DIY Life

I know, paper cups are bad, and I am bad if I use them. What if I reuse them? Can I redeem myself just a little?

If you've got paper cups kicking around, there are all sorts of ways that they can be re-purposed into cool Kiddie Crafts. Just this afternoon, I went to the pantry for some dried pasta and realized that there was only a very little bit left. I also came across some leftover party cups that I'd stashed away. What do you do with pasta and paper cups? Make maracas of course!

After the break I'll tell you how, share another paper cup craft that we tried, and point you to a few more that I think pass the kiddie craft test (simple, inexpensive, fun, and easily modified for different ages).

Planning a road trip this summer, and want the perfect accessory? How about a map purse? Or, for you guys, a map bag. Instead of lip gloss and lotion, you can put... um... manly things in it. Spare socks? A razor?

Perhaps it should best be the "car bag" and hold things to make the trip more comfortable: tissues, a water bottle, sunglasses, chewing gum, and, a little art-comes-to-life, maybe your maps can go in the map bag.

I envision using it as storage inside the car rather than as a purse to carry around town, because I'm just not sure how sturdy it would be. Most women I know carry a load of stuff in their bag. Would a map and two layers of contact paper, no matter how well-stitched, be up to the job?

To make one, follow the instructions here at Sonya Style. If anyone makes one, feel free to report back and tell us how it holds up!

Being the mom of a toddler doesn't let me sit for extended periods of time, so I have to pick and choose DIY crafts that are not so mind intensive that I get lost in them and end up totally ignoring my child. I know that will end when she goes to preschool, and I can focus on more intricate projects.

One of the first on my list for that time will be this paper cutting tutorial. I am decent at drawing, and pretty good at sitting for a long time, when necessary. The fact is, Heather makes it very easy to fall in love with her artwork, so her "cut tut" should definitely be added to everyone's crafting "to do" list.

Heather gives instructions detailing her drawing of the design onto thin white paper, used sticky tape to adhere the white paper to a piece of black construction paper,and then sat for hours cutting out the intricate design.

This project takes extreme patience and some seriously steady hands, both of which I don't really have right now. If you happen to have that patience and steady hand, I'm sure your not so crafty friends will be amazed to receive your gorgeous gift.

[via Whip Up.]

Nothing says 'fresh' and 'modern' like graphic artwork. It's a perfect pick-me-up to a drab decor, or it can add a funky flair to a traditional decorating scheme. However you choose to use it, graphic is "in."

You could spend a fortune and buy some canvases from a trendy artist, or you can do it yourself. I vote for me!

Plaid has a very easy tutorial showing how to create your own graphic artwork: a set of three coordinating canvases that you can make, using stencils and four colors of paint.

After painting the base color on each of the canvases, just use stencils to paint on the designs. They will have your own personal touch, you can make them to match your own decor, and they will give your room an instant face lift. They'd also make a cherished housewarming gift for a special friend.

If you fear art, as some do, and this project is more than you can handle without an accompanying Margarita, you can try framing some handmade paper instead. A block print design will give you a similar look, and you can still say that you did it.

If you are cut from the same indecisive cloth as I am, then you acquire a multitude of paint sample strips when you are choosing a new color to paint a room or a piece of furniture. Then, because you are also a packrat, you can't bear to throw them away.

Sure, you can give them to the toddler to play with, but isn't there a better use for these colorful strips? They are made from sturdy paper and the colors are true and deep. I know there is an art project in there somewhere.

Jackie of Jackie's Space agrees with me, because she has created some beautiful cards using old paint sample strips. I love that she has used the coordinated colors of the paint sample strips with three dimensional elements, like ribbon, gems, and a silk flower.

She's got me thinking, that Jackie: what if the paint sample strips were paired with a watercolor design in complimentary colors? Or maybe some copper wire and beads woven through the strips?

The possibilities are endless, and wasting the paint sample strips as mere trash is a thing of the past. What do you do with your old paint sample strips?

My son has a vivid imagination; in fact, we don't often live with Owen. Superheroes, firefighters, knights, and astronauts live here (and run errands with me, but that's another story), but Owen doesn't actually touch down on planet Earth all that frequently.

Reading Parent Center's article on how to raise an imaginative child, I realized some of what may contribute to Owen's fanciful personality. Sure, genetics plays a part (I have been known to have a penchant for the dramatic), but apparently, so do many of the things that come natural to me as a mom.

So many, in fact, that every single thing on Parent Center's list of ways to encourage your child's imagination are an integral part of every day here on Planet Owen. From reading and telling stories to limiting computer and TV time, encouraging pretend play with props and making art and music, I have inadvertently made my house a campground for imagination.

What kinds of things do you do at home to encourage imaginative behavior in your children?

Think you're handy with a knife? Fiercely competitive? Sounds like you'd fit right in with this crowd of entrants in the Salon of Culinary Art, an annual fruit and vegetable carving competition held in New York. It's sort of like the Olympics...but with lots of produce and sharp cutting implements. And less exposure of gleaming, muscular flesh.

Saxton Freymann's books, especially Play with your Food, helped popularize this hobby/art-form. Freymann is known particularly for his fetching broccoli poodles and Brussels sprouts pigs. That's the kind of cutesie stuff that even I could probably master.

Leaders in the field, however, don't play around with such whimsies. Check out this New York Times slideshow to view the most intricately carved entries in this year's competition. Golden beet butterflies and rearing taro root stallions, anyone?

This paint swatch weaving project is attractive, simple, and best of all, super thrifty. Head down to your local paint store and pick up a bunch of paint swatches. If you're like me, and have a hard time envisioning how things will look when they come together, take a tip from the pros, and follow their suggested color themes. Choose something that complements or contrasts with the current color palette in your room.

Basically, all you have to do is cut the swatches into strips, lay your base, weave it, and glue the back with rubber cement. Add some bold focal points, maybe with a color drawn from the accessories in your room or your focal wall. Framing the woven swatches can take on a variety of forms, depending on the look you're going for. A bold wooden frame would add dramatic impact, where a thin basic frame gives an understated impression.

This would also make a great project for children. You might want to ask the paint store if they have leftover swatches from discontinued colors.

The cool thing about creating paint swatch art projects is that you get the exact colors you're looking for, instead of settling for something that doesn't quite match your current decor. Have you created any other projects with paint swatches?

Is all of this spring rain getting to you? If you have a three-year-old, you are probably outside in it everyday like I am, enjoying projects like making a rain gauge ruler and a rain book. But if your older, slightly more rational children prefer to stay indoors on torrential days, you might like making a rain stick with them.

What is a rain stick, you ask? It is simply a long tube filled with various noisemakers that make the tube sound like a rainstorm when tipped end over end. It has been used in different cultures -- invented in Chile -- to attempt to make the rains come.

This is an easy project that leaves the creativity window wide open, so every rain stick really comes out a unique expression of each creator. You'll need a mailing tube, some dried rice and peas, plastic drinking cups to cover the ends of the tube, aluminum foil and the odds and ends of art supplies, staplers, etc.

Flowers are a wonderful gift, if only they would last longer. With these flower gifts that you can make with your kids, they will last perhaps longer than the recipient would like them to! Or the flowerpots are perfect for presenting real flowers or plants.

Make this photo flower bouquet from paper, using photos as the center of the flower. Glue onto a chenille stem and present as a bouquet or in a vase. I like the idea of using patterned paper; handmade paper would look stunning, as would scrapbooking paper.

It is so easy to paint this clay flowerpot. All you need are some acrylic paints and your creativity. You can plan a pattern with your kids beforehand, use some stencils or let them go, Jackson Pollock style. You know they will come up with something spectacular, and uniquely "them."

There is something about the hand print gift. Maybe it is because it is so overdone that it has become kitschy, like every mom must own one. Probably it is because the size of your child's hand is frozen in time, a special keepsake of your growing child at the given age of the hand print.

If you find the hand print gifts charming, I've gathered a sampling of hand print projects that are slightly more unique, and dare I say upscale, than the typical hand print wreath. You know you've got one.

This easy hand print hand towel is made using towels you buy at the store and fabric paint. You can add the child's name, date and other embellishments and you've got a real keepsake here, and a usable one at that.

With 84 million Moms in the US alone, there's no doubt that a day dedicated to the celebration of these women was long overdue. This was a big step for the US, but Mother's Day has taken many forms throughout history, and a similar celebration was being observed in England as early as the 1600's.

Today, Mother's Day has morphed into a cash grab from greeting card companies, floral shops and jewelry stores. In this week's Kiddie Crafts we're getting back to the basics, and looking at some crafty ways for children to honor mom.

It doesn't matter if you're a Dad coordinating a craft for your wife, or a mom thinking about honoring grandma, there are endless ways to get the kids involved and make some fabulous Mother's Day crafts. I'll share some of these ideas with you after the break.

The weather is finally right for your budding artist to let loose on the driveway. After you've made Bethany's homemade sidewalk chalk, print out some of these stencils to help your child create a masterpiece.

I wouldn't be a former teacher and art student if I didn't say that freehand is best to encourage creativity, but that there is also something to be said for the skill of staying in the lines. The best way to use the stencils would be to incorporate them into a freehand design, so I'll suggest ways to do that for each stencil design.

Since you'll be using these stencils outside, use cardstock to print them. They will be much sturdier and possibly even reusable. Then, just cut out the designs using pointed scissors or an exacto knife. Join me after the break for some fun ways to decorate your driveway, kid style.

As toys go, sidewalk chalk is pretty inexpensive. You can probably buy a pack of four pieces at your closest dollar store, in fact. So though this recipe for sidewalk chalk won't save you any money, it definitely has all the necessary ingredients for an early childhood craft -- it's quick, it's simple, and it's fun.

Whether you're caring for a large group of kids this summer or are just looking for an afternoon activity to entertain your own brood, this craft is a good choice. The recipe using plaster of Paris makes a chalk that's softer than the store-bought version, so kids' pictures are brighter and more vibrant. And since you're adding the paint yourself, you can create custom colors. Finally, like all sidewalk chalks, the artwork will wash away during the next rainstorm.

Ready to get started? Check out the easy how-to in the gallery below.

I've been into genealogy for quite some time now, and have been wanting to use what I've learned thus far in creating some sort of family tree to show off. I thought about doing a scrapbook, but I wanted something bigger, something I could show off in a big way.

I've finally found the perfect project! Andrea Steed from Scrapjazz recently posted a tutorial on how to create a stretched canvas family tree.

I am not exactly the best painter in the world, but this looks easy enough. I really love the way she uses punched out leaves for each member of her family, and affixes them to the branches.

Most of the items it takes to make this project, like acrylic paint, foam paint brushes, mod podge, brads, cardstock, chalk, and cotton swabs, crafters will probably already have laying around their craft space.

The detail to this project are adorable, and it's definitely something I will be proud to hang on my wall!