me and my girl

Mary Jars

We recently read the biblical account of Mary breaking her alabaster jar of perfume over Jesus' feet and wiping them with her hair. We made our own Mary Jars with these small glass vases. We used puffy paint on some, and colored permanent marker on others. They made great gifts. They'd be even better with a ribbon and tag with the Scripture reference on them.

***Deb is mom to four children, two of them crafty girls. When she's not crafting or schooling the children, she can be found working on her latest Sonflower Sisters curriculum or posting on their new blog: www.AsWeWalk.com.

paper butterflies

This project is wonderful for children of all ages, and can be easily done with things you already have around your home! And it's quick, so you don't have to sit for hours. Gather together: coffee filters watercolor paints or markers paintbrush clothespins black construction paper white glue You could choose to do this outside at the picnic table on a nice day, or cover your work surface with  newspaper. Spread a coffee filter out, and let your assistant(s) paint them however they choose. If you use marker, they can color small sections, and then go over it with a wet paintbrush. This makes the colors bleed, giving the same effects as the paint. Let the coffee filters dry. Scrunch the middle of the filter, and place it inside a clothespin. Glue two small strips of black construction paper onto the clothespin for antennae. These can be hung on walls or windows with FunTack. You could also attach a magnetic strip to the back so that they can be hung on the refrigerator. This activity makes a perfect little craft for a birthday party, leaving you with a cute favor for the guests to take home! Unless the LORD...

personalized pillowcases

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I have made these pillowcases on several occasions before.  My kids always love being able to decorate these in their own personal way to match their room or whatever holds their fascination at the time.  Here are the things you need to make your own:

• pillowcase in your choice of color
• fabric paint  (I'm sure fabric markers would work well, too)
• foam stamps
• stencils
• paint brush

First, iron your pillowcases to make them easier to work with.  Next decide where you want the name and how you want the design.

You can now begin stamping and/or painting.  I normally let them brush the paint onto these foam stamps to control how thick the fabric paint is.  Start at the top of the pillowcase and work your way down.

Press the stamp straight down and be sure to pick it straight up or it will smudge.

With smaller kids, things are not going to be perfect and there will most likely be drips and smudges, but they will enjoy the process so much because they did it all by themselves!

Sometimes, I just let them freehand whatever they choose onto the pillowcase.   The older kids do well with freehanding and mostly prefer it to the stamped patterns.

I usually stencil the name on the end of the pillowcase after they have painted and stamped their designs.  We let them dry for 24 hours before use and then put them on their beds.  They wash like a dream and are very easy to take care of. Here they are...all finished!  We hope you give this easy little project a try!

***Hi, I'm Sandra! I have been married to my wonderful husband for 12 years and I am a homeschooling mom to four blessings. You can learn more about me here.   I would love for you to stop by and visit with me at my blog, My Inspired Heart, and see what creative adventures my family and I are up to!

stamping up a mess!

Your kids will love this craft because of all the possibilities.  They can stamp until they get their fill, and when all is done you will have a nice little stash of wrapping paper and stationary.  I will say that this craft is also heavy on the mess-factor, so get ready with paper to cover the table, the carpet, and smocks to cover the kids!

Materials needed:
Acrylic paints (I like to use FolkArt brand)
Sponges
Scissors
Paper
Pencils
Newsprint paper (you can usually get an end-roll free from your local newspaper office)

Let the kids cut out shapes from the sponges (little hands will need help with this).  Don't worry about perfection!  Much is learned from trial and error when it comes to crafting!

Squeeze puddles of paint onto paper plates and let the kids dip and stamp on pieces of paper or on a large piece of the newsprint paper:

You can use the pencil eraser to stamp out small circles for flowers:

A bumpy half-circle resembles a Volkswagen bug:

Flowers and circles make nice wrapping paper:

The pencil eraser turns white paper into cute stationary:

My kids spent a good hour on this project so we ended up with LOTS of stamped goodies.  Clean-up time was a group effort, so it went faster than I thought it would.

At Christmas-time we will revisit this craft and make homemade wrapping paper with cut-out trees and gingerbread men.

Happy stamping!