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Pinwheels are an age old craft that your Grandma will remember. Put together these pretty wind decorations and stick them in your garden.

Be sure to explore all of our fun summer activities including great crafts for kids, summer printables, fabulous recipes, outdoor fun and more!

What you'll need:

How to make it:

1. Print the pattern onto plain copy or printer paper.
2. Cut the square pattern out, cutting on the solid lines.
3. Lay pattern on top of colored paper and trace the square. Cut out the square from the colored paper.
4. Keep the pattern square on top of the colored square. Either hold it in place with your fingers or tape it down lightly on two of the sides.
5. Cut through the pattern and the colored paper along the dotted lines but do not cut in to the center circle.
6. Use a thumbtack or stick pin to poke out the holes in every other corner as indicated on the pattern. Set the pattern piece aside.
7. Take one corner (one with a hole) and fold it toward the center of the square. Fold the next corner that has a hole and fold it toward the center on top of the first holed corner. Repeat with the other two corners with holes until all four are folded into the center. Glue the folds to each other and to the center. Hold together until dry.
8. Push the thumbtack through the center of the pinwheel and into the eraser of the pencil. Make sure the pinwheel isn't touching the eraser or it won't spin.
9. Glue some sequins to the flaps of the pinwheel and let dry.
   

Tips:

• You can use plain white paper and have children color with crayons or markers to decorate before cutting out the pinwheel pattern.
• Decorate with lightweight items such as sequins and stickers or glitter glue. Items like buttons and craft jewels are too heavy.
• If the pinwheel isn't turning properly, try using a longer stick pin rather than a thumbtack to allow more room between the pinwheel and the eraser.

By: Amanda Formaro, Difficulty: Easy, Age: 7 and up
Source: Crafts Kaboose

If you're among the 65 percent of Americans planning to cut back on holiday spending as reported in a new Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll, the Illinois CPA Society suggests taking a traditional approach to the season. Retailers are putting an old-fashioned spin on the holidays with comforting traditions like red and green decorations and resurrecting old ideas like layaways and Christmas Clubs. Give some thought to using these programs and add a few time-tested ideas of your own to make the holiday enjoyable and affordable.

• It's the most wonderful time of the year, so plan ahead for it. Once popular Christmas Club accounts are making a comeback. For those unfamiliar with the concept, Christmas Clubs, usually at local banks, offered a special savings account on which you earned a little interest before you withdrew the money for holiday shopping. Check out the details of new variations on the idea, like Christmas Club Cards offered by retailers or see if this type of account is offered though your credit union.
• Bring things home for the holidays (but not before you pay them). Consider using layaway programs being reintroduced by retailers. Layaway programs allow you to put aside items and pay for them in installments usually without charging interest. Just the opposite of a credit card, merchandise is held until it's paid for in full. Do check the details for each purchase; terms may vary from store to store.
• Make a list and check it twice. Making a list and sticking to it is an old and obvious idea but it really helps to control costs. Decide in advance who's getting a gift and exactly how much you plan on spending. Don't stray from the amounts or add people to the list later. Break the habit of holiday shopping sprees - no impulse purchases or splurges - just what's on the list.
• Deck the halls with anything you can find in and around the house. There's no need to spend money each year on more decorations - use the old ones or items grandma and grandpa no longer need. Get creative; make it a family project to see how you can decorate with things you already have on hand. Scour your memory for old craft projects like the paper snowflakes you made as a kid. Use photos as ornaments, make popcorn garlands or paint pinecones from the yard.
• Let it Snow - stay close to home. Avoid costly special events; limit travel and check out local no cost events like tree lighting ceremonies or community band concerts. Don't accept every invitation for a special night out to celebrate the season and break your budget by feeling the need to keep up with everybody. Entertain simply at home; dinners can be potluck, progressive, or organized so family and friends each bring their homemade specialties to cover different parts of the meal.
• For Happy Holidays, when you do spend, spend wisely. Take advantage of the deals being offered to consumers in tough times. These are incentives to spend so chose wisely, but look for holiday specials at stores, restaurants and other venues. There are many opportunities to save such as buy one get one free, door buster specials, coupons for additional discounts, free shipping, or getting five $25 gift certificates for the price of four. Also "cash in" bonus points accumulated on some credit cards to buy gift cards, a no-cost way to fund holiday gift giving.

 

SOURCE Illinois CPA Society

The art of pumpkin carving is a centuries-old tradition, dating back to an ancient Celtic holiday called Samhain, meaning summer's end. Over time, the tradition has evolved and the carved pumpkin (or Jack-o-Lantern) has become one of the most prominent symbols of Halloween.

While each Jack-o-Lantern is different with its own unique size and style, they all share one thing in common - on November 1, the carved pumpkin is immediately out-of-season and soon replaced by fall and Thanksgiving decor. Many people even wait until the last minute to do their carving to help ensure their pumpkin stays as fresh as possible for Halloween.

That's why the Duck® brand has a new suggestion and the perfect accessory for any pumpkin this fall - duct tape! Unlike traditional carving, decorating with duct tape can prolong the life of your pumpkin, allowing you to start on your design earlier, then change or remove it completely after Halloween, making it versatile enough to use throughout the fall. And styling your pumpkin in duct tape will eliminate the mess left behind from carving, while allowing you to be creative and colorful all at the same time.

Duck Tape® brand duct tape is available in more than 20 colors and patterns, so the choices for your pumpkin's design are endless! Here are a few examples to get you started:

• Deck it out. Make an entire costume for your pumpkin. If you're crafty and have some time, turn your pumpkin into a witch with a duct tape cape, hat and broom. For a quick and easy look, wrap your pumpkin in white duct tape for the perfect mummy motif.
• Show your pride. With so many colors to choose from, it's easy to pick a theme or use your pumpkin's design to demonstrate your patriotism, celebrate your favorite sports team or pay tribute to your alma mater.
• Go abstract. Step away from the traditional Halloween look - choose your favorite combination of duct tape colors and cover your pumpkin with some bright stripes, zigzags or polka dots.
• Be a little two-faced. Can't decide on a favorite design? You don't have to - decorate both sides of your pumpkin and rotate it throughout the Halloween season. Try playing off dueling themes for inspiration, such as comedy and tragedy, day and night or cats and dogs.
• Stuck on the Jack-o-Lantern face? Use pre-made stencils or make your own to use as guides to create the eyes, nose and mouth of your pumpkin's unique expression.
  

A little imagination and a few rolls of duct tape are all you need to make your pumpkin stick out from the rest this Halloween. Using duct tape is a fun and creative project for the whole family, resulting in a one-of-a-kind decoration that will last throughout the season.

SOURCE Duck brand

Kaboose has some great back-to-school craft ideas. Make cool book covers, desktop supply boxes and lunch bags.

Source: Kaboose.com

Entertaining Extras
This summery runner is 86 inches long; you can add or subtract leaves, depending on the length of your table. Handmade napkins can coordinate with either linens or tableware.

Photo Courtesy of Martha Stewart.com

For the Runner:
1. Using our leaf template, cut 27 leaves from linen (we used celadon, mint, and lemon).

2. Use a 1/2-inch-wide strip of store-bought single-fold bias tape and the one-step binding method to create a border along one side of each leaf, from tip to tip. There is no need to finish the tape's ends.

3. Bind the opposite side of each leaf with a separate length of bias tape, covering raw edges at tips with an overlap finish.

4. Arrange leaves in desired pattern; pin, and hand-stitch together.

Source: Martha Stewart.com Crafts

Sometimes those weathered patches and holes in your jeans slip from fashionable to just plain tatty. Never fear, you can still save those jeans with a neat patch.

Transferring images around surfaces is a great way to achieve different details and finishes. Here's a simple technique for paper image transfer.

Old magazine covers can be turned in classy little trash bins or holders for craft supplies.

I do like the idea of using some luxurious silk paper for Valentines Day cards. Here's how you can make some lovely paper of your own in your favorite colors.

Check out this neat font!

If you like couture, you can get the PDF pattern to make this John Galliano pirate jacket. Beware - there are 60 pieces to it!

Check out what others have made of it -I particularly like the black and green ones.

One of the tricks to making well-fitting great-looking skirts and pants is getting the zipper right. This tutorial shows how you can use a bit of glue to do so.

Through cold and gloomy winters, I usually accumulate a fair sized pile of ruined tights. This tutorial creatively uses them to make a fiber necklace. The same technique will work for bracelets, belts, hair bands...

Felted pebbles and stones would make lovely soft paperweights. Here's how.

When a bunch of people get together to craft, it soon leads to cups of coffee. And while crafters are great at keeping their needles and scissors straight, coffee cups tend to get all mixed up.

These cute charms are a great way to tell your cups apart.

Here's a cool take on reconstructing old knits for a trendy new wearable. if you cant figure out how to do it, don't worry - a tutorial is in the making.

Watching TV can be inspiring. Here's what one clever designer did with Beyonce's Golden Globes necklace.

Live in an area where there's no snow? You can still have a snowman out on your front lawn. Or make one for a windowsill.

Here's a unique gift for Valentine's Day - heart shaped tea bags you can drop into your tubs for a fun and romantic soak. Make some in all your favorite fragrances.

When out on errands, there are times when I prefer not to carry my rather heavy handbag around. A wristlet like this solves the problem - it holds my drivers' license, credit and id cards, keys, and maybe my mobile phone, leaving both my hands free for browsing in stores or carrying the bags!

An old patterned sweater and an hour's time are all that you need to make these wonderful washable cushion covers.

I've always loved ironing. At the risk of being ridiculed, or even labeled downright crazy, I have often publicly confessed to it.

Lately I have realized that the iron is an important tool for all crafting and sewing - pressing down seams in tailoring and quilting, ironing on freezer paper templates and fusible-web appliques, blocking knitting and crochet - using the iron gives me a better finish every single time. And having an ironing space set up right next to my work area makes it even easier.

Start with a lovely table top ironing pad you can lay out on the table right next to you, and try some ironing yourself.

I do love this idea of keeping track of what I have managed to do every day - it's so satisfying to look back to see how much one has finished, it reminds me that I can start the next day with as much vigor.


And these original fabric "blackboards" are a great way to keep track of all those "I did!"s.

Little ones often get crabby and irritated being indoors on snowy winter days, but there isnt much they can do out there either.

Here's something for safe, fun breaks outside!

You've got everything under control - The gifts are all packed, the tree looks gorgeous, the halls are decked, and the table set. Why not whip up some of these lovely crackers to complete the perfect picture?

Want to bake some last-minute cookies, but don't have the right molds? Here's how you can make some special ones of your own with a recycled can.

Try a star, an Xmas tree, or a snowman!

Not quite happy with your regular fairy lights? Check out these ideas for easy-to-make lighting - no special materials or fancy fittings necessary.

These great-looking candles are so simple to create, and will add a lovely ambience to your holiday parties.

Finding appropriate storage for all our craft supplies is a real hassle for most of us. Trims and embellishments are trickier than most other things.

Look at this great idea that will help organize all your new ribbons and old.

Put together a hamper for a wine-lover, and finish with a special handcrafted touch.

The holiday season seems to see an onrush of junk mail.Get all those colorful sheets working for you = transform them into cool gift bags.Additional Bonus - what you would save on gift wrapping!

Give a new look and a new lease to a favorite old pair of shoes. If you don't knit or crochet, try it with a piece of woven fabric.
 

Bead & Button has this very delightful free project up - just register for free and get the instructions.

The very first time I made candles, I used my mother-in-law's Wedgewood china teacups as molds [ :) she wasn't in town]. I've made hundreds since, but those cups gave me the shiniest, most beautifully shaped candles.

Make your own lovely candles in teacups or mugs.

Making your own jewelry is pretty easy if you know a few techniques and have the right tools. This great tutorial shows you how to make an elegant wire wrapped pendant - try it with store bought stones, or use an interesting pebble, a polymer clay piece or even a fabric or wooden bead you made yourself.

I am usually not a big fan of using the computer to teach beginners a new skill, especially in the creative or design arena, but want to make an exception for the new Crayola Make a Masterpiece.


This is a great new drawing, painting and graphic arts program for the aspiring young artist. Excellent on screen guidance and tips take the user through basic drawing, painting and pastel coloring techniques for on screen creations. Finished work can be displayed in a virtual image gallery, printed out, or even emailed to friends and family.

There is also a section that helps in learning more about famous artwork and master artists.

Have a budding artist check out this free demo.

Here's a very cute no-sew holiday ornament you can make up with scraps.

Newspaper and scissors make lovely snowflakes you can strew around the house.

Or string them together to make a wintery mobile.

Just follow this tutorial.

Your old baby spoons and odd pieces of cutlery can stay out this Christmas. Transform them into lovely ornaments for the tree or table.

Now you can decorate your tree with all your favorite "stars". Follow these easy instructions - try it with your favorite scrapbooking paper,  gift wrap, washi sheets... embellish with paints and trims.

Don't wait till Christmas Eve for Santa with his sleigh and reindeer. With this clear tutorial  with lots of pictures and a pattern template to follow, you'll catch him sooner.

A lovely winter scene that you can use in many ways - embroider, paint, or even applique. Scale the pattern up or down with a copier to get the size you want.

If you are looking for gifts for some artistic little ones, have a peek at these coloring books. They sound easy and fun enough to make several, maybe some for older kids too?

Keep your pencils, brushes, and drawing pad all organized with this handy holder - made from a favorite old pair of jeans.

Coats and Clark have come up with this nifty little tool that has a crochet hook on one end and a knitting needle finish on the other.  If you both crochet and knit, these could be a great addition to your tool kit, especially for travel.

Egg cartons and LED lights are an unlikely combination that make these beautiful fairy lights.

Custom Paper Toys has this snappy little Santa for you - just print, cut and glue!

If you are looking for an extra special box to pack that precious gift, or an odd-shaped one, never fear! With these great instructions, you can make wonderful containers of your own.

If you thought that beads were all about summer, take a look here. A fantastic collection of beads - festive, wintery, and icily delicate, to add that special touch to your jewelry or accessories.

One more idea for a great handcrafted holiday gift, especially if you have tile left over from a patio project.

You can also get the kids involved in making these stamped tile coasters.