. Have your youngster cut a styrofoam egg carton into twelve separate flowers. This easy craft uses the cup shaped portion of the carton to make flowers. A child can color the flower any way they like. Use a green pipe cleaner as a stem by poking it through the bottom of the flower. Have the child curve the end of the pipe cleaner into a small center for the flower. By making a small round center, the flower will stay in place. Use another green pipe cleaner to wrap around the stem to form the leaves. Plant your flower in a miniature taracotta flower pot filled with Play Dough. Cover the Play Dough dirt with a thin layer of aquarium gravel. Allow time for the dirt to harden. Your child's flower will be the perfect gift for family and friends.

Your child will love making personalized Valentine gifts and cards. A few craft supplies and goodies from around the house will allow your child to express his or her creativity with a inexpensive gift from the heart.

By Angela Kimball

Best Sites for Kids' Craft Ideas

2008-11-22T00:37:00.003-08:00

Crafts are a great idea for creatively and quietly filling your child's play time. When the day is rainy or too hot or too cold for prolonged outdoor activity, crafts are the perfect replacement. If your kids have worn themselves out with sports or really just want a change from their daily agenda, crafts really can step up and fill the need. But for parents providing a craft can be a lot more difficult than convincing kids to try it. Parents who want to join in a craft with their kids can reduce the search time and move along to the crafting time by using one or more of these best sties for kids' craft ideas.

Kids Domain. Part of the larger Kaboose Family Network, Kids Domain centers its efforts on providing crafting ideas and materials for families. Located at
www.kidsdomain.com Kids Domain offers a truly incredible collection of season and holiday craft activities that are clearly explained and mapped out for adults who are leading children in a crafting activity.

What's great about the Kids Domain site is that it uses low cost supplies. You don't have to worry about order a fancy craft kit with lots of pieces that always seem to get lost. Instead by using the Kids Domain site you can track down crafting ideas that require inexpensive materials or better yet, crafts that are crated out of recycled materials .

For the fashion plate in your family there are wearable crafts. And for the inveterate party goer, crafts that can conveniently be used as gifts. But best of all there are just lots of crafting ideas that will be fun and easy for you and your family to share together. You will notice that this site also offers you the chance to sign up for a free monthly newsletter that will keep you and your kids informed of some of the latest crafting ideas. It's a wonderful way to keep in touch with your own desire to share some special craft time with your kids.

The Idea Box. The Idea Box is a carefully produced site that is aimed at extending usable and workable resources to parents teachers and caregivers for children of ll ages. The intent of this is very all inclusive and what makes them one of the best sties for kids' crafting ideas is that they are very successful at what they do. In fact you could say that the Idea Box is like a traffic cop that is waiting to direct you to exactly where you need to go to get the materials and directions necessary for your own special crafting project. To access this traffic cop all you need to do is visit www.theideabox.com .

The Idea Box offers all of those involved with children a huge on line clearing house of well organized and well cataloged ideas. And there is more. The Idea Box is so diverse in its offerings that it includes Christian Crafts and Sunday School Crafts for the specialized use of Christian families and after church programs.

Not surprisingly the Idea Box also produces and offers its own free newsletter to keep readers up to date on what's new in the world of crafting with kids. You really should be ready to handle any crafting emergency when you go to www.theideabox.com , one of the best sites for kids' crafting ideas.

Amazing Moms. One of the best sites for kids' crafting ideas, not surprisingly comes from a group of moms who have lots of experience in many areas of parenting. Their site provides a number of areas of interest for moms doing their best to raise children. One area of major concern is providing Moms ( and Dad's) with great ideas for crafting with their kids.

While this is a somewhat smaller and less developed site than the Idea Box, what it lacks in size it makes up for with organization. The site which can be visited by going to www.amazingmoms.com divides its offerings into age brackets with crafts for pre-school or K-sixth grade. It provides help with finding kits and supplies. This site also provides seasonal, holiday and general crafting sections to meet your needs throughout the year.

Amazing Moms want to help everyone to feel they too can be amazing at what they do. That's why they include an offer for a free newsletter on their website. This is not an especially flashy site but it does what it sets out to do. It enables others to quickly find crafts that will work for children at their own level. It does not overwhelm you by its numerous links . It just sticks to business and so for many will seem like one of the best sites for kids craft ideas.

By Lima

Father's Day Craft Ideas Arm Chair Caddy

2008-11-22T00:37:00.001-08:00

This super easy arm chair caddy is the perfect Father's Day craft that kids can easily make and give to ad as a Homemade Father's day gift. If you are on the hunt for a Father's Day craft that can double as a homemade Father's day gift, then I think you will really like this easy Arm Chair Caddy.

Kids can customize their arm chair caddy to easily fit almost any type of chair that Dad likes to sit on. Specifically this arm chair caddy would work well on a Lazy Boy arm, recliner, chair arm, or a couch arm.

The skill level in this Father's Day Craft is easy, if you let the home improvement store make your wood cuts for you!

To Make This Arm Chair Caddy Craft For Father's Day You Will Need:

1 8 X 10 picture frame

3 8 X10 pieces of plywood

An assortment of wood office supply organizers or metal

Screws

Wood Glue
Paint

Paint brushes

8X10 photo or artwork

Click here for more ideas for the big man from Rebecca.

So, the first step is to insert your photo or artwork into the 8X10 frame.

Now, take one 8X10 piece of plywood and wood glue the other two 8X10 piece of plywood to it. You want to do this on the long side, the 10 inch side. The two new pieces of plywood should stand down on it to make it look like a table.

The two 8 inch sides should remain open.

Now, if you have access to a drill then pre drill the hole sand screws this together. If not, use one of those glues that hold like nails.

Now, once this bade is dry go ahead an paint it out in any color you want.

Let the arm chair caddy dry.

Now, use that same wood glue or tough as nails glue to attach the office supply organizers to one side of the arm chair caddy. Try to choose office supply organizers that are the right size to hold dad's cell phone, the remote, or even pens! Glue them in a row on the one side of the arm chair caddy.

If you use metal office supply organizers, then you can screw them into place. Be sure to pre drill the holes first though!

Now, to attach the artwork on time and create a finished tray on top of the arm chair caddy all you need to do is run a thick bead of your glue around the back of the wood frame. Press it into place on top of the Father's Day arm chair caddy.

Make sure you line the edges up with the edges and make it look professional.

Let the Father's Day CRaft dry and you are finished! Dad can slip the arm chair caddy onto his favorite chair and keep everything he need near him and even rest a drink and bowl of chips on top!

Tip: If you want to make this arm chair caddy fit your recliner or couch arm perfectly, then measure how wide your arm is on the chair. Then measure how long. Have you wood cut to this size. You may not be able to find a frame this size, but the kids can paint anything they want on top!

By RS

Three Easy Wedding Craft Ideas

2008-11-22T00:34:00.003-08:00

Making you own wedding crafts can save you time and money. Wedding crafts are easier to make than you think and can even become precious family heirlooms. You can find some materials around the house or at your local craft shop or department store. Here are three easy wedding craft ideas to get you started.

Ceremony Flowers

What is a wedding without flowers? Wedding flowers do not have to cost a fortune. You can make inexpensive bouquet, boutonni??res, and flower girl baskets yourself. For a simple bouquet, purchase several silk roses, floral tape, and ribbon. Bunch several flowers together and secure with floral tape. Tie ribbon around the stem and attach longer ribbon to drag the floor if desired. You can use real flowers but artificial ones are easier to work with. Make the bridesmaids' bouquets in the same way.

To make boutonni??res, use a small, single white flower. Add some greenery and secure with floral tape. Remember men do not like anything fancy so do not use too many embellishments. For corsages, bunch an odd number of flowers together. Add fillers, ribbons, and secure with floral tape. Weave pin back through ribbon. Purchase small baskets for the flower girls and fill with flowers. Decorate baskets with matching ribbons.

Ring Bearer Pillow

For a ring bearer pillow, you will need two eight or ten inch square s of fabric, lace, stuffing, and ribbon. If possible, use the same fabric from the wedding dress. Add embellishments or embroidery before sewing. On straight edge of fabric square, loosely pin lace on right side. Pin fabric loosely with right sides together. Make sure pinned edge of fabric is wedged between the squares. Leaving a ??-inch seam allowance, sew three edges together and insert stuffing. Fold un-sewn edge ?? inch into the pillow and hand stitch closed. Sew on an extra piece of 10-12 inch ribbon and attach rings to the loose strands. Add a bow to hide the stitches.

Unity Candles
If you have basic candle-making knowledge, it should be easy for you to make a unity candle. You can find supplies at you local craft shop or order online. For taper candles, Dip two wicks into the wax until the candles are desired width. When the candle cools, trim the wick to ?? inch. For a column candle, you will need a mold. Before you make the column candle, insert the wick from the bottom of the mold. Heat the wax and pour into the mold. Cut the wick several inches longer so you can attach a pencil to center the wick until the candle cools. You can also add bows and ribbons to decorate.

A wedding can cost a fortune but making your own wedding craft items will save time and expense. Crafts are fun and may even calm your nerves. Plan craft items ahead of time to allow time for all the details and correct errors. Don't forget the internet is a wonderful source of wedding craft patterns if you need more ideas.

By Amanda Roddy

Easy Kid Friendly Easter Craft Ideas

2008-11-22T00:34:00.001-08:00

Easter means different things to different people, and regardless of this, there are Easter crafts anyone can enjoy. These crafts are simple, relatively inexpensive, and kid-friendly.

A very simple Easter craft that you and your kids can do together is making placemats. You can get pastel colored construction paper and cut the sheets into one inch wide strips, and weave strips together. Or you can use pastel colored crayons, markers or watercolors to create unique designs on whole sheets of paper.

If you're planning an Easter dinner, try adding a formal touch by using place cards. This is one craft your kids can do by themselves, if they're old enough to use scissors, of course. You can cut paper into smaller squares (size is optional) or use index cards folded in half. Colored paper or index cards can make your designs really pop. Give your kids some crayons and let them go wild, adding decorations to names. If you want something fancier, try using a calligraphy marker for writing the names.

Easter crafts often involve a spring theme, and what says spring better than flowers? Get some small inexpensive flower pots, potting soil and flower seeds. If you're really ambitious you can paint the flower pots, or you can cut out magazine pictures and glue them to the pot. Or you can create a simple mosaic look by gluing on bits of crepe paper or construction paper. This craft can be as simple and inexpensive as you want, depending on materials. It is also a fun way to get your kids involved in science - you could make it an experiment to see how long it takes the flowers to bloom. This craft could make a great gift too.

To add some flair to your spring decorations, try making your own streamers. Take any kind of paper and cut it into strips. Bend one strip into a circle and tape the ends together. With the next strip, do the same, but link it to the first, like you are building a chain. Again, this is an Easter craft you can have your kids do by themselves. This is also an environmentally friendly craft - put your paper chain in the recycling bin when you are done.

The typical Easter usually involves the traditional dying of Easter eggs. You can make your eggs a craft project, and go beyond the dye. Crayons, markers, and stickers are a great and inexpensive way for adults and kids alike to personalize their eggs. If you don't like using real eggs you could also try painting plastic ones.

For a more memorable and long lasting Easter craft, have a family photo taken with everyone in their fancy Easter clothes. You could have a friend take the picture, rather than going to a professional photographer. Once you have a nice print of the photo, pick out a basic wood frame for it. You can paint designs on the frame, or do some kind of collage on it. This is also something kids can help with, and it might make the craft more memorable for you.

A somewhat more unique Easter craft is having your kids make a book. Get the paper ready for them, and let them write and illustrate their own Easter story (or a spring story if you're not religious). The binding can be as simple as staples, or you can punch holes down one side of the pages and run ribbon or yarn through the holes. If you want to go all out, you can take the pages to a copy center like Kinko's and have them bind it. Or you can pick up an inexpensive binder and some plastic page protectors. This is a craft that could turn into a great keepsake or gift.

Just about any of these Easter crafts can be kid-friendly. A little supervision may be necessary, but your kids will probably enjoy being included in making your Easter decorations memorable. These crafts don't have to be messy, either. Crayola has come out with great markers that only work on Crayola brand paper. With an item like this you can let your kids' imaginations run free without worrying about markers ending up all over your carpet or table.

By uncgrad

Easter Bunny Chair Slip Cover An Easy Craft for Kids

2008-11-22T00:32:00.001-08:00

This is a fun no sew craft project the kids can make to help decorate for Easter. Scissors are involved, so this Easter Bunny craft project may not be perfect for very little kids, but if you are willing to cut out the materials, they certainly could easily assemble their chair slip cover and be part of the fun.

This Easter Bunny craft project should cost you less than $5 per chair.

To Make a Easter Bunny Dining Chair Slip Cover You Will Need:

5 Yards of Felt (white, lavender, yellow, pink, and pastel green are all great options)

Lots of square soft felt fabric for cutting designs out of

Fabric Glue

No Sew

Scissors

Tape Measure

To start this simple craft project your need to measure the backs of your dining chairs. You are making a simple square or rectangle to slip over the back, so be accurate with the measurements.

My chairs are 20 wide and 35 inches tall on the back, so that is what I used.

Cut out 2 pieces of colorful felt for this. You will need two pieces of each chair you are covering. Add three inches on to each side to allow for the no sew or fabric glue.

Lay one piece down. Outline the top and two sides with a thick line of fabric glue. Lay the second piece of felt op to and press it into the fabric glue. Make sure you do not seal the bottom of the two pieces together or you won't be able to slip it onto the chair.

You will need to let the fabric glue dry completely before moving on to the next step.

Turn the Easter Bunny chair cover felt fabric inside out. If you don't want to wait to do this you have a few options. Sew the fabric with a sewing machine instead of gluing it. You could also use No Sew to sew the three sides. Let this cool a minute and you can turn the fabric out almost immediate. You could also let the kids use yarn on a large needle to sew the sides together. This will occupy them for a while and provide some more color on the slip cover.

Now, use the white felt fabric to cut out an Easter Bunny design. Let the kids have fun doing this part. To simplify this part have them cut out the Easter Bunny body first. Then a neck, then an Easter Bunny head. Next, use more white felt to cut out feet. Colorful pieces can be used for the tail.

Glue the Easter Bunny pieces down on the chair slipcover.

You can add details like googly eyes, glitter, and more to make it really festive. Fabric paint is not the best on felt, but you can use puff paint in a tube easily on felt.

Other fun family details you can add to these Easter Bunny dining chair slip covers are:

-Put the name of each family member on a chair.

-Write Happy Easter on One.

-Use puff paint to add small details like whiskers.

-Cut out other great Easter shapes out of the felt. Flowers, eggs, and carrots are all great ideas.

-Cut out colorful Easter Bunny instead of white bunnies to put on the chair slip covers.

-Why not try cutting out a shape like a spring chick in place of an Easter Bunny.

Once the fabric glue as dried slip the fabric over the back of your dining table chairs and enjoy! Hand wash this Easter Bunny craft project to keep it looking good. Spot clean if you can get away with it!

By RS

Simple and Fun 4th of July Craft Ideas

2008-11-22T00:31:00.003-08:00

Where I live, school breaks for summer right around Memorial Day. That means, sometime near the second week in June, my kids begin their I'm bored mantra. If this sounds familiar, then do what I do, entertain your children by having them work on 4th of July craft projects. Not only will this help them stay entertained, but it will allow them to be part of the 4th of July festivities. When your children are part of the 4th of July party planning and decorating, the pride and satisfaction they gain will encourage them to understand what the 4th of July is all about.

Tips for Choosing and Planning 4th Of July Crafts for Kids

Keep it simple. If you want your children to feel successful and proud, make sure the craft project is appropriate for your child's ability and age. Your child will lose interest quickly if the project is too difficult.

Don't make it too simple. You should choose a project that you and your child do together. If you simply give them a craft task and then walk away, you are missing a golden opportunity to spend quality time with your children.

Prepare in advance. If there is any complex cutting or any step of the craft that requires great concentration, do it in advance. Kids will want to do much of the craft y themselves. If you do the parts they can't in advance, you can avoid a conflict.

Shop at a craft store. Shopping at a large department store may be tempting, but craft stores often put seasonal items on deep discount. You will probably be able to get the best possible prices at a craft store.

4th of July Craft Idea - Craft Stick American Flag

This craft is a great idea for door hangers, table settings, or party invitations. It is very simple, and with the exception of the cutting, every step can be accomplished easily by a child.

Materials:
Craft sticks (popsicle sticks)
Craft glue
Paint brushes
Scissors or wire cutters
Red paint
Blue paint
White paint
Pre-cut wooden star shapes or star stickers

Step 1 - Prepare your craft sticks:
Have your child paint the craft sticks. He / she will need to paint 6 craft sticks red, 3 craft sticks white, and 2 craft sticks blue. If you are using wooden star shapes instead of star stickers, these should be painted white as well.

Step 2 - Cut your craft sticks:
With parent supervision, your child (or you) should cut two red craft sticks into 2 1/2 lengths. On the blue sticks, you should cut 1 1/2 away from the rounded edge; you will end up with four 1 1/2 blue pieces with rounded edges.

Step 3 - Assemble the flag:
Lay out your 4 full length red and 3 white craft sticks in an alternating pattern. For best results, use a flat surface. You should end up with 7 sticks in the following order, red, white, red, white, red, white, and red. To hold your flag together, use the 2 1/2 red pieces. Glue them to the flag perpendicular to the flag sticks. The short red pieces will serve as supports for the flag.

After your flag base dries, turn it over to the side without the red supports. In the upper left corner, glue the 4 blue pieces with the rounded side down. This will create the blue section of the flag. In the blue section, glue your wooden star cut-outs or adhere your star stickers.

4th of July Craft Idea - Red, White, Blue Hand Print Wreath

This is a great idea for a door wreath or table center piece. What makes this craft special is that you can personalize it every year as your children's hands grow. You can use these wreaths to chronicle the passing of time. If you have created the Craft Stick American Flag, you can combine the two for a child's patriotic masterpiece.

Materials:
Red construction paper
White construction paper
Blue construction paper
Craft Glue
Scissors
Ribbon or craft stick flag

Step 1 - Create your hand prints:
You will need 9 hand prints, 3 of each color. Simply trace your child's hand on each color of construction paper, then carefully cut them out. If you have more than one child you can mix their hands on one wreath, or create a wreath for each child.

Step 2 - Create your wreath:
You will want to glue your hands together in a wreath shape with the fingers pointing out and the heal of the hands connected. If you are having trouble getting your wreath shape, you may want to get a small plastic lid (from a chip can or butter dish) to serve as a circle template.

After your wreath shape is made, tie a bow with the ribbon and secure it to the bottom. If you have created a craft stick flag, mount it in the center of the ribbon. Make sure to date the wreath and add a 4th of July welcome.

4th of July Craft Idea - Star Parade Wands

My family has a tradition of attending a 4th of July parade every year. My children love to wave flags and wands to celebrate. We create these star wands for them so that they can have a way to join in the festivities.

Materials:
Scissors
Craft glue
Red, white, and blue felt or construction paper
Red, white, and blue ribbon
3/8 Dowels 18 - 24 inches long

Step 1 - Create your stars:
Using your felt or construction paper, create a series of concentric stars in various colors. Each wand should have two 6 stars, two 4 stars, and two 3 stars. The pairs of stars that are the same size should be the same color. Each wand should have a different color pattern. I recommend creating a star template for each size star out of paper and using it as a guide.

Step 2 - Assemble the stars:
Using the craft glue, attach the 3 star to the center to the 4 star. Attach that star to the center of the 6 star. You will end up with two matching star sets for each wand. Make sure them dry fully before you continue.

Step 3 - Assemble the wand:
Using the craft glue, sandwich a dowel in between a matching concentric star set. Take care to match the points of the star perfectly. When the stars are dry, tie ribbon to the dowels.

4th of July Craft Idea - Flag Fans

This is a great craft. Not only is it easy and fun, but it is also very practical. These fans are quite useful at keeping party guests or parade watchers as cool as possible in the hot 4th of July sun.

Materials:
Craft Glue
Scissors
Blue and white card stock paper
Paint stirrers
Sticker stars
Red craft tape (red painter's masking tape works great)

Step 1 - Prepare your fan:
Cut your card stock paper into 8 squares. You will need one white square and one blue square for each fan.

Step 2 - Create your fan:
Using craft glue, sandwich a paint stirrer in the center of the card stock. You will want to leave at least 5 of paint stirrer stick out for a handle. Make sure to let them dry fully before you continue.

Step 3 - Decorate your fan:
On the blue side of the fan, attach star stickers in a pattern that resembles the American Flag. On the white side, use the red tape to create read and white stripe that resemble the stripes on the American Flag.

By Chris Matier

Holiday Craft Ideas 7 Ideas for Affordable Decorating for the Holidays

2008-11-22T00:31:00.001-08:00

Trying to come up with fun and easy ways to decorate for the holidays? Here are some ideas the whole family can enjoy without emptying your pockets.

1. Holiday Pumpkins

Carving pumpkins has always been a favorite Halloween tradition. Why not carve pumpkins for Thanksgiving and Christmas too?! You can continue to celebrate the rest of the Harvest season and the end of the Harvest season. I suggest buying the faux pumpkins you can purchase at a craft store such a Joanne's or Micheal's. They discount them for more than 50% off after Halloween plus you can keep them for next year. They also discount the lights but they are usually orange which doesn't work so well for Christmas. Try battery operated tea lights. You can find them at http://www.orientalTrading.com. If you do decide to purchase a faux pumpkin keep in mind they are flammable so you can't use a candle inside of them. You can make your own stencils or find them on line (http://painting.about.com/od/freestencils/a/stencilsxmas.htm, http://painting.about.com/od/freestencils/a/stencilthanksg.htm). I spray painted mine with copper and orange paint for Thanksgiving and white and glitter paint for Christmas.

2. Floral Arrangements

Get the whole family involved in making a holiday floral arrangement by having everyone pick out their own flowers for the arrangement and put them all together. Silk flowers from a craft store would be the best option because you can keep reusing them every year.

3. Paper snowflakes

This is the simplest and most low cost Christmas craft you can imagine. All you need its a piece of white paper for this. You can find the instructions on how to make them at this website http://highhopes.com/snowflakes.html. You can choose from the designs on the web page or be creative and make your own. I enjoyed making my own because part of the fun is not knowing what it will look like until you unfold it.

4. Paper turkeys

This is another easy craft the is fun for the kids and all you need is two toilet paper tubes, construction paper, scissors, and some glue. You can find the instructions at this website http://crafts.kaboose.com/construction-paper-turkey.html.

5. Pine Cones

Pine cones are such a versatile decoration. Spray paint them whatever color you can imagine ( silver or gold with glitter is perfect for Christmas ). Use them as ornaments, for center-pieces, hang them from garland. You can even be creative and make turkeys or angels out of them. Try some of these sites for ideas http://pineconelady.com/holidaycrafts.html, http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/makingangels/l/blpinecangel2.htm, This one is a whole forum on crafts http://crafterscommunity.com/forum/christmas/6007-pine-cone-craft-ideas.html

6. Christmas Villages

When I was a little girl my Grandmother had this beautiful Christmas village under her tree that I was never allowed to touch. As I got older I told my mother I really wanted a Christmas village so we started collecting houses and accessories each year. Now I have one of my own and I can play with it as much as I want. It's really not expensive to buy at least one ceramic house a year. It makes each house special and it becomes a nice tradition. Or you can even attempt to make your own with some mat board or cardboard if you're crafty.

7. stockings

Now days people go and get custom-made stockings. To me that takes all the fun out of it, especially for children. As a child my mother would buy the plain red and white stockings, that never cost more than $2, and puffy paints and we would decorate our own stockings. I still enjoy this as an adult. In fact I decorate one every year to hang up at work and I love it. This project isn't gonna cost you more than $15 but if you get a stocking custom made its about $35-$50.

I hope I helped spark a few new ideas for decorating for the holiday season. Get creative! Happy Holidays!

By Hannah Subbot

Seasonal Home Craft Ideas for Old Wooden Blocks

2008-11-22T00:30:00.001-08:00

A block of wood, with a little paint and a few notions, can be turned into a magnificent craft in no time. If you have no wooden blocks you can purchase smaller ones at a craft store or larger ones at a lumber mill or farm and garden store. Save money by purchasing a large, four-sided post and cut it to desired lengths.

Use blocks of wood to make Christmas carolers. They can vary in size as long as no one caroler stands too tall or too short. Paint the wooden blocks white and let dry. Apply a second coat and allow it to dry as well. Purchase hats or stocking caps to glue on the top of each wooden block, as a hat. You can also make your own by wrapping a piece of plaid flannel or another cloth around the head and shaping it like a nightcap. Add a bell to the end if you'd like.

Just under the hat paint yellow, black or brown hair, from the center of the block over to what wil be the ear area. After it's dry paint around back, just below the cap. Dip a pencil eraser or another round object in black paint and dot the paint to form to eyes, just beneath the drawn hair. Use a larger circular object to make a mouth that appears to be opened wide and singing. Use pink paint and cotton balls to dab coloring on the cheeks.

Wrap a cape-like piece of fabric around the eck and allow to drape almost to the floor. Attach a large black or red button where the cape meets in the front. Where the cape parts, just below the large button, glue 3 or 4 small buttons straight down, on the wood, to make it appear as a shirt is worn under the cape.

Just below the last button hammer a large nail partially into the wood then remove the nail. Use a piece of coat hanger or another strong wire to glue into the hole. This wire will help to hold the song books in place. For the song book laminate several pieces of paper and stack them together. Fold in half and glue the center inside fold to the wire. Trim wire even with top of song book.

Besides the carolers this design can be used to make a snowman with scarf, a Thanksgiving turkey, or an Easter bunny. Use very small pieces, with the same designs, to decorate the mantel or a shelf.

Make a scratching post for your favorite feline by covering the block of wood with a carpet remnant. Nail the post to a large round or square base to keep it from tipping. Or use a really long piece, with no base, and simply set it by the front window for the cat to use at will.

Make a plant stand by using two bases, one on top and one on bottom, with the wood block in between. Paint or otherwise decorate the stand then place a fern or another plant choice on the creation.

Use a wooden base and attach a four-sided post section to it. Screw in C screws for a unique coffee cup holder. Paint it or use decorative stickers, wallpaper or foam shapes to further enhance it. Make different sizes to hold pot holders, spatulas and other kitchen items.

Use a flat piece of wood and attach a piece of fabric with teddy bears, dolphins or whatever you desire. Sewing departments are full of all types of pretty patterns on cloth. Cut a piece of the material, slightly smaller than the wood. Use white glue to attach the fabric to the wooden piece. On the back, attach hanging hardware, found in a pack at department stores. You can enhance the picture by outlining it in decorative rope, lace or tiny novelty items.

Use a small, flat block of wood as the base for any number of designs that you can set on the mantel or a shelf. Purchase a tiny picture frame and after inserting the photo, attach the base of the frame to the wooden base. If it's a picture of a child you can decorate the base with ceramic soccer ball and mini trophy. Or, insert a Native American picture in the frame then decorate the base with turquoise strung beads and ceramic arrowheads.

Use a long, narrow, flat piece of wood to attach three or more photos. After painting the base, set one frame forward on the base, and the other frames further back. Decorate the corners of the base with brass tips. Use a similar piece of wood to make a key ring holder. Paint the wood and string a narrow piece of rope from one top side of the wood to the other. Glue the string in place. Use C hooks, in random areas on the wood, to hold key rings. Or, after painting the wood and gluing on the rope use it as a door hanger to say Keep Out or Knock First.

There are many more rustic designs you can make with a piece of wood like a name plaque for your front door or a hot dish holder for the kitchen counter top. Look at the wood and see what shape and size it is then try to image other crafts that you can make with it. You'll have lots of fun.

By Emma S.

Fun and Colorful Summer Craft Ideas for Children

2008-11-21T23:41:00.001-08:00

When it's too hot to be inside, and the children would rather be inside in the cool air conditioning, then it's time to keep the little one's hands busy too. Children grow bored very easily when they know the sun is shining outside, but sometimes they may not understand the danger of being outside either. Of course, that's where you come in and try to think of something fun and creative for the kids to do that may keep them entertained for a few hours.

The first thing to do when starting anything fun and crafty is to shut off the television! How can anybody focus on the directions and bright colored fun craft accessories in front of them when the TV is blaring with annoying sounds? Instead of the television, try some light music to keep the children's focus. The music just might inspire them to create some magic.

When it comes to crayons, glue, sticker, construction paper, and about any other materials, children love to create with it. Below are some craft ideas that you can give to your children and their friends who might be stuck indoors for a little while. With some music, and plenty of accessories, they are sure to be delighted for some awhile.

1. Fun Colorful Stretchy Bracelets: (for the lil girls in your family)

Supplies that you will need:

Different colors and sizes of beads-One great example o buy is a bag of beads that's called Bead Party that can be purchased at Wal-Mart)

Stretchy String (this can be purchased online at artbeads.com, Wal-mart, or Hobby Lobby)

Scissors (to cut the length of the string)

Directions:

Pour a bunch of beads into one big bowl

Measure everyone's wrist, and cut the length desired.

Each person can string beads of their choice, and then leave enough length of string so that the bracelet can be tied into a knot. Cut the remaining string, and tuck the knot into one of the beads. This is an easy and fun craft for anybody to do!

2. Make a Summer Scrapbook Page

Supplies that you will need: -Most of these items can be purchased at Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby or your local craft store

Different colors of background paper: construction paper, scrapbook sheets, blank sheets, etc)

Summer themed or travel themed stickers

A variety of stampers and an inkpad

Glue sticks

Crayons, pencils, colored pencils, markers, etc

Scissors

A collection of the child's favorite summer or vacation photos.

DIRECTIONS

Give each child its choice of background paper. Then have them arrange their photos however they would like on their page. Once they have decided how they would like to put their photos, and then take a glue-stick and help them glue down their photos onto the page. Then let them add stickers and stamps of their choice. Then they can add wording or anything else with crayons, pencils, markers, etc. Let this be their page, as they are creating their very own summer scrapbook page. When they are finished, they can add it to a scrapbook that they may have or maybe one the family is putting together, or display it in a pretty frame. Affordable frames can be purchased in discount stores such as Dollar General or Family Dollar stores.

3. Create a Summer Fun Portrait

Supplies that you will need:

Blank sheet of paper

Coloring crayons, markers, colored pencils,or watercolor paints

DIRECTIONS

Give children a piece of paper, and tell it to create a picture of what the meaning of summer is to them. Perhaps you might ask them what they think is fun in the summer or what their idea of summer fun is. They can draw, color, or even paint anything to their heart's desire. Put on some music for some fun inspiration to see what they come up with. This is a simple, yet fun thing to do. The child can draw almost anything that they want without all of the added stress of how to do something. When you are finished, you can put it in a frame for them for hanging for the summer season.

With all of these fun and colorful summer projects, your child is sure to be inspired by the season of summer. Children have wild and vivid imaginations, and it's important to keep them active. So if it's too hot to be outside-don't turn on the television for easy entertainment. Get out all of your crafty materials, and see what you and your child or children can come up with. You might just be surprised!

By Ariana R. Cherry

10 Mothers Day Craft Ideas for Younger Children.

2008-11-21T23:38:00.005-08:00

Mothers day is a special time for all moms. And what better way to share your love of your mom then to make her some special crafts. These ideas are easy for children as young as 2-3 years old to make with the help of dad, a grandparent, or child care giver.

1. Draw a picture, make a card, or write a story for mom. Although every picture and story is special, making something that is about mom for her will be treasured.

2. Hand Print Apron. All ages

Moms treasure little hand prints. Your children are only small once, so making something to remind her of how little her children were will be treasured for years. An Apron is easy, and has many uses. You can pick a garden apron or a house apron. No matter what her her hobby of choice an apron can be used for many things.

Find a solid colored Apron, many craft sections have them, and fabric paints. Help children dip their hands into different colored paint and put their hand prints onto the apron. With a fabric pen write the names and ages of each child under their hand prints. Put as many on as you like. Allow to dry for 24 hours before washing.

3. Painted Flower pots.

Another useful and fun idea for children as young as 2. You can buy Terra Cotta flowerpots at most one stop shopping centers as well as garden supplies stores. Purchase any type of paint you like, however do not use tempera paint as it washes away. Provide ample paint colors and brushes to children and allow them to paint flowerpots as they desire. When they are dry, use a clear coat of glaze to finish the designs. Plant a flowering plant in the pot for mom.

4. Tissue Paper flowers.

Most moms get flowers for mothers day. Why not make them last longer by making tissue paper flowers. Buy assorted colors of tissue paper. I like the tissue paper in the wrapping paper section. As well as some pipe cleaners for stems and leaves. To make cut several colors of tissue paper into a square. Pinch the center of the tissue paper and twist the paper into a flower. Put a bit of tape around the center pinch and then wrap a pipe cleaner around the end to create a stem. Add leaves if you like. Then fan open the petals of the flower.

5. Hand made jewelry.

This is great for children over the ages of 3. You will need yarn and pony beads, or assorted large holed beads. Decide if your making a bracelet or necklace. Cut the yarn into according lengths with 4 inches to spare. Tie a knot in one end leaving a 2 inch tail. Then let children string on beads in a colorful pattern. When there is at least 2 inches of yarn left over, Tie a knot to keep the beads on the yarn. Then finish the jewelry off by tying it in a circle. Make sure the bracelet or necklace is large enough to slip over moms wrist or head.

6. Picture Frame.

Make mom a picture frame to display her favorite picture of her family. You can buy pre-made undecorated frames at craft supply stores. Craft paint pens, markers, crayons work well. You can also embellish frames with glitter, pom poms, beads, and any other little craft item you have around the house. Regular glue works to attach any of the above items.

7. Photo album with family pictures in it.

Pictures are so special to moms, to remember how her family was at different stages in their lives. Its a precious thing. Arrange a album of her favorite photos.
Have your children help you pick a pretty photo album out from the store, then spend some time together picking out family photos to fill it. Be sure to include your pets as well.

8. Hand made Bookmarks.

Have a book lover for a mother. Even ones who read an occasional magazine will appreciate a bookmark now and then.

Cut cardboard out the size of the bookmark you would like. Use wrapping paper to wrap it, you can use a verity of wrapping paper to make different bookmarks, or wrap the cardboard with plain paper. Wax, or printer paper works well. Then decorate with stickers and makers as desired.

9. Studded candles.

What mom doesn't like candles? Here is a fun way to make your candles sparkle.

You will need pillar candles and assorted metal studs OR earrings that are missing their partners. Even a combo of both. Help your children push the metal studs and earing's into the pillar candle, when finished roll it like a rolling pin to make sure the studs are in the candle well.

10. Place mat.

This is a fun way to display pictures, poetry, artwork or any other paper craft.

Cut a piece of poasterboard to place mat size. Then allow children to decorate. Taping pictures and drawing picture frames is one idea, drawing pictures, or writing a poem or story on it. When it is decorated to their liking, using clear contact paper to laminate the place mat.

Many other crafts can be adapted to have young children help and create.

By L Poulson

Easy Craft Stick Puzzle Project for Cub Scouts

2008-11-21T23:38:00.003-08:00

Coming up with new craft projects for cubs scouts isn't always easy. Meetings aren't long enough to complete a time-consuming project, and kids like to be able take home what they make. If time is greatly limited and you need a quick and easy project for cub scouts, consider the following easy craft stick puzzle project. Wide craft sticks can be turned into a fun and challenging puzzle, and cub scouts can complete this project with very little assistance. The puzzle can be made as large or as small as desired and according to the age and skill level of cub scouts, and no cutting, gluing, or special tools are required. Also, it's really very inexpensive since this project mainly requires imagination.

Necessary Supplies

Before beginning you'll need to determine how large you want the puzzle. Six to eight wide craft sticks are recommended. You'll also need a sharp pencil, an eraser, masking tape, a rubber band, and colored pencils. Optionally you can further decorate the puzzles by gluing on seed beads, tiny pebbles, small craft feathers, craft foam pieces, and other small embellishments of your choice. An ordinary puzzle can be turned into an extraordinary three-dimensional work of art.

Puzzle Ideas

Ideas for an easy craft stick puzzle are only limited by the imagination. Cub scouts can choose cub scout related pictures such as a burning campfire complete with flames, badges, or emblems, or they can draw whatever they prefer. Cars, trucks, animals, an ocean scene, and random geometric designs are all fantastic craft stick puzzle ideas.

Allow the cub scouts to draw whatever they want on their craft stick puzzles, or plan a specific project. Leaves can be traced, hands, or even stencils. This is a very easy project that cub scouts will enjoy, and they can keep their puzzles as a reminder of scouting, or they can give them away as unique gifts to parents or grandparents.

Procedure

Begin by placing a row of wide craft sticks very close and evenly together. Apply tape to the back of the puzzle so the pieces will stay together while the design is being drawn and colored. It's a good idea to apply the tape before handing out supplies to the cub scouts. All they'll have to do is draw and color the puzzle pictures and add any extra decorations if desired.

Give the cub scouts the necessary craft supplies to create and color their puzzle pictures. In addition, give each scout a rubber band to secure their finished puzzle pieces. Once the pictures are drawn and colored, and once the tape is removed, the pieces can be mixed up and put back together. It's really a neat project for cub scouts, and it's something they can treasure for years to come.

By Crystal Ray

Valentine's Craft Ideas Easy 'Love' Tiles Votive Holder

2008-11-21T23:38:00.001-08:00

This adorable project is incredibly easy, and is a good way to transform a board game that is missing a few pieces into something a little more useful! Add additional details as desired to make a perfect gift or Valentine's Day home d?cor accent.

For this project, you will need:

- 3 square glass votive holder (such as this one found online at Save-On-Crafts)

- Delta Ceramcoat Paint in Bubblegum Opaque

- Delta Ceramcoat Paint in White Semi-Opaque

- Scrabble Board Game tiles, spelling out love

- Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Surface Conditioner

- Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Paint in Red Red

- Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Clear Gloss

- Sponge brush

- Fine tipped artist's paintbrush

- Hot glue gun and glue sticks

- Soap and water

- Paper towels

- White, pink, or red votive candle

- Newspaper

This project can be slightly messy, so the first step taken should be coating your workspace with an adequate amount of newspaper. Wash the glass votive holder with soap and water. Dry the holder well with paper towels.

Coat the entire glass votive holder with Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Surface Conditioner, using a sponge brush. Set the candleholder aside to dry completely.

Lay each of the Scrabble Board Game tiles flat on your workspace. With the sponge brush and Delta Ceramcoat Paint in Bubblegum Opaque, coat the L and V tiles entirely in paint. Set aside to dry. Repeat the process with the Delta Ceramcoat Paint in White Semi-Opaque and the O and E tiles. Dry completely. With the fine tipped artist's paintbrush, fill in the letter detail. This should be done with the alternate color paint. (I.e. white on pink; pink on white.) Set aside to dry.

Apply two thick coats of Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Paint in Red Red to the glass votive holder. Allow the red paint to dry about an hour before adding a thick coat of Delta Perm Enamel Air Dry Clear Gloss. Dry for about an hour.

Using the hot glue gun and glue sticks, adhere the letter tiles onto the side of the red glass votive holder spelling out the word love. Allow the glue to dry before adding a red, pink, or white votive holder and enjoying!

TIP: If you don't have an old Scrabble Board Game sitting around and don't want to purchase a whole new game, consider being thrifty! Many yard sales or junk stores have old games that might be missing extra tiles and are perfect for crafts

By Landra Lynn

By Rose Alexis

2008-11-21T23:36:00.003-08:00

Mother's Day is fast approaching but there is still time to be creative and have fun doing it. The following five ideas can all be done by children of any age, with a little help from an adult, and are sure to create wonderful memories for Mom.

One: Create a menu for mom for a meal of your choice. Decide which meal of the day mom enjoys most, breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner and create a menu for her. Think of choices for the menu that will be relatively easy for a child to create, with a little supervision and assistance from an adult, such as pancakes, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, or maybe a nice fruit salad. The key here is to allow the child to do as much of the work as possible. Let mom choose which items she wants, get in the kitchen and start cooking. You can present the meal to mom on a tray so she can eat in bed (if it is breakfast) or set the table very nicely, put a table cloth on and maybe even putting a little bouquet of flowers on it as a centerpiece (this is the one day of the year that dandelions are a perfectly acceptable choice). If dinner is the meal of choice you can even have the child place candles on the table and the adult can light them. A menu is a unique and fun way to spoil mom for Mother's Day this year.

Two: Create a huge banner or sign on poster board or poster paper that says something appropriate, such as, We Love You Mom! or Happy Mother's Day. Let the kids go all out and use construction paper, glitter, puff paint, etc. You can do construction paper cutouts of the children's hands with a message written in them for mom, glue photographs of the family on it in a collage or different shapes, make fancy cut-out or drawn letters, etc. The more creative the better. Because the banner or sign will be large and need time to dry, this project must be started a few days early and it is a good idea to have a place to hide it so mom doesn't see the surprise early. Hang the finished project in the house or on the front porch as a big surprise for mom. Make sure to take a picture of mom with the project so she will have it for always.

Three: Create a CD for Mom. You can choose a mix of her favorite songs from her own collection, get songs that she loved as a kid from her parents collections, get help from an adult downloading new songs she likes, or create a mix of all of the above. Then you can create a personalized CD cover and maybe even a label (use a kit specifically for labels if doing so to ensure the CD player is not compromised). If mom likes famous speeches, maybe you can create a CD of yourself and members of the family reciting famous speeches onto the tape. Or if she likes certain poems, you could recite those and burn them to disc. The ideas for this project are as endless as your imagination.

Four: Make and I Will Do It bucket. Take a children's plastic beach bucket, an old coffee can, a milk jug with the top half cut off, or any container that will work for this project and decorate it. You can use contact paper, construction paper, gift wrap, markers, paint, crayons, etc. You can write something on it about Mother's Day or note that you love mom, etc. Inside of the container put pieces of paper that you have folded in half with things you will do for mom when she pulls out the paper. Tell her it is a Sunday Jar (she gets to pull out one paper each Sunday for a month) or whatever other personalized idea you have for it. Write things such as '10-minute back rub' or Vacuum the carpet,' 'I'll cut the coupons out and organize them from the newspaper on Sunday for you,' etc. Any ideas you have that you know mom will appreciate you doing are good ones. The thing to remember is when it comes time to do the item pulled from the bucket, it has to be done with a smile. No grumbling.

Five: Create a book for mom. This can be done by taking posterboard, cardboard, or construction paper and creating the front and back. Decorate it like you know mom will like it. When the book is created, punch holes in the sides of each page and in the front and back covers that align perfectly. Make bows out of yarn to hold the book together. Make sure to number your pages. The contents of the book can be anything mom will like. If she likes word puzzles or games you can create a book of mazes, crosswords, or wordfinds, or mix them up. If she likes stories, create a story for her. If she likes pictures, get help from an adult on finding pictures that can be cut up to create a personalized story for her. Have an adult laminate the pages (not games because she won't be able to write on the lamination) for an extra special touch.

One of the great things about moms is that their favorite presents are the ones their children make for them. These are some really good ideas to get you started on creating a Mother's Day gift your mom is really going to love.

Fathers Day Craft Ideas for You and Your Kids

2008-11-21T23:36:00.001-08:00

There are many different projects you can do for dad that will make him feel special or loved on his day, Fathers Day. There are many different craft ideas that I have for dad. I have names for them and ways to get the children involved. I will tell you step-by-step instructions for each one of them.

This is the first Fathers Day craft idea that I can think of. You can make an I Love you dad t-shirt. You can buy a pure white shirt, or whatever color dad likes to wear, you can buy some fabric paint or permanent markers, some glitter, and whatever else you feel like putting on it. You can buy all of these things at your local Wal-Mart or K-Mart. You can buy some of them at your local grocery store. What you do is you take the shirt and wash it first that way it is preshrunk and it will hold the paint or markers longer. Then you will take the shirt and write whatever you want it to say such as I love you, world's greatest dad or whatever. Then you let it dry and then wrap it up and give it to dad on Father's Day. The kids will love to get involve with this one because you can let them put their handprints on it or they can write what they want to write on it.

The next Fathers Day craft idea I have for you is Fathers Day picture mug. What you do is go to your local Wal-Mart and buy a coffee mug. Then you go to the photo section and have them put a picture of your family on it. The only other place I know of is Eckerd's, but I do not know if all states have one. Your children will love this one as well. The reason I say this is because they can pick out the mug or the picture or maybe even both. They will love it when dad's eyes light up on Father's Day.

The next Fathers Day craft idea I have is Homemade card. I know these are a big hit with fathers because I have done this one before. All you have to do is go and get some construction paper, or you could use cardboard. Then you buy some glitter and scissors. If you want to make a collage out of the card then you should buy some magazines that have dad's favorite sports star in it or you could make a collage of family pictures. You will also need some glue. You can buy all of these things at any store How you will make this is easy. If you are using cardboard then you will need to cut it down to size, but if you are using construction paper then it is already the right size. If you are using pictures then you will need to put them on their first. If you are not using them then you will use the glitter or markers or maybe colored pencils to write the message you want dad to read on Fathers Day. The kids can join in on this as well. The reason I say this is because kids love to play with glitter and other things so they will have fun with this.

The next and last Fathers Day craft idea I have for you is called the Dad will love this poster. The things you need are poster board, markers, crayons, and/or colored pencils, glue, and maybe some glitter. The best thing to put on a poster is pictures, so what you do is put pictures of your family on there. You will be able to buy these items at Wal-Mart or any other chain store like this. You will take the poster board and glue the pictures onto the board, then once you are through with that then you will take the colors you want and write the message you want dad to read on Father Day. Once you are through with this let it dry before you put it in a safe place so dad will not find it. You can get the kids to help you with this one as well. They will love it and the reason I say this is because they will love to spend time with you and also they will love the fact that they are making something special for their daddy.

All in all these Fathers Day craft ideas will make the dad in your family light up on Fathers Day. You will be able to see how much he feels special because he will surely show it. You will receive the love back and that is always a good thing. Also, dad will love the fact that the kids pitched in.

By Dana Kroeger

Summer Craft Ideas Milk Jug Paper Lanterns

2008-11-21T23:35:00.001-08:00

These milk jug paper lanterns are a great way to recycle some ? gallon milk cartons into a fun and easy craft project you can use outside or inside this summer! I love recycled crafts that are super affordable and easy to make and these milk jug paper lanterns are easy to do.

Take inspiration from traditional colorful paper lanterns you find at party stores for the colors for this recycled craft project.

To Make Paper Lanterns Our Milk Jugs You Will Need:

? Gallon milk jugs (lots)

Milk Paint

Paint Brush (optional)

Exacto knife, scissors, or paring knife

String of Lights

Click here for more ideas from Rebecca.

The strings of lights you need are the kind that has the slightly large bulbs. You can also use those fun strings of lights that look like half sized light bulbs. You may be able to make this recycled craft project work with those tiny strings of light if you are careful.

We are using milk paint for this project because it is a natural primer and will stick well to the plastic milk jugs. You could substitute out any paints you have though, just beware some paints may have trouble sticking to the plastic milk jug.

To start you need to cut youth milk jug in half. You want this to be around the milk jug as it is standing up. Later you can decide if you want to make this a different size.

Now, take the bottom half of the milk jug. Use your scissors to cut a pretty neat edge on the cut end. You can do scallops or whatever you choose. You just need the milk jug to not looked rough on this cut edge for a more professional look.

Now, you need to cut a small hole in the middle bottom of the milk jug. This should be big enough so that when you take your light bulb out of the string of light, you can insert the milk jug bottom, then reinsert you light bulb.

This is what will hold the milk jug in place as a paper lantern.

Now, take one of your colors of milk paint and swirl it in the milk jug. Do this until your coat the entire inside of the milk jug paper lantern with the paint.

Milk paints will also give you nice mellow and vintage paint colors.

Now, pour out any excess paint and set the milk jug paper lantern out to dry.

Tip: If you want polka dots, lines, letters, or whatever painted on the inside of the paper lantern milk jugs, then paint them on first and allow them to dry. Now swirl in a coat of paint on the inside.

Once all of the paint is dry you can install all of your paper lantern milk jugs on your strings of lights!

You can make this easy recycled craft project from almost any small lightweight plastic container.

By RS

Kid Friendly Craft Recipes and Craft Ideas

2008-11-21T23:29:00.003-08:00

If you are trying to keep your kids occupied and don't want them spending so much time in front of the watching TV, playing games on the computer, or playing video games, then these fun and easy craft recipes might be just the thing you've been looking for.

There are a lot of variations on these recipes, but these are the ones we used when my kids were smaller.

Oatmeal Dough

Ingredients:
1 part flour
1 part water
2 parts oatmeal
This dough is very simple to make! All you do it mix all the ingredients together (with your clean hands) until it forms a workable dough, and that's it!

Cornstarch Clay

Ingredients:
1 cup cornstarch
2 cups salt or baking soda
1 1/3 cups cold water
Food Coloring

This clay is very gooey and is great for sculpting. Bring the salt and 2/3 cup water to a boil. Then get out a separate bowl and mix the cornstarch with 2/3 cup water. Next you'll add the cornstarch mixture to the salt water and knead it into a clump of clay. If you want to paint the clay with the food coloring, you should air dry it first, but be sure to cover the clay with a damp dish towel to prevent cracks while it dries. You can keep any unused clay in the refrigerator in an airtight container and use it later.

Peanut Butter Honey Dough

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey
2 cups powdered milk

You can have fun with this dough and eat it too! Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Knead the mixture with your hands until it's nice and smooth (make sure everyone's hands are clean). You can then form the dough into fun shapes and then eat them for a snack afterwards.

Kool-Aid Dough

Ingredients:
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid

Combine flour, salt, cream of tartar and Kool-Aid in a medium pot. Then add the water and vegetable oil and stir all of this over medium heat for about five minutes. Remove the pan from the heat when the mixture starts to form a ball. You'll want to knead it until it's smooth. You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator if you have any left over.

Salt, Flour, and Oil Dough

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 cup water
1 cup salt
3 tbsp salad oil

Mix all of the dry ingredients together and then stir in the oil and water. Add more water in small amounts as needed until you have a nice workable dough.

Salt Dough

Ingredients:
1 cup salt
1 cup water
? cup flour

Mix all ingredients together and cook over medium heat. Remove it from the heat when the mixture gets thick and rubbery. As the mixture cools, knead in flour to make the dough pliable. You may need to adjust the amount of flour depending on how thick you want your dough.

Salt and Flour Finger Paint

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 tsp salt
3 cups cold water
2 cups hot water
Food coloring

Combine your salt and flour in a medium saucepan. Gradually pour in the cold water and beat the mixture until it's smooth. Add hot water and boil the mixture until it becomes glossy. Mix in the food coloring.

Dye for Rice, Noodle or Pasta

Ingredients:
1 cup instant rice, noodles or pasta
1 teaspoon water
Food coloring

Combine a few drops of food coloring and about one teaspoon of water in a zip lock bag. Then toss your rice, pasta, or noodles in the bag and shake it up until all pieces are nicely coated. You'll want to put everything on some waxed paper until it dries. After your pieces are dry, they're ready to use in the craft project of your choice!

Invisible Ink

Ingredients:
1 laxative tablet
1 tbsp of rubbing alcohol
Cotton balls
Household ammonia

Warning: make sure you supervise this project closely if you have young kids who like to put things in their mouth! Mash the laxative tablet into the tablespoon of alcohol. Be sure to keep mashing the tablet until it is entirely dissolved. Dip a paintbrush into the laxative/alcohol solution and write on a piece of paper. As the solution dries, the writing will disappear. If you want to make the writing re-appear, just dampen a cotton ball with liquid ammonia and dab it on the paper.

By Nikki

Great Earth Day Craft Ideas

2008-11-21T23:26:00.001-08:00

Earth Day is coming. Each year people gather to shine a light on the environment and what we can do to help save it. Began in April 22 1970, Earth Day is a celebration of life and our Mother Earth. Senator Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, came up with the idea in 1969. It was an instant success with over 20 million participants that first year. In 1995 he received the nation's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as the Father of Earth Day. He passed away in July of 2005 but he was able to see his vision become a success. Earth Day, although the idea of Senator Nelson, has a mind of its own and organization is on the people, and they always respond. This Earth Day, which is officially April 22nd, 2008, will be another success. Below are a couple craft ideas that can easily be done to make a great Earth Day celebration.

Idea One:

Coffee Ground Fossils:

Items you will need:

1 cup of used coffee grounds

? cup of cold coffee

1 cup of flour

? cup of salt

Wax Paper

Mixing Bowl

An object (what you want your fossil to be)

A can of some type

How to:

Stir the coffee grounds, cold coffee, flour, and salt together until mixed well.

Roll the mixture and flatten it onto the waxed paper.

Use the can to cut out circles of the mixture.

Press your object firmly into the mixture. When you take the object out, you have your fossil. If you want to hang the fossil, poke holes into the edge to hold the string.

Let the fossil dry overnight and then hang it if you wish.

Idea Two:

Bandanna Sit-Upon:

Items you will need:

2 Bandannas

Embroidery floss or yarn

Embroidery Needle

Adhesive Velcro Tab

Soft Grass, Leaves or Moss

How to:

Place one bandanna on top of the other and stitch them together on three sides.

On the open side, attach a Velcro tab to make a simple closure. You could also forgo the Velcro and just make a basic button-hole closure instead.

To fill the Sit-Upon gather soft grasses, dead leaves, or moss you can find. Break them all up into small enough pieces that they won't pierce the bandannas.

Close it up and there you go.

Earth Day is a great day to get out and enjoy our planet. If it's crafts or just picking up trash in your neighborhood, do your part to help our planet.

By Gene Bannister

Unique Seashell Craft Ideas

2008-10-31T11:49:00.001-07:00

Seashells are beautiful works of art worthy of displaying. Their colors and intricate designs are amazing, and they are collected by many for their natural beauty. Seashells are good for far more than displaying in a clear glass jar or a basket. Here you will find unique and easy craft ideas for using and displaying seashells. These seashell craft projects make wonderful gifts, and they are ideal for decorating a nautical or ocean-themed room. Give the following unique and easy craft ideas a try, and display your collection of seashells in unique new ways that will turn many heads and generate numerous compliments.

Craft Ideas for Unique Seashell Plaques

To make a beautiful seashell plaque you will need a plain wooden plaque or a fiberboard square approximately six-inches in diameter. You will also require stain in a color of your choice, a rag, plaster of Paris, stencils for creating a design around the perimeter of the plaque, a picture hanger, a hot glue gun, and a beautiful seashell of your choice. In addition, you will need latex craft paint in an accent color that matches a color in the seashell and a paintbrush.

Begin by attaching the picture hanger to the back of the plaque. Next, stain the wood, and set the plaque aside to dry. Next, mix a small batch of plaster of Paris, and apply the plaster to the edges of the plaque with the stencil in place. Carefully lift the stencil from the plaque, and allow the plaster to dry completely before continuing. Once the plaster is dry, paint the textured design with an accent color. After the paint has dried, glue the seashell to the center of the plaque and it is ready to display on a wall.

Seashell Mosaic Craft Ideas

Small shells are ideal for making a mosaic, and all that is required is strong craft glue, a thin sheet of plywood cut to the appropriate size, and small seashells of various shapes and colors. To add extra color, consider painting seashells with a watercolor wash. All you need are watercolor paints to add vivid color to ordinary seashells.

Begin by planning a design for the project, and choose shells carefully to complete the picture. If desired, paint the shells to create a colorful seashell mosaic, or randomly glue on shells for a unique mosaic design. Consider making a large swirl by gluing the first shell in the center of the board, and glue shells around and around until they form a huge swirl. The finished picture will look like a giant seashell with rich details and unique designs.

Alternately you can design a seashell mosaic that replicates ocean waves. Paint ordinary scallop shells a rich shade of blue, and top off the waves with caps of creamy white shells. These are just a few craft ideas for using seashells. Use your sense of imagination and creativity to make beautiful seashell mosaics that are sure to impress. With watercolor paints and handfuls of shells, the options and ideas for crafts with seashells are virtually endless!

By Crystal Ray

Christmas Craft Ideas Using Paper Towel Tubes

2008-10-29T02:14:00.001-07:00

There are lots of Christmas craft ideas that are fun for kids and teach recycling at the same time. One of the easiest things to recycle for Christmas crafts is paper towel tubes. Toilet tissue tubes can also be used. These Christmas craft ideas are easy to make and inexpensive.

Make Christmas Angels With Paper Towel Tubes
For each angel you will need a paper towel tube, small styrofoam ball slightly larger than the tube's diameter, wire, stiff paper, metallic paint, glitter, tacky glue or hot glue.

The first step is to paint the styrofoam ball all over with the metallic paint. Another option is to cover the ball with muslin cloth and glue. You can add a mouth and eyes with black paint or a marker or leave it plain. Let dry thoroughly. Next, add rafia to the ball for hair.

Cut the paper towel tube into whichever length you wish for the angel body. Then paint it with the metallic paint. Or cover the paper towel tube with glue, then sprinkle glitter all over the cardboard tube.

After both the paper towel tube and styrofoam ball are dry, attach the ball to the tube with tacky glue or a hot glue gun.

The angel wings are next. Use pretty metallic paper. Fold it in accordion pleats. Another option for making the angel wings is to bend copper wire into wing shapes. You can cover the wire with festive fabric if you like. Next, attach the angel wings to the back with hot glue or tacky glue.

The last step is to take the copper wire and twist it into a halo ring. Leave some copper wire straight to stick into the styrofoam ball at the top in the back.

Make Napkin Rings With Paper Towel Tubes
Cut the paper towel tubes into rings about one inch wide. Each paper towel tube will make about 12 napkin rings. The paper towel rings can be decorated in many different ways. They can be spray painted bright Christmas colors. The paper towel napkin rings can then be decorated with glitter glue. Or cover them with plain glue and then cover them with glitter. Fabric strips or festive ribbons can be wrapped and glued around the napkin rings, as can Christmas wrapping paper. Unique beads can be glued to them. Try wrapping the paper towel tube napkin rings with pretty yarn. You can use paint pens to write anything on the homemade napkin rings, whether it's a holiday message or the names of your guests.

Make a Christmas Candle with a Paper Towel Tube
This is a cute and cheap Christmas decoration for kids to make. All you need is a paper towel tube, construction paper in Christmas colors, and glue.

Use glue to cover the paper towel tube with white construction paper or whichever color you wish for the candlestick. Choose the color you want for the base next. Use this color to cut out a circle from construction paper slightly larger than circumference of the paper towel tube. Glue this to one end of the paper towel tube.

Cut out two pieces of construction paper shaped like flames. On the opposite end of the tube from the previously glued construction paper circle, glue the flame shapes. Glue them directly across from each other, on opposite sides of the tube.

Decorate the candle and its base however you wish. Use stickers, glitter, paint, beads, or whatever you like.

Have fun with the kids making these easy Christmas craft ideas. If you like these Christmas crafts, read my other Christmas related articles.

By Angela Harris

Simple Sewing Craft Ideas for Mother's Day

2008-10-29T02:13:00.001-07:00

Ten simple sewing ideas that children of all ages can use for creating a Mother's Day gift that mom will love.

One: Create a pillowcase for mom's existing pillows or create her a stuffed pillow of any size. This is a simple project that can be created by hand or with the use of a sewing machine. You can make a pattern yourself or even create either without a pattern.

Two: Create a sachet or bundle of sachets for mom. Simply make and stuff miniature squares and scent them with her favorite oil, potpourri, or other favorite scent. You can create them individually for drawers or shelves or bundle them in a net or strings (or yarn) for hanging.

Three: Simple sewing can create an apron for mom. Make it fancy by sewing on a pre-made ruffle or layer of ruffles, if you think mom will like that. You can make a full body apron or half of an apron that ties around the waist.

Four: Sewing a vest for mom is really very easy. You can do it with a store bought pattern or you can do it from a pattern you create yourself. You can make it out of almost any material and if mom likes fancy add touches you think she will enjoy, such as ribbon bows, conch pieces, beadwork, etc. You can make it simple or elaborate, the choice is yours.

Five: Create a sewing bag for mom. You can put a drawstring in it for closure or use a magnetic closure or series of snaps. Make sure to have lining in it. For the lining you can use the same fabric or use a different one. If you really feel fancy you can use batting to give it a quilted look and feel.

Six: Does mom have a pet she loves? If so you can easily sew a custom-made item for the pet. For example, if she has a bird you can create a personalized bird cover or if she has a dog or cat you can easily sew together a blanket. Perhaps you can use material that has the animal on it or that has an item on it that is related to the pet, such as dog bones or paw prints for the puppy.

Seven: You can easily sew a keepsake pouch for mom to keep her special things in. Be sure to turn under the opening and hem it so stray material and threads are tucked away nicely. You can make this by hand and create it to any size you would like. You can leave the top open or put a nice closure on it such as was suggested for the sewing bag.

Eight: Create a stuffed animal for mom. You can get the help of a family member to draw a pattern or create a simple one yourself. Simply cut two pieces of material, one for the top and one for the bottom. Sew together with right sides of the fabric facing one another and leave a hole big enough for stuffing. Add your stuffing, pushing into place with a long, thin item such as an unsharpened pencil, if necessary and then stitch the opening together. You can create things such as a dog, cat, frog, fish, etc. with relative ease.

Nine: Create a pin cushion for mom's sewing pins. You can sew it in a circle, square, rectangle, or any other shape you like. You can sew or glue items on it for a specialized look, such as eyeballs, jewels, baubles, etc.

Ten: Sew a fun sports item for mom such as a miniature basketball hoop and fabric ball to throw into it. You can enlist the help of dad for putting in a wire to keep the hoop up. Or you can create a miniature football for mom to throw around for fun, or maybe a bowling ball and pins to knock down. Sports items are relatively simple to design and sew and make for a great gift idea for mom if she is a sports enthusiast.

Whatever you decide to sew, just use care in making your stitches straight and have fun. You are sure to create a gift mom will cherish for now and always.

By Rose Alexis

Mother's Day Craft Ideas Kitchen Canisters Craft Project

2008-10-24T16:58:00.001-07:00

This easy Mother's Day Craft project makes a wonderful homemade gift for the kids to make for Mom this year. You can use pre made wood or plastic kitchen canisters for this Mother's Day craft project and really get some super cute results.

This is a craft project you can make in out wood or plastic Kitchen Canisters, some scrap booking paper, and a little decoupage. You can use glass kitchen canisters, wood kitchen canisters, or even plastic kitchen canisters. Decoupage works on any surface!

This Mother's Day craft project is simply and should cost you $20 or less per set of Kitchen Canisters.

For this Mother's Day Craft Project You Will Need:

Scrap book paper
Decoupage Medium
Kitchen Canisters
2 Paint Brush
Scissors
Pencil

Click here for more ideas from Rebecca.

The first step is to cut the scrapbook paper out into small shapes and squares.

Words can be added last, so have the kids mainly focus on covering the body of the outside of the kitchen canisters.

Start by laying a piece of scrapbook paper on the Kitchen Canisters and using decoupage to attach it in place. Dip your brush in the decoupage medium and then brush on the scrapbook paper.

You may want to paint on a layer of decoupage medium to the Kitchen Canisters and then lay the scrapbook paper on. You can add more medium on top. Use more decoupage medium to hold this down if necessary.

Continue this process until the kids cover the entire wooden Kitchen Canisters. Your paper edges should overlap, creating a layered look on the Kitchen Canisters.

You can add as many layers of Amy scrapbook paper as you would like. The decoupage glue medium will dry clear and hard.

Now, have the kids cut out words form contrasting scrapbook paper. These can spell out words like Flour, Sugar, or even Love and Mom. Let the kids get really creative here.

Now, let the decoupage dry completely.

The kids can use more markers, acrylic paint, paint pens, and even puff paint at this point to decorate the outside of the canisters for Mom.

Use hot glue or wood glue to attach beads, flat backed marbles, flat back jewels, and anything else the kids want. They could even use some more decoupage and add some photos!

Let this final step dry and you are finished.

Have the kids wrap the homemade Mother's Day gift themselves and they will have made this entire gift all but themselves!

By RS

Valentine Craft Ideas Gifts for Teachers

2008-10-23T09:06:00.001-07:00

Saint Valentine's Day is just about 30 days from now which makes it an appropriate time in which to get started on creating your own valentine crafts this year. Valentine Day along with Christmas and Easter have become so commercialized that we often lose the original meaning or purpose of the celebrations.

Although there are a number of different accounts on the origin of Valentines Day, the original thought was consistent and had nothing to do with lavish dinners or expensive gifts. The gifts were given from the heart and included primarily hand written notes or messages of love and adoration or a simple flower plucked out of the garden.

I am a woman and love to be pampered from time to time, so by no means I am I advocating that you should cease for buying that special someone something that you know she'd love and appreciate. What I am suggesting is that you might want to shake things up a bit. Don't get stuck in a routine of always having to purchase something every year just because it's Valentines Day.

This month and leading up to February 14, 2007, we're going to be suggesting creative ideas of how you can craft your own unique Valentine gift in lieu of purchasing expensive items this year. I will be focusing on crafts for Teachers, Children and that special Woman in your life. Today, we're going to present craft ideas for your favorite teacher.

Growing up I can think of several teachers that made an impact on my life, but Mr. Wolfe, my English teacher made the greatest because he always encouraged me to pursue my passion for writing. When I think of teachers the first thing that comes to my mind is the word Educator and that word defined means...A person or thing that educates; a teacher, principal or other person involved in the planning or direction of education.

With that definition in mind the next thing we need to consider is what could you make for an educator that would be useful and fun or both? Good question, so here are 2 simple craft projects for your child to consider creating for their favorite teacher this Valentines Day. One is an essential tool, while the other is fun and useful and will hold down those loose papers on their desk.

Decorative Valentine's Day pencils -
Step One - Fine or purchase 6 plain number 2 pencils and lay them out on your work surface
Step Two - Find old pieces of previous years Valentines wrapping paper
Step Three - Get your handy glue gun
Step Four - Take each pencil one at a time and cut a sheet of Valentines paper to fit the length of the pencil, once you've cut the paper to cover the entire pencil go to the next step
Step Five - Take your glue gun and put a bead of glue down the length of the pencil and wrapped the paper around it
Step 6 - Let the pencil dry and continue on until you've wrapped all of the pencils
Step 7 - Once all the pencils have dried, sharpen each pencil and wrapped them together in a large red silk bow.

Red Rubber Band Paperweight-
Step One - You need to purchase a small to medium Styrofoam ball from your local craft store
Step Two - 1 large bag of red rubber bands
Step Three - Begin wrapping the rubber bands around the Styrofoam ball in different directions until you have finally covered the white foam and have the weight consistency that you desire.
Step Four - Be creative when wrapping this gift, you can use old newspapers or if you're creating this craft for a music teacher perhaps look for paper with musical notes on it or you can create our own musical notes in your word document and print it out on red paper and wrap your gift.

These craft ideas are inexpensive, quick and easy and they are sure to put a smile on your teachers face.

By Karen Francis

Craft Projects for Grandchildren and Grandparents

2008-10-21T07:46:00.001-07:00

Craft ideas for grandparents and grandchildren are a great way to break that age barrier. Craft projects are a great way for grandparents and grandchildren to interact, show their passions, learn something, and best of all get to know each other! Children who interact with people of all ages develop better social skills, achieve higher in school, and generally are more successful. Seniors who stay active and involved tend to suffer from depression less, achieve better overall health, and often have a better outlook on life during their golden years. Here are some craft ideas that are perfect for grandparents and grandkids to do together. Adopted grandparents and grandkids should also do these craft projects!

Building a birdhouse is great craft for both grandparents and grandkids. If you have a skilled grandparent they can do all of the woodcutting. If you need to though, there are many sources for precut birdhouse kits on the market. They use pegs to hold the birdhouses together, so no nails are needed either. Both grandchildren and grandparents can enjoy painting and designing the look of the birdhouse. Best of all one this craft project is finished they can spend time together looking for a place to hand the birdhouse, choose what type of birdseed to use, and spend time recording what birds visit their house. If you have a grandparent living in assisted living this is a great craft project to hang outside of their window. Children may have to go to school, but the grandparent can check in on the birds as they visit the craft project. Best of all they will think of their precious grandchild every time they look at it.

Collages are an inexpensive and fun craft project that grandparents and grandkids can do together. This could be a really neat craft project if you can find vintage magazines from the grandparents hay day. Combing styles and photos from years gone by with current pictures is a fun way to see how similar and different their eras are. Grandparents and grandkids can easily use any of the materials needed to create a collage. Best of all if your grandparent has limited mobility they can work from almost anywhere they are comfortable. This fun craft project would make a great show and tell item for children to take to school.

Scrap booking is an ideal craft project well suited for both grandparents and grandkids. We all have stacks and stacks of family photos in boxes. While you are off busy at work let your parents and kids work on scrapbooks to display these photos. If the children are too young to use scissors and the grandparents have limited use of their fingers they can still accomplish this craft project. Pre cut scrapbook details are easy to decorate with and only require being able to glue them to the paper. This couldnt be any easier. Glue sticks are ideal for small grandchildren and grandparents alike. On the other hand, older children and grandparents could get really involved and make extremely detailed scrapbooks. Scrap booking is a great way for grandparents and grandkids to reconnect, walk though their lives together, and create something that the entire family can enjoy.

By RS

Inexpensive Valentine Craft Ideas

2008-10-21T02:37:00.000-07:00

As much as we all complain that we don't need a special day to say we love or are loved, we all love to receive even a small token of love and appreciation on Valentine's Day. Here are some quick, easy and inexpensive ideas for crafts you can make for that special someone (or even for a classroom of children!!).

A handmade card. Now this can be a quick and simple project or as intricate and detailed as you'd like. Some ideas include:

1. Taking pictures from old magazines and gluing them on folded paper to make a card.
2. A computer generated card is wonderful - after all you have to put your time and energy into it!
3. Writing down your feelings for someone and making that into a card.
4. Put your elementary art skills to work and make hearts with lace etc.
5. If you like to be a bit more artistic and crafty - try rubber stamping or other paper crafts!
6. Absolutely anything you can create can be considered a beautiful handmade card!

If you want a little more than a card, might I suggest you haunt out some of your local dollar stores (or Target's dollar spot!). From there I've found some of the following:

1. Adorable mini metal mailboxes! I found mine at Target but I've also seen them in Oriental Trading's catalog and I'm sure they can be found other places. They come in red and white and I'm using mine as Valentine's gifts for my daughter's pre-school class. They can be decorated with paper, paint or left plain and can be filled with candies, small toys, erasers, mini cards - you name it!
2. Small handled pails. These come in various colors and can again be decorated using paint, paper, stickers or anything that you can adhere to the tin. You can also tie small pieces of ribbon along the handle for a cute look. Then again you can fill the pail with anything your heart desires.
3. Unfinished wood boxes. I've found these in many sizes and shapes and these are really adaptable. You can paint, varnish, rubber stamp, decoupage or sticker them! They make great gifts by themselves or filled with any kind of reasure.
4. Vases. There is so much that can be done with vases! You can decorate it simply with just ribbon, or you can step up your crafting ability with rubber stamping or glass etching (or a combination of the two!). Simply put in a few real or silk flowers and viola! A beautiful gift for much less cost!

If you wander away from the $1 section you can find many other ideas.

1. There are some wonderful and cute foam craft kits. These are easy to follow and result in adorable projects.
2. Get into the scrapbook rage! A wonderful gift would be a small (or large if you are ambitious) scrapbook. The wonder of this is that you can completely make it your own. Your topic can range from a specific event or moment with that special someone, to a review of all of your times together. It can be as easy or complicated as you'd like.
3. Hunt around your local craft store and see what strikes your fancy. Is there something you've always wanted to try? Beading, cross stitching, knitting? Give it a try!

Push your fears and trepidations aside. Don't worry about the gift looking perfect, if the person receiving it loves you then it will automatically be perfect. A handmade gift is truly special, it is a gift that encompasses who you are and your feelings for the recipient. It is a gift that surpasses any other, it is a part of yourself.

By Heather Ribellino

Valentine's Craft Ideas Stamped Pink Damask Valentines

2008-10-16T01:06:00.001-07:00

Remember those cards you used to give as classmates growing up for Valentine's Day? Remember being ecstatic when someone gave you one back? Well, that sentimental feeling still rings true long after you've become an adult! These adorable and chic stamped pink damask valentines are easy to create and oh-so fun to give.

For this project, you will need:

- Plain white cardstock

- Matching envelope

- Heidi Swapp Clear Stamp Damask Stamp (found in stores or online at Create My Keepsake)

- Heidi Swapp Clear Stamp Words Love Stamp (found in stores or online at Create For Less)

- Large acrylic stamping mount

- Archival Ink Pad in Carnation (found in stores or online at Blockhead Stamps)

- Archival Ink Pad in Crimson (found in stores or online at Blockhead Stamps)

- Pink rubber stamp or fine grit sandpaper

- Hot pink or red colored ribbon, one quarter inch wide

- Scissors

- Scrapbook glue

If you are using brand new stamps, it is always wise to condition clear stamps first before using them. Clear stamps are wonderful for scrapbook projects but, due to of the material they are made out of, generally they try to repel ink at first use. Remedy this by gently scuffing the surface of each stamp using either a large pink rubber stamp or lightly using fine grit sand paper. Make sure there are no debris from this process left on the stamp before continuing.

Fold the white cardstock in half to create a card shape. Lay the card open and flat on your workspace. Cut a length of hot pink or red colored ribbon long enough to go across the front of your card and lay flat. Adhere using scrapbook glue.

Mount the Heidi Swapp Clear Stamp Words Love Stamp onto the large acrylic stamping mount. Press to the Archival Ink Pad in Carnation. Stamp the image directly onto the front of the card, overlaying the hot pink or red ribbon. Let the ink dry fully. Repeat this process on the outside of the envelope, minus the ribbon.

Mount the Heidi Swapp Clear Stamp Words Love Stamp onto the large acrylic stamping mount. Gently press to the Archival Ink Pad in Crimson. Open the inside of the card and imprint the word image on the inside of the card. Let all inks dry well before writing in your favorite sentiment and giving to your favorite Valentine!

By Landra Lynn

Halloween Craft Ideas that the Whole Family Can Enjoy Making Them Together

2008-10-16T01:02:00.001-07:00

Halloween Craft Ideas that the Whole Family Can Enjoy Making Them Together - Here are 3 craft ideas that are simple and affordable. The materials can be purchased at any discount department store, craft/hobby shop, or dollar outlet.

Pipe Cleaner Spider and Web:
materials: pipe cleaners, four-hole buttons, stick-on eyes, synthetic spider web, double-sided tape. Step1. Bend a pipe cleaner into a V shape and push the base of the V up through one of the buttonholes until 1/2 protrudes. Bend the 1/2 in over the top of the button. Continue with remaining 3 pipe cleaners. Step 2. Shape legs by bending the pipe cleaner ends 1 inch from button and then again 1/4 inch from tips. Step 3. Use the synthetic spider web or you can use thin sheets of cotton batting to stretch across a doorway and anchor with double-sided tape to door frame. Set spiders in web their legs will stick easily to the fibers.

Easy Halloween Lanterns:
materials: Black card, orange tissue paper, glue, craft knife or sharp scissors. Step 1. For a large lantern, cut a 20x81/2 piece of black card, for small ones cut 19x5 piece. Step 2. On reverse side of card draw or trace desired pattern or design, remember wording has to be written backwards so it will read correctly when lantern is turned back over. Step 3. Cut out designs you have drawn. Step 4. Glue tissue paper over inside of card making sure to covering areas cut out. Step 5 Join card sides together to form lantern and glue together. Step 6. Stand a night light on a saucer and place lantern over the top. Safety First Warning: Only use night lights, and as with all candles, never leave a burning candle unattended.

Lollipop Spiders:
materials: Black pipe cleaners, Lollipops, Googly eyes, glue Step1. Holding 4 pipe cleaners together, center them at the base of the lollipop and wrap them around the stick once then you will have four legs of each side. Step 2. Bend pipe cleaner ends to form eight feet. Step 3. Glue on googly eyes to complete your lollipop spider.

These craft ideas are great to do with kids of all ages. They are inexpensive, easy and quick so they can be done at home with your family or with larger groups such as school class craft activities.

By Kimberly Smith

5 Quick and Easy $5 10 Holiday Gift Ideas

2008-10-16T00:59:00.001-07:00

The holiday season is here. Friends come to visit or we go to them, the work place is filled with holiday cheer and gift giving. This year, more so than previous holiday seasons, budgets are tight.

Still, there's the mail person to think about, the doctor's receptionist, the hairdresser and the office party exchanges. Gifts to people you hardly know or relatives you seldom see are way down there on your priority list.

Here are 5 quick and easy gift ideas that you can use repeatedly throughout the holiday season: for Halloween, Thanksgiving, birthdays, office parties, special friends, Christmas, - just about any time you need a gift for any occasion.

You don't need to be a crafty wizard or spend a lot of money to be remembered for special gifts. Many of these ideas will cost you less than $5 each; only one or two may cost you $10, depending on where you shop for supplies.

You can buy in bulk to make everyone on your gift list the same thing, make several each of 2 or 3 ideas, or try them all! You'll find it easy to change themes as the season moves through the different holidays.

1. Tea lovers love teapots! It's easy to find 1-2 cup ceramic teapots in discount dollar stores, thrift shops or on sale when the malls hold holiday specials sales. Choose an appropriately themed one for general gift giving or something special for a tea-drinking friend; fill with a variety of flavored teas, tie it up with a bow and add a handmade gift tag that looks like a teabag. You can also use a solid color teapot and decorate it with holiday decals, such as whimsical spiders for a Halloween surprise.

2. For coffee and hot chocolate drinkers, find fun and funky large holiday themed mugs, fill with flavored coffee(s) or hot cocoas or even flavored swizzle sticks or cinnamon and peppermint sticks. This gift will definitely be appreciated on chilly evenings.

3. Most offices allow family photos to be displayed. Purchase a simple wood frame and decorate it with candies of the holiday. You can even purchase handy glue dots if you don't like burning your fingers with a hot glue gun. Simply attach candy corn (for Halloween), foil wrapped turkey candies (for Thanksgiving) or any wrapped Christmas candy to the frame for another quick and easy gift idea.

4. Book loving friends always need bookmarkers! Find holiday themed greeting cards with large simple graphics; i.e., a single black cat, a large turkey or Christmas tree. Cut it out, back it with a pretty fabric or paper, poke a hole in the top center and thread a simple ribbon through the hole for the page marking tassel. Even the non-crafty can add a large bead to the ribbon(for weight) before tying the ends together!

5. Nothing could be simpler than a festive bag of candy. Party stores have many holiday themed candy bags in different sizes and shapes. One bag of candy will make 3-5 nice sized gift bags. Secure the top with a rubber band, tie a bow with ribbon or fancy yarn and give them away. You might want to consider buying a bag of sugar-free candies, too, for those who may be on sugar restricted diets.

A simple gift wrapping idea for the crafting challenged is to make your own from appropriately themed wrapping or gift paper. Depending on the size of your gift, make a large circle (use a large dinner plate or serving platter) on a piece of card stock, poster board or other sturdy paper, to make a template. Use the template to cut circles in the wrapping paper. Place your gift in the center of the paper circle, neatly and carefully pull up the sides, secure with a rubber band and embellish with ribbon or a bow! You can make more elegant wrappings by using fabrics.

Use these 5 simple gift ideas over and over again for any occasion and you'll never be at a loss for a gift even under the most pressing schedule or unexpected invitation.

Resource: Ideas I've had to come up with in a hurry for unexpected occasions, parties, or visitors!

By Lynn Star

Portable Metal Buildings II

2008-10-16T00:57:00.001-07:00

Portable metal buildings are very useful and have multiple purposes. Metal buildings are sturdy and durable and provide a means of storage. In some instances, you may opt for portable metal buildings because of the nature of your business or home.

For example, if you live in a mobile home or move frequently, you may want to take any storage sheds with you during your move. These are also useful for businesses such as construction companies where your company may need a presence on each of your construction sites. Below are some of the different types of portable metal buildings.

One of the most useful types of portable metal buildings includes portable ticket booths and kiosks. They have a variety of uses including shelter for parking lot attendants, ticket booths, and concession stands. Most designs are compact and easy to move with a standard forklift. If you have a large company, it may be worth it to have a few of these on hand, especially if you regularly organize company events and picnics. If you need more of these than what you have, you can always rent them.

You can also purchase portable storage sheds. These are usually larger than the standard kiosk, so handling them with a fork lift is usually not an option. If you opt for a smaller shed, you may be able to handle it with a forklift. However, your best option would be to transport them using a trailer. These are ideal for businesses that have several locations and whose storage needs may change constantly. These also are great for construction companies.

So, portable metal buildings are a great way to enhance your storage capabilities. The smaller portable booths are ideal for parking lots, retail kiosks, and for events. The small storage sheds are great for both business and residential purposes. If you decide to purchase one, keep in mind that companies and designs vary, so doing your research is essential.

Craft Idea for a Group Make a Mural

2008-10-16T00:52:00.001-07:00

Most craft ideas are geared to individuals, whether kids or adults. Sometimes you'd like to have a craft idea that works for a group of kids working together. Making a mural together is an idea that works for a group. By working together, you are creating something to decorate a shared area. Individual crafts can be displayed, but one unique item is often more effective than a group of items that are almost identical. In addition, sometimes kids' crafts, like it or not, just become clutter when they are taken home, and it isn't long before Mom throws it out. This craft idea of making a group mural can be displayed for several weeks and will not become clutter in anyone's home.

The basic materials for a kids' group mural is freezer paper. Freezer paper is about 18 inches wide, and it is very tough. One side is plastic coated. That is the side that is designed to be placed against the food. You will have better luck drawing on and gluing things onto the other side. Class or group murals can feature a number of different design elements. You can mix up some finger paint and let the children make hand prints (or even foot prints!) on the paper. You can let them scour old cast-off magazines and color catalogs for pictures they like and let them cut the pictures out and glue them on. They can add scribbles, designs, signatures, slogans, or pictures using markers, crayons, or gel pens. They can attach stickers to the mural as well. This craft idea is very flexible!

For making the mural, choose a topic that relates to the group in some way. If the group are girl scouts, for instance, and have been learning to camp, the mural can feature pictures of items related to camping. If you've been learning about dinosaurs, you can use them as a theme. If you want a really messy project that makes a cute mural for fall, mix up finger paint in fall colors. The children can each make a tree by first laying their forearm in brown paint. Then they lay their arm on the paper to make the trunk of the tree. They should spread out their fingers so their arm print has five short branches at the top. To make the leaves, the children make fingerprints all around the top of the tree using paints in other fall colors. If you add a few drops of dishwashing detergent to finger paint when mixing it up, it will be easier to clean off the children's arms. Do make sure they have old clothes or smocks for this craft idea.

Little preschoolers will like making a mural with an animal theme. You should probably find and cut out animal magazine pictures to start with, and then let the children choose the ones they like for gluing down. Glue sticks are neat to use with small children. They will paste some of the pictures upside down. Expect it and do not scold them. It is the process that is important in this craft idea. The children can also use animal cookie cutters dipped in finger paint to stamp animals on the mural, too. You may need to tape the paper to the table so it doesn't slide around while the children work.

An elaborate form of this craft idea that adults often make is a quilt around a theme. Each person in the group creates a quilt square to represent some aspect of what the group stands for. These quilt squares can be colored with fabric pens or crafted of patchwork or applique. Again, the craft idea is to build group solidarity and not to highlight one artist's skills over another. When the quilt top is completed, it can be a group project to tie it or quilt it. It can be hung in a special central location or given to an appreciated leader or member.

Contributed by David Slone. For more craft and hobby information visit hobby and craft directory and Advantage Content Craft and Hobby.

Finding The Best Craft Glue For Your Card Making Ideas

2008-10-15T21:38:00.001-07:00

Whether you are working on a card making idea or a scrap book page one of the main things you simply can not do with out is proper craft glue.

Depending on what you are trying to attach will determine the type of craft glue you need.

There is nothing worse that creating a stunning card or scrapbook and the embellishments fall off after a few days, which is why it is important to use the right craft glue to suit what you are doing.

Craft glue can come in various forms. Liquid, glue sticks, tape, dots, and glittered, envelope glue and so on. It is important to use the right craft glue to avoid ruining your projects.

The craft glue I mainly use is double sided tape, this is because it is very strong and will hold almost anything together, If I was to cover the front of a card in a different paper I would always use double sided tape, the only disadvantage of using double sided tape is that once you have stuck the item down you will not be able to remove it without damaging it, therefore you will have to get it right first time.

Sticky dots are another popular choice of craft glue, these are more versatile because it is possible to stick something down and if you are not happy you can carefully remove it and re position it. Sticky dots are however a little bit messy, they seem to get everywhere, you should receive a special rubber with a pack of sticky dots, which you can gently remove any stray one with.

Using a craft glue stick may work for some card making ideas however I find that if using thin paper it can cause the paper to crumple and have a puckered look which does not really give it a professional finish also most craft glue sticks will only stick paper to paper, if you wanted to stick a more fancy embellishment then it may not hold.

Spray mount is a wonderful craft glue that is perfect for card making ideas and scrap books, one of the advantages of using spray mount is you can reposition your work but once it is dry it is permanent the only disadvantage is that it is harder to control where and how much you spray.

There are so many different craft glues for different projects you will soon find you will need a draw to hold them all in but craft glue and having the correct type could mean the difference between your card making ideas looking fantastic or not so good.

You can even get a glue that will stop fabric from fraying, it is so annoying when you cut a lovely piece of ribbon and attach it to your project only for it to be all frayed and unattractive the next day. This glue bonds the fabric preventing this from happening.

Vicki Churchill writes for a site that specializes in Card Making Ideas providing you with excellent tips and ideas for Scrap Booking and Craft Glue including where to find the best bargains

How To Come up With A Craft Idea For Kid Programs

2008-10-15T21:37:00.005-07:00

Are you a camp director or Sunday School teacher looking for a craft idea for kid enrichment? Maybe you feel like you are just not the creative type, and you struggle with coming up with craft projects. It is true that some people just have a knack for finding or even inventing craft ideas, but your creativity can be improved. There are ways to make it easier to find a craft idea for kid needs.

First, lay aside any perfectionism. Locking yourself into thinking there is only one right way to do something makes every decision harder. Regardless of the kid program you are helping with, there are always many suitable craft ideas out there. Don't worry about picking the wrong one! If you've taken into consideration the age and skill levels of the kids involved, your choice will be adequate.

Next, consider your budget. When choosing a craft idea for kid programs, you need to be aware that some of them are expensive. Prepackaged kits to make a fun foam picture frame or a craft stick cross are affordable for a few kids, but if you are needing to do a craft with a lot of kids, these kits might cost too much. It's often easy to do almost exactly the same project by just looking at the craft kit components and buying the same materials in bulk at the discount store. You may have to do some preparation, like cutting out shapes ahead of time, or at least making cardboard patterns for the kids to use in cutting out their own. The savings will be worth it, however.

Another consideration is this: in spite of years of indoctrination from women's libbers, the fact remains that boys and girls like different sorts of crafts! If the craft seems a little girly, don't use it at boys' camp. Stick with lace-up leather billfolds, Indian artifacts, dinosaur art, and similar projects. Girls will like beads and anything that's pink or purple. For a craft idea for kid camp where there are kids of both sexes, keep it on the boyish side and provide some pink materials to keep the girls happy.

An aspect of creativity that the non-creative types don't realize is that ideas spring from other ideas. That is, if you look over a book or website of craft ideas, maybe none of them will appeal to you, but if you let them, they will spark an idea for a similar project. Use what you can and change what you must in the craft directions. For instance, the craft may have a slogan to be written across the front. If you need to change the slogan to fit your own needs, it's perfectly OK. For instance, the pictured project might say Girls rock! You can change that to He is the Rock! if that meets your VBS needs better.

A final suggestion is to realize that you don't have to change the instructions or create something new to have a good craft idea for kid use. Feel free to follow the instructions to the letter if that works better for you. The kids will have a great time either way. Just pick a craft idea, for kid creativity beats adult creativity everytime! The kids will make it creative, even if you have doubts about your own ability in this area.

About the Author

If you enjoy working with your hands, make arts and crafts as a hobby and would like to turn it into a business than Craft Business Pack or, Craft & Assembly Jobs Package will take you by the hand and walks you through the steps to earn money.

Craft Barter Exchange Benefits & Ideas

2008-10-15T21:37:00.003-07:00

A craft barter exchange can be used in some creative ways to the benefit of all parties involved, but is often overlooked - here are some ideas for you, and ways in which you, your customers and your suppliers can benefit from these trades.

Craft Barter Exchange To Pay For Services Or Products

When I started my business I didn't have a big budget for advertising, but it was obviously necessary, so I would seek out other small businesses where I could make contact directly with the owner to discuss the option of paying for advertising not in cash or on credit, but with products of mine to the value of the service.

For example, we have a local A5 booklet dropped in our mail boxes once monthly which is purely advertising - the first half is devoted to home improvement services, and the second half to other local products and services, which I noticed also included advertising for craft and handmade items. I picked up the phone and contacted the company who prints and distributes the booklet, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was all run by one woman, so we started chatting... I ended up with a full color half page ad which was very successful, and which ended up costing me less than half the full price!

You see, the beauty of barter exchanging your products for services is that you're trading them at their retail value, but that's not what they're costing you to make them!

Craft barter exchanges can be used to pay for many different services which can either help boost your business, such as advertising, or services/products which are just necessary, such as getting business cards printed.

Whether you have the budget for these things or not, always try to negotiate a barter exchange wherever you possibly can - you will save a lot in the long run, which can then be put towards more advertising or promotional activities.

Craft Barter Exchange To Boost Sales

Upselling is a term you should be familiar with (if not, go research it now!) and is usually limited to your own products, but let's do some thinking outside the box...

If you find someone who sells products that are complimentary to yours, they can work well as good incentives for upsells - here's an example:

You have a booth at a craft fair or market, and a customer is admiring your handmade jewelry. She'd really love to go home with your beautiful (most expensive) jeweled necklace, which she knows is going to match her evening gown just perfectly, but she's hesitating because of the price.

You, however, have barter traded with a crafter who makes handmade purses - for just this reason! You approach your prospective customer and suggest that if she'd like to purchase that necklace, you'll also let her have this lovely evening purse which matches the colors of the necklace fabulously... sold!

There are many other examples - offering free fancy gift packaging or handmade greeting cards if the item is being bought as a gift; a free dining table candle if someone is buying handmade napkin rings, or vice versa; even seasonal promotions such as free Christmas tree decorations with something purchased at that time of year.

Use your imagination to find items that are complimentary to yours, and when you introduce the idea of doing a barter exchange with another crafter s/he will probably thank you for sharing the idea too!

About the Author

If you'd like to participate in and benefit from craft barter exchanges, browse our

Inexpensive Craft Ideas For Kids

2008-10-15T21:37:00.001-07:00

You don't need to spend a lot of money on craft equipment for your kids. Sure, you can if you wish go to the toy store and buy those overpackaged, overpriced kits. However, a little bit of thought and you can not only do crafts on the cheap, but you and your kids can have a lot of fun doing them as well.

Think before you throw out things. Pictures from old magazines can be cut out and used for projects such as collage. Greetings cards can also be used in this way, or the cut-outs used to make new cards. Newspapers can be turned into papier m?ch?.

Raid your sewing box for old buttons, pieces of wool or scrap material. Again, these can be used for collage or cards, and for making bangles, necklaces, or even dolls clothes.

A store cupboard item you can use for crafting with young children is dried pasta such as penne. Help them thread it onto string to make a long necklace.

Make your own playdough. Put 1 cup water, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 2 teaspoons cooking oil and 2 teaspoons cream of tartar in a pan. Add a little food coloring and cook gently for a few minutes until the mixture forms a ball. Store in a plastic container.

Lolly or popsicle sticks, washed and dried, can be made into many interesting objects such as doll's furniture.

Paper plates make great masks. Cut out holes for the eyes and attach a piece of elastic once the plates are painted or drawn on. Halve the plates to make carnival eye masks and attach a popsicle stick as a handle.

A great place to find free craft materials is outdoors. Nature provides us with a wealth of ideas. In the woods, gather leaves, twigs or bark. An imaginative child will find plenty to do with them. While you're there, give your kids paper and crayons to make tree bark rubbings. See what patterns different trees make.

Flowers can be picked for pressing. You don't need an expensive flower press, just gently wrap the blooms in kitchen roll and place between the pages of an old book. Put it in a warm place such as an airing cupboard, weighted down if it's a paperback, and wait a few days until the flowers are completely dry.

The beach is another good place to gather materials. Small shells can be glued onto plain trinket boxes or picture frames to make highly individual gifts. Collect large stones and paint them. Make an interesting texture on paper by spreading glue over and sprinkling on sand.

Explore charity shops. Buy cheap glassware and crockery to paint on. Old wallpaper rolls are great for scrap paper and cutting out. You may even find books on crafts.

I'm sure that you'll come up with even more ideas for inexpensive craft ideas for your kids. Remember to be safety conscious with materials. And don't forget, have fun!

About the Author:

Kirsty is a work-from-home mother. For an amazing 365 easy, inexpensive, new and different kid crafts, go to http://tinyurl.com/hfet5

Professional Craft Ideas For Christmas Season

2008-10-09T15:20:00.001-07:00

Any Christmas Craft idea must have the festival spirit behind it. Your tender and warm feelings associated with the holy festival must reflect in it. Your craft idea needs to stand out from the hoard of new gifting ideas that sprout during the season. So that your craft ideas get the maximum display and appreciation in festive season, as a number of your friends and relatives visit you during this period.

While selecting any Christmas craft idea, your main concern is how it could be different from the last year's celebration. It is the same old Christmas Tree, the same old wreath, the same old custom of exchanging gifts! You are determined to make this Christmas, the most special and therefore you are in vigorous search of new ideas!

Here are some top ideas for professionals.

To some, traditions count a lot! To some, a particular color is the family tradition. They must have everything in white! The lampshade, the trimmings, the new sofa covers, the new TV Cover-- your Christmas craft and gift ideas, should match with their taste. Your concern for their interest will surprise and fascinate them greatly.

Another Christmas Craft idea is making the Christmas Calender. It is impossible to list out this and this craft is suitable for Christmas. You need to have a cursory glance at the shops at the local shopping center, as to what are the trends for the current Christmas. Some of the ever green items that are always in market but with changed designs and colors are: the childhood fun inside quilts, remote controlled planes, fancy musical instruments and much more. All in all the craft idea should be such that it makes your Christmas enjoyable and unique.

One more aspect of Christmas craft ideas can not be ignored. Such craft ideas generally forecast an year in advance. Numerous designs created by the design forecasters and the manufacturers commences generally 10 months before the Christmas season. The wholesalers begin the dispatch of the items to their retailers at least two months before the actual Christmas day.

So, during the first week of October every year you find each and every retail outlet, flooded with new items. It is possible for you to create parallel items, not exactly duplicate them to make your Christmas more attractive and novel.

To read more articles on craft work, craft works and craft business visit hhttp://www.thecraftwork.com/

How To Make Foam Sheet Glasses Case

2008-10-04T22:03:00.001-07:00

Are you a camp director, teacher, or homeschool mom looking for a new arts and crafts idea for your kids? Or maybe you are a recreation director at a senior center or nursing home and could use a new project. Either way, this arts and crafts idea will be interesting and fun for all. This glass case can be used, given as a gift, or converted into a necklace purse.

To make the glasses case, you will need the following simple materials: a square of craft foam, plastic or large blunt needles, lanyard lace or thick yarn. Cut two rectangles from the foam, each 3-1/2 inches (9 cm.) by 6 inches (15 cm.). With a hole punch, make holes on three sides of each rectangle, leaving one short side unpunched. Make the holes 1/2 inch apart and allow at least 1/4 inch between the hole and the edge of the craft foam. The holes need to line up so that the two pieces can be laced together. If you are preparing the craft for small children, you should make the holes yourself. Otherwise, the crafters can do this step if you have enough pairs of hole punches.

At this point the crafters can cut decorative shapes from other colors of craft foam, or you can buy sets of ready-cut foam shapes. If you are doing the craft at a special event, like vacation Bible school, choose shapes that echo the theme of the event. For instance, if the Bible school or camp has a cowboy theme, find shapes that fit well, such as boots, cowboy hats, and stars. Let the kids choose the shapes they like and glue on as desired. You might also like to provide beads or sequins to glue on as well, especially if the crafters are a little older.

The next step in this arts and crafts idea is to thread the plastic needle with the yarn or lanyard lace. Yarn might be a little easier to handle, but lanyard lace is shiny and attractive. In a pinch, some teachers of small children use a bobby pin as a needle. It is certainly a safe alternative. Simply loop the yarn through the opening and use the open end of the bobby pin as if it were the point of the needle. The children can now begin to lace the front and back of the glasses case together.

To turn this arts and crafts idea into a necklace purse, simply attach a piece of lanyard lace to each corner making a long handle. Kids will enjoy using this case as a place to store secret notes and small objects. If they'd rather, they can give the glasses case to a parent, grandparent, or friend who wears glasses. Either way, this arts and crafts idea will be interesting for all.

About the Author

If you enjoy working with your hands, make arts and crafts as a hobby and would like to turn it into a business than Craft Business Pack or, Craft & Assembly Jobs Package will take you by the hand and walks you through the steps to earn money.

Arts and Crafts Idea Arts and Crafts Ideas

2008-10-04T19:23:00.001-07:00

Crafters are able to come up with arts and crafts ideas from items that many people might consider junk! Arts and crafts ideas can be found in baby food jars, paper bags, shoe boxes, cds, and egg cartons among other items easily found around the home. When you come up with arts and crafts ideas from things you have in your home, you save money on having to purchase supplies from the craft store, and you are helping the environment by recycling.

Shoe boxes are the culprits of many arts and crafts ideas! You can create dioramas, doll houses, and box guitars. The arts and crafts ideas using shoe boxes are virtually endless- limited only by your imagination. You can also use shoe boxes for more traditional means, and create decorative storage boxes for your favorite things, momentos or other objects.

CD's are also great items to encourage arts and crafts ideas. They are perfectly round, and give off a wonderful shine when light hits them. The little hole in the center is perfect for stringing twine or chain through, in order to create hanging arts and crafts. Ideas include Christmas ornaments, candle holders, dreamcatchers, photo frames, clocks and magnets. Start with a CD you don't need (like the ones you get in the mail from advertisers, or a CD that has too many scratches to work properly) and see just how many arts and crafts ideas the little shiny circle can generate!

Clear thirty five millimeter film cannisters can cause many arts and crafts ideas. With a little mirrored paper board (available at a craft store), plastic wrap and cake sprinkles you can make a miniature kaleidoscope. Drill a small hole in the bottom of the film cannister. Fold the mirrored paper board into a triangle shape that will fit inside the cannister, and tape it inside. Place several cake sprinkles in the lid of the cannister and cover with a piece of plastic wrap, taped into place. Pop the cap back onto the cannister. When you look through the hole at the bottom of the cannister and turn the film cannister in your hand, the sprinkles will create shapes against the mirrored kaleidoscope. How is that for unique arts and crafts ideas!

Arts and crafts ideas can come from anywhere. You can recycle your empty jelly jars and make beach scenes in a jar, a time capsule, or a candle holder.

Common household items often invoke many arts and crafts ideas. Just think outside the box, and you might surprise yourself with how many arts and crafts ideas you come up with!

6 Sources Of Inspiration That Are Often Overlooked

2008-10-04T19:22:00.001-07:00

Let's face it, when it comes to card making, we can all run low on inspiration sometimes. So what do you do when that 'pool of creativity' dries up? Struggle onwards? Most likely that produces some not-so-great cards right?

Funnily enough though, your imagination can be sparked very easily - if you know where to look. Perhaps most surprising, is that some of the most powerful sources of inspiration for card making ideas are sitting right under your nose!

Let's revisit some of the more 'obvious' sources of inspiration that we can often overlook when we're stuck for card making ideas. But this time, let's look at them through fresh eyes...

1. The Occasion
There are so many potential occasions for which you can choose to make a card. It doesn't just stop at birthdays or Christmas. And each occasion or event is loaded with meaning, whatever it may be. So how do you transform the 'message' into an eye-catching, meaningful, handmade greeting card design?

Exploring the motivation behind the card you're making, is a good place to start. Is the recipient having a hard time right now and you want to cheer them up? Or perhaps they're moving house or are starting a new job? Take some time to really think about why you're making the card.

And how is the occasion or event making the repicient feel? Happy? Sad? Excited? Apprehensive? If you can pinpoint why you're making a little creation for that special someone, and how they feel about this particular event, it can help immensely in your creative card making process.

A cheery card design with vibrant colors would be great to give to someone who's having a hard time at the moment. A house-shaped card, or even a tapestry-esque, 'Home Sweet Home' -inspired card idea could be great for someone who's moving house or returning from a long journey.

Every occasion or event (no matter how obscure) has it's own visual associations and icons from which you can gather your inspiration. So if you're stuck for card making ideas, take a few moments to think about why you're making them the card in the first place, and how that particular occasion is making the recipient feel. That can really help you to translate your message into a visual representation in your card making designs.

2. The Person
Another, perhaps obvious, but often overlooked factor is the recipient. Who are you making the card for? Everyone is different! And the beauty of making handmade cards is that you really can personalize them. So, make a card that compliments their energy, their 'aura', their personality.

Are they free and breezy? Traditional and conservative? A bundle of fun? Too cute for words? So energetic they can't sit still? Focusing on a person's attributes, likes, and dislikes, can spark off a million of ideas. In which creative direction will YOU go?

3. Quotes
It's always a nice touch to add a quote to a card. But apart from being center-pieces themselves, quotes can also provide you with inspiration for your card making ideas and their color palettes. After all, different quotes evoke different sentiments, emotions, and visual associations.

There are different ways to collect quotes. I like to keep a notebook that I use specifically for noting down inspirational, funny and cute quotes. Every time I read a book, magazine, or web page, and see a phrase I like, I note it down (making sure I also note down the author's name and where I found it). You can grow a great little personal collection of quotes that way.

If you have neither the time nor patience for that though, you can buy yourself a book of quotes from your local bookstore, or check out some quote sites online. Either way, quotations are great ways of adding an extra 'something' to a card and can really play a role in your final card making ideas.

4. Greeting Card Shops
An obvious option, you might think, but it's true! Take a look at what the professional card designers are doing. Many greeting card shops stock both the manufactured and the handmade card varieties. You can get some great card making ideas just by strolling through the isles!

5. Gift Wrap
Another great source for card making ideas! There are some simply gorgeous wrapping papers out there. They're a great way of getting more color scheme ideas too. See what works, see what doesn't.

6. Crafting Magazines
Craft magazines are such fun! For me, it's always a real pleasure to leisurely flick through a papercraft magazine on the sofa, magazine in one hand and cup of tea in the other!

Good crafting magazines are made to inspire you do make great things. So they are definitely worth checking out.

For a list of some good crafting magazines, visit:

http://www.making-handmade-cards.com/card-making-magazines.html

These 6 sources of inspiration may well seem obvious, but do we actually stop and refer to any of them when we're stuck for inspiration? Sometimes, it's the most obvious sources of inspiration that we need to remind ourselves of when our imaginations get stuck in a rut.

Best Wedding Crafts Ideas for Saving Money

2008-10-01T00:14:00.001-07:00

Weddings are a joyous occasion but can get expensive in a hurry. With wedding crafts you can insert a personal touch and hold the price down as well. Here are a few ideas for wedding crafts to add sparkle and creativity to your big day.

It is not that hard to create your own wedding veil. To make this wedding craft, you will need a length of bridal illusion in the desired length. You will also need a comb to attach it to your hair and a hat or headpiece to cover the comb. Sew large running stitches about an inch from the end of the illusion and gather it tightly. Now sew the veil to the comb. Top with hat or headpiece. As an alternative, you can decorate a wide-brimmed straw hat with silk flowers, ribbon, and pearls.

The bouquets and floral arrangements can also be personally crafted. For a simple outdoor wedding, consider wild flowers. They are free and have a charm all their own. Bouquets can be arranged in large clear vases, with a bow tied elegantly around.

Favors for the guests are particularly appropriate wedding crafts. Refrigerator magnets are a simple and well-received favor. A really nice idea is to make a magnetic picture frame and include a picture of the couple. You could cut a frame out of craft foam in one of the wedding colors, arrange over the photo, and glue all onto a cardboard backing. Place self-adhesive magnet tape on the back of the cardboard. Decorate the front of the frame with foil heart stickers and a monogram of the couple's last name.

Bows for the ends of the pews or rows make simple wedding crafts. Wide velvet ribbons are nice for fall and winter weddings, while satin is more appropriate for spring and summer weddings. Loop some flat lace in with the ribbons. In the center of the completed bow, attach some silk flowers and pearl sprays with a hot glue gun.

Perhaps you'd like to try your hand at decorating your own cake. Check the craft section of the department store for pans and gadgets of all types to help you create a cake to remember. Do remember, though, that it takes a steady hand. Be sure to practice before starting on the real cake.

Preparing for a wedding can be expensive, but with wedding crafts, you can take some of the sting out. Plan early, however, because it will take a little while to make favors for everyone and all the other little details you will want to take care of. Maybe creating wedding crafts will even relieve some of those wedding jitters. In any event, crafting your own wedding items is a way to have a personal, beautiful, and less expensive wedding.

About the Author

If you enjoy working with your hands, make arts and crafts as a hobby and would like to turn it into a business than Craft Business Pack or, Craft & Assembly Jobs Package will take you by the hand and walks you through the steps to earn money.

Winter Craft Ideas For Kids

2008-09-30T18:14:00.001-07:00

When the weather is cold and wet outside, and kids are cooped up inside, winter crafts are a great way to keep them entertained. With just a few simple crafting supplies you can keep them busy for hours and avoid cabin fever at the same time. Give it a try and come up with some winter craft ideas for your kids using some of the suggestions below.

Paper Snowflakes

Do you remember cutting fancy snowflakes out of a piece of paper when you where a kid? Your child will enjoy this simple craft just as much. Get out a few pieces of white paper, fold them and start cutting out snowflakes. When you have a nice collection of different designs, hang them on a window, or get out a big sheet of dark blue or black construction paper and glue them on for a fun snowflake collage.

Make A Snow Landscape.

Get a shoebox or any other size box, turn it on its side and put some cotton batting in the bottom as a layer of snow. Then let your kids craft little houses out of milk carton boxes adding some more cotton batting to the roofs for a layer of snow. Use small branches and twigs as trees, and cotton balls as snow covered bushes. Cut some an irregular circular shape out of light blue paper to represent a lake. Different size Styrofoam balls (or marshmallows), held together by a toothpick make for a great snowman.

Inside Snow Angels

Let the kids make snow angles inside, when there?s not enough snow to do it outside. You and the kids can tear newspaper into small strips or pieces. Or just run the newspaper through the paper shredder. Pile it up on the kitchen floor. If you have a lot of packing peanuts, those will work as well. Let your kids lay down and make snow angels by moving their arms and legs. Don?t forget to take a picture of the process and the finished snow angle. When you?re done, sweep it all up and put it into your recycle bin.

For more fun winter craft ideas including a snowman craft and ideas for snow painting visit http://www.kinderinfo.com While you?re there, don?t forget to sign up for our free newsletter as well.

4 Low Cost Halloween Craft Ideas

2008-09-29T21:34:00.001-07:00

There are many Halloween crafts you can make for very little cost. Some are quite popular and kids enjoy doing them over and over again. Here are some Halloween crafts I have seen done by children many times over the years:

Tissue Ghost - o Take a lollipop - the large, round varieties work best. o Cover the lollipop with a tissue or two. o Tie the tissue onto the lollipop with white string or yarn. o Draw a face on the tissue with colored markers.

Halloween Placemat - o Take construction paper - Halloween colors like orange, white and black are often used. o Cut out black cats, pumpkins or Jack-O-Lanterns, spiders, and ghosts - you can use an Ellison machine if you have access to one. o Take another piece of construction paper. o Glue the cut-outs onto the whole piece of paper. o Cover the entire creation with clear contact paper.

Styrofoam Spiders - o Take a large styrofoam ball - paint it black. Leave it dry. o Once dry, glue two googly eyes on the painted sphere. o Stick black pipe cleaners into the styrofoam for the legs.

Halloween Mobile - o Take construction paper - Halloween colors like orange, white and black are often used. o Cut out black cats, pumpkins or Jack-O-Lanterns, spiders and ghosts - you can use an Ellison machine if you have access to one. o Laminate or cover all the cut-outs with clear contact paper. o Punch one hole in the laminated cut-outs. o Take a paper plate. o Decorate the plate with Halloween colors, Halloween stickers, markers or crayons. o Hole punch 5 or 6 holes around the edge. o Tie the laminated cut-outs to the paper plate with black thread or black yarn. o Hole punch 2 holes in the center of the paper plate. o Tie a piece of black string or yarn through the two holes for hanging.

There are complete books of Halloween crafts that you can purchase or check out from your public library. You can also find ideas on the internet. You don't have to spend a lot of money to have an activity for your kids to do.

About the Author

Nicola always enjoys Halloween parties with her family. Visit her Halloween site for tips and information about easy to make halloween costumes at http://Easy-Halloween-Costumes.Best-Halloween.com

This article may be reprinted in full if the resource box and the live links are included intact. Copyright Best-Halloween.com

Fun Halloween Craft Ideas

2008-09-28T23:22:00.001-07:00

Kids always have fun making crafts, especially holiday-themed crafts. Here are some fun Halloween craft ideas for your kids to make this year.

1. Trick-or-Treat bucket
Supplies: ice cream bucket, construction paper, markers, crayons, glue, glitter (any craft supplies) Directions: Use construction paper to draw ghosts, pumpkins, scarecrows, etc. Cut out your decorations and glue them to the outside of an ice cream bucket.

2. Trick-or-Treat goody bags
Supplies: small brown paper bags, Halloween stickers, markers, treats (candy, pencils, erasers, bubblegum, etc.)
Directions: Decorate paper bags in Halloween themes using your art supplies. Put treats inside bags. Fold the top of the bag down and tape shut with a Halloween sticker.

3. Tiny pumpkins
Supplies: acorns, orange paint, and green paint
Directions: Lay acorns on a sheet of newspaper. Paint the bottom of the acorns with orange paint. After the orange paint dries, paint the top of the acorns green (for the stem of the pumpkin). Allow to dry thoroughly.

4. Spooky Spiders
Supplies: black construction paper, cotton balls or cotton stuffing, black pipe cleaners, small bowl or saucer, and a stapler
Directions: Using black construction paper, trace around a small bowl or saucer. (Cut out two circles per spider.) Place stuffing or cotton balls on first circle. Lay second circle on top of cotton stuffing and staple half-way around. Insert 3-4? pipe cleaners on each side, then staple the second half of the circles together. Bend pipe cleaners to make the ?legs? of the spider.

Sara Sachxe regularly writes for Really Clever Moms, including many reviews on products like the Aqua Doodle.

Popular Christmas Craft Ideas This Holiday Season

2008-09-28T23:20:00.001-07:00

Christmas is one time of year when people of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds begin looking for craft projects. The great news is that many project ideas and how to?s can be found quite easily online or off. The World Wide Web is chock full of all kinds of do it yourself craft ideas for Christmas fun. Women?s magazines make an excellent offline source for this incredibly useful information as well.

Looking for Christmas craft ideas? Try some of these:

Baking your own shortbread cookies. Of course the fun doesn?t stop with the baking. You then need to decorate them with colorful icing and sprinkles (the little ones love to help add the sprinkles). Once they?ve been baked and decorated, string them on fishing line and use them as decorations. You can use a knife in order to shape the cookies are opt for cookie cutters in wonderful shapes and designs for Christmas baking delight.

Making Garlands. This particular craft requires group participation. Not only do you need to pop the popcorn and smack the hands of those attempting to steal the popcorn, you also need help during the actual stringing process. Of course you aren?t limited to popcorn, you can also opt for cranberries or nuts.

Another great Christmas craft is the making of your very own Christmas decorations. You can find inspiration and crafting materials in the shape of Styrofoam, play dough, and ribbons. One great thing to do especially with kids is to take a package of ordinary Christmas balls and use glue in order to create patterns on the balls. After creating the design roll the ball in glitter for a sparkling pattern.

If you are truly dedicated to the craft of crafting, you can create your very own holiday candles (hint, hint: these make great gifts too!). The simplest way to do this is by rolling up sheets of beeswax. If this doesn?t appeal to you as much you can also melt wax in a double boiler to make your own candles. You can find scents to add to your wax at a local craft store, most will have some scents designed specifically for Christmas. You can find molds in popular holiday shapes to complete your craft project.

The time spent with family creating these wonderful crafts for the holidays will be remembered long after the toys, gifts, and gizmos have been forgotten. Take the time to enjoy making beautiful crafts together and strengthen the bonds you have with your children.

Rob Buenaventura is a successful webmaster and publisher of GetChristmasShopping. He provides tips on Christmas decoration ideas, unique xmas gifts, and other Christmas ideas. For more tips on Christmas decoration tips, check out http://www.getchristmasshopping.com

How To Make an Apron

2008-09-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a handicraft gift idea to make for someone special, perhaps that person would like an apron. When we think of aprons, we often think of mothers and grandmothers in the kitchen, but men can often benefit from having an apron as well. They often enjoy barbecuing, for one thing. They also can use an apron in the workshop. Children, too, can use an apron for many of their activities, such as arts and crafts. Here are simple instructions for making a handicraft gift of an apron that can be adapted for anyone.

Start with a piece of sturdy fabric suitable for the individual for whom you are making the handicraft gift. The fabric needs to be wide enough to wrap 1/2 to 3/4 of the way around them and long enough to cover them from collar bone to just above the knee. For a large adult, 25 to 30 inches wide by 36 to 40 inches long should be about right. A slimmer adult can use a narrower apron, but if they will be wiping their hands on the sides of it, they might appreciate the extra width. An apron for a child of 10 could start with a piece of fabric about 18 inches wide by 25-30 inches long.

The best types of fabric to use are sturdy cottons, such as medium weight denim or twill. Soft cottons such as broadcloth or muslin are all right in the kitchen, but will not last long, and would not hold up in the garden or workshop at all. Other materials you'll need are thread and a sewing machine. You will also need enough extra fabric to make a strap to go around the neck, ties for the back, and pockets.

When designing the handicraft gift, you can be as creative as you like with pockets. Every apron is more useful with pockets. A person who cleans houses, for instance, can use pockets for odds and ends they pick up as well as for their spray bottles, sponges, and scrub brushes.

To make the apron, fold the piece of fabric lengthwise. This will allow you to cut the shape with one cut, making the two sides symmetrical. What you will be shaping when you make the cut will be the bib section of the apron. The bib for an adult sized apron will need to be about 9 inches wide. Measure from the fold about 5-1/2 inches. This is half the width of the bib plus an inch to fold under twice to form a hem. The piece you will cut off the side to shape the bib will be a half bullet shape with the tip of the bullet being where the ties will be attached. The length of the half bullet shape should be about a foot, and the width will be from the spot you marked 5-1/2 inches from the fold to the outside edge of the fabric. When these pieces are cut off, the result should be an apron shaped piece of fabric.

Now decorate the apron with pockets and any other decorations you desire. After this it is time to fold under the edges all around and stitch down with sturdy stitching for a nice hem all around the handicraft gift. Cut two pieces of fabric a yard long by two inches wide. Fold lengthwise and fold raw edges to the inside. Press and stitch down along the length to make the ties. Attach the ties at the waist of the apron handicraft gift. (If these ties seem a little long, it is because a lot of people like to bring the ties to the front and tie them there.) Cut another piece of fabric 18 to 20 inches long by 5 inches wide fold in half lengthwise and press. Press again with the raw edges of the long side tucked under 1/2 inch. Stitch down the open side. Attach this piece to the sides of the top of the bib, sewing it to the back of the bib and topstitching on the front side of the bib. Be careful not to twist it when you attach it.

People who work hard at homemaking, barbecuing and in the workshop will appreciate a handicraft gift of a sturdy apron. Mostly they will appreciate the effort and design you have put into making a handicraft gift that they can use.

About the Author

If you enjoy working with your hands, make arts and crafts as a hobby and would like to turn it into a business than Craft Business Pack or, Craft & Assembly Jobs Package will take you by the hand and walks you through the steps to earn money.

Kids Treats And Craft Ideas For Valentine' s Day

2008-09-28T20:53:00.001-07:00

Valentine?s Day is almost here and store displays are already full of heart shaped goodies. This year, set some time aside to make some fun Valentine?s Day treats and crafts with your kids. It?s a nice way to spend some quality time together and you are creating something your child can give away to relatives and friends. All you need are a few basic supplies and a little imagination. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Start by making Valentine?s Day cards together. They are quick and easy to do. Your child can give the finished cards to parents, grandparents and close friends. Start with a few sheets red or pink construction paper. Fold each sheet in half to make the basic card shape. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to let your child trace a heart shape on the card. You can also it on a different sheet of construction paper and let your child cut the heart out. Let him or her glue it on the card. Layers of different sizes of hearts make for a nice effect as well. Then it?s time to decorate the card with crayons, markers, stickers, glitter and any other crafting supplies. Your child can write a special message in the card, or you can do the writing instead. Then it?s time to mail the card, or even better ? hand deliver it.

Heart shaped sugar cookies make the perfect Valentine?s Day treat ? especially when they are decorated.. Make a batch of your favorite sugar cookie dough, or pick up some pre-made dough at the grocery store. Roll it out and let your child use heart shaped cookie cutters to make the cookies. Bake the cookies according to directions of your dough. Make a glaze by mixing milk and powdered sugar. Add a few drops of red food coloring to turn this icing glue pink. Brush some of this icing on each cookie, then have your child add sprinkles and small candies to decorate these special heart-shaped cookies.

Don?t forget to decorate the house for Valentine?s Day. Make a garland out of construction paper hearts and hang it over the door. You can also make a simple wreath by cutting large heart shapes out of pink and red construction paper. Cut them out and arrange them around the outer ring of a paper plate. Write ?Happy Valentine?s Day? on the inside of the plate and your wreath is done.

If your child wants to make treat bags for a few special friends, here?s an idea. Cut two matching heart shapes out of thick cardboard or card stock. Use a hole punch to make holes around the bottom part of each heart. Line up the hearts and then use some red thread or ribbon to sew the two heart shapes together. Don?t add any holes to the top part of the hearts. This will be the opening of the bag. You can add a long piece of string toward the top to make a handle. Let your child add a few pieces of candy to each heart shaped bag before giving them away.

About the Author:

For another extremely fun Valentine's craft and game visit http://www.kinderinfo.com/crafts/valentine-craft-and-game-for-kids.htm For more delicious Kid Approved Recipes visit www.kidapprovedmeals.com/funfood

Toddler Winter Craft Ideas

2008-09-28T20:52:00.001-07:00

Once the days are shorter and colder, entertaining an active toddler can become really hard work. This is where your list of toddler winter craft ideas also becomes your life line and your sanity. As a parent there is one place you can never avoid ? the kitchen, hence this is the best place to stick your list of toddler winter craft ideas.

You toddler winter craft ideas list needs to grow with your toddler ? as he learns and progresses so will your list. You will also find out which crafts he/she enjoys most and be able to develop more of these. It is worth speaking to the other mothers who have been driven out of the parks by the rain and cold and suggest that they too have a toddler winter craft ideas list, this way you can all swap ideas and the list will extend fairly fast, with tried and tested ideas.

When you are developing projects for your toddler winter craft ideas list you need to choose projects which are suitable for your toddlers attention span ? short. If an idea does not work do not write it off as a failure, simply pack it up for that day and try again another day, or discuss it with another mother who may have an idea how to adjust it to make it more successful.

A good starting point for toddler winter craft ideas is the simple paper plate. You can decorate it to make a picture; make a cut from the edge to the center and sticky tape it into a cone, decorate the outside and use it as a hat; make a cone out of it, decorate it and put pop corn in it; cut it in half, stick some pieces of ribbon hanging off the straight edge and make a jelly fish; cut it in half, remove two eyes, and a triangular shape so it fits over the nose and you have a mask. All simple and cheap toddler winter craft ideas from a plate ? none of which require preparation and can be packed away quickly when they want to move onto something else.

If you have an older child as well you can probably get them working along the same lines as your toddler winter craft idea, for example the older sibling could help make the popcorn for to go in the cone; could paint a sea scene to put the jelly fish in ? Once you get into the swing of it the possibilities are endless.

Remember, put a piece of paper on the kitchen wall titled Toddler Winter Craft Ideas and when you think of something just jot it down and it will be there next time you need to distract your toddler ? never rely on your memory as the times when these ideas are most needed are probably the times when you are most stressed. You may also want to have a box in the kitchen where you can put useful supplies. It is probably best to keep this out of reach so that when you need it the stuff is still there, otherwise you may find your efforts unintentionally sabotaged by your toddlers exploring fingers!

Submitted By: Jon Kelly

Summertime Craft Ideas

2008-09-28T20:51:00.001-07:00

Spring and summer come and everyone starts opening their doors and windows, bringing in the fresh air. Tree leaves are full and flower blooms abound; birds are singing, building nests and taking care of their chicks. I am drawn outdoors by the lure of warmer days and the call of the dirt and new sprouts. Not to mention, as a mom, the kids are clamoring for more room to play. It's a perfect time to pull out some fun out door family crafts.

Here are a few, easy to personalize, craft ideas for summertime fun or to celebrate May Day, Mother's Day or a holiday weekend. All craft supplies are easily attainable from craft supply stores or online suppliers. While making these crafts is a fun family activity, some are available in pre-assembled kits, or already made. Use your favorite search engine for more information on various ideas - keyword suggestions are offered below craft each idea.

1. Terra cotta clay pot bird bath. Invert terra cotta clay pots, from larger on bottom and smallest on top. Add a clay saucer (the part the pot sits in to catch the drained water). A waterproof saucer is necessary. Set the clay saucer on top of the inverted stack of pots. Paint or mosaic the pots if you feel especially creative. For more bird fun, add a mister. Birds love to play in the water. Note: Make two similar stands and use one for a bird feeder.

Keywords: clay pot bird bath; clay pot bird feeder; terra cotta bird bath.

2. Plant and grow an herb garden. Include herbs such as basil, thyme, sage, chives and any other favorites. You'll have fresh herbs to add to your recipes all summer long. Herbs are easy to grow, making this an easy garden for kids to help. Take it one step further and create a kitchen garden, including lettuce spinach, tomato, cucumber or other salad favorites.

Keywords: growing herbs; kitchen garden; easy herb gardening; gardening plans; container gardening.

3. Build a toad abode. Use a terra cotta pot and a rock. Invert a clay pot and prop edge on a rock. If you have a chipped pot, that would work great too and wouldn't require propping. Paint and decorate to your liking.

Keywords: clay toad abode; toad house; frog house.

4. A handmade stepping stone. Personalize with stones, marbles, or other memorable items. Make the project a tradition. Mark the stone with the year and include items to remember the year; a key (house or car), a toy, etc. A footprint each year could signify the walk of life and would be fun for young children to mark their growth from summer to summer.

Keywords: stepping stone craft; handmade stepping stones; stepping stone kits.

5. Personalized necklaces. Letter beads (for names or initials), a few spacer beads, a charm or two added to a simple chain makes a lovely, personal necklace for any mom or grandmother. For fun, make matching necklaces one for mom, grandmother, and daughters.

Keywords: personalized mother's necklace.

6. Bookmarks make a great craft for rainy days. Get creative - use paper, dried flowers, ribbons, needlepoint thread. Use beads and charms attached to chain or yarn to create a ook thong.

Keywords: handmade bookmarks; handmade book thong.

7. A decorated throw pillow. A pre-made throw pillow with light colored fabric, decorated with fabric paint. Fabric glue will easily adhere buttons and other small mementos. Start from scratch and decorate your fabric before making a pillow - tie-dye, iron-on colored pictures made with fabric crayons or reverse dying using a darker fabric and bleach provide many creative ways to decorate any pillow or piece of fabric. Another variation would be decorating pillow cases.

Keywords: handmade throw pillow; throw pillow craft; decorative pillow craft; fabric crayons; iron-on transfers.

8. A tie-dye party is fun for family or a gathering of extended family and friends. Supplies are readily available online coming in easy kits.

Keywords: tie dye supplies; reverse dying.

When doing a search, try searching images also. Often time pictures of an already made item will spark some creative thoughts.

There are so many fun activities to be done outdoors during nice weather. For more ideas, or to submit your own, visit http://www.mommamuse.com/2006/04/21/summertime-craft-ideas/ .

About the Author

Judi Cox is a wife and mother of 4 children. Her hobbies include making handmade soap from scratch, gardening, crafts, web design and maintaining Mom's Little Garden ( http://www.momslittlegarden.com ), an online resource for pregnant mothers, as well as her personal website, Momma Muse (http://www.mommamuse.com ). How To Come up With A Craft

Easter Crafts Ideas

2008-09-23T21:35:00.001-07:00

Easter is on the door-step... Do you need any Easter crafts ideas to decorate your home quickly? My free Easter crafts ideas and projects are really practical, because they're so simple and you don't need any special accessories to make them.

You'll only need some glue, paint, scissors, felt, papers and your two hands to make these simple Easter crafts projects.

Easter paper craft using egg-boxes

You might think how is it possible to make decoration using egg-boxes. It's really simple and I think this is the most lovely Easter decoration on my site.

Take an hour or so, a paper egg-box, some felt, an egg boxes few other things and your creative two hands and create wonderful chickens!

The following two step-by-step guideline will explain you how to make them. Visit my site www.marcels-kid-crafts-com to see the pattern and the step-by-step pictures.

You'll need:

* egg-box (for the body and the wings)

* all purpose adhesive

* scissors

* red felt (for the crests)

* yellow cardboard (for the beak)

* feather (for the tail)

* white paper (for the eyes)

* black marker

* pen

The steps:
Print and cut the patterns out.
Outline the patterns.
Cut out pieces. (The wings are made of the lid of the egg-box.)
Cut the middle part, the peaks of the box.
Cut the bottom of the peak round as shown.
First, glue the two red felt pieces about the middle of the peak.
Next, glue the beak as shown and hold it for a few minutes.
Then, glue the edge of the first wing on the back of the chicken.
Do the same with the second wing.
Glue the two white eyes and draw two dots with the black marker.
Next, is the feather.
Glue it on the back of the chicken between the wings.
Hold it for a few minutes.
Finally, glue the crest on the top of the chicken and hold it until it stands firmly.
Wait 5-10 minutes until everything completely dried.

Marcel Vigh Marcel's Kid Craft

Christmas Craft Ideas Make Your Own Family Traditions and Memories

2008-09-23T21:32:00.001-07:00

In our household, the excitement of Christmas really begins when we all go to our local farm to choose a Christmas tree. This particular farm always brings in interesting animals to keep the children occupied while Mum and Dad are comparing trees.

Over the years,we have seen llamas, a large pig with her new brood of babies, lambs, donkeys, horses etc. One year, the guest of honourwas the very (huge) ox that had appeared in the latest Harry Potter film !

The weather is always cold (for England, anyway) with the icy wind whistling through the barn that holds the traditional decorations, holly wreaths, bunches of mistletoe, willow baskets, fresh free range eggs and huge sacks of potatoes - all for sale.

Once a tree has been chosen, the students specially employed for the Christmas holiday, prepare it for transport and help to tie it onto the roof rack.

Every December since the children were born, we have bought our Christmas tree from this farm and spent time with the animals so that It has now become a family tradition - the children are now teenagers and one nearly a teenager, but they would not dream of going anywhere else.

Christmas is a time for tradition and family. Each family can make traditions and memories like these that children will remember when they are grown and perhaps have children of their own.

Another tradition in our home concerns the Christmas decorations especially those on the tree. I know many people have immaculately colour co-ordinated decorations with nothing out of place. Our Christmas tree however is not quite like that !

From the time each of our children started nursery school at the age of three, they have brought home lovingly handmade decorations such as angels, snowmen, stars etc. which we decorated the tree with. I always discreetly labelled each decoration with the child's name and age and carefully packed them away on the 12th night, ready to take out for next Christmas.This continued throughout primary school.

My children enjoy making things so at home, we would get out the glass paints,rubber stamps stencils and make more decorations. My 13 year old daughter is now adept at using my embroidery machine to embroider christmas motifs onto fabric and then make them into lovely padded shapes to hang from the tree.

Everything the children (and myself) have made throughout the past 15 years is hung on the tree.The decorating does not look professional at all but every item means something to us and brings back many memories. You can see the progression in abilities and every piece is cherished and talked about. Things don't have to be perfect to be treasured and loved.

If you want to make memories for the future with your children but need a few ideas, visit Best Christmas Craft Ideas for free instructions and ideas on easy projects suitable for both adults and children.

Tricia Craggs is the owner of http://bestchristmascraftideas.com and its sister site http://bestchristmassolutions.com

Craft Idea Craft Idea

2008-09-23T21:31:00.003-07:00

What do you do when you're ready to sit down in your crafting area, and you don't have a single craft idea?! Sometimes we want to make something, but we're just not having a creative day. Where can we get a new craft idea to encourage the creative juices to start flowing again?

The internet is the prime target for finding a new craft idea to work with. The abundance of information you can find online is amazing. Sometimes you have to narrow down your search results or rephrase your search in order to get better results, but the craft idea you are looking for is out there some place! You can simply type ?craft idea? in the search engine, and go through the results for more ideas than you'll know what to do with! You'll get a huge variety of topics with a generalized search term like ?craft idea?. If you are looking for a specific kind of craft idea, you'll need to be more specific. For example, if you know you want to work with clay, type ?clay craft idea? in the search engine. If you're looking for free patterns to follow for crotcheting or knitting- than that is what you'll want to type in the search engine box.

Another way to come up with a new craft idea is to browse your favorite crafting magazines. You could read the articles for specific instructions on how to make a craft, or have a little more fun with it and just look at the pictures! When you find an item you like, use it as your craft idea and see if you can create something similar just by looking at the photograph!

Sometimes you can come up with a craft idea just by walking through your local craft supply store. Usually, the items you see will spark a craft idea you would like to attempt. The silk flowers might give you an idea to make a fancy, all season wreath to hang on your front door. The baking supplies might give you the idea to make fun shaped cakes for your child's class party. Walking down the aisle of pretty glass containers can spark all sorts of interesting ideas, and many popular craft stores have fliers with a craft idea posted near the item it uses.

Arts and Crafts Idea Foam Sheet Glasses Case

2008-09-23T21:31:00.001-07:00

Are you a camp director, teacher, or homeschool mom looking for a new arts and crafts idea for your kids? Or maybe you are a recreation director at a senior center or nursing home and could use a new project. Either way, this arts and crafts idea will be interesting and fun for all. This glass case can be used, given as a gift, or converted into a necklace purse.

To make the glasses case, you will need the following simple materials: a square of craft foam, plastic or large blunt needles, lanyard lace or thick yarn. Cut two rectangles from the foam, each 3-1/2 inches (9 cm.) by 6 inches (15 cm.). With a hole punch, make holes on three sides of each rectangle, leaving one short side unpunched. Make the holes 1/2 inch apart and allow at least 1/4 inch between the hole and the edge of the craft foam. The holes need to line up so that the two pieces can be laced together. If you are preparing the craft for small children, you should make the holes yourself. Otherwise, the crafters can do this step if you have enough pairs of hole punches.

At this point the crafters can cut decorative shapes from other colors of craft foam, or you can buy sets of ready-cut foam shapes. If you are doing the craft at a special event, like vacation Bible school, choose shapes that echo the theme of the event. For instance, if the Bible school or camp has a cowboy theme, find shapes that fit well, such as boots, cowboy hats, and stars. Let the kids choose the shapes they like and glue on as desired. You might also like to provide beads or sequins to glue on as well, especially if the crafters are a little older.

The next step in this arts and crafts idea is to thread the plastic needle with the yarn or lanyard lace. Yarn might be a little easier to handle, but lanyard lace is shiny and attractive. In a pinch, some teachers of small children use a bobby pin as a needle. It is certainly a safe alternative. Simply loop the yarn through the opening and use the open end of the bobby pin as if it were the point of the needle. The children can now begin to lace the front and back of the glasses case together.

To turn this arts and crafts idea into a necklace purse, simply attach a piece of lanyard lace to each corner making a long handle. Kids will enjoy using this case as a place to store secret notes and small objects. If they'd rather, they can give the glasses case to a parent, grandparent, or friend who wears glasses. Either way, this arts and crafts idea will be interesting for all.

Contributed by David Slone. For more craft and hobby information visit hobby and craft directory and Advantage Content Craft and Hobby.

Product Ideas for Profitable Returns

2008-09-20T17:54:00.001-07:00

Once you catch the entrepreneurial spirit and decide to explore options for making an extra income, you?ll likely see an abundance of ideas flash before your eyes. If you are considering a part-time income and want to find a way to earn more cash quickly, you need to consider making that extra income at craft shows, festivals, and fairs. You?ll be amazed at the profit potential you will find at these fun venues!

So, you may be saying to yourself, ?sounds like a great idea but where do I start?? We?re going to help you with that. First of all, what do you enjoy? Do you have any particular talent? Can you draw or paint? Are you crafty and can you make cute arts and craft items? Can you sew or knit? Do you have a lot of canning secrets with the best jam recipes? Are you the woman with the apron on anytime the opportunity arises? What can you do and what do you like to do?

When looking for a way to make an extra income, the idea is to find a product you would like to market, or several products you would enjoy selling at fairs, festivals, and craft shows. Think about how you will get the products you will sell. Are you going to make the product or buy it wholesale? If you are going to buy wholesale, what type of products will you sell; jewelry, novelty items, hats, sports, collectibles?

A great way to find product ideas is to go to different venues. Try out your local craft shows, fairs and festivals. Watch the crowd and find the busiest booths. Find out what they are selling and research it on the internet. You can find plenty of wholesale distributors online.

You also want to think about the business aspects of your part-time income producing hobby. Remember, every time you set up at a festival or other show, you will have to pay a fee to have a table or booth area there. This means, you will need to price your items so you can make a profit after all of your expenses. Do you know what products will give you the best potential for profit at these fairs and festivals? If not, you need to find out by doing a lot of comparison shopping with your potential wholesalers and supply houses. It?s also helpful to talk to other vendors and see if they can tell you what seems to sell best at the fairs and festivals they?ve attended.

As you begin to think about products, consider if you want to ?make? or buy the products you are going to sell. Keep your options open and look at a lot of catalogues and conduct internet searches before you finalize your decision. When considering product ideas, make sure you think about the price point, profit potential, and even the fun-factor. Since you are going to be setting up shop in a ?fun? environment, you might as well have a good time while generating the cash!

Carrie Copenhaver is an entrepreneur, home based business expert and veteran of the fair, festival and craft show industry. Find out how you can earn extra income at http://www.weekendcashgenerator.com

Get Some Help Finding Good Easter Craft Ideas

2008-09-20T16:44:00.001-07:00

Coming up with Easter craft ideas on your own is too hard. That is why you can start searching online for these kinds of ideas. The internet is the perfect place to find as many Easter crafts as you will have time to make.

Some of the best Easter craft ideas use eggs. There are so many ways to decorate eggs for Easter and with a little imagination you can make all kinds of creatures and fun characters.

Here are some great ideas that you can use this Easter to make your holiday more fun for the entire family:

Mouse egg
This little guy is one of the cutest of all egg creatures that you can make for fun with your kids. You can turn any egg into a mouse in just a few minutes. All you need is some pipe cleaners and paper.

Simply dye your egg any color you want and let it dry. Once that is done you can make a little pipe cleaner stand with legs for the egg to stand in. This makes the lower body of the mouse.

Then add a long pipe cleaner tail, a puff ball nose and some cute little paper ears and voila! A mouse egg is born.

Easter wreath
These are gorgeous and fun. You can make new ones each year new or you can simply keep them from year to year. Keeping the wreaths from year to year is fun because kids love to see their past art projects. It is thoroughly thrilling to them. http://www.youreaster.com/easterwreath/

Just get some paper plates and cut out the center. Then paste the two leftover rings together. It does not even matter which way you paste them.

Then make some paper flowers or bunnies or some cute little pipe cleaner flowers and stick them on.

If you can get some of the artificial grass that is used in Easter baskets it makes a great base for the wreath. If you attach this grass to the entire wreath it makes for the perfect background to the flowers and bunnies.

Making Easter crafts is a blast and you will find that you are having as much fun as the kids! If you are looking for the perfect way to make this Easter holiday special then you have found it with Easter crafts.

About the Author:

Gray Rollins is a featured writer YourEaster.com. For more Easter craft ideas and Easter gift baskets, visit our site.

Craft Ideas for Kid Programs

2008-09-17T20:06:00.001-07:00

Are you a camp director or Sunday School teacher looking for a craft idea for kid enrichment? Maybe you feel like you are just not the creative type, and you struggle with coming up with craft projects. It is true that some people just have a knack for finding or even inventing craft ideas, but your creativity can be improved. There are ways to make it easier to find a craft idea for kid needs.

First, lay aside any perfectionism. Locking yourself into thinking there is only one right way to do something makes every decision harder. Regardless of the kid program you are helping with, there are always many suitable craft ideas out there. Don't worry about picking the wrong one! If you've taken into consideration the age and skill levels of the kids involved, your choice will be adequate.

Next, consider your budget. When choosing a craft idea for kid programs, you need to be aware that some of them are expensive. Prepackaged kits to make a fun foam picture frame or a craft stick cross are affordable for a few kids, but if you are needing to do a craft with a lot of kids, these kits might cost too much. It's often easy to do almost exactly the same project by just looking at the craft kit components and buying the same materials in bulk at the discount store. You may have to do some preparation, like cutting out shapes ahead of time, or at least making cardboard patterns for the kids to use in cutting out their own. The savings will be worth it, however.

Another consideration is this: in spite of years of indoctrination from women's libbers, the fact remains that boys and girls like different sorts of crafts! If the craft seems a little girly, don't use it at boys' camp. Stick with lace-up leather billfolds, Indian artifacts, dinosaur art, and similar projects. Girls will like beads and anything that's pink or purple. For a craft idea for kid camp where there are kids of both sexes, keep it on the boyish side and provide some pink materials to keep the girls happy.

An aspect of creativity that the non-creative types don't realize is that ideas spring from other ideas. That is, if you look over a book or website of craft ideas, maybe none of them will appeal to you, but if you let them, they will spark an idea for a similar project. Use what you can and change what you must in the craft directions. For instance, the craft may have a slogan to be written across the front. If you need to change the slogan to fit your own needs, it's perfectly OK. For instance, the pictured project might say Girls rock! You can change that to He is the Rock! if that meets your VBS needs better.

A final suggestion is to realize that you don't have to change the instructions or create something new to have a good craft idea for kid use. Feel free to follow the instructions to the letter if that works better for you. The kids will have a great time either way. Just pick a craft idea, for kid creativity beats adult creativity everytime! The kids will make it creative, even if you have doubts about your own ability in this area.

Contributed by David Slone. For more craft and hobby information visit hobby and craft directory and Advantage Content Craft and Hobby.

Popular Christmas Craft Ideas This Holiday Season

2008-09-12T04:18:00.001-07:00

Fun Halloween Craft Ideas

2008-09-11T04:08:00.001-07:00

Arts and Crafts Idea Arts and Crafts Ideas

2008-09-11T04:07:00.000-07:00

Kids Treats And Craft Ideas For Valentine' s Day

2008-09-08T04:51:00.003-07:00

Easter Crafts Ideas

2008-09-08T04:51:00.001-07:00

Christmas Craft Ideas Make Your Own Family Traditions and Memories

2008-09-05T04:46:00.001-07:00

Arts and Crafts Idea Foam Sheet Glasses Case

2008-09-05T04:02:00.001-07:00

Are you a camp director, teacher, or homeschool mom looking for a new arts and crafts idea for your kids? Or maybe you are a recreation director at a senior center or nursing home and could use a new project. Either way, this arts and crafts idea will be interesting and fun for all. This glass case can be used, given as a gift, or converted into a necklace purse.

To make the glasses case, you will need the following simple materials: a square of craft foam, plastic or large blunt needles, lanyard lace or thick yarn. Cut two rectangles from the foam, each 3-1/2 inches (9 cm.) by 6 inches (15 cm.). With a hole punch, make holes on three sides of each rectangle, leaving one short side unpunched. Make the holes 1/2 inch apart and allow at least 1/4 inch between the hole and the edge of the craft foam. The holes need to line up so that the two pieces can be laced together. If you are preparing the craft for small children, you should make the holes yourself. Otherwise, the crafters can do this step if you have enough pairs of hole punches.

At this point the crafters can cut decorative shapes from other colors of craft foam, or you can buy sets of ready-cut foam shapes. If you are doing the craft at a special event, like vacation Bible school, choose shapes that echo the theme of the event. For instance, if the Bible school or camp has a cowboy theme, find shapes that fit well, such as boots, cowboy hats, and stars. Let the kids choose the shapes they like and glue on as desired. You might also like to provide beads or sequins to glue on as well, especially if the crafters are a little older.

The next step in this arts and crafts idea is to thread the plastic needle with the yarn or lanyard lace. Yarn might be a little easier to handle, but lanyard lace is shiny and attractive. In a pinch, some teachers of small children use a bobby pin as a needle. It is certainly a safe alternative. Simply loop the yarn through the opening and use the open end of the bobby pin as if it were the point of the needle. The children can now begin to lace the front and back of the glasses case together.

To turn this arts and crafts idea into a necklace purse, simply attach a piece of lanyard lace to each corner making a long handle. Kids will enjoy using this case as a place to store secret notes and small objects. If they'd rather, they can give the glasses case to a parent, grandparent, or friend who wears glasses. Either way, this arts and crafts idea will be interesting for all.

Contributed by David Slone. For more craft and hobby information visit hobby and craft directory and Advantage Content Craft and Hobby.

Inexpensive Craft Ideas For Kids

2008-09-04T02:56:00.001-07:00

Craft Ideas for Kid Programs

2008-09-04T02:55:00.000-07:00

Are you a camp director or Sunday School teacher looking for a craft idea for kid enrichment? Maybe you feel like you are just not the creative type, and you struggle with coming up with craft projects. It is true that some people just have a knack for finding or even inventing craft ideas, but your creativity can be improved. There are ways to make it easier to find a craft idea for kid needs.

First, lay aside any perfectionism. Locking yourself into thinking there is only one right way to do something makes every decision harder. Regardless of the kid program you are helping with, there are always many suitable craft ideas out there. Don't worry about picking the wrong one! If you've taken into consideration the age and skill levels of the kids involved, your choice will be adequate.

Next, consider your budget. When choosing a craft idea for kid programs, you need to be aware that some of them are expensive. Prepackaged kits to make a fun foam picture frame or a craft stick cross are affordable for a few kids, but if you are needing to do a craft with a lot of kids, these kits might cost too much. It's often easy to do almost exactly the same project by just looking at the craft kit components and buying the same materials in bulk at the discount store. You may have to do some preparation, like cutting out shapes ahead of time, or at least making cardboard patterns for the kids to use in cutting out their own. The savings will be worth it, however.

Another consideration is this: in spite of years of indoctrination from women's libbers, the fact remains that boys and girls like different sorts of crafts! If the craft seems a little girly, don't use it at boys' camp. Stick with lace-up leather billfolds, Indian artifacts, dinosaur art, and similar projects. Girls will like beads and anything that's pink or purple. For a craft idea for kid camp where there are kids of both sexes, keep it on the boyish side and provide some pink materials to keep the girls happy.

An aspect of creativity that the non-creative types don't realize is that ideas spring from other ideas. That is, if you look over a book or website of craft ideas, maybe none of them will appeal to you, but if you let them, they will spark an idea for a similar project. Use what you can and change what you must in the craft directions. For instance, the craft may have a slogan to be written across the front. If you need to change the slogan to fit your own needs, it's perfectly OK. For instance, the pictured project might say Girls rock! You can change that to He is the Rock! if that meets your VBS needs better.

A final suggestion is to realize that you don't have to change the instructions or create something new to have a good craft idea for kid use. Feel free to follow the instructions to the letter if that works better for you. The kids will have a great time either way. Just pick a craft idea, for kid creativity beats adult creativity everytime! The kids will make it creative, even if you have doubts about your own ability in this area.

Contributed by David Slone. For more craft and hobby information visit hobby and craft directory and Advantage Content Craft and Hobby.

Product Ideas for Profitable Returns

2008-09-01T23:25:00.003-07:00

4 Low Cost Halloween Craft Ideas

2008-09-01T23:25:00.001-07:00

Finding The Best Craft Glue For Your Card Making Ideas

2008-09-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

Best Wedding Crafts Ideas for Saving Money

2008-09-01T19:34:00.001-07:00