Creative Mom Cafe

Nothing else says spring like flowers. Here is another fun little spring craft you can do with your kids to get you all in a spring state of mind.

• cardboard
• paints, crayons, or markers
• scissors
• glue
• a small photo of your child

You can make a cute flower photo frame to show off your child’s artistic talents and spring time smile all in one shot. First you will need to print off the flower template to use. Or create your own flower head to show off your child’s face. For the template click on the small image below.

Use the flower template to cut a flower shape out of your cardboard. You can make this a great recycling project by using cardboard from boxes. If you use food boxes, such as from cereal or pastas you may want to cut two flowers to layer together for a sturdier flower frame. Cut the center circle out for your child’s picture.

Most children will have fun decorating their flowers for unique spring time treasures. You can use just the flower heads, or cut stems and leaves to glue to your flower frames. Once dry add your child’s picture to the center and you have a fun spring time frame. The great thing about this craft is that it is so simple you can adapt it in any way that you want. Attach magnets to the back to hang your flower frames on your fridge or glue each flower onto a doweling rod and “plant’ them in a flower pot. You can get as creative as you want to with these simple frames.

crafts, kid’s crafts, spring, pictures, picture frame

I’ve been sitting on this site for a bit, wanting to share, but always forgetting. Those of you who sell your creative crafts I found a great directory for you to submit your shops to. Plain Jane Mom’s Directory of Businesses Run By Humans Not Corporate Machines. Long name, great directory!

No matter what your creative endeavors are you can have your store listed in the directory. From clothing to jewelry to photography to writing. All the creative outlets are being loved here. My own jewelry shop is listed there. It was free, easy to submit, and I had it up by the next day. And I love that I’m in great company with other real life creative people, not mass market chains.

online stores, business

I just wanted to write a quick post to share a review I found online. Melissa Wiley wrote about Great Yarns for the Close-Knit Family, a book that combines beloved children’s stories with creative knitting projects. This sounds like the perfect book for a creative mom to have on her shelf.

The stories include classics such as Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, stories that most of us read and reread as children ourselves. Now we can takes those favorite stories to a new level with our children by adding fun crafts with them. Knit a pair of Ma’s boot socks or create your own cloak like Mrs. Sowerby wore. I’m absolutely in love with this idea and on pins and needles waiting for the book to come out. Luckily I won’t have to wait much longer as it is expected to come out mid-March. To tempt you a little more if you pre-order before March 8th you will also get a set of wooden knitting needles free.

Be sure to visit the author’s blog to read more about Great Yarns for the Close-Knit Family. I know this book is going on my wish list, I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. Especially as a homeschooling mom having some fun creative ideas to go with great children’s stories is invaluable. And it sounds like the crafts would sure beat the usually paper and glue crafts in both function and style.

book, knitting, crafts, children, stories, Great Yarns for the Close-Knit Family

Who doesn’t love a chance to win free yarn? I know I’m already drooling over the idea. Head over to Knitting Misadventures and enter to win some very politically incorrect yet still gorgeous fiber or yarn. If you’re a knitter, like me, or a spinner you have a chance to win something wonderful. And don’t worry about the date mentioned on the contest, due to a slip-up she’s giving everyone until Tuesday night to get entered.

Swing by her etsy shop and check out the goodies she has for sale. I’m in love with Man Whore and Beer Goggles myself. Hey, I told you they were very un PC! But don’t let the names turn you off, the colors are amazing and definitely worth checking out.

While you’re checking out gorgeous new things have you visited Ravelry yet? The coolest knitting and crocheting community online right now. So cool that they even have rope and a door man to keep the riff-raff out. OK, so it’s just a waiting list before you can join. They are allowing on 800-1000 new members each day, but the current wait is over 6,000. So you should add your name to the list now, who knows how much longer it might get. Check out their news blog to see what awesome updates they are adding, and get antsy about joining in the fun yourself.

*No, I don’t have a Ravelry account yet either. I’m on the list though! Once I’m in I’ll be sure to brag, er I mean share.

knitting, yarn, fiber, contest, free

There are just too many great links to share this week I barely know where to start. Things have been busy here for me, with my kids getting sick and then I following close behind, so I have not been able to post like I wanted to. We all seem to be better now, so I plan to share some great ideas next week. Until then enjoy all of these treasures that I have found online this week.

• Shrinky Dinks For Grown Ups - This was just too fun not to share first. I remember the fun I had with shrinky dinks as a child, so this grown up version makes me smile.
• Big-Ass Book Of Crafts - Looking for a good craft book to buy. Read this review to see if this book is for you.
• Etsy :: Burnt Wood Oval Tree Pendant on Necklace - Ever try wood burning? It could be a great way to add some flair to wooden pieces. This gorgeous wooden tree pendant makes me want to give it a try myself.
• Artist Profile: Heather Powers - I love seeing the gorgeous work of talented jewelry makers. You’ll drool over these pieces, and hopefully be a little inspired too.
• Binding Tute - Is binding one of your weak points in sewing/ This great tutorial will definitely help you get your binding skills down pat.
• ‘Ere there be Dragons - If there is a Dragon lover in your house you’ll love this fun little knitted wonder.
• superbaby - What an adorable way to show off the little one that has your heart.

crafts

Over at Unplug Your Kids there are fun weekly projects going on. This is one of the blogs that I absolutely love reading for all the fun ideas and easy crafts that are always going on. This week the kids made a pillow and small banner flags out of fabric. They turned out so cute and the kids were entertained for hours. Sounds great doesn’t it?

Those of you that sew, go ahead and pull out your own bins of fabric and see what scraps and pieces you might have hiding in there. Eve if you’re not a sewer you can usually find fun pieces of fabrics at thrift shops for very cheap. It could easily become a full day of fun by letting the kids pick out their own materials and come up with their own creations. Those who can’t, or don’t want to, sew you could always look for fleece. Because fleece does not fray on the edges you can make many no-sew projects.

With Easter coming up you could try sewing some cute fabric eggs with your kids, make liners for Easter baskets, sew an Easter kite, or make this sweet Easter bunny (pdf).

Stuffed animals is one Easter staple that never seems to go out of style. Everyone ends up with two or three new bunnies, chicks, and sheep before the candy has been eaten. So sewing up some cute handmade stuffed toys would be a great simple sewing project to do to. Follow in Sew Green’s footsteps and recycle old material to make the toys out of. Socks without a match and out grown clothes could be remade into sweet little lovies.

Know any other great Easter sewing projects out there? Leave a comment and let me know!

crafts, kids, sewing, Easter

I promised more spring themed crafts coming up and here is one that screams spring and is something that you can do with your kids. Make your own sweet spring bonnet to wear on those sunny spring days. The really fun part is that this hat isn’t made from the typical woven hat. Your kids will enjoy getting messy making this fun hat from paper, glue, and liquid starch.

Here is what you will need:

• large mixing bowls
• a large metal pan
• liquid starch
• glue
• 2 large pieces of construction paper, 24 inches in diameter, per child

In the pan mix together the startch and glue. Dip the pieces of paper into the mixture and cover them completely. Turn the mixing bowls upside down and place the pieces of paper over them. Smooth out the papers and allow them to try. There may be dripps from the glue and starch mixture so you might want to lay down newspaper to cover the area. Expect a lot of mess as your kids get their hands covered in the goo.

Once the paper hats are dry glue on ribbons, fake flowers, or anything else you and you kids want to create a fun spring hat. They aren’t the sturdiest hats and will break if played with too much. But for a fun spring time dress up game these hats are perfect.

While you have out the glue and liquid starch you can also make a batch of crazy putty for your kids to play with. There is a great recipe for it over at Howstuffworks.

crafts, spring, spring bonnet, kid’s crafts

It’s another fun Saturday morning. Let’s see what has been going on in the creative blogosphere this week.

• Giveaway! - Go now to win a $10 gift certificate and admire some beautiful ccreative goodies.
• How to Make Fun in the Sun - A great tutorial on making a cute necklace. It’s the perfect thing for the warms days that are coming.
• Gotta Make It :Paper Pinwheel - These cute paper pinwheels are so easy to make, and perfect for a windy spring day. I remember loving pinwheels as a child, and I bet my kids will adore them also. You should try making them yourself
• New color: green! - Sometimes we get the best ideas on accident. I’m absolutely wild about the green and brown combination, and it seems that I’m not alone.
• Smocking Is My Bag - Check out this adorable little bag. It’s a little too poofy for me, but I still think it’s too cute.
• Promotion on a Budget - What do you do when you have almost no budget for promoting your crafty business? Here are some great tips for free and next to free promotion.
• Book recomendations? - Do you have any great creative books to recommend? She is looking for some with good instructions and techniques on knitting.
• 5 Pointed Star in One Snip - Are 5 pointed stars difficult for you to make. Here is a simple tutorial on cutting one out.

If you know of any other great posts that deserve to be mentioned here please let me know. There are so many great creative blogs it is hard to keep up with all of them.

crafts, creative

Last week I finally finished my first apron. I know it took a while to get it done, but I’m glad that I did. And yes, it’s very purple and I like it that way. I actually had fun making it, and learned what to do better next time. Though I’m certainly no Aprinista, I’m getting there. Next up is to make my swap partner’s apron. I’ve got some fun blue material with lots of flowers all over it that I found for cheap. Since it is a spring theme I thought it would perfect.

Speaking of spring, believe it or not the warm weather is coming soon. I have already begun getting catalogues full of crafts, toys, and goodies for spring time. I’ll be passing o the goodness here with lots of craft projects for you to do, both for and with your kids. And plenty of ideas for you to make just for yourself. If your hands are already itching to make something Lisa Lam has 20+ Quick & Easy Makes for Easter and Spring for your Craft Business that you can check out. Several of those I plan to make for upcoming birthdays this year.

Are you planning anything fun and crafty this spring? I would love to hear about it! Maybe some sunny ideas can clear away the winter cold that is still lingering. Or at least some spring inspired crafts can make it feel a little less chilly outside. Go on and leave me a comment letting me know what you’re creating this spring!

crafts, aprons, spring, fun

Happy Valentine’s day!

Are you ready to enjoy the day? Treats made, crafts done, trinkets and small presents ready to go? Or are you like me and putting everything off to the last minute? If you still don’t know what to make or do today there are a few easy and quick ideas that you can do last minute. After all, just because you are creative does not mean that you are timely. Some of the most creative people are also the mose scatterbrained. Or, that’s what I tell myself.

• Beaded Valentine - make a cute bead and lace Valentine that’s easy for kids to make.
• Woven Hearts card - for the more advenced creative types create this beautiful card by weaving ribbons into hearts.
• Satin Heart Box - this beautiful heart shaped box looks like a lot more work than it really is. If you can cut satin and use a hot glue gun you can create this elegant little box.
• Plastic Canvas Mailbox - This is a fun little mailbox you can create out of plastic canvas and yarn. Perfect for putting those little goodies in
• Cross Stitch Valentine Gift Bag - Here is a simple way to decorate a bag into a special Valentine bag.
• Sweetheart Necklaces - bake these simple little hearts with your kids to give as cute gifts
• Felt Conversation Hearts - These are another simple craft that you can do with your kids. Have fun making the hearts the decide what you want to say with them.

Hopefully you will find something there that you can whip up for a last minute fun craft.

Valentine’s Day, crafts, gifts

Depending on what creative things you are trying to sell you may need to take some great photos of them. The better your photos are the better potential customers can see just what you are offering. Beautifully crafted descriptions can only take you so far when the photos are lacking.

Though for many creative moms who are trying to start up their own business affording a new camera might be out of their price range. And hiring a professional most certainly is! But what if there was a way you could write off your new camera as a business expense? For some this might just be possible. If a digital camera is important to your online creative business you may be able to deduct it out. It is certainly something to think aobut as you file your taxes this year, and worth mentioning if you are having them filed for you. In fact, you may find many other tidbits of home business tax laws that you did not know of before.

A good camera can take your photos from this:

to this:

Which do you think is more likely to get the sale? If you already bought a new digital camera, or are thinking about buying and you make and seel your creative items from home find out if that camra can be a business expense. It never hurts to ask!

If anyone else has any great tips for those trying to make a home business with their crafts please share them here! We can always use more helpful suggestions!

digital camera, home business, business expense, taxes

Since I’m practically done with my pink and black purse (I still need a button though!) I’ve started working on another purse. This one is a simple striped purse that I’m putting together.

When I was looking for a free pattern online I found several that were almost what I wanted, but none that were just right. So I decided to mix and match and come up with a pattern that fits what I wanted. Because it’s so simple there really wasn’t much to creating the pattern. But it creates a cute little purse that looks fine as it is or you can felt it. I’ve also toyed with the idea of adding some beads to the stripe, though I’m not sure yet if simple beads or something that dangles would look cuter. I’m doing it in autumn colors, so I’m leaning towards dangling some glass leaves off. But I haven’t decided yet.

I thought I would share the pattern here if anyone else wanted to knit up a quick purse. It is a simple design, a long rectangle done with straight needs that you fold in half and sew. You can either knit a long chain for the handle or buy a purse handle at a craft shop to sew on.

You will need:

• US 7 needles
• US 8 needles
• Color A 200 yards wool yarn
• Color B 100 yards wool yarn
• Color C 80 yards wool yarn

Cast on 60 with US 7 needles using Color C and knit 2 rows of garter stitch.

Switch to US 8 needles. Stockinette stitch Color A for 3 1/2 inches. Switch to Color B for 3 1/2 inches. Switch to Color C and knit 2 rows. Back to stockinette stitch Color A for 2 1/2 inches. Knit Color C two rows again. Then stockinette stitch Color A for 9 1/2 inches. Now just reverse the pattern starting with 2 knit rows of Color C, 2 1/2 inches of Color A, knit two rows of Color C, 3 1/2 inches of Color B, then 3 1/2 inches of Color A.

Switch back to the US 7 needles and knit two rows of Color C then cast off.

Once you have the long rectangle done you simple fold it in half, right sides together, and sew the two side edges together. Add your handle and it’s all done. A fun and simple purse.

knitting, pattern, purse

Happy Saturday! It’s beena great creative week on the blogosphere and I have quite a few posts to link to today. I’ll try to narrow it down to just a handful, but it will be hard. But first I have a favor to ask. The purse I talked about here is finally finished. It has been knitted, sewn together, and felted nicely. However it’s still lacking the button. Because of the colors and the style I’m looking for something specific, and not finding what I need.

I want a fun skull button in black and hot pink. I’m not too picky on it really. Black skull on hot pink, hot pink skull on black, skull and crossbones, or just a skull. Doesn’t really matter. However I can’t find just a simple button to sew on the purse. If you have one you wouldn’t mind selling, or know where someone has one for sale please let me know. Thanks!

Now on to the links:

• Making a paper recycling tote - Eco-friendly crafters will love this. Not only can you make it from recycled materials, it is made for carrying recycled materials. And it’s easy to make too!
• thank you whoever you are - Check out the funky yarn used to make this scarf. Perfect for the interesting people in your life.
• Finally! - I love this quilt. The pattern is so unique and interesting, and the colors and prints really do say winter time. It’s a grat example of gtting creative instead of following the same old patterns.
• Debby Arem’s vintage bead shop: EurekaEureka! - If you love beads as much as I do check out the gorgeous beads being shown off here. I love getting to know inspiring beaders like this.
• Copyright - ways to prevent your content from being stolen - This is a very useful post if you have found your things on someone else’s website. Learn how to keep your creativity your own.
• Craft Books, Killer Crafts and a Laura Childs Giveaway - This is a great list of craft books for you to explore. Thre is even a second list at the bottom of some fun craft ideas to try yourself. And don’t forget the giveaway!

crafts, creative

Spring is in the air. Or not, depending on where you live.

But no matter the climate there is a feeling of spring coming on soon. Or at least a yearning for spring to come along soon and end this nasty snow.

If you are looking to burn some creative energy and anticipate the spring thaw a great creative idea is to start planting some seeds. No matter how old or young your kids are they can help in some way with this. Even just sprinkling the seeds on the dirt can make them feel happy. With Valentine’s Day coming up you can turn this into a fun last minute gift idea. Paint and decorate some interesting pots and plant flower seeds in them.

If you want to be eco-friendly and creative you can look to your own garbage for interesting planting ideas. You might just be surprised at what you are tossing out that could be used again as a nice home for your seedlings. If digging out the trash is too much for you visit your local thrift shops and see what can be given new life as a funky flower pot. Old tea cups, glass jars, and large bowels all hold the potential to be cleaned up and turned into a flower pot that will turn heads.

If you are really feeling creative here is something you could try to create yourself using old milk jugs. Warning, it does requiring wiring and electricty, so you might want to save this for the older children only.

plants, environmental, recycling, trash

If you are thinking about starting your own craft business sooner or later you will need to think about a name.

What you choose as your business name can have a larger impact than you might think. A descriptive name can help people know exactly what it is that you sell, and in terms of online businesses can sometimes help search engines rank you higher. For instance “Beads and Things” could get you more customers for a beading shop based on name alone.

A business name associated with your own name can help to brand you, especialy if you already have a following in another area. If you have a craft blog where you are well known tying your craft busienss to yourself by name is a great way to get more recognition.

Though, you should not discredit original and creative names just yet. There are many online creative shops that make themselves known by having a name that sticks out in peoples’ minds. Choosing something unique could easily set you apart and show your creative flair.

Recently Problogger had a post on Choosing the Domain Name for your Blog. I think the ideas discussed there could easily be applied to choosing your creative business name as well.

For a good idea of creative names check out the product showcases over at Wax and Bubbles. You can se how some companies choose to market themselves by their name. Candle-Lite is, obviously, a candle store. But what do you think Bramble Berry sells? And does the name make you want to check it out? Before choosing your own creative business name toss some ideas off of friends and family first to get a reaction. If you alredy have a blog you may even put up a poll there and see what your visitors think. Of course don’t forget to check that the name you have choosen isn’t already in use somewhere else.

creative business, business name