“What do you give a friend who has everything?” You’ve said it before, and there’s no doubt you’ll say it again. But here’s an idea: one gift that even the owner of everything could use is a chic box to store all those stylish bibs and bobs in. (Pretty genius, right?) So you start to shop for a cool trinket box, and I’ll tell you, because I’ve done it — you either find the glamorous, glossy, $200 variety or the $10 job that doesn’t quite match the elegance of said friend.
What a pleasant surprise, then, that this DIY faux-geode trinket box — the one that looks like it could cost close to $250 — only requires about $20 worth of supplies, provided you already have food coloring and glue in your craft arsenal. And if you assume you need a lab coat and beakers to “grow” your own decorative crystals, think again. This project can be completed right on your kitchen counter — no science degree required.
Here’s what you need:
Now head over to the Etsy blog for the step-by-step how-to! I’ll just beat you to it: you’re welcome.
I’d say, hands down, my most favorite craft for the Christmas season is an advent calendar. From the materials used to the display methods, the possibilities are endless. Plus, I think they can be used for way more than just the countdown to Christmas. You can countdown any special occasion…a birthday, Hanukkah, a wedding, or a baby’s due date.
This Frozen-inspired reindeer advent calendar (yes, I clearly have 2 toddlers at home) is obviously meant for Christmas, but don’t have to feel constrained to the traditional red and green. And I know, an advent calendar is usually 25 days, but this 7-day version is probably best for the pro-craft-inator who waited until the middle of December to make her advent calendar.
Stamp the number of tags (these little flag labels are from Michaels) for your countdown. Set them aside.
Place a note, piece of candy, or small gift inside each box, then tape ribbon across each box to form an “+” on the top, threading a number tag through one ribbon. (Make sure to put the lower numbers on the larger boxes. Then you’ll end up with the 1, 2, etc on the top of the pile. I only had to make that mistake once.)
Slip a jingle bell on a long piece of twine, slide to the middle, and knot. Repeat 2 more times, and gather the 3 bells together and knot the 3 strands to make a bundle. Braid the twine on either side and tie behind the reindeers neck.
Stack the boxes on the reindeer’s back. (If you are worried about the boxes toppling over, you can thread a piece of fishing line through the ribbon on the bottom of the boxes and tie under the reindeer’s belly.)
Halloween only comes once a year, and deciding on just one costume can be really challenging for some kids. This October, craft two get-ups for the price of one with a few simple craft and wardrobe changes.
I am super-beyond thrilled with the ways these costumes turned out for Scholastic Parent & Child magazine. They are simple, really doable, and darn cute. Especially that little lion/sunflower…and not just because that’s my daughter, Sommer!
Visit Parent & Child page to get the instructions on how to make them!
When Michaels asks you if you want to participate in a community pumpkin decorating sweepstakes, how can you say no? Right? And here’s the fun part…I didn’t have to use a real pumpkin! No seeds, no gunk, no potential for rotting! The contest (enter the #TrickYourPumpkin sweepstakes here, folks for a chance to win a $250 Michaels gift card and a bounty of Plaid products!) asks crafters to use one of Michaels’ craft pumpkins which are available in stores now!
But then there’s the burning question of how can I decorate my pumpkin in a way that I’ve never tricked it out before! I’ve carved, I’ve etched, I’ve painted, I’ve dressed ’em up in costume. So I decided to reference a place of inspiration that is far and away more me than any Pinterest board could ever be…my book, PROJECT KID.
Thumbing through the book I thought yarn-wrapping, nah. Stickers, nah. A robot? Maybe. And then I found my hot-air balloon (page 134 for those with the book). And that was it! It would be a huge challenge to do this with a real pumpkin, so the craft pumpkins are the perfect solution because they are hollow and super lightweight. And I love how the basket becomes the container for the most important part of Halloween…the candy!
1. Use the ridges in the craft pumpkin to create the stripes of your balloon. Paint every other one in the color of your choice. Let it dry.
2. Paint 4 dowels black and let them dry. (I keep a piece of styrofoam handy to dry painted sticks and what-not.)
3. Cover your basket or tin in burlap using a hot glue gun. Trim edges neatly.
4. Once your pumpkin is dry, slip fishnet stockings over the pumpkin.
5. Trim around the stem at the top of the pumpkin, and secure cut edges on top and bottom with hot glue if needed.
6. Glue 1 1/2″-wide ribbon around the center of the pumpkin.
7. Glue the thinner ribbon at about 8 points around the pumpkin, creating a swag with the ribbon.
8. Glue buttons on top of where the green ribbon meets the black ribbon.
9 Use scissors to make 4 holes on the bottom of the pumpkin about 3″ apart in a square formation. Push painted dowels into holes.
10. Stand dowels in square tin—use styrofoam to keep them in place if needed.
11. To make the sandbags, crumple tissue paper into ping-pong ball sized wads and wrap with orange tissue paper. Tie a string around the top of the bundle and hang from inside the balloon.
I love trash. No, I’m not Oscar the Grouch—I’m a crafter and almost every project I do has something from the recycling bin. Drink lids, cardboard tubes, yogurt cups—you name it, I will find a way to reimagine it. This practice has 2 benefits…
1. Good for the environment. Yay!
2. Good for busy parents who don’t have time to shop for special supplies.
Craft Foxes came to me and suggested we do a video of 3 crafts from Project Kid that upcycled something. We had a lot of fun shooting here at Project Kid Headquarters!
Stay tuned for the next one…crafts that kids can make then wear!
July Fourth is the first official celebration of summer—kids are out of school and ready for fun!
This project, made from washi tape, bells, beads, and upcycled K-cups, is fun not only to make, but to use in any number of festive ways. You can hang it on your door as a chime, attach it to your backpack or beach bag, or tie it to the back of your kids’ Radio Flyer red wagon to make some noise at your Independence Day parade.
What you’ll need:
7 “pods” from a single-cup coffeemaker, cleaned out
Washi tape in 4 or 5 red, white, and/or blue patterns (available from CuteTape.com)
For each cup, cut or tear one pattern of tape into eight to twelve strips that are roughly the height of the cup and apply them vertically to the outside of the cup. Don’t worry about making them neat or evenly spaced.
Adhere three or four strips of this same tape side by side to white paper and cut a 1-inch circle out of this covered area. Attach the circle to the bottom of the cup with glue, being careful not to cover the puncture hole that the machine made when brewing the coffee.
Cut a 2- to 3-foot piece of thread and tie a bell to the bottom. Thread on some beads and then a cup, stacking enough beads to prevent the cup from covering the bell. Thread on more beads, then a bell, then more beads, then a cup, and continue until you have three or four cups per strand. Repeat to make a second strand.
Tie both strands onto the snap hook, then tie a ribbon to the hook to hang on a door, if so desired.
When I was working on Project Kid, lacing cards were on the list of things to make. I had a binder where each page was a separate project. I would stare at the blank page titled LACING CARDS in the Playtime chapter and just couldn’t figure out a new way to craft them. So I kindly abandoned those for projects that I felt more confident about.
And then I saw these photo lacing cards from Skunk Boy, and now I see what I was actually going for. Cute. Modern. Different. I adore the idea of lacing a heart around someone you love, punching holes to create an initial, or making eyeglasses. A bow in the hair could be a cute one too!
I’m testing out some regular column ideas, and I’m thinking of featuring a photo craft every Friday. I like that photo-finish + Friday = the last day of the week. The alliteration is nice too. And photo crafts are big-time fun.
I fell in love with the work of Yellow Owl Workshop about four years ago when Christine Schmidt, the creative genius behind the line, crafted this printmaking Valentine story for me at Parents Magazine. I had learned about her through a Potter Craft event when her first book, Print Workshop, was being released. I follow her on every platform possible because I’m kinda obsessed with everything she does. (If you don’t already follow her on Instagram, you should start. Right now. She’s not just crafty, but she’s clever too. Plus she has a super-cute kid.)
Stamps sets? Love em. Pendants? Canning jar charm, please. And now the tea towel and tote bag stencil kits. There are three designs to choose from: Cat Love, Sweet, and Market. Once you’ve decorated the goods, you can take to the WALLS! Or greeting cards, T-shirts, wrapping paper…your options are endless, folks.
Good things come in small packages. It’s the small things. Size doesn’t matter. All very true sayings, and all apply to gifts from your kids for Mother’s Day. In fact, the smaller the better if you ask me—there’s no room in this house of ours for any more stuff!
My kids are still of pre-letter-writing age, but I know that when they can write, I will always and forever be thrilled with a love letter from them above and beyond an I Heart Mom pendant. Plus if they craft the gift box, major bonus points.
1 A walnut shell? Is there any more of an unexpected gift box ever? Made by Girl. Inspired.
2 These little Altoid suitcases are actually from my book, Project Kid.
3 I can always find an occasion for felt fortune cookies (I made a version of these in the book too). These happen to be from one of my favorite store’s blog, Land of Nod. (Well, the blog is called Honest to Nod.)
4 Match boxes are already perfectly suited as the tiny gift box of the century. I love how Bare Wunderbar decorated these.
Now head over to the Etsy blog for the step-by-step how-to! I’ll just beat you to it: you’re welcome.
