Cupcake papers, which come in fun colors and patterns, make for a fun collage material. These little Valentines, party invites, and tags take advantage of their ruffled texture. After baking, I always seem to have a few stray cupcake papers left over from various packs, and this is a nice use for them!
Read MoreI recently had the pleasure of working with the super talented photographer, Lucy Schaeffer. We were shooting a craft story for Family Fun magazine involving large cardboard boxes (which I am excited to share as soon as it comes out!). Lucy told me about the candy ATM (Yes, a candy ATM!) that she and her two daughters made together using a giant cardboard box.
(All photos by Lucy)
Elf is one of my family's favorite movies. We could watch it all the time, but, for the last few years, we established a policy to do so only once a year, with cousins, right before Christmas. When we finally do get to watch it, it feels really special event! Last year, a few nights before Christmas, we had an Elf Night with our extended family. My younger son and I made these cardstock invites together during a sick day.
Read MoreI recently worked with Bed, Bath & Beyond to make a series of gingerbread house kit hacks. We had so much fun coming up with different themes using the candy decorations from the kit and some easy-to-find extras like candy canes, pretzel rods, and marshmallows. I will update this post soon with the third video, a snowy palace!
Read MoreI've compiled a list of gift ideas for the creative kids on your holiday shopping list. The ideas may seem basic, but when paired with one or two other things, become a simple (but fun!) craft or activity kit!
Read MoreI love to have a little side Christmas tree for my kids to decorate with their own ornaments...the ones that don't really match with what I had in mind for our big tree. :) Sometimes they'll keep it in their room or we'll have it on a side table in the living room. This little Tinker Toy tree is easy and fun to make, never drops needles, and turns back into a toy after the holiday!
Read MoreChristmas is quickly approaching! What a better way to celebrate each day of Advent than with a fun handmade countdown. These paper bags double as cute decor and a functional Advent calendar. You could fill them with treats, small toys, or slips of paper with quotes, or fun family activity ideas!
Read MoreA couple of Thanksgivings ago I teamed up with my friends at Marley Spoon to create an easy kid-friendly Thanksgiving craft and I came up with this turkey napkin ring. In my sketch, above, I used a dyed coffee filter and a toilet tube, two of my favorite materials!
Read MoreThanksgiving is coming! I always want to use fall leaves for my decorations, but I find that they are usually dried up by the time the holiday comes around. This is a fun way to get fresh-looking leaves that don't crinkle or crumble and it gets your kids involved in decorating!
Read MoreGingerbread houses are fun to bake and build, but these little Halloween haunted houses, a variation of the Valentine cottages from my book, "Candy Aisle Crafts," are made from graham crackers, allowing you to skip the baking and get to the best part -- decorating! They make a spooky Halloween centerpiece or mantle decoration, too. For a great playdate or fall afternoon activity, premake the house bases, one for each kid, and set out bowls of candy for decorations.
Read MoreI am so happy to have recently contributed some ideas to Etsy Studio, Etsy's new-ish craft supply market where makers can find unique (and basic) materials as well as project ideas and inspiration. My first post is all about making homemade dessert stands, like this multi-tiered castle stand! I was so inspired by Etsy's wide selection of unfinished wooden blocks and shapes!
Read MoreIn this month's Family Fun magazine, I shared a few easy crafts you can do with or for your kids to make your July 4th celebration even more fun!
Read MoreFisher-Price's Little People Farm was one of my most-loved toys when I was a kid and was a favorite of our boys when they were little too so I was thrilled when they asked me to come up with cupcakes inspired by their farm animals. Check out the video we made and you'll see that the cupcakes are super easy to make. Snip some supermarket candy, no piping or cake-decorating skills required! Your kids can help make them and they're great for a barnyard-themed or piggy party, Easter, or even just a rainy day!
Read MoreMy friend, Margaret, and I like to work on craft projects together. (She's a brilliant illustrator and surface designer, by the way. Check out her website!) We've gotten together the last couple of years to decorate Easter eggs, like these neon highlighter eggs, inspired by a series of highlighter pen drawings she made.
Read MoreIn this month's Parents magazine, I shared a few Easter treat ideas using Peeps, a candy that I have long loved for their bright sugar coating and chubby cuteness....perfect for decorating desserts! These little Peep chicks are in nests made from chow mein noodles in a marshmallow mixture. (click here for directions and a recipe).
Read MoreLast year, I crafted some eco-friendly Easter crafts for Parents magazine. They're easy to make and utilize items that you probably have in your recycle bin! These little felt-eared egg bunnies are sitting in grass cuffs made from toilet paper and paper towel tubes. You can find the instructions here (and a video here).
Read MoreTune in to NBC tomorrow (Saturday, February 18th) at 11:30 AM to watch Naturally, Danny Seo. Danny and I had so much fun making jewelry, toys, and decorations out of items that you probably have in your recycle bin right now, like these flower necklaces made out of squeeze pouch caps and felt scraps!
Read MoreThese portrait lollipops I made for my husband are inspired by the Funny Face Pops in our book, Candy Aisle Crafts. Making them was some of the most fun that I had working on the book! I was creating all different shapes of lollipops for our hard candy chapter and Amy and I talked about including a page of people portrait lollipops. When she suggested that I try making Bert and Ernie–like faces, I was inspired! Make some for your Valentine...or your favorite couple!
Read MoreMany many years ago, my friend Page and I liked to make homemade Valentines for our coworkers at Martha Stewart Living magazine. We came up with ideas for little gifts, like these felt tissue dispensers (instructions here), that we could produce assembly-line style. The beautiful wool felt we used was special ordered from Holland. This was before the internet (!) so we would call the sweet owner over the phone to place our overseas orders! We sat together and measured, cut, and sewed until the wee hours of the night...and we loved it! This went on for many years until our recipient list grew to well over 100, we had our babies, and got too busy. Now, Page co-owns Purl Soho with Joelle Hoverson where, coincidentally, you can buy this beautiful felt!
Read MoreMake this marshmallow cow, or invent your own creature, to adorn your hot chocolate! Keep a few different sizes of marshmallows on hand for making heads and bodies. It's a perfect winter craft!
Read MoreSupermakeit is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. However, not all links are monetized or affiliated with amazon.com.
©2015 Jodi Levine. All photographs by Amy Gropp Forbes unless otherwise noted.
