I am certain that whomever takes over this blog will do an even better job and will make Creative Mom Cafe exactly what it deserves to be.  A blog that shares the creative side of moms, a place where moms can share their ideas and obsessions, and a place where arts and crafts isn’t just for the kid’s table.

I know my time here was short but I have had a wonderful time writing here. And though I am stepping down from here you can still find me yacking away for 451Press at Mom Is Teaching and The Attached Mother.  Thank you for making my blogging experience here fun. I hope to see you all elsewhere on the net!

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

With Earth Day coming up I wanted to share some places on the web where you can find some creative inspiration. There are lots of fun ways to celebrate Earth Day for creative moms and kids. Here are some of my favorite ones.

•  Tin Can Herb Pots - Decorative and fun these little pots are made from empty tin cans, the kind that you can buy soups and vegetables in at the store. Decorate them up and grow some herbs. Not only can you use them for cooking but your kids can enjoy making something grow for Earth Day
• Recycled Tote - Use old plastic and weave it into a new tote bag that you can use to carry things in. Have some weaving fun and recycle at the same time.
• Earth Pendant - Make a fun necklace to wear that shows off your kids’ love of the earth.
• Make Your Own Recycled Paper - Use this to make your own Earth Day cards to give to everyone. It’s lots of fun to do and is a great way to show your kids about recycling.
• CD Jewel Case Birdhouse - Though it was meant to be a birdhouse this would make a great little greenhouse for starting seeds. Plus it looks beautiful and would make a fun decoration to have in your yard.
• Crafty Fridge Magnets - Recycle old candy packaging into fun magnets for your fridge. Instead of tossing those little boxes into the trash use a little glue and a small magnet to have some creative fun.

These are just a  few of the fun creative ideas you can use to celebrate Earth Day with your kids. Get creative and see what other things you can reuse, transform, and recreate into something fun and eco-friendly.

Earth Day, crafts, creative, recycle, recycled crafts

So, what great creative ideas have you found this week?

• Make your own hand/body cream - This luscious, rich hand and body cream looks like it is just dying to put on. And hey, moms deserve some pampering too! Here a great recipe to make your own cream and pamper yourself whenever you want.
• What I do with my scraps - Make something of course! Check out this total free form quilt pieced together with scraps of fabric. You don’t need to spend money buying enough fabric to make a fancy quilt, just create something funky with what you already have.
• Show your sketchbook! - Do you carry around a sketch book where you work out ideas before making them? If so Cyndi at Jewelry And Beading wants to see it! Share a photo of what you plan out your projects in.
• Bagsket Tutorial - A great tutorial on making a bag basket. This is another great project for using up your scraps, and this bagsket is incredibly useful too. Make several as you will need them this summer for everything from visiting your local farmer’s market to visiting the beach with your kids.

Know a guy who is into the latest fashion of the brimmed beanie? ThreadBanger has a great tutorial video on turning an old sweater into a stylish hat that any guy would love to wear. There are always lots of great videos there for you to browse through, definitely one to check out.

crafts, creative

I started with a basic shape. I did not want to try anything too extreme for my first monster so I stayed simple. After finally drawing what I wanted I cut it out of paper to use as a pattern. I also cut out some felt pieces for eyes, claws, and a tummy to rub. I wanted a happy little monster with some personality of his own.

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The Carnival of Etsybloggers is up as well over at TuLips Talking.  If you want to get April Fooled in a creative way this is the carnival for you.

It’s not up yet, but the Carnival of All Things Crafty is scheduled to be up today over at Creatively Me!  Check back later to see if the carnival is up.

blogging, blog carnivals, crafts, creative

I looked for a pattern online to use but the closest I could find was one from Simplicity #3882. Look at the third top on the top row. Unfortunately I never found a good free pattern. Still, I was determined to make a tank top like this so I improvised a little.

First I measured around my bust. I wanted a straight, flowing top coming down so I decided to make it as wide as the widest part. Then I measured from my chest down to the top of my hip for length. I added a few inches for seam allowance and cut two rectangles by those detentions for the front and back. For the top panel and straps I used a different material rather than all one style. I cut two long pieces as wide as the front and back panels and 5 inches wide. Each was folded in half to create a 2 1/5 inch double panel around the top. For the straps I measured from across my shoulders for length and from shoulder to shoulder to determine how far apart to put the straps.

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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

Who has time to craft with all this beautiful weather? OK, so some of you are still stuck under a pile of snow. And some moms might be looking for something to do to spend their hours sitting on the park bench. So here is this week’s fun round up of creative posts that you should check out. As always, if you know of any awesome ones that I’ve missed be sure to let me know!

• Star Stitch Headband pattern -  This cute little knit headband will keep the hair out of your eyes and make you look cool. Perfect for all you hot mamas out there.
• Recycled Bike Inner Tube Jewelry - It’s creative and good for the environment. Two things that score perfect tens for me. Check out the tutorial on how to do it yourself.
• Twelve New Monsters - I know some kids who would love these kind of stuffed friends over the typical dogs, cats, and rabbits.
• Vintage Pillowcase Lunchbox Tutorial - This is a great idea for using an old pillowcase. Of course it doesn’t just have to be a lunchbox. This would also be a cute little bag for carrying almost anything.
• What You’re Reading in Craft:06! - Check out all the links here for some great project ideas. And then hurry and subscribe this the magazine to get your hands on all the great articles and ideas.
• The Crafty Crow - A new craft site full of children’s craft ideas. This is definitely one to bookmark!
• Bias Tape Tutorial - If sewing on bias tape is a little tricky to you here is a great video for how to do it right.

crafts, creative

Over at Instructables you can follow the directions to quickly sew a utensils holder from a dish towel. There is also an idea for making a dish holder from ordinary dish towels as well. All you need are some great dish towels, you can usually find them for cheap at your local dollar store. Then use ribbons, buttons, or iron-ons to decorate them however you want. If you can cross stitch these could be a fun project to get into.

Looking for a simple sandwich wrap that can be reused?  Try a square of PUL for a fun sandwich wrap. You can buy squares of this coated fabric online for very low cost. Sew on a small bit of Velcro to keep it on to hold it secure and you’re ready to go. If you don’t want to buy PUL check out what this mom did with ordinary fabric and a plastic sandwich bag.

If you have left over scraps of fabric laying around the house you can whip up some simple cloth napkins for your picnic lunch. These are so very simple to make and can add a bit of fun and style to any picnic. Of course you don’t have to just use them for picnics. Make a big batch of the napkins and use them every day to keep your paper use low.

Have a picnic tablecloth that keeps blowing away in the wind? Here’s a simple idea to keep the tablecloth cover down using just a little elastic.  The same will work for bench covers as well. If you are really worried about a windy day try these picnic placemats with individual utensil holders. Keeps the wind from blowing away your fork and spoon in the middle of eating your meal.

Once you get these fun projects whipped up there will be nothing left to do but make your sandwiches and slice the watermelon. Have a great picnic!

crafts, sewing, picnics