Finger Paint Bookmarks

Make your own children's finger paint bookmarks. It's fun, easy to do and makes a great gift. Plus, no shipping fee with this holiday, birthday or special occasion present - it fits right in the cards and envelope.

Flower Pens - Craft Corner

Three things I love:

1. Kids

2. Crafts

3. Videos

Sun Visors - Craft Corner

Decorate your own visor.

Fleece Flip Flops - Craft Corner

Create your own pair of fleece flip flops.

Handy Art Projects

I love hand-art. It's unique. It's expressive. And it captures a moment in time, especially when you have little hands to work with.
Here are a couple quick and easy hand-art ideas ... You can do this!

Make Turkeys out of little lands by stamping the hand in brown ink or paint. We used chalk (applied with a cotton ball) to add colors to the feathers. Add legs, googlie eyes, beak, neck and and the date.

Or make a tree.
Depending on the colors you use and the directions of the stamped hand prints, it could be any tree! A weeping willow? Maple changing colors? Bright budding Aspen?
The possibilities are endless.

Don't limit your hand art creativity to paper!
My cousin made this holiday plate with her four children at her local "paint your own pottery" store.
A great way to incorporate more than one person in a hand-print project (you could even use a pet paw print for the base or star).

This canvas was finger painted first.
Once the paint dried, everyone in the family stamped their hands on it with black paint.
This work of art looked gorgeous in a black frame.
A great (inexpensive) gift idea, or fun to have on hand - no pun intended:)

Of course, traditional stamping and framing never goes out of style either.

Some other tips:

~Photo copy - I used the Turkey hand-prints as Thanksgiving cars for family. Of course a three-year-old and 16-month-old aren't interested in stamping their hands over and over. So, we did it once, and then made color copies to send as cards.

~Use other materials - stamp shirts, pillow cases, bags, make clay prints ... whatever you can get your hands on.

~Trace hands and cut them out to make objects (tree leaves, a wreath, feathers, etc.)

!Depending on the age and disposition of your child, hand stamping can be ... not so fun. Don't stress about it. If it works and is fun, go for it. But if your child doesn't want to cooperate, don't force them.

Keepin' it Cool

Cool mom, cool boys and cool ideas.

There are no two ways around it - Sara is cool.

When one of her two little men get an ouchie, she pulls out one of these chilled ketchup "icepack" to help with the pain.

Cool, right?

And that's just the start. Check out the cool way she loads her purse with diaper necessities:

Inside the purse is a mini-diaper carrier with all the changing table necessities - grab and go! This way she eliminates the "diaper bag" for a purse, but still has everything in one place for a quick change.

"It's easy to hand Parker off to dad for a change and my husband doesn't have to carry the whole bag."

The rest of her purse holds all the other things you can't leave home without, like stickers and Thomas trains.

Benadryl and an EpiPen are two essentials Sara carries, though she admits she's terrified to actually use the Pen. She found out the hard way that her little boy has severe allergies to egg and dairy products (among others).

That's also why Sara keeps "safe" snacks on hand. "I'm always on guard when we're in an uncontrolled environment," Sara says. "I've learned a lot from doing Internet research and talking with other mom's whose children have allergies." Sara also says restaurants are more accommodating than she would have previously thought.

Sara shares an egg-less, dairy-less Delicious Banana Bread Recipe:
1/2 c oil
1 c sugar
3 T water, 3 T oil, 2 tsp baking pwd (combined)
3 bananas
2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking pwd
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS rice or soy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
*Mash bananas, beat in oil, sugar and combined water, oil, and baking pwd. Add dry ingredients, milk, and vanilla. Mix well. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Sara also uses and recommends the food allergy network.

A Stroke of Creativity

"Motherhood is creative," Dru a trained artist and mother says. "As a mom you are always creating - sharing ideas and inventing activities for kids to do."

"Crafting is an easy creative outlet," she adds. "It keeps your hands busy and when you're done you have something cute to show."

Home-made gifts are great to give and get.
"I take it as a compliment when someone gives me something they've made, because I know it took time, thought and energy."

Dru embellishes baby blankets and bibs by crocheting the edges; for step-by-step instructions click here.

Encouragement for those who think they aren't the creative type:

JUST TRY IT!

"Most crafts are a lot easier than they look," Dru says, "and if you do the same project several times, you'll get really good at, and be able to do it in a short amount of time."

The first time Dru crocheted the edge of a blanket, she thought it would take forever. But, after completing several, she swears it is "so easy!" And can whip through them in no time.

The more you craft, the easier creating becomes and the better you get at it, Dru assured me. "Plus, you'll probably gain more confidence to try something new once you see how easy it is."

Dru's mom inspires Dru with project ideas ... and Dru says she just keeps her eyes open. "Often I'll see something in a magazine or store and think, "I could probably make that, or something like it."

As a professional artist, Dru is meticulous about detail and spends hours working and reworking an image. She paints from life, nature scenes and relationships she's witnessed.

Though more demanding of time and self expression that craft projects, Dru's art art and skill has helped her become a more art-minded parent. "As an artist I look at the world differently, I notice curves, and try to appreciate nature more. That is something I hope to teach my children to do too."

Here are a couple of tips Dru shares for encouraging artistic expression in children:

1. Never force kids to do art.

2. Encourage self expression without expecting "artistic" results.

3. Teach children to see the beauty and symmetry of nature.
4. Teach children to look at, study and appreciate art.

Here's a sample of some of Dru's crafty creations to get your own "I can do that" juices flowing:

1. Baby carrier cover:

2. Bead a Binky:

3. Embellish Your Wipe Container: