Spring is here! Quick Spring Crafts

Spring is finally here! We couldn't be more thrilled, even if it is still a bit chilly outside. Time to do some crafting to welcome this wonderful season. 

First, we made some pinwheels.

We gathered the supplies below: 

A hole punch, pencils, push pins, scissors, and 6x6 paper in Spring colors.

After we picked out our papers, we cut diagonal lines from each corner towards the center. Do not cut all the way to the center! 

Next, we punched a hole in the center of the paper and on the right side of each of the triangular pieces. 

I folded each corner with the hole into the center, put the push pin through the hole and stuck the entire thing onto the eraser of the pencil.

Now we had pretty pinwheels for Nana's plants! They didn't spin all too well because we used thick paper, but they sure look festive.

The next craft we did was for the birds.

Spread the peanut butter onto a toilet paper roll.

Roll the toilet paper roll in some bird seed.

Hang your bird feeder up in a tree using a wire or string. Enjoy the bit of free time you get afterwards as your child stares out the window waiting for birds.

Have you been getting inspired by Spring? Show us in the comments below! 

Kids Valentine Crafts

I love getting the kids involved in Valentine's Day Crafts. Here is one that I did with my son two years ago. It was so easy for a 2 year old to do. I traced his hand and arm on brown card stock and cut it out. Then i used heart punches in two sizes to cut out light pink and hot pink hearts. I put sticker tabs on the backs of all the hearts and let him put them wherever he wanted. 

He went for a falling leaves style - so cute. I put green card stock on the bottom of the page for the grass and he picked out a picture he liked so I could put it on the page. 

This year we took an embroidery frame in the shape of a heart, used some thread to attach paper to it, and he and I both put our thumb prints on the paper to make a Love Bug. He added the googly eyes, the bow, and drew the legs. I wrote the Love Bug 2014. I love making a project together with him.

Another craft we did together was for preschool. It was this heart that was supposed to have our family in it. He picked out the papers from a 6x6 paper pad, I cut them and he told me where they go. Then he picked out the family sticker and hearts and put the glue on everything. I did the stickers with our names. 

Scrapbooking with a Sketch

If you've never scrapbooked before but are interested, there are so many ideas and inspiration to get you started. Sometimes, I get stuck or have scrapper's block and I'm not sure where to start. I like to find a sketch to follow so I can scrap faster without thinking too hard about where things should go! 

I made this scrapbook sketch for a 12 x 12 layout with 3 pictures, lots of paper, and embellishments. 

What I love about sketches is that you don't have to follow them exactly each time and you can end up with completely different layouts each time you use them! Below, I followed the sketch almost exactly, making sure I had the size of each paper just right. 

 Then I used that same sketch for the layout below, and it looks completely different! Also, these layouts won't be in the same album because they are in chronological order and these pictures were taken months apart. This time, I used Instagram pictures I printed from Origrami, my Canon Selphy, and my Polaroid Instant Camera. 

If you make a layout based on this sketch, be sure to add a link in the comments below so we can see all the varieties of pages!

Family Christmas Mini Album- Scrapbook Tutorial

I have to confess my addiction for scrapbooking and paper crafts. It is my favorite hobby and I'm perfectly content gluing pictures and paper together in my little free time. When I want to feel like I got a lot accomplished and actually finished something, I work on mini albums. I wanted to share one with you today! After deciding what I was going to do, it took me about 2-3 hours. 

I always start with a challenge. Right now, I've been trying to work on this large pile of 6 x 6 paper pads. I love buying these because they give you bits of an entire collection but for a much lower cost - and it all goes together! Apparently I've been neglecting them so I want to make sure I use them in all of my upcoming projects. Today, I picked an old Christmas paper pad from My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Collection. 

I used my Canon Selphy to print out pictures at a smaller, 3 x 4 size using an app called Pic Frame on my phone. 

There are a ton of chipboard mini books out there. Here are some examples of different shapes and brands. Most of these were around $1.00 - $3.00. I'm going to be using that Crayola one in the shape of a house.

Most of my Christmas supplies were still out in a bin from when I made the Activity Advent Calendar so I just pulled out some stickers and die cuts from the bin to use on this project. I'm determined to finish this stash up! I also took out scissors, an Xacto knife, strong adhesive, some distressing ink for the edges of the paper, a hole punch, and a nail file. 

First, I ran the adhesive over the chipboard. Then I took a sheet of the 6 x 6 paper and stuck it right on top. I flipped the chipboard over and used the knife to cut all around it. I used to be terrible with the knife but it gets much easier with practice. I used the nail file to file any imperfect edges and the hole punch to punch the hole on the top of the house where the binding clip goes. I then distressed the edges of the paper with ink to give it a complete look. After the papers were on each page, I put pictures and stickers wherever I felt it looked nice. 

Here is my completed project: 

Hope you enjoyed the mini album and take a chance making your own!