A few years ago I wrote a post called The Song of a Scarf in which I showed how I spun, dyed, and knit a scarf from beginning to end. It included a pattern for a simple bias scarf. That Christmas, I made a variation of that scarf as Christmas gifts for my girls’ …
This time of year, when there are far more hours of darkness than light, I think we are all drawn to the warm, comforting glow of candles and twinkle lights. Last week I shared a series of lanterns and lights on Facebook with the intent of making several of the projects myself. The kids and …
It is bone chilling cold out there today! Our schedule has been cleared, all activities for the day have been canceled due to extreme wind chill. What to do on a snow day that is too cold to play outside… crafts of course. Here is a fun and useful project that we made a couple …
“In the meadow we can build a snowman”. Oh, how I love our “Winter Wonderland”! There can be the slightest sprinkling of snow and wee ones will be outside, carefully scooping up what precious little snow there is, hoping to build a towering snowman. But, when the weather’s right, and the snow blankets the ground, you …
You would think, after 59 Christmases, I would run out of new things to make. HA! Not even close! Over the years my tastes have changed, and as they do, my house changes with me. My tastes, although eclectic, now run on the “simple side”. That is why when I saw a photo of simple wooden …
“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, Brighton copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.” When Drew Drew Buns (the inexplicable name I called/call my youngest) was 4 years old, he came in from the season’s first snowfall in tears and told me his “wrists were broke”. The coat and mittens he wore left a band of young, tender …
The other day on Facebook I shared a link to a posting for handmade Christmas cards on Back to the Drawing Board. The designer made a landscape using tissue paper trees, had them reduced and photo coped, then used them to make some awesome Christmas cards. Do check out her project. I thought the inside of her trees was …
(Our new snowflakes) A few years ago I shared a tutorial for making snowflakes out of dollies. You can find that tutorial HERE. Originally, I had made them to hang in my preschool, so I had laminated them. Here it is, some 20 years later, and they look as fresh as the day I made …
EDIT: We found out Bug actually was on the news as a live report. His daddy and co-workers saw him, although it wasn't recorded. Michigan's official groundhog is named Woody. As it turns out, Woody is not a he, Woody is a she. By the time the Howell Nature Center got intimate enough with her to find out she was indeed female, the name had already stuck, …
This year for Candlemas, I REALLY wanted to make some snow candles. But, alas, it is raining, there’s never been more than 3 inches of snow on the ground at a time, and for the first time in my lifetime, there isn’t a snowbank as far as the eye can see. So, I needed to change plans. Instead of making candles this year, we made …
Here are the directions for turning those freezer paper stenciled blocks into a toasty warm blankie. Of course, you are welcome to make up your own quilt pattern, too. Just a head’s up, this isn’t a step-by-step tutorial on how to quilt (I didn’t take photos along the way and actually… this is a pretty old project, completed …
Have you ever been to Art Projects for Kids? If not, run there, right now, but be prepared to stay for a long, long time. Kathy Barbro is an experienced and gifted art teacher, and she shares over 600 projects on her blog. Whenever I need inspiration for kid crafts, she’s one of the first places I turn. She shared a wonderful watercolor project for Winter Birch Trees. I’m …
