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)
• White paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Thread
• 9 bells
• Small beads
• Snap Hook
• Ribbon

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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!

Head over to Skunk Boy for the full tutorial! [Project found via Whimsey Box.]

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.