Paper Crafts

I have several friends who enjoy collecting decor items with the intial of their first name. Though I don’t currently have as many of these letters decorating my home I do enjoy walking by and seeing them sprinkled in different areas of my abode.

This trend just doesn’t stop with single letters. It has become very poular to see the use of multiple letters combined together to spell out words as well as script inspirational words that have special meanings to us.

These items can be found in many home decor sections of retails stores. They come in many different art mediums like, metal, MDF, wood, cardboard, paper mache and more.

Today I’d like to share some simple ways that you can take either a single letter or inspirational words and create your own home decorating for yourself and for making some amazing gifts.

As I often mention, you could easily spend hours upon hours to find a tutorial that could give you the techniques that will help you with these pieces of art, but I have gathered some video tutorials together that offter some simple techniques to guide you through the process of creating your own.

Let’s explore these ideas.

Covering Letters Using Napkins

This first video I’m sharing with you is what inspired this entire post. I was scrolling thorugh Facebook and iniatially saw a snippet of this full video. I shared it on my Create Scout Facebook page and instantly got some great feedback from others who also loved it and indicated they wanted to recreate what they saw. That doesn’t always happen, so this made me want to look a bit deeper into the creator of this video.

Deidre from Our Upcycled Life created this video showcasing a super fun way to apply pretty napkins onto MDF script words.

MDF stands for Medium-density fibreboard.
Wikipedia’s definition: It’s a mixture of sawdust, wax, and glue, which gets heated and compressed into its final thickness. What’s left is a smooth, flat, heavy engineered wood product that can be considered environmentally friendly due to it being made from recycled wood products (sawdust and chips).

In a nutshell, after applying the napkin to the word using Mod Podge, Deidre burned off the extra napkin hanging off the edges using a lighter. It’s pretty impressive to watch and is indeed a gamechanger for applying a napkin to the word.

This video walks you through the supplies needed and gives a lot of super tips throughout. I encourage you to carve out 11 minutes of time to watch this cool technique.

Note: I initially did not pay attention and thought these were made using paper mache letters, but then re-watched and now realize that the letters that were used for this technique were using MDF letters.

Places To Purchase MDF Letters And Words

Amazon MDF letters and words, and designs

Woodlandmanufacturing.com MDF letters and words

Woodcrafter.com letters

Fabric Covered Letters

These fabric-covered letters can be made using letters made from paper mache, thin wood letters, and more. This technique offers a fun way to cover these decor items. It is mentioned that this is also a kid-friendly project that might be of interest to your kiddos or grand-kiddos.

Strips of fabric and Mod Podge along with your choice of letter along with just a few other readily available supplies will get you started.

Where To Purchase Paper Mache Letters

Amazon.com Paper Mache Letters

Etsy Paper Mache Letters

Joann.com Paper Mache Letters and Words

Thecraftsupplyhouse.com Paper Mache Letters

Factorydirectsupplycompany.com Paper Mache Letters

Wooden Letters With Printed Paper

This next letter technique uses standard scrapbooking and cardmaking printed papers with wooden letters. Even though this technique is simple, I feel it might take a bit more skill because of needing to use a craft exacto knife. Again, that isn’t at all hard to do, but I have found it takes a little bit more practice using an Exacto knife.

These large standing wood letters can be found at craftcuts.com. After viewing this video I was inspired to learn a bit more about these large wooden alphabet letters.

Craft Cuts offers these wooden letters in a variety of font styles. 4 width sizes ranging from 1″ – 4″ for each letter and 9 different height options ranging from 6″ – 14″ in height.
Be forewarned (in a good way) that these letters are not inexpensive. However, the available sizing options and that they are cut to your specifications is something that is unique and isn’t necessarily easy to find.

Where To Purchase These Wood Letters

craftcuts.com

There is a cool checkout system that allows you to order one or more letters and they customize font, letter width, and height. So I wanted to see how much my name would cost with a 1″ thickness, and 10″ height. My name would cost me $52.20.

Now, that might initially seem a bit expensive, but if I was wanting to make a very special word display for a special person, wedding, or anniversary gift this could easily be well worth the cost. Purchasing one letter would be a great addition to your bookcase or fireplace hearth.

Decorating Home Decor Letters

This next video I have to share with you is simply about offering inspiration using different decorating techniques for the decor letters you want to make. I feel you could easily use hand-cut letters out of cardboard just as easily as any of the other letter products mentioned earlier (wood, MDF, paper mache, etc).

Mass Art & Craft – Youtube

Bonus: Photo Collage Letters (Fun Way To Decorate With Pictures)

Autumn from It’s Always Autumn has created a great picture tutorial on how to make photo collage letters that I didn’t want to leave out of this compilation of fun projects.

She has done a super job with capturing the details on how to use your photos and adhere them to 12″ letters found at JoAnn’s. You will want to be sure to use the larger letters so that you have a larger display area for your pictures.

Check this one out as well. You’ll be glad you did. Great way to showcase some of your fave pics.

I hope you are inspired to create using the techniques and projects shared above.

1. Find the craft your kids want to make and then make a list of all the supplies you will need to make the craft.

2. If you do not have everything on hand add the supplies you need to your shopping list so you will not forget them.

3. Put a plastic table cloth down where you will be crafting.

4. Have all supplies laid out before you announce craft time to your kids.

5. Use non-toxic paints, glues, etc.

6. Have wet wipes and paper towels handy for spills.

7. Always try to have extra supplies in case something is lost or torn, etc.

8. Let them wear old clothes so you will not be stressed out over ruining what they are wearing.

9.Show the kids how to do the craft but let them do it in their own way. If you insist on it being perfect then you might as well do the craft yourself and forget about having craft time with the kids. It also makes the children thnk that everything has to be perfect and that their best is not good enough. Sometimes little hands need help but you know you have gone too far when you are the only one left at the craft table.

10.Have fun! Don’t worry about a little paint on their hands & faces, take pictures instead.

I hope you will try these suggestions for a stress free craft time with your children. Show them how to have fun, they will learn how to be stressed out way too soon anyway.

Quick and Easy Toddler Craft Ideas

Toddlers love to learn new things. What better way to help them learn than to introduce new crafts. Crafts do not have to be labor intensive. In fact, many crafts are designed for toddlers and are available at the local crafts store. In addition to finding kits at the local craft store, you can also use regular household goods such as crayons, paper and even pasta to encourage your toddler’s creativity.

Foam Crafts

There are many pre-made projects available at Michael’s and and in the craft area of many stores for children that involve foam. Foam is very easy to maneuver and does not rip as easily as paper making it a versatile project for children.

I came across a great toddler project at amazingactionalphabet.blogspot.com using fun foam shapes to make truck and train pictures. This project uses pre cut foam shapes (or you could cut your own shapes) and allow your littles to adhere them together to make something they will be proud of. This project could serve as a great craft project as well as helping them to learn their shapes.

You could also easily help them make foam masks or even foam characters such as dinosaurs, dogs, etc. Save the more detailed project activities for a later age when children are more adept to working with glue.

Toddlers Love To Draw And Color

Sometimes providing a simple coloring page will satisfy the creative genius in your toddlers. Simply provide a box of crayons, and a coloring page and watch your child get inspired. The folks at supercoloring.org have oodles of coloring page images for all ages you can download. And they’re free.

Children can easily be taught to draw new items or simply left to doodle on their own. Ask them to describe what they are drawing; it will fuel their imaginations even more! To add another element to the drawing, give your child stickers to play with and place on the paper. Be sure to give your child a variety of stickers so they can choose what they want to use.

Pasta Creations

There are many things that toddlers can create with pasta. Wheels can be used as tires on cars, ziti noodles and some string can be used to create bracelets and necklaces. Use markers to color the pasta before using the noodles to craft, your child will come up with a colorful creation for sure. Having toddlers make a homemade pasta bead necklace for themselves or as a special gift for someone can make them very happy. The folks at   thinkplaycreate.org has a simple tutorial and video on teaching your toddler how to make a colorful pasta bead necklace.

Paper Crafts

There are many paper crafts that can be age appropriate for toddlers. The use of tissue paper, construction paper, newspaper, paper plates and more can provide hours of creative fun for your little one.

I came across a cute rainbow suncatcher (pictured above) made from paper plates and tissue paper at teaching2and3tearolds,com. It will require a bit of prep by an adult but I think it would be super fun to create together,

Let them create a card for someone special. Cards can be made with glitter, with adult supervision of course. Help your toddler spell out what they want the card to say, then have them trace the lines with a glitter marker. Glitter markers are better than actual glitter because the markers already have the glue in them – easy cleanup!

Using the above ideas is a great way to introduce arts and crafts to your toddler. Since toddlers love to learn and absorb new information, crafts are the perfect idea to spark your child’s creative side. All of the ideas provided are quick and easy and allow for minimal mess as well as quick clean up. Crafts can be introduced on a regular basis to keep your child entertained.

Until recently I haven’t given much thought about the value of matching colors together following artistic color combination guidelines based on the color wheel.

In my creative lifetime, I’ve probably made more black and white cards and projects than any other color combination, because…well it’s my favorite color combo.

My go-to color combination choice is typically monochromatic where I use different shades of the same color family. Firstly I love the look and secondly and maybe more truthfully, it’s an easy combination for me to put together without having to figure out what might or might not work well together.

It’s cool to look at art, creative projects, and home decor and see how certain colors work harmoniously together and how some leave you wondering…”what were they thinking?”

I have recently started to learn how to make printable worksheets, journals, and more using online tools like Canva and Adobe Illustrator, etc. This has started a new found interest for me on the discovery of how colors work together.

Color Trends

According to shutterstock.com

Pantone is a world-renowned authority on color, producing a standardized Pantone Matching System that allows individuals to reproduce colors exactly, regardless of their equipment or location.

Having started out as a small printing business in the 1950s, Pantone has since become widely recognized for releasing industry-specific color guides and their forecasted Color of the Year, which is announced annually each December.

Indeed the 2022 color of the year is very pretty.

It’s interesting to know about the steps they take in selecting the color of the year. I don’t usually take any action to assure that I’m using these colors, but do find it intriguing to follow. These colors influence so many industries and products that are created throughout the different seasons of the year.

The Color Wheel

The key to effective color combinations is recognizing how different colors and color shades connect or don’t connect with each other. Understanding the color wheel and color combinations will aid you in your creative ventures.

Initially, terms like Warm colors, Cool Colors, Complementary colors, Analogous colors, and Triadic colors can be intimidating, but as you begin to understand how the color wheel works and what these terms mean, you will begin to see all of this fall into place.

There are many online tutorials available online to learn how colors and the color wheel can be beneficial to you. I’m not saying you have to become an expert in this understanding, but having a basic understanding can be helpful.

The color wheels below are explained on the Canva.com site.

Color Combinations From Real Life Images

Matching colors to real-life images is a great way to put together creative color combinations for your craft projects.

The additional beauty of, doing a simple online search is being able to discover oodles of creative color combinations that can inspire your creativity. It has become very popular to pull colors from images for inspiration. Many of these offer the Hex codes which are used for selecting colors online but can easily be used as inspiration for card making and other creative projects as seen below.

Online Resources

I have pulled together a variety of resources that can bring you inspiration to create color combinations for card making, scrapbooking, home decor and more.

coolors.co – This is my favorite color palette/combination resource to use. It has a color palette generator with a variety of other robust features.
brightside.me – good training on how the color wheel works
99designs.com – simple overview of the color wheel and color combos from images.
visme.com – 50 unique color combinations from beautiful picture settings.
designwizard.com – Color combination chart.
shutterfly.com – 99 Unique color combinations to reflect style
canva.com – 100 color combinations and how to apply them to your designs
shutterstock.com – Brief overview of color wheel and 101 color combinations to inspire
colorpalettes.colorion.co – 30+ hand curated color palettes
colorcombos.com – fun color combos
canva.com – color palettes
colorhub – color palettes
coolhue – Gradient colors
schemecolor.com – Color Schemes based on themes

Hoping these resources are helpful in your quest to bring color to your creative projects.

Hugs!

Some parents are skilled crafters. Others are doing well to cut paper in a reasonably straight line. No matter which group you fall into, crafting with your kids can be beneficial for all involved.

Benefits Of crafting With Your Kids

Few things bring families together like crafting. Here are some of the good things that come out of crafting with your kids.

Crafting builds creativity. Developing minds need a creative outlet, and crafting provides the opportunity for kids to use their imaginations. It helps them learn to solve problems, and it could lay the groundwork for a lifetime of interest in art. For parents, getting creative can help reduce stress and promote using the brain in ways that we don’t have a reason to use every day.

Crafting teaches kids to follow directions. This seems like a very basic skill, but we all know adults who can’t seem to follow directions. When kids craft, they learn the consequences of not following directions when their projects do not turn out as expected. This instills in them the importance of doing things the right way the first time.

For young children, crafting is fabulous for learning basic skills. Almost any type of craft promotes hand-eye coordination. Kids can also learn to use scissors, measure, and do lots of other things they will eventually do in everyday life.

Parents and children have a chance to talk. In our busy lives, it seems that we know less about our kids than previous generations of parents did. Passive activities such as watching TV do little to encourage conversation. But when you’re crafting together, talking comes naturally. You can seize the opportunity to discuss such things as your child’s interests, his/her concerns, and how s/he’s doing in school.

Crafting is a great way to wind down. It’s wonderful for kids to be active, but there are times when they need to calm down. If you find your child getting agitated or exhibiting an overabundance of energy near bedtime, try bringing out the craft supplies. Crafting engages kids’ minds, giving them something to focus on and a good reason to sit for a while.

Creating things is a confidence booster. Parents who craft regularly know the feeling of accomplishment when a project is complete, Multiply this feeling by ten, and you have a pretty good idea of how your child feels when s/he makes something. FOr kids, crafting can help build positive self-esteem.

Working on a project together is a great way to teach your kids teamwork. This will help them develop the skills needed to resolve disputes peacefully and effectively. It will also help them discover their strengths and teach them that doing their best will make the entire project turn out better.

Crafting creates treasured family memories. The finished product will serve as a reminder of the fun you had making it together.

Crafting as a family provides opportunities for us to interact with our children. It is also a valuable learning experience for them. Don’t worry if you aren’t the world’s greatest crafter. Simply being willing to try anyway is a lesson to your kids in itself.