Mindful Momma

5 Craft Kits That Boys Will Dig

All this talk about fostering imagination in your kids has got me thinking about arts & crafts projects. My youngest son is 8 years old and still loves to do crafts (see him proudly holding up a dragon puppet he made in school?) At almost 13, my oldest son is less enthusiastic about making crafts but more inclined to do a science project or two.

Over the years we have dabbled in many types of crafts, from junk sculptures (made out of whatever recycled materials you have on hand) to felted sweater coasters to homemade yarn pom-poms. We keep a bin of supplies in the basement for whenever boredom strikes.

Craft Kits to the Rescue!

When the creative inspiration (or stash of supplies) is not all there, it's nice to simply pull out a box with a craft idea ready to go. In the past few years, a number of new craft kits have come onto the scene and many of them have projects geared toward boys. I don't typically emphasize gender differences but there are plenty of crafts that my boys are not interested in and having grown up in a household full of girls, I know the opposite can be true as well.

DIY Felted Sweater Coasters

Still looking for a sweet little something to give to a friend for Valentine's Day? I've got a tutorial for coasters made with felted sweaters over on Green Your Way this week. It's a great way to give old sweaters a new life and create something new that you can use!

It's a fun craft to do with adults or kids any time of the year!

 

DIY Eco Glass Pendant Tutorial

Eco Craft: Glass Pendant Made with Repurposed Paper

As promised, I'm excited to share my first post over at Green Your Way (a channel of the Life Your Way ezine). It's a tutorial to make a glass pendant necklace using repurposed paper. The pretty paper I used for my necklace came from my Yuzen Box (a monthly goodie box filled with natural and organic products). See the full tutorial over at Green Your Way!

Do you have any eco crafts on the agenda this week?

 

Eco Friendly Nursery, Detox Diet and Eco Craft of the Week

Eco Friendly Nursery Ideas

Are you pregnant or know someone who is? I've got some tips for putting together an eco friendly baby nursery over at Zenoobi. I'll be writing a monthly blog post for them so check it out if you have a chance! And while you're there, check out their web store too. Zenoobi is a great resource for eco friendly baby furniture, gear and clothing!

A Special Gift Made with Repurposed Neckties

My mother gave me a very special gift for Christmas. A wall hanging made from repurposed neckties. But these weren't just any neckties - they were my dad's.

My father passed away in March of 2011. He was a university professor and I'm pretty sure he wore a necktie every single day that he taught a class. He was traditional that way.

Inspiration for a Happy, Healthy, Creative New Year

Welcome to 2013! I've been spending the last few days letting my brain ponder all of my thoughts and ideas for the new year and trying to distinguish between the "I shoulds" and the "I wants" (which is harder than you might think.)

One realization I've come to is that my resolutions from last year - which revolved around taking care - of the planet, my family's health, my community and myself - still stands very strong. As one of my Facebook readers pointed out "Our lives are an evolution and we must continue to nurture and work toward our goals without pause so really you don't need a new resolution at all." That sentiment is so true.

That said, a few things rose to the top of my thought process that I want to focus on in 2013:

Unlock My Creative Mind

The more time goes by, the more I realize that creativity is a major pillar in my life. My happiness and level of contentment depend on it. Yet it's so easy to race through the day doing work because it "has" to be done, without any inspiration to lift me up and guide me. It's creative inspiration that spurs my greatest work so it makes sense to spend some time encouraging it.

This year I want to explore ways to assist my creative mind in opening up - more often and more enthusiastically. If you have any recommendations for exercises that get your creative juices flowing please share! One action item I already took was to sign up for Scoutie Girl's daily emails. Tara has such a great way with words and is a true inspiration to me.

Also, in an effort to keep getting crafty in a physical sense, I've signed on to write a monthly blog post about a Green DIY craft idea for Green Your Way (a channel on the Life Your Way blog network). Look for my first post coming out in mid-January!

How to Make a Yarn Pom-Pom

We've been having fun with yarn around here. Fluffy pom-pom kind of fun! When our friends at MightyNest gave us a sewing & knitting kit to try out, I figured it was about time to teach Liam how to make this fun craft activity that I remember making as a kid.

Yarn pom-poms are very simple to make. An older child can make them by themselves. A younger child may need some help but they still get the satisfaction of doing a lot themselves.

What you need:

Yarn (any kind, any color)

Cardboard (we used an old shipping box)

Scissors

How to make a pom-pom:

Start out by cutting out 2 circles of cardboard - with a notch in each for getting the yarn through.

Begin winding the yarn around the circle. Wrap over the loose end of the yarn to keep it in place. Keep wrapping until the whole circle is full. The more yarn you use, the fluffier the pom-pom. Use more than one color yarn if you would like. Better yet, wrap 3 colors at once for really fast pom-pom making!

Once the circle is fully wrapped, trim the end of the yarn. Using a scissors, carefully cut between the 2 cardboard circles. Be sure to hold on to the yarn as you cut to keep it from falling off the circle.

Next, pull a new piece of yarn through the 2 cardboard circles and tie it in a tight knot. I typically tie it a few times to make sure it is secure.

Now you can pull off the cardboard circles. Trim the pom-pom as desired. You can leave a long string on it if you are planning to attach the pom-pom to something.

Liam came up with a whole bunch of uses for pom-poms:

• play catch with it
• put it on your ice skates
• use it as a Christmas tree ornament
• attach it to a headband
• use it as a cat toy
• put it on top of a gift

Have you ever made pom-poms? What is your favorite thing to do with them?

Unplug Your Kids with Gifts from MightyNest

One of the biggest challenges I find in this gift giving season is finding gifts that my two boys (ages 8 and 12) will love but that do not lead to endless hours sitting in front of a TV or computer screen. Rather than encouraging them to be couch potatoes, I would much rather give them the gift of creativity and imagination.

My blog sponsor MightyNest has done an especially good job of curating a selection of gifts that engage kids in creative and imaginative play - or what they call gifts that are unplugged.

Sewing & Knitting Kit

This adorable sewing & knitting kit from French company Moulin Roty has everything you need for hours of sewing and knitting projects, all packed up in a cute suitcase box.

Yesterday 8 year old Liam and I dug in to this kit to see what inspired us. Since neither of us know how to knit (we plan to get a lesson from my mom when we visit her over Christmas), we decided to make yarn pom-poms. Have you ever made them? They are so fun and easy! Look for a tutorial on pom-pom making coming soon on my blog!

The fun part about this kit is that the child has their very own sewing supplies including metal sewing scissors, a thimble, a tape measure, a French knitting dolly and more! The easy to hold wooden knitting needles look like the perfect way for a child (or grownup!) to start learning how to knit.

Artterro Craft Kits

Artterro kits contain everything you need to make a fun craft using natural and recycled materials. I love that the company was founded by a couple of art enthusiasts in my home town of Madison, Wisconsin!

Liam and I have made the Bubble Wand kit - something that MightyNest does not carry right now but this Wire & Bead Art Kit is similar and even cooler! This type of free-form crafting is the type that my boys seem to like best. Bend the copper wire (available in 3 gauges), then add glass or wooden beads, shells or marbles to make whatever creation (or creature!) you want!

Tool Kit

This wooden tool box complete with tools is very tempting. It comes with 6 real tools sized for smaller hands - a ruler, saw, hammer, philips screwdriver, regular screwdriver and pencil. Everything is packed in a sturdy wooden box to keep everything safe for years to come.

If you want to really go all out, spring for the 14 piece tool set that has a Square Ruler, Ruler, C-Clamp, Philip Screwdriver, Regular Screwdriver, Chisel, Mallet, Plier, Plane, Sanding Block, Gimlet, Hammer, Hand Saw and a Spirit Level.

To make your holiday shopping a little easier MightyNest is offering 10% off to all Mindful Momma readers. Just use code MINDFUL10 at checkout.

What are your favorite ways to encourage your kids to unplug?

(Disclosure: I received a free kit from MightyNest in exchange for my honest opinion.)

Easy Eco-Tip: Turn Tea Bag Wrappers into Note Paper

My brother-in-law Rhys is a tea drinker and an avid recycler. Leave it to him to come up with this awesome eco idea: Save the paper wrappers from tea bags and use them as note paper. My sister says there is always a stack in their house, available for use. Smart thinking, huh?

Do you have an Easy Eco-Tip idea? Email me and I just might publish it!

For more Easy Eco Tips and creative, eco-friendly crafts and ideas, check out the DIY Green page on my blog!

Halloween Party Food and the Truth about Pinterest

You know all those craft and food ideas you pin on Pinterest? How often do you get around to actually making them? This past weekend I attempted to make some Halloween party food for my son's 8th birthday party and discovered that things don't necessarily end up looking as good as they do on Pinterest.

It didn't help that I was short on time. First, I tried to make the monster jaws using peanut butter and almonds for teeth. Epic fail! So I ditched that project and then scrambled to get the breadstick bones and mummy dogs in the oven and then madly peeled clementines for the pumpkins. I was also planning to make carrot fingers with dip but that never happened.

The results were OK but certainly weren't in league with the photos you see on Pinterest. But in the end it hardly mattered. The kids thought the food was great!