Be YOU tiful Young Women - wood and vinyl craft

I recently got to craft with 20 or so young women ages 12-18.  Every woman, young and old, needs to know inside herself and independent of any other voices that she is beautiful in the sight of her Creator. His love for her is unfailing and unconditional. The phrase "be-YOU-tiful" reminds me of this and I hope it reminds these girls of their divine worth and potential too.

Before the activity I cut the vinyl and the wood (1"x4"s cut into 12" pieces). Several ladies helped me sand them and paint them off white. At the activity the girls used sharpie markers to decorate the vinyl. Then they weeded the vinyl (removed the extra vinyl around the letters) and used transfer tape to put they vinyl on the wood. Several girls got creative and used the markers to further embellish their plaques. Some even wrote their favorite quotes on the back of the boards. It was a fun activity for me and for them.

Duct/Duck Tape Craft - Rose Pens - Kid Craft Critique

For Christmas, my 11 year old daughter got some craft supplies - Duck Tape (duct tape - whatever). Using the instructions on Ducktivities she and her 10 year old sister made these pens.

Here's the 11 year old Kid Craft Critique:

Clarity of instructions: 4 out of 5 (a little more instruction on petal placement would have been nice)
Fun factor: 3 out of 5 (dissatisfied with her pen)

And the 10 year old Kid Craft Critique:

Clarity of instructions: 4 out of 5
Fun factor: 5 out of 5 (she likes her pen - it's the one on the right in the picture)

I'm liking the Kid Craft Critic's assistance. They are excellent proof readers and capitalization experts too!

Paper Clip Elastic Band Bracelets - No Loom Required

Last year I posted my own version of how to make a paper clip angel. My fascination with paper clips continues. Let's make paper clip elastic band bracelets!!

Supplies: elastic bands and crazy paper clips. I found elastic bands at JoAnns and Michaels. Hobby Lobby had a few also. The paper clips were at Walmart. If you can't find those specific paper clips you might be able to find other shapes in the office supplies.

And that's it. My 5 year old (with a long attention span and great fine motor skills) was able to make his own!

Thankful Thursday - plus pic of silhouette cameo created art by kids

Being positive and grateful is a good mental exercise and I'm feeling sluggish in that department. So since today is the 26th and I missed a week or two, I'm doing makeup exercises today.

Things I am thankful for:

 #1 I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ.
 #2 I'm thankful for my husband. (I helped the kids make the artwork below for Father's Day.)

Kid Created Art (with help of the silhouette cameo)

#3 I'm thankful for playgroup which gives me two hours of me time a week.
#4 I'm thankful for friends, even if they do move away.
#5 I'm thankful for music.
#6 I'm thankful that my kids are learning to play instruments.
#7 I'm thankful my parents insisted that I learn an instrument (flute).
#8 I'm thankful for blogging. It's a great creative outlet and I love seeing other people's creations too.
#9 I'm thankful for rain (we finally had some last week).
#10 I'm thankful for my bike and bike trailer. This morning another Mom and I went biking with our kid trailers in tow. We were passed by a group of "pro" bikers. I'm sure we made them smile - us and our mountain bikes and our kids!

Time's up (this was a timed exercise simply because I need to go pick up a kiddo from playgroup now).
Use your mental muscles and see how many things you can be thankful for in 5 minutes!

Valentine's "Boxes" - Cardstock in Craft Cutter Tips

Today I got inspired by my forced stay-at-home-because-my-kid-puked-this-morning status and decided to do something about those Valentine's Day Mailboxes my kids are supposed to bring to school this week.

I used my craft cutter to resize and cut out this heart box and the kids decorated them. I love that my 5 year old put "Mom" on one for me!

A few tips for those who are new to using craft cutters for cutting cardstock (that's me).

#1 Not all cardstock is created equal. My machine shredded one card and did the next one perfectly on the same settings.

#2 Not all cardstock in a multi-color pack is the same quality. The pink that shredded and the red that didn't were in the same pack. (Now if I could just figure out how to predict which colors are bad quality.....)

#3 I found it easier to roll the mat away from the cardstock than to pick the pieces off of the mat. Of course this problem may be solved with the removal spatula that I've been too cheap to buy!

#4 Every craft is easier without the help of a toddler. (Umm, yeah. I knew that but thought I could be super crafty mom anyway. Isn't she cute? Yes I'm biased I'm her Mom!)

What super craftiness have you been up to lately?

at createitgo.com

I've linked to "Tag, You're It", and "Time for You" .