Loosely Structured Toddler Art Projects

Posted by Karla
on Sunday, January 6th, 2013

Toddler art projects are often more successful when the parent allows for a mess and deviation from any planned activity. Allow your toddler to explore and go where his mind wanders to. It would be a good idea to have several different activities planned or simply set out several different mediums; paints, clays, paper, colors, and anything else that may interest them. Allow then to mix and match if they wish. This article will give parents a few basic art ideas that your toddler will enjoy!

Painting is one of the most enjoyable toddler art projects around. There are several types of painting that child can experiment with, including but not limited to: finger painting, water color, and the classic painting with a brush are all favorites among children and the more colors the better! An innovative activity is water painting, which is when a child simply uses water and a paint brush for paint on a design; most effective a chalkboard with a dusty surface. This is a creative painting activity for your toddler and comes in handy when you are out of paint!

Drawing is another classic staple of toddler art projects. The best thing about drawing projects are all of the different materials you can use to draw and create pictures!Charcoal, pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons, and chalk can all be used has a drawing medium. Place all of these drawing aids in front of your toddler, give him some paper and watch them create! Don’t dictate which ones they use, let them explore each one as they see fit. Art has the great benefit of teaching use tactile experiences paired with visual stimuli; both of which are vital in keeping your child actively involved in their learning. Art projects such as drawing and painting, seem simple, but allow your child to test out the world in ways that they would normally not be able to do.

Another art project idea for your toddler includes the reuse of any trinkets, gems, charms, buttons, glitter, or any other crafty materials. Lay craft materials out on the table and let your child pick and choose which materials they wish to put on their paper. I would suggest a big poster board and gluing materials firmly onto the paper. You toddler will have fun exploring all of the different materials and creating something all their own you, the parent, will be left with a snapshot in time of your child at this precious age! Parents can also frame the piece and hang it up if they would like to showcase the art!

Toddler art projects can be simple, easy, and enjoyable! Remember to allow your child’s creative impulses to be fulfilled, let this be one place where they can be messy and draw “outside-the-lines.” Drawing, painting, and creating are all artistic ways that children can begin to express themselves. The tactile enjoyment along with the colorful visual stimuli, art is a perfect medium for toddlers to begin to think more abstractly and vividly about the world around them!

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How to Make Simple Homemade Paper Crafts!

Posted by Karla
on Sunday, January 6th, 2013

 There are several reasons why someone may decide to make homemade paper crafts, including; to add some art into your home, use up old craft paper scraps, or simply to initiate a fun craft activity with your children!Read on for a few examples of paper craft ideas that are fun, decorative, and easy!

One idea for homemade paper crafts is to use up extra craft paper that may be lying around your home is to make a homemade paper quilt, which can be used as a lovely wall hanging! Use a 12-inch-square sheet as a base and then cut out 81 two-inch squares of decorative paper. Decide the placement of your paper squares beforehand, by placing them temporarily onto the base. Once you have decided on your pattern you are ready to glue the pattern onto your 12-inch-square sheet. To complete, stick base inside a complimentary frame and hang!

Another way to bright up your place is to create art out of your favorite quotes and inspirational sayings. This is any easy way to express your individuality and the tone you wish to set in your house. You will need a piece of poster board and if you wish letter stencils, to spell out your phrase. Play around with where the text should go and how it will look, before penciling in the message. Colored pencil or watercolor can also be a fun was to color in your message. Finish by framing the poster board and place it wherever you wish in your home!

After the holidays you are often left with scraps of unused wrapping paper, often with several different designs. A crafty way to use this extra gift wrapping scrap is to cut the leftover wrapping up into long strips and use it for decorative tape! This can be bundled together and kept for the anytime you need to add a little something extra to a gift or can be given to people as a gift!

Homemade paper crafts can also be used to initiate fun arts and crafts projects! If you have children who love arts and crafts I would suggest showing them how to cut out their own snowflakes that can adorn your windows for the winter season. Simply gather any construction paper or printer paper that you have and fold a piece of square paper in half and begin to cut out shapes along the folded edge. Unfold the paper to see what design you have created! If you would like your snowflakes to sparkle add some glue to your snowflake and shake on some loose glitter; let snowflake dry before hanging. This is a fun and easy activity that the whole family will love!

Homemade paper crafts are often just a creative way to use up old craft paper in a useful, stylish, and fun manner! They can also initiate a fun activity that will draw the whole family together. Let your inner child out and allow yourself the joy of making paper crafts that can even now brighten up your home!

Categories : paper crafts for kids
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Artistic Toilet Paper Holder Crafts

Posted by Karla
on Sunday, January 6th, 2013

Toilet paper holder crafts can be a helpful and creative way to reuse your old toilet paper rolls. This article goes through a few ways that people can reuse their toilet paper rolls in an artistic way.

Reusing toilet paper rolls to create a brilliant wall hanging can save you money, without skimping on beauty! All that you need are some toilet paper rolls, paint, glue, and a poster board! Cut the toilet paper rolls into one inch circle and paint them which every color or colors you wish. Let them dry and then pinch them slightly together so they make a thin oval shape. You can create the illusion of flowers if you glue the ends of four of these oval pieces together in the center. You can create as many of these flower sets as you wish on the canvas.  I would recommend not gluing the flowers onto the poster board until you have decided where everyone should go.

Hang this wonderfully unique artwork above your bed, in the living room, or anywhere else you would like to showcase your talent! Toilet paper holder crafts such as this one are also very easy for husbands or boyfriends, if they want to make something beautiful and personalized for their spouse.  This easy to make gift allows one to be creative without having to spend a bundle!

Another great way to make an exquisite wall hanging using old toilet paper rolls is to combine the use of real tree branches, toilet paper roll rings that imitate leaves, and paints of all colors. This autumn homemade wall hanging it simple to create and is visually vivid; the real branches make the image pop out of the frame for a more realistic look. You will need old toilet paper rolls, a small art canvas, tree branches, and paint. This activity is one of the most visually stunning toilet paper holder crafts.

The first thing you need to do is slightly smush the toilet paper roll down until the cardboard tube is halfway deflated. Next, cut the toilet paper roll into ½ inch rings after this you can paint the rings any color you wish for the outside of your leaves (or you can leave the brown). Third glue your oval shaped toilet paper roll rings to colored construction paper; using which ever colors you would like. While you let the leaves dry you can glue your real tree branches onto your canvas, using a hot glue gun. Once the leaves have dried cut off the excess paper, cutting as close to the ring as possible. Next, hot glue your leaves to the canvas and let it dry. Last thing to do is to hang it up where you wish!

These toilet paper holder crafts are great artistic ways to reuse your toilet paper rolls. They are also amazing gift ideas if you wish to surprise someone with a homemade gift!These are also great activities if you are looking for a cheap way to add some artistic embellishment to your home!

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Fun and Educational Science Activities for Preschoolers

Posted by Karla
on Sunday, January 6th, 2013

Teaching your toddler the basics of science from an early age will be beneficial to them as they develop and can help jump start their cognitive development. It is easier than many parents think to teach your children the basics of science. The kitchen and the outside world are two simple places where your toddler can begin learning about the science of our natural world. There are fun and easy things that parents can do to begin to teach their children about science, throughout the day; no matter where they are. Read on for a fun list of science activities for preschoolers that parents can easily administer.

The kitchen is one of the first places children begin to learn the basics of science, especially chemistry. Heating, melting, and freezing are naturally things that happen in the kitchen while cooking breakfast and dinner. Heating and melting can obviously be dangerous for a child to do themselves, but letting them watch from a safe distance as you heat up the stove and melt ingredients together is just as educational. Melting is very simple to teach your toddler; take an ice cube out of the fridge and have them run it across a cold surface versus a warmer surface (like their skin) and watch as they begin to notice the ice cube melt!

Teaching children how to follow recipes and help while cooking can educate them on what happens to materials when they are mixed together separated in certain ways. They may not understand the complexities but they will begin to understand that many different materials can be transformed and mixed together to create something new!Science activities for preschoolers such as following recipes in the kitchen can also begin to educate your children on the concept of mathematics; as well as the basic elements of science.

Taking your child outside to explore the natural world is the best and one the easiest ways to teach your child the world of natural science. Taking your child to the zoo or a farm will teach them about the nature of animals. Walking through the grass and inspecting the insect population, birds, and plants can all be educational science activities for preschoolers that will teach them a lot about the natural world around them. An easy activity to do with your toddler outside would be to walk around the yard or a park and inspect all the plant life, insects, birds, or animals you see. Let your child touch and explore the natural world around them (within safe limits).  Interacting with the objects they are learning about often helps a child connect the material learned to their own experience.

Use the season changes a guide for further scientific exploration for your toddler. Educate them about the changes that occur throughout the year and teach them what is different about each season. This can be accomplished with something as simple as having the child draw each season in a picture; depicting the different trademarks of each season. Or something more complex can be done; bringing in crunchy leaves during autumn, a snowball during the winter, hot sand during the summer, and mud during the spring can provide a tactile example of each season! Science activities for preschoolers can be simple to administer and can utilize the natural world that is always around us that your toddler will love!

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The Paper Company Crafts and Creativity; Paper a Crafty Idea!

Posted by Karla
on Sunday, January 6th, 2013

Many businesses and individual crafters would agree that paper should not be wasted; the paper company crafts and creativity offers several great ways to use and reuse paper in your everyday arts and crafts projects!There are also several other places online where people can find amazing crafting project ideas that utilize paper; for kids and adults alike. Read on for a few ideas on how to turn your excess paper problem into an advantage!

There are several ways to use and reuse paper; before we talk about artistic uses, we will visit the practical solutions for reusing paper. If you are going to recycle your paper and use it in everyday situations, shredding the paper will probably be your best bet. Shredded paper can be reused for shipping fragile things in the mail. Gardeners can also reuse shredded paper in their soil; the paper will decompose naturally and will also help the gardener turn the soil in their garden! Shredded paper can also be recycled and made into more paper. Recycled paper is used in many things today such as: notepads, journals, paper towel, toilet paper, and other paper products! Reusing and recycling paper ensures you that you are being as green as possible with your unused paper and putting it to good use!

There are several craft ideas that include the use of reused paper; probably too many to even mention! The paper company crafts and creativity is a great example of an online store that provides its users with several helpful and crafty ideas on how to reusing your unused paper. However it is not the only place online one can find paper craft ideas.

As I stated earlier paper crafts can appeal to both adults and children alike! Children love to play with paper, whether it has been recycled or not! Parents may make the mistake of throwing out old paper scraps when in fact they could be saving these pieces of paper for additional craft activities. Children’s activities that could use scraps of paper would be paper mache, scrap paper art, or to create a simple collage. Parents can top any of their art projects off with a frame or hang it up for everyone to see!

Adults too can reuse scraps; the paper company crafts and creativity can suggest a few ideas. A few ideas that I have seen around the internet are to shred unused paper, color it, and stick it in decorative jars. You can even color the paper differently according to season; creating a wonderful and unique seasonal decoration. Another idea would be to create a wall hanging using paper to convey a personal quote or inspirational message! Lastly, people have been known to create homemade cards, gift bags, and gift boxes out of reused paper. Paper crafts are often a great idea if one must give a personalized gift; nothing says personalization like a hand crafted gift. Create art out of old paper, reuse it, and turn it into something beautiful!

Categories : paper crafts for kids
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Creative Ideas for Shredded Paper Crafts

Posted by Karla
on Sunday, January 6th, 2013

Many homes, businesses, and offices are burdened with tons of shredded paper and no place besides the garbage to put it. There are also crafty ways to reuse shredded paper. Read on for some artistic ideas on some shredded paper crafts, as well as some practical uses for shredded paper.

Long, colorful shredded paper can easily be reused to create handmade cards! Use long strips of paper and place them all together it a long rectangular shape. Glue strips together, fold into a card and place a glossy finish over the top of the paper strips. This is a fun, unique way to send out cards to friends and family – whatever the occasion! You could add more of a personalized touch by using water color paints over the strips of paper, before gluing strips together. Another crafty use for shredded paper is to use it as a filling in gift bags. You can paint strips if you wish for a splash of color inside the gift bag.

Shredded paper can also be reused for paper mache crafts. Paper mache allows you to create any object or shape using newspaper strips and glue. Whatever you make with these paper strips, shredded paper crafts, like paper mache are most enjoyable! Children will enjoy the tactile experience and the process of making something out of the paper mache. A piñata is a great paper mache project that children will love! Also once the paper mache piece dries the kids can paint it however they want and add embellishments to the design!

Shredded paper crafts can also consist of spray painting the strips wild colors and using them in Easter egg baskets or as bedding for any kind of decoration or trinket you may have in your home. A splash of color is always nice have on a nearly empty shelf or among white walls. Another idea would be to place colored shredded paper in jars and use them as decoration! You can create jars of different colors and even for different seasons! This makes a great gift as well!

Practically, shredded paper can be reused for shipping can serve as a nice protective measure when mailing important or fragile packages. Gardeners often reuse shredded paper inside of their compost and also use it when they are turning soil in a planting bed. Paper naturally decomposes while it helps rejuvenate the soil!Shredded paper can also always be made into recycled paper as well.

Whatever you decide to do with your excess of shredded paper we recommend reusing or recycling it. Not only does that reduce the carbon footprint, but it also ensures that this material is not going to waste! Shredded paper crafts are fun and simple ways to reuse shredded paper. Creating new decorations, décor, and holiday trinkets out of your used shredded paper will make you feel better knowing you are being green and recycling products when you can. It will also show you just how creative one can be when they set their mind to it!

Categories : Paper Arts, paper crafts for kids
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Tips to Becoming a Paper Crafting Pro!

Posted by Karla
on Sunday, January 6th, 2013

This article is meant for anyone who is thinking about making a serious business out of their amazing crafts. There are several things one should know before deciding to become a paper crafting pro and starting their own craft business, read on for these tips.

Turning a crafting hobby into a business has an appeal to those who love what they are doing and want to make a little extra money selling their crafts.  One should not enter into the crafting business lightly and there are a few things that people should know about the homemade crafting business before they decide to become a paper crafting pro.

Owning your own crafting business (online or offline) means that you need to be 110% committed to it! Owning a paper crafting business take a lot of hard work, dedication, money, and time! A lot of time is put into not only making to crafts but also thinking about the business-side of things, such as: pricing, packaging, promoting, and selling your crafts. If you don’t have enough time or energy to put all of your effort into it, it may be a good idea to think about another way to earn some extra money.

Once you have decided to carry on with your ‘paper crafting pro’ business it will help to start by selling your crafts to family, friends, and co-workers. This will get the name of your business out there, without you having to sacrifice painstaking hours at craft sales or paying rent for your own building.Gauging price and popularity of your items are both good reasons to start to slowly build up your business. Selling to people you are comfortable with allows the owner to establish a fairly stable price range for all of their items.Starting with friend and family also will allow you to gauge which of your products are most popular and which products that may not be worth your time or money to continue to produce.

After you have established yourself with your family, friends, and co-workers you can start to expand your boundaries; try selling at craft shows or at seasonal boutiques and see if you can successfully expand your consumer base. You can also try to sell your things online; today the online shopping industry is huge and it is worth it to try and gain a piece of the pie! Another great idea is to join forces with other crafters; the more talent and variety of products you have, the more people will become interested in your product!

Becoming a paper crafting pro also becomes a lot easier when you are doing it alongside the rest of the crafting community. Signing up for online crafter’s malls and crafting forums can give the crafter a sense of community; everyone joins together, all of the crafters receive more advertising exposure, and the online stores take care of taxing and collecting the money. If you would like to venture out on your own you risk all the headaches that come along with owning your own business and it is a good idea to enroll in a few business classes at your local college!

Categories : Crafts
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Sticky Paper for Crafts and Activities with Kids!

Posted by Karla
on Sunday, January 6th, 2013

Looking for a fun and innovative way to use sticky paper for crafts? Look no further! This article provides several kid-friendly craft ideas that utilize contact paper! Contact paper is sticky on the back and is often used to cover shelving, drawers, or books. There are other more creative ways to use contact paper and we will discuss those right now.

Contact paper art,is one way to use sticky paper for crafts. This is an easy art project that kids of all ages will enjoy! Use colorful embellishments such as buttons, beads, glitter, or cut up drinking straws to make some simple homemade art! Start by grabbing a piece of paper, whatever color you want, and draw a frame of any shape. Cut out the frame with a scissors. Next, lay out a piece of contact paper, stick side up, on the table. Note the piece of contact paper should be about the same size of the frame you cut out, slightly larger than the frame. Place the paper from on top of the sticky contact paper. Next comes the fun part, place your embellishments in whatever order where ever you want inside the frame. Cut around the frame, to remove the excess contact paper. Now you can hang up your artwork; hanging it up near a window will allow light to hit the piece, which can increase the radiance of the decoration!

Tissue paper art is another great kid-friendly activity that parents can do with their children, using sticky paper for crafts. What you will need: contact paper, tissue paper, tape (scotch tape or packing tape), and construction paper. First, tape a piece of contact paper (sticky side up) to your table of another working area. Next, have your child tear or cut the tissue paper into little pieces and stick the pieces to the contact paper. Lastly, place a piece of colored construction paper on top of the tissue paper; then fold over the other side of the contact paper so that it all sticks together. And there you have it! Your own personalized tissue paper art! If you wish you can also frame the end result and hang it up in your child’s room!

Lastly, another great idea for using contact paper creatively is to create a creative sun catcher!You can use leaves, marbles, flowers, or other trinkets. You will also need: a colorful construction paper frame, contact paper, and a scissors. Tape the contact paper (sticky side up) to the table or your workspace. Next, stick your leaves, flowers, and whatever other embellishments you wish to add to the contact paper. Lastly, place the frame on the top of the stick paper and secure to contact paper to construction paper. Hang up the framed sun catcher in a window where the sunlight will hit it. This simple yet beautiful craft idea is fun for all ages and can also be a great gift idea. To add extra sparkle I suggest adding glitter and colorful gems inside as well! Sticky paper for crafts can make arts and crafts easier and more fun for children and adults alike!

Categories : paper crafts for kids
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Toilet Paper Tube Crafts are Fun for the Whole Family!

Posted by Karla
on Sunday, January 6th, 2013

Making toilet paper tube crafts is fun, easy, and can also reduce your carbon footprint by reusing and recycling products that would otherwise be thrown in a landfill. It can also be fun for your children who will enjoy arts and crafts using simple toilet paper tubes. This article provides a few easy and cheap arts and crafts projects that utilize toilet paper rolls. These activities are great ways to allow your children a fun creative outlet!

Make some music with your toilet paper tubes by creating a kazoo! It’s simple to do and your children will have hours of fun making music with it! You will need a toilet paper roll, some wax paper, scissors, a rubber band, paint, and a paintbrush. First paint the toilet paper tube with any colors you would like and in any design; this is a fun step for the children to complete. Once the paint has dried wrap a piece of wax paper around one end of the tube and secure with the rubber band. Your kazoo if now complete!  Sit back and watch your child explore this rhythmic treat!

Children love to paint but paintbrushes can often be a sticky mess and sometimes seem to be more of a hindrance than anything. If you are tired of soaking dried out paintbrushes for hours before your children can paint than this craft idea is for you! Toilet paper tube crafts include this idea to use toilet paper tubes as paint stamper. Simply take a toilet paper roll, dip it in some tempera paint, and stamp it onto a piece of paper. Use as many colors as you wish! This is a great activity for younger children and eliminates half of the mess for the parents! You can use a different toilet paper tube for each color and simply throw them out when you are done or save in separate baggies and use another time!

Another great kid-friendly craft activity that can be done using a toilet paper roll is to make a colorful butterfly. Creating a butterfly is one of the many fun toilet paper tube crafts that parents can do with their children! All you need is a toilet paper roll, paint (acrylic or tempera), a paint brush, scissors, construction paper, google eyes or black marker, and glue. First, paper the toilet paper roll and let it dry. Once the roll has dried place it on whatever color construction paper you would like for the butterfly’s wings. Draw out two wings on the construction paper and cut them out, as one piece; the wings will slide into the toilet paper roll. Decorate your wings with markers, stickers, gems, glitter, or anything else you would like. Lastly, cut two slit on opposite sides of each other into the toilet paper roll, then slide wings into the slits. This butterfly craft activity is fun for children and allows them to express their creative side!

Toilet paper tube crafts are simple and allow for a lot of creative expression for your children! They will love the flexibility these activities allow for them and that they can create something that showcases their individuality. Parents can rest easy knowing they are recycling and reusing a product that would usually just go to waste. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and create something beautiful!

Categories : toilet paper crafts
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Several Crafty Uses for Patterned Paper!

Posted by Karla
on Sunday, January 6th, 2013

Paper crafts are fun and easy to do! It is no wonder that so many people enjoy such activities. Patterned paper comes in quite handy when doing paper crafts and can usually be found at any store that sells scrapbooking supplies or downloaded and printed off of the internet. Be sure to seal your printed decorative paper with Mod Podge or something similar; inkjet is not waterproof! Also for the best quality be sure to use good quality paper or card stock! Craft paper can be used for so much more than simply scrapbooking, this article explores a few the innovative and creative ways to use craft paper.

Arts and Crafts by Katie@!, on Flickr
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License  by  Katie@! 

Make your own creative embellishments using patterned paper. Punch out shapes, create colorful borders or garlands, or make decorative tags or gift bows! Punches out shapes can be used inside envelopes as one-of-a-kind confetti, can be used in photo albums to add a personal touch, or can be used to brighten up your children’s bedroom walls! Use borders, garlands, tags, and bows as added decoration to gifts that you give to people. They will automatically be touched by how much personalization was put toward the gift and the gift wrapping.

Another great way to use patterned paper is to spice up your journals, notebooks, and pencils! Craft paper can turn any plain notebook or writing utensil into a work of art! Decorative tapes can also be added to give the materials added artistic depth. This would make a great gift for people who strive for ultimate individuality and use art to show off their personal style. It may also be a fun activity for you and your children to do together, before they go back to school!

Arts and crafts come in handy when you need to get someone a gift; homemade presents are often loved by the recipient. Also creating a homemade present allows you to spend less on the gift! Craft paper can also be used to visually enhance do it yourself gift bags and boxes! Add to a simple tin by using craft paper; creating a stylish place to store trinkets! You can also create your own envelopes using anytime of craft paper. Envelopes, gift bags, and gift boxes can all be handmade using patterned paper. Designers simply need to find one of the many templates online that exist to create these items and use craft paper and any other art materials that they see fit to embellish them.

Decorative clipboards are a great way to use up any old craft paper and can create an aesthetically pleasing work environment for you or someone else you know. You can also go a step further and use decorative paper to create a visually stunning pin board. Simply cover the board with the patterned paper of your choice and watch your workplace become a little brighter! Any one of these craft ideas are great ways to brighten up your workplace as well as any gifts that you may be giving to people! Give the gift of personalization and let them know how much you care!

Categories : craft projects, Crafts
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