Crafting with Tori Spelling

Friday, June 22nd, 2012

Crafting’s gone cool. Think beyond twee crocheted potholders and macramé plant hangers. Spurred on by Etsy and Pinterest, the new crop of crafters can seemingly make anything. And now they’ll be put to the test: DIY folks do battle in “Craft Wars,” premiering on TLC on Tuesday, June 26. Each week, three contestants will go scissor-to-scissor in creative challenges, and one will win $10,000. We chatted with host (and mom of 3!) Tori Spelling about the new show, and her advice for crafting with kids—especially her little artists, 5-year-old son Liam and daughters Stella and Hattie (ages 4 and 8 months).

Parents: Why this show, and why now? Do you think that crafting is trending?

Tori Spelling: I’ve been an avid crafter my whole life, but the whole crafting movement has definitely changed. It went from hobby to DIY home when the economy went down. People started to figure out how to redecorate their home or make a fashion statement by crafting everything yourself. It brought a lot of people with many different interests together to create. Creation is passion!

Parents: Are there any craft blogs on your bookmarks list?

TS: I love PSIMadeThis (by Erica Domesek, one of our judges on “Craft Wars”), Curbly, DesignSponge, TipJunkie, and HonestlyWTF. We also show great crafts and DIY craft projects on my website, EdiTORIal.

Parents: What kinds of craft projects do you make with your kids?

TS: We craft weekly as a family. We sit at my kids’ small craft table for hours creating cards, tags, presents, and jewelry, and we paint pottery and canvases. We get glitter everywhere and laugh through the whole thing. So fun!

Parents: How do you store or display your kids’ artwork or craft projects? Any fun alternatives to tacking them up on the fridge?

TS: They each get their own clear art storage box. Then I show off their work in mismatched lacquered frames and make a picture wall of their art projects mixed in with great black-and-white family photos. I also decoupaged a bunch of their artwork on top of a table. Every time we use it, we see their amazing creations.

Parents: Do you have a go-to crafting tool?

TS: Mini glue gun. And twine. I use twine on everything!

Parents: What are some easy craft supplies parents should keep stocked? Is there anything you think that parents should avoid?

TS: We love colored paper, stamps, ink pads, markers, glitter, and jeweled embellishments like stones, rhinestones, and grommets. Glue is messy. Try glue dots, instead!

Parents: Any advice for containing kiddie-craft messes?

TS: Do crafts on layered newspapers. When you’re finished, fold the newspapers and toss them away. Easy clean up!

Parents: Will contestants be crafting any kid-oriented projects on “Craft Wars?”

TS: Yes! They’ll make stuffed-animal pillows and playhouses made out of school supplies.

Parents: What other challenges can we look forward to this season?

TS: A birdhouse from a junk drawer and jewelry made from the wires inside a boom box!

Want to show off your kids’ creations? Download our Pocket Galley iPhone app.

Photos courtesy of TLC.

Snow Day

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

Santa and Rudolph are cooling their heels back in the North Pole, and adorably-handmade ornaments and garlands are packed away for the season. But you don’t have to wait until the next holiday to encourage your kids to get crafty! Here’s a snowy kids’ craft to display until spring.

Turn an old jar into a no-melt blizzard with this snow globe craft from TidyMom. Kids will love to hunt for the perfect additions to this little winter wonderland. (Moms can help with the hot glue gun or epoxy.) Up the kid-friendly factor by skipping the spray paint in favor of non-toxic acrylic or brightly colored ribbon or string. Bonus: no water means fewer messy spills. Let it snow!

Kid Crafts How-To: Candy Cane Headband Antlers (from Make and Takes)

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

The fabulous kid crafts blogger, Marie LeBaron, recently released her first book, “Make and Takes for Kids: 50 Crafts Throughout the Year.”  We received permission to showcase four crafts from the book on Goodyblog.  Come back each Wednesday (11/16, 11/23, 12/7, 12/14) as we showcase one new craft.  For more ideas from Marie LeBaron, visit her blog www.makeandtakes.com.

SUPPLIES

1 plastic headband, new or used
6′ piece of brown ribbon, 5⁄8″ width
Craft glue
2 white pipe cleaners
2 red pipe cleaners

STEPS
1.   Glue one end of the ribbon to one end of the headband. Wrap the ribbon around and around the headband, overlapping each wrap, until the entire headband is covered in ribbon. Add glue to the back of the ribbon at the end to attach it. Let the glue dry completely.
2.   For the antlers, twist together 1 red pipe cleaner with 1 white pipe cleaner. Do the same thing with the remaining red and white pipe cleaners. Bend each twisted pipe cleaner into a candy-cane shape.
3.   To attach the antlers to the headband, bend 1–2″ of the bottom of one candy cane pipe cleaner around the headband
and about 1–2″ away from the center. Twist the pipe cleaner together with itself as you secure it around the headband. Repeat this step for the second candy-cane pipe cleaner, but place it 3–4″ away from the first pipe cleaner so that both candy canes look like antlers, as shown in the photo.

Reprinted from “Make and Takes for Kids: 50 Crafts Throughout the Year,” with permission from Wiley Publishing. Copyright 2011.

Kid Crafts How-To: Foam Heart Friendship Bracelet (from Make and Takes)

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

The fabulous kid crafts blogger, Marie LeBaron, recently released her first book, “Make and Takes for Kids: 50 Crafts Throughout the Year.”  We received permission to showcase four crafts from the book on Goodyblog.  Come back each Wednesday (11/16, 11/23, 12/7, 12/14) as we showcase one new craft.  For more ideas from Marie LeBaron, visit her blog www.makeandtakes.com.

SUPPLIES

Craft foam sheets in red, pink, and/or white
9–10″ of yarn, any color
Hole punch
Scissors
Tape (optional)
Rhinestone stickers (optional)
Glitter glue (optional)

STEPS
1.     Using your scissors, cut out 6–7 small 1 × 1″ hearts from the craft foam sheets. You will need 6–7 hearts per child, although the length of the bracelet may vary for each child.
2.   Use your hole punch to make 2 holes in each heart, as shown in the photo. You may have to press hard with your hole punch to get through the craft foam.
3.   Wrap a small piece of tape around one end of your piece of yarn to help with lacing each heart and to prevent the yarn from fraying.
4.   Lace the yarn through the foam hearts, weaving in and out of each hole. Lace up as many hearts as you need to fit the bracelet around your child’s wrist.
5.   Once all the hearts are on the yarn, tie the two ends of the yarn together in a knot and trim the ends. Make sure you tie the bracelet so that it is big enough for your child to take on and off easily.

Reprinted from “Make and Takes for Kids: 50 Crafts Throughout the Year,” with permission from Wiley Publishing. Copyright 2011.

Kid Crafts How-To: Paper Apple Garland (from Make and Takes)

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

The fabulous kid crafts blogger, Marie LeBaron, recently released her first book, “Make and Takes for Kids: 50 Crafts Throughout the Year.”  We received permission to showcase four crafts from the book on Goodyblog.  Come back each Wednesday (11/16, 11/23, 12/7, 12/14) as we showcase one new craft.  For more ideas from Marie LeBaron, visit her blog www.makeandtakes.com.

SUPPLIES

5′ piece of yarn, any color
1 sheet of red craft paper
1 sheet of green craft paper
1 sheet of yellow craft paper
1 sheet of brown craft paper
1 green pipe cleaner
Pencil
Craft glue or tape
Scissors

STEPS

1.  Draw a 4 × 4″ apple shape on your red craft paper. Cut out this apple and use it as a template to cut out 5 more red apples, 6 yellow apples, and 6 green apples (18 total).
2.   With your brown paper, cut out 18 stems, 1 × 3″ in size for each stem. Glue one end to the top of the apple. Fold the brown stem paper into a loop and glue it down on the other side of the apple. Let the glue dry completely.
3.   Thread your yarn through the loop of each apple’s stem. You can add a drop of glue or tape to each stem to keep the apple in place on the yarn. Use the main photo as a guide.
4.   Cut your green pipe cleaner in half to get 2 pieces. Bend and curl each pipe cleaner piece to create 2 green worms, as shown in the main photo. Place a green worm through the brown stem of one of your apples, which will hold the stem in place. Repeat with the second stem.

Reprinted from “Make and Takes for Kids: 50 Crafts Throughout the Year,” with permission from Wiley Publishing. Copyright 2011.

Kid Crafts How-To: Thankful Crunchy Leaves Plaque (from Make and Takes)

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

The fabulous kid crafts blogger, Marie LeBaron, recently released her first book, “Make and Takes for Kids: 50 Crafts Throughout the Year.”  We received permission to showcase four crafts from the book on Goodyblog.  Come back each Wednesday (11/16, 11/23, 12/7, 12/14) as we showcase one new craft.  For more ideas from Marie LeBaron, visit her blog www.makeandtakes.com.

SUPPLIES

10–15 dried leaves
Large bowl
4 × 24″ piece of craft wood, 1⁄8″ width
Orange craft paint
Paintbrush
Pencil
White craft glue

STEPS

1.    Paint your piece of wood with orange craft paint. Let this dry.
2.   Using the photo as a guide, use your pencil to write “THANKFUL” in all capital letters on your painted board. Make sure the letters are evenly spaced across the board.
3.   Trace the pencil letters with your white craft glue. Make sure each part of the letters is covered in a line of glue.
4.   In a large bowl, crunch up your dried leaves. Try to get them as small as possible.
5.   Sprinkle your crushed leaves onto your glue, shaking it around slightly to get each part of the glue covered in leaves. Shake off any excess leaves back into the bowl. Let your board dry overnight.

Reprinted from “Make and Takes for Kids: 50 Crafts Throughout the Year,” with permission from Wiley Publishing. Copyright 2011.