Creative Mom Cafe

September is when you dry your tears on the way back into your house from the bus stop each and every morning…right?

This is a tough time of year for me as I love that my kids LOVE school but I hate to see the summer over…I enjoy my children and love having them home with me! Some people have asked me why I don’t just homeschool them and I laugh and say, “I am sure that being a bit sad to see them grow up is not a reason to keep them home!” Call me crazy!

I want to focus on CELEBRATING FAMILY for September! Please send me your photos of how you have used your home as an easle for your family celebrations! I have a ton of ideas but would love to share yours as well!

See you in September!!

My husband is inundated with creativity as he lives with me, a former art teacher, and three kids who love to be elbow deep in messy projects. Sometimes it drives his way-too-organized-and-compartmentalized brain crazy…I think that is what caught my eye about this project…

He HATES the word DECOUPAGE - quite simply it is a word that means to spread a thin layer of glue over something.

Anyway, as my last NATURE craft themed project I am presenting to you these adorable Floral Votive Cups.

All you need is a votive cup, some flowers and tissue paper - oh, and of course the DECOUPAGE medium!!

Fall is a great time to take a road trip - lower temperatures, less crowds. Although this sounds pleasant, the “are we there yet?” whines do not lessend because of the season.

Take your leaf cut-out shapes from the Leaf Template post (instead of the shapes suggested) and make this adorable Tic-Tac-Toe game.

It may not keep them busy for hours but a few solid minutes of silence can be an extraordinary gift - ask the mom from my prior post.

OK…for those of you whose idea of being creative is a coloring book and box of crayons, please don’t give up on the Cafe - we will get you going at what ever speed you are so inclined!

Kaboose.com has a lot of seasonal coloring pages that can fit right into our August NATURE theme!

Get to it!

For the previous craft you will need leaf shapes. You may also have been inspired to do a leaf project of your own - of which I would hope you would share with our Cafe Community!

This activity village link gives you numerous leaf shapes which are also good for identification purposes as well.

Go out on a nature hike and see what trees are indigenous to your area!!!

WOW! I found this great project that has minimal supplies but creates a beautiful end product.

Simply cutting leaf shapes two at a time from constructions paper (instead of purchasing pre-cut leaves) and sandwiching colored tissue between you have created a glorious treat for your windows.

Take it one step further and iron some crayon shavings between wax paper and cut to fit - BEAUTIOUS as my Kindergarten art teacher Mr. Brady would say!!

Take a peek at the link as I couldn’t get the photo on the blog….really cute!!

A great idea for homeroom moms to do with the kiddos this fall!

Fall is coming and for those of you who live in an area that is blessed by the obvious change of seasons, start picking up sticks!

This birdhouse craft is a great way to give back to nature and teach your children about the ebb and flow of abundance of food for our fine feathered friends during the colder months.

Take a peek, get creative, add some color and you have a beautiful blessing for your backyard birds!

This craft also makes a GREAT scouting project and/or fundraiser!

OK…in a second this post is going to appear totally off track but bear with me!

Check out this ebay listing and then come back to my blog…

As a mother of three, I feel compelled to reach out to this woman and give her some love from other Moms at Wit’s End! Don’t you? How can we not?

I felt a sisterly vibe while reading this listing as only hours prior had I been maneuvering a cart one-handed due to the handfull of partially chewed “gunk” in the other hand while my Houdini toddler was trying to escape the death grip I had on the seat belt. MIND YOU - I ONLY HAD ONE CHILD WITH ME!!!!

I am asking for you to be as creative as you can and send some love her way via the internet. She has a blog that talks of her recent publisher interest, tv and radio interviews, etc. all stemming from this ebay phenomenon!!

Get back to me and let me know what you sent and how much you just LOVE reading her blog!!

Lavender Tea Bags for the tub is a modern mom’s CALGON! Instead of using a real tea bag, you can stuff a large organza bridal favor bag (found in most craft stores) with your buds and use it more than once or dump and refill as needed!

When I owned my own bath & body business I made these herb-filled tea bags along with Lavender Bath Milk and Lavender Eucalyptus soaps.

You want relaxation, it is as simple as a handful of lavender buds sprinkled in your tub.

These directions I found on essortment.com but the photos are on lavenderfanatic.com.

Lavender balls are beautiful, round, and smell deliciously fragrant. They work wonderfully to scent a bathroom, pile in a basket for a display, or hang in your closet to scent your clothes. Best of all, they are easy to make. Try this craft and impress your friends!

You’ll need:

styrafoam balls (sized from 2″ ball to 8″)

Hot glue gun

Glue sticks

Newspaper

Lavender buds

Lavender essential oil

Lavender-colored ribbon (1/4″ to 1/2″ wide)

Each of these items can be easily found at your local craft store. Lavender buds can be harvested from your own lavender plants or found in floral supply stores, or on-line if you search under “lavender” or “lavender buds.”

Spread out newspaper to contain your mess. Prepare glue gun with glue stick and begin covering a small area with the hot glue. While it cools spoon out lavender buds and cover the glued area with them. Press them into the glue. Shake off any unglued buds and save. Scrape them aside and use them also.

Keep working on small areas of the styrafoam ball until it’s completely covered. You can make several of these lavender balls and mix sizes for variety to fill a basket or a bowl in your kitchen. Sprinkle some lavender essential oil onto them and they will scent the room you place them in.

If you want to hang one, then cut your ribbon off at 12 inches. You can alter the length of the ribbon if you choose. Poke a hole in the bud-covered styrafoam ball just wide enough to slip the rolled-up end of the ribbon into it. Fill it with hot glue and place the end of the rolled-up ribbon into the glue-filled hole. Wait until the glue is cool so the ribbon will set.

Scenting your lavender ball is as easy as sprinkling a few drops of lavender essential oil onto the sphere. Hang in your closet with a thum-tack or tie a bow at the end to hang on a hook or nail. Your clothes will absorb the scent of the lavender.

Bathrooms can definitely benefit from the clean scent of lavender. Try hanging a scented lavender ball on a hook behind the door, or place some in a pretty dish by the sink.

The possibilities are limited only by your imagination!

OK…I must admit - I do not believe I have ever eaten any sort of flower ice cream! I am a HUGE fan of the frozen treat and love the scent of lavender so I can’t wait to try this recipe for Lavender Ice Cream.

I suppose I should have tried it before pushing it off on my loyal fans but - I was too excited about it to wait.

What a great website, too!

This lavender card is just a precious way to remind someone special that you are thinking of them.

Just a few craft supplies and your imagination and your favorite sister, friend or teacher can be blessed with your thoughtfulness!!

Now, get pickin’…

Before you use up all your lavender with the candle basket from a few weeks back - save some for this adorable Lavender Fan craft.

What a great way to lightly scent your closet or hang on the wall in your powder rom for a gentle fragrance to treat your guests.

VERY CUTE!

Once again, CraftBits.com came through and just before I shut down my computer I saw this craft…

The Angel Feather gift.

Maybe I am a sucker for the gifts that come with the sappy poem that makes you cry but I just loved this idea!

I thought it would be a neat project to do with a child EACH time you find a feather. Make it a tradition.

What a great way to teach RANDOM ACTS of KINDNESS!!! Imagine finding a feather and stopping your day to take some time to make a gift for someone special or someone in need. What a lasting impression you would make on a child.

CraftBits.com was where I found this cute craft for kids using only a few supplies…one of which is DIRT! Easy to find, right?

I just wrote an article on Organazing a Fundraising Craft Show so maybe that was in the back of my mind when I ran across this craft. I just envisioned a whole table of various chipped tea cups and hoards of people in line waiting to grab them up.

A cute idea for an easy gift for a neighbor or a crafts for a Brownie troop to sell for their next excursion.

Besides, who ever taught you to craft with dirt?? Just goes to show ya, you can find ANYTHING in the Creative Mom Cafe!