My husband introduced me to sun prints back when we were dating. I'd never heard of such a thing but, being the craft lover I am, it didn't take long for me to jump in and get playing.



Solar or sun printing paper (also available in kits) let you use commonly found objects and the sun to create silhouetted prints. Place bits and pieces on the paper, expose to the sun, then rinse with water to "develop" the print. (See the package for complete instructions.)



If you use… Continue

The end of the school year is a lot like the holiday season for crafty moms, since there are tons of teacher gifts to make and give. I'm a huge fan of incorporating the kids into class gifts (when appropriate), so anything with handprints or thumbprints get my attention. I also love making personalized gifts for teachers, so something I can embroider or use fabric paint also are on my go-to list.



Here are a few quick gift ideas suitable for the teachers you want to thank:



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I am completely overwhelmed by my end-of-the-school-year gift crafting, which is slightly derailed by my upcoming trip to International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh. But I couldn't let another week pass without bringing up the topic of teacher gifts.

It's been a long time since I've had to do teacher gifts -- I gave them up as each boy moved into middle school and six teachers -- but my daughter's gotten me back in the swing of thing. Sure, I could… Continue

I'm always interested in learning how people got started with their crafty hobbies. It seems like so many women my age grew up with a mother or grandmother who sewed, knitted or crocheted, and then passed on that knowledge.



My crafty heritage definitely begins with mother. She sewed most of my clothes when I was a child and even made herself some coordinating outfits. But her crafting explorations hardly stopped there. She also knit, crocheted, painted fabric, cross stitched, latch… Continue

If your family is anything like mine, then y'all view a restaurant table covered in paper as an opportunity to doodle, draw and play. It seems nothing is as entertaining to my kids (and husband and maybe me, too) as a blank sheet of paper and a couple of crayons.



While not every restaurant we frequent has the foresight to prepare for our patronage, I have found that making art portable has been a great way to keep my kids occupied, while also encouraging creativity.



Among… Continue