craft kit for our friend, amelia

A while back, I put together a craft kit for Otis that was filled with all kinds of crafting knick-knacks. It was a great way to organize and contain all the tiny little pieces that were becoming hard to keep track of. Happily, it was a big hit. He loves to pull it out to string together necklaces or to find that special something to add to his artwork, and it’s even better when he gets to do it with friends. It wasn’t until recently that it occurred to me that perhaps this would make a good present for other kids as well.

We got to test it out this past weekend when we celebrated our friend Amelia’s 3rd birthday. We bought a small plastic organizer (the kind with the compartments that you can change as you wish) and filled it with goodies. It was fun to search for materials, and Otis is pleased as punch to get a fresh infusion of supplies. Along with dyed pasta that we made for Otis’s birthday party (great tutorial here — the rubbing alcohol really helps!) and sparkly lanyard for necklace/bracelet making, we also included feathers, pompoms, pipe cleaners (cut down to fit), colored popsicle sticks, googly eyes, and sparkly and self-sticking foam shapes. Finding the perfect glue was a challenge – it needed to be liquid glue for the materials I bought, but it also needed to fit in the box! The piece de resistance would’ve been a pair of folding scissors, but I had no luck in that department. I love how self-contained the kit is. Hopefully, things are open-ended enough to provide lots of creative fun.

The birthday girl loved it and I was really happy to hear the news, since I was suffering from one of my usual bouts of self-doubt over yet another homemade present. I can’t wait to see her new creations. I’ve been making lots of sticker books for our friends, but I think I see a few craft kits in our future.