simple Analogy

May Kid's Craft Along: Lavender Bath Salts Teacher Gift

School is almost out! The kids are getting squirrely; the teachers are getting antsy. As a teacher (homeschool mom of 11 years) I can speak from experience. The teachers are just as ready as the kids are to be out of school, maybe more so. Her last few weeks are spent trying to cram those last few lessons into the minds of her students - minds that are already tuned in to what's going to happen as soon as that "last day of school" bell rings. It can be trying at best and maddening at worst.

What your teacher really needs for her end of school gift is the gift of relaxation. This month's craft along is just the ticket... a nice long soak in a lavender scented bath.

Supplies:

epsom salts

dried lavender

jar with lid (recycle a mason, spice, or baby food jar)

paint (optional)

fabric or ribbon

Approximate cost: $5 (will make several gifts)

Directions:

In a disposable bowl or cup, add one cup of epsom salts.

Add a small spoonful (not quite a tablespoon) of dried lavender to the salts. I prefer to just use the dried flowers because lavender is a strong scent, but if you like add two drops of lavender essential oil. Go easy though! A little goes a long way!

Stir to combine.

Spoon into a clean, dry jar.

If needed, paint the lid of your jar and let dry completely. Screw on tightly.

Print out labels. You may need to resize them depending on the size of your jar.

Tie a ribbon or strip of fabric around the top of your jar and add the label.

Suggestions:

• Dried lavender and a variety of essential oils can be found near the soap making supplies at your local craft store.
• Don't like the scent of lavender? Try making citrus scented bath salts. Substitute dried orange peel (recipe here) for the dried lavender and add a few drops of orange oil.
• For future reference, these make a great Mother's Day gift as well.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Share pictures of your salt creations in the Kid's Craft Along Flickr pool!

April Kid's Craft Along: Spring Bird's Nest

[source]

There are several families of doves that visit our yard every day.  We must have some really yummy bugs, because we started out with a family of four and now we have about ten.  With all these birds, there are nests in our trees.  Usually in the late winter they throw down their nest from the previous year and start on another.  I love to look at their nests.  God made them so that all they have to use is their beaks and feet, and yet their nests are so neatly woven together.

Let's make our own nests, shall we... but you can use your hands!

Supplies:

shredded paper bags, modge podge (or clear school glue + water), plastic wrap, bowls

Approximate cost:  Free!  You probably have everything you need on hand.

Directions: 

Click here for the simple directions.

Suggestions:

• Cover your work area with old newspaper or a trash bag.
• Add a few dyed eggs to your nest for a simple centerpiece for your Easter table.
• Use shreded newspaper for a "modern" nest.

Add pictures of your nest to the Kid's Craft Along flickr group.  Happy Easter!

March Kid's Craft Along: Photo Editing

My oldest son turned sixteen yesterday.  SIXTEEN!  Boy, do I feel old!  One of the things Landon likes to do is take and edit photos on his camera.  He'll take a normal (sometimes even boring) picture like this one of his bed...

and turn it into something abstract and really cool.

In honor of his birthday, let's do some editing of our own.

Supplies:

camera (phone or point and shoot)

photo editing software - Since this is a project for children, the simpler the better!  The basic photo editing software installed on your computer or phone will be good enough.  We are using Windows Photo Gallery (free download).  It's a perfect tool for children to try photo editing with because it only has a few items that you can change with a sliding bar. Simple - unlike Photoshop!  Still, younger children will need parental help.

Directions:

Take lots of pictures and choose one you like.  Those using a camera - upload it to your computer.  Parents: Don't worry if it's blurry or has other photography flaws!  Just let the kids have fun with the camera!   Landon took a picture of his shoes that were lined up by the wall .  Ahem, the same ones I'm always asking him to put in the closet.  There was no natural light in the room because his blinds were closed, so his picture has a yellow glow.

Open the picture in your photo editing software, click FIX or EDIT, and play around with the contrast, brightness, tint, saturation, and color temperature.  Again parents, don't worry if the picture looks terrible to you!  The whole idea behind this project is for the children to experiment!

Landon took the color temperature all the way down, to get rid of the yellow glow.

Then he upped the saturation.  See!  The gray wall just turned blue, and the colors on his shoes are a little more vivid.

Added contrast which sharpened his image, made the blue wall a brilliant turquoise, and darkened it.

Now brighten it a tiny bit.

And crop out whatever was in the bottom left corner.  When you have it just the way you like it, save your picture!

Suggestion:

If you have older children that know their way around on the computer, let them upload their picture from the computer to Picnic (closing April 19) or Pixlr.  These are free photo editing sites with a little more to offer, like borders, stickers, text.  Fun fun fun!  As always, I recommend parent supervision when children are on the internet!

Have fun altering your pictures, and be sure to upload them to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr Group!

February Kid's Craft Along: Shaving Cream Valentines

{source}

Gong!  Out with cheapo, boring boxed Valentine's cards!  Valentine's day will be ever so much more fun with these interactive cards. 

Supplies:

4 x 5 inch ziplock bags (find at a craft store near the jewelry supplies)

cheap shaving cream (not gel)

food coloring

colored duct tape

whatever thread/string you have on hand

photo frame cards (or for a cheaper version just use card stock)

Q-tips

Approximate cost:  Less than $10 (will make enough for a classroom)

Directions:  Shaving Cream Valentines from Modern Parents Messy Kids

Suggestions:  Don't have photo frame cards on hand and don't want to cut your own?  Follow the directions for preparing the shaving cream bags, then use colorful duct tape to mount each end onto a piece of card stock. 

***Take heed:  The directions say that it's best to make these 12 to 24 hours before you give them away so the shaving cream doesn't go wonky on you!

"Be creative, Valentine!"  Have fun squishing all that shaving cream.  I'd love to see your take on this project!  Upload pictures to the Kid's Craft Along flickr group!

December Kid's Craft Along: Got Pinecones?

I bet you thought I'd forgotten about our craft along project for December.  Well no, I've just been too busy to put it together.  Usually posted on the first of the month, this one is slipping in just before Christmas.

Ok, so you have a ton of nieces and nephews that will be visiting for the holidays, and everyone is tired of decorating gingerbread houses.  What do you do to keep them busy and have fun at the same time?  Gather pinecones.  Actually if you gather some pinecones beforehand and do a little prep work, they'll be ready to roll when the kid's arrive.

Supplies:  pinecones, 18-20 gauge wire, paint, fabric or ribbon, hot glue gun, glue sticks

Approximate cost:  Less than $5

Directions:  Pinecone Swags from Family Fun

My nieces and nephews aren't going to be around for Christmas this year, so I'll be doing this with all the preschool children at church Christmas morning.  I made our ribbon (tore fabric into one inch strips) and glued the hangers onto the pinecones ahead of time.  All they have to do is paint...

Suggestions:

• Make sure children wear a paint shirt/smock over their clothes.  Acrylic paint will not wash out.
• An adult will need to do the gluing!

• Add a little glitter to your pinecone while the paint is wet for a little bit of sparkle.
• Use this idea to make individual pinecone ornaments.
• Write the year on the fabric/ribbon hanger.

• Hang these on the door, on the Christmas tree, on the stairs, in a window, on a bulletin board...  pretty much anywhere!

If you try your hand at these, I'd love to see your creations.  Upload pictures to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr group!

November Kid's Craft Along: Acorn Petit Fours

Petit fours is a French word that means "small oven".  The good thing about these petit fours is that you don't even need an oven!  Just a microwave.  These are perfect little confections to make with the kids.

Approximate cost:  $10 (makes about 12)

Supplies:

1 box Baker's semisweet chocolate

1 frozen pound cake (thawed)

assorted sprinkles, candies, chopped nuts

Directions:

Slice pound cake into one inch slices.  Using a small acorn shaped cookie cutter, cut acorns from the middle of each slice of cake.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper.

Melt chocolate according to package directions.  Place one acorn across the tines of a fork and spoon chocolate over the top and around the sides, covering evenly.  Let excess chocolate drip off, then place on wax lined baking sheet.  Continue to cover all acorns with chocolate.  ***See suggestions below for another way to coat.

(The picture below shows the chocolate covered cakes on a wire rack.  Don't do that!  They are really hard to move to the wax paper later!)

Decorate the "cap" portion with sprinkles, candies, or chopped nuts.  Place in the refrigerator for ten minutes until chocolate is set.  (Can be stored in wax paper lined airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.)  My husband actually thought these were owls.  I guess chopped nuts for the cap would have been more convincing for ACORNS!

Suggestions:

• Use different shapes of cookie cutters for different occasions.
• This is a great activity for kids to do during your Thanksgiving/Christmas festivities.  Set up a petit four making station and let everyone make and decorate their own!

• Make a trifle with the pound cake scraps.
• For younger children, it's easier to roll the acorn shaped pound cake in the melted chocolate.  Just know that you might end up with crumbs in your chocolate.

I'd love to see your petit fours creations!  Upload pictures to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr group. 

October Kid's Craft Along: Yarn Font

source

This project totally captured my imagination when I saw it on Bloesem Kid's!  And since these are super cheap to make, there's endless fun to be had.  Got your wrapping fingers ready?

Supplies:  pipe cleaners, yarn scraps

Approximate cost:  Just a few dollars!

Directions:  Yarn font directions can be found here.

source

Just imagine all the cool things you could do with the letters/words you make!  Hang them on the wall, mount them in a frame, give as a gift, use on the front door instead of a wreath, use as tags for presents, make the whole alphabet to play with.  The sky's the limit! 

Remember to add pictures of your fonts to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr group!

September Kid's Craft Along: Eraser Stamps

 
One of the school supplies that I always buy but my kids never use is erasers.  As I was cleaning out the school supply drawer this year, I found tons of them.  I think I've learned my lesson for next year.  How about use up some of the extras for our project for this month... 

 
carved eraser stamps.

Approximate cost:  Under $10

Supplies:

paper

pencil

lino cutter (You could use an exacto knife, but they are a little harder to work with and a little more dangerous.  Hobby Lobby has a lino cutter set for $5.)

erasers (I buy the white polymer ones at Target.)

colored stamp pads

Directions:

Basic instructions (includes a video) for carving can be found here. 

The boys and I used this for our art for the week, even though Noah said it was more of a craft.  Ok, a crafty art lesson.  We were studying about Zimbabwe, so they carved geometrical shapes into their erasers and did some block printing. 

Suggestions:

• Work on a cutting board to protect your surface from any slips.
• Only have pink erasers on hand?  Try this tutorial.  Just be on hand for cutting with an exacto.  The lino cutter won't work as well on this medium.
• If you're going to do letters, remember that you have to draw them mirror image onto the eraser!  I forgot to mention that to my guys. 
• Use the stamps to create homemade gift tags, wrapping paper, gift cards, etc.
• Have younger kids that aren't ready to use ANY kind of "cutter"?  Try this method of stamp carving.

As always, if you make some of these with the kids, add your photos to our Kid's Craft Along Flickr group.  Wishing you and yours a wonderful school year!

August Kid's Craft Along: Butterfly Wings

My sister and her family came into town on Friday.  Magdis, my 6-year-old niece, had a project for us to do.  She had been planning and designing some butterfly wings, and only needed someone with sewing skills to be able to complete her project.  Enter Aunt Heather.  She told me EXACTLY how she wanted everything.  We worked on this improptu project from start to finish together.  Ok, she took a little break for a swim in the pool while I was sewing, but the rest of the time she was my able-bodied assistant.  Or was I hers?

Approximate cost:  $5 + scrap fabric

Supplies:

paper

watercolors (or markers, crayons, colored pencils)

scrap fabrics

1 to 1 1/2 yards of fusible fleece

Directions:  
Magdis designed her wings using watercolors.

 
 
We spread out the fusible fleece on the floor, and she laid down on top of it with one of her arms outstretched.  I drew the wing around her arm, folded the fleece in half along the flold line, cut them out, and laid them fusible side up. 

We dug through my mom's scrap fabric to find colors to match her drawing.  Since her butterfly design had a lot of orange and green stripes, I let her rip the fabric into strips.  Such a fulfilling job for a busy little girl!  We then laid all the stripes on the upper wings, overlapping them slightly.

The bottom part of the wings were to be pink with purple polka dots.  We laid out the pink first, then cut several circles out of purple fabric to add later.

The middle portion was to be a darker pink.  We found a good size chunk and cut it down to size.  Again we made sure the fabic overlapped the top and bottom wing fabrics.

At this point the butterfly wings were completely covered with the fabrics for her design.  I pinned them all down, so that the fabrics wouldn't shift around, and moved to the ironing board.  I started ironing in the middle of the wings and worked my way to the edges, taking pins out as I went.  Now all our fabrics were fused to the fleece.  We cut off the excess fabric from around the edges.

Now you could totally use the wings fused as is, but I wanted to sew them down so they would last a little longer.  I added a light pink solid fabric to the back, and then sewed around the edges of each piece of fabric.  This gave our wings a bit of texture as well as tacking down all the fabrics to the fleece.

We placed the purple polka dots at the end and sewed them down.

 

Some strips of fabric were used to make grips for her hands, and were attached to the plain side of the wings.

Suggestions:

• This could totally be made as a no sew project using only fusible fleece and wonder under.
• If you're going to sew the patchwork to the fleece as I did, think of this as a raw quilt.  Instead of sewing the top together then sandwiching the batting between the top and back as you would in a traditional quilt, you're actually sewing the raw edges to your fleece.

• This can also be used as a nice "shawl".  Cold?  Just wrap your wings around you!

 
She put her wings on and promptly did some flying around the house then tackled me in a huge hug.  Oh, and she had another set of wings for me to crank out.  Maybe next time...

Plan on making a pair?  Add a picture of your wings to the Kid's Craft Along flickr group!

P.S.  See that lovely red fluff she's wearing?  She's getting some good milage out of that one. 

July Kid's Craft Along: Fourth of July Layered Candles

 
Need something for the kiddos to do until it's time for the fireworks?  Let them help you make Fourth of July table decorations! 

No hot wax + Minimal parental supervision = 4th of July fun

Approximate cost:  $10 for approximately 20 candles

Supplies:

 
red, white, and blue wax crystals (You can get these in the candle making section at Hobby Lobby.)

3 inch candle wicks with a metal base

small glass baby food jars (Ask any mom with an infant!  She'll have plenty for you to use.)

optional-  star stickers, raffia, acrylic paint

Directions:

Optional - If you want to make these candles portable or as a gift, paint the baby food jar lids and let dry completely.  Add a star sticker to the top of the lid.

Optional - Tie raffia around the mouth of the jar.

Begin by placing the wick in the middle of the baby food jar.  The wick will stick out the top of your jar.

Place a few small spoonfuls of the blue wax crystals in the jar.  Gently spread evenly.

Next place a few small spoonfuls of white crystals over the top of the blue ones and spread evenly.

Yep, you guessed it!  Time for the red crystals.  If you're pretty near the top of your jar you can stop adding crystals.  But if you have more room in your jar, just keep adding the different colored layers until your jar is almost full.

Now cut your wick about 1/2 inch from the wax crystals.

To transport or give as a gift, screw lid on tight.

Suggestions:

• DO NOT USE PLASTIC BABY FOOD CONTAINERS!  They will melt along with your candle.
• As you can see from my table in the pictures, these wax crystals make a bit of a mess.  For easier clean up, line your work area with newspapers and then throw all the mess away when you're done.  Or for no clean up, let the kids make these in the backyard!
• Use different colors of wax crystals to make candles for any holiday, party decorations, or gifts.
• Make a bunch of these to use as table decorations.
• Line them up along the walkway to the front door as a lightscape for guests.  Just don't do this if your area is in a drought like we are.  Don't want to cause a wildfire!
• Want to make them even cheaper?  Use the 40% off coupon offered almost every week at Hobby Lobby (view coupon) when purchasing the wax crystals.

You can add pictures of your candle creations to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr pool!  Happy 4th!