Summer is a fun time to do crafts as a family.  It is also a good time to think about crafts for decorating in the fall and as gifts for the holidays.  Many crafts can be put together by the materials we gather from evening walks; summer brings us a large and very available craft shop - the great outdoors provides us with a lot of materials at no cost at all (but don’t pick your neighbor’s flowers!)

This romantic and cheery wreath will fit into many decors.  It isn’t difficult to make and just requires a few supplies, some imagination, and a little bit of time.  It can be used outdoors or inside.  Have fun and try some different ideas for totally different looks.  I know you will be happy with the results.

Spanish Moss Wreath

Now this is a great idea!  I wish I had thought of it.  If you buy CD’s and don’t leave them in the original case, but put them in a larger binder or whatever, you probably have wondered what you could do with all of those cases.  They seem like a craft just needing to happen.  I keep my CD’s in a big leather binder and I have often wondered that but unfortunately didn’t keep them!  Now I see what could have been done with them.  Get the family, Girl Scout Troop, class, Sunday school members, or whoever together to turn these CD cases into photo frames!

This is a wonderful craft for kids.  It is also a fun one for adults.  It is quick, easy, inexpensive, and would be so enjoyed by so many.  Kids could make these for grandparents or people who reside in nursing homes to remind them they are not forgotten.  A graduating class of elementary school kids could make these with a collage of their friend’s pictures.  And what a great gift for a teacher that would be!  No excuse for the lack of a Mother’s Day present now!  Make a little nature scene out of things you find on the beach or on a hike.

There are so many ideas for this that I am sure you will come up with even more.  What is best is that this is essentially a free craft; the CD case probably would have been thrown out and all of the trims and paints you will already have.  Instead you will be recycling something into a meaningful and quite charming gift.

Do you have a group of little faces looking up at you waiting for you to come up with something to do?  Or maybe, it is a group of little faces that you need to be just a bit quieter on a hot summer afternoon.  How about a Vacation Bible School class?  Whatever the reason, most parents have a need for crafts that are good for kids to do in the summer.  A selection of kid’s crafts to choose from that is inexpensive, safe, and easy is what you need.

Nicole Crafts is not just another craft site. It is personalized to you.  It takes about three minutes to sign up and the membership is free.  The information they collect is minimal and confidential.  Once you sign up, you have access to areas such as “My Projects,” “My Craft Box, and other useful information to increase your productivity within the site.  You may be entertaining or teaching children, but you still have a busy life; these features they provide to members are most helpful.

You start by doing searches on the projects you would be interested in - “My Projects,” is an area that presents potential crafts you may be interested in.  You can search seasonally, by a particular material, or any keyword.  I did a search on wood and found a really cute coat hanger on a plaid airplane.  I also found a windchime in another search and an easy God’s Eye easy enough for a kid.  I then marked to add them to “My Craft Box.” 

Clicking on the “My Craft Box,” now has the three crafts I have selected.  It shows the date I added the craft to my list, the difficulty level (these are all beginner ones so they would be great for Vacation Bible School) and about how long each project will take to complete.  By clicking on the photo, I then get full detailed instructions, a list of necessary materials (including a photo so I am sure to buy the right thing) and a list of supplies I will need.

Each project has a printer friendly page, an email link if I wished to send a copy to each parent (perfect for a classroom situation), and a store locator so I can find all the goodies I need for this craft.  There is also a forum to talk about crafts with others and a contact page so you can email for further information from Nicole Crafts.

This is a great site.  Were I grading it, they would definitely get an A+.  I think of all the times I have attempted to put together crafts for kids (pre-Internet) and what a fiasco it always was - this is a answer for busy parents and the kids are going to love the projects you come up with!

Nicolecrafts - Crafts For Kids