simple dreams

Crafting With Kids: Scribble It

It has been a "few" years since my girls were toddlers, but I remember those days like they were yesterday. I really miss the funny things they would say!

Our kitchen table is a testiment to the creative adventures that have taken place in our home - LOL! We talk about refinishing it, but then I think some of the memories might disappear with a more desireable surface.

With a little help a toddler can have fun creating too!

Two lines of stamps that we carry that are especially fun for kids are the Kim Hughes images and the Hero Arts selection. Making little stickers and having kids put them on their cards will be a fun activity for even the youngest child.

To begin I covered a piece of Neenah cardstock with the 4 1/2" wide tape. The smaller 2 1/2" size will work for many images and you can do several rows placed together for larger images.

I cut the piece of cardstock off that was backed with tape and randomly stamped a bunch of "fishy" images.

Next I did my best to imitate the coloring of my youth as I don't have any little helpers here at work. Using my left hand I had very little control - LOL! To help make certain that you don't end up with bunches of black and brown simply select the colors in advance - then there will be no tears when Mom decides that those colors just aren't working :-D

One thing I did realize after I had cut out my pieces is that a hard scribble looks better ;-D So let your kids color at will.

Julia helped me create this little fishbowl and we would like to share it with you in hopes that you will try this with your kids. (Scroll to the bottom of this post - you will find it in the supplies section.) All you have to do is insert your cardstock and print :-D

Then score and cut out your fishbowl as shown above.

Using a stamp-a-ma-jig I was able to line up the cute waves along the top edge and then added some seaweed and bubbles.

 
Remove the sticker backing and put your fish in the bowl.

You can outline some of the bubbles, the waves and parts of the fish using a 2-way glue pen and then sprinkle on the glitter.

This could make the perfect card to send to grandparents or give to Dad by simply adding the "your fintastic" sentiment inside.

This idea can be translated on so many different levels. Create your own sticker page scenes or coloring book pages. So try getting crafty with your wee ones! Scribbling can be so very cute!

 
stamps: Kim Hughes Ocean Friends

paper: Neenah Solar White

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (or if you would like to let them watercolor I would recommend Palette Noir)

accessories: Be Creative 2 1/2" or 4 1/2" Tape, Cool Highlights Microfine Glitter, 2-way Glue Pen, Teflon Scissors (so that the adhesive doesn't stick), Crayola Wax Crayons

template: Download Fishbowl Template  

Witches Shoe Template

Being that the Paper Crafts October 2006 issue is no longer available and everyone is getting all excited about party planning for the fall I thought I would share the shoe template here on my blog for all of you my fabulous customers. I ask that you please not scan the Paper Crafts magazine and post it to other places around the internet being that it is copyright material. Now that the issue is no longer available I will happily provide that template to you, but again please do not copy and paste it in other places. It is for you to use in making gifts for others and not to be used for selling without specific permission given. I am hoping that this attachment link will work. I guess we'll see Ü

Download Witches Shoe Template here

Some of you may have never seen the shoes that I have designed. Here is the story behind the shoe. The first shoe was designed for a Breast Cancer Fund Raiser I did back in the year 2004. I had seen the Provocraft Coluzzle template in the store and I was drawn too it, but it was just too clunky looking for me - LOL! Yes, miss "elegance" here. (Perhaps I should have been wearing one of these elegant shoes the night I took my not so elegant fall :D maybe it would have helped me be a little more graceful and kept me from my current predicament). As some of you may know my background is interior design and with that came the art of drafting. So I did just that - I drafted my own little shoe.

It was right when SU came out with their fundraiser stamp set and I decided I really wanted to make more of a difference than just selling stamp sets and thus I planned an event titled "Stamp Out Breast Cancer". I love to play on words and so the shoe was used to draw attention to this event (as in stamp your feet as well as stamp your images). At that time SCS also did a special gallery for the DD in which I was a guest that month. I uploaded the shoe to the gallery and it was a huge hit. Unfortunately at that time I didn't really have a good drawing being that I had drafted it and it was pretty "sketchy" at best. I had planned on making a template to distribute on SCS, but with the loss of my father-in-law and the progression of cancer in my own father and then losing him everything just got put aside.

It was when I made a determination that I wanted to pursue a career as a concept artist that I then pulled those sketches back out. When I saw the call for the upcoming fall issue I thought it would make the cutest witches shoe and so once again I revamped my initial drawing and changed it up slightly to make what is now known as the Witches Shoe.

This is the first grouping I created for Paper Crafts. Now many of you who do design work know that there are always changes. So here is the first ensemble I presented them with.

The funny thing was that I absolutely loved it with the green accents, unfortunately they didn't and so it was my first time making changes to one of my creations to fit the needs of the magazine. I still have a soft spot for that snazzy green accent color on the invitation - LOL! But it all turned out being that I salvaged every little tidbit of the original paper because I couldn't get more quickly enough to remake these. I hurriedly remade them according to specifications and got them sent off in time :D. I don't know if you can tell, but the shoe that was stamped on the shrink plastic and on the place card is the Lockhart Party Shoe.

It was this shoe that began my adventure of today. Through this shoe I met Karen Lockhart and my career took a turn to the amazing. I feel so blessed and fortunate! It's because of this shoe that I met the person who has helped me realize some of my dreams and goals. You know the title of my blog - Simple Dreams - it's just that. I do have simple dreams, simple goals, simple aspirations. I am always setting new goals - my goal is to hopefully each day inspire someone, share a moment of warmth or laughter and to share the gifts that I have been given.

Of course this shoe can be used for all sorts of fun occasions, not just Halloween. It can be enlarged and reduced to turn it into a little gift holder, or just a little place card. There are so many ways that you can use this template to create objects for those you love. I know of one group of women who celebrated an event and one lady made SIXTY of these! It has been so delightful to see how everyone has used this little shoe to make an event "smashing". It gives me great joy to know that so many of you are enamoured with this little creation. It gives me great joy to know that what I share makes a difference to you.

So without being totally sappy and making myself cry I'm just going to stop now and tell you that I appreciate you - all of you who stop by here each day, all of you who send me cheerful messages and call me to check on me and.... I appreciate you and I hope that this little template can bring joy to you or someone else you know! HUGS - Ellen