Owls Crafts: When My Kids Are Bored

Do you also feel that if your children are bored it’s your problem? That it’s your job to keep them busy?

Let’s clear this first: It’s not your problem if they’re bored. Let them be bored, and let them learn to keep themselves busy (or not). Boredom is good for children, and encourages creativity.

Now, if you still feel you need to keep them busy (what can I say, I always do…) well…

I am an owls addict!

Collected for you some owls crafts ideas for various ages, toddlers up:

Owl paper craft Instructions 

Flying owl pattern here

Isn’t he the cutest??? Here 

Love this.  From Kerry’s craft blog

Stuffed owls here

So many creative idea’s, I don’t know where to start.

While we’re at it, one of my favorite owl sites is my owl barn, publishing this yearly amazing free download owls calendar, a collaboration of many great artists.

See some of the artwork, I just can’t stop looking at it:

Enough owls for today…See ya

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Amazing Washi Tape Crafts Ideas

Although I may seem as a crafty mom to some of you, this is how it usually goes:

1. I see a beautiful idea (that someone else thought of).

2. I show it to everybody around.

3. I start collecting the art supplies required, and promise my children that we are going to do it next Saturday.

4. Saturday comes and goes, nothing happens.

Washi tape is a great example.

I already have approximately 150 different designs:

For those of you who are not familiar with washi tape, the latest trend in crafts and design, it is a Japanese masking tape made of rice paper with endless amazing designs. It is used for decorating walls, mirrors, furniture, glasses, endless possibilities. You can use it to hang your kids drawings or photos on the walls.

I know that most of you are not eating a popsicle right now, but you can still buy the sticks.

Look at this, isn’t it the most creative, and easy to do with kids??? I am in love.

OK, boys too:

Found it in teawagontales.

By the way, in case you’re an animal lover like us, you can also try this idea from makeandtakes (this is not a washi tape craft).

These are just some more easy to do washi tape ideas: I’ve collected them for some time now, and have no idea where I found them. Not mine anyway…

Like it? Let me know!

A Bipolar blog

I was discussing this blog with my husband, telling him that it looks like 2 different blogs mixed together and that I probably need to split it to 2, when he scowled at me  “you will handle 2 blogs? You can’t even handle one!”

Pause…  Let’s see: I started sharing my life with you in January, following The scary world of 12’s incident. So far, 1000 of you are following my blog already. Does it mean that 1000 people think I can handle at least one blog? I sure hope so!

Thank you all again for taking the time to participate in my life by reading, commenting and sharing your own stories. It’s more than my husband does, and you don’t even know me. It’s like having 1000 people believe in me but they are far away, and one who doesn’t, but he is in my house! Let’s switch, I will have 1000 people in my house believing in me, and the one who doesn’t will be far away. Just a thought ;-).

About this blog: I am not sure it makes a lot of sense to jump from cutting to crafting. There are many days when I am very troubled about life being so stressful and painful for kids sometimes.  After I post about it, I need to remind myself that there is also a lot of good and happiness going around, and I start looking for nice things. Than you get a crafty post. No wonder I started taking anti anxiety pills lately…well that’s for another post.

I guess this bipolar disorder will not continue forever .

And no, I don’t look like this blond in the photo, thanks for asking. Wish I did though!

A winter giraffe

I started this blog 3 weeks ago, following an incident described in my post “The scary world of 12’s”, which was for me a moment of recognition that my closest circle don’t always supply answers to parenting surprises.

I am surprised and excited by the number of comments and new followers of my blog. I know that you are all very busy, and the fact that you are taking the time to read, and care enough to comment and share, is surprising for me and above my expectations.

I think I owe you a paper mache giraffe for that!

Giraffe

To those of you who are not familiar with paper mache yet:

There are endless paper mache sites / explanations.

Basically you need to prepare a paste made of glue and water in a bowl, stir it and use it with newspaper straps or mashed wet toilet paper.

Another attitude is to boil 4 cups of water, add to it a mix of 1 cup of flour with 2 cups of water and 2 spoons of salt: Cook it all on low fire for 4 minutes and let it cool.

Very fun to do with children, and an opportunity to discuss and demonstrate recycling.

If you use newspaper straps, you work with layers: The bigger the object is, the more layers you should put. (Let them dry between 3 – 4 layers and then continue). Another good suggestion is to make the external layer white, easier to decorate.

And last – you can use any kind of paint, but it’s recommended to seal it with varnish or an acrylic sealer.

I collected some ideas, there are endless of course.  

Note that these are various creative ideas of  various creative and talented people, none is mine:

These tins are created by people with disabilities:

See the fish that can also become a mobile: The base contains polystyrene balls. The eyes are small balls, the tail is a piece of cardboard placed in the ball by making a small cut with a knife or scissors.

Here’s the link to this creative designer’s blog

She also made these owls, you already know about my obsession with owls…

OK, I love dogs as well, don’t even remember where I found this dog, sorry:

Houses can be made of milk boxes. You can also cut open windows and doors in it.

Another great idea can be an animal money-box, you cut a hole for coins in a cardboard box, add to it cardboard legs, eyes, nose, tail and cover it with paper mache.

Don’t forget to share with me other great ideas please!