:on raising creatives:

pablo picasso said, "every child is an artist." children have an innate ability to appreciate creation and in turn, the Creator. what may very well be a handful of weeds to one person is a bouquet of pure beauty to a child. what may be a yard in need of grooming, a tree here, a bush there along with some mowing, is but an adventure waiting to be had by little ones.

in response to her love for the great outdoors my little one and i created a handmade nature journal. here's how-->

i used precut cards and 12 x 12 card stock. cut the card stock a little larger than the precut cards. add holes with hole punches and tie up with twine. then send your little one out to take note of what we've been given.

"art washes away from the soul the dust of every day life"

-pablo picasso

*linking up with carissa for miscellany monday

:the one where we are neighborly:

our neighbors are lovely people. we are surrounded on all sides by people who have grown children or teenagers. they give our kids easter baskets and dollar bills and high fives and a million hello's because kids never say it just once. 

we are thankful for them. our children pray for them not because we tell them to, but because they love them. to show them that love, we concocted this little gem of a gift.

Supplies: twine, mason jar, gift tag, candy canes. 

we happened to have everything on hand, leaving only the small purchase of the candy canes. we wrapped each mason jar in green and white twine. made a gift tag that simply says we are thankful you are our neighbors. added the candy canes and BOOM, instant neighbor gift and a good time for my kiddos.


let us love one another in big and small ways today.

:crafty mccrafterson [jack-0-lantern edition]:

 

 

 

 

 

easy peasy. toddler friendly. enjoy!

 

 

:the one where we make use out of our art:

 

 

 

art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time

-thomas merton

 

 

art is part of our every day. we are constantly lookng for ways to create and discover. on this particular day we tried painting with marbles. we gathered our supplies: 2 8x10 pans, 2 sheets of white paper, marbles and paint.

 

 

 

eisley dipped each marble in the paint, placed it in the pan and rolled it around. i was quite fascinated with the pattern and new colors created as the marbles crossed paths. it only took a few minutes to complete both pieces of paper.

 

 

 

we let those dry and glued them to 12x12 cardstock and then cut them down to cute little notecards (top photo).

this week before our lessons we have taken time each morning to write an ancouraging note to someone of their choosing. eisley is super excited to see her art useful!

 

what do you do with all the art your children create?

::pinwheels, bunting & a vintage window::

over the weekend i took some time to spruce up the house and make it feel a bit more like spring. 

i made pinwheels for the first time using this tutorial.  i painted an old mason jar white and painted dow rods teal. i also made cute little bunting out of cardstock and biased tape to drape across the window.

a friend gave me several old windows when they renovated their home so i just cleaned it up and added it to the mix. the paint was already there and distressed which was the perfect touch to this spring arrangement.

::crafty mccrafterson [valentine's day edition]::

i'm a big fan of hoop art and all the fun things you can create using a simple hoop and a couple pieces of fabric. so i thought up a little something that eisley could put together and display during the valentine's season.

step 1.
i cut out a ton of hearts in different sizes from colored felt. i did this during eisley's rest time so all of her supples would be ready to go at craft time.

step 2.
cover your hoop with a piece of felt and lace across the top. easy peasy.

step 3.
bust out the mod podge, paint brush & hearts and let the little one go to town on placement.

step 4.
let dry.

step 5.
i added a few stitches using an embroidery needle & thread just for a little more color.

super fun and easy craft that you can alter to suit your taste.
happy valentine's day!

*linking up for life made lovely &  the better mom

::handmade christmas [gift idea no.2]

want a super cute gift for super cheap?
well here you go....

{handmade coaster set}

supplies:
set of 4 tiles ($.16 @home depot)
12x12 cardstock ($.49 @michaels)
mod podge ($10 for 16oz @amazon.com)
matte sealer ($6 for 6oz @amazon.com)
heavy duty felt pads ($2.99 @home depot)


step #1
brush a thin coating of mod podge on each of the tiles. so simple even the kiddos can jump in and help.

step #2
cut card stock into 4 4x4 squares and place one on each tile making sure to rub out bubbles.

step #3
brush a thin coating of mod podge on top of each piece of card stock

step #4
let mod podge dry for 15-20 minutes. during your wait grab a few photos of your darling children.

step #5
spray each tile with matte sealer

step #6
add felt adhesive to each corner on the back of the tile to protect furniture

step #7
bundle up in jute and ta-da! a handmade christmas gift for less than $5 a set

merry {handmade} christmas!

::Crafty McCrafterson {fall edition}::

in need of a fall treat?

this one is super cute and super cheap!

{supplies}

1 case of mason jars

3 bags of reese's pieces

3 bags of mini marshmallows

2 large boxes of golden grahams cereal

ribbon

note: supplies above make 12 full jars

simply layer each ingredient and tie off the top with a ribbon.

a fall treat that eveyone will enjoy!

happy fall!

what are you crafting these days?

::crafty mccrafterson {pumpkin edition}::

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
― Pablo Picasso


my children love art. they love to create, imagine and make simple things beautiful.  as a mom, it's my pleasure to encourage and nurture their love for all things creative.

the kiddos aquired several small pumpkins from their recent trip to the pumpkin patch at Patterson Farm. in an attempt to create art with both of my little ones  (ages 4.5 and 2), the following project came to life.

supplies:
pumpkin
white paint
paint brushes
black felt
mod podge

the little darlings painted the pumpkin white. they did it with brushes and it was a little streaky so when it was dry i spray painted it white to cover the blemishes. they didn't notice- they were busy riding their horsey's around the yard.

then i cut out felt pieces. eisley carefully applied mod podge and stuck them on our newly painted pumpkin.

voila' a ghost pumpkin to grace our porch. 
(ignore the light spots- the glue wasn't quite dry when i took this photo. it dried completed clear)

the kids love it and talk about it as they go in and out of the house.

what are you guys crafting these days?


*linking up with life made lovely

::have you joined the hoop art craze?::

cause i certainly have.
i have spent many many many minutes hours on pinterest gazing at the simple and extravagant hoop art created by some super creative people. so needless to say i'm hooked. i started a little collage for my daughters room and thought i would share my latest piece. this idea is not my own. the first place i saw it was over at take heart by danielle.


supplies:
fabric scraps in coordinating colors
mustard colored yarn
hot glue
wooden hoop

i started by glueing the strips all around the hoop. just a little dab of hot glue here and there to hold it all in place. when finished i glued the strips of yarn across the back and voila' a lovely place to display pictures or art work or love notes to the little ones (just add clips to the pieces of yarn to hold them in place- i don't have mine yet).

every time i hang a new piece on the wall eisley admires it and makes over it in the biggest way. it is a sweet moment to have something so simple be loved so much.

hope you have a fabulous week! start your monday off with a little gift::

take 15% off your purchase from {the pleated polka dot} using code: happymonday