Finding the ideal kind of project that can be done with children sometimes manages to stump even the most creative of parents. After all, sometimes the typical craft ideas that people are used to seeing detailed in magazines and portrayed in classrooms just aren’t the most compelling picks. And while it might be fun to make something out of paper mache or to get involved in the exciting world of active volcano models, most of the time, people are more interested in whether or not they can find something that will delight youngsters while also not being that difficult to set up. Fortunately, figuring out how to craft these kinds of projects is not as difficult as one might think, and getting things set up for the whole family is definitely a lot less stressful than one might think.

Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

The first step in successfully crafting a project for the whole family to enjoy together is identifying just how difficult one wants things to be, from amount of time things will require to the amount of supplies that need to be invested in. Fortunately, it’s a whole lot easier than people might realize to be able to figure out something that is slightly no mess and no fuss. For younger children who tend to require more supervision, going for something that is less messy is a far better idea, as it will mean that those in charge will not be cleaning things up indefinitely. And remember, just because you love fiddly projects that take hours to complete, it doesn’t mean youngsters will – think instant gratification and not too much precision.

Take Into Account Their Interests

When it comes to actually selecting the kind of projects that will keep children entertained, it also makes sense to be considering one’s own child and his or her particular interests. After all, if a child is more bookish, going for a project that is going to be more oriented towards sports is not going to fly quite as well as finding something that clicks more with one’s interests. So be keeping that in mind when making those kind of decisions, as it’s definitely a better way to handle making the best choice. Your child will be far more enthusiastic about making a train/ballerina/dinosaur themed project, even if it isn’t your cup of tea.

Don’t Be Too Rigid

No matter the age of the children with whom crafting is happening, it’s always good for parents to take a step back and allow the children to shine. Make it clear that there are a set of different rules that are worth following, but that being creative is definitely encouraged, and that following directions and finding a way to put one’s own spin on the process is a great idea. This might mean being very specific about putting a piece together but then decorating whatever is being built in a more freewheeling way. This is also a great way for parents to teach their children about the balance between being creative and following the steps at hand to get a great end result.

So when making plans to entertain the children with a craft project, it makes sense to go ahead and realize that focusing on interests and abilities are the two secret weapons to ensuring that all goes smoothly and that children are happy.

About the Author: Victoria Crowdell writes articles on family, home & garden and crafting – her passion is scented candles.

p.s. we are open to a trunk shows too!

Rebeca says: ” I would love for my book to help elevate the standards of maille.  Chainmaille as a jewelry craft form is relatively new, so there are no strictly defined standards of what is considered technical precision like there are for other jewelry media.  I don’t expect beginners to be perfect, but I sometimes see people who consider themselves “experts” posting or publishing photographs of pieces with very poorly closed rings.  My guess is, a lot of people don’t think that it’s a big deal.  Or they’ve been taught by someone who has poor closures, and it never even occurred to them that seamless closures are an option. To me, though, having perfect closures and smooth, shiny rings are critical.  I hope that people flip through my book and see what a difference seamless closures make.  And then, I hope that maillers everywhere make it a point to always aim for perfectly closed rings.  Of course, there are plenty of maillers (especially ones who frequent online forums) that already do so.  You are my peeps — let’s elevate this artform together! ”

Chained also painstakingly  goes into details on various metals and how to care for them. This is so important, honestly, I wish that I had a reference book like this around when I started weaving. Rebeca takes you through years of her own trial and error and puts things in simple understandable terms. You may not think much of  it, but finding the right pair of pliers is huge. I personally have probably 20 pairs of pliers and only use 2, the book sends you to the right tools to start. I guess what I’m saying is “Chained” takes the guess work out of chainmaille for beginners and gives great tips for the more advanced chainmaillers out there.

The tutorials are set up from basic to advanced so that you can grow with the book. I don’t know how many people start doing chainmaille, buy a bunch of stuff and then give up. Chainmaille can be difficult that is why it it critical to start off slow with basic weaves and then move on to more difficult intricate patterns. You need to truly build your weaving skills, and “Chained ” walks you through the steps. Starting with simple Japanese weaves and then progressing on to more complex patterns.

The other critical thing I looked for while reviewing the book is ring size. As I’ve taken my own journey through the art of weaving chainmaille I’ve noticed patterns in English Units, Metric Units, AWG (American Wire Gage), SWG (Standard Wire Gage), all these nuances will affect your finished work. Blue Buddha takes the time to give you proper ring sizes as well as their metric conversions for each weave so that there is no guess work. This is a huge time saver, ring size is one the of the largest struggles you will find when you start weaving chainmaille and “Chained will lead you down the right path.

The book goes through Japanese Weaves, Byzantine Weaves, Helm Weaves, and what Rebeca calls Coiled Weaves. These various techniques will give you a good foundation for weaving chainmaille. I would of loved to see her move into some Perisan Weaves or Roundmaille variations, but there are so many weaves out there I’m sure she had to edit herself or the book would be 500 pounds. Maybe we’ll get a sequel one day, hint hint, if you are listening Rebeca.
Rebeca says:  “Heh, heh.  Hint Taken. You are not the first to suggest a Persian chapter.  I have already started to think about a second book, one that is tailored more toward Intermediate/Advanced Weavers.  Right now, Persian will likely be a chapter.  If not, I’ll probably develop some stand-alone PDFs for the Persian family of weaves.  And you’re right, there was a LOT that we couldn’t fit in Chained.  My original manuscript turned out to be 260 pages, so my editor had quite a lot of editing to do. An entire chapter (on Mobiusing) got cut, along with several projects from the other chapters.  Look for a supplemental PDF of “The Deleted Scenes” sometime in 2011 for these missing projects.”

One of my favorite aspects of the book is that she gives artists the right to use her designs to create jewelry for sale. Believe it not most of the  books out there, not just chainmaille, restrict the artist from selling the finished work created from the designs in the book. Sort of silly uh? Like there is a copyright police man out there searching the web for infringement. Well Rebeca, being a femailler and jewelry artist at heart, insisted to her publisher that this be waived and that artists would be free to sell their finished work. If your interested in an autographed copy, which I did, you can get one here “Chained” Autographed. Blue Buddha will donate $5 from the sale of every signed copy to Friends of Franklin Fine Arts Center

The winning member will receive two weeks of free advertising on the Handmade Artists’ Forum, HAF Blog, Chainmaille By MBOI, and Makin’ The Best Of it as well as $25.00 cold hard cash to do with whatever they want!

There is also a prize for voting and leaving a comment! At the end of the contest we will choose one person at random who votes and will give them $25.00 to spend on any item they want on The Handmade Artists’ Shop!

In addition to the $25.00 prize the commenter also will win this beautiful Handmade Little Black Bear by iKnitQuiltSew.

This bear has everything going for it!  In keeping with the first contest, he’s upcycled…  In a previous life, he was a machine washable coat (which has been washed)!  If a disaster strikes, this bear can be put in a pillow case or a lingerie bag and machine washed and dried on warm settings!  In keeping with this contest, I can remember singing a song when I was in Girl Scouts (many, MANY years ago) about a little black bear.  The pads of his feet and fronts of his ears are eco-felt (made from recycled paper and water bottles!).    He has safety-stay plastic eyes and a hand-embroidered nose and mouth.  His arms and legs move – they are jointed with the old-fashioned string-and-button method which is all internal.  Without his scarf, he is completely child-safe.  Standing, he is 12 inches (30.5 cm) tall.

So take your time and pick your favorite, you can vote only once per IP address, and don’t forget to leave a comment to be automatically entered to win $25.00 to spend at the HAFshop and that beautiful Little Black Bear!

Trusk4U Inspired By “The Mystic’s Dream” by Loreena McKennitt

iKnitQuiltSew Inspired by O’ Chritstmas Tree

PennyFarrow Inspired by Ron carter Quartet, Sunshower

GrandDesign Inspired by Abney Park,  The Clockyard

2DezineArt Inspired  by Miles Davis, Freddie Freeloader

TotallyUniqueTreasures Inspired by Dire Straits, Sultan of Swing

Rasamalai Inspired by Claudio Monteverdi, Pur ti miro

Impressionsbyheidi Inspired by Rhapsody  by George Gershwin

Crafted Roots Inspired Moonlight Sonata, by Beethoven

The voting will end 12/01/2010 at midnight, so get your votes in and don’t forget to comment and be automatically entered to win $25.00 to spend at the Handmade Artists’ Shop and the beautiful Little Black Bear!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

It is the dream of many to combine their passions into their business but not many are able to accomplish it.  Cheli, a resident of Ontario, Canada has managed to combine her love for history and her love for creating beautiful jewelry into stunning works of wearable art.

One of the beauties of handmade is that you work directly with the artist.  Cheli is always willing to work out custom sized and personalized designs for her customers which means your piece will always suit your personal style.

Necklaces, bracelets and earrings…one more beautiful than the next would make a perfect gift for men or women or, even better, a treat for yourself.

If this isn’t enough, this multi-talented designer is also a talented painter.  Trays to brighten up any room are available.

Need to see more?  Check out Enchanted Jewelry on the HandmadeArtistsShop and prepare to be stunned at the glittery array of precious metal and gems that you find.

Some of her signature work includes the Silver paw print series  “Fine Silver Pendant made with metal clay. A Paw made in a series of more to come for the love of pets. Each one is handcrafted and has variations of design, and are large and small. This one is almost 3/4 inch by inch including bail. Finish is rustic though polished with a bit of antiquing to add contrast. I have serpentine chains, and leather neck cords with hook an eye listed and available for separate purchase. The bail on this pendant is large enough to go over most medium size clasps.”

Another one of her pieces that I love is the Silver Shattered Star

“Approximately 1 1/4 inches in diameter, this pendant is pure fine silver. It was created in a two fire process of Precious Metal Clay and is one of a kind. One type of clay was used as a base forthe prefired pieces of a several design pieces. As a result of this refiring I have a slightly cupped pendant. Believe it or not, that was the plan! After firing, the silver was burnished and treated with a patina and polished. This pendant is on an 18 inch snake chain of sterling silver.”

Take a minute and stop by and visit her shop Baublezptoa you will not be disseminated!

This talented artist creates stunning pieces while holding on to her heart felt beliefs about the world. Her work reflects her love of the natural world and her charitable contribution proves her willingness to do something to make the world better.

Check out Seedlings on her blog to learn more about this amazing talent where Sharon is currently running a series on the last year in review in which she shares some of her hard learned secrets to selling success.  Her blog is a wealth of information!