Things to Make and Do, Crafts and Activities for Kids - The Crafty Crow

Superhero Capes For Kids Party!

In conjunction with Family Fun, Craft Hope, and Enchanted
Makeovers, we made superhero capes for children living in
shelters. In the Dec/Jan issue of Family Fun magazine, there is
an article about the work of Craft Hope and Enchanted Makeovers.
Craft Hope is an online site that coordinates crafters with charity
projects and Enchanted Makeovers does makeovers for shelters by
making them more homey and comfortable. The capes are gifts to
the kids that are staying in shelters that have been
made over by Enchanted Makeovers. 

The capes are made from cotton jersey so you don't have to
worry about frayed edges; just cut the rectangle, fold over and
glue the top edge to make a channel for the ribbon, and add a
superhero emblem using Heat'n Bond, stitching, or fabric paint.
We used the Heat'n Bond and it worked like a charm. Add
velcro dots to the ends of the ribbons and you're done! The
full directions are in the Dec/Jan issue of Family Fun
magazine or here at Family Fun online. 

There were nine of us, including my sister and her four kids,
and we had a lot of fun making the capes together, plus, it
feels good knowing you are creating something that
will go to a little one in need. 



Get a group of your own together and be
cape-making superheroes!

A Very Merry Advent: eBook

Heidi Kenney and Amanda Krueger have put together this adorable
ebook called A Very Merry Advent that will help you plan your
holiday advent with less stress and more fun! It has over 100 ideas
that include printables, recipes, craft projects, and activities so you
will be able to organize the perfect advent for your family.


You'll find traditional favorites such as decorating gingerbread
houses and cutting paper snowflakes, plus new ideas
like Cupcake Fondue and Pink Popcorn! 


There's a printable Santa paper doll, Christmas bingo game,
gift tags, and more, all featuring Heidi's charming illustrations. 


Click here to watch a video tutorial included in the book on
how to make a simple bird wreath ornament.


Thanks to Heidi and Amanda, Crafty Crow readers can use
this gift code: CROW2OFF to receive $2 off the purchase price!
Just enter the code at checkout. Remember, this is a PDF that
you will view on your computer, laptop, tablet, or the like, and
as soon as you make the purchase you'll be able to download
A Very Merry Advent to start organizing your advent! 

Click here for more information and to purchase! 

$100 The Home Depot Gift Card Giveaway, Twitter Party, and DIH Workshop News

[Post and giveaway sponsored by The Home Depot, but all opinions are my own. Please see below for additional disclosure.] 


There are lots of good things going on with The Home Depot this summer! Have you ever been to one of their in-store workshops? They are now expanding their Do-It-Herself Workshops to more stores where you can learn a variety of skills and techniques for home improvement and projects to keep things running smoothly at home.


Pinterest-Inspired DIH Workshop!

On August 15th, Martha Stewart has teamed up with The Home Depot for a Pinterest-Inspired DIH Workshop to make this chore chart just in time to get things organized for going back to school. You can register in the store but they've made it easy to register online too.

Twitter Party!

Also, on August 1st (not too far away!), at 8:00pm E.S.T., there will be a Twitter party with The Home Depot and special guest, Martha Stewart! I'll be there too and we'll talk about getting crafty with chore charts and other do-it-herself projects. Mark your calendars now, I'd love to see you there!

The Giveaway!

Click here to register online for The Home Depot Pinterest-Inspired DIH Workshop held on August 15th and then come back here and leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway for a $100 The Home Depot gift card. Comments will close at midnight P.S.T. on August 14th. The winner will be chosen using the Random Number Generator and announced here during the week of August 16th.

Disclosure:
The Home Depot partnered with bloggers such as me for their Twitter Party and DIH Workshop program. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about any product mentioned in these posts. The Home Depot believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. 

Donation Request For Art Supplies For Kids In Need

Here is a message from, Tempest, a teaching artist in
New York City, trying to get some basic art supplies for
kids in need. Thanks so much for your consideration!

~~

My name is Tempest, and I'm a teaching artist in New
York City. I primarily work with outreach programs
helping to fill a gap in the New York City Public School's
art education. Recently I've been volunteering at a
charter school in my neighborhood that was not offering
an arts program when it opened. Because of my
background, the school matched me up with the guidance
counselor and a classroom called 'F.I.R.S.T. Academy.'

F.I.R.S.T. Academy is  a small class of students who are
having difficulties being in a regular school program
because of either behavioral or academic problems.
F.I.R.S.T. Academy removes them from the regular
classroom and puts them in a smaller class where they
can receive more focused attention. The guidance
counselor works with them on character development,
and I've been working in tandem with the counselor to
develop an arts program that supports this using art
therapy as a theoretical base.


We've done lots of different projects from puppets
to story-stones, all designed to develop the
kids' confidence and to encourage self-talk,
identifying emotions, and team-work.

Through this last semester, I've watched them become
much more confident not only in their artistic ability, but
also in how they verbally express themselves. There is no
question that art is doing them immeasurable
amounts of good.

This semester, I would love to get them their very
own sketch-pad and box of basic art supplies that they
can use in class, but also take home and experiment with
on their own. Not only would this be therepeutic, but also
would give these kids a chance to take ownership over
their supplies and experience responsibility and pride.



However, this program is entirely volunteer. So, we are
reaching out to the online community and asking that
people donate whatever they can: every $10 is a
pencil-box closer to our goal!

We have a fundraiser set up through Dick Blick Art
Supplies. When donating through this link, any money
is restricted to buying the art supplies listed, so you
know your donation is safe.

Click here to see the supplies and donate today!

Thank you -- it means SO much
to the kids, and to me!

~~

The deadline is January 25 and they only
need a little over $200 so if you can donate
that would be truly wonderful and much
appreciated! Thanks everyone!

Community News!

Alphabet Glue has a new
website and to celebrate
there's a craft supplies
giveaway! Click over now
for details.

Kathreen of Whip Up is looking
for submissions for upcoming
issues of Action Pack! Visit
this link for more details.

Bright Eyes + Blue Eyes is holding a Kids ATC (Artist
Trading Card) Swap! Visit this link for more details.

Spot It! - the fun matching game in a tin - is having
a kids' costume contest on Facebook to celebrate
their new limited edition Halloween-themed game!

Skill It is offering an online cooking class for families
called Season's Eatings! Click here for more details and
to sign up for the Fall session beginning November 5th.

There's a Knit-Along (crochet too) going on at Evernote;
just choose one of the patterns and join in!

Rhythm Of The Home: Autumn 2012 Edition!

Rhythm of The Home just released their Autumn edition
and it is as beautiful and inspiring as ever! You'll find
thoughtful articles, activities, crafts, and
recipes for celebrating fall!


Learn how to make a twisted jump rope
from wool yarn...


Use the colors of autumn for a lovely watercolor craft
that results in garlands and wreaths...


Make a cute needle felted chicken ornament
- a great beginning project.

Rhythm of The Home is a free online quarterly
magazine with a focus on developing strong
interpersonal relationships within the family
through seasonal celebrations.

Check out this previous post for some of my
favorite fall crafts at Rhythm of The Home!

The Butterfly Project & Butterfly Crafts

coffee filter butterflies
Dim Sum, Bagels, and Crawfish

Three years ago I posted about The Butterfly Project
and I thought I would remind everyone about it
today since the deadline has been extended
to the end of this year.

The Holocaust Museum of Houston is collecting
1.5 million butterflies to represent each child that
perished during the holocaust. They already have
about 900,000 but they will still need a lot
more to reach their goal.

Here are ten butterfly craft
ideas to get you started:


butterfly suncatchers
Mini-eco


mirror image butterfly prints
Meet The Dubiens


origami butterflies
Craft & Creativity


bead pin butterflies
Se7en


crayon resist butterflies
The Artful Parent


beaded butterflies
Ordinary Life Magic


paper butterfly clips
Ikat Bag


shrink plastic butterfly craft
SmART Class


butterfly art lesson
Deep Space Sparkle

*Be sure to check out the submission guidelines
regarding size and materials.

More butterfly craft ideas here:
The Butterfly Project & A Rabble of Butterflies

Guest Post from Mighty Girl Art

This is a guest post by Wendy telling you about her
new online art session called Mighty Girl Art™.

"When will you begin the long journey into yourself?" - Rumi

In ancient times women gathered and elders shared
their wisdom, skills and craft with younger generations.
When we circle together in this way, we are given an
opportunity to discover who we are
and who we can become.



In today's world, girls are influenced by the media and a
culture that sends harmful and devaluing messages. If we
can create more meaningful practices and opportunities
for girls to gather, we can enrich their lives (and our own)
with creativity, intuition, power and wisdom.



This is why I am offering the Mighty Girl Art Spring-
e-session... to bring the gathering to wherever you are.
It's tool for self-discovery to be shared as a mother-
daughter journey, or with a circle of friends.



We live in a society where a girl's self confidence
is challenged daily by an assault of images which
suggest that they are somehow not good
enough the way they are.



Mighty Girl Art™ empowers young girls to feel
good about themselves through a series of projects
that fosters creativity and nurtures self-esteem. It is
rich with symbolism and evokes a sense of sacredness
in the creative process.



Online Spring-e-session: March 24th - April 14th
*Registration closes on March 16th.

Please visit Mighty Girl Art™ for more
information and to sign-up!

International Children's Art Gallery

Share your child's art with the world at
The International Children's Gallery! It's simple to do,
just three easy steps, and your child can enjoy seeing
their work displayed amongst other artists. It's a great
way to validate their efforts without worrying about
grades or being judged. It's open to all kids through
age 13 and artwork includes drawings, painting,
crafts, and poetry.

I would love your vote...

There's a new blog competition going on at Parents.com
and I am thrilled to be nominated along with so many
other wonderful blogs. If you would take a few minutes
and consider voting for The Crafty Crow in the Best Craft
for Kids category I would very much appreciate it!

50+ Top Blogs All Time Favorite Recipes to Benefit the American Red Cross

After seeing the devastation in Japan, several bloggers
teamed together wanting to somehow make a difference.
They came up with the idea of a cookbook and asked
more than 50 blogs to donate one of their favorite recipes
to be included in this beautiful book designed by
Chickabug (who donated her design talent as well).
For several months now, a lot of people have been
working very hard to make something extraordinary.

There really is something for everyone in this cookbook:
appetizers, drinks, main meals, gluten-free, desserts,
and more. You'll find my favorite recipe for
bran muffins among them!

This one-of-a-kind cookbook was originally only going
to be offered as an e-book for a $10 donation. But after
receiving feedback from readers, a physical copy is
available too. Paper Coterie was willing to donate 100%
of the supplies and 100% of the cost of printing for this
amazing cause. This started out as one person having an
idea. Now, over 50 blogs and a generous publisher are
involved and now it's your turn. Together we
will make a difference!

The e-book is for sale here for a $10 donation. If you
have a computer in your kitchen or an electronic reader
this is the copy for you. You can just click on the recipe
you want from the table of contents and it will
take you right there.

The hardcover cookbook is also available for only $10!

You will be amazed at the quality of this book. The only
extra expense you will have will be for shipping
($4 or more depending on where you live
and how many copies you order).

This wonderful cookbook is only available for sale
for two weeks - August 15th through August 31st -
so don't wait, click over today to make
your dontation.

Please feel free to share this post with your friends
and family on your blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Here is a button to put on your blog:

and the link:

http://recipestohelp.bigcartel.com/

Remember 100% of the proceeds will be benefiting
the American Red Cross.

*The American Red Cross name is used with its permission,
which in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied,
of any product, service, company, individual or political position.
For more information about the American Red Cross, please
call 1-800-HELP NOW or email [email protected].

World Intellectual Property Day

Today is World Intellectual Property Day!
How can you celebrate? Well you can start by
reading this post at Zencrafting where she has
helpful information about protecting your intellectual
property (writing, photographs) that you
share on your blog.