Thanksgiving is a great time of year to contemplate what we are really grateful for. I know we should have a heart full of gratitude all the time, but I like the reminder we get every November to stop our busy lives and to just be thankful. Sometimes our kids don’t see it that way though.  For kids, Thanksgiving can be a boring day of trying to be patient while waiting for a huge dinner (and they only eat the mashed potatoes and gravy) and all that is on the TV is football.  Oh wait! That was my childhood memories of Thanksgiving.  hahaha.

So that being said, this Thankful Turkey Headband would be the perfect kid’s craft to keep the little ones busy while they wait.  It’s also a fun way to keep gratitude on the mind of the little ones.

Do you need a Thanksgiving activity for the classroom or an event? These headbands will be a hit!

Supply List:

• Turkey Headband Printable
• Turkey Feathers Printable
• One 8 1/2″ x 11″ Kraft Paper
• Two 8 1/2″ x 11″ White Cardstock
• Markers
• Glue
• Stapler
• Printer

Step #1: Download printable and print out all three pages.

Page 1 is the feathers, page 2 is the two piece headband, and page 3 is the accessories. Each completed headband takes one of each page…or more if you’d like more feathers.  I printed the headband (page 2) on Kraft paper or light brown cardstock.  Then print the other 2 pages on bright white cardstock.

If you are planning on making a lot of these (like for a school or church gathering or big families), it might be a good idea to print the feathers on colored paper.  Print a page of red, orange, yellow, green, etc.  That way you would have plenty of feathers in every fall color.

Step #2: Write on the feathers.

This process is quite heartwarming and cute.  I had fun watching my daughter think about what she is thankful for and revealing what is inside her grateful heart.  My little one is learning to write so I had her write the words herself, but you could easily be the scribe for the tiny kids…or put an older one in charge of that.

Step #3: Cut out and assemble headband.

Once my daughter and I made the headband we noticed it was too wide; cut the rectangles in half long wise and that will make 4 skinny bands.  Assemble them together around the child’s head. On the headband you will see little x’s.  This is the front of the headband and those x’s are where you glue the eyes and beak.  Glue these pieces on before you staple the headband together.

Now everyone is adorned with what they are thankful for and ready to eat an amazing dinner.

When you make this cute thankful headband, share a picture with us on Facebook or tag us on instagram @ucreateblog.  Most importantly, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

The post Thankful Turkey Headband appeared first on U Create.

Recently I was talking to a family who spends plenty of time at the Children’s Hospital to undergo some radiation/chemo treatments.  The little one mentioned how boring it can be to wait at the hospital.  Thinking about that statement and trying to think of fun things kids can do besides play on the iPad or color in coloring books, I decided to mass produce some fun little MONSTER BOOKMARKS craft kits.

These kits are perfect to create and drop off at places kids have to wait…like the Children’s Hospital.  I have included a free printable template for you to quickly mass produce some for your area.

Download this Free Template to create your own monster bookmark or to make craft kits for classrooms, hospitals, womens shelter, etc.  Please share pictures of your completed crafts and tag us on social media @ucreateblog.

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My 7-year-old daughter, Izzy, had the most perfect idea for a Classroom Valentine Box: make a Rubik’s Cube version.  After telling her Aunt Kari all about it, Kari gave her a square box that she had just purchased at Michael’s Crafts. So, we set about to make a Rubik’s Cube Valentine Box.  Turns out it was pretty easy and the end results was just like Izzy expected.

Supply List:

Square Box (Michael’s Crafts)

Colored construction paper

Black Duct Tape

X-Acto Knife

Clear Packing Tape

Paper cutter or scissors

INSTRUCTIONS:

Step #1:  Cover the corners and edges of the box with black duct tape…or you can just spray paint the whole thing black.  (Izzy isn’t a fan of the fumes so we opted to use duct tape.) I put two strips vertically across each side and two strips horizontally across each side so NO white would show between the Rubik’s Cube squares.

Step #2:  Cut the construction paper into squares.  We measured the box and then divided by 3 and then subtracted a 1/4″…basically our squares ended up being 2.75″.  Cut 9 of each color.

Step #3:  Grab a glue stick and glue on the squares.  Izzy’s box has a lid so we had to cut some extra pieces for the sides of the lid.  It was a pretty painless process though.  This is a little girl who needs everything perfect!

Step #4:  Cut a rectangle in the top for little Valentine’s to be placed into the Rubik’s Cube!

Step #5:  Izzy was afraid some of the paper squares might come off while taking it to school, so we covered the whole thing in clear packing tape.  Worked like a charm!

While I was out that night, my sweet girl thought her plain Rubik’s Cube box needed some personality so she created a little face for it!

POST BY: Becky Vandenberg

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Have guests “clown around” with this fun idea greeting them to have fun!

Kids are crazy for animal cookies and they also make the cutest cupcake toppers!

Feed the Elephant Game at Planet of the Apels 

 

…and you can never go wrong with a classic bean bag toss game using colorful bowls or buckets!

Bean Bag Toss Game by One More Moore

 

I love how creative this ring toss game is using suckers!

Also learn how to make your own party backdrop for parties and events!

The post The Greatest Showman / Circus Party Ideas appeared first on U Create.

What is bullet journaling?

It’s a notebook-style of planning, journaling, and organizing. People are loving this because it’s a very simple, forgiving way of keeping track of everything your heart desires!

The most common bullet journals usually have sheets of paper filled with mini dots, graphs, triangles and other geometrical shapes to keep your writing/sketching in line.

The issue I was having though is that I LOVE my planner and I LOVE the concept of bullet journaling. Then I had this idea to combine both of them by creating my own printables!

This month the Michaels Maker’s challenge was all about having a “Fresh Start” for 2017! So today I’m sharing my printables with all of you to give you that push to organize, plan, and be creative with a journal/planner!

There are so many awesome planner systems out there, but my choice of planner is The Happy Planner.

I love how easily the pages are to remove and how the squares are large enough to fit all of my daily tasks, thoughts, etc.!

You can see previous posts about my love for planners on Michael’s blog where my cousin and I shared DIY Planner Accessories and also see this trend alert post!

Okay, onto the printables…

…my most used pages are these plain dot and graph paper versions! I created the dots to be super duper light gray so you can barely see them (they are actually even lighter than this photo above, oh and I’ll include a place at the bottom of this post with all the free printable links!). They are so much fun to doodle and write on. Here are some examples:

I’m also including some “goal” and “to-do” pages because I use these all the time!

I’m also one of the biggest book nerds you will meet so I created a “Books I’ve read” bullet journal page. I’m including a “2017” version of this for other book-lovers like myself!

When you’re done printing them, place them in your planner!

The Happy Planner has a punch that makes it so simple to insert and create your own pages.

I’ve collected many fun ways to use a bullet journal on my Pinterest board “Bullet Journaling Ideas” if you want to get an idea of what they’re all about!

BULLET PAGE DOWNLOADS (simply click on the link you’re interested in!)

• Light Dot Paper
• Light Graph Paper
• My To-Do Page
• January To-Do Page
• My Goals Page
• January Goals Page
• 2017 Books I’ve Read

The post Bullet Journaling Pages for Your Planner appeared first on U Create.

I had the opportunity to attend the Michaels Makers Summit in beautiful Sonoma, California last month and I’m so excited to share with you the many things I learned. I left with the desire to learn and create new things and to get out of my comfort zone.

The best part?

Thanks to Michaels and Creativebug, you get to take these amazing FREE classes from the comfort of your own home.

Beginning Watercolor

You’ll learn what paints to use, the different types of surfaces, blending, color palettes and more. I have been watercoloring all week long and cannot stop!

How to Frame Weave

Annabel shows you how to make your own frame for weaving, how to make designs in your weaving, and she shares many tips and tricks along the way!

Image Transfer Techniques

Learn 4 different transfer techniques that are a piece of cake to do! I’ve never done image transfers and was blown away. My children love to do the packaging tape trick (which is the easiest)!

How to Make Paper Peonies

Learn how to make a GORGEOUS peony in a few simple steps. I love how you also learn bleaching and texture techniques, too.

CLICK HERE for the free classes from the Michaels Makers Summit.

After taking these 4 classes I went home and checked out the other classes on Creativebug and oh. my. word. where do I begin?

You’ll find hundreds of craft classes in all categories like: sewing, jewelry, fine art, party decor, and more!

Another free class? Check out these watermelon slice and stack cookies!

How to Make Slice and Stack Cookies by Wilton

The Michaels Makers Summit was full of inspiration, hands on creativity, and meeting creative women around the nation. In case you haven’t met all 50 of this year’s Makers, check out each of our blogs and bios here!

Follow along throughout the year and feel free to create projects with us by sharing on Instagram using #MadeWithMichaels.

The post Free Craft Classes from Michaels Makers Summit appeared first on U Create.

Create fun and simple books with brown paper bags using these amazing tutorials:
Paper Bag Notebook at The House that Lars Built

Paper Bag Travel Journal at Inner Child Fun

Paper Bag Coupon Book for Kids at Small Fry & Co

Summer Camp Journal at Burlap & Denim

Paper Bag Photo Album at SODAlicious

Here are some adorable gift giving ideas with paper bags:How to print on a paper bag at U Create

Owl Gift Bag for Teachers by Lisa Storms

Paper Bag May Day Flower Basket at Dukes & Duchessess

Party Favor Gifts Bags by Lulu the Baker

Brown Paper Bag to Gift Card/Money Holder from Mish Mash

Christmas Neighbor Gift with paper bag at U Create

Check out these awesome brown paper bag turned into home decor:DIY Paper Bag Flower Vase by A Bubbly Life

DIY Paper Bag Leaf Wreath at Boxwood Clippings

Large Sunflower Decor at Jennifer Decorates

Adorable Owl Banner Tutorial by Anne Corbiere-Scott

The Perfect Plastic Planter Disguise from Gardenista

Make Big Paper Bag Flowers at Shannanigans

Look at this Paper Bag craft tutorials to doll up a party:Cutlery Pouches by Catch My Party

Paper Bag Party Lights at Martha Stewart

“Thanks” Party Favor from Make it and Love it

Dinnerware Picnic Packets by The Gunny Sack

Custom Printed Goodie Bags from Hello Bee

Kraft Paper Chip Bags from Lia Griffith

Paper Bag Utensil Pouches at Mom 4 Real

Pineapple Favor Bags from The House that Lars Built

More paper bag awesomeness from around the web:Create a fun outdoor scavenger hunt like this one at U Create

Make this stunning Paper Bag Ribbon at Roben-Marie Smith

Paper Bag Business Card by Simply Janelle Designs

Paper Bag Jelly Fish Craft from No Time for Flashcards

Paper Bag Pinata by Backless Shirt

We would love to see your favorite paper bag tutorials.  Leave a link in the comments or share it with us on Facebook.  We love to hear from you!

The post Amazing Brown Paper Bag Tutorials appeared first on U Create.

Thank you to all the wonderful readers at U Create and Kari for having me here today to share with youa simple DIY that will bring some gorgeous flowers into your home, even before spring arrives!

I am Ananda from A Piece Of Rainbow,where I blog about creative and useful DIY for our home and garden. I love decorating with flowers made of all things, such as Kari’s stunningly beautiful denim flower wreath!

Today we are making cherry blossoms!

Who does not love cherry blossoms? They looks so lovely in any style of home from country to vintage to modern!

First, materials and tools:

• a branch, that makes you squeal with delight!
• crepe paper in ivory or pale pink for the flowers, and in shades of greenfor the leaves
• optional: watercolor or craft paint- it’s hard to find the perfect naturallooking green paper, so we can stain our paper to the shade of green we like
• floral tape in white or pale green
• scissors, glue, and hot glue
• paper flower stamens: these can be purchased online, but it’s fun to makeyour own

If you want to make them, you can check out my tutorial on how to

make poppy stamens like in this photo below.

Now let’s start making our cherry blossoms!

Step 1:

Fold a strip of ivory crepe paper in 5 and cut out the petals like shown in the above template, so we get

a connected piece of 5 petals. Make sure the grain on the crepe paper is running vertically on the petals.

Step 2:

Make a center by folding a strip of pale green crepe paper in four folds, then fold the stamen in half, and

tape 3 of them at the base.

Step 3:

Pinch the base of each petal and tape them to the flower center and stamens with the floral tape. Shape

the petals gently.

Step 4:

If you can’t find the perfect shades of green paper for the leaves, use some diluted watercolor or acrylic

paint to tint them, like I did here on the pale green leaves.

Step 5: (the last step woohoo!)

Use hot glue to attache the flowers and leaves onto your lovely branch, that’s all!

If you want to hang this on a wall, you can use clear fishing lines attached to the branch.

I put ours in a vase. Can you believe spring is already here?

Before I say goodbye, here are a couple more DIY to welcome spring – dimensional paper flower lanterns,

Thank you again dear Kari and the wonderful community of U Create! Happy spring!

The post How to Make Paper Cherry Blossoms appeared first on U Create.

I love simple.

I love making handmade cards.

I grabbed some felt scraps, cut out a simple heart, stitched around the edge, and simple “I love you” cards…

I made these b-day cards by simply cutting small triangles using my fabric scraps and making a little banner…

So simple.

So much fun.

POST BY:

The post Simple Handmade Cards appeared first on U Create.

My teenage cousin tried it on and looked dang cute!  I made these little hats for a graduation party, but you can make these accessories for any graduation event and any age.

Supply List:

• tiny silver cording
• 12 x 12 black glitter paper
• thin black headband
• black button
• adhesive

Instructions:1. I ripped the cardboard top off a ribbon spool because it was the perfect size to make a tiny tassel.

2.  Cut the cardboard in half.

3. Wrap tiny silver cording around it until you have the desired thickness.  I wrapped it about 15 times.

4.  Slide some scissors through one end and cut the ribbon. Don’t let go of the ribbon…it will not be fun to put it all together.5.  Hold the middle tight and with the help of child labor, cut a piece of long piece silver ribbon.  This will be what hangs the tassel.

6.  Take the long piece you just cut and tie the middle of the tassel together…tight.

7.  Now you need to tie a small piece of ribbon around the tassel {otherwise, it looks like a spidery mess. :)}

8.  Tie a tight knot…a couple times if you want.  Clip the ends short and your tassel is done.9.  I glued the end of the tassel string to my button.

10.  Stitch or glue the button in the middle of a 5” x 5” piece of glitter cardstock.11. Create the base of the cap.  Mine is two 5” x 1.5” pieces stapled together.

12.  Time to put the whole thing together.

13.  Use chipboard { or a cereal box} and cut a 2” strip.  Glue the middle of the chipboard to middle of the hat top.  Fold sides down so that you can glue the sides to the inside of the cap base.

14.  Glue chipboard sides to the base and you have a graduation cap.To add the headband, I cut another piece of chipboard to go underneath the base.  Before gluing the chipboard to the base however, I glued it to the headband then stitched it in place.  Glue the chipboard with attached headband to the base of the graduation cap. 

 Check out that adorable graduate!

Post By –

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