Crafts for Boys: Robots

This craft looks so super fun! As a mom of three boys I know how hard it can be to find crafts that those boys will love. Sure, my boys love to make the animals out of paper towel tubes, and they will make their mama a special gift here and there but they love boy crafts just like this one the most.

I love the fact that you can really use whatever you have around the house to make these guys and it really sparks that creativity to come up with new great items to use. theartistwoman.blogspot.com did a great job of showing us how to make these fun little robots!

Happy Crafting!

~Andrea

30 Days of Mom: Hand-Print Apron

Welcome to my new series: "30 Days of Mom" Be sure to check out all 30 mom-friendly craft ideas.

Today's project is one of my favorites. I love using my kids' hand-prints to create projects. That way every time you look at that particular item you are flooded with memories of times gone by. I borrowed this picture from 2ndhomeexchange.com. They didn't have a tutorial on this project but it looked pretty straight forward.

You would need to get a plain apron. I have seen these at Hobby Lobby before. You then need to get some fabric paint. Be sure the follow the manufacturers instructions on the paint. To complete the writing - those colored permanent markers work great. I love how the name of each child is in the middle of each "flower" and I also like how the year was added to make this keepsake extra special. I would do this project in a heartbeat for my mom, mother-in-law, and both my grandma and my husband's grandma for Mother's Day. I hope it inspires you as it has inspired me.

Picture courtesy of :http://www.2ndhomeexchange.com/free-craft-ideas/

Easter Project: Family of Chickens

This is a cute project from Martha Stewart - as if Martha makes ugly projects. I thought it would be so cute to make your own little chicken "family".

Happy Crafting!
~Andrea

30 Days of Mom: I Love Mom Sign

Today I am launching my new series: "30 Days of Mom"

For the next 30 days I will be posting a project that any mom would absolutely love to receive from their child.

I know it is hard because we - as moms- are the ones that are generally doing the crafting with our kids but I still wanted to do this anyway. Perhaps you are an aunt, a friend, or even a dad (wink, wink) that wants to help someone have an extra special Mother's Day.

I happen to do a craft with my kids each year for both my mom and my mother-in-law and both my grandma and my husband's grandma. Each of these projects can be adapted to become a "grandma gift" as well.

I am kicking things off with this adorable "I love Mom" sign. I would love to receive this from any one of my kiddos. This sweet little sign comes from Women's Day - be sure to take a peek!

Kids Craft Bargain of the Week!

Every Friday I am going to be posting a "bargain of the week". I know that as a mom I can make a lot happen with very little. It has been the times when I have had to be the most frugal that I have come up with some of the best ideas.

That being said, every once in a while it is just so nice to splurge a bit and get a craft kit or two that you can have on hand for those special days.

These crafting kits are hardly a splurge because they are so cheap! The people at Creative Kids Crafts are offering 5 kits for $12! I couldn't believe it when I found this site. They are so cute and there are so many to choose from.

It is also perfect because today I am launching my new series "30 Days of Mom" where I will be featuring crafts that celebrate all the mom's out there with the grand finale being on May 8th - Mother's Day! I thought this "Flower Pot Craft Kit" "Flower Pot Craft Kit" was just a perfect craft project to celebrate Mother's Day. So, check out Creative Kids Crafts for this project and more!

Happy Crafting!
~Andrea

Nature Crafts: Koala Bears

I saw this cute little craft and the first thing I thought of was all of the Spring Break vacations my family and I use to take to the beach when I was a kid. Every year we went to Mexico and enjoyed the sun and the ocean. I must have picked up a thousand seashells over the year. I never knew what to do with all of those seashells when I got home - who knows what even happened to them all...

Anyway, I saw this craft and totally thought of a way to use all of those seashells that are being collected on Spring Break vacations right at this very moment! (Give or take a week or two depending on where your at.) Regardless, if you have some seashells that have piled up - give this Martha Stewart craft a try!

Happy Crafting!
~Andrea

Paper Plate Projects: The Pig

I thought this project was so cute and super easy! It would be even easier if you had all of the pieces pre-painted. I was thinking that it might be a great birthday party craft project????

Another perk - you will most likely have all of the supplies on hand and therefore it will be FREE! Free is good...

Take a peek at this project by visiting FreeKidsCrafts.com.

Paper Towel Tube Tuesday: The Giraffe

Every Tuesday I plan on posting a project that you can complete using the abundance of paper towel tubes and toilet paper tubes that we always have on hand and never know what to do with!

This giraffe paper towel tube project is super cute and super easy. Great for a follow-up zoo trip or after a fun giraffe themed book!

Make sure you visit All Kids Network for the "how to".

Enjoy this fun, easy, and cheap craft project for kids!

Happy Crafting!
~Andrea

Monday Puppet Day: The Tiger

This is a super cute hand puppet made from one of my very favorite crafting supplies - the brown paper lunch bag. The first thought that came to my mind when I saw this project is the zoo! What a great Monday project following a weekend trip to the zoo?

This project contains supplies that most of us have on hand which makes it even better because you won't have to run to the store for any last minute supplies, it is super cheap - and maybe even FREE! Give it a try today and don't forget to let me know how it turns out by leaving a comment.

For detailed instruction on how to make this project go to Kaboose.

Picture Courtesy of Kaboose.com

Fun Foam Kids Craft: The Owl

This is a super fun project! And as a homeschool mom - I was just ecstatic when I found this craft project because of all the fun shapes in incorporates.

If your child is learning his or her shapes (especially the triangle) this is the perfect craft. I love when I find projects that reinforce what we are trying to learn and with a 5 year old and a 3 year old currently learning and mastering their shapes - it is a win-win!

This is also a great project if you have been studying the owl or if you recently read a wonderful owl book for story time. What a great way to follow-up!

To take a peek at this project be sure to visit Kids Crafts Made Easy!

Be sure to share all of you wonderful stories on how this project turned out for you in the comments section!

Happy Crafting!
~Andrea

Crafts For Kids: The Quacking Duck

Sometimes desperate measures call for super crafty solutions. This little project just may be the answer to one of those times. The folks over at glueguncrafts.com posted this little project that every mom should keep in her back pocket "just in case".

Happy Crafting!
~Andrea

Easter Project: Penguin Egg

With Easter coming up later this month I plan on listing as many Easter projects as possible. You will want to check back every day as I am going to keep you "hopping". :-) (I couldn't resist.)

This first project is so cute! Even though you don't really think of the "penguin" when you thin of Easter - it is still made with an egg so I am counting it! It wouldn't be difficult to change thing pattern up and make a chick with just a little imagination.

In this project they used a wooden egg which will definitely make it more durable than say a hard boiled egg but you might even think about using one of those plastic eggs too. Now that I think of it - this would be a great post-Easter project because you usually end up having about a million of those plastic Easter eggs floating around and you never know what to do with them. Hmmm..... this just inspired me to come up with a "Post- Easter Project" series.

Anyway, take a peek at this project from the great people at FaveCrafts.com. I hadn't ever been to this website before prior to finding this project there but I am sure I will be going back soon because they have some great ideas!

Don't forget to drop me a note letting me know how this project went for you in the comments section and don't forget to become a "Follower" to keep up on all of the great projects I am posting daily!

Happy Crafting!
~Andrea

Welcome

Welcome to Kid Kraft 101. As a mom to 4 wonderful children - one of my very favorite things to do in life is to craft with my kids. I have been a crafter myself for as long as I can remember and this is something I definitely want to pass on to my children. I think the ability to think creatively is priceless.

It is my goal to help all of you out there come up with fun, easy, affordable, and - whenever I can - free crafts! Everyone loves FREE!

Stay tuned for cool projects and hopefully even a give away now and then. Make sure you become a "follower" so that you don't miss out on any of the action.

Happy Crafting!
~Andrea