During this time of year many people are getting out into their backyards to garden. Would you like to get you kids more involved in helping you? Well we have the perfect project to get them in the gardening spirit. These tile flowerpots are so easy to make. This project would be best for tweens and teens. All you will need are some FolkArt paints, and the FolkArt Tile pattern stencil. Give your kids a green thumb, and let them make these pots.

Other Supplies

Three terra cotta pots – any size 1/2" stencil brush
Stencil tape or stencil spray adhesive
1” Foam applicator
Foam plate
Paper towels

Instructions

1.   Base-coat pots Fresh Foliage and/or Light Blue; allow to dry.  Repeat.

2.   When dry, position stencil; either tape in place or use stencil adhesive.

3.   Dip brush into Licorice puddle of paint; wipe on paper towel to remove excess.

4.   Begin stenciling in a circular motion by placing bristles on an uncut area of the stencil.  Move brush gradually into an opening of the stencil.

5.   Repeat until entire design has been stenciled.

6.   Clean up with mild soap and water.

Make an altered lantern with nautical style for dad. With Father’s Day on the horizon, here is an amazing and simple craft you can make for your Dad. It makes for a great Father’s Day gift, especially for the man that can appreciate anything nautical. Cathie and Steve designed this project. Gather the supplies listed below, and get your kids involved in the action as well.

PLAID Supplies

·       Plaid ® Hot Glue Gun Helpers

·       FolkArt ® Acrylic Colors - Brilliant Blue, 2 oz.

·       Mod Podge ® Satin, 8 oz.

Other Supplies

Lantern
Map paper
Scissors
Hot glue
Rope
Red ribbon
Seashell

Instructions

1. Paint the top and base of the lantern with Brilliant Blue.  Use two coats of paint.

2. Remove the glass windows from the lantern.  Trim the map to fit the glass windows.  Using a foam paintbrush, apply Mod Podge to the glass window and to the back of the map paper.  Position onto the windows. Smooth the paper with a Mod Podge Brayer.  Allow to dry for 15 min.  Replace the windows into the lantern.

3. Hot glue rope around the base and top of the lantern.  Tie a red ribbon through the handle and hot glue a seashell to the top.

Project Tip:
When using Mod Podge on glass keep a few handy-wipes on hand to clean any Mod Podge that might get on the glass.

In case you haven't noticed, little girls begin accumulating accessories very early on in life. Their first accessories are typically little bows and barrettes. Finding a way to store and organize these items can often be a bit difficult. These items are so small can be lost easily. Well here is an adorable project that can help solve this problem. This Owl Barrette Holder is the perfect way to store your little girl’s barrettes. Cathie and Steve designed this project. It is very simple to create, and it is a great project to have your kids help make.

Other Supplies
Wood owl shape (or other shape of your choosing)
Scrapbook paper (3 sheets of coordinating designs)
Ribbon (2 coordinating colors - 1.5 feet of 1 color and 3 feet of the other)
Adhesive letters (to spell the name of your choice)
Craft knife and cutting mat
Hot glue gun
Foam brush

Instructions

1.   Use a sponge brush to base-coat the wood owl shape with Bright Green. Allow to dry and apply a second coat. Allow to dry for 24 hours.

2.   Use the craft knife and cutting mat to cut shapes of scrapbook paper to cover areas of the owl.

3.   Apply scrapbook papers to the owl using a sponge brush and Mod Podge Gloss. Apply Mod Podge directly to the bottom of the papers and adhere to the owl. Allow to dry for two hours and then coat the entire surface of the owl.

4.   Affix the adhesive stickers to the owl with the name of your choice.

5.   Cut the 3” of ribbon into two 1.5” strips. Hot glue the three strips of ribbon to the back of the owl. Allow project to dry completely before using.

1. Lightly sand the plastic headband and apply 2 coats of red, white or blue FolkArt paint to the headband.  Set aside to dry.
2. Paint wood stars in red, white and/or blue FolkArt paint.  Set aside to dry.
3. Using hot glue to attach, wrap polka dot ribbon around the ends of the headband.
4. Hot glue button and paper flower embellishments to the painted stars.  Glue the stars onto the headband.

A lunch box is a child’s first accessory. Many kids love to personalize their lunch boxes, and show them off to their friends. Today I would like to share with you a wonderful project that is perfect for you and your kids to do together. Holli Long, one of Plaid’s designers created this Turtle and Buttons Lunch Box. This is a very simple craft anyone can make. To see all the supplies, and instructions for this project click here.

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend, and for all you Moms out there I hope you had a great Mother’s Day. Today I wanted to share with you all a very simple kid’s craft. One of Plaid’s talented designers, Sherrie Ragsdale, created this Garden Snake Sign. This project is great for a class to do. Below are a list of the supplies you will need, and the instructions. To see more kid’s crafts click here.

PLAID Supplies

·       Apple Barrel ® Colors - Christmas Green, 2 oz.

·       Apple Barrel ® Colors - Spring Green, 2 oz

Other Supplies

Rectangle wooden plaque
Two large wiggly eyes
Small sticks
Large stick
Black fine permanent ink marker
White craft glue
Large flat brush

Instructions

1.   Base-coat plaque Spring Green. Allow to dry.

2.   Using the pattern provided, add snake and paint Christmas Green. Allow to dry. Outline and write 'garden snake' and add spots to snake with black permanent ink marker.

3.   Glue eyes in place using the white craft glue.

4.   Find sticks in yard and glue around the plaque.

5.   Find a large stick to make a stake and glue to the back.

Are your kid's at that age where they are just beginning to learn the alphabet? If so, you should consider creating this project to help them learn it. This colorful alphabet sampler is the perfect way to add educational décor to your child’s room. Debbie Saenz designed this craft project, using a mixture of FolkArt paints and stencils. Not only does this project look adorable, it is also educational. This is a project that is perfect for an intermediate level crafter. It will take up to an hour and half to complete. Below is a list of the supplies and instructions you will need to recreate this project on your own. To see more educational craft projects from Plaid click here.

PLAID Supplies

·       FolkArt ® Acrylic Colors - Bright Green, 2 oz.

·       FolkArt ® Acrylic Colors - Apple Red, 2 oz.

·       Plaid ® Stencils - Value Packs - Letter Stencils - Old School, 1-1/2"

·       Stencil Decor ® Brushes - Stencil Brush, 3/8"

·       FolkArt ® Acrylic Colors - True Blue, 2 oz.

·       FolkArt ® Artists Pigments™ - Medium Yellow, 2 oz.

Other Supplies

11” x 14” Artist canvas
Pencil
Ruler

Instructions

1.    Use pencil to mark off a 1-inch border around frame.

2.    Paint inside of border with Medium Yellow.

3.    Paint border with Apple Red.

4.    Stencil the alphabet with a repeated pattern of True Blue, Apple Red, and Bright Green. Evenly space the letters of the alphabet across 6 rows leaving an empty space on each corner as shown.

5.    Stencil a star on each corner with True Blue.

By Candie Cooper - To see more from Candie please check out her blog, Candie Cooper's Journal.

I love magnets. Even more, I love magnets that hold pictures, which is exactly what these fun frames are!

 

You will need Folk Art or Apple Barrel acrylic paints in desired colors, bee and flower frame (check out the www.plaidcraftexpress.com), paintbrushes and Martha's silver liquid gilding. Please note that the silver gilding IS NOT kid friendly (adding it to this craft project should be done by an adult for safety). Plaid does make Folk Art non-toxic acrylic metallic paints in a wide range of colors.

Base-coat the flower and bee however you like. Before I forget, I think the bee would make a pretty sweet gift for Father's Day (which will be here before we know it).

I'm officially hooked on the silver gilding. It looks so bold on painted surfaces. Remember, this step is for adults. Use a flat brush to make stripes around the inside of the flower and around the bee’s wings. I think you'll find it's the bees’ knees (sorry, couldn't resist). Use paint thinner to clean your brush.

Use a decorative hole punch to cut mini-shapes out of scrapbook paper. I found the thinner paper was easier to cut vs. card-stock. Duh, right?

You know the drill!  Paint a coat of Mod Podge on the petals and let your little one stick the flowers wherever they like.

The only thing that would make this flower happier is a picture of a loved one.

Hole punches come in a variety of sizes. I like the mini stars for the bumblebee. You could use a regular hole punch to make polka dots too. Punch a bunch and Mod Podge your heart out!

Celebrate Mom with a gift of pretty jewelry. Moms generally will love anything you give to them for Mother’s Day, but with jewelry it’s a guarantee they will love it. Here is a project that is simple to make using some Mod Podge and Martha Stewart craft stencils. The instructions for this Fair Isle Necklace and Earrings can be found below. This craft will not take longer than an hour to create.

PLAID Supplies

·       Martha Stewart Crafts™ Fair Isle Dots Adhesive Stencils

·       Mod Podge ® Dimensional Magic, 2 oz.

Other Supplies

Shrinkable craft film (like Shrinky Dinks Shrinkable Plastic in Almond), Paint markers (like Sakura Permapaque), 2 earring backs, 1 large jump ring, 1 silver chain, Circle cutter or other circular items to make a template, 3/4” hole punch, Jewel glue, Scissors, Pencil

Instructions

1.   You will first need to cut your shrinkable plastic into three circles – one larger for the necklace and two smaller for the earrings. To do this, either use a circle cutter or find household items to trace. I used a funnel for the necklace and a jar lid for the earrings. Put the items on the surface of the shrinkable plastic and trace. Keep in mind that your plastic will shrink to 1/3 of its current size.

2.   Carefully cut the plastic using your scissors. Cut slowly.

3.   Choose your adhesive stencils and place onto the plastic. Use your paint markers to color in the stencil designs. Pull up the stencil and allow the paint marker to dry. Don’t touch the paint for several minutes or you will smear it. Tip: Your stencils may have a little residual marker ink on them, but they are perfectly fine use again for painting!

4.   Repeat on both the large circle and the two smaller circles until you have the design that you like.

5.   Punch a hole in the necklace with the hole punch.

6.   Bake the shrinkable plastic according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Let cool.

7.   Apply Dimensional Magic over the top of the necklace and earring circles. Let dry overnight.

8.   Apply a second coat of Dimensional Magic (if desired) and let dry overnight.

9.   Attach the jump ring and the chain to the necklace. Attach the earring backs to the earring circles using jewel glue.

10.                 Let dry for 24 hours before gifting!