Creative Mom Cafe

This time of year my scrap book obsession really comes out. The sun is coming out of hiding and there are a lot more things going on. Suddenly everywhere I look is inspiration for some great scrap book pages. The best, at least to me, are the natural photos of my kids at play.

This is one of my favorite photos of my oldest when he was younger. Splashing through puddles in his rain boots on a hot summer day. There was no posing or working with lighting. I just snapped a few playful pictures of him enjoying some fun outside. With just a little cropping I managed to turn this photo and a few others into a great scrap book page.

Click image to enlarge.

I put together a small list of some of the best advice for capturing perfect photos of your kids without forcing them to sit and smile.

• How to photograph children; where the magic comes from - An eBay guide that has a lot of great advice for moms with cameras.
• The Complete Guide to Children Photography - Part I and Part II - This two aprt guide really is perfect reading material when wondering how to get the best shots of your children.
• Photographing Children - A Quick Tip - A good tip to follow, and some relevant books listed at the bottom if you want to learn more.
• How to Photograph Children - A great video series for capturing many different great shots.
• Photographing Children - An article from the School of Photography that will help you decide which picture to aim for.

Even if you are not a scrapbooker knowing how to capture a great photo of your children is a useful skill to have. It might even turn into a new creative hobby or career.

children, photography, scrapbooking, scrap book

We spent Saturday afternoon making felt balls and beads for the first time. It was fun, though quite a learning experience. We followed the instructions found on Martha Stewart’s site, and did not like them at all. Four tablespoons of soap to six cups of water was far too soapy for us, we had more bubbles than anything else. Rinsing the soap out took forever, and I still do not like the way anything felted up, if you can really call it felting. Though we used wool that was easy to felt with I really do not think any of it worked. The larger play balls for my sons are OK, maybe a 3 out of 5. But the smaller beads just did not work.

The next time I felt beads, which will hopefully be next weekend, I plan to use the instructions at Knitty instead. These sound like they will work a lot better. I am not sure if the beads I already have made can be redone or fixed (Anyone with experience know?) but still I want to make a second set to string on a necklace. I have an image in my mind that I have not really seen elsewhere yet and I want to make this necklace while I still feel inspired.

Felting balls was fun for my oldest son who just loved getting wet and soapy at the table. The actual felting process, rolling them in his hands and such was a bit difficult. Though a child with better coordination would probably have no trouble at all. Wrapping the balls took about 15 minutes to show and do and another 15 minutes of felting and rinsing makes it a quick craft to do. The beads took a little over 24 hours to dry, the balls are still not quite ready yet this morning.

For a fun outdoor craft to do while waiting for the balls to dry make these cute paper bag kites. They’re perfect for windy Spring days.

crafts, kids, felting, felt, beads

I found these adorable spring animals online and had to share them. Using empty baby food jars and some craft foam you can create cute little animals to show off. Make bunnies and chicks for Easter decorations around your house, in your church, or even at the dinner table if you are having a big Easter meal. The possibilities are endless for these easy to make pets.

Of course they don’t have to just be decorations. You could help your kids make an entire farm full of animals for some creative play time. Or you can even use them for party games. Write numbers on the lids then have everyone pick an animal. Later draw a random number, whomever has that numbered animal wins a prize. Hide the fun animals around your house or yard for an interesting scavenger hunt game, just be sure there aren’t any eggs still laying out there. Use your imagination and I’m sure you can come up with a lot of great fun ideas for these cute animals.

Since they reuse the glass baby food jars you could turn them into a fun recycling project. Use scraps of felt or bits of broken toys to create the animals. You can stuff them with bits from old towels, clothes, or the cotton stuffing from blankets and pillows. See how creative you can get using only recycled items for your animals.

For other ideas on reusing baby food jars click here.  There are a lot of fun ways that you can reuse something that most parents already have sitting around.

crafts, spring, animals, Easter, recycling, kids

I’m pulling this idea out of the archives, but for a very good reason. It can be a great spring craft to make with your kids right now. Back during the winter I suggested giving flowers as a Christmas gift. It wasn’t just the flowers but also the pot that makes a beautiful gift.  No doubt if you have gone to the store recently you have seen displays of flowers for sale, lilies, daisies and tulips are the most common right now with some other spring time flowers also. These could be great to give to grandparents as gifts for Easter or to just have around your own home to bring in a little spring. But you don’t have to keep them in the boring pots the stores keep them in.

Turn ordinary terracotta pots into fun spring time crafts. Let your kids go wild painting them, sticking on bunny stickers, or gluing fake eggs around the bottom of the pots. Just be sure to cover the area well first, kids and paint always seems to mean big messes. Here are some great tips on painting terracotta pots that you can use.  You could also try this fun mosaic idea on your flower pots.

Of course you don’t have to just have flowers in your pots. You could decorate a large pot for a one pot herb garden.  Or you could try some container gardening for indoor or patio vegetables. Spring is the perfect time to grow something new and with pretty pots made by your kids it is even more fun to do.

flowers, gardening, Spring, Easter, kids, crafts

As the big green day draws closer more and more people are talking about how they celebrate St. Patrick’s day. There have been so many great posts I could not just sit back and keep them all to myself. Here are the ones that have caught my eye recently. I promise to catch up tonight on the great St. Patrick’s day craft ideas I promised, but until then visit these posts.

If you are looking for some great St. Patrick’s day ideas head over the the St. Patrick’s Day carnival going on at Babylune. There is quite a collection of posts full of ideas for your St. Patrick’s day fun.

Also check out the Holiday Blogger who has a fun craft up called a Leprechaun Box. This is a fun little craft that kids of any age could do, and it gifts you a chance to slip them some treats in secret.

Over at Gather you can find a good recipe for some traditional Irish soda bread. It’s an easy bread to make for anyone, even those who have never tried to make bread before.

Over at My Readable Feast you can find a recipe for a yummy sounding Honey Almond Oat pudding as well as a few good links to check out.

I have several fun creative ideas that I think you are all going to enjoy. Things have been busy, but tonight I’ll have the time to share them all here. Until then here’s a question for everyone to answer. Are you celebrating on March 17th as usual or are you going to be celebrating on the changed date of March 15th?

St. Patrick’s day

For those who like to recycle their trash into crafty projects the milk jug Easter basket is a fairly common one this time of year. However this simple basket can pull double duty and become a Pot ‘O Gold for some little leprechaun to carry. All you need is a clean empty milk jug, scissors, paint, a stapler, and your “gold”. My favorite is to use chocolate candies wrapped in gold foil. You can use both a gallon and a half-gallon milk jug to make this, both work great. Here’s how to make the pot.

Using your scissors cut the bottom 4-5 inches off of the milk jug. This bottom part will be the pot. From the top part cut a long, thin piece  to be the handle of the put. Use the stapler to secure the handle to the pot. You may need to use two or three staples on each side. It should look like this once you have the handle stapled one.

Once you have it securely stapled into place you can paint the pot. Some may prefer to go with black to make it resemble a traditional pot, others may want to go green with it. You could even glue on pictures of 4 leaf clovers or leprechauns to make it even more fun.

This could be a great class project to do. Have everyone bring in a jug to cut and paint themselves, then leave them out on their desks over night. The next morning they might find a suprise left behind in their pots by some traveling leprechauns.

crafts, pot of gold, recycled, milk jugs, St. Patrick’s day

This isn’t a project you will want to do with younger children, but it is still a fun St. Patrick’s day craft idea.

Many people have seen the fun necklaces and earrings made from soda cans. Shapes, usually hearts, are cut from the cans and strung onto chains or hung on ear hooks to make interesting recycled jewelry. I have always thought these were cool pieces of jewelry, and have also secretly wanted a Mountain Dew heart necklace to show my love for the beverage that keeps me going. This weekend I decided instead of a heart I could use the green can to make a fun four leaf clover. So that’s just what I did.

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I have been thinking about buying the supplies needed to make resin jewelry. I keep searching for ideas, suggestions, and tips for the best  resin crafting  ideas for beginners. I don’t want to spend a lot of money and I don’t want to need a degree in chemistry to work with it. But I also don’t want low quality either. I don’t want to have to fight with bubbles and a cloudy mix too much. I plan to mostly make clear jewels with images underneath or fun trinkets added to them.

So I am looking for suggestions. What books are worth reading and which should I skip? Do I buy one of the kits sold online or should I just get the stuff sold at my local hardware store? Where can i get the dyes to add color? What is the best way to turn resin pieces into pendants and beads for necklaces and earrings? What kinds of backings and jewelry findings work best? Am I setting myself up for disappointment?

I have been visiting Etsy a lot lately and drooling over the cute one of a kind resin jewels for sale. This heart pendant for instance  is gorgeous. And I especially love this St. Patrick’s Day set. In fact there are just so many cute resin jewelry pieces I couldn’t possibly list them all.
So help me out here. What resin crafting tips do you have to share? Any good books, websites, or supplies that are must-haves? I’m a complete newbie here starting from scratch.

resin, epoxy, jewelry, crafts

Yesterday my sons and I celebrated the coming Spring by making some Spring creatures of our own. We used salt dough to squish and squash little insects and flowers into shape. It was a lot of fun, and not just because we got to get out hards dirty. Though, I do think that was a major selling point for them.

Most of the morning was spent making our little critters and flowers. I used a simple recipe and just a small batch of the dough. The recipe I had originally made a huge bowl full, but for us it would have been too much. As it was we filled an entire pan with things to bake and still had half the ball left over. Here is the recipe, cut down:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup salt
• 1/3 cup water (though that was a bit crumbly so I added a little extra water while I mixed)

Once we were done creating I laid the items on a greased cookie sheet and baked them for 1 hour at 300*F. Once they were baked I set them on a wire rack to cool for a little over an hour. Then it was time to paint. I laid out newspaper on the table and let them have at it. Since we used safe, edible clay to create the creatures I decided to use safe and edible paint as well. Here is a recipe that makes a thick and shiny paint that is safe for little ones to “accidentally” eat. You can also use store bought gelatin mixes and add water to finger paint onto fun projects.  Though no one would want to eat the salt dough, it will be safe if they decide to try a taste behind your back.

crafts, salt dough, clay, painting

There are a lot of great sites out there that offer fun and creative craft ideas for parents to do with their kids. I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite ones for you to explore. When I am not sure what I want to do these are the places I stop by first. Even creative moms need some idea help now and then.

• Enchanted Learning - This site is overflowing with crafts, printables, and more. Geared towards education for young children you will find both fun crafts and ones to help your kids learn something new.
• DLTK - Another fun site with creative ideas and things for you to print off to do with your kids. This site is run by a very creative mom so you can be sure the ideas here are kid friendly.
• Kids Craft Weekly - This weekly newsletter always has great ideas  that I love.  You can look back through the past newsletters to find fun themed ideas.
• Family Fun - This magazine styled site has up to date ideas for seasons, holidays, and every day creative play. You can find crafts, recipes, games, and everything else all geared for kids.
• Kaboose - Another magazine styled site that I love to visit. I cannot leave the site without at least one great idea in my head.
• Family Crafts - About.com always has the bet information you can find, and their family craft section is no exception. Updated frequently with fun crafts for you to do with your kids this is certainly one place to explore.

These are my favorite places to hang out, but I am sure there are hundreds more online. If you know of any good craft sites for moms and kids to get creative ideas from leave a comment and let me know.

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 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

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

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