Category: Crafts
Easy Preschool Crafts – Stamping & Printing with Food
The sun is peeking out from behind the clouds and the air has a hint of warmth in it. All of those fun kid projects that you’ve been whipping up at the kitchen table have as much of an urge as you do to shake off a long Canadian winter and head outside to enjoy [...]
Easy Kids Easter Crafts – Bunny Boxes & Stained Glass Eggs
Ah, Good Friday. The kids are home from school. Hopefully, the sun is shining wherever you are and happy faces are sparkling too. If you are like us, getting around to Easter crafts with the kids has been rather, well, challenging. We’ve daydreamed about a Martha-esque scene of Spring delight. But, a quick reality check [...]
Easy Spring-time Crafts – Tissue Paper Butterflies
For much of Canada, winter gave it one last go this week and blasted us all with wind, rain and lots of snow. But, that doesn’t mean we have to stand for it. In fact, we are totally busy making sure home looks like a giant Spring garden full of butterflies and fairies, tulips and [...]
St. Patrick’s Day Crafts from Canadian Moms
St. Patrick’s Day and its lucky sentiment is nearly upon us and the kids are just electric about plugging into that pot of gold (actually more like the leprechauns and fairies) at the end of the rainbow. We love to celebrate the creative awesomeness of Canadian moms and one of our very favorite – Rebecca [...]
Valentines Day Crafts – Finger Painted Hearts
If there is one thing we have learned over the years around here, it’s that the 2-year-old crowd is seriously excited about doing just about anything that involves glue or paint or fun art – for about 15 minutes. As parents, setting up and getting everything ready to go takes just about as long. Having [...]
Kids Crafts – Easy Vintage Valentines Cutouts
The snow is softly falling (by the bucket loads) across most of Canada today. Many of us are in the midst of an unplanned day with the kids thanks to mother nature and the local school district shuttering schools for the day. I am mildly panicked as a lack of pre-planning generally results in mild [...]
Toddler Crafts – Inexpensive Magazine Collages That Get Them Learning Too
The big kids have gone back to school and there you are, at least mostly housebound in the freezing January weather with at least one wee person under 5 in tow. It’s mildly panic-inducing, especially since the winter holidays emptied the bank account and heading out to the craft store for some things to keep [...]
Homemade Holidays – Loving The Making Again
It occurred to me, as we put our lives into storage this past June and headed East, that maybe somewhere around November we’d be wishing that a couple of the boxes that made the trip with us were filled with holiday goodness. I’m all about traditions. Love them with incredible heartfelt goopy sorts of emotion. [...]
Inspired By Gratitude – The Family Tree of Thanks
This Thanksgiving, we have so very much to be grateful for in our little family, with friends and our extended family from coast to coast. Our lives are filled with irresistible and sweet daily bits of joy mixed in with challenges brought our way to teach us how to navigate the wavy waters that are [...]
Summer Crafts – Felt Ice Cream Cones
Since our big move across the country, I have been at a loss with how to keep the kids otherwise engaged. My craft bins either got donated to the Brooklyn Elementary StrongStart or locked away in our storage unit. Either way, all of my years of thrifting and picking up bits and bobbles that made [...]
Kids Crafts – Eye Dropper Painting
Summer on either coast of Canada means you are guaranteed of the need to fill more than a few rain-out days. When plans for the beach or the park or the trail get nixed thanks to Mother Nature, coming up with a project that is messy enough to keep kids interested and sane enough to [...]
Don’t Be The Grumpy Museum Lady This Summer
We here at OBE like to think of ourselves as pretty darn adventurous parents when it comes to the whole process of kids making art. Whether it be spinning paint, watercolors, sticky glue or paper mache, the fun of making anything is in getting all gooey in the process – right? Well, not so much [...]
Toddler-Friendly Crafts – TP Roll Painting
Crafts and the toddler crowd aren’t always a very positive combination. Add in an older sibling and the thought of putting them in the same room with things that don’t come out of the carpet is – well – daunting. Thankfully, the Comox Valley has folks like Maureen Wagner – who runs the Brooklyn Elementary [...]
5 Earth Day Crafts That Show Mother Nature Some Love
This Earth Day getting creative is more than finding another use for that empty egg carton. There are so many ways to make some serious art goodness in honor of Mother Nature. Let’s honor some of those goodies: We totally love this globe made out of a tuna can and glitter glue from Planetpals.com These [...]
Confessions of a Not-So-Crafty Mom
It was that last frantic week of school before Christmas break and I was running late to drop my son at Kindergarten for the day. Rushing through the door to his classroom my 2 year old daughter was the first to spot them. “Ooooooohhhhh…..Mamaaa….” she said, her tiny finger pointing to the ceiling. “Pritty..” Hanging [...]
Easter Crafts – Simple No-Sew Felt Finger Puppet Bunnies
We here at OBE HQ have been in a bit of a crafty slump. As parents, we all go through those super uninspired stages where a coloring book and crayons is looking as Monet as it’s going to get. The slump here, other than being attached to a life in which time not currently a [...]
Valentines Crafts – Printable Valentines for Kids
Walk into any grade school classroom right now and the patina is rather striking in the pink and red department. There are little heart-shaped folders taped to desks just waiting to be filled with the anticipated cache of love notes that will come tomorrow. Most parents can see it now, four Disney princess valentines, three [...]
CV Literacy Week – Fun Ways to Get Literate With Art
Happy Monday and welcome to Comox Valley Family Literacy Week. Folks all over the Comox Valley will be hosting events at schools, clubs and organizations throughout the week with everything culminating in a bit of a literary extravaganza on Family Literacy Day this Friday. Here at Our Big Earth, we are big fans of getting [...]
Family Crafts – New Year's Eve Crowns
New Year’s Eve is one tricky holiday to get the family involved with. Most of the long-standing traditions of the event portion of it revolve around activities not meant for kiddos, and generally the big project for this day is finding a baby sitter that doesn’t mind an extra late night. But, around our house, [...]
Christmas Crafts for Kids – Felt Tree Ornaments
It may be the end of November. But, every mom I run into these days is still in relatively massive denial that Christmas is about a month away. Getting ready for it is going to be a race to the finish this year. Thankfully, there are lots of fun ways to get the kids involved [...]
Christmas Crafts – Download A Homemade Holiday
Good Morning. We here at Our Big Earth are very excited to offer a great new way to get the OBE content you need and want in one convenient, organized and easy space as we launch our Our Big Earth downloads. The team is working hard to curate the best of more than four years [...]
Crafts for Organizers – Fabric Covered Recipe Binder
Editor’s Note: This great project to get you all organized for your holiday baking and making first appeared on Our Big Earth in September 2009. As we start thinking about the holidays this year, the first thing I think about is where are all of my recipes. Instead of digging through drawers for hours on [...]
Rainy-Day Activities for Kids of All Ages
Of course it’s a Pro-D Day, the kids are home from school and it is pouring down rain today. There may have been a bit of sleeping in. But, that is about as relaxed as today is going to get for most of us. Here are a few ideas for those Fall rainy days when [...]
Halloween Lanterns – the 2011 Take On An Old Fave
When it comes to Halloween, one of our favorite projects and annual family traditions is creating something to light the path up to our house. There’s something extra spooky, yet warm and inviting about a beautiful, glowing front sidewalk and the big kid and I have had tons of fun over the years coming up [...]
Getting Into The Creative Spirit of Fall
I have been in the midst of a creative dessert this summer. For the first time in years I feel completely tapped out in terms of ideas and drive to do crafts, come up with fun projects or even color a picture with the kiddo. It’s been more than a little disconcerting as creative projects [...]
Back-To-School Special Touches – Pocket Full of Hearts
Well, here we are – the first day of school. For me like many it’s a bittersweet moment when our kids take a big step away from us and out into the world. While our oldest daughter is of the go-get-em kind most of the time, she is a bit out of her element and [...]
Green Kids Crafts – Recycled Hanging Plant Pots
Our oldest has been spending a lot of time at the Comox Valley Farmer’s Market with us and the one thing she loves to do is pick out a plant or two that are just her speed and bring them home after each Saturday market. We’ve been so busy that getting them out of their [...]
Kids Crafts – Summer Creativity
I am waiving the red flag in the creativity department. Our house has always been one that’s all about art and making things and finding new ways to make art and new things. But, the craft room has seen busier days. Thankfully, I took a peek back through some of the fun projects we’ve done [...]
Kids Crafts – Cheering on The Canucks
As most of you know, we are a bit Canuck crazy this year as the Vancouver Canucks continue their incredible run at the Stanley Cup. It’s been an amazing experience to gear up for the games and cheer our way through the last couple of months. Our oldest daughter – who loves hockey and the [...]
Easter Craft-A-Palooza
I have to admit it, the well hath runneth dry in the creativity department for me lately. Even my daughter – who after nearly six years of craft-a-holism wants to take a serious break from the craft table – asked me why we haven’t been making much lately. I’m so very sleepy right now and, [...]
Springtime Kids Crafts – Gods Eyes
If there is one fond memory of childhood that I regularly look back on and smile about, it is the years of summer camps where we rode horses, canoed on mountain lakes, sung hilarious songs (that I still remember and catch myself humming) and made great crafts. Some of the creative goodness blurs together a [...]
Sparkling Spring Crafts – Mermaid Necklaces
Oh how Spring brings out the sparkling girl around our house. We can’t help ourselves but figure out ways to will the fairies into showing themselves a bit while helping us create something with a bit of girl power. Right now we are also itching to get back out to the ocean, where we spend [...]
Spring Crafts to Keep Kids Smiling (and busy)
Spring is the time of year when we all stretch our arms and legs, finally getting moving again. That also applies in the inspiration department and there’s nothing like some fun crafts to plug in creatively. Here are a few of our favorites that we’ve shared over the years. Have fun and enjoy! 1. Sticky, [...]
St. Patrick's Day Crafts – Rainbow Wreaths
Well, it’s just about time to be kissing the Blarney Stone and looking for the little green guys running around through the clover in the front yard. St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and while the adults are planning their wardrobe and where to drink a green beer or two, the kids can [...]
Easy Spring Crafts – Cherry Blossom Tree
It may be a wee bit to close to the zero-degree mark right now for anyone to really be thinking Spring. But, around our house, we are working hard on ditching the snowflakes and any remnants of Winter and willing Spring into being. Cherry blossoms are one of my favorite signs of Spring on the [...]
The Year of Magical Making – Magic Mobiles
As we keep adding to our magical world around here this year, one of the things that keeps coming up is looking up. There is plenty of magic at eye level with gnomes, fairies and other bits of wonder. But, what about up above? In the magical universe – according to our big kid – [...]
Easy Handmade Toys – Felt Bean Bags
When it comes to making little kiddos smile or offering them something that will captivate them for hours, simple toys are often the best. Keeping the games as easy as tossing a bean bag and giving them soft textures such as felt make it all that more fun. When you head out to find bean [...]
Valentines Crafts to Make You Fall In Love
OK, I admit it. I have no creative juices left for Valentines Day this year. When I got the note that our kiddo’s Valentines party was tomorrow, we got to the card making in the easiest possible way and when my husband asked me if I was making heart cookies for her class I chirped, [...]
Chinese New Year Crafts – Paper Dragon Puppets
The Lunar New Year is nearly upon us with celebrations beginning Feb. 3. It’s a celebration that we get geared up for every year and the oldest kiddo has always loved learning about the traditions surrounding it. This year – even though it’s the year of the rabbit – is really all about the dragon [...]
Playtime Crafts – Felt Crowns
There is so much fairytale playtime at our house these days, I’d feel like a giant cliche about having girls who are princesses if it wasn’t for the fact that the princesses around here fly on owls, live in trees and prefer to wear ballgowns while pounding through mud puddles. But, the tomboy princess factor [...]
The Year of Magical Making – Felt ABC Gnomes
Last year, our oldest daughter and I started creating bits and pieces to go into a magical world that – more than anything – gave her a way to bring her unicorns, castle, fairies and other magical creatures together for some major imaginative play. But, as is with so many things in life, we got [...]
Holiday Crafts – New Years Eve Noise Makers
It’s been a wild week with weather, family, food and good times. Now we all get to gear up to ring in 2011 with some laughter and fun. So, what better way for the kids to get in the spirit than to whip up their own noise makers out of the leftovers hanging out around [...]
Holidays 2010 – Measuring Memories By Hand
Well, it’s Christmas week and most of us are just settling in to some time off either traveling or gathering with family and one thing that often comes up is how to create an annual family tradition that is creative, kid-friendly, a bit of an “AWWWW” producer and – of course – easy. The other [...]
Crafty Holidays 2010 – Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments
This season is about great smells for me. I love a house scented with cinnamon and nutmeg. But, figuring out how to keep that scent around is kind of tricky. I saw several crafty moms making these very cool cinnamon applesauce ornaments this year and wondered how the heck they could possibly work. But, it [...]
Easy Kids Xmas Crafts – Egg Carton Bells & Twig Stars
In the midst of the massive adjustment from one to two kids and living out a sleepless existence with a newborn, I have conceeded to the need to keep things as simple as possible this holiday season, especially when it comes to crafts. There are no major shopping adventures for supplies or weeks of planning [...]
Holiday Crafting for the Faint of Heart
I titled this the way I did only because I am just now realizing how challenging holiday crafting is going to be for me this year with a newborn and a 5-year-old in tow. Basically, I have conceded to only the easiest of crafts, nothing that takes more than a few steps, to heck with [...]
Simple, Special Memory Keeping: A Day In The Life
Editor’s Note: Today I am grateful for another member of the OBE Mom Posse. We have a special post from Vancouver Island mom Joanne Allair as she shares with us her special ways of preserving family memories. As we all move into holiday mode, this is a great way to share and celebrate. Just a [...]
Nature Crafts – Salmon Migration Mobiles
One of the things that our daughter and I spend every Fall looking forward to are the easygoing days of watching the salmon run in our local streams, heading out to the hatcheries to learn a bit more and – now that we are full-on into science and nature learning with homeschooling – having a [...]
Halloween Crafts to Make Fright Night Sparkle
We’ve made a whole lot of crafts around here in the last couple of years and, since Halloween is our favorite season, we’re taking some time today to jump in the way-back machine and check out some of the cool craft tutorials from OBE that are all about celebrating fright night. Here are some of [...]
Halloween Crafts – Easy Papier Mache Monsters
It’s time for ghosts and goblins to rise up from the craft box and appear in windows, haunt houses and give us all some time to have a bit of ghastly fun. I totally love Halloween, and so does our daughter. So, it’s no surprise that we’ve already got most of the house decked out [...]
DIY Kids – Homemade Modeling Clay
It may be all of the nesting I’m doing right now. I’m sure it has a lot to do with the fact that we are making heavy use of the Oak Meadow kindergarten curriculum for school this year (very Waldorf-centered). But, we are seriously into making our own art supplies when possible these days. We [...]
Easy Fall Kids Crafts – Apple Wreaths
On the eve of Fall settling in to the Valley, we definitely don’t have to wonder when the rains will set in. While it’s great to get outside on these misty days and do some puddle jumping, crafty afternoons full of hot chocolate, muffins and glue sticks seem a bit more user friendly as we [...]
Learning Crafts – The Nature Alphabet
When it comes to making learning more accessible around the home, there’s nothing that we’ve found more effective than making projects that take basic skills like alphabet and numbers and turning them into creative adventures. We’re homeschooling for kindergarten this year and one of the big things that needed to be in place is an [...]
Kids Learning Crafts – Homemade Lace-Up Cards
Good Morning and happy first day of school for kids in B.C. As many kiddos head back into the classroom there’s a huge crew under 5 or homeschooling who will wake up this morning, stretch, eat breakfast and look at us with that “Let’s do something!” look in their eyes. Don’t gasp too deeply. We’ve [...]
Back-to-School Craft – Daily Schoolwork Organizers
Whether your kids are off to public school in September or you’re gearing up the house for another year of homeschooling, getting them into a routine that allows them to be organized, know a bit of what they are learning about every day and feeling confident that they are getting all of their school work [...]
Keepsake Crafts – Canvas Height Chart
Editor’s Note: Good Morning. As you work your way back into back-to-school mode, establishing some fun, creative and memorable traditions for this season is all about being able to take a look back from one year to the next. Today, crafting mama Vanessa Falle is on site with a tutorial for a gorgeous canvas height [...]
Kids Crafts – Night Owls
Good Morning. Our daughter, for just about as long as I can recall, has had an owl for a best friend. She and her snow owl stuffy have traversed the wilds of the beach and forest. They’ve gone on great magical world adventures and kept each other company every night. This year, two new owls [...]
Kids Crafts – Bubbles & Boxes to Beat Boredom
You know how parents always seem to chuckle a bit at how the kids love the big box better than the present that came in it? More often than not, simple is the solution when kids are seriously bored and in need of an imagination adventure or giggle fest. I can’t tell you how many [...]
Summer Kids Crafts – Pressing Flowers
The whole Comox Valley seems to be in bloom right now. I don’t know if it was the cold spring or the incredibly hot temperatures of the last week. But, that wow of color and scent is off the charts. For the tiny person, she’s in heaven searching for ways to talk me into picking [...]
Canada Day Craft – DIY Maple Leaf Magnets
Ah, Canada Day is near. I love this country and give it a solid go every year when it comes to busting out the patriotic gear. But, getting the tiny person plugged into something more than the candy from the parade is, well, challenging. She’s at the age of dis-interest – too young for a [...]
Paper Craft – Vintage Spool Albums
Editor’s Note: Vanessa Falle is back this afternoon with one of her gorgeous vintage crafts that is all about taking your photography and scrapbooking to the next level. It’s a gorgeous project, perfect for gifting or preserving precious moments. Enjoy. I am a lover of all things vintage. Especially things that relate to real life. [...]
Kids Crafts – Father's Day Fun
Good Morning. With less than a week to go before Dad’s big day, we thought we’d check out some crafty projects to wow dad with some kid-focused sentiments with a dad sort of flavor. I think dads are some of the toughest folks out there to get something truly special for as they rarely ask [...]
Crafting Supply Box Basics For Any Home
It’s no big news flash that we spend a fair bit of time creating all sorts of fun things around here. Hanging out around the craft table has become a bit of a ritual when it’s time to chill out or spend a low-key afternoon together minus electronics. Crafts can be super challenging to get [...]
Kids Craft – Printmaking for Beginners
Editor’s Note: If you missed out on how you can scoop up free tickets to the Vancouver Island Baby Fair, you can see all the details HERE. Now, here’s Robin with a fun and easy printmaking tutorial. Lately, we’ve been experimenting with some new painting techniques that take our watercolor and other types of basic artwork [...]
Kids Crafts – Octopus Puppets
Editor’s Note: If you missed out on the morning post giving you the scoop on when and where you can ditch your stash of household hazardous waste, you can read it HERE. Now, here’s Robin with a fun kiddo craft tutorial. Here she is: Ever have those weeks (or months) when your creative powers are [...]
Paper Crafts – Creating A Decorative Pennant Banner
Editor’s Note: Good morning. Vanessa Falle is on sight with an easy paper craft tutorial. Today she has us whipping up a lovely decorative pennant banner for any occasion. Get creative. Here she is: This month’s project is a decorative project that you can make over and over again. It can be created to suit [...]
Educational Crafts – Sequencing Boards for Kids
Ah, the life of a four-year-old is filled with incredible distractions. While eating dinner, one could be distracted by the texture of a place mat, a fly on the wall or the simple act of blinking. On the way to the bathroom, what could possibly be more sidetracking than a wall or the bumps on [...]
Kids Crafts – Flower Stamped Mother's Day Cards
Good Morning. Ever have those days (or weeks) when life just kicks you in the rear end as hard as humanly possible? I seem to be in the midst of one currently, having been incredibly sick for nearly four days now. There are times when you have to concede that life has bitten you hard [...]
Paper Crafts – Welcoming Spring With A Wreath
Editor’s Note: Crafting queen Vanessa Falle is back on site with a tutorial for a lovely spring themed wreath. Enjoy. Here she is: As winter’s chill leaves the air and the sun’s rays invite the blossoms to come back for another season, I find that few things inspire me more than the beauty found in [...]
Eco Crafts – Recycling Roundup
With Earth Day nearly upon us, it’s time to get our creative vibe on using things that are just laying around the house. We’ve had a ton of fun with leftover cardboard, scraps of material, egg cartons and all kinds of reusables. Here’s a roundup of some of our favorites over the years: – Magic [...]
Nature Craft – Sticky, Easy, Framed Nature Collages
We are spring wildflower crazy around here these days. With the weather warming up and blossoms starting to bloom, afternoons are spent in the garden, wandering through our neighborhood park and returning home with pockets full of cool things we collected along the way. The problem with pockets full of anything is that, really, once [...]
Kid's Crafts – Easter Baskets of the Easy Kind
Good Morning. Just a week or so out from Easter and I am seriously getting the business from the four-year-old crowd right now about doing Easter crafts that “are actually fun.” Apparently my attempts at felted eggs and beautiful bunnies had far too many requirements to keep the 20-minute attention span in tact. I felt [...]
Extending the Life of Your Child's Artwork
Editor’s Note: Good afternoon. If you missed this morning’s craft tutorial, you can catch all the homemade pompom fun HERE. Now, here are some top tips for making the most out of your children’s artwork: We do A LOT of art around here. Drawing, coloring and painting are something that are definitely a part of [...]
Easy Kids Crafts – Homemade Pompoms
Good Morning. I don’t know what it is, but I can go all year without a single pompom and then, when spring hits, I always seem to be in need of these fuzzy things for some creature making or other fun. Then, I head out to the store and leave gasping at how crazy expensive [...]
Greet Spring With A Paper Posie Bouquet
Editor’s Note: Good morning. Crafting goddess Vanessa Falle is here with a fabulous paper and button flower tutorial. Enjoy. Here she is: This time of year is so dreary and drab up in Canada’s frozen north. We’re still buried under a blanket of snow and it’s so disheartening to hear of the buds and blossoms [...]
Spring Break 2010 – Craft Roundup
Good morning. You have to admit that the weather report is not looking up for the next couple of weeks. That could spell some serious trouble for getting the kids out of the house more than once or twice for an outdoor adventure. But, that doesn’t mean that you are stuck with screaming, bored children. [...]
Kids Crafts – Spring Eggs & Wet Felting
I am having a fling with wool. It’s true, I’m totally smitten. There are so many reasons why wool is the one for me. Wool is soft and so very cozy, makes me feel like I’ve done something good for myself just by being near it. Then, of course, there’s the whole “my child is [...]
Watercolor Painting In the Waldorf Style
Editor’s Note: If you missed Robin’s review of Canadian author Wayson Choy’s fabulous novel All That Matters, you can read it HERE. This afternoon, we have Waldorf educator Rebecca Watkin back on site with a look at the Waldorf method of watercolor painting. Here she is: A Painting Verse The sunlight shines into each day [...]
Kids Crafts – Making Magic with Apothecary Boxes
Good Morning. Oh how we are having fun making cool new stuff for our magical world. After the fairy bowls, we definitely decided that the Land of Purple Unicorn Fairies (LOPUF), as it has now been deemed, definitely needs some storage with lids. This isn’t heavy-duty, big storage. But, more a need to have cool places [...]
Getting Kids Into The Olympic Spirit at Home
Editor’s Note: Good afternoon. If you missed this morning’s interview with Canadian cookbook Wise Women Shannon Loeber and Mary Edwards talking about their sexy take on food, folklore and sparking that magic (we’re giving away copies), check it out HERE. Now, it’s time to get our families into the spirit of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic [...]
Kids Crafts – Making Fun Fairy Bowls
As our “magical world” project continues this year, we are still super focused on the fairy forest part of that imaginary adventure. The tiny person is so excited about creating the bits and pieces that line the path to her castle and lead the way along the path into the fairy forest, that we found [...]
Paper Crafts – Valentine's Day Treat Holder
Editor’s Note: Good morning. Vanessa Falle is back with us in time for Valentine’s Day. Today she leads us through a fabulous paper craft. Here she is: I don’t know about you, but I love to make special things for my kids. They know how much time and thought I put into each one of [...]
Craft – Chinese New Year + Valentines = Felt Fortune Cookies
I was completely stumped this year when we started going through the craft books and websites looking for Valentine’s Day crafts. The sense was that there are some cute ones out there, but neither of us really wanted a pile of paper hearts, or to spend the time peeling and grating crayons to make a [...]
Paper Crafts – Weekly Gratitude Book
Editor’s Note: Good morning. Crafting queen Vanessa Falle is on site with a lovely tutorial on creating a gratitude book. Awesome concept. Cool craft. Enjoy. Here’s Vanessa: The beginning of the New Year is so inspiring. It’s much like preparing for the first day of school and being surrounded by piles of school supplies and [...]
Kids Food Crafts – Painting with Jello
It has been so crazy dreary around the Comox Valley the last couple of weeks that we have been super dug in at the craft table and looking for ways to combine all sorts of things like food and paper into good fun. Jello isn’t something we regularly eat around here. But, it is super [...]
Crafts to Build Fine Motor Skills – Hand Sewing For Kids
They say knitting is the new yoga and sewing is the greatest happy pill out there. If a needle and thread can sooth the savage beast, fork a whole pile over to me and the 4-year-old. Both of us are searching for that quiet, peaceful truth these days! And, lately, it seems that those wives tales [...]
Year in Review – Best Crafts of 2009
Good Morning. As I looked back through some of the creative projects we took on this year, it was great to check out how much fun we had learning about and discovering nature through creativity. There was lots of painting and gluing for sure. But, I’m wondering which project you all liked the best this [...]
Craft Tutorial – The Perpetual Calendar (Giveaway)
Editor’s Note: Good Morning. As we make our way toward the new year, my brain starts to shift toward getting organized. Crafting goddess Vanessa Falle is here this morning with a great perpetual calendar project that looks pretty, is simple to do and makes that transition into 2010 a bit easier. Enjoy! This is the [...]
Holiday Crafts – Easy Kids Cards
One thing I promise myself that we will do every year is send out homemade cards. When Ken and I were DINKS (Dual Income No Kids) we made the craziest Christmas cards ever like us hanging lights off of the Golden Gate Bridge, us as Star Wars characters, the list goes on. But, that would [...]
Sprouts – Garden-Inspired Holiday Crafts
Editor’s Note: Happy Friday. Today, Kendra Quince discovers holiday ideas in her garden. It’s that time of year when getting out into the dirt is kind of a drag. Not much planting or pruning going on. But, kids always seem to know how to make dirt and the garden fun any time of year. Here [...]
Kids Rock – Music Lessons Are Not for Every Musician
Editor’s Note: Good morning. Bobby Herron is on site today talking shop about why music lessons work for some kids and not for others. Finding creative ways to help your kids learn all kinds of things is a bit of an art in and of itself. One that is different for everyone. Here he is: Music [...]
Homemade Holidays – Easy Recycled Ornaments
As the holidays begin to descend upon us, the tiny person and I are very seriously focused on learning about traditions, honoring our own and creating some new ones this year. We’re also working hard at keeping with the whole idea of creating more and consuming less. And that has lead to great projects in the [...]
Crafts – Handmade Paper Pinecone
Editor’s Note: This morning we have paper goddess Vanessa Falle on site creating some fabulously festive handmade paper pinecones. Get crafty: I don’t know about you, but the holidays around our house wouldn’t be complete without a few new kid-made ornaments with which to decorate our already overburdened Christmas tree. I love how in my own [...]
Kids Crafts – Day of the Dead Skulls
I love Halloween. But, one of my favorite celebrations every year is the Mexican tradition of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), honoring our ancestors, heritage and the renewal of life. This gorgeous celebration is one that we had the honor of participating in for years when we lived in California – learning [...]
How to Make A Keepsake From An Altered Board Book
Editor’s Note: This morning we have crafting goddess Vanessa Falle creating memories through the construction of an altered board book. This is one of those gorgeous keepsakes that get the whole “upcycling” theme going while creating something personal and so very pretty. Can you hear Christmas bells ringing These are perfect gifts for the kids, [...]
Spooky Crafts – Owl Luminara
Good Morning. Halloween is creeping up on us and here at OBE headquarters we have an annual tradition of coming up with something we can light on fire. Pumpkins shmumpkins. Yeah, they’re totally fun to carve and we love our ghoulish globs of orange madness. But, there’s something super eerie and a bit fun about [...]
Family Voyage Project
When Meg Cursons first handed me the book Six String Nation, I nearly cried. Having claimed Canada as home well into my 30s, my sense of cultural identity had not settled in much of anything traditionally Canadian and I’d been feeling a like a bit of a loner in terms of discovering my sense of [...]
Halloween Crafts – "Stained Glass" Sun Catchers
As much as I insist on denying the loss of sunshine, it’s definitely Fall around these parts. A few weeks ago, the tiny person and I took a look around a house filled with Summer craft projects. We figured it was time to get going on something a bit more rustic, harvest-like and spooky – if [...]
Found-Object Food Jar Terrariums
Science in a jar is something that scores me some serious cool points in the scientist in training universe. That’s especially true when it means that we can head out for a walk around our local park – or even the backyard – with express permission to pick up, handle, pack away and take home [...]
Nature Crafts – Plaster Fossils
Science girl has decided that her major professional interests are learning toward paleontology of the late – so much so that we are in full roar around here in terms of dinos, digs and – of course – fossils. We’ve spent most of the Summer on the hunt for the coolest rocks and the collections [...]
