Crafting Secrets

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Good Father’s Day ideas don’t seem to come easy. Somehow, Mother’s Day is a much simpler proposition: everything falls into place without apparent effort. This year, consider printable games for Dad. No matter how old he is, he’ll appreciate the thought and enjoy the challenge.

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Some printable Father’s Day ideas include:

Father’s Day trivia games. Sorry to be predictable, Pop, but this says more about you than us! Subjects include SuperHero Trivia (because Dad is everybody’s favorite hero), Beer Trivia and Famous Dads trivia. If Daddy isn’t so smart (insert your best wisecrack here), perhaps he would appreciate a word game? A synonyms game will test everybody’s word power, while BBQ mad libs is a fun way for adult players to create a saucy short story to read aloud.

What about getting the kids involved? Who Knows Dad Best? is a quiz for the children to fill in, one of the more creative Father’s Day ideas. Dad won’t fail to be amused and charmed by their concept of his favorite things, childhood moments and moral fibre. Present the results to Dad with breakfast in bed. Or if they’ve got way too much energy to sit still and fill in a quiz, get your kids searching for Dad’s stuff on an around-the-house scavenger hunt. Be sure to outline any areas of the house, or items, which may be off limits…

Your printable games supplier should also offer a bargain pack. This is a value way to purchase multiple games for a much lower price pro-rata. It’s not necessary to use every single game, but you could save unused games for parties, picnics, barbecues and other special occasions.

Get familiar with your Father’s Day games before the day. It’s wise to print out and read through each game as early as possible. Most games should be self-contained, but some may require extra preparation, such as a scavenger hunt for children, which may need setting up in advance.

I hope these Father’s Day ideas have whetted your appetite for printable Father’s Day games and that your celebration of Dad goes wonderfully well. Have fun!

Below are some birthday cake decorating ideas that will help make your child’s birthday a very memorable event.

Candy Land Cake: Make a normal sheet cake in your child’s most wanted flavor, in a rectangular pan. When it is cool, ice it with buttercream frosting in your child’s desired color. If you can get your hands on a Candy Land game board, you will be able to style the cake decorating to resemble the board. You can also go to Candyland.com to see a game board.

The Candy Land game features peppermints, iced gingerbread men, colored gumdrops, licorice sticks, chocolate candies, and circus peanuts. If you can’t find some of these items, You can use construction paper to make them, staple or tape them to a popsicle stick to stand it up in the cake.

Race car cake: You will need to bake two cakes, one will be in a rectangular pan and the other in a loaf cake pan. Next remove them from the pans and cut the loaf cake in the shape of an arch much like the shape of the top of the car.  Next you will need to frost the sheet cake and place the cut loaf cake in the middle, centered to give the cake balance.

You will need to ice the car with a different color icing than what you used to do the cake. Red or blue are great racing colors to choose from. You will need to use your imagination when doing this look in craft stores for ideas or inspiration. Outlines around the doors and windows or always good using icing  or licorice. You can use chocolate doughnuts to make tires for the race cars.

The Doll Cake: This cake is very admired with young girls who still love to play with dolls. Bake a cake in a metal, oven safe, bowl. When the cake has cooled, turn the cake out, centered, onto a prepared cake board. The widest part of the cake should be on the board.

Use a butter knife to hollow out a spot in the top of the cake for the doll’s legs. Once the doll is inserted, the cake becomes a dress for the doll. Make sure the doll is clean and undressed. Wrap the legs in plastic wrap before placing the doll into the cake, up to her waist. Ice the cake and the top of the doll to make it appear that the doll is fully dressed. You can pay for accents at the supermarket to jazz up the dress.

For children you love different themes these cakes are great.  These are simple ideas for childrens them parties.  For example the doll cake can be used with a barbie theme, the race car can be used with a car’s theme party. There are much much more ideas available for you to try for many occassions.

A wedding is a fun and joyous time to celebrate the bond of two people. You have been thinking about every detail, how the itinerary would flow. Now it is time to start brainstorming those wedding reception decorating ideas. This can be stressful or fun depending on how much work you put into decorating your wedding reception.

Decorating a Wedding Reception

If you search Google, you will plenty of wedding reception decorating ideas and the best way to get ideas is to see what others are doing. Current fashion trends tend to change every season and a majority of brides keep up to date on what’s in and what’s out. Also, depending on how many guests you are expecting will determine the extent of decorating a wedding reception. If you have a theme, it can easily be worked into the decorating process. Also because there are so many wedding reception decorations, I recommend starting a budget and sticking with it. There may be some wedding reception table decorations that are perfect, but they just won’t work nicely with your budget.

Wedding Reception Decorating Ideas

So, what is a bride to do? Well, themes can work great for keeping the vibe of a planned wedding reception congruent. If you feel up to it, you can hand make decorations or have those in your bridal party help you as well. Remember, to delegate responsibility to these people (they are here to help keep you sane). The only drawback with this solution is that it is very time consuming. For those with busy schedules wedding planners are great for over the top or very simple wedding decorations. There are also inexpensive wedding decorations on the market. This is great for cutting costs and allocating funds towards something else.

It can be as easy as visiting your local craft store and purchasing materials to make the decorations out of. Flowers (real or imitation) can be placed in various sized jars with multicolored stones. Be sure to have this color match the one you chose for the wedding reception and brides dresses. These vases can also be used for stunning centerpieces on the guests tables. At these same stores you will find a variety of table cloths that match your desired color for the wedding reception.

Another neat idea for inexpensive weddings where there will be many younger children is to use white cloth paper for tablecloths. Provide them with pens/pencils/pens, and the younger guests will have an area to write notes and stay busy during the formalities of the reception. One of the most common problems with children at receptions is they need to keep busy or they will become irritated. You can save some of these table cloths as mementos of the big day.

Wedding Reception Themes

Typical themed weddings can also be planned on simple and easy budget. Try keeping with the seasons depending on what time of year your wedding is. For spring use wedding reception decorations that include light flowers and fresh colors. All summer themes think bold larger than life decorations and neutral colors. Sunset colors work great with fall weddings, and winter weddings are best to keep with lighter hues and shades. Example, color combinations such as burgundy and hunter, or wine and sky blue are just a couple of the many color choices for more formal autumn weddings. There are also many red, orange, and yellow flowers to go with this theme such as marigolds, apricot lilies, rust and burgundy hydrangeas. Rose petals are also great to use on tables, on parts of walkways or floating on water.

Wedding Table Decorating Ideas

Something overlooked at weddings are the name settings on tables. I recommend keeping all fonts the same and in line with the theme of your wedding. Standard name are done everywhere, try to mix it up and personalize the name settings. Maybe each individual table can have a sub-theme that plays off your wedding decorations. You can incorporate unique candles layouts and this will impress guests. Example satin cloths and greenery make for a romantic setting. While covering the dance floor area with small poles elegantly draped with satin ribbons or garlands of greenery makes for a beautiful scene. Your guests will appreciate the time and energy you put into the small details for the wedding reception area.

This is just a small sample of some of the wedding themes. Others include medieval feasts, ethnic weddings, some of which are absolutely beautiful to behold such as the Japanese and S. Korean style weddings, others are Romeo and Juliet themed weddings or an amazing under the sea themed wedding. Basically any theme that is well thought out can turn out stellar.

Wedding Reception Decorations

As you can see, there is plenty of wedding reception ideas that can be used to keep it average, expensive, or cheap. It is up to you to decide on the trade off between time and money. Basically the more money you spend, the less time it will take to get the desired result and visa versa. You can use help from family, friends, or even hired professionals. Overall, you can keep this fun and get the distinguished look you want. Bottom line, decorating for a wedding reception does not need to be stressful or difficult.

The Giclee prints, cards, and prints of children’s book author Kimberly Wickham, the creative mind behind the Angels and Horses children’s book series, are not your typical young adult fare. Rather than the glossy photographs of too-skinny, makeup-wearing girls portrayed on the covers of the latest brand offerings from Alloy Entertainment (of the “A List” and “Gossip Girl” fame), Wickham’s work seems to be in touch with what it means to be a child perched on the cusp of adolescence: at once whimsical and imaginative, full of fantasy and heart. In “The Comforting Horse,” for example, a horse sits upright in order to hug a distressed little girl in her hooves, while “Chair Collapsing into its Wave Potential” sees the quantum potential for magic in the most seemingly mundane of objects. Like her children’s books, Wickham’s art seeks to capture the wonder of childhood.

Wickham’s books in the Angels and Horses series – among them Angels and Horses, Summer of Magic Horses, and Angels, Horses and Other Worldly Lessons – all explore the adventures of a young girl called Tina, who learns to overcome real-world challenges like a parent’s illness and schoolyard bullies with “other worldly” solutions as she learns more about the powers of the “law of attraction.” This law, made famous by the self-help phenomenon “The Secret,” suggests that positive thinking can actually change the world at a quantum level, and that philosophical and creative thought – which  Tina learns to exercise with the help of her guardian angel Marguerite and beloved pet horse Dancer – can be a step towards improving one’s own life.

Wickham’s art reflects this notion, with mystical paintings and drawings like those depicting a series of riders crossing the “Cosmic Lattice” into the unknown. Wickham’s art has always had a mystical bent – she created a stained glass panorama for the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Margaretville, NY, at the young age of 20 – and through twenty years of experience and four degrees, including those in Art and Art History, along with Teaching and Humanities, has developed her craft into an inspiration for children, parents, and educators alike.

More information about Kimberly Wickham and her artwork can be found at http://www.kimberlywickham.com

Creating a book as a school project gives students a chance to practice writing, editing, art, and organizational skills.  Producing a book is also an excellent way to generate interest in reading.  It is similar to the effect of having children help you cook.  They are more likely to eat what they have helped to cook.  Children become engaged by the process and interested in the result.  Use any of these ideas to generate motivation for honing reading and writing skills.

Ideas for book projects.  Each idea listed below could be assigned to an individual student.  Some of the ideas also work well for small groups of students.  Encourage students to invent clever, engaging titles to headline their books about one of these suggested topics.

            a. The “Green” Book.  Have students create a book documenting the school’s effort to use less energy, improve the environment, or create a green space.  Alternatively, each student could document similar efforts in their home or town.

            b. The “How To” Book.  Have each student pick something they are interested in doing and write and illustrate a book on the topic.  Everything from stamp collecting, sports, animal care, crafting, carpentry, car care, and so on is fair game.

            c. The “Grandpa” Book.  Have students interview their grandparents or folks in a senior center about their life as a teenager.  You may wish to provide a list of questions, but have your students generate at least 10 or so questions of their own.  The book should include a short background of the person interviewed, three to five memories of what it was like to be a teenager when they grew up, and any wisdom they felt they learned along the way.

            d. The “Poetry Collection” Book.  Have each student contribute a poem and an illustration for the book.  You can set a theme for the poetry or let students write about what is on their minds.  The illustrations could be hand-drawn, painted, computer graphics, collages, or photographs.

            e. The “Comic” Book.  Have students create a six-part series of four-box comic strips like the ones that run in the daily papers.  Each series should tell a complete story.  Illustrations can be hand- or computer-drawn.

            f. The “You Name It Cookbook”.  Have your students collect recipes of their favorite dishes.  Several different approaches might be used – recipes from different ethnic backgrounds of the student population, teachers’ recipes, favorite potluck recipes from the students’ families, best dessert recipes, favorite tailgate recipes for the high school football games, and so on.  Recipe accuracy can be tested in the home economics kitchen, if available. 

            g. The “Nature” Book.  If part of the curriculum is exploring the natural world, have students take photographs of the flora or fauna involved and write up short fact sheet presentations about it.  The write-up might include: common name, scientific name, where it is found, how big it grows, interesting details about the plant or animal.  A trip to a zoo might be helpful for studying exotic animals or a botanical garden is a good choice if plants are the subject.

            h. The “Why Photo” Book.  Take twenty pictures and explain why each photograph was selected.

The resulting books can be hand-bound.  For “how-to” information, check out my article titled “Book Binding by Hand”.  Alternatively, the book can be sent to a commercial printer and be professionally bound.  Some printers offer special printing programs for students.  One example is the “Aspiring Authors” program by lulu.com.  In either case, your students will have a lasting keepsake of a fun, perhaps even zany, project where they let their creative juices flow.  And they were learning all the time – who could ask for more than that?

Starting a home-based business is a great option for people who are interested in working from home. Trying to decide what type of business you want to start can be a bit challenging, though. Here are some ideas for work at home businesses:

1. Home Day Care

If you are a parent to young children, you may want to consider providing childcare from your home. Be sure to find out about any licensing requirements in your area before you get started, and check with your homeowner’s insurance provider to make sure that you have the right amount of liability insurance. You will also need to set a budget for equipment and toys you will need for your new venture.

2. Direct Sales

Many people launch a work at home business by selling a product. There are many companies that hire independent sales representatives to represent them, and all you need to launch your business is to buy a starter kit. Whether you are interested in selling cosmetics, candles, Tupperware containers, or home decor items, there are companies ready to provide you with training, support, and a business model that works.

Another option if you want to become a retailer is to open your own virtual store online. Yahoo and eBay are two places where you can sell products to customers anywhere there is an Internet connection. When choosing a product, try to cater to a specific niche market that hasn’t already been saturated. You will want to do some market research before choosing a product or a line of products to carry.

3. Professional Organizing

If you are the type of person who dislikes clutter and keeps your own space well organized, you may want to consider using this talent to start a home based business. Your role would be to help people sort their things and throw out the ones they don’t want or need anymore. The client may want help to choose storage containers or rearrange the items in a room, attic, or garage as part of this process.

To get started, place an ad in your local newspaper or on a community bulletin board. If you are comfortable with speaking in front of a group of people, you may want to conduct seminars with some basic information about getting organized. Make sure each person attending has a list of tips (and your business card) to take home with them at the end of the session.

4. Make and Sell Crafts

If you are artistic, you could start a business making and selling craft items. Once you have enough inventories ready for sale, you could rent a table at a weekly flea market to sell your wares. Selling items at a fair is another option, as well as taking orders online through you own web site.

There are many types of businesses you can start and run from your home. If you are having trouble coming up with ideas, why not start by considering your interests to see if there is a way to turn something you enjoy into something profitable?