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Gilding liquid (I used Martha Stewart’s Liquid Gilding in Copper) Plastic, wood, papier-mâché, tin, glass, ceramic, paper, terra cotta, canvas, or plaster object to be gilded (porous surfaces such as terra cotta and plaster should be sealed first) Soft bristled paint brush Gloss enamel finish spray (Martha Stewart Crafts also makes this) Nail polish remover or paint thinner (for clean up) Working in a well-ventilated area (this is stinky stuff!), lightly brush a layer of gilding liquid over object....

I’m partnering with Scholastic and The Story Starts Here site, sharing book news, information, activities and more! Their hope is to instill a love of reading in children as early as their infant stage, helping them learn, grow, and love storytelling. Here’s more: In our own family, we’ve been reading with our children at a very young age. There’s always been a large bookshelf in each of their rooms, filled with books that are new and fun, as well as old favorites to read over and over again....

The other day I started working on a project for myself making felt tassels to string into a banner for our fireplace mantle. My oldest daughter loved the tassels I made so much that she asked me to make a few just for her. I did just that and as soon as I handed them to her she jumped up and said “Oh mom! They are little dresses!” Moments later she made faces for the tassels I gave her and glued them on....

So in comes this series, getting kids in the craft room. This first video is an introduction and shares a little about where we craft. Each week I’ll be sharing tips and tricks of the kid crafting trade! I’ll hopefully be able to show how simple it can be if you’re informed and prepared. Really, anyone can craft with kids. Whether you’re the parent or caregiver, you’ll find simple tips to get started and keep kids excited and engaged....

There are 55 different activities and crafts to do with your kids, as well as some serious tinkering! So much fun for summer! Rachelle has graciously offered to share one of her ideas from her book, Straw Rockets. Your kids could whip these up in a flash and get to flying for some serious summer fun! STRAW ROCKETS by Rachelle Doorley of Tinkerlab I am an adviser for the kids’ creative activity kit company Kiwi Crate, and during one of their in-house kid-testing sessions, my three-year-old learned how to make a simple straw rocket....

Supplies for DIY Magazine Baby Book: old magazines, preferably parenting magazines scissors small photo album, available at most stores for a couple dollars near the frames small paper and glue stick for the cover With this photo album, it let me take out the cover. So I slid it out, glued on a piece of paper and wrote “Baby Book” on it, giving it a title. Dig out your old-saved-for-crafting magazines from your craft room, you have a pile of these, right?...

Art with Kids: Collages I supplied him with a variety of objects like buttons, die cuts, ribbons, as well as a large sheet of paper and glue and explained that he could select whichever objects he wanted to use, and stick them down to make art. I separated the objects into type, buttons in one box, paper in another etc. These all came from my craft stash! We decided to use his big art book....

I love clear tubs. I have them all over my house. You can see what’s inside and it’s tucked away in a nice box. I found this container that is flat, long, included wheels, and has a flip lid. It’s perfect for my girl’s dresses and fits great under their beds. And my girls can each easily open up the flip lid to get out and clean up their dresses....

Paper Acorn Garland paper lunch bags patterned paper in fall colors yarn or string beads glue stick scissors Start by making some simple stencils to trace around – an acorn bottom and an acorn cap. You can prep these ahead of time for your kiddos, or make stencils from your child’s own acorn drawing. Trace and cut the acorn bottom pieces from paper lunch bags. Since lunch bags are so thin, it’s easy to cut through multiple layers at once....

Pesto gnocchi with sweet potato and squash recipe Our simple gnocchi recipe with sweet potato, pesto, squash, kale, and kielbasa is a delicious fall meal that the whole family will love. It’s perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner, especially if you have kids in sports. Ingredients Spinach gnocchi Pesto Kielbasa Sweet potato Cucuzza squash Spinach Mascarpone Vegetable oil Parmesan cheese (optional) Note: Butternut squash would also work really well in this recipe instead of cucuzza squash, I just happened to have cucuzza squash that I wanted to use up....

During the Holidays, our neighbors and friends tend to be the recipients of our baking and candy making. Here’s a fun way to share your Holiday treats with these Ribbon Wreath Plates, because we all know the Holidays are a little more special with yummy treats. Supplies for Holiday Ribbon Plates: paper plates, any color or size (you can use plastic plates, but they’re harder to punch) hole punch ribbon, craft ribbon or curling ribbon treats...

While we try to practice gratitude year-round, it’s always nice to give it some extra focus around Thanksgiving time. I love for my girls to record a list in some way of all the things they are thankful for. It’s so fun to look back at their lists from year to year. We’ve done thankful trees and turkeys, so this year we made something totally different – thankful wind spinners!...

I came up with this solution for my tape dilemma. I place tape flat down onto the paper where I want tape to go. Then I place my rolled piece of tape on the flat tape spot. When I am ready to remove the tape, it comes right off and doesn’t tear my paper. You can even reuse the paper and tape it up again when you need to. It works with scotch tape, packing tape, and masking tape....

I’m sharing this super simple craft idea over at About.com, as I’m happy to share I’m the new editor for the Family Crafts channel! I’ll be sharing all kinds of fun kid crafty content for the whole family to enjoy. And if you haven’t already noticed, About.com has changed to a whole new look. It’s fabulous, and I’m happy to be part of the team! I’ll be crafting up more fun ideas and projects, including these super sipper straws!...

Ingredients: 1 large zucchini 1/2 cup flour 2 egg whites 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs 3 deep pans – for dipping 1 cup extra virgin olive oil saute pan tongs Method: First, get your olive oil hot and ready to fry. Place your cup of olive oil into your saute pan on medium heat to 350 degrees. While your oil is heating up, cut your zucchini into 1/4 -1/3 of an inch slices and set aside....

We love a fun movie night paired with a delicious treat! We are always wondering what Archie’s secret life is while we’re out! Just like these cute dog characters pictured below, that’s exactly how our sweet little puppy Archie waits for us to get home. He’s either by the window or facing the door, listening for us to come up the steps. Here’s a little more about the movie if you didn’t catch it in theaters!...

There is an envelope for each day of November and inside each envelope is a decorated index card. The banner is held together with a ribbon that is stapled across the back of each envelope. I used thumb tacks pushed through the ribbon to attach it to our mantel. Supplies for Envelope Banner: 30 – 4×6 Index Cards Pocket envelopes Labels Photo pockets Stamps – woodland shapes & alphabet letters Stamping Ink Paper Cutter Circle Paper Punch (1″ or smaller) Corner Rounder Paper Punch Tape Runner or Double Sided Tape or Glue Scissors Assortment of Ribbon 3 Yards of Ribbon Stapler...

This turkey with fallen leaves craft is a blast to make and perfect for fall or Thanksgiving! My kids had a great time and we loved how creative the end result looked! This turkey art project pairs nature with art for a fun twist on a classic turkey craft. You only need some fall leaves and a few basic craft supplies, no long supply list needed for this craft! It’s easy and super fun, keep reading to see how easy it is to do with your kids!...

Spring is FINALLY here! Can I get a hallelujah!? I am welcoming the sun and any temperature over 55 degrees. Since we’re all in quarantine over here during the virus, I thought it would be the perfect time to do a little spring cleaning around my house. I suddenly have a lot of time on my hands…I am sure you can relate. DIY Spring Cleaning Tips and Tricks Best Way to Clean Baseboards: Get those baseboards clean and staying clean with these tips!...

Homemade Rosemary Artisan Bread Rosemary Bread Recipe 1 packet dry yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp) 2 c. warm water 1 T. sugar 2 tsp salt 4 c. flour 2 tsp. fresh rosemary – chopped fine Topping: 1/4 tsp. of each – olive oil, chopped rosemary, and salt Method: Dissolve yeast in the warm water and sugar. Add flour, salt, and 1-2 tsp chopped rosemary and stir until blended, do not knead!...