1.  Helping Little Hand’s Eye Spy Cake makes me happy. What a fabulous, creative cake idea!

2. These puppets made out of recycled and reused materials look SO fun to make and also lots of fun to play with too.

3. Author Ben Zackheim’s third Shirley Link book is now released!  The extra awesome news is that he is offering it for free today (5/17)! I’ve mentioned before that my daughter LOVES the Shirley Link series.

4. This Handmade Solar System in a Box is a gorgeous way to teach children about outer space.

5.  Just say YES! to Toilet Paper Tube Cars.  Oh my!

Happy Friday.

-Emily

In our backyard, Magnolias are blooming, Lilacs are bursting, patches of chives are thick and green, and Violets and Dandelions are polka-dotting the grass. Last weekend, my two daughters set to work harvesting some of the beauty — some for spells and magic potions and some for a gorgeous flower garden centerpiece.  Not only was their creation beautiful and a true independent creation, it was a lovely way for them to explore the different textures, colors, shapes, and smells in their backyard.

Encourage  children to pick and collect the flowers, weeds, herbs, and growth in your surroundings (teach them to skip over special, planted flowers like Tulips and Irises). Leaves from trees and sticks and twigs are great additions to a natural collection!  Ask them to share notes about their observations and to draw pictures of their bounty.

Sometimes, it is okay to pick the flowers.

-Emily

Happy Saturday, friends!  Here is a list of beautiful handmade gifts that mothers will love! The bonus?  They are simple enough to be last minute creations!

1. Lovely Collection Jars from my blog, Red Bird Crafts.

2. This sweet strand of Flowers on a String is just the thing for giving mom some spring love.

3. Clever!  Turn nice cloth napkins into throw pillows.

4. Visit our very own Family Fun for a video tutorial that shows you how to make GORGEOUS (and super easy) Twig Necklaces.

5. How perfect is this?  Make bright, colorful Silhouettes of Your Children to give to a dear grandmother or…….to yourself!!

xo e

If your kid is craving creativity, but your feeling uninspired, don’t underestimate the power of experimentation.  Get out some paper plates.  Pour a few circles of different colored acrylic paints and encourage kids to mix, blend, stir, and swirl.  Don’t forget to include white because it offers a fabulous way to subtly change colors.

Not only will your little artist have fun, she will also learn so much about the building blocks of color.

In the end, they might even discover their favorite shade of blue.

Have fun!

Emily

It is May and (for most of us) vibrant flowers are in full bloom.  For those of you with snow on the ground today, your flowers are coming soon, soon, soon!  Here is a sweet little round-up of beautiful flower crafts that are perfect for decorating and gifting!

1. willowday offers a tutorial for a gorgeous, simple, peony inspired Felt Flower Necklace.

2. Make punchy floral fabric covered terracotta pots with Christine!

3. Visit the Purl Bee where Molly offers a tutorial for making Felt Anemone Flower Magnets. Aren’t her color choices gorgeous?

4. This Paint Chip Hyacinth tutorial provides a creative way to use up all the extra paint chip samples you’ve collected.

5. Make bright and beautiful Paper Ranunculus Flowers with Sarah (free template included!).

Don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers.

Happy Friday!

-emily

This past fall, I ran a Story Disk workshop at the Boston Children’s Museum and had the honor of spending the day in the art studio with the incredible Arts Program Manager,  Alice Volger.  The studio is gorgeous — inspiring, organized, and filled with most beautiful creative work.  I found myself especially captivated by the communal twig and tape sculpture that dangles from the ceiling, cheerfully greeting visitors.

Alice told me a bit about the process. Children filtered into the studio all day long and used twigs and colorful masking tape to add to the sculpture.  By the end of the day (or perhaps it was a few days), the twigs were intertwined in the grandest of ways.  It is breathtaking, really.

Why not try this at home?  Ask children to gather sticks and twigs (yard clean-up!).  Leave the twigs and multiple roles of colorful masking tape at a craft station for a few days.  Show children photographs of sculptures and encourage them to experiment with making their own unique creation.

If you have small children and are anywhere near Boston, definitely stop by the museum for a visit!

-Emily

1. Jessica at scrumdilly-do posted a simple, creative, fun paint chip plant markers tutorial.  Not only does this reuse materials, but it also encourages children to plant some seeds!

2. These egg carton boats are adorable!  via crafty crow

3. I’m kind of obsessed with the thought of making these superhero hand cuffs for my daughters.  Made using toilet paper tubes, they are simply magnificent!

4. Mmmmmm. Chocolate Flowerpot Cakes! What a sweet way to celebrate the earth and its flowers!

5. Amy offers some artistic inspiration for making homemade wrapping paper out of painted newspaper.  Pretty!

Happy weekend!

xo emily

It is yard clean-up time around these parts!  This weekend, we have grand plans to rake, pull, and trim in order to make room for all of the new growth that is coming our way.

Hook your kids into helping with the promise of beautiful decorations.  Encourage them to collect vines, twigs, long grasses, and dried stalks –all leftover from last autumn– to use as materials for crowns and wreaths.

They can twist, tie, wrap, and shape until the vines and grasses become circular and perfect for hanging or wearing.

Happy day!

xo emily

In a few hours the sun will set on a frightening, confusing, sorrowful day(s)  in Boston.  As a Massachusetts resident, I can’t help but check the news repeatedly with hopes that I’ll hear settling news.  In the meantime, I find myself meditating on hope and bravery while sending little email notes and check-ins to those I love.   In lieu of my usual Friday 5 Bright Spots feature, I plan to spend time thinking about the ways in which goodness, heroism, kindness, and love is shining through these dark moments in the beautiful, vibrant city of Boston.  I ask you to do the same.

I took the photo above in November while I was visiting Boston during my book tour.  It was a quiet moment of gratitude for all the promise Boston has to offer.

Thanks, friends.  I can’t wait to share more Bright Spots with you next week.

xoxo emily

When the violets begin to pop up around our home, my children love to gather miniature bouquets for me. Sure, we can fill tiny glass jars with them, but I also like to make hanging flower boxes, so they can decorate our door knobs, walls, and cabinet handles.

I love how a rice or packaged macaroni and cheese box from your recycle bin can transform into a sweet hanging box of beauty.

1. Measure how tall you want your hanging box to be, draw a straight line (front and back) with a ruler, and cut it with a craft knife (adults should do this part).

2. Wrap the box with any kind of paper.  I like to use kraft paper because it allows the colorful flowers to pop.  Brightly colored paper is also a vibrant and fun choice.

3. Smooth the box with a bone folder or with the back of a spoon.

4. Encourage children to decorate the box with crafty bits (glitter, sequins), natural bits (tiny pine cones, pine needles, or even a bit of moss), stamps, or drawing.

5. Punch holes on both sides and thread a piece of yarn through.  Tie yarn to make handle.

6. Fill with flowers and hang on a door knob.  Change flowers when they begin to wilt (or fill with dried flowers from last year).

xo emily