Crafting Secrets

Get a Step-by-Step Guide for Craft Projects For Any Age And Ability, Made EASY 101 Easy Craft Project Ideas.. -Let me know how you like it.

 

Are you a camp director, teacher, or homeschool mom looking for a new arts and crafts idea for your kids?  Or maybe you are a recreation director at a senior center or nursing home and could use a new project.  Either way, this arts and crafts idea will be interesting and fun for all.

This glass case can be used, given as a gift, or converted into a necklace purse.

To make the glasses case, you will need the following simple materials:  a square of craft foam, plastic or large blunt needles, lanyard lace or thick yarn.  Cut two rectangles from the foam, each 3-1/2 inches (9 cm.) by 6 inches (15 cm.).  With a hole punch, make holes on three sides of each rectangle, leaving one short side unpunched.  Make the holes 1/2 inch apart and allow at least 1/4 inch between the hole and the edge of the craft foam.  The holes need to line up so that the two pieces can be laced together.  If you are preparing the craft for small children, you should make the holes yourself.  Otherwise, the crafters can do this step if you have enough pairs of hole punches.

At this point the crafters can cut decorative shapes from other colors of craft foam, or you can buy sets of ready-cut foam shapes.

If you are doing the craft at a special event, like vacation Bible school, choose shapes that echo the theme of the event.  For instance, if the Bible school or camp has a cowboy theme, find shapes that fit well, such as boots, cowboy hats, and stars.  Let the kids choose the shapes they like and glue on as desired.  You might also like to provide beads or sequins to glue on as well, especially if the crafters are a little older.

The next step in this arts and crafts idea is to thread the plastic needle with the yarn or lanyard lace.

Yarn might be a little easier to handle, but lanyard lace is shiny and attractive.  In a pinch, some teachers of small children use a bobby pin as a needle.  It is certainly a safe alternative.  Simply loop the yarn through the opening and use the open end of the bobby pin as if it were the point of the needle.  The children can now begin to lace the front and back of the glasses case together.

To turn this arts and crafts idea into a necklace purse, simply attach a piece of lanyard lace to each corner making a long handle.  Kids will enjoy using this case as a place to store secret notes and small objects.  If they’d rather, they can give the glasses case to a parent, grandparent, or friend who wears glasses.  Either way, this arts and crafts idea will be interesting for all.

 

We all love crafts!

They are a great way for kids to learn fine motor skills, and express themselves creatively, but being crafty can put a strain on your pocketbook at times.

Going to the store to buy supplies for each and every craft project, just isn’t practical. Which is why, it’s important to learn how to come up with kids craft ideas on a budget. Consider using items and supplies that you already have on hand, for fun and simple impromptu projects.
There are so many items that often get overlooked when it comes to crafting. Think back to your own childhood. The days of toilet paper roll projects and egg cartons, should come rolling back. Remember how fun it was to create something beautiful out of something so plain? Help your kids relieve that same joy and pride with these simple tips and craft projects.
Recycle and Re-Use
Teaching your kids about recycling is a really good life lesson, so why not integrate craft time and science by re-using common household items? Paper bags, egg cartons and other goodies get a second life when they are forever treasured in the form of a craft project. Encourage your kids to come up with other household items that can be used for craft projects, you may be surprised at the things that they come up with!
Here are just a few of the materials that you can recycle, discover, or re-use for your own craft projects:

-Egg Cartons

-Grocery Bags (paper or plastic)

-Cardboard inserts from packaging and boxes

-CD’s

-Old denim or fabric swatches

-T-shirts that no longer fit

-Used birthday cards or bags

-Wrapping paper

-Toilet paper and paper towel rolls

-Plastic soda bottles

-Cans (use caution with sharp edges)

-Things found in nature: A rock, leaves, sticks, etc.
Gravel Art
Here is a great little project that uses items that you should have lying around! Enjoy!
Materials Needed:

-Large Cardboard Box

-Small pieces of gravel (You will need quite a bit)

-String or Yarn

-Pencil

-Simple Coloring Book or personal drawing

-White glue in squeeze bottle

-Scissors

-Crayons (optional)
Instructions

1. Wash and rinse the gravel in a kitchen strainer. Spread out on towels to dry.

2. On your cardboard, use the pencil to make an outline of a simple drawing.

3. With the glue, trace over the outline.

4. Press string or yard onto the glue lines, cutting where necessary to form corners and angles.

5. Glue gravel onto the picture filling the spaces. You can use all one color, or use different colors for different areas.
6. If you wish to have a background, use crayons to draw and color one in.
Use Your Imagination
Once you get the hang of coming up with kids craft ideas, you will never go back to the store bought kits. There is so much more creativity and freedom that goes along with recycling and re-using common household items.

Have you been wondering what the perfect gift for your child, grandchild, nephew or niece would be? Are you looking for that one gift with a personal touch to it, showing them just how much they actually mean to you? Knowing from a young age that they are loved, important and special to those around them are all things children will carry for life.

Knowing, at the age of two, four or sixteen, that someone thinks they are fantastic is a wonderful feeling for a child. They make the connection that they are important to the people who surround them. Even if the personalized gift is for a baby who doesn’t quite recognize your face yet, in time they will grow to know and love you. They will also understand the story behind the gift when they reach an age to understand it.

Personalized gift giving is not a new concept – many of us remember at least one personalized gift we made, or received in our childhood: the piggy bank with our name on it, the plate in the China cabinet at Mother’s house with our name and date/time of birth, the handprints in clay made in kindergarten, or even something more recent as the apron the children made with Dad or Grandma with ‘World’s #1 Mom’ on it.

Today, there are many more items left to the imagination that can be personalized for our children. And all of them a means to remind each and every child how happy we are they are part of our lives; a feeling you undoubtedly wish to instill to their very core and remember always.

Each occasion and milestone is another wonderful opportunity to give a personalized gift to a child in your life. From books of every subject, personalized with your child’s name as well as those of their friends or family members to plates or cups celebrating eating or drinking by themselves, you are bound to find something that is as unique as the child for whom you are purchasing it.

Personalized clothing can be especially handy in a family with twins or other multiples. Not only is each item something you can pass on to them as they grow old enough to leave the home, it can also help with keeping things straight as to who has been fed and who hasn’t at 3am feedings.

Robes, sweaters and jumpers can now give not only the perfect opportunity for family photos to allow relatives near or far to individualize each child, it can also be a time-saver when sorting the clean laundry to their appropriate owners. Hooded towels, arts and crafts smocks and many other everyday items have the option to be personalized.

Whatever the article of clothing, whether for everyday use or for a special occasion or one-time affair, that wonderful child will be reminded of just how much they are loved by seeing their name added onto a gift, and not simply the wrapping. It’s the little things that go a long way.

Whether you have been practicing the arts of spinning and weaving and have become an expert at your new craft, or whether you are still a beginner who is learning these wonderful skills and looking forward to future goals, you might like to think about some ideas for projects you can make. All of these projects require only a moderate degree of skill, and some are very easy to do. They are fun ways to incorporate what you have learned.

If you have enjoyed weaving cloth, you will find weaving a rug to be even more exciting. Although this project is done by a similar process, you will not need a loom. Instead, all you will need to weave a rug is a rug frame. A rug frame is an inexpensive product which you can find in many hobby or specialty stores. If you want to save money, you can even make a rug frame yourself.

Weaving a rug can be easier than weaving cloth. With just a little practice, you can make a lovely rug within a few hours. Comparing all of these factors to the expensive, mass-produced rugs you find in stores should be a great incentive to try making your first rug. Not only is it economical, your finished rug will be one of a kind. The patterns, designs, and styles you choose are entirely up to you! Your weaving skills can also extend to making blankets. If you have ever seen and admired traditional Native American blankets, and wished that you had the talent to make them yourself, now you can! You can begin with a simple pattern, and progress to more intricate designs.

Dyeing fabric is an easy to do skill with nearly limitless possibilities. Whether you use cloth which you have made yourself or material that you purchase, you can design and create unique products in only a couple of hours. The possibilities range from designing and dyeing clothing to designing and dyeing curtains for your home, and many, many more. You will find more opportunities for dyeing than there are colors in the rainbow!

Yarn has been a special product for girls and women throughout the generations. In fact, some men enjoy working with yarn as much as the ladies do. One traditional favorite for working with yarn is knitting. Perhaps you have tried it yourself, or have seen older women in your family as they knitted. You can knit baby blankets and booties, scarves, and mittens for everyone in your family. Not only are knitted products lovely, they are also very warm!

The other traditional method of working with yarn is crocheting. Crocheting has become increasingly popular during the last few decades. One reason for this is that crocheting is very simple. Even a young child can do it. You can crochet sweaters, blankets, caps, and many other nice products. As a crochet hook and yarn are portable, you can take your crocheting project with you, to work on whenever you have free time.

A contemporary method of crocheting is with the use of a granny square. You simply crochet a granny square in whatever size is appropriate for your project, and continue by making however many squares you need. When you have the number of squares you desire, you can sew the squares together. This is an easy way to make even the largest afghan in a short period of time.

The yarn you have made can also be used for braiding. Braiding is done by intertwining three strands of yarn. The strands can be doubled if you want thicker or heavier braids. They can be all the same color or different colors, depending upon the effect you want.

Braids have many practical purposes. One of the most popular is to hold hanging baskets. These baskets can be used to hold plants, or other items. Hanging baskets with handmade braids are a delightful way to make any room bright and fresh. Handmade braids can also be used to make crafts such as picture frames. They are long-lasting, sturdy, and virtually indestructible. They also look much nicer than frames you can buy in a store.

These are just some of the ways you can put your new talents to practical use. Once you have become accustomed to creating products with your own two hands, you will probably want to try everything that you have time to make. Even if you are still learning the arts of spinning and weaving, you can make magnificent products. Everything you make will be completely unique. Best of all, you will see that hand-crafting is something that always holds your interest, because it is so much fun!

Handbags are now a popular fashion accessory as most women love to carry bags of matching color and design with their dress. There are various kinds of fashion handbags in the market that can complement your dresses perfectly. Now you can find new range of fashion handbags that can be customized by using personal logos. These bags can be used as bridal gift as you can place a bride’s initial or wedding date on the monogram.

Evening clutch bag is one of the stylish fashion handbags that can complement your appearance in evening parties. These bags have sufficient space that can hold your personal belongings like mobile phone, money, credit cards etc. which you would like to carry to such parties. Many women wish to carry fashion handbags that have unique designs. They can decorate a fashion handbag easily at their home by following some easy steps given below.

Using rhinestones and semiprecious stones can add a sparkling look to your bag. You can make beautiful floral patterns on the front flap of your bag with colorful rhinestones. You can either make a single design of reasonable size or can put several small designs throughout the bag. You can also buy cabochons from bead stores to embellish your bag. You must use a fabric glue to attach rhinestones, cabochons etc on your bag.

Attaching filigree can give vintage look to your fashion handbag. In case you are unable to find real brass filigree, you can create one by purchasing filigree from a craft store. Paint the filigree with antiquing solution to give it a metallic look.

You can embellish you evening bag by painting it with fabric colors. In case you have limited artistic talents, you can use a stencil to paint your bag. You will find variety of stencils in your local art and craft store and can mix two or three patterns together to produce a unique design.

The idea is to use creative designs to give a unique evening bag that onlooker will admire. However, you can also find plenty of unique styles and designs of fashionable bags at a reputed store. Most of the authorized dealers of handbag have online presence. Hence, you can easily shop for their products online.

Working with young adults and children can be very rewording, especially helping disadvantaged or troubled young adults to grow in confidence and develop. Working with our youth should involve having fun. So below you will find a number of activities you could do to develop there personalities and confidence.  

 

Sports

Activity centres are a great way to get kids into a variety of activities. Sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, canning, orienteering, tree top challengers and climbing are all great sports to do with children and young adults. There are quite a few activity centres around the UK that can offer these activities. One example would be Calshot activity centre near Southampton that is based in an old airport. These sports can be good for every one, with the less able still able to take part. They are fun and help to develop social interaction and confidence in young people.

 

Arts and crafts

Arts and crafts are perhaps something that younger children are more likely to enjoy although activities such as juggling or learning to use a Diablo can be fun for all ages. Face painting can be great fun, they can paint a tiger or a Darauf on each other or you can do it for them and they can decide which animal they would most like to be.

 

Why not try something more musical. Given a pile of scrap material, cardboard, paper, plastic, rubber bands, wood, glue, peas, etc…  Challenge individuals or groups to make various musical instruments and then take it a stage further and produce a tune.

 

Karting

Karting is great fun it does not matter if there are 3 or 30 of you; there is a verity of expenses that you can try depending on your group size. If you have a larger group of around 30 people you can set up and entire competition with your group. You do a number of races and then progress through to the next stages until you have a winner. In this format you generally take turns to each start from a different position on the grid. You take points for each position that you finish and add them up at the end to find the winner. If you go in a smaller group you can often take part in single races or other competitions. It is not with out its risks though and safety is taken seriously. The emphasis is on self responsibility and dangerous behaviour will get you chucked off.

 

Days out

You can take days out to musicals, plays, comedy or gigs. This will often be influenced by your group’s age, ability and interests. Younger children may enjoy pantomimes at Christmas where as young adults may enjoy comedy or gigs more. You will need to consider the cost of the tickets or attractions and you may need to hire a coach to transport your group to the venue. You should be able to get group discounts on tickets and attractions and some suppliers may offer you additional enticements such as a free meal package.

 

There are also plenty of active days out you may want to consider. These could include, archery, Quad biking, mountain biking, rock climbing Clay shooting and many more. You will still probably need to consider coach hire to transport your group.

 

Short Trips

If you want more than one days experience why not create a long weekend for a 3 or 4 day trip. Trips within the UK or the country you live in can be easier to organise as they don’t involve all the other things you need to take into consideration such as passports, travel insurance or foreign medical care. They also avoid the cost of taking flights. You could try camping with activities such as kayaking, visiting an activity centre or somewhere simply to relax such as centre parks or a holiday park in Cornwall.  

 

If you need to know more about hiring coaches and where you can book tickets and attractions for groups then you may find the web site www.mygrouptour.com and www.in-holidays-europe.co.uk useful.