Mother Nature really got it right when she designed the peacock color scheme. For this fancy fan, take inspiration from the designer herself, or go out on a limb and create your own color palette.

Here’s a tip: When painting your feathers, lay them out on a paper towel and create your stripes one color at a time across all of the feathers. Then move on to the next color. This way, you aren’t using 6 paint brushes!

I always get asked what the inspiration for this project was, and all I can really say is that…

1. I’m obsessed with pennants.
2. I’m crazy for silhouettes.

I love that campy pennant look, and I thought it would soften the expected aesthetic by adding a child’s silhouette.

(FYI…The little boy is my son Oliver on New Year’s Eve, 2012.)

To me, there is nothing more satisfying than combining a bit of nature, a touch of felt, and a few items from the recycling bin. With a jar lid, a cork, moss and a few easy-to-find craft supplies, you can bring a little piece of an enchanted, woodland forest inside your home.

*Bonus lesson* Show your kids that the stuffing and sewing technique that makes the mushroom cap is actually how pillows are made. Next on the craft agenda? Make a tooth fairy pillow, or pillow for a doll, or better yet, a lavender-filled relaxation pillow for mom!

Most people celebrate with champagne, but me, I’d much prefer to celebrate with candy-coated milkshakes like these featured on A Beautiful Mess. What are we celebrating? Well, for one, we are celebrating the launch of my first ever craft book, Project Kid. And secondly, and hardly unrelated, we are also celebrating the birth of ProjectKid.com, the website that will feature everything from book signings to press mentions to new and exciting craft ideas for you and your kids to enjoy.

So please join me in raising your milkshake to kids and their creativity! I’ll take a Twizzler straw over bubbles any day!

Create clever and easy homemade gifts for Mom.