JCasa BLOG

peppermint wreath

say hello to our 2011 holiday wreath!

it's whimsical, festive, and brings a smile to everyone's face as they pass by.
wanna make one?  of course you do!  it's easy as one-two-three.

P E P P E R M I N T   W R E A T H   HOW-TO

1.  first, follow my super simple feathered wreath DIY

2.  gather a few more supplies (psst... the 6' boas are buy one get one 50% at JoAnn's right now)

3.  wrap + pin the red twists into the back of your wreath every once-around

hang it up + instantly get into the holiday spirit!

Happy Pepperminty!  xoxo

crafts they love

one of the girls received this little hand art book as a birthday gift from a friend a few years ago and to this day it is one of the most beloved things in our art cabinet.  at almost 7 years old, our girls are now at a point where they do more and more independent crafting, and this book / kit is one of their favorite jumping-off points.  we are constantly finding these creatures scattered around the house - in fact, just last night after dinner, one of the girls pulled out a roll of paper, glue, crayons and found the tin of googly eyes, and giddily became engrossed in crafting.

i now have a blue (my favorite color) turkey staring at me on my desk.  and i think there's an octopus on the kitchen counter.  love that.

with the holidays coming up, i think it would be great to put together a list of the craft books + kits and games our kids love.  you know, the kind of list we can forward to Santa.  please share your family favorites in the comments section below and let's see what we can come up with. xoxo

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I truly appreciate your comments. Thank you for sharing + spending time in this space.

zombie

now that the fall soccer season is officially over* a certain two little people have an extra free evening each week and they have really been getting their craft on.  last night it was fortune tellers with zombies + ogres and kittens + pet toys.

most of us made these as kids - some people call them cootie catchers, i think - so you may remember how they come together.  but if you + your kids need a little help, check out my simple + free fortune teller project from TYV Crafting with Kids.  xoxo

* the "supergirl soccer queens" were undefeated, woo hoo!

Rainy Day Crafts with Kids

i am so excited to share news i've been keeping under wraps for a little while:

Rainy Day Crafts with Kids contains 16 fun + simple projects to make with kids that are organized into three sections:  fabric, paper and fun + games.   this mini-book version of TYV Crafting with Kids is the brainchild of my brilliant editor at Wiley, and i am so very excited to see it in person!  and what's really super exciting - this pocket-sized book is available at Michael's Art + Craft Stores all across the land and is also available in the JCasa SHOP.

and... YES!  i have a copy of Rainy Day Crafts with Kids to G I V E A W A Y !

TO ENTER : leave a comment on this post and share your go-to rainy day craft.
(one entry per person, please.)  comments close shortly after 8am on monday (7-Nov), and the randomly chosen winner will be announced in this post.

Thank you, to everyone who entered the giveaway - drumroll, please - the winner of a copy of my new mini-book, Rainy Day Crafts with Kids, is...

congratulations, valerie!  check your inbox for an email from me + i'll have it sent to you this week.  and for the rest of you, i'll have copies of Rainy Day Crafts with Kids in my shop later this week.

happy crafting!  xoxo

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I truly appreciate your comments. Thank you for sharing + spending time in this space.

happy halloween!

just in time for Halloween, Wiley Craft is featuring a sweet little craft project from my book, TYV Crafting with Kids on their blog : Trick or Treat Fortune Tellers!  xoxo

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p.s.  looking for illustrations?  check out my printable Halloween Pals, too!

crafting with kids : dog tags

as a part of their schoolwide math-a-thon earlier this month, kids have been earning dog tags, which are apparently the coolest thing "ever."  so, when we were planning activities for halloween parties at school, i immediately thought of putting together a fun little make + take halloween themed dog tag project.  surprise surprise, it was a big hit!

what you'll need -

• 8" x 10" sheets of shrinky dinks (we used frosted ruff n' ready purchased at michael's)
• corner rounder (optional)
• single hole punch
• black pencils
• colored pencils 

cut the shrinky dinks into 2" x 4" pieces.  you can use a corner rounder to make the corners smooth if you like.  we like.

then punch a hole in one end.  do it a few times to make it larger than the standard single-hole punch, otherwise your chain might not fit through.

with the scratchy side of the shrinky dinks up, draw your desired image onto the plastic.
can't think of what to draw?

here's a copy of the black-line template of a few halloween pals i doodled (a la ed emberley) for the kids to trace.  click it + print out onto 8.5" x 11" paper.  have fun!

color it in with colored pencils.  (be sure to use white colored pencils, too - they turn out amazing.)  and if you want to get really fancy, you can retrace the black lines on the reverse/shiny side using a sharpie.  i'll admit, i did.  it's really cool how even though you color light with the pencils, once the pieces shrink, the colors intensify.  cool, eh?

shrink according to manufacturer's instructions - they measure about .75" x 1.5" when done.  allow to cool, then strand 'em on a chain + attach to your kiddo's backpack.

since we did them with the kids in the classroom, each kiddo was sent home with a snack-size baggie into which they put their ready-to-shrink tag and preprinted shrinking instructions.  i probably should have included mention of where to buy the shrinky dinks, since everybody asked for extras.  this project can easily be adapted for other holidays too, or different types of finished pieces.  shrinky dinks are used in a few projects in TYV Crafting with Kids and we're always thinking of new uses for them.  they were a perfect tie-in with the dog tag craze, that's for sure.  enjoy!  xoxo

get out

now that the girls and i have navigated ourselves into a back-to-school routine of sorts, i am remarkably aware of just how much time we have together on any given day.  and it's not nearly as much as it used to be.  school is terrific and they're both thriving in so many ways; but between you and me, i miss 'em.

it's extra special when we have a sunny afternoon together anymore, what with all the stuff 6-year olds do these days, oh me oh my.  we've gotta make the most of our time together.  and isn't that true about just about everything?  it's about the moments.

pencils down, everyone.  homework can wait.  we're outta here.  let's regroup and enjoy the fresh air.  plain and simple and perfect.

all together now.  take it all in and then... e x h a l e.

fresh air with the ones i love.  it does not get much better than that.  xoxo

here + there

over the summer i had the wonderful honor of being featured in a few lovely publications and i'd love to share!

the summer cover of CraftSanity Magazine captured summertime in the midwest perfectly.  jennifer interviewed me as well as featured the "Itty Bitty Book-in-a-Box" project from TYV Crafting with Kids, plus the summer 2011 issue also includes recipes for superdelicious strawberry jam, sewing + knitting projects (bloomers + bonnets, oh my), and so much more - i don't know how she does it.  (well, she is a marathoner.)  her love of handcrafts + homemaking play a big part in driving her to create a great indie quarterly publication that is consistently filled with unique + inspiring content.

then i received a request to write a feature in a new publication by Stampington & Co. (you may know them for Artful Blogging, Somerset Life, and so many more absolutely gorgeous publications).  all i needed to hear was the title - Create with Me - and i was in.  this new magazine is right in my wheelhouse, featuring "artistic adventures with children" - so many projects to enjoy doing together with your kids, stories from mama-bloggers (some of my favorites) and really fun product reviews, all pulled together with the stunning photography Stampington is known for.  i wrote a very personal piece titled "my wish" that still leaves me weepy when i think about it, but it's a happy cry.  and honestly, it is a wish come true that i have these opportunities to capture moments of our journey together as a family.

in case you fancy a copy of either of these publications...

• CraftSanity Magazine is available as a print version or instant download.
• Create with Me is available at bookstores or you can order online here.

there was also an awesome feature in The Plain Dealer in August (coincidentally while we were on vacation) as a part of a special back-to-school section.  They included a pair of craft projects from TYV Crafting with Kids so you and your kids can make your own accessories - details are HERE.

and lastly, i was also happy to have a little serendipitous photo feature in April/May issue of Homestyle Sewing UK - they gave a nice shout-out to Sew Mama Sew! and featured my flip side pillow in the mention.

opportunities like these never cease to give me goosebumps and it's all come about as a result of this here little blog.  who knew?

and as if that's not enough, i am beyond excited about what's coming up in the next few months!  can't share just yet, but it's going to be goooood.  xoxo

two projects to share!

while we were on holiday this week, i was honored to have had a full-page feature in The Plain Dealer (Ohio's largest newspaper, woot!) as a part of their Back-to-School section.
and featured in the article were two projects from my book, TYV Crafting with Kids:

[origami paper beads and interchangeable add-a-button barrettes]

and now for the fun part - BOTH projects are available online through The Plain Dealer's sister-site, Cleveland.com.

GO TO THE PROJECTS NOW

enjoy + happy making!  xoxo

welcome home

a few years ago, the girls + i worked on a special message to greet the hub when he came home from a work trip.  i had my iPhone with me and shot a little movie so that we'd be able to remember that afternoon, as well as the time, love and effort that went into their project.  turns out it had been a good thing i filmed it, because he got home after dark and if memory serves, it may have rained, too.

i have kept this little video on my iPhone for almost 2 years, and it gets me every time.  the clicking of the chalk, the ringing of the bicycle bell, the whirr of the training wheels on the drive, and that husky voice.  love.

note to self : movies are good.  make more movies.  xoxo