I marvel each time we have a yard sale the items that delight people who stop by, especially those into crafting. 
*One lady bought all the buttons my daughter had decided she could part with.  She told me she decorated clothing with them.  At a previous yard sale, a customer said she made Christmas stockings for sale and decorated them with buttons.
*A young man purchased a box of used crayons.  I asked if he had children who enjoyed coloring.
“No,” he replied.  “They’re for me.  I have some coloring book pages and am going to color them to make wrapping paper.”
*Another customer purchased …read more

Coloring pictures in coloring books, as well as drawing and coloring my own, occupied me extensively when I was a child.  My daughter and grandchildren have enjoyed coloring, as do many of the youngsters I have in school when I substiute teach.
I’ve also found this a great way to encourage children’s fine muscle coordination.  As I’ve substituted in kindergarten this year, and followed the youngsters throughout the school year, I’ve seen a great improvement in their ability to stay within the lines, even with small pictures.
Coloring is more than simply busy work. It’s a way to develop children’s coordination, a form of …read more

Rainy days and crayons simply seem to go together and it’s definitely raining where I live. So, I thought that I would jump over to the Crayola site and see what they have to offer. And found coloring pages for starters.
I can’t remember how many coloring books I went through as a kid, but it has to be zillions of them. Lucky for you, you can find tons of them online to be printed out as you need them. And Crayola has plenty of them to choose from!
And here is something different, Crayola even has a machine that helps …read more

Lets face it. Kids love crayons and chances are that they are going to find their way onto a bedroom wall at some point before they lose interest in all of those gorgeous colors!! So, what if you painted a massive chalkboard right onto one of those walls. And if give the option to color with chalk instead of crayons, chances are they will reach for the chalk every time.
**And you have to admit, it is a whole lot easier cleaning a chalkboard than washing down a wall!!

Chalkboard Paint Tips

Yes, I know that I missed the deadline, but Dani over at Artful Thoughts reminded me about the fact and it got me thinking of all I still have to do. We are passed the half way mark and that is a very scary thing… especially as your kids get older.
I would start saving now, because their wish list gets more expensive by the year! For some reason crayons and coloring books just don’t satisfy them anymore?? Actually, I think I need a couple more jobs! But there is a good side to all of this lol… your gifts …read more