Loving handmade, handcrafted gifts for the kids. So, I’m sharing these links with you.

1) For the little “rock star”, wooden teething and grasping toy by littlealouette

2) How about for the superheroes in your life? A Superhero cape for your crusader by Susipants

 3) Made with Rubberwood and Organic Cotton, “I Love My Planet toys” are fun and safe for children. Check out the rubberwood Giraffe at Peaceful Parlour.

4) Cooking Time play set from Studio Wren – super cute!

5) A cute “So Handsome Tie T-shirt” by We Choose Joy

What are some of your favorite buys this season? Or are you making a lot of your gifts this year?

Sometimes (more often than you might think) I run out of crafty ideas. Really. Enter Marie LeBaron, founder and managing editor at Make and Takes. Her book “Make and Takes for Kids: 50 Crafts Throughout the Year” (Wiley) arrived and I devoured it cover-to-cover.

Marie LeBaron uses her background in early childhood development and creative edge to develop kid-friendly projects. But what sets this book apart is the fact that she outlines learning objectives and skills associated with the projects. The creative process is the focus for the kids, not necessarily the final project. However, if you’re looking for inspiration to make new things to sell, this is not your book – personal use only.

The projects are organized by months with four projects per month, some have five. The colorful book is beautifully layed out.

And, like a good educator, LeBaron gives a nice overview (at the beginning of the book) of basic supplies needed, which you probably have lying around in your house or they’re easily found at a craft supply support. The “simple instructions” for seasonal and holiday creations, edible and decorative, are exactly spot-on.

We tried the Paper Spiral Christmas tree project with some supplies we have in our stockpile.

Not too shabby working on identifying shapes, cutting and fine motor skills. My kids and I can’t wait to try more!

I would love to share this fun and insightful book with a reader, and what better time as we head into the holidays. If you love spending time creating with kids, won’t you share a favorite craft or food idea that you like to do in your home? Leave a comment by December 1, 2011 (11:59 pm CST) and I’ll randomly choose a lucky reader to send a copy of “Make and Takes for Kids”! Don’t forget to include your e-mail so I can contact you if you’re chosen.

Thanks and enjoy the weekend!

**This giveaway is not affiliated with Wiley, MakeandTakes.com, or Craft Critique**

I had a quick project to finish using ribbons, so of course, I reached for my ribbon bin. I didn’t have to do much to open the lid; it practically popped open by itself… like one of those trick cans with the springy snake! And here’s why:

Umm... can we say mess?

Boing! You’re laughing, right? Tell me you are… please. Well, it bugged me enough that I felt compelled to do something about it. I know lots of crafters use ribbon racks, boxes with grommets for their ribbons, or even curtain rings as ribbon holders. Instead, I had visions of mini fabric bolts in mind.

Turning ribbons into mini fabric bolts

I thought I’d cut pieces of cardstock, or try to find little scraps to use as my “bolt center”, but I grabbed a box of tags. Perfect. With a little adhesive on a tag, I tacked down one end of ribbon and just kept turning.

Ribbons stash is tamed

Voila! Much nicer. I also wound up some leftover fabric strips that can be used for projects or gift wrapping. (I know I’ll never make that crazy quilt.) And, underneath all that stuff, I found some more ribbon and fibers still on their packaging. Used, I’ll have you know… not still with the tags and taped up.

Got a storage idea to share? I’d love to hear from you.

Day 12: Look at a child.  See how connected they are to their creative self?  Pretend you are a child and make something.

I meant to draw something, but it’ll have to wait. Lunch through the eyes of a child… playing with food. Who doesn’t like fun food? Credit to Meet the Dubiens for the inspiration!

We had a playdate a while ago…

PB & J sandwich with apple and raisin eyes, and a little carrot beak…. atop a chip nest because, the kids wouldn’t eat a “tree” made with cucumber circles and pretzels sticks.

Hot dog “samples” were requested. It’s just more fun with DIY flagged toothpicks which I had extras sitting in a drawer from my sister-in-law’s bridal shower.

Who knew, March is National Craft Month, and of course, there’s Martha Stewart kicking it off with her Craft Show and lots of giveaways at her Craft Department blog and also at Craft Critique.

So, here’s the craft-along I mentioned. We’re all busy, we all have those days, but maybe, just maybe this can bring all of us crafters together. I won’t promise 30 consecutive days of Creativity, but this looks like a lot of fun while doing some soul-searching. “30 day” posts will be intermingled with others… that’s what I’m thinking.

And, don’t worry, I’m still cooking away at home. I just have another outlet for my food adventures at Niles Patch.