Wednesday, April 17th, 2013
When the violets begin to pop up around our home, my children love to gather miniature bouquets for me. Sure, we can fill tiny glass jars with them, but I also like to make hanging flower boxes, so they can decorate our door knobs, walls, and cabinet handles.
I love how a rice or packaged macaroni and cheese box from your recycle bin can transform into a sweet hanging box of beauty.
1. Measure how tall you want your hanging box to be, draw a straight line (front and back) with a ruler, and cut it with a craft knife (adults should do this part).
2. Wrap the box with any kind of paper. I like to use kraft paper because it allows the colorful flowers to pop. Brightly colored paper is also a vibrant and fun choice.
3. Smooth the box with a bone folder or with the back of a spoon.
4. Encourage children to decorate the box with crafty bits (glitter, sequins), natural bits (tiny pine cones, pine needles, or even a bit of moss), stamps, or drawing.
5. Punch holes on both sides and thread a piece of yarn through. Tie yarn to make handle.
6. Fill with flowers and hang on a door knob. Change flowers when they begin to wilt (or fill with dried flowers from last year).
xo emily
Categories: Crafts, Everyday Fun, Fun, Group Activities, Nature, Outdoors, Seasonal | Tags: beautiful, box, child, creative, cut, flowers, fun, hanging, nature, punch, recycled, repurposed, stamp, yarn
Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013
Happy New Year, lovely friends! I hope that your 2013 will be joyful and sparkly.
Are you entering 2013 with lots of brand new art and craft supplies? I suggest starting off the new year with a tidy, creative, portable art box with a variety of tools and supplies. This convenient collection will encourage children to write notes, draw, label, doodle, and experiment with colors and shapes.
This is the craft box that lives on our kitchen table. I tend to clean it out every few months to keep it fresh in hopes that the children feel they can count on finding what they need for their everyday creative pursuits. Sometimes I find it in another part of the house (in front of the wood stove is a favorite spot!) and we do move it when we have dinner guests, but most often it is reliably right there next to our stack of cloth napkins. I often use it to write grocery lists and our two little ones write us love notes and draw pictures for friends.
The key to an inspiring craft box is stocking it with a variety of satisfying, multipurpose materials. The following is a suggested list, which you should absolutely tweak based on your family’s interests.
1. nice quality colored pencils (these will last a long time)
2. colorful art markers
3. 2 thin, black art markers for writing
4. pencils
5. watercolor pencils
6. gel pens (neon and sparkle!)
7. compact scissors
8. glue stick
9. small notebooks
10. blank tags & tickets
11. mini stamp pad with mini stamps
**I purchased the box at Magic Cabin
This sort of thing would also make a creative birthday gift!
Have fun!
xo emily
Categories: Crafts, Everyday Fun, Fun, Literacy, Must Read | Tags: art, box, caddy, craft, creative, fun, markers, materials, pencils, portable, scissors, supplies
