I've been so inspired lately by illustrator (and dear friend) Margaret McCartney's new highlighter pen drawing series. I love her patterns and funky neon recoloring of familiar objects. Seeing them made me want to play with highlighters too! Margaret and I got together to decorate some Easter eggs and had so much fun!
Read MoreHappy St. Patricks Day! I made these Shamrock lollipops for Target. They're made with green apple Jolly Ranchers and couldn't be easier! Get the full how-to over here!
Read MoreIn our house we have a tradition of leaving birthday messages for each other as a birthday morning surprise. They're usually in the form of garlands or banners, strung across doorways or along the edge of the mantel. These tube letters, from our book, Paper Goods Projects, are a fun way to display a message, no tape or string required! And they marry type and cardboard tubes, two of my favorite things!
Read MoreIn this month's Family Fun magazine, I worked on the story "How to Host an Easter Egg Decorating Party" with ideas for kid-friendly crafts, decorating and treats! I'm sharing some behind-the-scene snapshots of the ideas, some in-progress. Pick up the March issue of Family Fun or click this link for more images and printable templates for some of the crafts!
Read MoreOne of my favorite gifts to give to kids is a handmade (well, hand-assembled) imaginative play kit. I'm excited to share a fun story that I developed for Parents Magazine about this very topic in the March issue (on newsstands right now) with gorgeous photos by Zoe Berkovic!
Read MoreEaster is so early this year! I'm starting to gather ideas because we'll be hosting and I thought I'd start by posting some of my favorite Easter projects that I made during my years as a craft editor at Martha Stewart Living. These striped eggs were such a fun project. I had a rough path to developing the technique so it was especially rewarding when it finally worked out!
Read MoreIf you're looking for some candy-free Valentines to send to your child's school, check out this DIY Valentines story that I did for Family Fun Magazine's current (February) issue! Each includes a little inexpensive gift found in the party favor section at Party City or US Toy (perfect for a class because they are sold in bulk)!
I made the tags for the Valentine pictured above by splat painting card stock and running it through the printer (after it had fully dried). I attached the tags to these little paint sets from Party City.
As a painting major in art school I never quite felt like I got a handle on watercolors, working instead in oil or acrylic. Recently I was testing ideas for a handmade Valentines story and made some super simple watercolor cards and had a tiny breakthrough. Anyone could make these cards, simple painted hearts or stripes, but I finally practiced something that I remember a teacher telling me (and didn't listen to at the time). Let the watercolor do what it wants to do: pool up in some parts and remain dry brush-y (as the paint runs out off your brush) in others.
Read MoreHave any extra candy canes or peppermint candies leftover from Christmas? Use them to make homemade Valentine treats! Here in New York I find that I am permanently cold so any excuse to huddle around the oven is a good one! These DIY treats are from our book, Candy Aisle Crafts.
Give these candy cane hearts (above) to your Valentine in a little cellophane baggy or use them to top cupcakes.
Just a few days until Christmas! I'm sharing some quick ideas from our book, Candy Aisle Crafts, that utilize the candy canes and peppermint candy that we have around at this time of year. This HO HO HO cake topper can also be used on top of frosted brownies or cupcakes.
Read MoreThese turkey balloons are an easy make-ahead centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table...kids or no kids! It's simple to put together once you've gathered the supplies so you can make a few for the mantle, the kid's table etc...
Are any of you doing last-minute Halloween prep like me? If so, here are a few ideas for a craft that will get you a lot of decoration bang for your buck.These balloon projects are from a craft story that I did for Martha Stewart Living a few years ago, one of my favorites! For all of these, I decoupaged thin black construction paper on top of balloons.
Pumpkin instructions and a how-to video here.
This Monday, July 20th, is National Lollipop Day! Yeah! To celebrate, we are sharing a roundup of our easy-to-make lollipops. They all involve melting store-bought candy which means they are easier than "from-scratch" candy-making.
Read MoreHooray for barbecue season! My boys love hamburgers (and I love playing with food) so, for fun, we had a TINY bbq dinner with miniature burgers, hot dogs, teensy baked potatoes and wild blueberry mini tarts. (The burger looks large in this photo but was quite small.) My sister-in-law, Kat, suggested the idea a few years ago and we had so much fun with it that we did it again.
Read MoreThis morning I shared some easy last-minute Mother's Day craft ideas on The Today Show along with Savannah Guthrie and some adorable kids. You can watch the video and see how-to's for the crafts here
Read MoreA few years ago on Mother's Day, my husband and kids gave me what is perhaps my all-time favorite gift, a storybook they made in which I was "Superhero Mommy". This personalized story bookwould make an equally fantastic Father's Day gift or a gift for a grandparent or special friend!
Read MoreWe're thinking spring! These cookie flowers are made from store-bought cookies and candy and are an easy and fun party or rainy day activity for younger kids. They're pretty on the side of a frosted cake for Easter, a shower, or any party! The M&M centers are “glued” to the cookie with a dot of vanilla icing that has been tinted pink.
Read MoreThis weekend I shared a few fun and easy edible Easter crafts on the Today Show with Erica Hill and a few adorable kiddos (including her two sweet boys). You can watch the video here on the Today Show's website. Below are the how-to's for the four crafts that I presented!
Read MoreOur little Valentines Cookie Cottages are on Martha Stewart. They make a sweet decoration or fun kid activity. Made from graham crackers, they allow you to skip baking gingerbread and jump quickly to the decorating! Click here for the full tutorial.
Read MoreHandmade Charlotte is one of my very favorite websites, so I am thrilled to have recently become a contributor. I'm sure many of you know the website already but if not, be sure to take a look. Tons ofbeautifully photographed and inspring crafts, kid's rooms, and recipes.
Below (and above) is a peek at some of my posts. Click on the links or photos for the full tutorials.
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©2015 Jodi Levine. All photographs by Amy Gropp Forbes unless otherwise noted.
