Crafts ~ Sewing

Instructions

Select pie pan – small to large. Select pie crust
colored fabric (broadcloth works well) Cut fabric in
circle slightly larger than pie pan (just like you
would cut a real pie crust). Dip into “Stiffy” or some
other kind of fabric stiffener and lay in the plate.

SUMMER FUN IDEAS Pajama Day: With the hectic pace of families, take a day to rest. Declare a pajama day, and cuddle, read books, put puzzles together, play games, and watch movies. Everyone will feel refreshed. Shaving Cream Fun: Outdoor fun only! On a child size table or in a large pan, spray a can of shaving cream and let the kids go for it. You can provide a mirror, containers and spoons to complete the fun. Don’t forget your camera! Become Collectors: Spend the rest of the summer, creating a collection of rocks, leaves, sea shells, dried flowers, etc. At the end of the summer, create a display of your collection and show it off. Have Your Children Create Books About Themselves: They might want to include their birth date, handprints and footprints, drawings of themselves and their family and a story about themselves. These are wonderful keepsakes. Make a Reading Hideout: In a corner, create a cozy corner or tent. Add lots of pillows and a “Do Not Disturb” sign. Have a Family Watercolor Night: Each person paints his or her favorite vacation spot or place the family has gone on an outing. Moms and Dads included! Watch the Stars. Lie on a blanket in the backyard with an astronomy chart and flashlight. Make a Box Clubhouse: Ask your local appliance center for a large appliance box. Cut out a door, and a couple of windows. Outside, give your child non-toxic paint or magic markers to make the box a home. Your children will happily spend hours in their box.

When it is dry, pour your potpourri into the pie pan

over the crust-like filling. Cut a small amount of

nylon tulle in a circle to fit over the top of the

pie. Lay the tulle over the top of the potpourri and

tuck the edges. With your pinking shears, cut the

remaining broadcloth into strips approximately

3/8-inch wide in lengths to fit across the top of the

pie (like a lattice crust). Dip each one in Stiffy and

lay it across the top of the pie. Decorate the top

with a tiny satin rose if you wish.

Storing Your Child’s Artwork and School Projects ~ Have your child choose two papers a day or week to save. Put one on the refrigerator or a bulletin board to display it temporarily. ~ Get a big box or artwork portfolio at the beginning of every school year and label it with your child’s name and grade. Tape on a photo from the first day of school, and then add a photo from the last day of school, to remind your child what she looked like when she made the creations, and how much she changed during the year. ~ Add artwork and papers into the big box or portfolio all year long. Mark the date on the back of all artwork so you can remember when your child did it. At the end of the school year, go through the accumulated artwork with your child to take out what you decide together doesn’t need to be saved.

Other creative ways to display artwork: ~ Hang a fishing line from the ceiling and attach your child’s artwork to it, or hang smaller art projects on a clothesline strung inside as a gallery. ~ Laminate favorites to make placemats that your child can use every day. ~ Pick one favorite every year and have it framed. ~ Save letter-size pieces of artwork in clear plastic sleeves in a three-ring binder. Use a new binder for each year. ~ Ask for some old wallpaper sample books at a hardware store, then glue artwork to the pages. ~ Use less-than-spectacular artwork that would otherwise be discarded as wrapping paper or stationery. Or put these pictures in a wicker basket in your child’s room, and whenever you send letters or packages to family or friends, ask her to choose a piece to enclose. ~ Take photographs of building block creations and other temporary projects. ~ Use empty wrapping paper tubes to safely store artwork by rolling it and inserting in the tube and marking the outside with your child’s name and date.

Homemade Halloween costumes are a huge hit in our house! Last
year, my 11-year-old son went as a kissing booth. We attached fake fur to his chest, a few gaudy chains, and some wax lips. We then put a box around his middle with a sign on it that said, “Kisses $1.” We crossed that out and wrote, “50 cents.”
Finally, we also crossed that out and wrote, “FREE!” It was hysterical!
My other son went as a trashcan. We cut the bottom out of an
old aluminum trashcan and added a bag and some trash. He wore
a black sweatshirt with trash glued on. I used Elmer’s Glue, so the sweatshirt could be washed and re-worn. He also wore a black stocking cap with trash affixed to it, too! They both won awards for funniest costume and I got away with spending very little.