If you are a teacher, either at school or church, chances are that you are looking for a good Mother’s Day craft that’s easy & inexpensive. I saw this project at the Martha Stewart site that is practically free. It’s called a tissue Cherry-Blossom Tree, & it just uses tissue paper & a dry branch from the garden. I think this a very elegant gift & it’s a great alternative for the Moms or kids who might be allergic to real flowers. Cherry Blossoms are the latest things in art & home decor. Plus, it’s just nice to see a Martha Stewart project that I can finally do.

Tags: craft, kid’s-craft, free, martha-stewart, mother’s-day, crafts

A few weeks ago I posted about how to make bubble magnets from those clear marbles that you can find at dollar stores.  We had a church activity where we were told to bring a glass item.  Then we all sat down & glued these same pebbles to our glass items.  I just used a salad bowl I got at the thrift shop for $1.50, the pebbles & glue were practically free. You could assembly line a lot of these gifts for practically nothing. Getting the pebbles to stick was a little exasperating, it’s a good thing we are not a swearing people.  Super glue for glass worked the best.  Another hint is to place the glue on the stone & let it set up for a few seconds before trying to place it on the glass.  These aren’t dishwasher safe, but they would make great Christmas presents.  We did bowls, vases, stemware, votives, candleholders, anything glass.  You can do this in random patterns, or even just around the rim of the bowl.  For a more elegant look, try using the clear glass pebbles.  I’m addicted to gluing these baubles (they really should make a name for these, any suggestions would be appreciated) on everything in sight.  I need some sort of support group to quit. Works for me!

It snowed here in September, so cute winter items are a must because it seems like we use them most of the year. I love making hand knitted/crocheted items, but it just takes sooo long. Enter the “knitting loom”. These are very inexpensive & easy to use. (Only $19.99 for all 4) Great beginner project. Kids can even use these. You can make scarves, hats, booties, squares for an afghan & much more. I can make a baby hat or pair of baby booties in an hour with one of these looms instead of 4-5 hours if I knit or crochet it. Great for using all those scraps of yarn. I make a lot of items with this, & donate them to charity. Here are some of my favorite free patterns for knitting looms. 

Step by step instructions with pictures on how to get started with your knitting loom.

Even make dolls with the loom.

Free scarf & poncho patterns & much more from Roberts.

Save a lot of money on Christmas gifts this year, or even start your own craft business with these easy to use looms.

Prayer rocks were an idea picked up in church when I was a kid. My mom brought us home & we each picked out a medium sized rock from the yard. Then we sat down at the table together & talked about why prayers were important, & that we all have trouble remembering to say them every night. So we each got to use the coveted acrylic craft paints to paint our rocks with whatever we wanted. My mom showed us how we could make dots by putting paint on the handle of paintbrush. It was wonderful together time. After the rocks dried, we each put them by the side of our beds. Then, when we climbed into bed, we usually stepped on the cold rock that reminded us, say your prayers. Hence the name, prayer rock.  Works for me!