Easy Cake Pop Flowers for Mother's Day!

Easy Cake Pop Flowers for Mother's Day!

Time for a Mother's Day treat! This year, I made cake pops and turned them into flowers with leaves and blooms that I snipped from cupcake papers (an idea from our book, Paper Goods Projects). I used this Foodstirs kit to make the cake pops. I like that these pops can double as a centerpiece, until it's time to eat dessert, of course!

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Cookie Crafting, Activity and Snack in One!

Cookie Crafting, Activity and Snack in One!

Winter seems to be lingering here in NY. Because we are still somewhat stuck inside, I thought I'd share some cookie crafts, an indoor project to cheer us up! The following ideas utilize classic supermarket cookies and other edible items that you probably have around the house like candy, peanut butter or chocolate hazelnut spread (like Nutella), fruit, nuts and seeds, and chocolate chips. (By the way, the above image is the chapter opener from our first book, Candy Aisle CraftsAmy and I shot them with our brilliant designer, Robin Rosenthal.)

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Fruit Stripe Gum Letter Cake Topper

Fruit Stripe Gum Letter Cake Topper

Many years ago, when Amy and I were working on our first book, Candy Aisle Crafts, we shot a few ideas using Fruit Stripe Gum. We both love the colors (and the stripes)! I remember pining for it as a child! One idea was to use the gum to make letters to top a cake inspired by paper letters in one of my all-time favorite craft books, Creating With Paper. We loved how they came out but then we happened upon these really cool gumpaste letters and thought they looked way too similar so we pulled the idea from the book. Unfortunately I don't see the gumpaste letters for sale anymore but figured that I'd finally share our Fruit Stripe gum letters here.
If you want to try making them, make sure to use fresh gum if possible (not that you can really tell when you buy it)! 

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Last Minute Easter Crafts on the Today Show!

Last Minute Easter Crafts on the Today Show!

This morning I shared a few last minute crafty Easter decorations and treats on the Today Show. (Click here to see a video of the segment.) Most of the projects involve items you have around the house and in your recycle bin or in your backyard!

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Simple Highlighter Pen-Decorated Easter Eggs

Simple Highlighter Pen-Decorated Easter Eggs

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!

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Tube Letters: An Easy Birthday Garland Alternative!

Tube Letters: An Easy Birthday Garland Alternative!

In 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!

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How to Throw a Fun Egg Decorating Party!

How to Throw a Fun Egg Decorating Party!

In 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!

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Great Kid Gift!: Easy-to-Assemble Imaginative Play Kits

Great Kid Gift!: Easy-to-Assemble Imaginative Play Kits

One 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!

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Beautiful Striped Eggs Made with a Simple Homemade Lathe

Beautiful Striped Eggs Made with a Simple Homemade Lathe

Easter 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! 

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Easy No-Candy Valentines for Family Fun Magazine

Easy No-Candy Valentines for Family Fun Magazine

If 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.

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Watercolor Valentines That Anyone Can Make!

Watercolor Valentines That Anyone Can Make!

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. 

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Pretty and Easy-to-Make Valentines Treats (using leftover Christmas candy!)

Pretty and Easy-to-Make Valentines Treats (using leftover Christmas candy!)

Have 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.

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Last-Minute Christmas Candy Crafts

Last-Minute Christmas Candy Crafts

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. 

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Easy Balloon Turkey Centerpiece Your Kids Will Love!

Easy Balloon Turkey Centerpiece Your Kids Will Love!

These 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... 
 

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Last-Minute Halloween Balloon Decor

Last-Minute Halloween Balloon Decor

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.

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DIY Lollipop Ideas...for Celebrating National Lollipop Day!

DIY Lollipop Ideas...for Celebrating National Lollipop Day!

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. 

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A Teeny-Tiny Summer Dinner That Your Kids Will Love!

A Teeny-Tiny Summer Dinner That Your Kids Will Love!

Hooray 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. 

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Sweet Kid-Made Gifts for Moms and Dads!

Sweet Kid-Made Gifts for Moms and Dads!

A 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! 

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