get crafty
Filed Under Stuff | January 12, 2011
Some people who talk about “creating” at this time of year are focusing on higher level thinking about crafting the year ahead, but in our case about we’re usually madly thinking of ways to keep our kids busy. What with the weather generally not being in our favour and a hint of cabin fever in the air, we’re always on the hunt for inspiration. So when Create, Update, Remake: DIY Projects for You, Your Family and Your Home from the editors of Canadian Living came across our desk we immediately opened it to the Kids section and dove in.
As you may know, craftiness is not our strongest suit, though we very much admire it in others. We try to turn our hand to the odd thing here and there and though we’re unlikely to ever sew a Maple Leaf Quilt Square or build a Plate Shelf we’d definitely tackle lots of the kids crafting ideas either for or with our tots. In the Kids section you’ll find everything from easy peasy – we know, we tried making them – Clothespin Butterflies to a Puppet Theatre (with sock puppets to go with it) that we’d like to play with ourselves…err…with our kids.
Kids aside, Create, Update, Remake also includes colour-coded sections covering Sewing, Knitting and Crochet, Around the House, Outdoors, Seasonal and Gifts and Food, and we’re already gathering together everything we need for a few more crafty afternoons with our kids.
The projects come with handy diagrams and explicit, easy-to-follow instructions. We do wish they’d rated the difficulty level of each project but a quick read through makes it pretty clear whether it’s your ability level or not.
And when you all get Vintage Cups Gift Boxes filled with homemade candies from us next holiday season you’ll know both where we got all the how-to info and that we’ve probably been working on them all year long.
Create, Update, Remake: www.chapters.indigo.ca
Alas, Create, Update, Remake won’t be hitting bookstore shelves until next week but we’ve included their Plastic Spoon Crocus craft below, it’ll bring a touch of spring into your house at this dreary time of year:
Celebrate the first flowers of spring with a craft that’s easy for little hands. These cheerful blooms are great on an Easter table or a sunny windowsill.
You need:
• Pipe cleaners
• Plastic spoons
• Green plastic twist ties (on spool)
• Low-temperature glue gun and glue sticks
• Scissors
• Decorative pot or urn
• Moss
To make:
1| Fold over end of pipe cleaner 2.5 cm (1 inch) and twist together; repeat on other end. Repeat 3 more times, for total of 4 pipe cleaners. Gather pipe cleaners together and bend in half, twisting pipe centres loosely to form single unit.
2| Apply hot glue to top of handle of plastic spoon; adhere pipe cleaner bundle to handle, overlapping loose pipe cleaner ends with bowl of spoon.
3| Repeat with 3 more spoons to form flower (see photo, right).
4| Cut two 20.5 cm (8-inch) lengths of twist tie; twist around spoon handles and curl as desired.
5| Make more crocuses. Bundle together and arrange in pot. Fill in spaces around crocuses with moss.
Excerpted from Create, Update, Remake by Austen Gilliland and Canadian Living Magazine Copyright © 2011 by Austen Gilliland and Canadian Living Magazine. Excerpted by permission of Transcontinental. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Leave a Comment
Let us know what you think or share your great finds with us so we can share them with other Vancouver mothers!
