Aiming for accuracy: training eye-hand control

Card making kits - educational and fun to make

Crafting with children doesn't need to be wild and messy - some children love accuracy and will proudly showcase their new skill of colouring within the lines. And it doesn't need to stop there: This simple but pretty card helps training fine motor skills and hand-eye control.

My five year old proudly made this card very much on her own. I sandwiched the embossing folder for her, she rolled it through the BigShot. The raised surface structure makes for easy and tidy colouring with felt tips, glitter pens and glitter glue.

Bow making is a skill yet to be mastered, which is why I provided the tag with the twine already on. To attach it she draws a line of glue, using a fine nozzle glue bottle and a ruler, with some guidance for accuracy purposes. For a wider ribbon she could have simply peeled off a strip of double sided adhesive already on the card.

Help was also needed to straighten the twine before the glue dried. Afterwards she cut the ends off herself while I supervised the right position of the scissors - just so she wouldn't cut into the card. Similarly, after she peeled the number stickers off the sheet using tweezers, I needed to guide her arm for the accurate positioning on the card.

Decorative modern art, by the very young

Wall art: Colour action!

Making art with your children can start very early. Why not let your little one loose with small blobs of finger paint on a plate or in a bowl: Choosing a colour, then another, sensing the viscosity of the paint, and translating her excitement over this sensual activity into movement - it's a joy to watch!

To divide the colours for a neat result I used two ceramic sushi trays. Finger paint will look dull once it has dried, but you can keep the vibrant 'wet' look of the colours if you spray the artwork with a finish of clear laquer - or just wipe it with oil if you want to re-use the plate at a later time.

A queen for one day

The very proud crafter of this glittery cown has just turned five.

Making envelope liners

I thought that - just for a change - I'd share something marvellous that has been made by someone else... especially as it's such a good use for a pretty piece of paper you might have lying around not knowing what to do with it - too nice for the bin but the pattern too large for a card? Make an envelope liner within seconds - and it still looks great:

The House That Lars Built: Wallpaper envelope liners

Birthday flower garden

A no layers card with the musical score of "Happy Birthday to you" which is a background stamp by DRS designs.

If you look closely you will notice that I made a slight mistake here: the way I stamped it placed the score the wrong way up... I was so happy with the way it curves and fades out that I didn't notice until I had used the heat tool on the embossing powder and by then it was too late to wipe off the ink and try again.

However I don't really mind it that much - it's not the main feature of the card, just a bit of background decoration in one corner, and as such it still works on the card. But I'll probably write the word "TOP" above the stamp to prevent this happening again.

Challenges:
DRS designs Ch. #84 (no layers)

Get well baby boy

I embellished with a pearl string, a center pearl in the flower, and blue diamonds in the top corners.

For the inside I used the polka dot background stamp from DRS designs. 

Challenges:
DRS designs Ch. #81

Peach and white card with homemade flowers

The product I used sold at Joan's Gardens is the Art Institute Designer "Dries Clear" Adhesive for the doily which forms a fancy corner on this card. The flowers were made with a petal punch, then layered with a bit of green from my plastic flower bunch, and a sequin in the centre.

Challenges:
At Joan's Gardens Ch. July 18;