The Cricut machine is an innovative machine that makes projects easier and faster than ever before. For those that are into paper crafting, the Cricut is a must have tool. It can create letters, numbers, and shapes quickly and accurately with just a few button pushes. Nothing is better than seeing your design ideas come to life quickly and with no mistakes. Forget having several pairs of scissors to get the shapes you want, this machine does it all. Just load the cartridge and get to work. There are several Cricut projects that you can do and surprisingly, it’s not just for paper crafts.

Cricut projects can be as varied and original as each user. Traditionally, the Cricut can be used to create custom scrapbook pages. There are several design patterns available, or you can create your own. Since the cartridges come in themes, coordinating fonts and shapes is a breeze. Using cardstock and the Cricut machine you can create a template for your scrapbook page, and then just add them to your album, insert the photographs, and use the Cricut to create messages. Since it does all the cutting the time to create beautiful pages is cut down drastically. The coordinating themes and fonts also allow users to stop driving from store to store looking for supplies that match.

Other projects that you can use the Cricut for include cake decorating. Surprised? Well, it’s easy once you get the hang of it. There are patterns and projects for beginners through advanced on the Cricut website or you can try your own pattern. All you will need is a cake, fondant, gum paste, and shortening. It’s really easy and you can have a professional looking cake in minutes. First, layer the cake tiers and cover with fondant. Using gum paste and the Cricut Cake cut out the borders and attach to the cake using shortening. Then use gum paste and the Cricut Cake to cut out the desired design like a flower or other shape. Attach the shapes to the cake using shortening. You can try your own Cricut project ideas to create many types of cakes for birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, holidays, and even weddings. Just use one of the Cricut Cake cartridges and your Cricut Cake machine to make a one of a kind original.

Another Cricut project can be done to create fantastic throw pillows. Just take the desired fabric and tape it to the cutting board. Select the cartridge and design you want and let the Cricut cut out the fabric. From there the cut outs can be sewn onto a square of cloth to create the cover. When everything is placed as desired, sew the back of the pillow on three sides. Stuff the fabric with polyester fill and then finish sewing the last side. For a quicker project, Use Heat n Bond so that the fabric cut outs can be ironed to the fabric.

Cricut projects are numerous and many ideas, patterns, and directions can be found across the internet. With its versatility and ease of use, the Cricut can be used for many projects for years to come.

This is a guest blog post written by Jaime-Ann Laidlaw of Crafts for Kidlets.

Edward, Bella, Jacob.  Justin, Hannah, Taylor.  These names are commonly heard being talked about, swooned over, and debated on a daily basis throughout the halls of many junior high’s.  Many tweens can’t wait for the next edition of their favorite teen idol magazine.

I remember, many moons ago, having my bedroom wall lined with magazine pages of everything NKOTB and 90210. I loved sitting in my shrine to all things Donny Wahlberg and Christian Slater, until my father demanded I removed them – he felt the need to paint.  How dare he!

It was with that I discovered scrapbooking.  It started with my mom showing me a copy of a rather yellow looking book containing newspaper clippings of people I have never heard of.  But I ended up spring boarding off of her idea and created a massive scrapbook with all of the posters from my bedroom wall.

Scrapbooking does not have to be expensive; there is no need to have the fanciest book or sparkliest stickers or most colorful paper in it.  Scissors, glue, and a blank pages book work fine.  Heck – recycling an old notebook and covering the pages with teen idols is a fun thing too!

There are a lot of classes that you can introduce your son or daughter to that can help evolve their creativity to something more than video games and Perez Hilton.  Local arts and craft stores have a multitude of low cost classes they can sign up for.  Maybe there is even a chance for mother-daughter or mother-son bonding here: maybe!

Here are a few ideas to think about when trying to come up with ideas for those particular tweens!

1. “A day in the life of…” pass them the camera and have them try out their skills by way of a photojournalism project.  The sky is the limit.  They can follow the dog around all day taking pictures of them and then putting together a creative photo journal complete with original photographs and comments all from their point of view.  This is a perfect way to get them to open up and express themselves while perfecting their writing skills.
2. Mini Scrapbook Albums – Create albums with a specific theme. Themes are great for mini-albums because they only have a few pages for your photo story. Making a mini scrapbook to highlight the different happenings of the season or school year is always something fun your tween can look back on years from now and smile at.
3. Easy Tie Dye Projects – something your tween can do with a couple of friends.  We all know about the basic shirt tie dying, but what about bedsheets?  Or towels? Or sun dresses?  Here’s some quick instructions from a favorite of mine: KinderArt.com (just don’t tell your tween the name of the site and everything will be OK.

What You Need:

• various colors of fabric dye (available in the housewares department)
• rubber bands
• rubber gloves
• marbles
• tap water
• garments such as t-shirts, cotton shorts, old jeans, etc.

What You Do:

Begin by rubberbanding your garment according to the design you wish to achieve. See the pictures below followed by the method in which to reach that result.

Prepare dye according to package directions. Be sure to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands! Dye can be just as damaging as bleach to your unprotected skin. Please take the proper safety precautions recommended.

Once your garment is ready, place in the dye for at least 15-20 minutes. The longer the garment remains in the dye, the darker and deeper the color will become. Remove from the dye and rinse according to package directions, usually in cold running water. Ring out garment until water runs clear.

Carefully remove rubber bands and marbles to reveal your new design! No design will be the same as another and different effects can be reached by combining the different methods mentioned above.

What sort of things does your tween like to do when it comes to expressing their creative side?

Look for more fun kid crafts ideas at Crafts for Kidlets!