My boys are 7 and 11 and have birthdays close together and many friends in common. This is the first year we decided to do a combined birthday party. It's getting a little difficult to do a theme party for 11 year olds and we were planning to have a simple home party instead of going out to laser tag, bowling, or any of the other popular party outings. I was looking for ideas online and came upon tie-dye. The boys loved it and I see many of them wearing their shirts often around school.

read the rest...

Huge fun! Use old socks to make playful creatures - not just monkeys! This guy has been named Rupert Snodgrass and his less-than-superhero persona is still evolving, since Luke just received him for his 7th birthday.

read the rest...

We've got loads of little crayon bits saved up in our craft zone, just waiting for a good use - and here it is!  I stumbled upon this project one night and have been eager to try it out. It worked so well that I want to make another again very soon with what I've learned in this first try.

read the rest...

In my Yahoo! Loom Class group there was a message about illusion knitting. I'd never heard of this before and set out to discover more about it. I found many very cool patterns for needle knitting, but none specifically for the Knifty Knitters or other knitting looms. Aha! A puzzle! I began to use bits and pieces of information from various needle patterns and loom knitting websites to develop my own pattern. After two slightly off attempts I had the concept down. This purse is made on the yellow 38 peg Knifty Knitter long loom.

read the rest...

Making ice luminaries is easy and fun. Try a few and make use of the cold weather while it lasts! It might even inspire you to have friends over for a backyard bonfire before winter's over. They look best in groupings, so make a variety using whatever empty containers you have on hand. You can add flowers, fruit, rocks, shells, glitter, sticks... let your creative juices flow!

read the rest...