Creative Mom Cafe

I recently ordered a few things from an Etsy shop and with my order came a small thank you card. The card was made from homemade paper and had held within it a collection of flower seeds. The instructions printed on the back of the card was to plant it under a light layer of dirt, keep moist, and enjoy the blooms that sprouted up. I thought that was such a great idea I went looking online for something similar.

I found this great tutorial on Making Paper From The Garden that might be just what I am looking for. I hope to get my hands on some mixed flower seeds and try making a few sheets of paper. The directions are simple enough that even children can follow them.

I immediately knew this would be a great project to make for Mother’s Day. Make sheets of paper with flower seeds and fold them gently into cards. Make these seed paper cards to give to all of the mothers and grandmothers in your life. Of course if you do not want to try to make them yourself you can always buy some. Try this set of three with a beautiful leaf image in the center. Or check out this beautiful wedding invitation with seeds in the cake. This set of 10 cute mini note cards are also perfect for sending out to the moms you love this Mother’s day.

Go out and try this for yourself! I would love to see all the fun things you can do with some plantable paper.

Mother’s Day, flower seeds, plantable paper, flower seed paper

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

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

Over on my homeschool blog I mentioned this great post with instructions on making a soda bottle bird feeder. It’s such a great idea to do this time of year when food may be scarce for your local birds. But some people may not want soda bottles hanging around in their yard. A great creative way to spruce them up is to print a design on transparency paper and attach it to the bottles. You can read more about about that idea here.

Making wooden bird feeders is a fun and creative thing to do with kids. You can make one to sit on top of a tall pole or one to hang from a tree. You can even make bird houses out of scrap wood to give your backyard birds a place to hide from the cold. If you’re not sure about making a birdhouse there is a great info sheet here that can help you with the details.

Roofs should be constructed with sufficient pitch to shed water. At least 3 inches of overhang should be allowed to protect the entrance from driving rain. Some water mav still seep into the house, therefore a few small holes should be drilled in the floor to allow drainage.

Builders should plan for several holes near the top of the box to provide ventilation in hot weather. The house should be constructed with screws for easy disassembly when cleaning.

Entrance holes should be near the top of the box and proportional to the size of the bird which will use the house. Houses should have the interior walls roughened or grooved to assist the young in climbing to the opening.

Of course your bird house doesn’t have to be plain. Decorated bird houses look very cute in your yard and can add some extra fun to making one. A little paint can make any bird house a work of art. And who knows, putting up bird houses and feeders now may result in some great bird spotting next spring. When the baby birds bgin coming out of their eggs. Who could resist cute, little baby birds?

Have a creative bird house that you or your kids have made? I’d love to see it! Share a link and let me know!

A friend of mine had a beautiful wreath on her wall for years. It was covered in dried flowers, eucalyptus leaves, and tuffs of lavender colored feathers. It was gorgeous to see and gave off a nice scent as you walked by. I was thinking about that wreath today and thought with my idea yesterday to make a wreath to give why not suggest something that smells nice too. No, I’m not going to have you create a eucalyptus leaf wreath, but a nice basket of potpourri is a great gift to give as well!

The first thing you will need are the ingrediants. Herbs and flowers from your own garden are a grat place to begin. Some people have luck getting bags of discarded flowers from their local floral shops for cheap or even free. You want clean, disease free plants to make the best potpourri. If you are harveting your own the best time to do so is early in the morning just after the dew is gone. That is when you will gt the freshest scent.

You will need to dry your plants. Air drying is often recommended. Place the herb and flowers on a screen, like that from a window, and allow them to dry naturally. You want them to get good air circulation as they are drying out. Hanging is another easy method, simply hand them upside down and allow them to dry. You may want to place a pan or bag underneath any plants hanging up to catch anything that falls as they dry.

Once you have dried your plants you can begin putting them together. You will need a good fixative agent in your potpourri to help it last. Some suggestions are powdered orris root, oak moss, cellulose, or ground gum benzoin. Essential oils are also added to give a beautiful scent to the mixture. Once your potpourri is made you will need something to store it in. A small container with a lid that seals tight is best. You can often find small glass containers at thrift shops or in dollar stores that work perfectly. Be sure to keep the potpourri sealed when not in use to keep the fragrance lasting.

Here are some sites with recipes for making your own:

• Pioneer Thinking
• Atlantic Spice
• Make Stuff - Potpourri
• A World of Plenty
• Make Your Own Potpourri (this one is an ebook that you have to pay for, but has some great recipes to use)

potpourri, dried flowers, dried herbs, 30 gifts in 30 days

If you’ve made lots of fun gifts to fill their stocking with now you can make a handmade wreath to hang up next to them. Creating your own wreaths can be fun, and you don’t have to make one just for the holidays. An unique handcrafted wreath can be the perfect decoration any time of the year. In fact, if you are feeling crafty you could make several to be used during the year.

You will need a hot glue gun, a wreath base, and any decorations you want. Wreath bases are fairly common to find. You can even use an old wreath that you have or one bought from a thrift shop. Most are made from straw or grape vines, though if you want to really be unique you can try other materials and make your own. Twist thick wire, rope, or even knit a circle you can use as your wreath base. Just be sure that what ever you choose is strong enough to hold the decorations you plan to put on it.

Once you have your base it is time to decorate. Plan out what theme you want the wreath to have. Will it be a Christmas wreath, one that matches the person’s home decor, or decorated with things you know they will love. Use ribbons, silk flowers, and small ornaments to create an unique style. You can look through the photos of wreaths at Flickr for more inspiration. Make it as big or as small as you want. You can even use pieces from old wreaths to create your new one. It is a great recycling craft idea. The last thing you will need is a way to hang it. Some people buy hooks that they attach to the back, some use pieces of strong wire. Whatever you choose you will need it to be strong enough to hold the weight and secure it tightly onto the back of your wreeath.

wreath, crafts, Christmas, 30 Gifts in 30 Days

There are some people in my family who love flowers. They love gardening and growing flowers, but during the cold winter months there isn’t much gardening to be done. So one of my favorite gifts to give is flowers that can be grown indoors and brighten up the cold months.

But you’re not just giving flowers. You are also giving them the flower pots. You can be as creative as you want to be painting and decorating flower pots for your flowers to grow in. Use large pots for bigger plants. Paint, glue on, and create unigue designs that make the pots stand out.

Some people love hanging baskets in thir homes for flowers and plants. Taking string, fishing line, or thin wire you can hang beads, shells, or anything else from. One great isea is to hang small metal discs from the bottom of the hanging basket. Then as the weather warms up the basket can be hung outside on a porch or patio and double as a wind chime.

For cooks you can give several small pots with herbs plantd in them. Paint or glue on photos of the herbs planted and stencil in their names. Stencil a letter on each small pot to spell the name of the recipient for a special flower gift. You can even create a beautiful center piece by gluing several small pots around a larger one. Paint and decorate them all and plant with flowers. You can even let kids paint and decorate pots to give to grandparents and other family members.

Of course you don’t have to give just pots. You can search through thrift shops and garage sales for interesting pots and containers that you can decorate as well.

flowers, flowerpots, 30 Gifts in 30 Days

OK…I just found this link on Family Fun.com and it spawned my latest creative decision. I think making seasonal designed shirts would be a cool idea to ring in the new season for your child and their friends.

Check out this simple, yet SUPER COOL T-shirt Craft

Another, no ‘creativity needed’ project for those of you who ask for them!!

You’re welcome!!

What family doesn’t LOVE spoiling the teachers in their lives? And wht better way to do that than with a handmade craft!

This Tote Bag is adorable and SIMPLE!

All you need is a tote bag from your local craft store or WalMart…some apples…and a few colors of acrylic paint.

This would be a great “beginning of the year” craft for a class to give to the teacher putting a child’s name on each apple. One tree on each side.

**HINT: Use acrylic paints as they are permanent and won’t wash out if Mrs. So-and-So has to throw her bag in the wash!

Celebrate your family by sitting down and making some fall decor together…

This craft requires no drawing talent ad if you have ever locked two legos together you are qualified to pass this adventure!

Gourd Decorating can be so much fun and is as easy as 1-2-3! Honest

1. Go to your grocery store or roadside stand and gather a plethora of gourds…different sizes, colors and shapes. Get plenty. If you don’t use them for a craft you can sit them on the porch for a festive appearance.

2. Collect other natural items from your yard or local park…pine cones, leaves, flowers, acorns, etc.

3. Mull some cider and sit as a family and giggle to your heart’s content while making these sweet little characters!

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!