This is an easy, cheap, fun activity to do with your kiddos. The supply list is simple as well. I found a big pack of towels on clearance at Target. All you need after that is crayons, newspaper, an iron, and ironing board (or use your counter top with several layers of towels for protection).


You can have your child use the crayons to decorate the towels however you like. I helped trace my boys' hands on the towels since I called them helping hand towels. Then I had each boy write his name so he would know which towel was his. Make sure you pick a dark enough color and press hard so the color is bold.



After you are finished coloring on the towels, place them face down onto a thick layer of newspapers. Using the cotton setting on your iron, apply some pressure and iron all over the towel for several minutes. Replace the newspapers since a layer of crayon will come off of the towel and then repeat. After this, you can wash and dry the towels and the crayon will stay!


I have noticed that it does fade over time, but my boys loved this activity so much that I won't mind making more in a few months! Best wishes for a clean home (and happy helpers) this year!

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I had 5 bored kids at my house today, so we pulled out this little gem of an idea "scent" by our reader Lisa of Rainy Tuesday Mornings. Have you ever thought of adding powdered gelatin to your artwork? The colors are vibrant and the kids love smelling their paintings! I had stocked up on Jello when it was on sale the other day, and we had all the colors we needed for a "sweet" art project. I followed Lisa's instructions with the following changes: we used plain paper, Mod Podge (instead of Elmer's glue), and wide foam brushes. And I definitely agree with the idea of making this an outdoor activity. Oh, and I should mention, it's probably best for an adult to be the one adding the "color." My kids didn't seem to mind--it gave them a chance to sneak tastes of the excess Jello when I wasn't looking! Here are the creations of James, Adam, Meg, and Riley--budding artists with great "taste" in color!

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Directions:

1. Print out your Fruit Bowl (one for each child) and have them color the bowl any color they want.
2. Color the stems & leaves of the fruit green.
3. Pour some glue in a paper cup
4. Pour each flavor of Jell-O in it's own paper cup (NOT with the glue and don't mix the flavors). Label your cups! Many of the Jell-O's are the same color, but not the same scent.
5. Take your paintbrush and dip it in the glue cup.
6. Paint ONE fruit at a time (for the orange you can paint both). After the entire fruit is covered with glue, pour the matching scent of Jell-O onto your fruit. Pour any excess back into the cup.
7. Repeat with each fruit until it's covered.
8. Smell and enjoy!

Thanks, Lisa!

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Celebrity sighting! Guess who we met at the Redmond Ben Franklin store? A true papercrafting celebrity. She's an amazing artist, and we got to see her creating beautiful works of art in person. Her name is Judi Watanabe, and she is the genius behind the company JudiKins. We've touted her Diamond Glaze in the past (it's a staple at our jewelry classes!), but her product line is so much more than that. JudiKins makes rubber stamps, inks, and tons of other cool papercrafting and art supplies. She is uber talented and totally spunky--so much fun to watch! We asked her that day if we could post about our meeting, and she was so sweet to pose with us!


We were lucky enough to see her demonstrate her Mica Gloss inks with a brayer and some stamps. So cool!



Here's a link to a video of Judi playing with Mica Gloss, which is metallic pigment inks that come in a bottle. I love how the colors are so rich and lustrous, unlike anything you get from a regular stamp pad. Check out this how-to video from her Web site to see how she does it! She is a great teacher, always mentioning tips to make things easier.

She has a ton of other how-to videos with cool techniques and awesome crafts on Judikins.com. I'm only about halfway through them, but my head is about to explode with all the new ideas she's given me! You can also watch older episodes by searching "Judikins as seen on tv-weekly.com" on Google video.



So if you're totally jealous that we got to meet Judi and you didn't (we know, we're cool), you should check out the list of upcoming events on their site as well. If there's an event in your area, we highly recommend you check it out!

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Giveaway # 7

Today's giveaway is a treasured keepsake worth $100! Tammy Wolfley of My Mommy Can Draw takes your favorite photograph and turns it into a beautiful hand-drawn portrait. Look how amazing she is--here's the photograph and the finished portrait:


So sweet! Tammy's drawings are sure to be cherished pieces. Portraits are enlarged to approximately 16" x 20" and are completed on acid free paper and sprayed with a protective fixative to prevent smearing. Tammy's favorite subjects are of children and families.

The winner of today's giveaway will get a one-person portrait by Tammy--a $100 value. Or, add more people to the picture for $40 each. This would make an amazing Mother's Day gift for someone special!

To enter, just leave us a comment telling us who you would have Tammy draw for you. Comments must be left by Wednesday, April 29 at 11:59pm PST to be eligible. Good luck!

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Giveaway #4

Our first giveaway today features a unique twist on a classic art form--the silhouette. Simply Silhouettes is a husband and wife team, Patrick and Angela Flynn, creating art from digital silhouettes. They start with your own photograph and design a detailed silhouette that can be used on various products including clothing, stationery sets, paperweights, tote bags, canvases and even wrapping paper. Your family and pet silhouette portraits are created with classic styling, handcrafted warmth and not least, a touch of elegant whimsy.


You will not believe all the items that Simply Silhouettes can put your precious pictures on. Check out their site and leave us a comment telling us your favorite item and you could win a free 8x10 silhouette plus an extra copy! These would make excellent Mother's Day gifts for grandmas (or yourself).






Simply Silhouettes gives the classic craft a modern twist. This is the kind of thing that becomes a family heirloom! Comments must be received by Sunday, April 26 at 11:59pm PST. Good luck!

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My son drew a picture a while ago of a boy picking apples. I saved it, but it is getting a little scrunched. So I found a cheap and easy way to make it last a little longer! It's called an Embroidery Transfer Pencil, and it is a fun, easy way to turn your child's (or your own) artwork into a treasured keepsake.

Embroidering Your Child's (or your own) Artwork Tutorial

What you'll need:

*Drawing you want to transfer to fabric
*Light-colored fabric of your choice (try white muslin)
*Embroidery transfer pencil
*Iron
*Needle
*Embroidery floss

1. Trace over your drawing with an embroidery transfer pencil. Joann has a lot of options for pencils, and they are only $2-$3. Remember, your image will be transferred in reverse, so avoid images that won't look right backward.

2. Place your paper face down on your fabric and iron with a dry iron.

3. If you have an embroidery hoop, put your fabric in it. If not, you can still do it, but it will just be a little less stable when you're stitching. Stitch over the lines of your image, changing colors when necessary.

4. Leave it in the hoop or frame it for an adorable keepsake!


I may try to do some of my kids' art on dishtowels. There are so many possibilities. It is a good way to save your child’s art. Grandparents will love this!

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During the school year my kids get a lot of invitations to birthday parties. Not that we don’t love going to them, but they start to add up. This year I wanted to find an inexpensive and personal gift for the birthday girl or boy. Of course, this gift also had to be something that my kids could help make since it was really their gift to their friend.

Here is what I came up with. A simple art set from the craft store, dressed up and personalized for the birthday kid. Here's what you'll need:

*Kids art kit (we found ours at Michael's for $1.99--it would be less with a 40% off coupon!)
*Sandpaper
*Mod Podge or other decoupage medium
*Paper, ribbon, stickers, etc. to decorate the cover

1. Scratch all over the outer surface of the art set with sandpaper. I did this so that my Mod Podge would stick better.

2. Create a simple or very ornate cover in the dimensions of the art set. I left an extra ¼ all around.

3. With a foam brush, cover the art set with a thin layer of Mod Podge. Put your paper in place and smooth out the wrinkles with the side of your hand, a brayer, or a credit card. We covered both front and back.

4. Using a nail file, sand the edges. This makes the paper "become one" with the cover. Click here to see this technique demonstrated on another project (scroll down to #5 for pictures).

5. Add ribbon, letter stickers, buttons, etc. to finish your cover. We love the idea of putting the child's name on the cover so it feels really special to them.

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Have you ever wandered around the fabric shop, looking for a very specific fabric that just didn't seem to exist? We've wished a few times we could just create our own design. Something in just the right colors, with exactly the right theme. Well, we're doing a happy dance right now because our wish has come true! We have been waiting and waiting for this awesome new site to be open to the public, and they are finally ready to take orders! Spoonflower.com is an amazing company that lets you design and order fabric of your own designs. You create the design and send a scan to them, and they turn it into fabric. You can order as little or as much as you like. And at $18.99 a yard, it's really not bad considering you get exactly what you want!

The coolest part is that the idea came from a crafty momma just like many of us--with an awesome, forward-thinking husband. This is a quote from their About Us page:

Stephen Fraser is an Internet marketing geek who used to consult for startup companies and who can't sew to save his life. One night after their three girls had gone to bed, his wife Kim interrupted his usual muttering to offer a suggestion: “You know what would be really cool? If I could print my own fabric.” Stephen agreed that did seem pretty cool.

My favorite sample I saw was a letter a woman had written to her niece and had it printed in a cute font. Then she used it as the backing to a quilt she made for her. So sweet!

They've got information and tips on how to go about creating your design on their FAQ page. You can even view others' designs to get inspiration, plus check out their Flickr pool to see what people have made with the fabric they designed. This service is truly revolutionary in the crafting world. We can't wait to try it!

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Last month we taught our first Little Birdie Secrets classes at Tot Spot Cafe in Woodinville, and they were so much fun! Wonderful women came to create tutus, Scrabble tile pendants, and aromatherapy bath bombs while the kids played. It was great to see all our planning and preparation turn into something so fulfilling. The best part was getting to meet so many great women in the Seattle area, and watching them use their creativity to make the projects their own. Thank you for joining us, ladies!





We also had the chance to meet a very talented children and babies photographer at the cafe. Her name is Holli Dunn and she is so amazing! If you're in the Seattle area, you have to check out Holli Dunn Photography. She sometimes comes to Tot Spot to do photo shoots in the cafe. How convenient! You can contact her through her site, or check out the Tot Spot calendar for future sessions.


Since the classes were such a success, we have one more planned before the holiday season. Join us on November 14 at 10:30am at Tot Spot Cafe in Woodinville, WA for bottlecap art. Have you seen this before? It is the coolest way to create magnets and pendants, and class attendees will create both! You'll make four magnets and one hip pendant using pretty papers, atlas and music sheets, or your own photographs--perfect for holiday gift-giving. The cost is $32 per person, and includes child care for up to three little ones. Don't forget to stay for lunch with your friends! Tot Spot offers yummy lunch dishes and great coffees, plus delish organic choices for the kids.



To sign up, please e-mail us at littlebirdieclasses@gmail.com. We'll send you a PayPal invoice that must be paid within two days to hold your spot. Registration ends November 12. Cancellations will be refunded minus a $10 cancellation fee. Hope to see you there!

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