Archive for the ‘Crafts’ Category
My grandkids loved this paint spinner!
Recently while standing in the checkout line of a favorite craft store, I happened to be behind a rather elderly couple. Their arms were full of kids’ crafts, and I thought to myself that these folks were more than likely going to be babysitting their grandkids. And they were going to be prepared!
We all know how rambunctuous kids are. Weren’t we the same way as kids? After a short time on one project, it becomes boring, so it’s time to move on to a new one.
When I visit my grandkids I always take some craft supplies along. For awhile at least, it gets them away from the TV, computer, WII, and all the other electronic devices we weren’t privileged to have as kids, and it presents a new challenge and interest to their life. The kids always enjoy crafting!
Painting on terra cotta (clay) pots is another fun painting project. You can buy all sorts of beautiful flower pots in any style and with any design you desire, but a plain old clay pot painted by you is so much more desirable. And you can be sure that no one will ever have one exactly like it.
Go to any large home store or craft store and pick one up very inexpensively. Be sure to wash and dry it thoroughly. Next choose a design. You may want to lightly sketch it on the pot to be sure you have the right placement before you begin to paint.
In trying to suggest a variety of painting projects, I’ve looked around my own home to see what surfaces I have painted on in the past. I ran across some small terra cotta (clay) figures that I once painted. These little guys were and are very inexpensive to purchase, and no special talent is needed to paint them. Just follow the shape of the details, such as the face and hands, the hat, the coat, the shoes, the hair, and all the other little incidentals.
You can paint these little characters with just your basic colors: blue, red, green, yellow, while, beige. In fact, you actually can start with the three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) plus white and mix them together for any color you want.
Bisque Figures Painted With Acrylic Paints
It is probably very seldom that it happens, but on a rare occasion we could find ourselves running out of painting projects, or maybe just looking for something new to paint. Perhaps we’re burned out on what we’ve been doing and need to find a new focus or project.
Do you like to have a lot of knick knacks sitting around? Do you find yourself at garage sales and flea markets buying all sorts of cute little things to sit around in your home? I have very little self-control when it comes to this. I love cute, decorative, and pretty things around my home.
What is even more fun is painting your own. Do you know that you can go to your local ceramic shop and buy all sorts of bisque figures? These have already been fired, and all you have to do is take them home and paint them with your acrylic paints. The great part is that you do not need to own a kiln or pay for these pieces to be fired. Just paint them as you normally would if you were painting a plaster piece.
Visit a Florida Flywheelers’ Event For Craft Ideas
If you would like some new and different craft ideas, take a day off and visit one of the Florida Flywheelers’ special events. These events are held three times per year near Fort Meade, Florida. A trip there, if you are not so very far away, is a special treat. You can see all kinds of unique vehicles such as the one pictured here. The person who made this cute little tractor had a lot of talent and a great imagination. I’m sorry I did not get his (or her) name.
These events are held, as I said, three times per year: once in the fall, once in January, and once in February of every year. The next one will be starting this week on Wednesday, February 24, and go through Saturday, the 27th. You can see all sorts of old engines and tractors there, along with tractor pulls and a huge flea market. One great attraction at these events is the old style town that has been recreated on the property. And of course, there is plenty of food available.
When I tour the grounds, I always keep my eyes open for new and different craft ideas. Although I will never, I’m sure, be able to make a tractor like the one pictured above, I can still find several ideas for new crafts.
(Wait until you see the vehicle my son made! I’ll have a picture for you later this week.)
Add Craft Punches To Your Cardmaking & Scrapbooking Supplies
If you haven’t added an assortment of craft punches (or at least one or two) to your cardmaking and scrapbooking supplies, you might want to consider doing so. There are a lot of really neat punches available, and these punches are so much fun to use. You can find many, many uses for them. Punch out a design on your scrapbook page or card for effect and then use the shape you punched out elsewhere. Make fancy edges and corners on your papers , cards and envelopes. The possibilities go on and on.
When you consider all the designs and subjects that are available, it seems as if you can get nearly any style or design of punch you desire. I’ve just purchased a double-edged one that cuts out a piece of paper that looks just like a piece of lace. It makes a really beautiful embellishment.
Unusual Supplies Make for Fun, Original Crafts
Most parents eventually discover that their young child’s favorite toy is not an expensive, brand-name product, but rather the box that it came in. The same back-to-basics approach can be true for kid’s crafts, too – sometimes the most fun craft supplies don’t come from a store. Get creative with your family and collect unusual bits and pieces for some truly original craft projects.
Take advantage of the summer sunshine and take a family walk. Collect interesting artifacts along the way – fallen leaves, colored rocks and small flowers, for example – to make a “found objects” collage or collection. Also, new craft supplies can be as close by as your kitchen cupboard. Dried pasta in interesting shapes, like elbow macaroni or farfalle, can bring new life to a project. Set your child up with some construction paper, scissors and glittery glue for an afternoon full of fun.
If you are looking for a way to add pizzazz to your scrapbooking page layouts, why not try trimming some or even all of your photos with these fancy-edged scissors. These special scissors are very inexpensive but can add a personal decorative touch to your scrapbook pages. These also add a new dimension to your handmade greeting cards.
You can find these in such a vast assortment of fancy cuts that you will more than likely be tempted to buy several pairs. The neat part is that you won’t break the bank if you do.
(If you have an old pair of pinking shears that you no longer use for fabric, you can also achieve a beautiful edging for your papers with those.)
Paper crafting has become extremely popular in recent months. Scrapbooking is a perfect way to show off family photos and chronicle family history. In addition, other fun paper crafts are making your own greeting cards, making hand-made papers, quilling, and origami.
Often, paper crafts enthusiasts begin with scrapbooking, but when the ‘working with paper bug’ hits them, then they branch out to making their own greeting cards. Handmade cards are very unique and original and are sure to please anyone, regardless of whether the receiver is interested in paper crafts or not.
I just want to take a moment or two from my craft projects to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day. I cannot think of a better way to let you all know I appreciate you.
So why don’t you do the same if you haven’t already done so? Wish all your dear ones a special day.