Robert Grazian asked:




Imagine the convenience of gifts, crafts or decorations you can “whip up” from home, using little more than your computer, printer and a handful of paper. Is the meteorologist calling for a rainy day? Are you dreading an afternoon of children going stir-crazy, wishing they were outside? Or perhaps you just remembered that it’s your best friend’s birthday, or the boss is stopping by for a drink in 45 minutes.

The crafting resources available on the World Wide Web are almost limitless. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can navigate to printable paper crafts for just about every occasion. Print out a Father’s Day card and have the kids add the finishing touches. Find thematic place cards or wineglass markers for your next holiday table. Select a gift box template to assemble by hand and hold your choice of edible goodies.

While the kids may fight over their turn on the computer, a few minutes of guided searching using your family’s favorite search-engine can turn up armloads of crafts for kids too. A great place to start is by typing in the keyword “printables” or the phrase “printable paper crafts” in your search window. Try narrowing your search with the name of your child’s favorite cartoon or current hobby. Here are just a few of the creative and fun crafts out there waiting to be discovered online:

*Elaborate origami projects
*Fun hats & masks
*Toys
*Paper dolls
*Coloring pages
*Mobiles
For avid scrap-bookers, there is a wealth of patterned paper that you can print from home. Tags, fonts, borders, clip art, printable stickers, and more are also readily available.

For classroom teachers, online templates can be printed in black and white, making them easy to mass-produce for the classroom. Some sites also offer reproducible materials with no copyright concerns.

One of the wonderful things about printable paper crafts is that many are free or can be had for a very reasonable price. Locating crafts on the web also saves you a trip to the art store, card shop, or teacher’s resource center, thus guarding your valuable time.

With the high quality of printing available to the general public by today’s desk-top printers, your completed paper crafts can look polished and professional. What’s more, even if your first attempt turns out less-than-perfect, it’s easy to print out one more copy and try, try again!

To make the most of your online crafting experience, here are a few tools you’ll want to consider having on hand for that rainy day:

*An ample supply of white computer paper
*A pack of white cardstock for projects requiring a stiffer surface
*Scissors
*Tape & glue
*A small table-top paper cutter

Printable paper crafts are one of the true goodies that the internet has made possible. In the case of each craft out there, someone else has already done the hard work of design. Why reinvent the wheel? Take advantage of the treasure-trove of cards, decorations, toys and more available at your fingertips.