Here’s what we used How to make our paper chain snakes Cut out several equal sized strips from the coloured card. You’ll probably need at least 6 plus to make a long enough snake. Create a loop with your first strip and then continue paper chaining your strips until you reach your desired length Now […]

Get a little crafty with these ideas that only take 5 minutes! 20 5-minute Craft Ideas You Can Make at Home!

Let's face it: great DIY yard art in your garden can make you feel inspired. Imagine stepping outside to your own gallery of personalized art. It's easier

Tracing Lines - Worksheets For Little People As your little one learns how to write, tracing lines is a great activity! And there are benefits to it too! Line tracing is one of those activities that develop your child's control of the small muscles in his/ her hands (fine motor skills). Tracing will teach your child to make the precise movements that are necessary for forming letters. Tracing improves hand/eye coordination. Line Tracing By Age Line tracing is predominantly for little ones as they learn how to write. It's therefore perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners. Your child's age and

If you have an overflow of construction paper in your craft room you and your family can have lots of fun creating any of these cool construction paper crafts. These DIY crafts with paper are great for all ages to get creative with! rn

This is SO easy, SO fun, SO fast and the results are always great! All you need is paper, paint and some old business/credit cards (or cardboard offcuts around that size). Josie and I had a bit of …

Mountain ash berries, aka rowan berries, are a lesser-known foraged fruit to harvest in fall. Here's what to know about foraging & using rowan berries. #rowan #mountainash #foraging

I decided to take on my own challenge of incorporating a STEM activity every day for a week. It turned out to be a huge success where both my students and I had a blast. Here were the various …

Adorable Amigurumi Owl Free Ideas – These adorable little amigurumi owls are so easy to make and perfect as a present or a toy for your special someone! In this ... Read more

Finally, the knitting pattern for the cute baby dungaree is up on my ravelry This is by far my most popular and requested pattern and can be found in English and Norwegian in my ravelry shop. ( an…

Kid's Stormtrooper Costume: This is my cheap attempt at stormtrooper costumes for my 4 and 6 year olds. It's made to be lightweight and flexible for comfort but still hold true to the movie armor and look cooler than the store-bought stuff out there. Because of the materials u…

Hooray!! My Rowan Midwinter Blanket KAL in finished!! The background yarn is my handspun and so is the red. The rest are leftovers I've had in stash.

Early childhood education is vital for a childs overall development. Teachers focus on broadening childrens knowledge and skills in various subject areas, aiding their understanding of interconnected topics.

Make playdough with this easy & best playdough recipe. This homemade playdough recipe is the squishiest, softest, and our favorite!

ENGLISH BELOW NOCIONES PREVIAS: Para tejer este jersey es necesario saber tejer punto del derecho y del revés, tejer en circular, montar puntos mediante cualquier método, aunque se recomienda el de la hebra larga, realizar aumentos preferiblemente con el método del montaje de puntos al aire ( el que se emplea para montar puntos en las sisas de las mangas), y cerrar puntos. CONSTRUCCIÓN: Este es un jersey top down, es decir se empieza tejiendo por el escote, a continuación se teje el canesú, después se teje el cuerpo, y finalmente se tejen los elásticos de las mangas. Se realiza de una sola pieza, sin ninguna costura. Se teje en punto del derecho y punto del revés, los puños y el remate del bajo de la prenda que se tejen en punto elástico. MUESTRA: 28 puntos y 36 vueltas para una muestra de 10 x 10 cm (4 x 4”) en punto jersey, sin bloquear. HILO: 4 (4, 5, 5, 6, 6) ovillos de Summerlite 4ply de Rowan (100% algodón egipcio; 50 g / 175m; 1.76 oz / 191 yd). AGUJAS: Agujas circulares de 3 mm (US 2.5) con cables de 40 cm (16”) para el escote y 80 cm (32”) para el cuerpo, o las necesarias para obtener la muestra de tensión (sin bloquear). OTROS ACCESORIOS: 1 marcador para el inicio de vuelta, aguja lanera para rematar las hebras. TALLAS: Talla 1: contorno de pecho de la prenda 89 cm (35”). Altura total desde la sisa 32 cm (12.50”). Talla 2: contorno de pecho de la prenda 95.5 cm (37.50”). Altura total desde la sisa 32 cm (12.50”). Talla 3: contorno de pecho de la prenda 103 cm (40.50”). Altura total desde la sisa 32 cm (12.50”). Talla 4: contorno de pecho de la prenda 113 cm (44.50”). Altura total desde la sisa 35 cm (14.50”). Talla 5: contorno de pecho de la prenda 120 cm (47.25”). Altura total desde la sisa 35 cm (14.50”). Talla 6: contorno de pecho de la prenda 130 cm (51.25”). Altura total desde la sisa 35 cm (15.25”). El contorno de brazo está ajustado al estándar de tallaje en función del contorno del pecho. La holgura recomendada es 3 cm (1.25”) de holgura positiva para todas las tallas. Es decir, tu contorno de pecho ha de ser unos 3 cm (1.25”) menor al de la prenda para elegir tu talla, si tienes, por ejemplo, un contorno de pecho de 91 cm (35.75”), deberás elegir la talla 2. Si por el contrario lo tienes de 94 cm (37”), deberás elegir una talla 3. ************************************************************* SKILLS: To knit this tee you need to know how to knit and purl, knit in the round, cast on stitches with any method (although the long-tail cast-on is recommended), make increases, preferably with the “make one away” technique (the one most commonly used to cast on stitches at the underarm), and to bind off stitches. CONSTRUCTION: This tee is knit top-down, i.e. it is started to knit at the neckline, and then you will knit the yoke, the body, and finally the sleeve ribbing. It is worked seamlessly, all in one piece. The yoke is worked in to textured stitch using knit and purls, and the body in stockinette stitch. The neckline, the sleeves, and the bottom hem, are worked in ribbing. GAUGE: 28 stitches and 36 rows in 10 x 10 cm (4 x 4”) in stockinette stitch, without blocking. YARN: 4 (4, 5, 5, 6, 6) balls of Summerlite 4ply by Rowan (100% Egyptian Cotton; 50 g / 175m; 1.76 oz / 191 yd). NEEDLES: 3 mm (US 2.5) circular needles with to cable length of 40 cm (16”) for the yoke and 80 cm (32”) for the body, or the required needle size to obtain gauge (without blocking). OTHER NOTIONS: 1 stitch marker for the beginning of the round. Tapestry needle to weave in ends. SIZES: Size 1: Bust circumference of the finished garment 89 cm (35”). Total height from underarm 32 cm (12.50”). Size 2: Bust circumference of the finished garment 95.5 cm (37.50”). Total height from underarm 32 cm (12.50”). Size 3: Bust circumference of the finished garment 103 cm (40.50”). Total height from underarm 32 cm (12.50”). Size 4: Bust circumference of the finished garment 113 cm (44.50”). Total height from underarm 35 cm (14.50”). Size 5: Bust circumference of the finished garment 120 cm (47.25”). Total height from underarm 35 cm (14.50”). Size 6: Bust circumference of the finished garment 130 cm (51.25”). Total height from underarm 35 cm (15.25”). The sleeve circumference adjusts to the standard sizing corresponding to the bust circumference. This garment is recommended to be worn with 3 cm (1.25”) of positive ease for all sizes. That is, your bust circumference should be approximately 3 cm (1.25”) smaller than the size chosen to knit. If, for instance, your bust circumference (or your widest upper body part) is 91 cm (35.75”), you should choose to size 2. If, on the other hand, your bust circumference is 94 cm (37”), you should choose to size 3.

A collection of 25 All About Me activities, including free printables, arts & crafts and learning activities for kids.

Did you catch my last post about our 100 Acts of Kindness Challenge that is starting in a little over a week? Each year around this time the weather can be bad and after the

To my eye, these little colorful compositions are landscapes... and I'm working on building harmony and balance. Even on a tiny 3x3" card there are an abundance of variables to work with! So I work very quickly, not analyzing, making snap decisions.

Day sixteen of our Stay at Home, Screen Free Activities Programme is all about cool things to do with a big roll of paper. Cool things to do with a big roll of paper One of my daughters favourite things to do is roll out a BIG sheet of paper. There’s something about the scale which […]

Reversible Rowan Tree Vest Winner $1000 Grand Prize, sponsored by Vogue Knitting Crochet 2012 CGOA Design Competition Designed by Laurinda Reddig, in memory of my daughter Rowan Last year was my first time entering the Crochet Guild of America's Design Competition held at one of their conferences each year. After both my entries placed among the winners, my Mystery Machine Afghan won 1st Place Afghans and the People's Choice Award, and my Vegetable Playmat won 3rd Place in Small Wonders, I began thinking about what I could make to top the Mystery Machine. I was really looking forward to being able to attend the Knit and Crochet Show in Reno and see the Design Competition this year, and was rather disappointed when I heard not only was the competition going to be held at the summer show instead of the fall show (as it was last year), but I only had a couple months to design and execute something marvelous. I wanted to make a garment I could then wear to the Reno show, so anyone who saw it in the competition would know it was mine. But I had never designed a garment before! Fortunately, I had taken a class with the Shibaguyz last year at the Crochet Liberation Front's retreat where I took all my measurements and learned the basics of garment construction. Then I learned a lot from Marly Bird's Curvy Crochet class on Craftsy. And finally, I actually won a copy of Dora Orenstein's Custom Crocheted Sweaters book when she was on Marly's podcast. Her section on different types of construction helped me determine that working from the bottom up would not only allow me to "paint" the picture as I worked, but to reinforce the shoulders to they could hold up to the weight of all that colorwork. I actually had several of my first designs and an article due by the end of April, so I did not allow myself to start working on the actual vest until they were completed, leaving me only about 1 month to complete my "Masterpiece". I figured that because we do not have to write up the patterns for the design competition entries, that would be the place to submit a real art piece. Something special, in memory of my daughter Rowan. I was really inspired by the idea of a design using a Rowan Tree. As I worked on my samples for magazines, etc..., I began to research and plan. I searched online for images of trees and "Tree of Life" until I found a sketched one I liked which I printed onto graph paper, and colored with pencils to decide where I would put branches, embroider leaves, and stitch on tiny red berries. I found crossstitch patterns for the Butterfly and Dragonfly, to represent each of my daughters, which I could adapt to my double crochet Intarsia technique. At some point I thought of the idea for the flowers on the other side, as a rowan tree would have in the spring. Our local bead store, Bead Paradise, special ordered the swarovski crystal flowers in the smallest size they could find. I had planned on white flowers but they were not small enough, and the crystals really make the vest go from "day" to "evening" wear. I made multiple trips to Happy Knits, a LYS in Portland, as I knew they had the biggest selection of Madelinetosh tosh merino dk yarn in the area. I love the way they hand-dye the yarn. The mottled tones would be perfect for natural shading without extra color changes. Once I selected the colorways I wanted I pulled every skein off the shelves to select just the right shades for the images I wanted to create. By the time I had shipped off all my samples, I had everything I needed to make my dream a reality. I am still often surprised when the design I have envisioned turns out just as good or even better than I imagined. I began with the bottom cable edge, blocked the cables, then stitched the first row of green directly onto on side. Then it was just a matter of stitching, with a size C hook, constantly (while chasing my children) for a full month. I worked on it everywhere! At the park, walking around the zoo, and even a craft show (where several people asked what I was knitting). My favorite was the couple of local knitting groups and yarn stores where I got to work on it a bit, and confound the knitters, "That's crochet?!" "I've never seen anyone crochet with tosh!"... Both my Reversible Intarsia and Endless Reversible Cables Techniques I used in this piece will be featured in Interweave Crochet Magazine later this year. But for a preview, check out my "I Love Baby" Blanket and Washcloth Pattern now available on Ravelry, to learn the basics of the Reversible Intarsia technique used in my Reversible Rowan Tree Vest. For more about the inspiration for this piece, check out my other post about the Rowan Tree.

A free crochet pattern of a bear. Do you also want to crochet Bear Miguel? Read more about the Free Crochet Pattern Bear Miguel.

Amigurumi RED PANDA crochet pattern roundup

2016 Topic 9: Mono Printing Vickie Porter Hi everyone, Darcy here we are with the start of another topic, this time we are mono printing. This is the technical term for creating 'one off' prints, and there are many ways to do this. The name 'mono' means single, and in this case it means a single print can be made at a time. Each successive print needs more paint or ink applied to the block or plate, this changes each print ever so slightly, meaning no two are identical. With some techniques the changes are deliberate and more pronounced with the addition or removal of elements between prints. Prints can include paint, ink, collage,stencilling, mark making and additions such as leaves, string and other found objects. All these contribute to very unique prints. Once the plate is ready a layer of paper or fabric is added and pressure applied and the ink or paint is transferred. Altering the colour, type of paint and pressure will all achieve different results. This type of printing is spontaneous and unpredictable and although messy can be a lot of fun, with the variations being endless. Before we start, let's see who won the Topic 8: White Space Challenge... Well what a 'clean and minimal' couple of weeks we have had! Some really beautiful pieces that make the most of space with just pops of colour. Well done everyone that conquered the fear of 'white' and produced great compositions and balance. The winner of White Space is: Laury with this great bookmark from Laury55 Email Darcy to claim your prize. [email protected] Joan Bess Ok let's get into this topic and see how many techniques we can find. As you might have guessed printing is not new, artists such as Rembrandt, Degas, Gauguin, Picasso and Matisse are but a few that used mono printing. They experimented with paint and ink, how each layer was applied, with swiping and moving the paint/ink around with brushes, sponges and sticks, just like we do today. They also added accents by hand after the print was made. One of the older techniques (and there are many) that you will have heard about and perhaps tried is Lino printing, where sheets of lino are gouged with metal blades to create a design. This is then inked with a brayer and the print is made. Layers can be achieved by then cutting more lino away, adding a different colour ink or paint and replacing the original print to be pulled again. Small pieces of lino and hand held blades are fairly cheap and easy to find in most art shops, they are an excellent way to get started with printing. Here is Picasso working on a lino cut from 1959 This is a gorgeous multi layer lino print from Angie Lewin She has a book of her prints, drawings and collage available. I can recommend it as a beautiful 'coffee table' book, full of stunning imagery though it does not contain any technique how to's. Another multi layered lino cut here, this time from Jill Kerr. Another older technique still used today is screenprinting, originally called silkscreen printing as silk was used before the invention of synthetic mesh. Evidence of this goes back to China in 960 AD and did not arrive in the West until the 18th century. A blocking template or stencil is used to cover the mesh in the chosen design. Then a blade or squeegee is used to pull paint or ink across the mesh. The medium seeps through the mesh onto the chosen substrate, with only the blanked out areas left clear. Andy Warhol made screen printing popular in the 1960's, here he is working on one of his iconic images. Many layers can be added,each a different colour, take a look at this screen print.. this has 21 colours. Louis Masai Next we have Collagraphy; this involves gluing items to a stable background such as strong card or wood. One dried, pigments can be applied with a brush or brayer and then a print can be taken. Collagraphs are often done with found objects such as leaves, string, bubble wrap, fibres, card shapes etc the resulting prints can be really interesting. This stunning hedgerow print by Lynn Bailey has 8 layers, each time items were added or removed to achieve this composition. and another one from Lynn Bailey. How gorgeous is this print, can you imagine it over book text? Here is a super simple one done just with paper clips. There is a great pdf HERE, showing the basics of how to make a collagraph plate. Now for probably the most strange form of printing, while I have known about this for several years I have never tried it and honestly I don't plan to. The technique is Gyotaku and is an ancient Japanese method of printing from fish! Yes you read that correctly, ink is applied to a real fish and then a print is taken. Just the thought of handling the fish is enough to put me off, but even I have to admit the printed results are stunning. If you fancy learning more then have a read of THIS page. Jean Kigel So, onto the forms of printing that most of us are familiar with.. and using plates that are more accessible. after all not everyone has a full fish just hanging around! The most popular way of printing at the moment is Gelli Printing. This is a flexible plate that looks like Gelatin but is made from mineral oil and a polymer material. Provided you care for your plate it will last a long time, can be used over and over and is easy to clean. All plus points. Lucy Brydon The Gelli plate is available in quite a few sizes now and recently mini plates in various shapes have been launched. If you have a plate and have not yet tried it then now is your chance. The best place to start is the Gelli Arts Website. There you will find lots of hints and tips and they also have a youtube channel that is packed with great videos. Gelli prints are useful as a base for so many pieces of art. On this one Dina Wakely has drawn a face over her print. Here you can see the round plates have been used onto fabric creating a fabulous piece that has been turned into a cushion. Joan Bess Lots of items can be used on the Gelli plate to create patterns and textures: stencils, found objects, catalyst wedge tools, brushes, foam shapes and stamps. Many can be homemade, just be careful to never use anything with a sharp edge that could damage your plate. Marie Allen made these great texture plates from thin foam, these would add brilliant patterning to a gelli printing session. Once your prints have been pulled and dried, what can you make? Well how about a papier mache bowl . Joan Bess Or create a bright and cheery card like this from Becky. Simple circles cut from Gelli prints turn into really eyecatching lollipop flowers. Great prints are all about the layers, working out from back to front in which order everything should go. Andy Skinner shows just how effective this can be, with a bit of careful planning. How about Circles on Stripes. Here Joan has cut prints into strips and then added more prints that have been cut into circles. So striking, it looks like a solar system! There are so many things that are crying out to be gelli printed, such as SHOES or how about a CASE. { I think i might love that case a lot} Once your basic print is ready you can add so many other personal touches, such as stamping, sketching, even embossing. These cards by Godelieve Tijskens have gold embossing added, it adds a further dimension and makes them very special. You could get all whimsical like Diane did with this cat, follow the link in her name to a complete tutorial. Such a fun piece, check out her steps. One of our favourite Gelli artists is the lovely Barbara Gray, her youtube channel is full of fabulous videos. It was hard to pick just one, but this one is so effective. A very simple technique, ideal if you are just getting started. I think you will agree there are some great pieces of art out there. But what if you don't have a Gelli plate? well fear not you can still make prints. If you fancy a bit of alchemy you can create your own Gelli plate, Pam Thorburn has a recipe HERE. For a cheap alternative try printing from a Plastic Bag, Alisa Burke shows you how HERE. you could also use a plastic stationery folder in the same way. Try asking in your local DIY shop, see if they will cut a couple of pieces of acrylic or perspex for you. You can do mono printing on one piece, but if you use both pieces together you can try Dendritic printing. The name dendritic means 'having a branch form like a tree' You may have seen me demo this technique at a show. You apply paint to one plate and then lay the 2nd plate on top, press a little and then pull apart. The result is amazing, lots of little fern like branches all over the paint. This creates fabulous prints. If you have 2 of the large PaperArtsy flexi blocks you can do this technique using those. Mike Finally I will leave you with one of my favourite videos of the past few years. Laura Kemshall has such a calm and lovely voice and she explains this fabric printing technique so well that you are bound to want to try it. So, are you all fired up and ready to get printing? I hope these examples have worked their magic on you. Whether you unpack your Gelli plate,( or indeed have a go at making your own) or if you print from a plastic bag, or if you are really brave and find a fish to print.. I hope you have a great fortnight. Don't forget to follow Darcy's and Leandra's pinterest board if this topic pushes your buttons, you will see plenty more examples to whet your appetite there! I am really looking forward to seeing what you create over the next 2 weeks! Darcy Topic 9: Mono Printing PaperArtsy Blog Challenge We'd love you to share your ideas and link up your creative response to our current blog topic. Take a minute to read the challenge guidelines below. All links go in the draw to win a voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Mono Printing link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, May 15th 2016, winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00. 1. The challenge is a for you to show how you are inspired by the current blog topic. Your entry should contain: - a mention of which post inspired you and why, and - a link in your blog post to that original post on the PA blog. The whole concept of this challenge is 'play along with us'. You are encouraged to put your own twist on ideas you see on our blog, do your own thing - whatever grabs you! 2. The link you put on our linky page must lead directly to the specific post on your blog where you have explored the technique/ idea mentioned in point 1 above. Don't link to the home page of your blog. 3. We prefer your challenge blog post is created exclusive to our challenge, but if our topic fits perfectly with another challenge, then you may link to both if appropriate. 4. You are most welcome to use stamps/ products/ substrates you have to hand from a variety of companies, we do not expect you to exclusively use PA products - it's lovely when you do though! 6. You can enter as many times as you like. We don't want to restrict your creativity! NB. Link closes at 17:00 Sunday May 15th 2016 (London Time) 7. The winner of the random draw will receive a £50 credit voucher to be redeemed on the PaperArtsy Website. The credit voucher includes VAT and postage. We request that one of your purchases is an A5 rubber stamp. You can add any other items to your basket, but the final total should not exceed £50. 8. Each fortnight on Sunday, the winner will be announced at 19:00 (London time). In the same post, the link for the next fortnight will be posted. 9. It's your responsibility to claim your prize coupon from Darcy. email: [email protected] Good Luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Preschool weekly themes: A list of over 100 ideas for weekly preschool theme ideas, plus a free printable planning page

Learn to sew a v-neckline on a tee or bodysuit! It is not as hard as you think.