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Crafts For Small Kids

Keeping small children occupied can be a full time job. Try utilizing crafts and creative play time to encourage recreational learning while keeping them entertained. Whether it’s one child alone or an entire group to keep busy, there are more things to get kids started in crafts than you’ll be able to choose from. Be sure to try to plan your activities based on the average age of the children. It will make the process much easier for everyone involved.

A safe and easy craft that kids tend to find fascinating is origami. There are many levels of origami from the incredibly simple to the advanced type of folding. Purchase gift wrap from a craft store or local big box store. It’s fun to let kids pick out the wrapping paper that they like. Even the local dollar or liquidation store will have plenty at a low price. Easy beginner origami can be found online with no trouble. Get involved by learning with your children as you go.

Paper plates have been a great craft accessory for years. Most of us can recall using them as children in school to make great things like masks or giant flowers. Supply kids with a stack of plates and additional decorative items like pipe cleaner, glue and markers. It’s always fun to see what children will come up with when set loose with a stack of great materials and their imagination.

Make use of those old egg cartons by giving them to the kids for crafts. An egg carton caterpillar is fun to create. Cut the egg carton so that there is an entire row of egg slots to form the caterpillar body. Use pipe cleaner for antenna and then go crazy decorating the body however you like. This is a great one for younger kids since it involves little cutting. Be sure to always supervise and assist small children with the use of scissors.

One craft idea that will always be timeless is making holiday or birthday cards by hand. There is something so special about receiving a home made card from a child that cannot be beaten by any store bought version. It’s a true keepsake that can be kept for many years as a part of a beautiful memory.

The options are virtually endless for crafts that are perfectly suited to smaller kids. Get them involved in reading by having them create their very own bookmarks. Use sturdy construction paper cut rectangular then let them do the rest with glitter, paint or beads. Have them make one in the style or theme of their favourite story. Pencil holders are also great and related to reading and writing. Decorate a can or wooden container tall enough to hold pencils. There really is no limit to what you can do.

It’s important to prevent kids from developing extreme tendencies for electronics and TV. While those things are fine in moderation, it’s necessary to keep the brain active and stimulated. Crafts for kids are both fun and results in some pretty neat stuff.

There are as many hobbies as there are people who enjoy them. Learn more about the popular hobby of building and collecting dollhouses and miniatures. Visit our large selection of charming doll house kits today at http://www.TheMagicalDollhouse.com.

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Time for Spring Cleaning!

“Spring cleaning” means getting around to all of those organizational nightmares that have snuck up on you throughout the year. It’s time to start fresh. Get rid of those bothersome junk piles. Heavy winter clothes and coats need to be stored. Closets need to be cleaned and your old boxes of stored junk need to be gone through.

Sometimes we save things that we think we will need later. Whether it’s a project that we’re no longer interested in finishing or a stack of old bills, these things can start to clutter your home and eat away at the storage space that you have available. Go through any boxes or piles of mail that are lying around. If it’s an unfinished project, schedule a time to finish it. If you really don’t have time, consider giving it up.

Busy Mom’s especially keep projects lying around half finished for years until their allure has vanished or the kids have outgrown the need for whatever it was. Donate half-finished projects to schools that can recycle them as craft supplies and get them out of your closets. Send old bills and statements to the shredder and get them off of your counters, tables and shelves.

Give whatever you can to charity. If you have trouble letting go of usable items, set a goal for yourself to get rid of 25% or even 50% of what you have stored. Use a garage or living room to separate items into three piles. One is for definite keepsakes like heirloom blankets, the outfits that your children wore home from the hospital when they were born, and photo albums.

The second pile should be for things that you know are still good and want to keep, but you might could possibly give away or sell. The third pile should be a charity pile. Sometimes it helps to bring in a third party. Teenagers are great at telling you like it is if you have too much stuff! A good friend is also nice to have if they can give you honest advice. Some things you may not want to just give away, but you may be more comfortable with selling online or in a yard sale.

For example, that clarinet that you haven’t played since high school. It holds sentimental value and monetary value. You may feel the need to keep it, but in your heart you know you’ll never touch it again. Have someone take your picture with it and then concentrate on how it could be making a difference in another child’s life.

Focus on not being selfish and feel good about items that you donate or sell. Once your closets are not cluttered, you can update their look. Get them nice and clean, add a coat of paint and stock your closet with some nice wood hangers. You’ll enjoy the clean look and feel of your new found space.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of OnlyHangers.com, a leading provider of high quality clothes hangers,including wooden hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyhangers.com.

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Paper Craft Projects : How to Make Paper Hawaiian Flowers


Paper Hawaiian flowers can be made using up to eight pieces of colored paper, folding the whole stack like an accordion, attaching them to a pipe cleaner stem and cutting slits in the paper for a tropical look. Create tropical Hawaiian flowers out of paper with instructions from a former middle school art teacher in this free video on paper crafts. Expert: Lynn Reynolds Bio: Lynn Reynolds is a retired middle school art teacher of 34 years with a love for crafts. Filmmaker: Andrew Reynolds

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Tracy Porter Decorating DIY: Crafting a vintage suitcase into a charming SHELF!!


her up for a few bucks at a flea market years ago And shes rested in our guest room with a stack of magazines atop. Beautiful decorating prop But I am in need of another interesting place to vignette. So hello darlings, meet my new perch A craft / decorating project rolled into one!! I simply lined the suitcase with interesting newspapers from our travels antiqued it with a wash of gold paint And attached it to the wall with some screws (thank you, John, my love) Can you handle how darling …

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