Here's one building material that didn't even occur to the three little pigs! Sturdy and quick to assemble (no glue required), this verdant cottage, which sprouts up from four kitchen sponges and a handful of grass seed, just may be worthy of its own fairy tale.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	4 new standard kitchen sponges (approximately 4 1/2 by 3 inches) in orange, green, blue, and pink
	Ruler
	Permanent marker
	Scissors with a pointed tip
	Large plastic food-storage container (a clean rotisserie chicken container works well too)
	Spray bottle
	1/2 cup of grass seed, preferably one labeled "fast-growing"
	Sewing pins (optional)
Time needed: 1 to 2 weeks

1. To create a good growing surface, rinse the new sponges by holding them under running water and squeezing a few times. Let the sponges dry slightly.

2. Using the ruler and permanent marker, draw the wall and yard shapes as shown.

3. Cut out the shapes. For the roof, insert the scissors through the side of the blue sponge and cut along the centerline to create the hinge, being careful not to sever the 2 pieces completely. (If you do sever them, don't worry. You can use sewing pins to attach the roof pieces to the walls.)

4. Inside the upturned lid of the plastic container, assemble the house.

5. Spray, but don't soak, the house with water. Then sprinkle a generous layer of grass seed evenly over the roof and the yard. If any seeds roll off the roof, pick them up with dry hands and patch the bare spots. Finally, very lightly spray water over the seeds with an upward spray motion.

6. Keep the house moist, warm, well lit, and covered until the grass is growing well, about two weeks. To prevent mold, leave the plastic cover slightly ajar or poke a few holes in the top. When your grass looks as though it could use a mowing, you can remove the cover. With regular watering, your house can grow for several weeks.

 

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Here is the box that came for me in the mail the other day!! I actually had to wait over the weekend to get it from the post office, which made it an extra long weekend, because all I could think of was getting the box in my hands! When I opened up my box, I found a bag full of ribbons, fiber, and chipboard items. (this isn't the best picture, but, you get the idea.) 

 I laid everything out on the floor so that I could take this picture, but I was so excited to get it open and look at it all! Just to give you an idea of what I purchased (and this isn't a complete list), I have one bag with 8 different sizes and colors of ribbon, one ribbon with ladybugs and leaves, a red white and blue ribbon, a handful of green fibers, a black floral ribbon, a white with pink flowers ribbon, polka dot ribbon, pink eyelash fibers, chipboard license plates, chipoard tab album, chipboard tag album, 3 sizes of chipboard brackets, bright colored eyelash fibers, and tons of other different fibers. This is one of the funnest and best purchases I have ever made when it comes to fibers and purchasing on eBay. I love the seller and all that she has available.

Here is a close up of some of the great ribbons I got in my package!! Oh, one other thing to mention about this seller is that she always sends a few little extra's along with the items that you have purchased. To her its not a big deal, and most of what she sends is not a lot of items, but its the thought. She actually cares enough to send you a little extra just because she is happy to have you as a customer, and she wants you to come back. Well, it works for me…she has great products and she is always prompt and willing to help you out!!

One thing I suggest when ordering things online is to make sure that you are ordering off of a secure web page, and that you have some confidence in the seller. I originally chose the store owner that I have mentioned above, because she had such a great rating on eBay. Just be careful and wise.

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Popsicle Stick Signs: You can create signs for nearly any use. Create signs for the baby's room, kids rooms, holiday themed signs, Keep Out, or Shh…Baby Sleeping. The sign can be turned into the base of a boat, or as a pretend river raft. I am sure you can come up with some great ideas of your own!

Mini Popsicle Stick Kite: These can also be used as a name card/place card and a party favor. They are really simple for younger children to be able to put together.

Hidden Pictures: This craft is a great one for all children ages 4 years and up. This is also a great way to learn more about shapes and colors. This project is a great way to keep active children busy and happy.

Popsicle Stick Picture Frame: This is a great craft for young children, especially kindergartners. They can be decorated with paint, stickers, glitter, pens, markers, and many other embellishments.

Popsicle Stick Mummies: This Popsicle craft is easy and fun to do! This is just one of many fun Halloween crafts for children.
Decorative Plant Fence: This project creates a flowerpot fence. Using Popsicle sticks you'll create a small wooden fence around a pot to turn it into a little garden. This craft project is suitable for ages 12 and up to do on their own. To adjust this project for younger children, cut the pieces of wood for them and help them with the fence.

Popsicle Stick Puppets: This is a creative way for children to use their imagination and draw their own characters. Making these Popsicle Stick Kids is easy. It may also be a great way to use up some of your scrap paper and craft supplies.

Stick Shift: It won't be hard to pull your boys away from the TV or video games when they see how much fun this craft project can be! The craft of building boxes, castles and multilevel spaceships out of Popsicle sticks is sure to excite all kids! This is also one of those crafts that can be for any age. This craft can be adjusted for the younger kids and the older kids can be as elaborate as they would like to be.

Treasure Box: This is a great way for young children to create something of their own to put special things in. This is a simple project for most age groups.

If you have a Popsicle craft that you would like to share, email us at Submit@CraftyPlaces.com

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Easter Crafts for Kids - Here are some really fun and easy Easter Crafts to do with your children
Easy Easter Crafts For Kids

Rainbow Shoelaces with Pompoms - Make these adorable shoelaces with Pompons Shoelaces with Pompoms

Easy Crafts for KidsTons of easy craft ideas to do with your kids Easy Craft Ideas

Cool Crafts for KidsMore Cool ideas for crafts to do with your kids Cool Craft Ideas

Girlie Girl Fashion SetFun fashion craft idea for your little girl Girlie Craft Idea

Craft links Great ideas for crafts Free Craft Ideas

Great site for kids crafts - More Kids Crafts

Easter Stuff - Fun Easter Craft Ideas

Great Video Tutorial - Craft Video Tutorial

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St. Patrick's Day Shamrock

Cut out two pieces of green felt in the shape of a shamrock. Embroider with backstitch on the inside shamrock in a lighter green embroidery floss (1 strand). Glue

wiggly eyes eyes on the inside shamrock. Backstitch the smile with 1 strand of embroidery floss. Stitch both front and back shamrocks together with the same color green thread as shamrock, leaving an opening at the bottom of the stem if you want to insert a stick. You can also use a safety pin and pin this shamrock to your clothes.

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Arts and Crafts, Family Crafts, Holiday Crafts, St. Patrick's Day Crafts