Kids Art Supplies- Take Along or Stay at Home

Creative play is an important part of childhood- but did you know that art and creativity do more then clutter your refrigerator and walls? Children who are involved in the arts are often more self- confidant, self reliant, and strongly desire success. Art helps develop fine motor skills, following directions, working well in social groups and group settings, and of course will help young children recognize shapes, colors, textures, and more. Get your child excited about art, and it will likely follow though to other school activities as well- children who participate in art and artistic endeavors are *four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, four times more likely to participate in math or science fairs, to win awards for writing, three times more likely to be elected to class office and to win awards for school attendance. Here are some great sets to help your child find his or her inner artist.

Melissa and Doug kids tabletop art easel

Melissa and Doug kids tabletop art easel

Crayola’s Ultimate Art Case is perfect for take along art projects, such as going visiting, traveling (keep all projects together and not strewn about the hotel room), to a restaurant, or to bring outside and draw what inspires. The Crayola Ultimate Art Supplies Case is pre-loaded with all the basic art supplies your little Picasso will desire, and keep them occupied for hours. This case has compartmentalized trays to organize art supplies, room underneath the trays for paper storage, a s well as glue, scissors, crayons, colored pencils, watercolors, and more. Recommended for ages 4 and up. For more information, visit http://www.crayolastore.com

Crayola Art Box

Crayola Art Box

Melissa and Doug easels are available in two sizes. If you [Read more…]

Shabby Chic Valentines Decorations

Valentines Day Crafts

For some reason this year Valentine’s Day has me inspired! I just keep finding ways to decorate my house for the holidays! Pink and red everywhere are not my cup of tea, so I am trying to find a way to decorate for the day without it looking like cupid threw up all over my house.

Valentine's Day Crafts

This project is really simple, plus it cost me less than $2 for the total project! It saved something from the landfill, makes my house look amazing, and didn’t break the bank. Now THAT sounds like a win/win/win situation to me!

For this project there are really only a few supplies that you will need.

Supplies

Picture frame (got mine for $1 at Goodwill)

Cream colored card stock or scrapbook paper

5 sheets of valentine’s or red/purple/pink scrapbook paper

Scissors (I LOVE using my Cutterbee’s for this)

Tape

Pencil

Directions

To get start on this frame, you want to measure the area in your frame. For this particular one, I needed [Read more…]

EK Holiday Crafts #GiftGuide

One of the things that has always amazed me about the holidays and decorations and such are the amount of home-made but bought in the store crafts you can buy. These items are often sold at astronomical prices and look used already, but don’t have the character and feel of stuff you already own and are made by hand. There is no thumb print in the paint, or extra glue blob on the glitter, give it that unique sparkle when the light hits it just right. In their place there is uniform, pseudo-simple decorations made by people you never will know and they didn’t even have the decency to sign the back of it!

dec 16 136Take the holidays back. Have your kids help with decorating. Let them fill a wreath with joy love. Even a few ornaments or sun catches could add a little extra personality to your home. Sure the [Read more…]

Halloween Masks for the Kids!

Last minute Halloween Craft ideas needed ? Look no further! Here are some Frankenweenie Masks you can print out and have the kids [Read more…]

Bottle Cap Necklaces Craft Tutorial

Bottle Cap Necklaces are the hottest little trend going

Bottle Cap Necklaces are the hottest little trend going. They are great for all ages!
You will be the bestest mom in the world when you pack your party bags with these really cool
necklaces. You can find the supplies in most craft stores.
(Wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, or stickers also make for great images in the caps).
Today I am making wine glass charms. First thing you need to do is get all of your material together.

Your print, your

bottle caps (oops, not shown), hole punch, scissors, Mod Podge,
your resin of choice (I prefer Ice Resin), and most importantly,
WAX PAPER!

Oh… and a flat cookie sheet to lay your
wax paper on for a safe way to move your work in progress!
After you have

punched out your prints; lay them on the wax paper and coat
generously with the Mod Podge – Be sure to flip over when
the top is dry and coat the back as well.
If you
don’t do that….. This is what you will end up with!
Heart breaking, for

sure! This is what I keep on hand to remind me to not omit a step!
Yes, I had 24 of them staring at me the next
morning!
Your images are drying
nicely so now is a good time to mix up your resin.
You must be careful

to mix equal amounts of part A and part B mixtures. Otherwise you
will end up with a hot mess!

Carefully pour part B into part A.
(Mixing very gently because you want to make sure you have no bubbles.)
Stir gently for 2 minutes. Did I mention that you [Read more…]

St. Patrick’s Day Tree Craft

After Christmas time my kids asked if we could keep the tree up. They love the bright colors and the lights. At first I refused because I like my home to stay neat, tidy and tree-free (after Christmas has passed). Even with 23+ years of experience working with kids I still have my moments of wanting NO MESSES!

I soon moved past that idea and thought, “Why not, eh? Kids need to have fun – no harm done here.” We decided then and there to decorate a tree for various holidays all year long. So far we’ve have a Valentine’s Day Tree and now… our St. Patrick’s [Read more…]