Blogs: how to make a painting easel

Well, this isn't really a blog ... it's from Lowe's online "Creative Ideas for Home and Garden". There are complete, online, and FREE directions for making a sturdy two-sided easel -- paint/paper on one side and chalkboard on the other.

The directions are easy to follow and include great graphics and a shopping list of supply-needs so you don't forget anything! Many of the easels you purchase just have a shelf; on this design, the "pockets" at the bottom of each side are actually large enough to hold things.

The original shown is just plain, natural wood -- which looks great. But you and your kids could really have a great time decorating it up and personalizing it. Also, if you change the design slightly, you could make legs that adjust to allow the easel to "grow" with your child ... or make it a family easel for everyone!

One of the things that caught my eye with this particular item is Lowe's tag-line: "inspire your budding artist's creative side with an art easel. It's the perfect art station for big imaginations." This is EXACTLY what "nurturing creativity" is trying to do.

Let me know if you've ever done this project ... and send pictures too, if you'd like!

Blogs: homemade soccer game set

HT: Cassi at Crafty Crow for linking to this amazingly clever idea from A Bit of This and a Bit of That ... a homemade soccer game!

How cool would this be for an older sibling to make for a younger one for his birthday ... you could even make it football or basketball by simply changing the field and "uniforms"!

I love this one ... now if I can just find one of my older kids to "volunteer" to make it for my youngest son for his birthday, we'll be good to go!

Jojo, the designer of this brilliant idea is a Montessori mom, living in Japan ... check out her blog for other really creative ideas!

Resources: great books for working with wood

Books on working with wood:

1. Faurot, Walter L. – The Art of Whittling – Linden Publishing. 2007. This is a reprint of a 1930s classic that takes whittling to an art form; the projects in this book (useful for beginners to strive for proficiency) include a wooden chain, entwined heart, and puzzles. This is a great book for those interested in going beyond the Lubkemann projects to true works of art.
2. Lubkemann, Chris – The Little Book of Whittling: Passing Time on the Trail, on the Porch, and Under the Stars and Whittling Twigs and Branches: Unique Birds, Flowers, Trees and More from Easy to Find Wood – Fox Chapel Publishing. 2005. These books are small enough to fit in a backpocket or backpack for hitting the trail and whittling to while away the time. I like that he has geared these books for kids – the illustrations are clear and detailed while the directions are easy to follow. These are the kind of small projects that go over well with kids because there isn’t much outlay of time or effort to get some amazing results.
3. McGuire, Kevin – Woodworking for Kids: 40 Fabulous, Fun & Useful Things for Kids to Make – Sterling Publishing (New York). 1993. This book is a great overview of woodworking aimed directly to kids. Starting with an overview of wood and then going on to tools and techniques and than just lots of fun projects (which are actually useful and doable!).
4. Robertson, Craig and Barbara – The Kids’ Building Workshop: 15 Woodworking Projects for Kids and Parents to Build Together – I like this book because it assumes the parents and kids are doing the projects together. The ideas in here are basic, so the creative juices should start flowing after making the basic projects. The projects are useful products: lemonade stand, table, “shut the box” game, etc and each project lists ALL the supplies and tools necessary to finish the item like a pro.
5. Sabol, David – Taunton’s Wood Carving Basics – Taunton Press (Newtown, CT). 2008. This book is written by an expert – Sabol has been carving in the traditional style (with chisels and knives) since he was eight. Add to this that Taunton books are amazingly well-illustrated, well-documented and just plain well-laid-out, and you’ve got the book that will get a budding woodcarver drooling.