Reece - Holiday crafts: 50 projects for year-round family fun

Copyright 2015 by Linda Reece. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications.

For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or . Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file. Cover design by Erin Seaward-Hiatt Print ISBN: 978-1-63450-573-4 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63450-974-9 Printed in China To Joel and my beautiful children: Dallin, Caleb, Alaina,
and Landon. You make life so much fun! Contents HOLIDAY CRAFTS Introduction Why Craft? There is just something special about creating with your own two hands.

For children, making crafts is one of these special moments. Children are naturally creative creatures and crafting is a perfect outlet for their playful imaginations. Crafting also brings a sense of pride and makes a passing moment one they will remember forever. You will recognize this when a child holds up their completed craft to show you what theyve made, and you see pure joy in their sweet little faces. Its an opportunity for them to shine. Holiday Crafts My first encounter with childrens crafts began several years ago when I became a stay-at-home mom.

I had a brand new baby and my oldest was about three years old. I loved being home with both my boys, but like many new stay-at-home moms, I soon discovered that I honestly didnt know what to do all day! As I was trying to find my new rhythm, I started coming up with simple crafts to do with my oldest son, Dallin. It was December and I had the idea to create one Christmas craft every day until Christmas. Ill always treasure the memories of this Christmas season and the special time Dallin and I had together crafting! Dallin and I had so much fun thinking up craft ideas that I wanted to share our ideas with others. I started a blog, LittleFamilyFun.com, where I posted all about our first adventure in advent crafting, and many more fun crafts and activities since. Crafts are fun to make anytime of the year, but holiday crafts are just a little bit extra special.

Maybe its because holidays give us a reason and desire to do fun things (like make crafts!). Or maybe its because holidays are filled with anticipation, and creating a fun holiday craft is a good way to channel all that excitement! Whatever the reason, crafts are a great way to celebrate special holidays and occasions all year-round. How to Use This Book This book includes crafts for ten holidays and special occasions that are exciting for children. There are five craft ideas for each holiday, complete with step-by-step instructions and photos. For easy preparation, each craft will include a blue box in the top right corner with a list of all supplies needed for that craft. Some crafts will also include a Tip Box at the bottom with some fun and useful ideas for creating and displaying that craft.

There are varying levels of crafts throughout this book. Most of them are simple enough to follow that older children could make many of these crafts all by themselves! Younger children, however, will most likely need someone there to help them along the way. Whether they need help or not, crafting is an easy and fun opportunity to be together as a family. In fact, thats my very favorite part about childrens crafts! Crafting is a good reminder to slow down and sit down with my children. While my children are busy crafting away, we chat and laugh, and Im filled with renewed gratitude that I get to be their mom. Supplies There are so many supplies available to make fun crafts, but crafting does not have to be complicated.

For the purpose of simplicity, this book includes crafts that can be made with only eleven basic craft supplies that are inexpensive and that you can find easily in stores. 1. Construction Paper 2. Craft Foam 3. Paint 4. Yarn 5.

Craft Sticks 6. Googly Eyes 7. Hole Punch 8. Scissors 9. Glue 10. Marker 11.

Pencil Here is a short description of these basic supplies: Construction Paper Construction paper is perhaps the number-one craft supply around. Since it comes in all colors, it can be used for any holiday, and can be folded, cut, and rolled in more ways than you can imagine! You will need a pad or package of construction paper with all these basic colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, white, black, and brown. Craft Foam Craft foam is so much fun to craft with. Since it is nice and thick, its more durable than construction paper and also gives more dimension to crafts. Similar to the construction paper, you will need an assortment of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, white, black, and brown. Paint The kind of paint that is best for kids crafts is called by many names: finger paint, tempera paint, washable paint, etc.

Basically, it is paint that is washable (meaning it wont stain clothes). It comes in various sizes, but if youre crafting with paint a lot, you might want to buy the 16 oz. bottles. For the crafts in this book, youll need paint in these basic colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white. Another option would be to just get the primary colors of red, yellow, and blue. You can then mix them together to get the other colors you need as follows: red + yellow = orange, yellow + blue = green, blue + red = purple.

Yarn Its always good to have a couple bundles of yarn on hand. It can be used for making necklaces, lacing, and in many other fun ways you will discover throughout this book! There are some crafts in this book that specifically use white yarn, such as the Craft Stick Mummy (p. 87) and the Snowman Ornament (p. 115). For most of the others that call for yarn, you can use any color you have on hand, or mix and match your favorite colors. Googly Eyes These fun little eyes are also known as wiggle eyes or glue-on eyes.

They come in a variety of sizes and definitely add a whole lot of cuteness to crafts. Some of the crafts tend to look a little better with the one-inch googly eyes, but any size will do for most of the crafts in this book. Hole Punch The hole punch referred to in this book is the handheld kind. Its a handy tool to have while crafting. Its not only good in creating holes for lacing yarn, its also a great way to create small circles that are perfect for several other crafts in this book. Scissors This is perhaps the most useful tool of all and is needed for every single craft in this book.

Get a good pair and use with care. Children should use age-appropriate scissors, and small children may need someone to do the scissor work for them. Glue You will use a lot of glue for the crafts in this book! I prefer bottled glue over glue sticks as it tends to stick longer and better. Marker and Pencil A black, washable marker is needed for a few crafts in this book as a way to give them a final, personal touch. A pencil is helpful in tracing or drawing the shapes you will need as you craft. It is also a very useful tool in rolling paper for several crafts in this book.

Now that youve got your supplies, its time to craft! *NOTE: With all craft supplies, please use caution in how children handle and use them. Small children will need more supervision and help with most of these supplies, especially scissors and small pieces, such as googly eyes. Chapter 1 Valentines Day