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Look At My Space

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My husband and I were talking the other night and he brought up a really good point. I have boxes and boxes of scrapbook stuff, and I do nothing with it. Scrapbooks and passing on stories used to be my passion. Now I mostly talk about the importance of scrapbooks, but I do nothing about it.

I’m sure I could come up with plenty of excuses for not scrapbooking. One of the main excuses is the fact that I don’t have the space to scrap. Of course, the reason I don’t have the space to scrap is because I am totally unorganized and have a really bad habit of letting things pile up instead of putting them away when I am done with them. It’s a habit I have committed myself to breaking.

So, in an effort to get myself more organized, and I can’t believe I am about to do this, I am going to show you what my desk/craft table looks like right now.

And here is the table next to my desk.

The worst part of it all is that none of that junk is scrapbook or other craft stuff, with the exception of the Fairy Things to Make and Do Kid Kit that never got put away last week. Most of it is bills and junk mail, but there’s plenty of other randomness like take-out menus, books, the remote control for the protable DVD player, and yes, that is a roll of toilet paper you see near the left end of my table. The mess makes a very unattractive addition to my entryway/dining room.

In addition to the mess on the table, I also have these two piles of boxes in the corner of my bedroom.

That’s where all of my scrapbook and craft supplies are stored. There isn’t really any method to the madness, just a bunch of stuff thrown into whatever box it fit into at the moment. Needless to say, it is not functional.

So, in an effort to get committed to organizing and then scrapbooking, I am officially declaring Wednesday to be “Look At My Space” day. Each week I will post an update of what my spaces look like. Throughout the week I will spend a minimum of 10 minutes per day specifically cleaning and dejunking in one of the two areas. If you need to clean up your space, feel free to play along and leave me a comment about what you are doing with your craft space. If you have pictures of your space, post them on your blog and leave a link so everyone can come and get some inspiration.

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Fairy Things to Make and Do

We try to do an art project with our girls at least once a week. When I told the girls it was time for our project this week, Bugga immediately went running for my bedroom, shouting that she was going to get her art supplies. Squeak followed. Wanting to make sure that they didn’t get into anything that is not theirs, I went too, and was surprised when Bugga went straight to her Fairy Things to Make and Do Kid Kit. This was another birthday gift for Bugga, and even though I forgot it was back there, she apparently didn’t.

Usborne Kid Kits are amazing things. Each one comes with an Usborne book and all the supplies you need for a project or two to go with the book. Our Fairy Things to Make and Do Kid Kit came with the Fairy Things to Make and Do book (also sold seperately), paints, paint brush, scissors, glue stick, cardstock, a glitter glue pen, tulle, ribbon, pony beads, flex straws, and a wooden dowel. Lots of fun stuff for any little girl to play with.

After flipping through the book, we chose to make fairy puppets. Because neither of my girls have very good control of scissors yet, I did the cutting, but they both glued the pieces together with only a little bit of help, and then decorated the fairies by themselves.

Because the kit comes with all the supplies we needed it really simplified the process for me. Normally we’re going through every color of paper I have to find just the right one. With paper in the kit I just had them choose from what was there. I’m not a fan of glue sticks, so we used some liquid glue instead. When it came time to make the faces I grabbed a scrap of skin-tone paper from my stash, and cut circles. I think if we did this again I would use a large circle punch instead.

Since the kit came with paint, of course the girls just had to use it. What would an art project be without some way to make a huge mess? I don’t know exactly what kind of paint it is, but it washed off of hands really easy and the one spot that ended up on a dress came almost all the way out with a wash rag and some cold water.

Over-all, I highly recommend all of the Usborne Kid Kits, but if you have little girls who enjoy art projects, the Fairy Things to Make and Do kit should be at the top of your wishlist.

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Things Teens Can Make to Earn Extra Money

If there’s one thing I remember about being a teen, it’s the fact that being a teen costs a lot of money. In addition to the music, movies, and other things that teens enjoy there’s dating, extracurricular school activities, and food. In my house, the rule was once we turned 16 and could get a job my parents would pay for the necessities, but all of the extras came out of money we earned. I earned most of my money doing extra chores or babysitting, but for teens who are more creative, here are some ideas of things they can make to earn extra money.

1. Jewelry Wire, string, beads, or other unique items. Teens can pick whatever kind of jewelry they like to wear and then learn how to make it.

2. Lotions and Potions I have never seen a wider variety of lotion and makeup gathered in one spot than in my high school locker room. I’m guessing that’s something that hasn’t changes much since I was a teen. Start with what you like and then start asking your friends what they like.

3. Websites Maybe you’re a bit on the techie side, but you still have a good eye for design. Put yourself to work designing websites, or blog templates.

4. Scrapbook Pages More than once I had someone suggest that I should do scrapbook pages for other people. I wish I would have listened. Your work can be premade or custom, paper or digital. You could even branch out into framed pages or greeting cards.

5. Painting, Photography, and Other Arts It may be harder to find places to sell other kinds of art, but if you can find a niche as a teen you can eventually work your art into a succesful career.

After you know what you want to make there are a few things you can do to increase your chance of success. First, create a professional image for yourself. Consider your company name, logo, and packaging seriously. Second, take advantage of the networks you already have in place. Talk to your family and friends and tell all of them what you are doing to earn extra money. Reach out to your online networks as well. While you’re talking to your online networks, take the third step and consider online resources for sales like eBay, Etsy, or local artist sites. Last, do your research and double check your math. Make sure you are charging enough for your products to cover the supplies you use, packaging, shipping, and your time. Don’t use resources that will cost you more money than you can make.

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Simple Scissor Practice

My daughters love to cut things up, as I imagine most young children do. I wish I could say that they only cut paper, but I have a hole in one set of sheets, a My Little Pony missing a tail, and a 12-inch pony-tail from my oldest’s first haircut to prove otherwise. We’ve had the talk about only using scissors on paper when mom says it is okay, but I can tell they would like to practice more often than they are currently able.

This week my CurrClick.com Weekly Newsletter had a Free Product of the Week that I knew I had to get my hands on. Simple Scissor Practice is designed for 3 to 4 years olds who are just beginning to use scissors. Created by Angela Jones from Middaysnack.com, this book is a welcome addition to my resources.

Included are 10 pages of lines and shapes for the child to practice cutting. From straight lines to curves, this book will give them a little bit of practice with everything. I think the best part of all is that I can choose which page to print, and I can print the pages more than once. Unlike a workbook that I might buy in the store, this allows me to give my kids practice on the shapes they need more practice on and skip the shapes that they have mastered.

The product was designed for 3-4 year olds who are just being introduced to scissors, but would work for any age that was struggling with using scissors. I plan to use it with both of my girls. My 6 year old struggles with cutting because she is left handed and all the toddler scissors are made for right handed kids. Right now, she makes do, but I think the extra practice would help her to develop enough strength to use scissors in her right hand, or at least help her figure out how to make the scissors work in her left hand. My almost 3 year old just wants to do everything that her big sister does.

If you have a child who you are ready to introduce to scissors or who enjoys cutting, I highly recommend this book. But hurry, it will only be available for free this week.

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Preserve Summer Memories

All good things must come to an end. For us, summer “ends” this weekend. School starts up on Monday and our care-free summer days of sleeping in, watching cartoons all day, and otherwise not doing much will also be ending. We had a lot of fun this summer, and I want to find a way to keep the summer going for a little bit longer, even if our days aren’t quite as carefree. Here are some ideas that I came up with.

For the Scrapbooker

Create a mini-album with a few of your favorite photos from this summer. Choose photos that represent some of the fun things you did this summer, or any milestones that were crossed. Think about what made this summer special for you.

For the Seamstress

With the end of each season also comes the opportunity to change your wardrobe. Chances are your kids have even outgrown or worn out a favorite outfit or two. Look for ways you can repurpose those old outfits to make new ones that will work through the fall. If the outfits can’t be salvaged as clothing try making them into quilts, softies, or other items that can be used year round.

For the Nature Lover

Take one last nature walk around your yard, neighborhood, or any other spot you love. Collect leaves, twigs, flowers, or other items that remind you of summer. Preserve them in a shadow box that can be displayed in your home.

For the Cook

When I think about summer foods I think about BBQ and ice cream. A staple in our house through the summer is macaroni salad. Just because summer is drawing to an end doesn’t mean our tastes have to change. Continue to enjoy those fresh fruits and vegetables as long as you can. Can, or freeze some to use through the fall and winter. And, when you’re craving a taste of summer, go ahead and mix up whatever it is that reminds you of summer.

What do you do to make your summer stretch just a little bit longer?

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Getting Sticky with Kids Craft Weekly

Kids Craft Weekly has always been one of my favorite sites for craft ideas. I subscribe to Amber’s weekly newsletter, and we use many of the ideas she shares. This week, their newsletter was all about sticking things together. This is right up the alley for both of my girls who love stickers. We will definitely be trying some of these.

Sticky Robot Shapes - Use various colors of contact paper to make a robot. Try several different shapes and then add number or letter stickers as embellishment.

Because I don’t have any contact paper on hand, I will have to wait to do this one, or we can just use scraps of material or paper and mod-podge instead.

The Ultimate Sticky Canvas - Set up an easel and hang a piece of contact paper sticky side out. Pull out the embellishments and let your child go to town creating their own work of art.

I guess I really do need to add some contact paper to my collection. We have been known to do something similar by randomly spreading glue on a piece of paper and embellishing that, but I love the idea of something as large as Amber’s project.

Easy Paper Mache - We’ve all seen the complex paste recipes and elaborate wire frames usually associated with paper mache. Try this simple version with supplies that you probably have around your home.

Paper Mache is not a project we have tried in our house yet. I believe I have everything that I would need to do this project though, so we may just try it later this week.

So, my ever growing list of craft supplies I want now includes contact paper in as many colors and varieties as I can find. Are there any other sticky items that are in your craft collection or on your wishlist?

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Fun with Photos

I say I’m a scrapbooker, but the truth is I haven’t had much time for scrapbooks lately. I still love to take and look at photos though. Check out this fun way to display photos that I just found.

Tabblo photo cubes are simple to create and fun to look at. Because they’re customizable you can use any theme you want, or no theme at all. Best of all, they are free, and you don’t need to wait for them to be delivered. You simply choose your photos, print them out, and assemble them all from the comfort of your own home.

Here’s what you need to know to make your own photo cubes:

Supplies:

• Photos
• Printer
• Paper
• Scissors

Instructions:

• Go to the Tabblo photo cube website.
• Follow the instructions to upload photos from your computer or your flickr account.
• Edit and rearrange photos as desired.
• Click on “Get My Cube”.
• Print out the .pdf file.
• Cut out the cube.
• Fold.
• Display.

It really is super simple. I chose a few pictures of our favorite zoo animals to upload, and opened the .pdf file. I made sure my printer was set to print in best quality and loaded a piece of white cardstock before hitting the print button and this is what I got:

(You can click the picture for a larger view.)

It was simple, fun, and my girls are already playing with it. I can see myself making a lot of these for them.

Tips and additional ideas:

• Cut the instructions off the bottom of the page before you start cutting out the cube so you don’t end up cutting through them.
• While tape is not required to keep the cube together, you may still want to use some tape or glue to make your cube a little bit sturdier.
• It almost goes without saying that you will get the best results with the best printer you have access to.
• Try different papers. Normal printer paper, cardstock, photo paper, or anything else that you would normally run through your printer. If you’re using heavy paper you may need to score the folds.
• For a fun look, try adjusting your printer settings to print your pictures in black and white or greyscale onto colored paper. Make a few identical cubes in different colors.
• Skip the pictures altogether. Scan handwritten notes, or create special graphics for your cube.
• Mail the flat cube and instructions for putting it together to relatives who want pictures of your kids. Better yet, email them the .pdf file they can print themselves and save the stamp.

How would you use photo cubes? I’m thinking about pictures of the girls to send to grandparents, pictures to illustrate books we are reading for school, or using them to illustrate the songs I sing with the kids at church. I’m sure there are many more things that can be put onto these cubes.

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Talking About The Little Experience

One thing I have learned from the few birthday parties that we have done is to expect the unexpected. This year, the unexpected surprise came in the form of a simple little gift. It wasn’t anything fancy, and when Bugga (my just turned 6 year old) opened it, I don’t think she knew quite what to expect, but I was excited.

Bugga received a create-it felt daisy chain kit from The Little Experience. Of all the gifts she received, I think this was my favorite. This morning we sat down to play, and she was immediately engrossed. She wanted to make a necklace just like the little girl who is pictured on the package. In fact, the packaging itself is wonderful. A card-stock card with all the information on it and attached to that was a small canvas bag that all the supplies had been tucked into. A very cute way to package a craft kit, and a great way to keep all the pieces together even after you are done. The only difference in our kit from the one on the website is that ours came with enough supplies to make 27 flowers instead of 12. Plenty to share with Squeak (my 2 year old) who had to get in on the action as well.

We opened our little bag, got all the pieces out, and looked at the instructions. Bugga is not reading yet, but the instructions were illustrated, so she easily figured out on her own how everything went together. We had a small problem controlling how much glue was ending up on each piece, so I took over the job of putting glue on the pieces and the girls took turns putting them together.

While Bugga was carefully setting each flower aside to dry, Squeak was busy manhandling them. There were a few on her side of the table that had to be re-glued a couple times before we finished and banned them both from the table until they were dry.

Once the glue was dry, we simply slid the stem of each daisy through the precut hole in the stem of another to make the beautiful necklaces and crowns that our girls were so proud of.

We had so much fun with this craft that I had to find out a little bit more about the company. The Little Experience is based in the UK. I simply love how they described their goals for the company.

Who would have thought that we could change the world creating cool things for children to make and do? Its more than a job for us it’s a mission into the imagination. We are dedicated to creating quality time memories for today’s busy parents and their media savvy kids. Come on! Join in.

They have also taken the time to show how their different products are educational. From mental challenges to life skills, their products encourage learning and growth in several different areas.

I’ve sent off an email asking about places in the US or Canada that these products might be available. Until I hear back I’m going to busy myself with some of the free stuff to do projects that they have posted. It looks like there is enough there to keep me occupied for at least a little while.

UPDATE: I received an email back from The Little Experience. They said that occasionally their products are available in Target stores and you can also find them on Amazon. We shop at Target a lot, so I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes open the next time we’re there.

To find out what other people are talking about today, visit The Lazy Organizer. (She has a very cool new website!)

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Storing Children’s Art

It’s a lot of fun to display your child’s art. But it can also be a mess. As your child creates more and more, how do you deal with the piles of artwork that can accumulate? I almost hate to admit that the majority of our art projects eventually end up in the garbage or recycle bin. We just don’t have the space for all of them, so I have to get rid of them. We do keep some projects, and here are a few ways that you can reduce the clutter and still hang onto some of your child’s artwork.

Create a Digital Version

Instead of trying to hang onto every piece of artwork your child ever creates, simply scan your favorites, save the digital version, and get rid of the original without too much guilt. Knowing there is a copy makes it a little easier to say goodbye to the originals you don’t have space for. I save my scans with the digital photos from the same time period the picture was drawn.

Most recently, my daughter drew her first drawing that actually looked like something other than just scribbles. She is not real big on drawing, so this was a big deal for her. Of course, she also drew it on the back of a letter written to grandma. There was no way I could keep it. I scanned the letter and the drawing before putting it in the envelope and now we have a copy that we can include in her scrapbook without having to ask grandma to send it back.

If you don’t have a scanner of your own ask a friend or see if your local copy shop will scan and put them onto a disc for you.

Shrink It

When I work on scrapbooks I often want to include memorabilia, but it can become really bulky and take up a lot of room. My mom found a great solution while working on a scrapbook page about my brother who would only color if it was a color-by number sheet. She took some of the pages he colored to a nearby copy shop. They made high-quality color copies and then shrunk them down so she could fit several on one page. If simply scanning or copying your artwork still takes up too much space, try shrinking some of it before mounting it onto a collage or scrapbook page.

Create a Photographic Record

Some pieces, especially school projects, are just plain too bulky to store for long or even copy. Take a photo of your child holding it instead. Then you’re saving a photo instead of something that may take up a whole box by itself. This works especially well for things that may not last, like creations made out of food.

Change the Type of Crafting You Do

Do the projects your child makes just take up space without serving any purpose other than to be looked at? Next time you sit down to craft, consider how useful the item you will be making might be. Expand your craft time to include sewing, beading, woodwork, crochet and knitting, or other handicrafts. Items like these can be made as nice gifts for other people.

When All Else Fails…

It is very likely that eventually you will come to a point where you still just have too much artwork and it’s time to get rid of some of it. When deciding what pieces to keep and what to get rid of, here are some things you can consider:

• Keep pieces that have significance to your child. Ask your child which pieces are their favorites and keep those.
• Choose pieces that are representative. You don’t need to keep every drawing of a green animal to show that your child went through a phase of using only the color green. Choose just one or two of your favorites instead.
• Show a progression. Have your child draw a picture or do some other project every year around their birthday. Keep just that one drawing or project so that you can see how their skills grow and styles change over the years.

As a last note, I want to add that I will never tell you how much artwork is good to keep. As a sentimental scrapbooker and homeschooling mom I have a feeling that I will be hanging onto quite a bit of it myself. Decide what is important to you and make sure that you have a storage method that works and keeps them safe. If you have a method for storing artwork that works for you, I would love to hear about it. Blog it and leave us a link or just leave a comment.

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Displaying Children’s Art - A Winner

Last week I shared some of the ways we display artwork in our home. Thank you to everyone who left a comment. I got some more ideas that I may just have to try.

Dannie said that she uses poster frames to put several pieces of her childrens’ art together in one display.

Marybeth I. mostly displays artwork on the refrigerator, but wants to try framing some when she moves to a new house.

Megret has a handy husband who put up a cable system for her in the childrens’ rooms.

Anne-Marie uses her refrigerator, but also wondered what to do with the artwork after displaying it for a while. (Come back tomorrow and I will have some ideas for you.)

Kristinia would like to frame them or at least reserve a wall strictly for displaying art.

Bobbi has used an idea I’ve seen in a few classrooms that works for drawings or 3 dimensional art. A paperclip is tied to a string and suspended from the ceiling. Simply slide the artwork into the paperclip and you’re set.

Thanks to random.org we have a winner of Mom’s Little Book of Displaying Children’s Art. After asking for a random number between 1 and 6 I was given the number 1. Congratulations Dannie! I hope you will enjoy this book and find some new ways to display your childrens’ artwork when you run out of room for poster frames.

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