Paper Football Players

Football season is time for family fun! This project will help keep everybody happy while the big game is on. Kids can get bored when the game goes into overtime, so a crafty backup will keep the entire family on top of their game!

Paper football players can be used for a variety of projects. You can create a colorful scrapbook layout, create a set of one-of-a-kind greeting cards, or your own customized party invitations.

Click Here for easy to follow instructions. Have fun creating players in your favorite team colors, and enjoy the big game! 

How To Paint A Baby Chick On A Child's T-Shirt

How To Paint A Baby Chick On A Child's T-Shirt  

This little chick was great fun to paint... 
 Just think how much fun you can have by creating your own handpainted t-shirts!

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE COLORING PAGE

   

  

Crafty Crayon Carousel Made With Recyclables

Water bottles, construction paper and clickable crayons are the perfect combination for this colorful, crafty crayon carousel! Recyclable materials are a great resource for green crafting, and are great for our environment!

Click Here For Instructions

This project uses basic crafting tools, but adult supervision is required while using grown up size scissors!

National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Did you know that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month?
Did you also know that my little Clara was born from my own experiences with domestic violence?

Violence was the hallmark of my childhood, and Clara was born from the healing art therapies that have helped re-frame my thinking about who I am, and how I live my life since I've come out of the shell of my social seclusion!

I made Clara from a pair of sweat pants that I was given while I was living in a homeless shelter. That's a story for another time, but suffice it to say... I'm glad those days are behind me!

I had to learn to overcome the negative self image that was deeply embedded into my childhood perceptions of myself. Since I grew up on a chicken farm, it was only natural that the therapeutic artwork I created would include familiar childhood images.

http://www.conniescrafts4kids.com/

The good news is, that now that I've recovered from my emotional injuries... I'm delighted to be known as the biggest chicken in the neighborhood! Clara and her little peeps have brought much joy, laughter and great delight to my life! I have always loved to read and write, but Clara has given me the opportunity to begin to develop my own library of literary works.

I have great dreams for Clara and her little peeps... not the least of which is for them to become a voice of hope for other children who have, or are still enduring the horrific issues of domestic violence. There IS life after DV, and I'm going to do everything I can to let those children know that they are important, that they count, and there are people in this world who really care about the pain they are enduring.

I hope you will join me in the adventure to bring life, help, hope and happiness to anyone who is enduring the harsh realities of domestic violence. I invite you to follow along as I continue to flex my muscles in the arena of self-expression, and strengthen my resolve to be the voice for children who might otherwise go unnoticed.

Visit again soon, Clara and her peeps are busy building a new life for all of us, and I can hardly wait to see what they have in mind!

Here's where you can learn more about what you can do to help stop domestic violence:
www.dvam.vawnet.org/

I Dream Of Crayola!

Can I just tell you what happened to me tonight? I've been busy working on a project for a friend, so I haven't checked my Tweets for a couple of days... turns out, it's been several days; and Clara's really upset with me!!! She's not the only one; her little peeps are all steamed up too. Their little faces are all puffed up, and they resemble little red-headed woodpeckers more than they do baby chickens!

I'm still fairly new to Twitter, and Clara and I were very excited when we received the news that CRAYOLA was following us, and on my birthday, no less!  I just had to draw a picture for them, and  well, it turns out that we got a response back from Crayola, thanking us for the picture. But, I missed the tweet!

Clara is so embarrassed that it has been several days, and she didn't get the chance to respond back to them in a timely fashion. Oh, boy... am I ever in trouble! We got a mixed response when we told the rest of the family that Crayola was following me...

My daughter laughed out loud, with great delight...

My brother said: "Crayola?" in an incredulous voice, "THE Crayola people?"

My mom said, "What's that mean, they're following you?"

LOL, yup, Granny's clueless when it comes to Twitter!
:  )

Well, as you can see; Clara and I have really been smitten by the fact that we are being followed by Crayola. But, you can understand that can't you? After all; crafting for kids is our passion, so it's only natural that we would be great fans of the folks who provide us with so much color!

Well, there's no way to face this issue but head on, so I'm heading back to let Crayola know that we're glad they enjoyed our artwork. Do you think they might come on over and read the rest of the story? I certainly hope so! Being followed by one of my heroes makes me feel like a celebrity... and you KNOW how Clara feels about this situation!

If you see Clara, ask her about Crayola... but, be prepared for an explosion of enthusiasm, because she lights up like the noon day sun when she gets a chance to talk about her passion for art supplies!

Stay tuned, and I'll keep you informed about my colorful adventures with the crayon makers, Clara's baby peeps, and the great big chicken who provides my inspiration at Connie's Crafts 4 Kids. Thanks for visiting, I'll see you again soon!

~Connie~

Here's the picture we created to celebrate our newfound friendship with Crayola:

What Color Is Your Wiggle Worm?

What Color Is Your Wiggle Worm?

Just turn the kids loose with the wiggle worm color chart, and they will be happy to tell you what color their wiggle worm should be! These little wigglers are fun to make, but what's even more entertaining is to watch while your little wigglers create my little wigglers!

They will have very definite ideas about the construction and decoration of THEIR wiggle worm. This is one of my favorite classes to teach, because like most art projects... the creation process is about taking ownership of your personal expression.

It's an exciting process, and I'm sure you will enjoy helping your kids create these great little wigglers! Oh, and don't forget to send me some pictures when you're finished... some brand new wigglers would be a welcome addition to my website gallery!

info@conniescrafts4kids.com

Your wiggle worm craft kit comes fully loaded with everything you need to assemble and decorate the wiggle worm of your child's choice. You tell me the basic colors, and I'll send you the fabric, ribbons, dowel rods, wiggle eyes...  and an assortment of matching accessories. Designing, coordinating and shopping for fabrics is my favorite part of the wiggle worm process!

Oh, and of course; I'll send you step by step instructions for completing this adorable little wiggler! The only supplies you will need is a hot glue gun and a pair of scissors. And, of course the time it takes to supervise the construction process!

 When you're finished, feel free to login to Connie's Crafts 4 Kids Clubhouse, and post some pictures of the great time you had crafting with your favorite kids! It's a great place to hang out with others who enjoy crafting time with their little ones...

Are you ready to get started? Great! Then just grab your little ones and ask them the one question that it takes to get the process started... What Color Is YOUR Wiggle Worm?

Thanks for visiting, I'll see you again soon! Connie 

What Color Is Your Wiggle Worm?

Lime/Hot Pink/LavenderRed/Yellow/OrangeLime/Yellow/RedTeal/Lavender/Lime/PurpleOrange/Brown/Black/TanBlue/Yellow/Hot PinkRed/Black/Gray/WhitePink/Black/RedGreen/Blue/Baby BlueGray/Black/White

Holiday Wigglers

Christmas

$15.00 + $5.50 Shipping (There are no handling fees at Connie's House!)
If you are a crafty mom who just needs the instructions, you can download them for just $1.00!


READ THIS POST TO SEE MORE SAMPLES OF WIGGLE WORMS
Your purchase of my craft kits is your statement of acceptance and agreement that I am not responsible for injuries sustained while creating this project or the use of this project. No exceptions. (It's unfortunate that I have to say that, isn't it!!!)

Have You Heard The Big News?

Crayola is following me at Twitter!!!

Do you know what the even cooler thing about that is?
I just received the notification in my inbox, and today just happens to be my birthday!!! I'm so excited, because we all know how much I love color, and nobody knows color like the folks at Crayola! It's exciting news to see that they are peeping my Tweets!

Thank-you, Crayola, for making my birthday an even brighter one... as you can see, Clara is just ecstatic about the news! She and I both have already been having a hard time sleeping because we are having so much fun working on our blogs, website and crafty plans for the holidays.... now, our days will be even longer, and filled with even more fun!

Just in time for holiday planning, and just in time for my birthday... phew, what an exciting day! Again I say, Thank-you, Crayola!
~Connie~

Victoria's Tropical Floral Arrangement

My friend Victoria is a professional floral designer, and let me tell you; the girl knows her flowers!
She dropped by to spend some time in my studio today, and I just have to show you a picture of one of the arrangements she made...

She's coming back tomorrow to work on some wedding arrangements. I love to arrange flowers, but I am strictly a floral hobbyist. Victoria is a pro, and it shows! I'm excited to be able to introduce you to her, and can hardly wait to see all of the beautiful designs she is planning for the upcoming holidays.

Here's a pic of one of her beautiful bows:

Her blog is in it's infancy, but that won't last long... she loves floral design like I love crafting.

 Need I say more???

:  )

Follow Victoria at Twitter

It's Time To Think About Scarecrows!

Psst... this is a post for Moms! After all, the kids can't be the only ones to have some fall crafting fun!

As you can see, I'm getting an early start on my holiday decorating plans! My house is filled with overflowing boxes, bundles of flowers and an explosion of crafting supplies. My kitties are having a great time bouncing in and out of the boxes and wreaking havoc on the bundles of my crafting stash!

I live in the desert, but I hail from the mid-west, so fall at my house means it's time to bring out the scarecrows! I have quite a collection of dolls that I've made in seasons past. I just found a stash of cow print that I'm getting ready to make into the newest addition to my collection.

As you can see, I have perfected the pattern... once I figured out how to assemble the dolls, I just used different fabrics and kept on creating!

Patriotic

Time To Decorate!

I Swept The Leaves!

I really enjoy spending time in the craft stores at this time of year. Since I enjoy shopping for supplies so much, I am planning some kits for you to be able to make your own set of designer scarecrows. I'm burning some midnight oil, and will have the kits available by the end of this week. I invite you to visit again soon, so you can grab a fully loaded craft kit; then spend some time creating your own set of designer dolls! I'll look forward to seeing pictures of the fabulous fall decor at  your house.

That's it for now, I need to get back to crafting and get those kits filled up for you! Thanks for visiting... I'll talk to you soon. Connie

Paint A Birthday Banner On A Window

Painting on glass is fun for everyone... it's an inexpensive activity, but the rewards are amazing! I love to watch the excitement when I'm painting on windows. I spent many happy hours painting characters on the windows at my daughter's elementary schools.

The kids would hover around, pointing and laughing... it's even more fun when you paint their names into your designs!

Clean up is easy too... it's just a matter of using some warm, soapy water, and a scraper to remove the layers of paint.

Follow along to learn how to paint a birthday greeting from Hello Kitty (c)
Paint A Hello Kitty Birthday Banner On A Window

Happy Birthday to My Baby Girl!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Heather... Happy Birthday to YOU!

With all my love,

Mom

:  )

Holiday Window Painting

It's hard to believe, but it's time to start making preparations for holiday decorating!

I want my decor to be a unique expression of the things I love about the holidays, so I try to think outside the traditional decorating box!

I love simple and inexpensive, colorful, clever... and easy to assemble!

Painting on glass is a great way to create colorful, oversized greetings for your holiday guests. Simply use coloring book pages as your inspiration, acrylic paints, and a little bit of painting time.

The acrylic paint washes off with soap and water, and only costs pennies to create some extravagant artwork! I had great fun painting this Santa ornament... as you can see, I used some metallic paints, and added some glitter for some extra sparkle.

He's always a big hit with the kids in the neighborhood! I'm heading out to browse through some of my holiday coloring books, and paint up a couple of fresh samples for you. Thanks for visiting, I'll see you again soon!

(If you want some more instructions for window painting, just follow the link to my
step-by-step tutorial)

Painting Your Own Canvas Totes

Back to school is the perfect time for your little ones to express their ever changing style and individuality. A blank canvas tote is the perfect opportunity for your child to explore their thoughts about how they will express their style and personality for the coming year.

Pups and kittens are a favorite motif for most chilren, and the design possiblities are endless. Canvas totes are tough, durable and built to last... just like your little ones! Children grow up and are gone before you know it, so I encourage you to spend a lot of time with them now. 

Your heart will soar when it's their turn to be mommy and daddy; and they tell you that they want their children to love them as much as they love you!

Post Your Childs Art In the Kids Gallery at Delta Creative

Did you know that your little artist can be featured at the Delta Creative website? Yes, it's true! Imagine the excitement your little one will experience as they share their creativity with the whole wide world!

I use many different brands of paint, but I highly recommend Delta's acrylic paints. I like the consistency, the vibrant colors... but, mostly I like the price! As you can see, I really need to fill my paint rack so I think I'll head out to do some shopping for supplies.

I encourage you to visit the Delta Kids Gallery, and offer your little artist some inspiration and motivation to fully engage in their passion for painting!