Crafting with kids: Why creating with your little ones is important

For certain parents, coming up with smart craft ideas to do with their kids is second nature. For others (ahem, cough), it can be intimidating, and we wind up handing over a box of crayons and some paper and calling it a day. To help us overcome our insecurities, we contacted the lovely and helpful Jennifer Casa, author of "Teach Yourself Visually: Crafting with Kids." Read on for her thoughts on the importance artistic expression and trying new things.</p><p> Question: Other than the obvious - markers, paper, tape - what are some nice things to have around the home to make crafting with kids a bit easier and more fun for everyone involved?</p><p> Answer: If you are looking to stock a craft drawer or bin, I would suggest you start small with a few of the basics. A good-quality watercolor set, as well as crayons or colored pencils, will have everyone coloring in a variety of mediums. Glue and glue sticks inspire all sorts of creativity in kids, and make sure to have age-appropriate scissors. Paper punches are great, even a simple single-hole punch can be a lot of fun when crafting with kids. If you want a few more goodies, there's glitter and googly eyes and pompoms and pipe cleaners. There is a lot of good stuff out there, but I honestly believe less is more. If your budget allows, let each child choose one new supply to add to your family's crafting stash. Keep it simple and magic will happen.</p><p> Q: Without spending money at a crafts store, are there things lying around the average home that can be turned into a doable art project?</p><p> A: Most people have plenty of items around the house that can be reinterpreted as materials for arts and crafts, and you needn't look any further than the recycling bin. In my book, "Teach Yourself Visually: Crafting with Kids," we transform cardboard tubes from paper towels and toilet paper into bowling pins and kaleidoscopes. Newspaper is great for papier-mche, painting or as a stuffing material. Plastic bottles and jars can be made into snow globes, and takeout containers into boats or spaceships. Cardboard from milk cartons and cereal boxes can be taken apart and reused for building new projects. Kids have such incredible imaginations, so let them choose their materials and follow their lead.</p><p> Q: What is it about doing a craft with your children that you think makes it a worthwhile activity? Of course, besides the obvious: It's fun.</p><p> A: Crafting with your children is about sharing time with one another, listening to them and working together on something that interests them. It's about nurturing their creative spirits, encouraging them to explore, fostering their independence and learning from one another. You will all cherish these memories.</p><p> Q: What would you say to parents who are not artistically inclined and get easily intimidated by craft projects? Any advice?</p><p> A: Crafting with kids is supposed to be fun! So relax, follow their lead and set aside any notions about what you think something is supposed to look like when you are done. Most of the projects in my book were created so that you and your kids can turn it into whatever you want it to be. Personalize things, use an idea you see in a book or magazine as a springboard for something new and fabulous. This is not a test! Enjoy the process of making things together, get a little messy and laugh a lot. Your kids are watching you all the time, so dive in and try new things along with them. You may surprise yourself!</p><p> Q: Are there trends when it comes to kids' arts and crafts? What's new and different that you're starting to see?</p><p> A: I've been seeing more and more kids' craft projects using recycled materials, and I continue to be impressed by what can be done with household items that would have otherwise been thrown away. There are also a lot of great new craft supplies and kits out there, and it's a lot of fun to experiment and try something new together.</p><p> Q: In our home we are all about the basics - paint/coloring, paper, glue, scissors - and I am dazzled on a daily basis by what our kids come up with. They inspire me to experiment, and we all have fun along the way. I truly hope that everyone can experience that with their own kids.</p><p> For inspiring craft ideas, pick up a copy of Jennifer Casa's book and visit her website at http://jchandmade.typepad.com/ .</p><p> Andrea Pyros lives in New York's Hudson Valley, where she raises her two kids and writes for www.Deals.com - your easy-to-remember source for the best online deals, sales and coupons.

“ THE FIFTH WALL” see what Hudson Valley Magazine has to say about ...

Interior Design Trends 2011: Painting, Molding, and Treating Ceilings as the Fifth Wall

When it comes to top interior design trends of 2011, things are looking up: Ceilings — now referred to as the fifth wall — are the latest focus for creating a complete, pulled-together look for homes. No longer ignored or left as a blank white canvas, ceilings are being incorporated in room design in a number of ways. Paint (in a variety of shades, patterns, and textures), crown moldings, medallions, tin tiles, even domes are all being used on ceilings as the finishing touch in a well-designed space. Although the concept isn’t exactly new — take Italy’s Sistine Chapel, for one dramatic example — the right look can add to the feeling of warmth, airiness, and overall character of a room.

“It’s been a longstanding design philosophy of mine to never leave a wall or ceiling white, unless I’m trying to achieve an ultramodern, contemporary, and monochromatic interior,” says Darron Andress, a designer at FW Interior Design in Wappingers Falls. Andress, who’s been with the company for 11 years, suggests that “most homeowners are so overwhelmed by choosing colors for the walls that they completely forget that the ceiling is indeed the ‘fifth wall,’ and requires attention to complete the look.”

It might seem intimidating to think of using bold colors or patterns overhead, but there are subtle, tasteful ways it can be done — as long as a few key principles are kept in mind. “There is no rule that the ceiling and wall should match, but the two should have a relationship to each other,” Andress explains. “The color or material you use on your ceiling should stay within the same hue or tonal value.” And when choosing moldings, plasters, or other textures, it’s best to make sure the material used pairs well with the other design elements within the space. What constitutes attractive design is, of course, subject to personal preference; a living room with a cozy cabin feel, however, would probably not blend well with a cool metallic ceiling. On the other hand, wooden fixtures — or a textured, faux paint job — might do wonders.

It’s easy to imagine a soft, blue-sky motif on the ceiling of a child’s room; or a solid, neutral tone providing warmth to a den or family room. But Andress always suggests incorporating fifth-wall ornamentation in two locations within a house: the formal dining room and the master bedroom. “The dining room is the one room in the home that often can withstand a bit of design drama, and adding paint or a wall covering can often achieve that goal,” he says. “The master bedroom is the first and last thing most of us see every day; we wake up there and fall asleep there. If there’s one room in the home that can really affect our mood and lives, it’s the master bedroom.” Whether you prefer a serene feel in the bedroom or a vibrant, lively effect where you dine, one particular treatment for ceilings can provide the look: “A very hot trend clients are asking for these days is wall coverings,” Andress says. “Bold and large patterns, grass papers, and metal substrates are finding their way into residential applications.

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