Martha Stewart Arts and Crafts: The Holidays

Turns out pumpkins can be used for more than just pies and jack-o-lanterns! One of Martha’s crafts with pumpkins is to download and print out her witch and bat template. She has them available on her website. Place them over a “hole” cut into the face of the pumpkin (after cleaning the pumpkin of its insides) and you’ve got an enticing and eerily delicious centerpiece. Scatter some autumn leaves (store bought or yard picked) to complete the holiday setting.

Another pumpkin craft involves a pumpkin and lollipops. Buy the orange and black lollipops and stick them in the pumpkin, all over it. The final project will look like something from a science fiction movie and the kids will love it. Offer each trick or treater one and have them pull one out for themselves!

Martha Stewart Arts and Crafts: Weddings

Want a special way to say “thank you” to your guests? Make your own Thank You cards with a little help from Martha Stewart. One idea is to create postcards with a picture of the happy couple, and each is wearing a shirt especially made for the occasion, perhaps, “Thank you!” on one, or “We use it all the time!” on another. Be creative!

Or, instead of going the modern, trendy route, you can opt for something more traditional. Find a clip art sketch of any Victorian-era birds and copy them on to some card stock paper. By placing tiny “thank you” envelopes you create separately and placing them “beneath” their beaks, you now have beautiful, classic and three-dimensional thank you notes.

A wedding favor idea is get votive candles in three different off-white colors. Wrap them in corrugated paper, and tie with twine. Write messages on the inside of the paper from the bride and groom such as, “Thank you for sharing our day!”

Martha Stewart Arts and Crafts: Kids

Make Dad a coupon booklet for his birthday, holiday gift giving season or Father’s Day! Go to the Martha Stewart website for coupon template, print them all out then hole punch each in the top left hand corner. Secure with a paper fastener and you’ve got them all in a neat little bunch. Cut out a cover from a swath of fabric (any semi masculine material will do like plaids, stripes, solids), then attach to the blank top coupon by sewing it. Fill out the coupons for things such as Free Car Wash; Free Dog Wash; Free Leaf Raking, anything Dad will appreciate!

Elephant Feet is a craft kids will love because it makes them taller and it has the potential to make a lot of noise. Grab a couple 15 oz cans of tomato puree, poke holes in the sides, drain, rinse and clean. Paint elephant toenails with acrylics on the front, loop stretch cord – you’ll need about 5 feet worth for each leg – through the holes so the child can “walk” with the Elephant feet. More fun than actually stomping around in the jungle!

Things you should pick up before you start her present:

Glue
Markers or Crayons
Tape
Paint
Construction paper if you want to make her a card
Stickers

All you have to do is go to one arts and crafts store and pick up all this stuff. It won’t cost you much either. So kids don’t worry about that.

Here are some ideas of some arts and crafts you can make for your mother on Mothers Day.

A miniature photo album of her and the family
A flower pot that you painted with a flower growing in it
A handmade wooden jewelry box that you painted
If she enjoys coffee make her a little coffee mug

There are so many things that you can make for your mother on Mothers Day that she will love and enjoy and keep forever and ever. It will make you feel good about yourself also knowing that you made this gift by hand. You can go online and find sites that will help you out if you need more suggestions on what to make. Or ask friends or family for some ideas also. If you need help ask your other parent for help. They also would love to help making arts and crafts for Mothers Day.

If you want to show her how much you love her even more clean the house or make her breakfast in bed. The whole family can get involved in that for the mother. Just get her get out of the house for a day just by herself and let her to whatever she wants to and get the rest of the family together turn on some music and clean, clean, clean. You can clean your rooms, do the dishes, sweep, vacuum, take out the trash, dust, clean the windows, make all the beds, clean the bathrooms. She will come home to a house smelling so fresh and clean. Then somehow you can put all the hand made arts and crafts together somewhere and let her sit down and open her gifts and read the cards you made her.

What to do for your mother on Mothers Day? It’s easy. Just get the family together, put your heads together and think of something unique. She will love anything you make her. Have fun with it and good luck.

When I got started as a custom rug maker, I admit I was in it for the money and a much needed career change. Since then I’ve had decorative rugs featured in Designer Showcase Homes, Corporate Headquarters of numerous Fortune 500 Companies, and even a Generals office in the Pentagon. It’s been a great ride. But what if you don’t care about all that, maybe you don’t want a career change? What if you’re just looking for a creatively rewarding hobby that’ll blow the socks off your friends or family? Here’s a quick guide to decorative rug making in 5 easy steps.

Step One - Learn the Basics: What’s the best approach to learning how to make a rug?

Do some research, identify the different techniques used for rug making. You’ll find basic teaching guides for latch-hook rug making kits that that will tickle Granny Smith’s fancy. If the antiquated Latch Hook rug-making techniques make you *yawn*, then keep your eyes open for more comprehensive custom rug fabrication programs that are designed for more serious hobbyists and entrepreneurs. Hint: Google ‘rug making’.

Step Two - Invest in Your Education: Identify an investment level that you’re comfortable with.

Some hobbies require a larger investment than others. If you want a very low budget entry point, then Latch Hook rug-making with grandma is definitely the way to go - expect a measly investment of 50-100 dollars. On the other hand, a more specialized custom rug training program will cost 1,000 - 10,000 dollars, tools and equipment included.

Step Three - Create Your Studio: Create a space for your new studio / workroom.

A garage-like workshop with a 4 x 8 table is fine for a hobbyist. The table top should line up with your hips, not too high or too low. I like to add some splashes of color in my work- space. I make cool and colorful samples and hang them on the walls. It’s fun to let those creative juices flow. Make your studio a fun place to come too and practice your hobby.

Step Four - Have fun with your rug designs: Fill up your home with your new creations.

Give them away to your friends and family. Identify themes to play with; what are your interests? There are countless attractive themes like - animal print rugs, abstract designs, company logos or heck, even a Star Wars Yoda Rug! Replicating a design into a rug is easy once you learn the tricks.

Step Five - Brace Yourself: Prepare for the WOW! comments coming from friends and family when they see what you’re doing.

The questions will come: ‘Where did you get this rug? You made this? Wow what talent you have… You’re so talented… this is amazing, I had no idea you could make a rug like this…”. I am not making this stuff up, it will happen.

Decorative rug making is one of those fun and creative hobbies that has the potential to uplift your spirits because it’s so rewarding. You’re actually producing something from start to finish. It does take some practice, but the steps are manageable and relatively easy to learn. Give it about 30 days of practice and you’ll be well on your way to a enjoying a fun hobby.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE? You are welcome to use it, as long as you include the following: Russell Webb, your friendly expert Custom Carpet Maker. If you’re ready to launch your own creative and exciting home based business as a custom rug fabricator, and have fun doing it, subscribe to my FREE 4 part mini-course at http://www.erugmakers.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Russell_Webb

Arts & crafts with kids!

There are countless reasons why it is a great idea to do arts and crafts with your kids. For one, working on arts & crafts helps to hone children’s creativity. Arts and crafts can also help promote teamwork and sharing, as well as offering the perfect opportunity to bond and find new common interests. Arts and crafts also allow kids to openly express themselves, even at very young ages. Nonetheless, despite all these positives, the best reason for getting your kids involved in arts and crafts is that it is fun! If you are panicking that you will not know how to guide your child through their first craft, there is no need to worry; there are plenty of arts and crafts ideas for all ages from pre-schoolers up through teenage artists.

Best practices for doing arts & crafts with kids

1. Don’t ask “What is it?” when you are befuddled as to the identity of your kid’s final creation. Just ask your kid to tell you more about their art or craft, and let them explain how they see their creation.

2. There will be a mess. There is nothing you can do about it. As soon as you make that realization, the whole experience will be far more enjoyable. Indeed, sometimes it is even important to make a mess. Take that knowledge to plan ahead. Get a large clear workspace for your kids, and give them the opportunity to be creative without having to worry about getting paint on your new Persian rug

2. Making arts and crafts is supposed to be about using your imagination. For this reason, try not to show your kids a completed craft as an example. Instead, let your kids learn to interpret the instructions as they wish in order to truly be creative. This will also give your kids a good lesson on the best ways to follow and adapt instructions.

4. Making arts and crafts requires a lot of focus. For this reason, it is best to get your kids to calm down a bit before placing them in front of glue and scissors.

Basic supplies for making arts & crafts with kids

Just like your kitchen pantry, a kid’s craft drawer should have a few staples. While you may need something more specific for special crafts, for the most part you will be able to get by with the following list: kid-friendly paint, scissors, crayons, etc. It’s also a good idea to keep a drawer stocked with construction paper, beads, glitter, paint brushes, glue sticks, and the ever popular “wiggly eyes.”

The education benefit of arts & crafts

Arts and crafts can be used to apply hands-on learning to any subject. Using crafts this way helps kids think more in-depth about the subject of their artwork or craft projects. Virtually any subject matter can be taught using arts & crafts with a little creativity. For instance, if you are learning about world geography, you could have the kids make a tissue paper globe.

Learn about holidays, history, and any other topic your kids should study. Even math can be enriched through arts and crafts. Remember that school isn’t the only place kids should be learning; your kids will be much more willing and excited to learn if you make learning fun with interactive arts and crafts projects.

Some ideas for kids’ arts & crafts

Kids’ arts and crafts can be quick and simple to keep the attention of on-the-go toddlers. They can also be sophisticated and complex for older kids who are up to a challenge. To get an idea of the scope of arts and crafts projects out there, take a trip to your local arts and crafts store or teacher’s supply shop. These stores will have pre-designed craft kits, including jewelry art, painting kits, and other craft ideas. Each kit will come with instructions and all of the materials you require.

Another good idea, once you have gained some experience, is to walk arts and craft stores to shop for kids’ art ideas. Here are some ideas: try straw painting, where kids can create arts and crafts by blowing paint through a straw onto a poster board or construction paper; or let your kids dip marbles in paint and roll them across the painting surface for a messy (but fun!) painting project. If you are looking for something a bit less messy then try pipe cleaner art. This is a great craft because kids of all ages can join in. Young children can use their imaginations to create simple objects out of pipe cleaners. Older kids may enjoy incorporating other supplies such as beads into pipe cleaner art.

Religious arts & crafts

Religious arts & crafts allow artisans and crafters the opportunity to showcase the symbols of their faith, and the opportunity to craft an expression of their faith into tangible form. In this manner, religious arts & crafts provide a way for the faithful to proudly acknowledge their beliefs, and profess their love for their god or gods. Religious arts & crafts usually do this by referring to their religion’s main textual tenants or predominant symbols.

Which religions use arts & crafts to express belief?

Religious arts & crafts, as commonly thought of in western society, is concerned primarily with Christianity. For this reason, the common symbols of Christianity - the cross, fish and loaves, angels, Jesus Christ, etc. - are commonly incorporated into American arts & crafts. Another popular theme is to incorporate scripture quotations. Of course, Christianity does not have a monopoly on religious arts & crafts; arts & crafts are well known within the Jewish tradition, for instance. Jewish arts & crafts typically focus on the most widespread symbols of Judaism, and include the Star of David, menorahs, and other icons of the belief. Jewish sayings are also frequently featured on Jewish arts & crafts.

Ideas for religious arts & crafts

Religious arts & crafts are designed to serve as decoration for one’s home, office, vehicle, or church. Although religious features could be showcased in virtually any type of arts & crafts, these are some popular ideas for religious arts & crafts used for decoration:

1. Beaded Crafts: With a set of beads and string, pipe cleaners or safety pins, the devotee can create cute, creative religious arts & crafts. The possibilities for these crafts are almost endless, and are great for the whole family. These beaded crafts can be designed as jewelry, decorations, and other adornments. Virtually any religious symbol is possible with this versatile craft idea, from the Star of David to the Shroud of Turin.

2. Paint Your Own: Try to let your creative side out and paint your religious items for decoration and display or even for use in a religious service. Special ceramic paints are great to use for painting, decorating, and personalizing ceramic crosses, angels, and even scenes from the Bible. Personalize these paintings with names, birthdays, and scripture to make wonderful personalized gifts.

3. Cross Stitch & Embroidery: While it may take more skill and expertise, with a bit of practice most devotees can become experts and creating needlework arts & crafts. Religious needlework is especially noteworthy as it can combine both graphical images of crosses, angels, doves, and Bible scenes, as well as scripture, Bible verses, and other words of inspiration. Some more popular options for religious arts & crafts using cross stitch and embroidery include religious pillows and Bible covers.

4. Stained Glass Arts & Suncatchers: Stained glass art is popular for religious arts & crafts since stained glass is usually associated with churches and places of worship. This does not mean that you need to be a church to afford stained glass art. Far from it, inexpensive stained glass kits are readily available in most hobby and craft stores, and can be used by those without any previous experience.

5. Ornaments & Window Hangers: Ornaments and window hangers are often quite simple to create - in the absence of specialized skills, all you need is some imagination and a dash of creativity. Ornaments may be designed specifically for the Christmas season, or may be year-round crafts that can be hung anywhere, even from your rearview mirror. Look on the Internet for some fun ideas for religious ornaments, hangers, and other crafts.

6. Handmade Jewelry: Most religious people will happily wear the symbols of their faith as a personal reminder of their faith and devotion. Handmade religious jewelry is very popular, and can include anything from resin angel earrings to homemade metal crucifixes. Brooches, necklaces, and bracelets are also very popular, and while they are generally designed for women, men are becoming increasingly comfortable wearing fine handmade crucifix necklaces.

Looking for resources for making religious arts & crafts

Many arts & crafts shows will feature quite a bit of religious crafts and artwork. While there are rarely shows designed specifically for this niche market, a very high percentage of artisans & crafters feature work that includes a religious focus. If you are not able to attend any shows, do not give up hope. When looking for other ideas for religious arts & crafts, head to your local Christian bookstore or specialty shop. These stores will almost always maintain special sections dedicated to arts & crafts supplies of a religious nature. These stores also typically have arts & crafts ready for purchase and gift giving. If you are more adventurous, go to a hobby and arts & crafts store and convert a secular hobby kit into a testament of your faith.

Finding an easy mother’s day craft for toddlers is not always that easy. I know that most people consider making bookmarks rather boring but, we must keep in mind that the toddlers probably haven’t made any yet, so for them, making a bookmark for mom is new. This easy bookmark craft is also a fun way to teach the little ones what happens when different colors are mixed.

Remember, this craft for toddlers needs to be done under adult supervision and the little ones will need help with some of the steps.

This is what you will need for this mother’s day craft:

• A small piece of white poster paper
• A decorative pair of craft scissors (called zigzag scissors by some)
• 4 Colors of thin watercolors (you can find watercolors powder to make these at any crafts store)
• A medicine dropper
• Thin ribbon in a color of your choice
• A punch to make a hole for the ribbon

Method for this mother’s day craft:

1. With your decorative scissors cut a piece of your poster paper to the required size for a bookmark. (Bookmarks do not always have to be the well known size, I have a very pretty one that my granddaughter made that is quite big and it is beautiful. A bigger bookmark also gives you more space to work with.)
2. Now you have to splatter a little bit of clean water on your bookmark. (Not too much because we do not want the bookmark to become too soggy!)
3. Draw one of the colors, of your paint, up into the medicine dropper and drip the paint on different places on the bookmark.
4. Wash the medicine dropper and repeat the procedure with the other the other three colors.
5. You will notice that the colors will flow a little and where they mix the colors will change depending on the colors you used. For the little ones it may be a good idea to use the primary colors.
6. Keep an eye on the kids so that they do not get over exited and use too much water and paint, as the bookmark will then become very soggy and the end result will not be satisfactory.
7. Let your bookmark dry completely.
8. Punch a hole in the bottom of the bookmark and thread the ribbon through the hole.
9. Make a not in the ribbon to keep it in place.

Kids really love doing crafts that can be used in some way. With this mother’s day craft for toddlers they make a gift for mom that she will be able to use for many, many years to come. I hope you and your toddler will enjoy this easy mother’s day craft for toddlers.

Arts and crafts: Engulf yourself to find out some glimpses of the past.

The manifestation of the various qualities like aesthetic sense, artistic value and creative power of the artists is possible only through the various arts and crafts. These arts and crafts signify a great historic and cultural value. Through the curtains of art one can experience the magic of the wonderful traditions and life style of the past. Innovation has been a useful in digging the several mysteries of ancient cultures till today.

Every nation has its own variety of arts and crafts. India is a nation of a wide range of cultural diversity. It is often called unity in diversity. Starting from Kashmir situated in the north till kanyakumari in the south. Let it be Gujarat and Rajasthan in the west to the far eastern states like Manipur and Assam. Indian cultural diversity says it all.

The European art during the later half of the nineteenth century showed the impact of the expanding industrialization and it marked a decline in the romanticism and cultural aspects of art. The machine made crafts started becoming more popular than the hand made ones. Various materials like wood, paper, glass, porcelain, clay, metals, leathers, etc. are used to create such wonderful arts and crafts.

Further arts can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, collages, drawings or photography. The clay potteries and metallic wares are the milestones of Indus valley Civilization. The Mauryan era portrayed its art in the form of stone sculptures and jewellery crafts. The Ajanta and Ellora caves are outstanding examples of the Gupta arts. The Mughal era was characterized by the various miniature paintings, sculptures and ornate jewelries.

If you want to know more about Arts And Crafts then feel free to visit Craft Kits and School Supplies Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jitesh_Arora

The birth of a new baby is always cause for celebration. Whether you are the new mom or a close friend, you want to do something special to commemorate the happy occasion. A baby shower for mom and her little one is always appropriate. It provides a venue for everyone to meet the new arrival and it always serves as a way for all those who care for the mom and dad to give a small token of their affection. If you happen to be contributing to the organization of the event there’s a fun way to make it extra memorable. A baby shower candy bar wrapper is easy to create and is a nice keepsake for mom, baby and everyone in attendance.

A baby shower candy bar wrapper is easy and very inexpensive to make. There are several different approaches to this and they all work really well. If you have a small image of the newborn you should incorporate that into the wrapper’s design. This will serve as a lovely reminder to all the guests of what the baby first looked like when he or she was born. Babies change so dramatically, so quickly, so this is a really nice thing to have. It’s also a good idea to tuck away one of the candy bar wrappers for the baby to have when they grow up. It’s always fun to look back at what you looked like when you were small.

Another really fun and inventive idea that involves a baby shower candy bar wrapper is to use the wrapper as an invitation. Instead of going the traditional route of sending out paper invitations or emailing them, you can make a wrapper that includes all the needed details. The address where the shower is being held, the date and time, and how to RSVP are all necessary. You can create these wrappers to fit on either large chocolate bars or the mini size ones. Have a few extra on hand in case shower guests want one or two to take home.

Mailing these generally isn’t that great of an idea so take a day out of your schedule to hand deliver them. Bring along some images of the baby and his or her parents so party goers can get a little glimpse into what the new bundle of joy looks like. Remember to deliver one to the new mom as well, so she can ensure she’s ready to celebrate her new baby’s birth with everyone she cares about.

What I am going to tell you about gift basket making thoughts & gift basket ideas is a treasure. Making a gift basket is an art and if you are good enough to prepare the right basket then you would be able to see the smiles on everyone’s faces. Looking for a place where you can get all the best ideas to make an appealing gift basket then boy you have come to the right place, we will tell you how.

Here we would like to you a complete list of things and ideas to make or create exclusive items that would put to shame some of the professionally gift baskets available in the market, all you need is imagination and implementing the whole idea properly.

· Delicious food packing are one of the most sort after gifts packing done today. A basket package having gourmet pasta one or two, paprika, tongs, garlic olive oil or virgin olive oil, Tabasco sauce, spices such as oregano, chili powder, dried red peppers, basil, black pepper, cayenne pepper, white pepper, thyme, or a mixture of spices, sauces of the likes of chili sauce, HP sauce, plum sauce, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce or Szechwan sauce, hot pickles plus an additional recipe book shall be nice to round it off. If you like to have more in the basket then flavored teas, herbal teas, cleavers, olives or chopsticks would be fine as well.

· For those who are wine collectors or like wines then what better gift than a gift basket containing wine. Such baskets are ideal for Christmas, for New Year, Thanksgiving and at any occasion. Take a small pretty looking tub or the conventional basket and place good wines either red or white or of them, place some wine glasses, corkscrew, pack some snacks as well like fine cheese, dry fruits, roasted nuts, and the odd Swiss chocolates would make the basket complete.

· Quite a lot of people love craft. In every family there exists an admirer of craftwork. If you are making one that has craft material in it them it should have a painting kit, glue gun having glue sticks, wood sticks, acrylic colors, fabric or glass painting kit, gel candles, water oil, craft knife, set of brushes, beads, candle making kits, pine cones, candle wax, dried flowers, wreath hangers, grape vine wreath, ribbons, oasis foams, arts & crafts material, DIY books, DIY project kits or pattern books.

* For the newborn you can have some baby bath kits, baby blankets, baby photo album, diapers and all sorts of goodies that are there in the market.

With the above listed ideas there should be no dirt of thoughts to make a great gift basket. I sincerely hope that we have listed all that can be done to prepare a proper and elegant gift basket. The list can be endless but that we have told you encompass a wide range of possibilities to choose from. Put a small handwritten note so that the person will remember you for a long time and I think this note shall be the perfect finishing material.