CREATIVE CRAFTING

Archive for the ‘Crafts for Kids’ Category

Christmas Card Class and Tote Tutorial

Every year the same question: What do I do with these Christmas Cards? I have always hated throwing them away, so what did I do with them? Here are some of the ideas I have come up with over the years.

Jigsaw Puzzles

For those of us living in the winter climate of the north, we know that children become “antsy” (only word I could think of), and on our nerves during the times they cannot go outside. So years ago when faced with three very active boys, I started making jigsaw puzzles for them out of the cards. My daughter often helped as she was older and it kept her from murdering her brothers, so it was a win-win.

We would cut up several of the leftover cards, lay them on a flat surface, usually a floor and let the boys try and figure out how to put them back together. It kept them occupied for a little while and gave me a little peace. When they became bored we stored them in a shoebox until the next “antsy” time.

Tree Ornaments:

There are many ideas on the internet for making Christmas tree ornaments out of used Christmas cards. This one I found several years ago.

Wrap a small bundle, I use about 4 sticks, of cinnamon sticks with a bow. The with a small dab of glue attach your Christmas card cutout. Sometimes I attach it right to the loop on the ribbon other times to the sticks themselves. It depends on the size of the cutout.

It is funny how cleaning out a closet, or the boxes in the basement, will lead to not only memories but refreshing ideas for crafting.

Recently I was cleaning out my cedar chest where over the years I have put all the little presents the kids have given me and I came across a decorated box from my daughter. She must have been around kindergarten age when she made it for her Dad. She took a empty shoe box and decorated it with drawings, and cutouts of all the things that she thought her Dad would like.

Of course there were pictures of cars, racing, animals (at least I think they are animals) and pictures of books that her and Dad read together. These were her important “treasures”.

When looking at the box I remembered clearly the Christmas morning she gave it to him, all wrapped up with a pretty bow on top, she told him it was his “Memory Box”. He was to put every memory he had in it to keep them safe. Little did she realize at the time that the memories stored were all of her and her brothers. Little gifts made by little hands.

The box is so fragile now that I hesitate to move it around, so sorry no picture.

This is one of the first crafting projects she made, all of them kept in the “Memory Box”.

Christmas ornament and tree traditions, according to some historians, began somewhere in the 7th or 8th century by St. Boniface, a monk who is known as the Apostle of the German people. It is said that St. Boniface brought a fir tree for his congregation to decorate during the Christmas holidays, he believed the triangular shape of the fir tree represent the Holy Trinity. The Germans embraced the Christmas tree and began to decorate it with basic, white colored candles. In the 15th century decorations started to be introduced into the German Christmas decorations. Around 1510, in Latavia a fir tree was trimmed with roses which symbolized the Virgin Mary, so began the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments.

But wait, there is more. In 1605 a town along the Rhine close the German border called Strasbourg was where the first tree was brought indoors and decorated with paper roses, white candles, nuts, sweets, and some kind of wafer. This is the first time it is recorded that a Christmas tree was brought inside and then decorated which began what we do today. Of course, over time the decorative ornaments grew more elaborate and imaginative as each family used what they had on hand to decorate their trees. Decorations were made of painted eggshells (still done today in many countries) cookies, and of course the candle. Tinsel for the tree came into existence around 1610 and was originally made with pure silver.

This shadow box decoration is a wonderful holiday craft for the whole family.  It is easier than you might think and a wonderful keepsake.

Use small ornaments and Christmas figures to make a Christmas scene, with shifting snow, in a shadow box. This would be a nice activity to do with your children – let them play with the figures until they create a pleasing arrangement, then help them to glue everything in place.

You Will Need

• shadow box – at least 1½ inches deep (available at craft stores or dollar stores)
• assorted Christmas figures and small decorations
• optional: alphabet blocks
• strong craft glue or glue gun and glue sticks
• crystal snow or fine artificial snow

Project Instructions:

Remove the back of the shadow box and set aside.

Collect an assortment of Christmas figures and decorations and, working from the back, start to play with different arrangements until you create a Christmas scene that you like when seen from the front.

Begin gluing in the various pieces. If you’re using alpabet blocks, as we did, make sure they either sit firmly against the glass, or have enough clearance to prevent fake snow from getting trapped in front of them. Some possible short letter combinations for the alphabet blocks include NOEL, XMAS, SNOW, ANGEL or JOY.

Make sure all the pieces are glued in firmly; you don’t want them coming adrift after the shadow box is filled with snow and assembled. Let the glue dry.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that my children were young. I was never a skilled crafter but what I like to call a “crafter wanna be”. In a lot of respects I am still not a skilled crafter. So what does this have to do with the subject at hand? Let me explain.

Some parents are skilled crafters. Others are doing well to cut paper in a reasonably straight line. No matter which group you fall into, crafting with your kids can be beneficial for all involved.

Few things bring families together like crafting. Here are some of the good things that come out of crafting with your kids.

• Crafting builds creativity. Developing minds need a creative outlet, and crafting provides the opportunity for kids to use their imaginations. It helps them learn to solve problems, and it could lay the groundwork for a lifetime of interest in art. For parents, getting creative can help reduce stress and promote using the brain in ways that we don’t have a reason to use it every day.

• * Crafting teaches kids to follow directions. This seems like a very basic skill, but we all know adults who can’t seem to follow directions. When kids craft, they learn the consequences of not following directions when their projects do not turn out as expected. This instills in them the importance of doing things the right way the first time.

Easy Ideas For A Creepy House Halloween night Decorating OptioAuthor: Carla Wise

Ever wonder what to do with those left over blocks?  The ones that show up and you have no idea which building set they belong to?  Or how about the little matchbox cars that no one wants to play with anymore?  Doll accessories?  Puzzle pieces?  I can think of a hundred uses for this simple craft projects.

The size of the magnet is going to be determined by the size and weight of the toy.  For instance a matchbox car/truck will take more than one magnet, it might take two or three to hold it up.  Whereas the Lego blocks should only take a small amount.

The end result is limited only by your or your child’s imagination.   Make Christmas gifts for the grandparents out of leftover toys.  As a would be grandparent I can safely say that anything made especially for me by one of my grandchildren would be cherished.

So have fun with your creativity!

Materials and Tools:

small plastic toys
strong, quick-setting glue
disc magnets

Steps:

1. Gather small items to turn into magnets. Building blocks (shown) work great as do any lightweight toys such as dice, plastic figurines or puzzle pieces. Other options are sea shells, smooth river rocks or glass gems.

2. Add a blob of glue to magnet and attach item. Press firmly until the two pieces begin to bond then set aside and allow glue to fully cure.

This an easy project for you and your children to try.  There are different variations and I have found that you can use gourds, small pumpkins, or apples to make this wonderful centerpiece.

Remember any craft is made up of your imagination.  There are no set rules to a craft project.  As they say “It is in the eye of the beholder”.

Use different color tapers, different bases, ribbons, glitter…imagination is the key element.

Materials

• Large Rome Beauty apples (that will stand straight on the table)
• Candles
• Waxed paper

Instructions

1.Using an apple corer, make a hole about halfway through the middle of an apple. Make the hole as straight as possible and remove the core piece.
2.Insert a candle into the hole. It should fit tightly; if the hole is too large, wrap waxed paper around the candle’s end.
3.Older kids can decorate the apples by carefully carving designs in the skins with the tip of a potato peeler (to prevent the designs from turning brown, rub them with lemon juice).

4.Arrange the candleholders in a circle on a plate or cutting board.