more at the what are you making thread at the forum
zebra knits is making an african quilt
foxy art studio repurposed a mens cashmere sweater
lulalouise has a tutorial for a reversible shoulder bag
paper and cloth has a great idea for using some of those beautiful christmas cards
betz white has a lovely felted wool peas tutorial
the farmchick has a dogbed made from old clothing.
Corney-but a nice and easy craft for the kids to make. It’s about as simple as it looks-melt and pour soap in a little plastic baggie with a plastic fish in it. Tie the bag while it’s still liquid and voila! The hardest part is keeping the fishie upright while it solidifies.
Collect your items:
a double boiler if you are going to use a stove top, or a pyrex measuring jug for the microwave | a block of clear melt n’ pour soap | Lollipop bags (I actually found ones already in the shape of a fish bowl!) | plastic fish-smaller than 2 inches
Cut up the soap into one inch blocks and melt about 4-5 ounces per fish soap, following the directions on the soap for the microwave or over medium heat in the double boiler. As it melts set up your bag(s) so that you’ve rolled the top edges back out of the way and they are sitting upright. I use small desert dishes to hold each one.
Once the soap is liquid, pour it in the bag and drop in your fish. If the fish ends up sideways or (gasp!) upside down, use a plastic fork to poke it upright and then try to avoid moving it around. Very carefully use a twist tie (they should have come with the lollipop bags) and tie the top of the bag closed, which will push the soap up and create the look of a bag of water. Let it sit in the dish until hard.
If you have a really skinny fish that doesn’t want to stay upright, cut a couple of small blocks of soap and rather than melt it, put them into the bag with the fish sandwiched between them, then pour the melted soap over it very carefully.
About the maker: Angarad blogs at sweetWhen she is not making things, she is with her kids thinking about making things. She followed a dream she had been thinking about for years, and opened a craft center. Now she spends her time crafting and calling it work! Her passion is book binding, but she also has a weakness for all things made from fabric, wool and paper, she also knits like crazy.
My recommendations for books for crafting with and for children.
D.I.Y. Kids, Ellen Lupton & Julia Lupton, published by Princeton Architectural Press (website for the book and old blog).
The official blurb (an excerpt):
All over the world, parents are raising kids to get active and embrace the “design-it-yourself” spirit of homemade arts and crafts. … D.I.Y. Kids is designed to trigger imaginative play, without requiring fees, teams, or a minivan. It’s for parents, teachers, aunts and uncles, friends and babysitters, neighbors and citizens—anyone who wants to create a better world not only for, but also with, the next generation. Most of all, it is for kids who want to make their mark by exercising the arts of design with wit, intelligence, and style. read the review here.
Wholly Irresponsible Experiments by Sean Connolly published by Icon Books August 2007.
As a very irresponsible child my husband was the perfect person to review this book, with all the crazy experiments he got up to in his childhood involving gun powder and chemical explosions etc – I thought he would really dig this book. The title sure sounds interesting but in fact the experiments in the book are really quite responsible – and not in fact at all irresponsible. – read the full review here.
How to Make Books: Fold, Cut & Stitch Your Way to a One-of-a-Kind Book
This is one of those books that is a pleasure to hold and touch and you just want to keep on feeling it. … I was immediately taken with the very first chapter – ‘Instant books’ such a simple idea – folding a single piece of paper to make an instant book, zine, sketch book, note pad. I immediately made one from a scrap of paper, then I showed the children how to make them too and they spent the evening at home making little books and writing poetry, doing sketches and other secret children’s business. My 5 year old boy was so impressed with himself that he took his books to school the next day and taught the teachers and the class how to make them and now a whole bunch of pre-school kids are making their own books and writing and drawing their secret business. read the full review here.
The Boy Mechanic Makes Toys: 159 Games, Toys, Tricks, and Other Amusements (So Many Projects, Not Enough Time) (Paperback)
by The Editors of Popular Mechanics, published by Hearst (June 1, 2007).
This is an adventurous child’s dream book. Originally published in the early 1900’s it is part of a larger series of Boy Mechanic books. read the review here.
Making Books That Fly, Fold, Wrap, Hide, Pop Up, Twist & Turn: Books for Kids to Make (Paperback) by Gwen Diehn. Published by Sterling Publishing/Lark books.
This book is a book about making books, and includes ideas and topics for books and suggestions on presentation with explanations and ideas of various learning journeys on how children can present their ideas and research, story telling and artistic pursuits, thinking about the end result of the book as well as the contents, thinking about who the book is for and how it will be used. read the review here
Kids Knit: simple steps to nifty projects by Sarah Bradberry. Published by Sterling
While this book might be aimed at older children who are able to follow written instructions, I think it would also be good for parents who are wanting easy projects to teach younger children. read the review here.
from the Australian Women’s Weekly. Published by ACP Magazines Ltd.
I was really excited to see that this classic has been reprinted. It is a fabulous collection of craft activities for kids aged 2-8 – parents too. Step by step instructions designed to stimulate imagination and confidence assist with coordination, concentration and problem solving and to encourage experimentation. Good instructions with easy recipes and hints on cleaning up, excellent photos of real kids making these projects. read the full review here.
Whip Up is now taking article and tutorial submissions.
We are looking for tutorials and submissions that fit within our feel – read our Manifesto for more information.
We are looking for thematic articles and tutorials to fit within the months themes – see monthly themes below – but also timely articles outside of these themes will be considered such as exhibition and pattern reviews, craft memes, fun, frivolous and extreme ideas, etc that cannot wait and do not fit within the theme.
Submissions now being accepted for January, February and March 2008
- January: Children’s crafts
- February: Alternative crafting
- March: Ephemeral art and craft
To learn more about how to submit an article read the submission guidelines here
Soulemama, always an inspiration for me, has helped her children make the most wonderful calendar. The children did all the drawings during the year, and collected and collated the images for Amanda to scan. What a fabulous project to do with the kids.
Australian mama Cheryl makes these great Lidmen (and Lidladies and Lidbots and animals for the Lidland Zoo) for sale online and also offers a tutorial on how to make your own. What a great green craft for kids. If you’re lidless, or don’t think your country’s lids are as cool and colorful as Australia’s, you can also buy a kit. (via)
As part of our month of crafts for children, we will be posting links to cool ideas and inspiration as well as tutorials and articles. We are still taking tutorial and article ideas for the month so please email your ideas and stories to me at whipup[at]gmail.com.
who would have thought that needle felting would be an ideal craft for kids – but looking at this great tutorial for needle felting a cute owl over at reprodepot blog – I think it would make a great project to do with some supervision for your kids.
Am loving some of the projects that people are posting on the forum:
Like this guitar bag (with tutorial – see link) boredandcrafty blog
and this gorgeous girls cape (perfect for our month of children’s crafts)
Also Jan 22 there is a craft mafia meetup – If you’re interested in becoming a member or just want to meet some new people, come on out! Bring a friend, the more the merrier! all info here.
anyone know anything ‘they might be giants’ knitted puppets?
more on ‘is selling your craft worthwhile?’
Selling your arts & crafts for a living IS a hard job, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world… I’ve heard lots of great advice from various people, but one of the best things to keep in mind is… ‘Don’t have all your eggs in one basket’. That might mean making/selling a variety of things, it might mean selling in a variety of places, etc… each person has a different idea, but definitely diversify and expose yourself to a wider market, and you’ll have more success… more visibility in the world…
As part of our month of crafts for children, we will be posting links to cool ideas and inspiration as well as tutorials and articles. We are still taking tutorial and article ideas for the month so please email your ideas and stories to me at whipup[at]gmail.com.
craftastica has an excellent tutorial about natural dyeing of eggs (easter is coming up…) – what a great project to do with your kids.
onions and red cabbage were the best, but i also had success with beets (brick red, but only after soaking for several hours — before that, a displeasing brown, alum or not), tumeric (very similar to yellow onions but less dappled and more likely to stain everything), and hibiscus tea. i expected the tea to result in purple or blue eggs, but instead got a sage green,
