You know I love using materials that are free. One of my faves is cereal boxes. They have that cardboard box look, but easier to cut! I save practically every cereal box we ever eat, and we eat a ton of cereal. I’m always trying to find ways to make the humble cereal box feel…
Teen Crafts
Doily Snowflake Stars
The idea for these beautiful, lacy snowflake stars came from the paperbag stars we made last summer. SITS Girls had the original idea and made them out of white paper bags. I became obsessed with them because they are so fast and easy! So last summer we made them in art camp and painted them…
Easiest Gingerbread House Party Ever
We make these gingerbread houses every year. Sometimes we make them late in the season (like after-Christmas-late), and sometimes I am so organized I even make an invitation! If you are feeling efficient and organized these days, then scroll down to the bottom for a fun and free printable invitation I made for you. Oh,…
DIY Thanksgiving Banner
One week until my favorite holiday of the year! I love Thanksgiving. It’s so much more relaxing than that December holiday. Four days of being with family is just what I need in the middle of this hectic book tour (which I have yet to write about but you can see some photos from my…
Tracing is Fun and There Are Benefits!
Transparency film is an amazing art material that I never knew about until recently, and now a whole world has opened up for us. The world of tracing! Let me tell you more. Last month I was reading through Meri Cherry‘s new e-book called Art Secrets Every Teacher Should Know, A Reggio Inspired Approach, and I saw something new, which…
Washi Tape Paper Plates
Paper plates are a fantastic art material. I mean, there are literally hundreds of crafts on Pinterest that use paper plates! I think the possibilities are endless, they really are. I especially love what my friend Leslie from Pink Stripey Socks does with paper plates. I think she needs to write a book! And we’ve…
Watercolor Valentine Hearts
It occurred to me today, as my daughter was painting hearts, that I should share with you the way we’ve been painting hearts for years. I even dug up an old photo of my other daughter from 6 years ago and she is painting hearts the same way. It’s not anything all that revelatory, but I…
Kid Made Polymer Clay Necklaces
Have you or your kids ever used polymer clay? I walked by it at the craft store for years. I figured it was just another expensive craft material that would sit around and not be used. Oh, I could not have been more wrong! I was introduced to the world of polymer clay by my…
Homemade Rainbow Soap with Kids
This past summer in art camp we tried something totally different and new: soap making! I researched heavily, relying on the trial and error of other bloggers. I loved the goat milk soaps made by the kids at Purple Twig – especially with their use of flowers and herbs – but ultimately I decided to…
A Painted Cake
Last week my daughter turned thirteen. It was a pretty huge deal, as it should be. We had a massive party for her with obstacle courses, shaving cream fights, a dunk tank, and of course some arts and crafts. (With me as her mom this is unavoidable.) My favorite artsy idea of the whole party was…
