Gone are the days of creative thinking and imagination. As the shelves of our local toy stores fill with more and more electronic devises like PSP's, DS Systems, and the Wee, more and more parents are ditching their ancient arts and crafts supplies and investing in a future of artificial intelligence and mental over-stimulation for their little boys and girls. Some are spending money they don't have and encouraging a life of immediate gratification void of physical interaction, and wondering why their children seem so desensitized by life. But who says children don't like hand made toys anymore? And what child doesn't still get filled with pride and joy at the sight of a fantastically cool game, craft or toy they made all by themselves?
It was less than a week ago that my 11 year old son and his friends found themselves home from school due to a passing snow storm that left several inches on our neighborhood lawns. Too cold to go out, and too bored to stay in, my son and his friends created countless mundane ways to compete on their electronic entertainment systems and revisit a continually disappointing cabinet of healthy snacks throughout the morning hours. Bearing witness to this modern atrosity, I gathered up my stash of fabrics, trims, crafts and other tid bit supplies and called the boys to the kitchen table for some good old fashion fun.
Finger puppets would be the project of the afternoon, and with a little felt, fabric glue, plastic eyes, yarn and some great decorating stuff, I set the doubtful yet willing pre-teens off to create uniquely wonderful works of art for at least an hour or two of five finger fun. From a puppet that looks like their favorite entertainer, favorite animal, or that fabulous face in the mirror. And with that, I left three pre-teen children to their own device. The end result....some really cool finger puppets for three gloating boys who haven't forgotten how to have some good old fashion finance free fun ......without electrical interference.
To create your own felt crafts like the finger puppet project mentioned above, check out the following family friendly websites: www.allfreecrafts.com or www.familyfun.com, and then visit us at
https://www.jandofabrics.com/index.htm for our great selection of colorful felt fabric. Available in 72" widths, our 100% acrylic felt is the perfect material for a plethora of craft ideas.
Until next time, this is Consumer Savvy Carol signing off!
Posts by J&O
Fabrics StoreLabels: back to school crafts, breast cancer fabric crafts, childrens crafts, felt, felt crafts, felt finger puppets, frugal, frugile
At
J&O Fabrics, we are constantly meeting customers much like yourself, who have tapped into their fabulous inner wells of creativity and manifested their unique imaginings into beautiful works of art. From cute and lovable cloth dolls made and sold mostly at craft festivals, to intricate hand-made bags made and purchased by high society elites, our customers are some of the best originators and designers around.
For instance, take Mary and Marie, better known by the staff at J&O Fabrics as simply M & M. These two lively and lovely 'seasoned' women have been tapping into their creative feminine juices for many years now, and have no intention of stopping. Creating cute and fun crafts as a way of nurturing their Goddess given talents and fulfilling their philanthropic side is what feeds their spirit. And of course our selection of diverse and funky fabrics found within the walls of our brick and mortar might have a little something to do with their source of inspiration as well. Novelty prints, calico, African fabrics....each visit they make is fun for us all, and the little craft gifts they leave behind are cherished memoirs that leave smiles on our faces for days to come.
M & M's latest gift…..beautiful floral magnets made from various fabric scraps. Created in an assortment of different prints and colors, these cute little magnets keep spring alive year round and never wilt away. Crafted with less than ¼ yard of fabric, these reflections of nature make great refrigerator securing devices for your little one’s art projects or mom’s grocery list. This is a great gift idea for friends and family. Customize with cool novelty prints at great prices found right here at J&O Fabrics. Mary and Marie have done it again by utilizing their craftiness to bring these cute and handy flower magnets from their imagination to life.
Check out our novelty cotton fabric here!
Check out our calico fabric here!
Check out our breast cancer awareness fabric here!
Posts by J&O
Fabrics StoreLabels: breast cancer fabric crafts, christmas crafts, fabric crafts, floral fabric crafts, flower crafts, frugil, handmade crafts, handmade gifts, novelty fabric craft, scrap fabric, scrap fabric crafts