{Made-With-Love Daffodils Spring Craft for Kids}

Made-With-Love Daffodils

Spring Craft for Kids

These sweet daffodils made from recyclables are a classic spring craft for kids, and a bouquet of them makes a lovely gift for Mother's Day or for grandparents or teachers. They look beautiful in a makeshift bottle vase! I remember first making them at school when I was very young, and now the tradition is being passed on to the next generation. They are very easy to make; even the youngest children can be involved.

You need:
An egg carton
Paint - yellow; optional: orange, black
Pipe cleaners - preferably green
An empty glass bottle or vase

First, cut out each individual 'cup' of the egg carton (you'll probably want to do this part for young children.) Then have them paint each carton cup inside and out with yellow and/or orange paint. Leave to dry.

Next, if you like, paint a blob of black in the middle. Leave to dry.

After that, use the pointy end of a pipe cleaner to poke a hole through the centre of the carton cups. Push through about 1/3 of the pipe cleaner and leave the other 2/3 hanging straight down the back as a stem. Curl the 1/3 third inside the centre of the flower, to make a spiral. This will hold the pipe cleaner in place and also looks like the inside of a flower. 

Finally, pop them in a glass bottle or vase and put them on the shelf to admire them!

Follow Mama Pea Pod's board Creative Craft Ideas for Kids.

{Sew Easy Personalized Throw Pillows for Babies and Kids: A Tutorial for Complete Beginners}

Pin for later:

I need to preface this post by saying that I am truly a complete beginner when it comes to sewing! Prior to this, I had sewn part of a quilt cover (under supervision of an instructor) that I never finished, and two peacock costumes for Halloween last year (actually I only sewed the feather parts). I'm not sure how I got it into my head that I should attempt to make pillow covers like these, without even a pattern to go by, but I did and I just love how they turned out! So seriously, if I can do it, anyone can! Plus, I already did all the hard parts for you by figuring it all out ;-p ....

{5 Minute Father's Day Gift: Daddy Word Cloud Tutorial}

Five Minute Father's Day Gift:

Daddy Word Cloud

(with full tutorial)

I'm loving this 5 Minute Father's Day craft we made: a 'Daddy' word cloud! (Shhh, don't tell Daddy Pea.) These also make great Mother's Day gifts, grandparent gifts, or teacher gifts. Princess Pea gave them to her teachers this year, and they loved them!

I'm very much a last minute planner when it comes to holidays of any kind....

{Fabric Maché Bowls}

*I was thrilled to receive a copy of the book, Red Ted Art: Cute and Easy Crafts for Kids, in exchange for writing an unbiased review post. All opinions expressed in this post are completely and honestly mine.

We were so excited when we received our copy of the brand new Red Ted Art craft book for kids a couple of weeks ago, that the girls immediately set about picking out their favourite projects to try. First choice was the fabric maché bowls - and we are thrilled with how they turned out!....

{Easy DIY T-Shirt Scarf: Time for Mama}

For this month's Time for Mama: Creative Playtime for Moms post, I'm so thrilled to be sharing a guest post by the lovely and creative Emma of Frog, Goose and Bear (and she now has a Frog, Goose and Bear Facebook page, too, for all you other FB-lovers out there). 

Emma's blog is one of the very first blogs I ever read, and I am still immensely inspired by her posts - by her creative "easy-peasy" ideas, by her sweet style, and by her lovely 'clean' blog look. And Emma especially holds an extra-special place in my little blogging world as she was my very first follower-that-I-didn't-know-in-real-life ever! (She was also the inspiration behind one of my most viewed posts, about our Rainbow Pasta Necklaces. See her original Coloured Pasta Made Easy.) In fact, as you'll soon see, Emma knows how to make everything easy for us! 

With three young children and a hard working husband, time for myself is virtually non-existent.  I often find myself staying up way past my bedtime just to get some child free time in the hope of holding on to some sanity!  Although it doesn't always happen, I love to spend this time doing something creative.  I have found that getting my creative juices flowing both energises and revives me.  While some may cherish the feeling they get from the completion of a long and time consuming project, I love nothing more than sitting down to a quick & simple craft that can be finished in no time at all and comes with a sense of accomplishment that can often be hard to come by as a mother. Today I'm going to share with you a super quick and simple project that can give you the satisfaction of completion in less than 20 minutes.  Even better, you don't even need to leave the house to find the things you need!   


UPCYCLED T-SHIRT SCARF

You will need:

- one very large t-shirt (the larger the better)

- a pair of fabric scissors - nothing more!

Step 1.

Trim the seam from the bottom of the t-shirt and discard.

Step 2.

Continue to cut one inch strips in a horizontal line from the bottom of the t-shirt all the way up to just below the sleeves.

Step 3.

Put the neck and sleeves aside and you'll be left with your strips.

If your t-shirt has seams up each side, like mine, you'll need to trim the seam from each end of each strip.

Step 4. Stretch each strip until it starts to curl by pulling gently from each end.

Now you have a pile of stretched strips.  

Step 5. Pick up each strip and tie the ends together one at a time.

Step 6.

When you've tied the ends together, place the strips together with the knots all at the same end.  You're almost done!

Step 7.

Cut a rectangle of fabric from one of the sleeves of the t-shirt.

Step 8.

Wrap this rectangle of fabric around the knots and tuck it into itself.

Et voila - your scarf is finished!

Now you can try it on for size and enjoy wearing a piece of fashion that didn't cost you a thing and made all by yourself in no time at all!  

Thanks so much for having me, Jane. I am really enjoying this Time for Mama series.  Making time for ourselves is so important as a Mum and something that is far too often overlooked.

Thanks so much for sharing this with us, Emma! I need crafts that can be done in no time, or I tend to never complete them - this is perfect for me! I'm definitely going to be trying this!

{Time for Mama: Meditation Matchboxes}

Meditation Matchboxes

Guestpost by Amy of Mama Scout

Hi! I am Amy from Mama Scout and I am thrilled to share a simple but magical project that will delight both kids and mamas. As a homeschooling mom, I often finding myself making things along side my children. And sometimes those projects turn into something I love just as much (or more than) they do. As soon as we started making these tiny treasure boxes, I knew this was an activity I would return to again on my own.  

All my children love tiny things. One morning, my son spent time making tiny scrolls and putting them in empty match boxes. Everyone was so charmed with this idea; we could not stop talking about all the things we could do with the concept.

We thought about turning the little boxes into birthday invitations, poetry boxes, wish boxes, and treasure hunt directions. We thought it would be fun to mail them, leave them on our friends' porches, or in random public places (that one I want to do soon!).

We simply used emptied matchboxes that we painted black. You might also cover them with decorative paper, or paint them another color or even leave them as they are.

That morning we also made beeswax bottle cap candles and quickly thought it would be great to add a candle to the boxes and turn them into  tiny meditation boxes. For mine, I wrote a meaningful quote and tied up my scroll with three matches. Tucking it into the match box, I thought what a sweet little gift this would make for anyone going through a tough time. 

How about a new mama?

A recent graduate?

Someone who has met sudden sadness or is facing a big change?

The candle idea was inspired by Craftaholics Anonymous. She uses crayons, which is super cool, but for this application I really like the beeswax. Even from this small candle, it smells amazing. We keep our beeswax in a tin can and remelt it in a water bath for different projects. Super simple.

Thanks, Amy, these are just adorable and a lovely contribution to our Time For Mama: Creative Playtime for Moms series! What a lovely surprise gift they would make! Be sure to check out more of Amy's creative ideas for mamas and kids over at Mama Scout. 

The Time for Mama series features a monthly guest post aimed at moms looking for a way to unwind through creative pursuits. Check out the other posts in the series by following the link below. 

{Photo Tutorial: How to Make an Amazing Growing Flower!}

How to Make an Amazing Growing Flower!

A Photo Tutorial

*I found this idea in a book from our school library titled Crafts to Make in the Spring by Kathy Ross. [affiliate link]

{Introducing Time For Mama: Creative Playtime for Moms!}

To coincide with Mother's Day this month, I am SO excited to announce a new feature here on the Mama Pea Pod blog: Time for Mama is all about mothers finding some 'me time' and embracing their own creativity!

As mothers of young children, we all know that finding time to truly relax and unwind is both essential and elusive. Even when the opportunity does arise, it can be difficult to truly take advantage of it and really immerse ourselves in it. (I know I usually spend any 'me time' constantly making mental lists of all the things I 'really should be doing' instead!)

For me, one of the best ways to truly unwind is through creative projects - whether crafting or blogging, making things for my kids or myself, engaging in creative activities is a wonderful stress-reliever. It keeps me focused on something fun and engages my mind just enough to force me to stop making mental lists. I can immerse myself in my project (mostly) guilt-free -- perhaps partly because at the end I have a product to show for that time spent.

Therefore, in an attempt to bring more balance to my life (and yours, should you decide to join me), I am trying to commit to spending regular time on my own creative 'play'time - and I challenge you to do the same! Mother's Day is just around the corner - what better way to celebrate and show appreciation of the role of mothers everywhere than to allow ourselves some playtime of our own? After all, not only do we deserve it, we need it - for our health and for our families!

So on the 1st of every month I will be featuring a guest post from a creative mama with a 'me-time' project for you to try. To get us started, I have a wonderful guest post from Katie of The Artful Child to share with you and hopefully inspire you to take up this challenge, too. Katie and her friends have started a craft group as their way to enjoy some creative playtime! And be sure to check back in tomorrow for May's Time for Mama: Creative Playtime for Moms post!

So, who's in??

Time for Mama: Craft Groups

by Katie @ The Artful Child

Being a Mom is the most wonderful job in the world, but I think we can all agree, it can also be pretty frustrating and isolating at times.

To be a good Mom, at least for me, it is important to keep my mental health in check. If I am feeling balanced, I feel a lot more motivated to do projects with my girls and not get frustrated if they don’t go as planned.

Being a Mom of young children, also leaves little time to work on projects around the house (at least any that aren’t child safe).

Then, my friend, Rachel, suggested a wonderful solution! (Thanks Rachel!) We started a craft group!!

This time with friends, to sit and talk about our kids, lives, gossip, whatever, is exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries!! I can have a conversation, without being interrupted, and I can work on things I’ve been wanting to try or do, but haven’t found the time to do them.

The great thing about creating a group with friends is you can set it up however works best for you.

Here is an example of two different types of craft groups.

The first is a group I belong to. We call ours Glitterazzi (Awesome name, I know! Thanks Beth!). We get together on a set day and time, the 2^nd and 4^th week of the month (Man, I long for those days!).  We meet at the same house each week (Thanks Lori!), because she has an awesome space for us to meet in, but you could just as easily rotate your meeting place.

We take turns leading a short tutorial each meeting. Usually, it’s something we found on pinterest. We have made fabric flowers, paper garland, button holes, reverse appliqué, alcohol tiles, crochet, t-shirt bags…

We try to limit our tutorials to inexpensive projects made from items we all probably have lying around the house.

After our tutorial, we each work on whatever project we have brought with us that evening.

It is so nice to sit there with friends and talk!

This is not a time for complicated crafts, because most of the time we don’t get much done. It is not about out-doing anyone or showing off. It is about relaxing and having a good time with friends.

My second example is a group some of my other friends started. They are learning to sew together. They meet once a week and take an online sewing class. A while back, they all decided they really wanted to learn, so they decided to learn together. They have made some amazing stuff! I only wish I lived closer, so I could join in!

Whatever your passion, I highly recommend getting some friends together and starting your own group. It is a real life saver!

Here are some quotes from my fellow crafters:

 “Sewing group is a great way to recharge at the end of the week. We have so much fun learning, screwing up, and being goofy together. I do have to admit that as much as I like learning new things about sewing, I really just love hanging out with my friends  I would recommend a craft group to all moms, no matter their craftiness level. It's like getting to have a girl's night out every week and we actually make something in the process.” ~Lindsay

“We only meet every other week, so the time commitment is minimal; it gives me a few hours away from the husband and kids where I can socialize and try out some of the crafts that I want to try, but don't have time to try at home. It sort of forces you to tap into your inner crafter and put the laundry and dishes aside for a moment, which is something that I have a difficult time doing as a mom of a toddler and an infant. Craft night has also provided me an opportunity to meet some amazing women. I've already learned so much from these ladies and it's spurred me to try out some other crafts I've been hesitant about.” ~Wendy

Sewing group is my sanity! As a mom we give so much of ourselves to our children, and do so much for them, that we often forget to do something for ourselves. I do sewing class for ME. Not the kids, not the hubs, but for myself. I enjoy making things, and do lots of crafts with my kids, but I don't always make time to do projects that I want to do. Having a group that meets once a week, or every other week, ensures that I put myself first occasionally. I don't have to be "Mom" for those couple of hours. Plus, chatting with friends and a little wine (rather than a lot of whine) really does help me relax and keep me sane. ~Kim

 

{Swedish Woven Paper Heart Baskets}

Swedish Woven Paper Heart Basket Craft

In Sweden, Santa Lucia, or Saint Lucia's Day, on December 13th is a big part of the Christmas advent tradition. To celebrate Santa Lucia, we made these adorable Swedish Hearts. They are perfect for hanging on the Christmas tree, filled with small treats for guests! 

I originally made these with my 4th and 5th grade students a few years ago around the time of Santa Lucia, when we were talking about Swedish traditions. See more about the Santa Lucia tradition and hear the traditional song in this video. 

I have my colleague to thank for finding this printable template. 

Once we figured it out and got the hang of it, they were so easy and quite addictive! Princess Pea and I then made several more to put little goodies in for friends and colleagues for holiday treats. This latest one will be a Valentine for Princess Pea's little friend who is moving away soon. Haven't yet decided what to fill it with (right now there's just a bunch of foam hearts [affiliate link] in it). Any suggestions?

*Update: We also made them as favour bags for Sweet Pea's pink and red heart-themed birthday party.

So to make them, I'd suggest printing out the template linked above, at least to start out until you get the hang of the necessary proportions. (If you choose to free-hand it instead, it's important to make sure the slits are slightly longer than the width of the whole shape.) Make sure that you fold your paper in half and line up the straight edge along the fold. Then use the template to trace and cut out the shapes from two different papers and cut the slits as shown. (If you're making these for Valentine's Day, it's nice if you have some Valentine-themed paper, or for Christmas, some Christmas-themed paper. [affiliate links])

Next comes the weaving part, which is the part that was tricky at first. I'll try to explain it with our flowery and red papers. Take the far right 'arm' of the flowery paper and insert into the far left arm of the red paper. Then take the middle arm of the red paper and insert into the far right arm of the flowery paper. Then take the far right arm of the flowery paper and insert it into the far right arm of the red paper. Slide it along towards the top of the heart.

At this point you should have the first (far right) arm of the flowery paper woven through all three arms of the red paper. Note that each time, you insert the arm of one into the arm of the other, don't just go front to back or else you won't end up with a 'pocket' that opens in the end. (This is where we went wrong at first.)

Then you take the middle arm of the flowery paper and do the same in reverse: The far left arm of the red paper into the middle arm of the flowery paper; the middle arm of the flowery paper into the middle arm of the red paper; and the far right arm of the red paper into the middle arm of the flowery paper.

And finally, do the reverse with the far left arm of the flowery paper. The last one is a bit tricky, so you have to do it carefully.

This wasn't a craft that Princess Pea (aged 4) was able to make on her own, of course, but she traced and cut out the papers and we did the weaving together until it got too hard and then I finished it off. And she loved getting to use the hole punch and stringing the ribbon through to make a little hanger for it.

This project is featured in a book available at Hands On: As We Grow as part of The Heart Project, a fundraiser to support the American Heart Association. Please consider ordering a copy of this book full of beautiful heart-themed art and craft projects with links to tutorials (available as both a printed book and as an e-book). All proceeds will be donated to the AHA.