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How To Keep The Kids Busy On Bad Winter Weather Days by Shelly Hill

During the Winter Season we are often hit with bad winter weather here on the North East Coast. That bad weather can consist of blizzards, snow storms, ice storms, sleet, freezing rain, you name it, we pretty much get it all here.

When the bad weather strikes, businesses, schools and daycare’s close down by the thousands, leaving many children stuck at home with not much to do. When our daughter was little, we decided to make “bad weather days” our family’s arts and crafts day. As I look back over the years, we made some pretty awesome things…many of which I still have today.

The first thing I recommend that you do is to make up an arts and crafts bin by purchasing a plastic bin at your local discount store. Then, you will head to the dollar store and your local craft store and pick up some supplies. You should really fill up that bin! Here is a list of general supplies that every craft bin should have.

Straight Edge Scissors, Designer Edge Scissors

All Purpose Liquid Craft Glue and Glue Sticks

Construction Paper, Watercolor Paper and 8″ x 11″ sized scrapbooking paper

Stickers, Rubber Stamps, Ink Pads, Magnet Backs, Wiggle Eyes

Scraps of Ribbon, Lace, String, Yarn, Feathers, Popsicle Sticks, Craft Sticks

Buttons, Charms, Beads, Faux Gems, Rhinestones, Small Silk Flowers,
Jewelry Findings

Markers, Colored Pencils, Crayons, Water Paints, Finger Paints, Acrylic Paints and Paint Brushes

Modeling Clay and Optional Clay Molds

Paper Mache ~ Trinket Boxes, Ornaments, Photo Frames, Etc.

Coloring Books, Water Paint Books, Activity Pads

Foam Craft Sheets and Sheets of Craft Felt

Once you purchase the basic supplies which are suited for both boys and girls, you will want to keep your bin in a handy place. Once all of those “bad winter weather” days hit, you will be prepared for some Arts and Crafts fun with your children! You can visit various online web sites to get some great craft project ideas to use up all of those supplies. Keeping children busy during bad weather days doesn’t have to be a stressful task so view it as a great way to have some family bonding time.

Shelly Hill is a mother and grandmother living in central Pennsylvania who enjoys crafting with her daughter and grand daughter. Shelly has been crafting for over 30+ years and enjoys crocheting, beading, scrapbooking and cross stitching. You can visit Shelly’s online craft blog called Passionate About Crafting at http://passionateaboutcrafting.blogspot.com for free craft project ideas and patterns

Article Source: WAHM Articles

by Shelly Hill

When our daughter was around 8 years old, she invited over a few friends for the day to do some crafting with us. Since it was the beginning of November, we decided to make a Thanksgiving holiday garland.

This project can be done in one afternoon. If you are doing several of them at a time (group project), I suggest precutting all of the fabric strips ahead of time.

1 roll of sisal twine (2 or 3 ply for durability)
scraps of homespun fabrics
all-purpose craft glue (or glue gun with adult supervision)
acorns, twigs, pinecones, dried pods
scissors

Step 1: Measure out the length of sisal twine that you will need to make your garland. We usually do 3 to 4 feet. Cut it from the roll. Tie each end into a loop, this way when you hang it up, you can easily do it via the loops.

Step 2: Collect scraps of homespun or various fall print fabrics. We like to use 4 to 6 different prints and/or colors. You will want to cut out strips that measure approximately 1″ wide by 4″ long, or however long you would like. I usually cut out 50 to 75 of these strips when I make a garland.

Step 3: Lay your sisal twine out across the floor. Take your strips and lay them out in front of the sisal twine and alternate your colors and prints. Let the children sit on the floor to do this part of the project. You will want to tie all of the fabric strips onto the twine until your garland is filled up. There is no wrong or right way to do this. You can make your garland as full or as sparse as you would like.

Step 4: Take a nice walk outdoors and collect some fall theme nature items, such as: pinecones (small and medium-sized), acorns, dried pods, small twigs, pieces of bark, etc. Once you have your items collected, you will want to glue several of them onto your garland. I like to space them out about every 6″ or so. Let your project dry for a few hours to make sure all of the items are glued firmly into place.

Now that your garland has been made, you can decide where to hang it. I like seeing them hung on a mantle, across a doorway or up a staircase.

Optional: If you don’t want to use found nature objects to decorate your new garland, you can visit your local craft store and purchase fall or thanksgiving items to glue onto it.

Shelly Hill is a mother and grandmother living in Pennsylvania. Shelly has been crafting for over 25 years and enjoys a variety of crafts. You can visit Shelly online at http://www.workathomebusinessoptions.com for craft projects for kids or her recipe blog at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com for family friendly recipes.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com
Thanksgiving Day Greeting Cards from Tiny Prints

Hello Crafters,

In this issue, you will find the five most popular craft projects from each of last week’s newsletters, as voted on by your clicks. This issue is a great way to review your favorite craft projects and never miss a great craft idea!

Sunday: Christmas Crafts

Snowflake Candy Cups
Peppermint Snow Angel
Hot Cocoa Ornament
Crochet Christmas Wreath
Snow Covered Shovel
Tuesday: Crochet and Clever Ideas

Convertible Cowl
Falling Leaves Afghan

Stripe Table Runner

Icicle in Wax

T-Shirt Wall Art

Thursday: Crafts for Kids

Hand Puppet Crochet Scarf

Quilted Soft Book

Block Fun Blanket Knitting Pattern

Recycled Crayons

Painted Butterfly Jeans
Friday: Needle Craft

Cross-Stitch Christmas Angel
Leaf Table Runner
Hooded Cape Knitting Pattern
Plastic Canvas Pumpkin Pin
Glow-in-the-Dark Bag

Happy Crafting,

FaveCrafts.com Editor

Good Morning Fellow Crafting Friend,
The summer season is your chance to decorate your lawn or patios with a floraled flower pot. FaveCrafts has many summer crafts that are perfect for the outdoors like the all-about me baseball cap, great for the baseball fan in your life. If you’re not a sports fan, try the enchanting dragonfly garden stone for your patio. For even more great crafting ideas you should check out the CHA Craft SuperShow being held in Orlando, FL. This event is open to anyone and starts July 31-Augus t 1. You can attend workshops, get hands-on training and win prizes. There will be crafts for kids, crafting celebrities and and tons of great things in store. Now is the time to get some brilliant crafting ideas from the industry’s best.
Happy Crafting,
Christine, FaveCrafts.com Editor
P.S. Don’t forget to share this information with your friends and family. Pass along the garden girl plant stake project or create one yourself as a gift. It’s sure to impress!
P.P.S. We have arranged for you to get a Free Diet Sample Pack-Lose up to 30 pounds in 30 days. Get your Diet Sample Pack.

Hop into spring with this free eBook full of Easter craft projects and
recipes. Find free Easter craft ideas to decorate your home, give as gifts
and entertain the kids. Send homemade Easter cards to friends and families
from our collection or find some different ideas for Easter egg decorating.
Complete your Easter festivities with the collection of hand-picked Easter
recipes. In this eBook you’ll find:

. 130 Pages of Craft Ideas for Easter

. 12 Easter Egg Decorating Projects

. 20 Easter Table Ideas: Centerpieces, Napkin Rings and More

. 10 Easter Chick Craft Projects

. 20 Easter Bunny Craft Projects

. 10 Easter Recipes

You can get this eBook free at:

http://www.favecrafts.com/index.php/hct/Easter-Crafting-and-Recipe-eBook