A Creative Way to Do Boxing Day

by Jessica Burko

Bus Box made by the Gee-Burko Family

At our house we celebrate Hanukkah, at my In-Laws house we enjoy a little Christmas, and after all of that we have our own version of Boxing Day where we craft art, toys, and musical instruments out of all the brand new boxes we have received during the month.

Actual Boxing Day is celebrated in the UK and has a debatable set of roots according to a variety of sources... Boxing Day started because a ‘Christmas Box’ in Britain is a name for a Christmas present... Boxing Day was a day off for servants and when they received a ‘Christmas Box’ from the master... A box to collect money for the poor was placed in Churches on Christmas day then opened the next day, Boxing Day... Great sailing ships when setting sail would have a sealed box containing money on board for good luck and if the voyage were a success the box was given to a priest, opened at Christmas.

Regardless of how you celebrate Boxing Day consider flexing your creative crafting muscles and think about empty cardboard boxes as blank canvases on which you can paint, draw, or make a bus (see above photo). You can cut boxes up to make flowers, to make collage shapes, a spinning mobile, or the letters of your name. With a little imagination you can use your empty gift boxes, ripped wrapping paper, and any other recyclable items around your house to make something fun. Wishing you a great Boxing day!

Upcycling with kids: How To Make a Drum

by Jessica Burko

It's no secret that I love to make use of everyday objects and what other people might call "trash" to create my own artwork and also to do craft projects with my kids. A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post featuring my then 3-year-old son making a drum from an oatmeal container, and since then we have made many, many musical instruments with recyclables. Recently my almost 3-year-old daughter made a drum for her friend's birthday and I thought I'd share this updated DIY post for a slightly different way to achieve child-made drum greatness!

This project is appropriate for any child able to sit up and hold a paint brush, with a parent along side of them providing age appropriate assistance. Especially good for toddlers and children ages 2-4.

Materials:
• cardboard container - - such as an oatmeal container
• dry pasta - - any type but we prefer penne
• liquid glue - - white school glue or glitter glue
• paint - - the washable kind is recommended!
• paint brushes - - foam or bristle with an easily grip handle

Instructions:
1. Select your container. Any size will do, and the best ones will have a plain cardboard surface.
2. If your container has a removable label, peel it off.
3. Once you have a blank "canvas" you're ready to begin creating your percussion masterpiece!

4. A cardboard egg carton makes a perfect paint pallette
5. Dispense one paint color in each egg cup and set-up your brushes

6. Before you paint add a couple of handfuls of dry pasta to the inside of your container. This adds a great additional sound to your drum while playing and also allows the instrument to double as a shaker.
7. Depending on hand size, 2-4 handfuls of dry pasta should do the trick.

8. It's important to glue the lid to the container top after adding the dry pasta so that the drum stays intact while being played by small children.
9. Any liquid glue will work. My daughter's favorite is purple glitter glue so we used that. Make sure there's an adequate amount all around the interior edge of the lid but not too much so it drips down the outside of the container.

10. Begin painting the outside of your container and paint it some more!
11. Anything goes for the decoration of you drum and it's guaranteed that your toddler will love getting into the painting process!
12. Once your drum is painted to your child's satisfaction let it dry completely before playing.

Bonus step (not pictured) is to cut the letters of your child's name out of colorful construction paper, and using a glue stick, adhere it to the outside of the drum so your toddler can feel even more pride of ownership! Have fun!

Handmade for Kids: How to make a puzzle using a cereal box

by Bev Feldman of Linkouture

  Here is a really simple project that you can do with your children's drawings so that they can be enjoyed again and again in a new way. Just make sure to check with your children first that they don't mind cutting up their pictures!

All you will need for this project is:

• A drawing (or even a photo your child took, enlarged to fit a sheet of paper)
• Cereal box
• Glue
• Scissors

Cut open a cereal box and cover it with glue (I recommend using a glue stick or spray adhesive) and adhere the image to the picture side of the cereal box. Make sure the entire picture is securely glued onto the box; you don't want to miss any spots, otherwise it might not stick properly after you cut out the pieces. 

After the glue has dried, trim any excess cardboard.

Now comes the fun part! Flip it over and turn to the plain side of the box and draw in puzzle shapes. You can make the pieces as big or small as you would like (depending on your child's age), and draw whatever shapes. There is no right or wrong way to do it! Or, if you need help, you can download a puzzle template and glue it to the cardboard. 

Once you have all the shapes outlined, cut along the lines.

Your child's puzzle is down! Now it's time to put it all back together. 

DIY alert: How to sew a child's birthday shirt

by Jessica Burko

This post must begin with a disclaimer: I am not a professional seamstress. Where crafting is concerned I have no idea what I'm doing really, I just wing it. A better description of me is that I'm a creative mom who likes to make special things for her children, especially for their birthdays. I did not grow up in a house with sewing, I do not have any handmade clothes from my grandmother, I have taken one short sewing class ever. I don't have a fancy iron, I use a tiny table top ironing board, my sewing machine is 20+ years old. That all being said, if I can do this little project, so can you.

For me, a big part of this project is getting to reuse and upcycle old clothes. I've been making these birthday number shirts for my kids since my son turned two, and I've always found fabric supplies in our old-clothing bins. With his fifth birthday coming up I found a seldom worn plain gray shirt in his dresser, and a scrap of green patterned fabric on my sewing shelf.

My daughter's third birthday is in a couple of months and since I was sewing anyway, it seemed like a good idea to make her birthday shirt too, and then her shirt took on a life of its own. I was only able to find a blank short-sleeved shirt in my daughter's dresser and with a cold weather birthday she really needed a long-sleeved one, so I added sleeves made from an old pair of her leggings before beginning the main event of adding a number to the shirt front.

How to Sew a Child's Birthday Number Shirt

Level of difficulty:
Low, but it's recommended that you've sewn a few things before this project, like curtains or an apron or something.

Total time to complete project:
Depending on your level of experience it could take from 30 minutes to an hour, but if you have all your materials assembled before beginning I can't imagine it would take longer than that.

Materials:
a plain cotton t-shirt
a small amount of patterned cotton fabric
a piece of fusible interfacing as big as your patterned fabric
a spool of thread
a sewing machine
a few pins
a scissors
a hand-drawn or printed number
an iron
an ironing surface

Optional:
a pair of cotton pants that your child has outgrown

1. Select a blank shirt from your child's existing wardrobe, or purchase one at a used clothing store, or purchase a new one. An all cotton shirt works best. If you want to add sleeves to a t-shirt also procure a pair of soft cotton pants (girls leggings work great). Use any color combo that you like. Make sure all the fabric you use in this project gets washed before beginning the project. If you don't want to add sleeves to your t-shirt, just skip down to the next set of images.

2. Cut off the pants legs at a length that makes sense for your child's arms. Use a long sleeved shirt from their current wardrobe to get a sense of the appropriate length, then add an inch to have room for sewing. You can eyeball it.

3. In this project the pink t-shirt has a cute little ruffle at the edge of the sleeves so I decided to keep that visible and add the long sleeves from the inside, giving it that *very cool* layered look. Slip the widest part of the pant leg into the t-shirt sleeve about an inch and pin all around so it doesn't shift when you're sewing it. The hem of the pants leg will now become the hem at your child's wrist. Slide the shirt onto your machine, choose a stitch pattern that you like (because it will be visible) and sew all around the sleeve edge.

4. Repeat for the other sleeve and then you'll have your blank canvas for adding the birthday child's special number.

5. Create your number template either by printing it from your computer or hand drawing a big bold number. Make sure the paper you select isn't very thick because you want to be able to see the number outline through the other side of the paper. Standard photocopy paper works great. Size your number as you like, using the shirt as your guide. You will be cutting and ironing your number in a reverse position so that the final application to your shirt is in the proper orientation. Yes, you could draw or print your number in the reverse however for those of us who get a little confused about the right side/wrong side of fabric in these types of situations, I find that keeping the template oriented properly allows me to be extra conscious of when I'm using it in reverse.

6. Meet your new best friend, fusible interfacing. Discovering this material completely changed my crafting life. With this simple magic paper you can do all kinds of appliqué without the edges fraying. You can purchase it in small amounts as pictured above or you can buy yards of the stuff on big rolls. Either way, it's great. When you first take it out of the package it is paper on one side and a sort of tacky/sticky surface on the other side. The tacky side is what gets ironed onto fabric, and then the paper side is removed revealing another tacky surface, so it can get ironed on to another piece of fabric or clothing. The photos as we go along will help explain this.

7. Turn your template right side down and pin it to the paper side of the fusible interface. Yes you can pin through paper, and no, it won't harm anything you are working with.

8. Cut through the template paper and the fusible interface, around the outline of your number.

9. Take the pins out and remove the template paper.

10. Iron the tacky side of your fusible interface to the wrong side of your patterned fabric. The number will look backwards, and the right side of your patterned fabric will be face down on your ironing board.

11. You don't need to iron very much and it will be good and fused. I used a setting for cotton and no steam. Once your number is fused to the fabric cut through the fabric and fusible interfacing around the edges of the number. I used a regular scissors for this project but if you will be doing a lot of sewing projects you might consider purchasing a good pair of scissors that you designate for fabric only so they stay really sharp.

12. Once the number is fully cut out, peel the paper backing off to reveal a second tacky surface.

13. Now (finally!) you are ready to fuse your number to your t-shirt. Decide where you want your number to be located on your shirt and iron it down, right side up, tacky side down, on the front of your t-shirt. Make sure you are happy with the location before you iron because once it's fused, there's no going back.

14. It looks like you're finished! But you're not. Well, you could be if you want, but it will look much better if you stitch around the number with thread. If you use heavy duty fusible interfacing the stitching is purely decorative, but it finishes the piece beautifully. You could hand stitch or machine stitch around the edges of the number.

15. I chose to machine stitch and used the same color thread that I used to attach the sleeves. I used a tight zig-zag pattern that I find works well with this type of project, but if you find an alternate type of stitch that you like that's fine too, just make sure to go around all the edges of the number.

16. Ta da! Now you have your number shirt ready for the birthday celebration! Even if the stitching is wonky, or something is not up to your usual high standards, don't worry, you see the imperfections more than anyone else and most important, your child will love it.

17. Of course I also made the number shirt for our son who is turning five this Sunday.

18. Here are the finished products! I know my kids will love them, imperfections and all.

I encourage everyone interested in sewing to try your own version of this project. It can be adapted to different sizes, and different appliques. It's fun, fast, and makes a great update to any wardrobe!

Handmade for Kids: How to Make a Travel Art Box

by Bev Feldman of Linkouture

Between summer vacation and trips to the beach, perhaps more than any other time of the year people find themselves constantly on the go during the summer months. I have days where I feel like I have barely unpacked my bag before I have to pack it all over again, and I haven't even gone on vacation yet this summer! The wonderful thing about making art is it can be done anywhere. All you need is your imagination and a way to express yourself. You can help your children express their creativity on the go with these easy-to-assemble art boxes using items you probably already have laying around your house.

Suggested items:

• Some type of container (I recommend a shoebox if you have one that isn't being used, you can even have your child decorate it)
• Writing/coloring utensils, such as colored pencils, markers, and/or crayons (just be aware if you keeping this in your car the crayons might melt!)
• Something to write/color on (scrap paper, construction paper, a small notebook, or a journal)
• Glue sticks and/or tape
• Recycled materials, such as paper towel tubes, ribbon, tissues paper, and egg cartons
• Scissors (but not if you're planning on take this on an airplane or if it is going to be used in the car)
• Stickers
• Yarn
• Buttons
• Paper clips
• Any other items you or your children can think of

You and your child can work together to hunt around your house to see what kinds of items would be fun to include. Keep the box stashed in your car, ready for long trips, or have your child bring it with them the next time you fly somewhere (just be sure to remove any items that TSA doesn't allow you to bring on your carry-on) and let your child's imagination run! You can even join in on the fun. After every trip clean it out and replenish any supplies that have run low and throw out any items that have dried out. What would you include in a travel art box?

DIY Spring Project: Art and Earth

by Jessica Burko

When my 4-year-old came home from preschool bursting with excitement because his teacher told him the next day was the first day of spring, I knew it was time for some quick thinking and a springtime project. Yes, there's still snow on the ground in Boston, yes it's late March and we're all still wearing winter coats, hats and mittens, but we're forging ahead and starting spring anyway! This art and earth project is perfect for 3-5-year-olds who are getting used to using scissors, learning to read, and handling writing tools.

Supplies:
• seeds
• soil
• seed tray or small containers (cardboard egg cartons would work great!)
• paper
• child-safe scissors
• crayons/markers/colored pencils
• glue stick

Step1: choose your seeds
To completely invest my son in this project, I let him pick out the seeds. We spent some time talking about how we would grow the seeds indoors until it was warmer outside, then we would transfer them to our new garden, and that we would grow vegetables and fruit that we would eat. He chose all his favorites and is most excited about "growing Jack-O-Lanterns" and "corn on the cob".

Step 2: make your art
I went online and found free clip-art to make little coloring-book-style pictures for my son to color so that we could mark our rows of seeds, and because I love you so much dear readers, I'm sharing it with you here: Seed Markers PDF. Feel free to use this sheet for your own seed markers or use it as a template and add your own clip-art images based on what you will be planting. You could also just draw pictures of the fruit and vegetables you will plant. The idea is to make it fun for your little one however they best like to make their art.

Step 3: cut and paste
After making the pictures for your seed markers cut them out (we cut to a square shape) and make sure to provide a front and back for each marker. The front and back can be the same picture, or the back could be left blank, or you could use colored construction paper for the back side. Having both a front and back piece of paper helps the stability of your seed markers. Glue the front and backs to popsicle sticks and you are ready to plant your seeds!

Step 4: planting the seeds
We used a table spoon to fill the seed trays with one spoon of soil, then we put in the seed, then added an additional scoop of soil. We've been watering the seeds every day and looking forward to seeing them sprout. For some great tips on starting seeds check out this post from Organic Gardening.

I've got this theory that the more we can all act like it's spring, the sooner spring will actually get here. So please share your favorite crafty spring project in the comments section and let's all pitch in to make an end to winter!

Valentine Be Mine

by Jessica Burko

I used to make cards, gifts, cookies, cupcakes, and all kinds of valentine everything for everyone. Friends, family, coworkers, classmates, you name it. From mid-January through February 14th I was pink, red, and all sorts of hearts and lace, cupids, and kisses. Oh the days of endless crafting. They are far behind me.

These days, I help my kids make valentines for their teachers and everyone in their classes, for their Nana and NingNing, Aunties and Uncles, and random siblings of their classmates that for some reason they insist on making valentines for. Since they are two and four years old the help I provide is largely in the form of making sure no one eats the glitter or grabs, well, anything after putting their whole hand on the ink stamp pad. I try to provide a wide variety of supplies and then step back and let them explore their creativity however they choose.

Sometimes I miss my extreme crafting days of the past, but seeing my children explore what they can make with their own tiny hands is pretty amazing, and knowing that I am helping them develop a love for all things handmade warms my heart. On this snowy Valentine's day, that is an especially welcome feeling.

Handmade for Kids: How to Make a Paper Tube Napkin Ring

by Bev Feldman of Linkouture

Hosting a family-friendly dinner party or holiday meal? Involve your children in the decorating process and add a little pizzaz to the table with these easy-to-make and super inexpensive paper tube napkin rings. You can make them holiday-themed or generic for any day of the year. 

For this craft you will need the following:

• Tissue paper or colorful magazine pages
• Paper tubes (hold on to them when you finish a roll of paper towels or toilet paper)
• Mod Podge
• A pair of scissors
• A sponge or foam paint brush*

*Don't have either a paint brush or spare sponge? Fingers work as well!

1. Cut the paper tubes into smaller pieces, about 1-2 inches in width. Children might need help with this step, or you can draw lines on the tube to guide them in their cutting.

2. Cut the tissue paper or magazine pages into little square. Alternatively, younger children can tear them into pieces.

3. Using a sponge or a foam paintbrush, start to paint the Mod Podge onto the tube, doing a small section at a time. (You might want to pour a small amount of Mod Podge into a paper or plastic cup or plate for your child.)

4. Start gluing the paper pieces onto to the paper tube. If the pieces are overlapping, more Mod Podge will need to be added so that the tissue paper is glued securely to the tube. Don't worry if the tissue paper bleeds. What matters most is that your child is having fun in the process!

5. Make sure that the interior of the tube is also covered.

6. Let the tubes completely dry, about 20 minutes. Paint another coat of Mod Podge over the surface and interior of the tubes. Make enough for each place setting, and use at your next dinner party or family dinner!

Handmade for Kids: How to Make a Glass Votive Candle Holder

by Bev Feldman of Linkouture

These votive candle holders are super simple to make and would be a lovely handmade present for your child to make for family members and teachers (I still have one a student made me nearly seven years ago). They are glued and coated using Mod Podge, which makes an excellent glaze for multiple projects. 

Note: If your glass jars have labels on them, I have found soaking them in a bowl with hot water and soap for a couple hours makes it pretty easy to scrape the labels off. 
For this craft you will need the following:

• An small empty glass jar, label removed and cleaned out
• Tissue paper (hold onto that crinkled and torn tissue paper from presents!)
• Mod Podge 
• A sponge or foam paint brush*
• A pair of scissors
• A votive candle

*Don't have either a paint brush or spare sponge? Fingers work as well!

1. Cut the tissue paper into little square. Alternatively, younger children can tear it into pieces.

2. Using a sponge or a foam paintbrush, start to paint the Mod Podge onto the glass jar, doing a small section at a time. (You might want to pour a small amount of Mod Podge into a paper or plastic cup or plate for your child.)

3. Start gluing the tissue paper pieces onto to the glass jar. If the pieces are overlapping, more Mod Podge will need to be added so that the tissue paper is glued securely to the jar. Don't worry if the tissue paper bleeds. What matters most is that your child is having fun in the process!

4. Once the jar has been covered, allow the piece to dry for about 20 minutes, and then add one more coat of Mod Podge over the entire jar. Be sure to check that any pieces on the inside of the jar are firmly glued to the jar. You don't want any pieces of paper catching on fire when you light the candle!

5. Once the project has completely dried, place a votive candle inside the jar. Light and enjoy.

Happy Handmade Halloween

Painted and decorated pumpkins by the Gee-Burko family

Wishing everyone a very happy handmade Halloween, and we'd LOVE to see your handmade costumes and decorations so please post links to photos in the comments!

Handmade for Kids: How to Make a Journal

by Bev Feldman of Linkouture

I remember in elementary school "publishing" a handmade book. The story was written and illustrated on a booklet I had made sewing the pages of the story together and then constructing the cover using cardboard, wallpaper scraps and colorful tape. I could not tell you what the story was about, but obviously the project itself made quite an impression on me. Over 20 years later I can still envision the light blue wallpaper and yellow tape and the pride that I took in constructing that book. 
Whether your child wants to write a book or just have something to draw or write in, you don't necessarily need to have wallpaper scraps on hand to make this handmade journal. At a minimum you need some cardboard and some scrap paper and a few other key materials. Older children will enjoy making the journal themselves with some guidance from you; younger children will need assistance with the construction process. 

For this craft you will need the following:

• A piece of cardboard (in this case I used a cereal box)
• Scrap paper with at least one blank side
• Thread that matches the paper
• A needle
• A pair of scissors
• Glue
• Some sort of tape (I used some decorative duct tape)

1. Cut two rectangles out of the cereal box. Make sure they are each a little bigger than the scrap paper folded in half (or cut down the scrap paper if needed).

2. Fold the scrap paper in half. Take a piece of thread at least twice the width of the paper. Thread it onto the needle and double up the thread and knot at the end. Starting at one edge of the crease, sew the thread down the crease so that the papers are secured together into a booklet.

3. Cut a piece of decorative tape the height of the two pieces of cardboard. Connect the two pieces with the tape, leaving a small gap between them. These pieces will be the outside cover of the journal.

4. Take the sewn booklet and place it in the inside of the cardboard pieces, sticky side of the tape touching the booklet.

5. Glue the outer edges of one the pieces of the cardboard cover. Take the outer piece of paper from the booklet and firmly press it onto the cover. Repeat the same on the back cover. This will help secure the paper booklet to the front and back covers.

6. Let the glue dry and it is done! Your child can decorate the front of the cover, or leave it blank.

Gift ideas for Prince George

by Jessica Burko

What do you give the baby who has everything? Something 100% original and handmade of course! Here are a few suggestions for your visit to the royal nursery of Prince George of Cambridge (no, the other Cambridge)...

Airplane onesie by Very Kiki in Saugus, MA

Lemon-lime baby shoes by Green Line Kids in Mashpee, MA

Stuffed bunny toy by Greenwood Toys in Boston, MA

G is for Giraffe by Blue Green Blue Design in Weymouth, MA

 When you see the Prince tell him "Cheerio!" for me!