Christmas jigsaw game:
Make a Christmas jigsaw game. Gather 10-20 cards and cut each one into 3 or 4 pieces, using straight lines. Shuffle them up and lay them out on a flat service such as a dining table or the floor – then put them back together again! Store the cards in a shoebox for next time. This is fun on a quiet family evening at the beginning of the season as it helps to get everybody into the Christmas spirit!

Christmas tree ornaments:
Make cinnamon stick ornaments for the Christmas tree. Wrap a small bundle of cinnamon sticks together with a pretty ribbon tied in a bow (leave a loop for hanging). Using a small dab of glue, attach a pretty shape cut from a Christmas card with pinking shears to the centre of the ribbon bow to finish the ornament off. These look pretty and smell delicious too!

Scented sachets:
Make scented sachets to give as gifts or fragrance your own home. Simply glue the bottom and side edges of the card together and then slip a small amount of potpourri (or a cotton ball on which you have dropped a little Christmas essential oil) into the space. Use a hole punch to make two holes on the top edge, through which you can thread a pretty ribbon before tying a bow. If you leave a loop in the ribbon, the sachets can be hung on door handles, coat hooks or radiators (the heat will help to release the scent, but it won’t last as long) to create a welcoming, Christmas atmosphere.

Christmas mobile or “string”:
Cut shapes out of the cards in matching pairs. Hearts work nicely, as do simple Christmas tree shapes and even plain squares and circles. Stick the cards back to back and laminate them, then punch a hole in them and use to make a colorful and child-friendly mobile or “string” to decorate next year. You could add to this every year. As a variation, you could back each shape with a plain-colored piece of card or construction paper and write on it the date and name of the person who sent the card.

Christmas card game:
Cut playing-card shapes out of the cards, stick a piece of plain card over any writing if necessary, and use to make a Christmas game or quiz for your children to play next year. Laminate to protect.

Gift tags:
A traditional activity, but one which never fails to amuse the kids, is making gift tags for next year’s presents. Use pinking sheers, a hole punch, and leftover ribbon

Gift bags:
Make gift bags for next year by saving smart paper bags. Cut a nice shape out of each card and stick it to the front of the bag (covering any shop labels if necessary). Sometimes one Christmas card will yield many different bag decorations! Add a little ribbon bow just above the card and wrap your present in tissue paper before putting it into the bag. This looks lovely with brown paper bags and tartan ribbons.

Miniature Christmas cards:
Some Christmas card designs can be cut and folded into miniature Christmas cards for the kids to give next year, or for decorating the dolls house.

Christmas screensaver:
Scan your favorite cards into the computer – and some of your favorite messages from inside the cards as well – and make them into a Christmas wallpaper or screensaver with a photo program. Children love this and it is a great memento if you do it each year.

Lacing card:
Cut out the pictures on the larger cards, punch holes around the edges with a hole punch, add a shoelace or brightly colored yarn (with sticky tape wrapped around the ends) and you have a cheerful and cheap lacing card for little ones. If they are particularly popular you could laminate them to make them last longer.

Christmas confetti:
Make some Christmas confetti to use next year (scatter it on the Christmas table, or put a pinch inside your Christmas cards and gifts!) Use either a plain hole punch or a special Christmas one (both together look great) and choose the most colorful areas from each card to cut. Gold and silver looks very effective, especially mixed in with red and green. Small scraps of leftover wrapping paper can be used too. You can keep the children busy with this for hours!

If you are making your own card check you have an envelope that will fit the size your are planing to make. Finding white or coloured envelopes the size you want might not be as easy or as cheap as you may think. There is nothing worse than making a lovely card to find the only envelope you can find that it will fit in is brown.

• Don’t be in a hurry, let it dry.

When using ink pads, ink pens and glue you are going to have to be a little careful. Some inks dry faster than others,if you work with a card with wet ink on it you are likely to accidentally smudge you beautiful work, move on to a different card and go back to it later to put the finishing touches in.

• It’s never as bad as you think.

Remember that your cards are hand made, they are not supposed to be perfect. The effort involved in making a hand made card gives them meaning. It is so much nicer to receive a hand made card.

• Keep it simple.

Simple cards are just as effective. Don’t feel you have to make complicated cards.

• Try not to mix stickers with stamps.

When using stickers to make cards be careful about adding ink stamp art to the card, as the two together do not always complement each other.

• Use colors that contrast with their backgrounds so they can be seen.

When making cards it sometimes looks nicer if you put your picture, sticker or stamp on a cut out shape of coloured card that contrasts and compliments your picture. For example if you are using a dark blue background a pale blue or pale yellow card shape stuck on the front with your design on may set off the picture and make it look more interesting.

• Other peoples tastes vary to your own.

If you design a card and you are not sure if it looks quite right, or you think that others will not like it, do not worry, there is always someone out there who it will appeal to. Place the card to one side, you can always ask someone’s else’s opinion or go back to it and change it at a later date.

www.enchantedlearning.com – this is a great web site that has tons and tons of free crafts for kids. The crafts range from covering every holiday to everyday crafts that can keep kids busy for hours. They also have coloring pages, books that your child can make with their own writing, and worksheets that can exercise their brains. This is one of this writer’s most favorite web sites for crafts and more!

www.allcrafts.com – not only does this web site give you tons of free crafts for kids, it gives you adult crafts to create as well. Having a web site like this saved in your “Favorites” folder can keep you and your child busy for hours and hours.

www.kaboose.com – here is another web site that has a plethora of information that not only gives you free crafts for kids, but you will also find fun family activities and a lot of other information that will allow you to maximize on your family time without taking up too much time surfing the Internet looking for the perfect web site that has everything you need.

www.apples4teacher.com – not only does this web site give you hundreds of free crafts for kids, but it also gives teachers and home schooling parents information about how to teach various subjects. These subjects range from art to geography to math and much, much more!

www.allfreecrafts.com – whether you are looking for free crafts for kids or crafts for yourself, you are sure to find it on this comprehensive web site that is all free for you! There are crafts that focus on various holidays and free crafting patterns and templates that will let you make some great looking hand made items with just a little time and imagination.

You can look around the Internet to find many web sites that will give you great free crafts for kids. Some of the crafts are going to be tailored towards younger kids and some will be more suited towards older children. However, we are totally sure that when you look for free crafts for kids, there is something out there for everyone – every kid of all ages, including you!

The good thing about embroidering greeting cards is that you can combine your love of embroidery to paper crafts. And did you know that there are, surprisingly, plenty of designs for stitching your cards? And most of all, they are free.

How Get Designs for your Greeting Cards

• Cut out any designs you’d like from your old magazines and books. You”ll surely find great designs for card such as Christmas ornaments or trees for Christmas, hearts for Valentines, cakes for birthdays, etc.

• You can also download and print an image from the internet. Make sure to get simple designs if you”re new to this.

• You can also use old embroidery patterns

Where Do You Get Patterns and Designs?

• Old magazines and books which you can freely cut-out. • Embroidery shops • The internet

So, now you have your pattern or design, you can prepare the materials that you will need. You should prepare your blank card, pin for punching holes, needles, threads, tapes, scissors, glue sticks and some decorative papers.

Simple Steps in Making your Embroidery Greeting Cards

a.) Tape the design you’ve chosen on the blank greeting card.

b.) Following the drawings on the design, punch holes on the card.

c.) Now, there will be holes which will be your pattern in stitching. Follow the holes as you stitch. Use different stitches depending on the design. Remember not to knot the end of the thread, just tape it at the back of the paper.

d.) When you”re through stitching all the designs, you can paste decorative papers at the back of the card as it would be messy.

Embroidery on Paper is Different!

One important thing that you have to keep in mind is that paper embroidery is different from that done on fabric; although the concepts are mostly similar. On paper, you have to punch the holes where you will do the stitching. And you have to do it carefully if you want your designs to be perfect. At most embroidery shops, you can buy special tools which you can use to punch holes on your paper for stitching.

There will also be lots of patterns available for this kind of embroidery craft. But you have to keep in mind that because you are designing a greeting card (which is slightly small); you have to look for a design which best fit the card. You also need to consider the occasion when you intend to send the card when finding patterns and designs.

Whether you are going to make a Christmas card, Valentine’s card, birthday card or anniversary card, embroidery greeting cards are the best one to make. You can make a personalized design.

You have done it with great efforts which your love ones will surely appreciate. Best of all, the materials you need are all cheaper.

When getting started at paper crafts, it is easy to spend a lot of money! Go easy at first until you know what sort of paper craft products you are likely to use. For instance, you may find that you love using stickers in scrapbooks, but rarely use your rubber stamps. If this is the case, you would be better off spending more on stickers and less on rubber stamps for your paper crafts.

Almost everyone has at least some of their photographs stored somewhere in a shoe box. Scrapbooks are a great way to get those photos out where people can enjoy them. You will need a loose leaf binder, some plastic page protectors, and some colored cardstock for starters. Many paper crafts experts insist on only archival quality materials. Check the labels as you buy. Most paper products, even the cheaper ones, are labeled “acid-free,” which means that it shouldn’t fade or otherwise deteriorate if stored for a long time. Sunlight will bleach almost anything, but your paper crafts should not be out in the sunlight very often.

To start a scrapbook you have several options. You can select photos that all relate to one event, such as a trip or a child’s participation in sports. This type of scrapbook will be short, but can be designed around a theme. This is a good choice if your photos are not in a jumble. If they are, then you may wish to choose 3 or 4 photos around a general theme, and change the theme for each page. You may want to include some 2 page spreads in your scrapbook.

Attach your photos to the cardstock with double-sided tape squares or a gluestick. Then it’s time to decorate the page with stickers, paper shapes, or rubber stamped designs. In addition, you can use a colored gel pen to write dates, names, and other highlights about the activities in the pictures.

Other items are available in paper crafts stores. These includes die cuts, which are pieces of paper already cut into shapes and objects. There are also special scissors that cut paper with an interesting edge. A pair of the type called ‘deckle” scissors is very useful for making elegant looking scrapbook pages, greeting cards, and other paper crafts. If you also have an old pair of pinking shears that are too dull to cut fabric, you can use those for cutting out shapes and photos.

Many paper crafts enthusiasts begin with scrapbooking, but then branch out to making their own greeting cards. Greeting cards may or may not have an original poem written on the inside. A simple “Happy Birthday,” “Get Well Soon,” or even just “Hi!” is enough to brighten someone’s day, so don’t worry about not being a good enough writer to make your own greeting cards. Rubber stamps often make beautiful greeting cards. You can even attach small ribbons, beads, and other items to hand made cards. A handmade card is sure to please anyone, whether they are interested in paper crafts

You see you don’t have to spend tons of money to give someone a worthwhile gift. To make them feel special. Most people prefer and really appreciate a genuine effort and a personal touch on their special day. A candy card is the perfect way to say to someone, I love you, I know you and you mean a lot to me.

Candy Card Secrets is packed with card making ideas to inspire you, as well as a substantial section on choosing your theme and personalizing your card.

Remember candy cards are the ultimate greeting card and make a beautiful gift by themselves. They are totally customizable and can be made to any size.

You may want to look for inexpensive crafts so that you can get yourself involved and into a hobby. Things like quilting and homemade card making are just some of the things that you can do to make the craft projects simple and affordable.

You will first want to go online to find some of the craft ideas that you need to get motivated. The Internet is a great resource because it is ever changing and you can often talk directly to the author of the article via email to ask specific questions. Products we offer on this website offer great ideas and support to help you with card making ideas. You will want to use blogs to your advantage because they can be a great source for you.

For those who are not connected to the net, you will want to do a lot of searching. You may not even know how you can search properly; however, you will find that there are plenty of magazines and such to help you get the project ideas. You can subscribe to a general craft magazine or one that is more specialized to your specific wants and needs. Good news-if you run a business by selling your crafts, trade magazines are tax deductible! Of course, you’ll have to wait a month for a new issue, but crafting magazines still reflect current trends, like blogs and articles do no the Internet.

When it comes to a specific craft, you will want to learn the basics and then expand on that. Books are a great starting place. If you’re short on cash, you can even simply borrow them from your local library. You can purchase or borrow crafting books on every subject, and they are great to use in conjunction with magazines or even a crafting class.

It doesn’t matter what your craft is, you will be able to find plenty of project ideas and you will also be able to walk through your local supplies store and allow your creativity to guide you.

 Fun With Caricatures

Imagine … being able to find out the secret formula to caricature success, from someone who has built a solid career over the past 30 years as you share in his secret ways to learn to draw caricatures and make a little money if you fancy as a caricature artist.

Imagine … having the skills to draw caricatures that most people will not believe you could do!

Imagine … the way you are going to feel when you uncover a stream of work that is constant, consistent and shows no sign of going out of fashion anytime soon!

Imagine … making extra money for drawing funny faces that is really easy to do!

You can learn all this and use them for all your homemade card activities using Fun With Caricatures!

1. Find the craft the kids want to make and then make a list of all the supplies you will need to make the craft. Check out some of the homemade card ideas discussed on this website!

2. If you do not have everything on hand add the supplies you need to your shopping list so you will not forget them.

3. Put a plastic table cloth down where you will be crafting.

4. Have all supplies laid out before you announce craft time to your kids.

5. Use non-toxic paints, glues, etc.

6. Have wet wipes and paper towels handy for spills.

7. Always try to have extra supplies in case something is lost or torn, etc.

8. Let them wear old clothes so you will not be stressed out over ruining what they are wearing.

9.Show the kids how to do the craft but let them do it in their own way. If you insist on it being perfect then you might as well do the craft yourself and forget about having craft time with the kids. It also makes the children thnk that everything has to be perfect and that their best is not good enough. Sometimes little hands need help but you know you have gone too far when you are the only one left at the craft table.

10.Have fun! Don’t worry about a little paint on their hands & faces, take pictures instead.

I hope you will try these suggestions for a stress free craft time with your children. Show them how to have fun, they will learn how to be stressed out way too soon anyway.

Homemade Card Ideas for Everyone

You don’t have to be artistic or creative to enjoy this wonderful crafting hobby. Why?

Because we bring you lots of  beautiful handmade card making ideas, with step-by-step instructions. If you’re creatively challenged or if you’re simply stuck for card ideas, you’ll be sure to find card designs to inspire you.

Lots Of Ideas Suitable For Both Beginner and Advanced Card Makers

Are you a beginner? Or maybe you’ve been creating your own handmade cards for years? This site has creative card making ideas for you, no matter how long you’ve been making handmade cards.

So whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned card maker – you’re sure to find card ideas and designs that you can get stuck into right away.