J&O Fabrics Store Newsletter

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Consumer Savvy Carol: Fun Felt Finger Puppets

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.

Check out our additional selection of felt fabric here!
Check out our selection of fun childrens' fabric here!
Check out our large selection of great novelty fabric here!

Until next time, this is Consumer Savvy Carol signing off!

Posts by J&O Fabrics Store

Labels: back to school crafts, breast cancer fabric crafts, childrens crafts, felt, felt crafts, felt finger puppets, frugal, frugile

Thursday, December 04, 2008

"Pressure Makes Diamonds!" By Consumer Savvy Carol

The old school saying, “pressure makes diamonds” vibrates as a hopeful reminder that in these crazy economic times, the threat of financial hardship crushing us can serve as a motivation to use our God given imagination to create lemonade out of lemons. And not just any old lemonade either. I’m talking about the kind of lemonade that gets discovered, packaged and sold as an exotic beverage because of its unique texture and taste. You know, the kind that only you can make because there’s only one you in this whole wide world. The kind that creates a demand so great that instead of baking under the unrelenting sun as you earn just enough to get by, you instead find yourself basking under a warm and generous sun as you await your next check from the shares in your now successful beverage line. And to think, this time last year, you were fearing foreclosures and bankruptcy.

Now this scenario may seem a little unrealistic when we look at the ridiculous prices on fruits and vegetables, let alone lemons right now. But if you can at least take this concept and apply it to such a degree that you are able to turn your obstacles into opportunities, then you are able to take a look around your environment and see just where you can increase your wealth with minimum expense to your pockets.

Take fabric scraps for instance. Since we are one of the largest fabric stores in the Tri-State area, we carry totes and totes of these colorful, funky and fancy ¼ yard pieces that literally collect over the years. They sit here taking up space and not paying towards the rent. They want to be put to use, but have been made to feel like they are only good for one thing…..nostalgic memories of craft projects done long ago and clippings from love momentos for family and friends.

I am sure we are not the only ones holding onto colorful pieces of satin, denim and bark cloth. With the holidays quickly approaching, maybe it might be worth the minute or two it would take to pull the scraps out of your own closets and see what creative projects you can revamp or create. Just by adding a fabricated trim to drapes, clothing or home accent pieces, you can change a plain kitchen or living room décor into a holiday oasis.

No money for gifts and Christmas is right around the corner? Turn off the part of your brain that says you aren’t a good parent if you don’t buy your children all the latest toys, and instead let that pressure make beautiful one-of-a-kind gifts that little Suzy will cherish long after Polly Pocket has lost her touch. A crafty sweatshirt with autographed inscriptions in glittery fabric pens from all her neighborhood friends or a handmade ‘no-sew’ Angelina Ballerina fleece throw for those cold winter nights can make your 8 year old feel like the princess that she is, and she would owe it all to you and your crafty ways.

Whatever you do with your time, energy, and resources is up to you. But if you want to make lemonades out of your lemons and save yourself a buck or two, consider the creative power of the imagination…then watch the resourceful artist come to life!

For some really cool novelty cotton fabrics click here!

Until next time, this is Consumer Savvy Carol signing off!

Posts by J&O Fabrics Store

Labels: childrens crafts, consumer savvy carol, frugal, holiday fabric, novelty cottons

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Halloween Card Crafts from J&O Fabric Store.

It’s Halloween, and the children are all dressed up in their hand-crafted, store bought or make-shift costumes waiting for the festivities of the day to begin. Perfect Peggy is practicing for the bobbing for apples contest that could win her first place and an extra bag of treats. Little Johnny is placing a ‘kick me’ sign on the back of loud mouthed Marvin’s cowboy vest in hopes to see some great responses from his classmates. And Simple Sally is all giggles as she juggles oranges in her Homey the Clown outfit.

Before the festivities begin, the teacher has all the children gather together to make holiday crafts. Today’s project is Halloween cards. A simple assignment involving poster board, glue, markers, crayons and an assortment of holiday fabric; these cards will make a great gift to bring home for family and friends.

To start, the teacher hands each student an 8½ x 11” sheet of manila poster board. This will be the foundation for the card. The poster board is folded in half to look like a blank card. In each card, the teacher has the student write their own personal message to their friend or loved one for the holiday.

Next, the teacher supplies the class with an assortment of colorfully printed Halloween and harvest fabrics to select for the cover of their cards. From funny monsters, haunted houses, and scary witches to flaming skulls, dancing ghouls and jak-o-lanterns, there is something for every kiddy bopper in the room. Big Betty finds a Betty Boop Halloween fabric that she says reminds her of herself, well, at least her name. While Gentle Jane nurtures her soft spot for cats with a black cat and pumpkin fabric.

With a good pair of children’s scissors and some Elmer’s Glue, the children cut and paste images from their fabric, and in some cases, the whole piece, right onto the poster board. The teacher encourages her students to let their imagination run wild as they combine different prints and designs into a collage fashion across the 8 x 5 ½” card cover. Some wrote “Happy Halloween” on the top half and placed their material on the bottom, while others cut out individual creatures of the night and created a spread of horror around their blank canvas to make unique works of art. At the end of the day, each child had a truly one-of-a-kind Halloween card masterpieces to bring home with them.

Here’s Sweet Susan’s card. She said it reminded her of her and her twin brother Shawn. Maybe later on when the sun has cast her warm orange glow across the sky, and the bright moon has awoken to offer his light in the dark night sky, they will go out trick-or-treating in merry fashion.