Creative Arts and Crafts for the Whole Family

Paper Flower Hawaiian Lei Craft

Kids can make this fun hula-ready Hawaiian flower lei necklace from printable cut and color flowers strung onto yarn. Aloha! Get ready for your Luau party!

Your choice of ready-to-cut printables: full color blossoms (see illustration thumbnail at right) or ready-to-color blossoms!

Click here for easy Hawaiian lei craft directions and free printable pattern sheet.

More summer crafts for kids

Shadow Stamping

Shadow stamping is a creative craft you can use to make cards or for scrapbooking - print with geometric shapes or solid stamps in two or more colors, usually pastels, to create a background design for paper craft project. Click here for complete article and tips for paper crafting with the shadow stamping technique.

Sun Printed Greeting Cards

Sun prints are easy to create indoors or out, and easy on the budget. With a few sheets of brightly colored construction paper and a good sunny day you can "print" interesting patterns to cut and fold to make greeting cards with unique designs. Click here for directions - Sun Print Greeting Cards

Tea Bag Folding - Paper Crafts for Cardmaking

Along with the rise in the popularity of tea drinking over the years is the emergence of tea bag folding commonly known as Miniature Kaleidoscopic Origami. Paper tea bag envelopes or tiles made from small squares of print patterned paper are all you need to make a lovely 3-dimensional decoration for a gift tag, greeting card, ornament or bookmark topper. Click here to learn more about tea bag folding paper crafts.

"Cool" Ties & Cooling Moist Headbands

Water absorbing crystals work wonders for plants by helping hold moisture in the soil and releasing it slowly so plants won't dry out quickly in hot weather or during dry spells. You can use those same moisture-holding crystals to make a "cool" tie - a neck or head band you moisten that helps you stay comfortable in hot weather.

Click here for directions to make a "cooling" tie filled with Watersorb crystals.

Scrapbook Gift in a Box Craft

I just love unique handmade gifts, and this exploding scrapbook box craft is fabulous and easy to make. What looks like a small gift package opens up flat when you remove the cover - like a beautiful flower, the box reveals photos and keepsakes adorning all the petals inside. Visit Crafty Daisies blog to see how to make one for your favorite person.

Fabric Appliques From Clip Art

You can use clip art to make your own custom fabric applique patterns. Or, use the same technique with printed papers to create unique collage designs for posters and greeting cards. Click here to visit the blog with full instructions.

Click here to browse our coloring book pages with hundreds of line art drawings that are suitable for making appliques with this technique.

Make A Stunning Dried Hydrangea Wreath

Dried hydrangea wreaths are so beautiful and versatile in a home, and a lot of fun to make as well. You can either purchase already dried hydrangea flowers from your local craft store, or you can dry your own. Click here for complete instructions and design tips ...

Knit a Stylish Pet Sweater

You can knit your dog a lovely custom sweater with this excellent pattern - photos included! Click here for dog sweater knitting pattern and instructions.

Kids Easy Crafts - Fun and Frugal!

You don't need to spend a lot of money on craft equipment for your kids. You can go to the toy store and buy those overpackaged, overpriced kits, or with a little bit of thought you can do crafts on the cheap, and your kids can have a lot of fun! Click here to find out how.

Holiday Crafts for Home and Classroom

Valentine's Day Crafts

Frugal and Fabulous Valentine Crafts resources!

1. Easy Valentine Crafts for Kids
2. Hand Made Heart Felt Gifts and Cards
3. Vintage Valentine Card Art
4. Make a Chocolate Rose Candy Bouquet
5. Easy Valentine Crafts and Cards - sweet, sentimental, sassy or sensuous - creative Valentine fun for all ages

Get a Jump on Easter Crafts & Decorations

Hop to it and start crafting your spring decorations and Easter cards with free craft printables. Download free Easter clip art to make gift tags, decorations, programs, and greeting cards from spiritual clip art or bunny, egg and peep chicks playful Easter graphics.

Visit our Easter Printables to find free coupons, cards and craft freebies. And don't forget to print Easter Coloring Book pages for the kids to make cards and decorations.

There's even a printable sheet of eggs to decorate, and a full color spring tree poster printable to hang (glue) them on.

St. Patrick's Day Crafts

Design your own St. Patrick''s day holiday decorations, gift tags, party favors and greeting cards with our free clip art. You can make stickers, bookmarks, iron ons and labels for St. Patrick's Day gifts and party favors. No time to design - no worries - we've got ready to print cards, bookmarks, stickers, decorations, scrapbook art and more in our collection of all free St. Patrick's Day Printables.

Party Cupcake Crafts - Holiday Party Picks

Cupcakes are favorites for parties of all types, and pretty party picks are an easy way to decorate these mini-treats. Dress 'em up with custom cupcake party picks made from our free sticker art! Free stickers - click here to see all the designs!

CUPCAKE PICK INSTRUCTIONS Print a sheet of printable stickers on card stock, then cut the small pictures apart into squares. Tape the squares to the tops of toothpicks, and insert one pick into each cupcake.

To make 2-sided cupcake picks, attach two cards back to back to the toothpick with glue stick, sandwiching the toothpick in between the cards. Click here to view free stickers you can print for this project

Paper Plate Advent Wreath Craft

Your kids or class will enjoy cutting and pasting the leaves on this paper wreath. Attach to card stock or a paper plate, hang on wall or window when completed - or, add one leaf each day from December 1st until Christmas.

Click here for Wreath craft instructions and printable sheets

Home Made Crafty Gifts

Home Made Bath Salts & Powders

Everyone loves pampering gifts for the bath, especially Mom. When they're made at home you know bath salts and powders are free of chemicals or skin irritants. Click for recipes and instructions

Herbal Bath Scrubbies

Herbal scrubbies are great for removing flakey skin and smoothing knees, elbows and feet. Make your own for pennies from nylon net and organic ingredients - use up left over soap scraps. Click for directions

Free Printable Calendars

Click Here for a Printable Calendar With Picture

When you click the link above a new window will open displaying a Pastiche Printable Calendar for the current month, complete with a seasonal photograph.

Click here for a free Coloring Calender - Our Own Designs!

Make Your Own Custom Calendars

Make lovely calendars from your own photos or clip art using these templates, then print them out for home or office. Or, print and package the special CD Case Calendars for a great one-of-a-kind gift.

• Calendar templates and instructions
• CD Case Calendar templates and project instructions

Hand Made Scented Greeting Cards

Craft your photographs of garden images into delightful scented cards, bookmarks, writing paper, and more for gifts to family and friends or to sell in craft and gift shops ... click for full article and instructions.

Poetry Stones and Polished Sea Shells

Here's a neat idea for a project you can give as a gift: poetry stones. Very basic and simple, yet when finished makes a lasting expression of your throughtfulness. Instructions

Photo Tips For Scrapbookers

Taking better photos doesn't have to be a chore. By putting just a little more thought into your photos before you snap away, you can capture those special moments with ease. Click to read the full article

Clip Art & Crafts - free clip art, paper crafts, coloring pages

Create and Print Templates

HP offers great create and print templates for making your family's holiday cards, newsletters, crafts and more. You can even design and print a calendar using your own photos. Follow easystep by step online instructions and tools to pick a design, add your photos and text, then print your finished project, all from your home computer and web browser using Adobe Acrobat.

Gifts and Crafts from Recycled Materials

Paper Craft Models free from Yamaha

Visit the Yamaha Motors web site for printable paper crafts of endangered animal species. The site offers dozens of no-cost intricate and beautifully designed ready-to-download paper crafts sculpture printables, plus a tour of how the models are designed and created. All you need to create your own collection of animals (or motor bikes, or many other interesting models) are Adobe Acrobat, good dexterity, and lots of patience.