Jennifer Brister asked:



One special Christmas craft idea for your children is to have them make their own individualized Christmas ornaments. You can encourage them to think up their own decoration ideas. Virtually any type of material, including regular paper, can be used to make Christmas ornaments. Your local craft store should have Christmas craft kits with cutouts and stencils. Often these cutouts are in plain shapes, such as a star or cross. Your child gets to decide how to decorate each ornament.

Most families have many Christmas decorations around the house, such as figures, signs and pictures, and of course, a Christmas tree. The signs and pictures usually carry a favorite Christmas message or saying, or feature a likeness of Santa. Pictures like this can easily be made by your kids, using supplies that are already available in the house. A child’s Christmas picture can be used as great refrigerator art, or you could frame and hang it somewhere the child can see it often. Christmas craft projects are ideal for children of all ages and usually cost next to nothing, as you may already have most of the necessary supplies in the house.

Another craft project for the kids to make is a Christmas centerpiece for the dinner table. A special decoration like that can be used on the table during Christmas dinner. And if you prefer a more elegant look for your centerpiece, the children can still create something to suit your taste. Buy some artificial flowers and other decorative Christmas-themed items, along with a large bowl or vase. Then let the kids arrange the flowers and other decorations to make their own fancy centerpiece. It’s a good idea to let kids use their imaginations in making crafts.

April Mott asked:




How to make a unique ornament with your kids:

I learned how to make this style ornament back when I was in summer camp, it was very easy and a lot of fun. Now I enjoy making these ornaments with the kids in the preschool I work at. It is really interesting to see how each ornament comes out looking unique and different from one another. The kids like being able to make a special gift for their parents and they do such an adorable job.

To began just take a clear plastic ornament (which you can find at your local craft store) and pull off the top and pour in your choice of confetti or glitter a quarter of the way up the ornament. Next you will want to put the top back on your ornament before moving on to the next step. This will give your ornament an effect some what link a snow globe. Before you move on you should make sure you place some plastic ore newspaper down since you will be dealing with glue, we all know glue and carpet don’t mix. Then you can create a picture or design on your ornament with a glitter glue or elmer’s glue and then just add the glitter separate, either will work. After you have the design of the ornament the way you want it just leave it to dry for an hour or two. Once it is dry you can use some ribbon to make a bow for the top. Another fun tip is instead of using glitter you can glue different shapes and colors of tissue paper on to it giving your ornament a stain glass effect.

This is something your kids can do on their own or you can get the whole family involved and what a great way to spend family night together. These ornaments make great gifts for your kids to give there grand parents and give these a sense of accomplishment. All of these materials are cheap and can be found at your local craft store. Below is a list of things you will need before you get started making this ornament. Make sure when you get the glitter and confetti you get a lot of variety so your designs will all look original.

What you need:
Clear plastic ornaments

Elmer’s glue / Glitter Glue

Glitter

Ribbon

Confetti

Scissors

Disposable mixing cup

Newspaper or plastic

Erich Simko asked:




Learning how to make paper flower crafts is a very delightful and relaxing hobby that will help make new friends and impress bystanders.

Last summer my sister and my brother in law along with their six old year niece relocated to my town. They stayed with my wife and I until they found a suitable home for themselves. In the meantime my little niece began withdrawing and displayed a melancholy demeanor. She was feeling lonely and like a stranger in a new environment and we recognized that she needed to make a few friends to become more comfortable and familiar with her new surroundings.

She took an interest in my paper flower crafts hobby and this cheered her up and made her forget about her problems to a degree. Since there were a couple of kids around her age on my street I decided to speak with their parents and invite them over to meet my niece.

I got them all to make paper flower craft projects and they quickly became friendly. My niece has now settled in to her new environment thanks to the camaraderie that our paper flower crafts introduced.

Here is our first project we all did together…

There are only a few supplies you might need to pick up at the hobby shop or craft store. First, is the tissue paper (crepe paper) and some colored sheets of cardboard paper. If you don’t have glue and colored markers at home, then you will need to also purchase them. Also, two pairs of scissors (one large and one small pair) which you can find at any store. The last item is a good, creative imagination willing to open up and let ideas flow out of. Any image of paper flower crafts that you think up (within reason of course) can be created in a short period time with no previous skills needed.

Everything from single sheet cardboard cut-outs of flowers that is used for the trimming inside the house to 3-dimensional paper flower crafts that are placed anywhere and everywhere in viewing sight can be made with this hobby.

One of my favorite paper flower crafts is the pattern of the young child’s hand.
1. Place your child’s hand on a piece of colored cardboard paper and trace it. 2. Cut the image of the hand out from the paper. 3. Use a pencil to curl the fingers. 4. Use the palm of the hand and make a cone (fingers should point outward). 5. Glue the paper flower hand print around a straw, or something consisting of that shape. 6. Cut some shapes of leaves out of the green construction paper and then glue them to spots on the straw. Repeat this process as many times as desired to create a lovely bouquet of beautiful paper craft flowers.

There are no other hobbies that I know of that are so much fun and inexpensive to do that anybody can do at any age. Learning how to make paper flower crafts is very relaxing and develops habit-forming ways that people can use to express their artistic creativity to their friends, or just to meet new people. People will comment on certain crafts that you have created and this will give you a feeling of gratitude and accomplishment. Whether your looking for a way to meet your new neighbor, or looking for a new relaxing hobby, making paper flower crafts is an excellent way to do it.

by wintersoul1

Lisa A Mason asked:




Parents and kids look forward to the summer when school is out and the family gets to spend more time together. However, it is usually only a few days when you start hearing the words “I’m bored”. There is a cure for this problem and it is called craft making. Having some great craft ideas ready in advance will help to make the summer more fun. Plus, you have the opportunity to help your child learn in a creative way.

Here are a few summer craft ideas for kids that will help your summer be more fun and enjoyable.
Plant a flower garden. It doesn’t have to be a very large garden you can simply use a few sunflowers or daisies. Keep it simple and it can be loads of fun. Make homemade bracelets and necklaces. These can be made from braiding embroidery or knitting thread together or you can purchase jewelry kits. Create and design refrigerator magnets. Use your imagination and make faces, animals or other designs then glue them onto the magnets. You can pick up a pack of magnets at most any craft store for a reasonable price. Help your child make a scrapbook. You can take pictures and help them write down what was special about the photo.?

These ideas are simple and easy for your child to do but they are also fun and entertaining. Doing crafts with your children is a great way to spend quality time together and get to know each other better. On top of that, it is a great alternative to hearing how bored they are all summer long.

Paula H Atwell asked:




One of the most fun outdoor arts and craft activities to do with your kids during the summer is the art of tie dying t-shirts, pillowcases, socks, and any other clothing or accessories you have that can use some extra color and excitement.

You do not have to be an expert artist or an artist at all to tie dye t-shirts this summer. It is not an expensive craft to do at home, and when you are done, you will have an art project that you can wear proudly, and will last for a very long time, or at least until your kids outgrow the clothes they are wearing this summer. You can find dye kits in any fabric or craft store, or you can buy them online. However, you can also put a dye kit together yourself from some simple ingredients.

Tie dye is actually a very simple process. Once you have selected the material you want to dye, you should wash it to get out any chemical coatings that may be left on from the manufacturer. You can also tie dye old used clothing to brighten it up. White is the best color to dye on, but you can use any light color. The concept behind tie dying is easy to understand. Using rubber bands or string, you bunch up the material and “tie” it. The areas that are tied will not allow any dye to penetrate, therefore you are left with white areas. This is the essence of tie dye. However, there are many patterns that can be created by using the tie dye method. The most traditional pattern is the circle which is formed by grabbing material in the center of the t-shirt, and tying the string around the pulled material. You can form other patterns by folding material then tying it, pleating the material and tying it, or creating scallop shapes and tying it. The more you tie dye, the better you will get and finding new patterns. But even the very first time, you will get excellent results.

You can use as many colors as you want when you tie dye, but if you try to apply every color in the same spot, you may end up with a mud colored shirt. So it is best if you try to plan which colors you will use before you put them all on your shirt. No matter what colors you choose, they will always look darker when wet, so do not be surprised when your shirt dries lighter in color.

Tie dye is a messy project, best done outdoors over a grassy area that can use the extra moisture. You will need very few items to complete your project–just some water, plastic tubs or bins, gloves to protect your hands, white clothing for dying, and the dye. Most tie dye kits supply everything you need except the water and clothing.

Most people use either a ****** bottle or just dip their clothing to apply the dye, however if you want more detail then you can use a paint brush to apply the dye. Whatever you do, just follow the instructions on the dye box to affix the dye, and prepare the clothing to wear. After you are finished, you and your kids will have new clothes to wear all summer long.

Michael Russell asked:




Drying flowers is a way to keep memories of an event or place for a long time. Whether they are flowers from a bridal bouquet, or from your garden, drying flowers is easy to do. When harvesting your flowers for drying, the best time is in the morning before the sun has had a chance to make the flowers warm. Cut a good length of stem with the flowers, as you can always remove whatever you don’t need. The method of drying that you use will depend on the type of flower and craft project you will be doing. Air drying works well with sturdier flowers such as statice, marigolds, strawflowers and decorative seed pods. The sturdier the flower head, the better they air dry. Separate the flowers into groups of 8 or 10 stems. Remove any diseased leaves that you see on the stems. Bundle a group of stems together and use a rubber band at the end of the stems to hold them together. Make sure that the rubber band is very tight. As the flowers dry, the stems will shrink and the rubber band will shrink with them. You also want to make sure the stems are long enough so that the tops of the flowers aren’t smashed together when the stems are rubber banded. Now you just need to hang the flowers upside down. You can use paper clips, string, wire hangers (unraveled) or florist wire. Connect the hanger to the rubber band and hang in a dry place away from direct sunlight. Depending on the flower it will take two weeks or so for them to be completely dry.

You can also use silica gel to dry your flowers. (Silica gel is the stuff that you find in your shoe box in little packets). It removes moisture from flowers without crushing them. This works great for very delicate flowers such as hydrangea, roses, carnations and asters. You can purchase silica gel at any craft store. All you need is an airtight box (preferably plastic) and silica gel. Lay a bed of gel in the bottom of the container. Place your flowers on top of this bed and gently sprinkle the silica gel on the flowers until they are covered. Using a spoon works best for this to get the gel into the crevasses without crushing the blooms. Cover the box and wait 48 hours. That’s it! Silica gel works very fast and the flowers hold their color. The great thing about silica gel is that it can be reused. You just need to place the silica gel onto a baking sheet in your oven at 200 degrees to dry it back out again.

For the most natural appearance of dried flowers, try glycerine. This is really preserving and not drying, but the results are wonderful. The foliage on the stems will stay a bright green and the flowers will be a bit sturdier. Prepare the stems by removing any bottom leaves. You may want to thread a piece of florist wire into the flower head to keep it from drooping, or tie the stem to some type of support, like a skewer. Mix together one part of liquid glycerine to 1 part of warm water for fresh flowers and one part glycerine to two parts of water for woody stems. Submerge the stem end only into this mixture. This process can take 2 to three weeks, replace any absorbed solution. Once preserved, remove and rinse the stems, then wipe off any mixture that might have seeped out of leaves.

There you go – three different ways to dry your flowers. Try all three methods and mix the resulting flowers into your craft projects for a multi depth arrangement!

Art and craft is not only meant for kids but even many adults have adopted arts and crafts as their hobby. Art and craft provides mental peace to your mind and enhances your inner creativity which usually gets uncovered with other things of life. Being a responsible father or mother you always want your child to enjoy his childhood and to provide him all forms of entertainment. However the intelligent parents will avoid communication mediums like television and video games and will give more emphasis on arts and crafts.

Buying arts and crafts for your child is not a difficult task. There are many sources available but online art and craft store emerges as the best option. This is because if you go to a local store nearby your area then you will only get to see limited collection of art and craft items but online stores provide wide range of art and craft items which gives an opportunity to select the best one suiting your child’s ability and interest.

Convenience is one of the other benefits associated with buying arts and crafts online. Parents usually don’t have enough time to take their child out for shopping so internet acts as the perfect source eliminating limited variety and crowd hassles at local city store.

Online store also helps to buy arts and crafts at cheaper prices as many online stores offers discounts, coupons and festive offers to lure the potential customers. Online buying also gives you an opportunity to compare the prices of arts and crafts available at different online stores to get the best deal at cheaper price.

Earlier online shopping of crafts and gifts was considered to be costlier because of the shipping costs attached to the items, however now most of the online stores offer free shipping to customers who shop for a certain amount from their store.

With everyone thinking “green” these days, the tote bag has become popular once again. In our Grandmother’s day, they would always carry their own shopping or tote bags, but then came the quick and easy throw away plastic bag.

Now we are turning the tables again, and the tote bag is here to stay. Even the grocery stores are offering them for sale. This is a great place to start for a craft business.

If your passion, is painting, sewing, quilting, appliqué, embroidery, or even stamping, then you can create the most gorgeous tote bags, for yourself, for unique one of a kind gifts, or to sell at craft shows or online. They are lightweight, and strong, and they really are an open canvas.

With all the latest and greatest craft supplies out there now, you can get printable fabric that you can put in your computer printer. You can print a photograph from your computer, right onto this fabric, which you could then appliqué to the tote, it is washable. This could be a great craft business idea. This works well with pet photos. Everyone loves their pets, and would love to show off their pets picture done up nice on a tote bag.

Make one for yourself and make sure to use it everyday, and you will get people asking about your tote. This is great free advertising.

Stamping also works well on blank totes. The ideas are endless, but make sure and take a picture of your original totes and keep in an album for potential customers to see. Tote bags are a great form of usable art, and pretty soon you will see your artwork on display everyday as tote bags. What a great feeling that would be.

If you love this idea, then why not get your tote bags in bulk?.. Some craft store sell them, but I find them to be most affordable online. You can purchase all different styles depending on what artwork you will put on it. Go ahead, and make some useable art and help keep the planet green.

rbrinny asked:


A friend of mine wants to start a bead/craft supply store. She wants to avoid Manhattan since there are several there already. I told her she should set up a business plan, with what type of inventory she wants to carry, as well as location(s). Any other suggestions?

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