Category: crafts

2012 Gingerbread Village: A Holiday Family Tradiiton

[ 0 ] December 12, 2023 | Anisa Raoof

We set up this year’s Gingerbread Villageâ€”now an annual traditionâ€”on the buffet in the dining room. Not sure why we never placed it here beforeâ€”seems well-suited nestled in this cave-like space where one must bend down to peak at the scene from standing position but is easily seen at eye level when one is seated at the table.

The village has a home on the left, a short stroll to the urban village. The town center is the large center building with a tiny building on the right, serving as the beloved library. The movie theater, located on the far right, adorned with bright lights, is currently showing a 3-D film.Gingerbread-Santa-Sleigh-GV

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Easy DIY Project: Tissue Box Tags

[ 3 ] December 3, 2023 | Elyse Major

I love paper products and so my head is easily turned when even tissue boxes with festive holiday images appear on the shelves at Target. This yearâ€™s patterns are especially adorable and feature simple and cheerful motifs. So cute in fact, that I find myself unable to place them in the recycling bin. And thatâ€™s how this little project started.

Other uses:
Also makes a fun non-breakable ornament
Find bakerâ€™s twine at post-holiday clearance sales at stores like Crate & Barrel
Use this idea year-round for gift tags

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Family Matters: Thanksgiving crafts for kids

[ 1 ] November 16, 2023 | Anisa Raoof

Thanksgiving is coming up quicker than ever this year, but there’s still time this weekend and next week to do some fun, seasonal crafts with the kidos. Here are some of my favorites, created by some fantastic bloggers.

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Family Matters: Easy Fall Craft Projects for Kids

[ 0 ] November 14, 2023 | Anisa Raoof

We like to celebrate fall by making crafts that remind us of the seasonâ€™s colors, shapes and textures or using natural materials found on our outdoor hikes. Many of these projects are simple and need little advanced planning. Although I show samples of finished crafts, these activities are as much or more about the process, the outdoor adventure and collecting the materials. Plan a walk and bring a bag to hold natural items along the way. Making art with kids can lead to unexpected discoveries and detours. If you want perfection, craft your own piece alongside or after the kids are asleep.

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Build a Cardboard Castle

[ 0 ] November 12, 2023 | Beth Curtin

This is a great rainy day project, if you have already collected some toilet paper and paper towel rolls and various small cardboard boxes.

Most of the cardboard is thin enough for a child to cut. I dismantled all the boxes and turned them inside out to hide the labels, but I think a colorful castle would be nice, too. See the little round tower on the corner? That is called a bartizan. We cut slits in a toilet paper roll to stick it onto the wall. The skinny white tower to the left is a garderobe….a latrine. It hangs over the outside wall and empties into the moat, or in this case, into the lake. The tall towers have merlons, (square blocks which defenders could hide behind,) and crenels, the spaces in between, for shooting at the enemy.

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Family Matters: Fall Projects + Setting Back The Clock

[ 0 ] November 2, 2024 | Anisa Raoof

Fall’s leaves are a perfect reason to work together as a family and have some fun doing it as well.

As we continue to recover from Hurricane Sandy, here’s hoping there are moments in your family’s life to be able to enjoy the bounty of colorful leaves on the ground. It’s the perfect weekend to use yard-clean up as a family activity as well as a craft project! Also, let’s get ready for turning those clocks back on Sunday.

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Wax Leaf Pressing with Kids

[ 1 ] October 24, 2024 | Anisa Raoof

Wax leaf pressing is an easy way to preserve the beautiful fall foliage. Hiking outdoors this time of year to find the leaves first, is half the fun.

Supplies

wax paper
thin towel
warmed Iron
leaves

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Just add googly eyes. Simple crafting with kids.

[ 1 ] October 23, 2024 | Elyse Major

Buy a pack of googly eyes and buy a pack of fun. Just the words “googly eyes” easily invokes a chuckle (to silly me). These little plastic shells that contain a loose disk or black ball can quickly transform any inanimate object into a toy. Inexpensive and available at craft stores or even some craft […]

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DIY: Three Musketeer Costume

[ 2 ] October 9, 2024 | Anisa Raoof

My boys have been enamored with the Musketeers since they were in preschool. (We made simple Musketeer costumes for their 4th birthday party.) After reading modified versions of Alexandre Dumas’ book, The Three Musketeers and watching the updated witty action film, The Three Musketeers (1993) starring Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Chris O’Donnell, Tim Curry, Rebecca De Mornay,and Julie Delpy, my boys still love this adventure.

Here’s how to make a simple no-sew DIY Three Musketeer costume.

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Family Matters: October Craft Ideas

[ 0 ] October 5, 2024 | Anisa Raoof

You do not have to be an uber crafter to get in the Halloween mood. There are plenty of ways to get crafty with kidsâ€”some ideas require a bit more planning or set up (making shadow puppets) and other projects (drawing on pumpkins with markers) are perfect if you are short on time or would rather not make a mess.

To make crafting fun for children, itâ€™s helpful to remember that they often enjoy the process more then then the end result. You may want to choose projects for the experience. For example if you make a pumpkin mosaic the kids may prefer shredding different shades of orange paper more than where they glue them. If you are looking for a finished product, prep things in advance depending on the child’s age or skill level and make your own craft alongside them or work on your project while the kids are sleeping or off at school.

Have a spooky October with this round-up of cool, crafty Halloween projects.

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