The River.

Growing up, I spent most of my summer weekends at the river.  We'd ski and fish and play for hours on end.  I would say that most of my happy childhood memories took place on those crisp banks.

It's a surreal feeling taking my five children there now, experiencing The Mighty Columbia through their eyes.
 

  Summer's the perfect time to re-create happy memories, wouldn't you agree? 

Summer Confession.

Confession: All week I've been feeling pretty sorry for myself.  I've been impatient and the children have been snippy.  We've got serious cabin fever.  I've been having thoughts like "If we could just have a change of pace, things would be better." "We need to get out of town, then everyone would be happy." My personal pathetic favorite: "These kids aren't experiencing enough! They need to see more, do more."

And then something magical happened.  This afternoon after we got home from the pool all of the children were in the living room.  Reading books, pawing through the new American Girl catalog, playing with dolls.  They were being kind to each other.  No sniping, no fighting.  I realized then that while vacations are wonderful (and we look forward to a couple of adventures soon) these quiet moments, the moments in our own cozy brick house, are sure to be the most enjoyable of our summer.  

And the best part?  They don't cost a thing.

Miniature Memory Game Tutorial.

{Not the crafty type? You can purchase a Miniature Memory Game in my shop}

I know you'll agree with me when I say some of the best things come in small packages.  I'm a sucker for anything miniature, so of course Craft Camp would have to include something of the mini variety (little girls LOVE teeny tiny things too, right?)

This craft is simple, will keep your children entertained + is just the right size to stash in your purse (you never know when you'll need something to keep the little ones busy).

To make this 14 piece miniature memory game you'll need to gather a few basic supplies.

Supplies:

- Mod Podge
- foam brush
- 14- one inch wood discs.
- 8 different colored sheets of card stock (you can use solid colors, or patterned paper.  it's up to you)
- 3/4" circle paper punch.
- small round tin.
- "miniature memory" printable (I printed this onto label paper so it would stick to the lid of the tin).

I found the wood discs at a local craft store.  The small tins were in my stash.  I bought them from Michael's craft store a year or so ago (they are often used as candy tins for wedding favors).  If you can't find them near you, there are plenty of resources for tins online.  A simple google search will give you hundreds of  options.  I created the "miniature memory" printable  to fit onto the lid of the tin.

To begin, punch two circles from seven of your card stock pieces.  You will punch 14 circles from the remaining piece of paper (this will be the backside of the game pieces).

Next using your Mod Podge and foam brush, begin adhering the paper circles to the wood discs.  Once the paper is applied to each side of the wood discs you can start using the Mod Podge to seal over both sides of the game pieces.

Tip: you will get better results if you apply thin, even coats.  The girls + I applied three coats to each side of our game pieces.

Next use scissors or a paper punch to cut out the "miniature memory" label.

Abby and I  plan on making a bunch of these games to give as birthday gifts for her friends.  They would also make a sweet party favor, no?

Simple Cross Stitch.

I'm becoming a little obsessed with basic crafting techniques + cross stitch might just be number one on my list.  There is something very charming about it.  

Day two of Craft Camp the girls all learned how to follow a simple cross stitch pattern, thread a needle + tie a french knot.  Skills they will hopefully be able to use many times in the future.  To make a simple monogrammed cross stitch you'll need:

- 4" hoop

- embroidery floss

- needle

- cross stitch fabric

- pattern (here is the one we used)

When the girls finished with their initial, I trimmed the excess fabric from the hoop (leaving about a 1/2"). I then hot glued the remaining fabric to the back inside of the hoop.  The girls then used colored pencils to color the unfinished wood of the hoop.  You could paint or stain the hoop if that was your preference (although that should be done before you begin stitching.)

Clothespin Doll Tutorial.

These sweet dolls were made on day one of Craft Camp.  The girls all seemed to love them and I have to admit, I had a lot of fun creating the demos.  Aren't they darling?  To make some of your own you'll need to gather a few supplies.

Supplies

-Craft paint. You'll need a few different colors.  White, a flesh color, a hair color, an eye color, and any accessory colors you may want to use.

-Paint brushes.

-5" fabric circle cut with pinking shears.

-Ribbon.

-Scissors.

-Glue gun.

-Flesh colored pipe cleaner.

-Clear sealer.  I used a gloss finish.

-Wooden clothespin.

-Clothespin doll stand.

-Wooden clothespin doll head.

I found the wooden clothespins, doll stands + doll heads at Michael's Crafts.  

Once your doll is assembled, you can start dressing her.

Slip dress over dolls head, pipe cleaner arms through arm holes, and tie your ribbon around dolls waist. If you would like the dress neckline to be smaller, you can wait to glue your dolls head on until you put the dress in place.

Abigail, Audrey and I have had a lot of fun the past week with these dolls.  They are easy to play with because they have so much personality.  And if I'm being 100% honest here, I have a couple of boys requesting "guy dolls".  That sounds like a fun challenge, doesn't it?!

Happy doll making, friends.

4th of July Crafts for Children.

Whew.  What a week!  Craft Camp ended this afternoon + I'm feeling a bit sad.  I'm going to miss my sweet campers.  I had a great group of girls this year.  Everyday they came excited + ready to create.  What more can you ask for, right?  I was planning on posting all of the crafts we created next week, but then I realized these two projects are so simple + quick, you could tackle them in the morning with your children and be set for your July 4th celebrations on Sunday.  

One thing I felt passionate about when planning Craft Camp 2010 was teaching the girls skills they would be able to carry with them.  Maybe even spark an interest in a craft they had never thought they could do.  That being said, one day had to be devoted to sewing.  

These Star Applique T-shirt's were the perfect project.  I purchased $5 white t-shirts from Old Navy for each girl.  My local fabric store didn't have any red and white stripe jersey (I know!) so I bought a really awful looking red + white striped swimsuit cover from Wal-Mart for $7, cut it up and called it good.  You could use any contrasting fabric of your choice.

Materials:

white t-shirt

contrasting fabric for star

Heat N' Bond

star template

scissors

sewing machine 

-Adhere Heat N' Bond to contrasting fabric according to package directions.  

-Trace star template onto paper side of Heat N' Bond.

-Cut out star.

-Adhere fabric star to white t-shirt according to Heat N' Bond package directions.

-Sew around perimeter of star.  I had the girls use a zig zag stitch which is a bit more forgiving but you could skip this step all together if you don't own a sewing machine or don't have the time.

I was really proud of my campers for accomplishing this craft.  You could see the pride in their eyes when they held up their finished t-shirts.  

While waiting for their turn at the sewing machine, the girls made these super easy button bracelets.  All you need are a bunch of buttons in red, white and blue + some clear elastic beading cord.  Tie a knot at one end of your cord, string on your buttons (pulling them so they slightly overlap.)  Continue until your bracelet is long enough to stretch around your wrist and finish with a square knot.  

Stay tuned next week for the remaining Craft Camp posts.  There are some fun things coming that might get you through these dog days of summer.

Until then, if you live here in the US have yourself a very festive + happy 4th.  I'm looking forward to some true relaxing summer weather, fresh fruit, and of course fireworks.  If you're a friend from far away, enjoy your weekend as well.  I look forward to seeing you all here Tuesday.