Crafty Texas Girls

7/15/13

10 Creative Things to do With Your Kids this Summer

Being home all day with the kiddos in the summer can sometimes feel like a blessing and a curse. There are tons of activities, camps, and outings. But the down time can be hard to fill.

It's easier for me if we have a 'loose' schedule, that way we all know what to expect. Our schedule doesn't involve actual clock times, instead it is more like 'first', 'then', 'next'. So after mornings of swimming and playing outside, we are all ready to come inside and spend some time in the A/C. We have lunch, and then the girls play upstairs while I catch up on emails and house chores. Then it is "craft time"!

Craft time this summer has been all about the girls. I haven't really done any home decor crafting. But we have been creating all kinds of kids crafts from Pinterest :) Here are a few of my favorite craft ideas for kiddos.

1. Rainbow Crayons- we melted old broken restaurant crayons (you know those free ones you have floating around the bottom of your purse) in cupcake liners for 7 min. at 300 degrees. We let them cool over night (not in the freezer - they tend to crack!) and then the girls have been creating 'rainbow' madness ever since! See more here.

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2. Crazy Glasses- Print and decorate. We printed them on card stock, then the girls added glitter and buttons. Glamorous! Good practice for cutting and fine motor skills. (Gotta stay sharp over the summer right?) See more here.

Photo Source & Printable

3. Kiwi Crate- For $19.95 you get a cool crate with themed activities and crafts. We were sent one to try out and I loved it! The "Nature Explorer" crate included a diy scavenger hunt, supplies to create a lantern, and fun extras like these 'kiwi' playing cards. I can't say enough good things about the quality and abundance of goodies that you get in one crate. (I think it is crafting made simple- and although we were sent a crate to review and all opinions are my own, I will be ordering another one soon. ) See more here.

4. Rock Pals- Grab a rock. Paint it, add googly eyes. Then see what happens. Ours turned into a little family. Who decided to make the Kiwi crate their home. They are almost as popular as the Polly Pockets. Go figure! See more here.

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5. Scrap Fabric Clipboard- All those old fabric scraps find a new home. Just use Mod Podge to attach them to a simple clipboard. Use the clipboard for homework, drawing, playing 'office' or a gift. See more here.

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7. Sit-Upons from Vinyl Tablecloths
Cut up a vinyl tablecloth and let your kiddos sew through punched holes. Fill with newspaper and then tie it closed. A great craft that is also useful. See more here.

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8. Cook Something!
We did pizza on pre-made crusts the other night for dinner. I let the girls be 'in charge' of making it. Which entailed spooning on the sauce, sprinkling the cheese and adding the pepperoni. Have you ever seen such a happy pizza?

9. Sew Something
Whether it is eyes on a sock in order to make a puppet or a few straight lines to make a small pillow, every kid likes to try sewing. My girl 'drafted' a pattern then used the big machine to sew her first cocktail dresses. :) Barbie is so lucky!

10. Kids Art Bunting
Of course a lot of our crafting time is spent coloring, drawing or painting. Wondering what to do with all the doodles? I am saving ours so that we can make bunting from it. Love this idea! See more here.

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What are you doing with your littles this summer?

P.S. If you haven't already entered- go check out The REALLY BIG Giveaway that I am hosting. 16 incredible vendors offering 5 amazing prize packages.

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7/10/13

the REALLY BIG giveaway {16 Prizes: 5 winners}-- NOW CLOSED

I am so excited to be hosting my first multi-vendor giveaway on Crafty Texas Girls.
I teamed up with my favorite small businesses and
brought back the best prizes just for you.

This Giveaway has something for everyone!

Take a look the awesome prizes below and

then simply enter with the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of the page.

Easy to enter- easy to win.

Amazing prizes and 5 winners! Enter now!

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"Package One: For the Girly Girl"

-mj's chic boutique

-samantha conner designs

-kate elizabeth design

Shop MJs Boutique on Facebook and Etsy.

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Shop Samantha Conner Designs on Facebook and Etsy.

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Shop Kate Elizabeth Designs on Facebook and the Website.

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Prize Two: "For the Lady of the House"

-the printed palette

-lovefeast shop

-fort worth blow dry bar

Shop The Printed Palette on Facebook and Etsy

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Visit LoveFeast Shop on Facebook and the Website

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Visit FWBlow Dry Bar on Facebook and the Website.

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Prize Three: "For the Fashionista"

-bella blossoms

-flirty bird

-selby lane

Shop Bella Blossoms on Facebook and Etsy.

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Shop Flirty Bird on Facebook and the Website.

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Shop Selby Lane on Facebook and Etsy

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Package Four: "For the Creative Kid"

-bobaloo! kids

-oliver's labels

-sew a fine seam

-maria palito

Shop bobaloo! on Facebook and the Website.

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Shop Oliver's Labels on Facebook and the Website.

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Shop "Sew a Fine Seam" on Facebook and Etsy

Shop MariaPalito on Facebook and Etsy

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Package Five: "For the Girl who Loves to Dress"

-chickapee creations

-sun flower freckles

-kangacoo designs

Shop Chickapee Creations on Facebook and Etsy

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Shop Sunflower Freckles on Facebook and Etsy.

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Shop Kangacoo Designs on Facebook and Etsy

The REALLY BIG GIVEAWAY

is sponsored by the following blogs :

Crafty Texas Girls Blog and Facebook

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The Fashion Business Mentor Blog and on Facebook

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I Love That! Blog and Facebook

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The Newlywed Pilgrimage Blog and on Facebook

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The Hankful House Blog and Facebook

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The First Year Blog and Facebook

This Silly Girls Life Blog and Facebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Like this post? Subscribe to crafty texas girls

**Visit my shop, Samantha Conner Designs- fabulous clothing and accessories for the girl who has everything!

**All photos and text on craftytexasgirls.com are copyright protected. You may not copy entire articles or posts (even with a link) without my express written permission. Email any requests or links used to craftytexasgirls@gmail.com.

7/8/13

Growing Your Small Business

While I am taking blogging a bit 'slower' this summer, I am spending more time with my girls and any 'spare time' working on my business. Besides filling orders, I am focusing on networking and growing my brand. Do you have a small business or are you hoping to turn your blog into a business? Then we are in the same boat!

If you have been following along on Crafty Texas Girls for awhile, you know all about my small apparel and accessory business, Samantha Conner Designs. This summer, I am working on finding new ways to sell my products and spending some time learning how to better promote them!

Catch up on my past small business posts here.

-Passion to Profit

-The Birth of a Clothing Line

-Getting Started

-Moving to An Island

-Back to Market

-My Design is in a Catalog

-Growing a Small Business

After a year and a half at the Dallas Market, I am looking for new ways to reach customers, beyond just my sales rep. My hair accessories have been very successful at Market. But the clothing has been more of a challenge. I cannot seem to find a way to be competitive in my wholesale pricing when it comes to the apparel. Large manufacturers, who produce large quantities over-seas, definitely have the upper-hand in costing!

And since my business is just me and it is sewn locally here in Dallas :) I have found I can bring (you) my customers the best prices when I sell the apparel directly as opposed to wholesale at Market. For that reason, I am taking my clothing line out of the showroom for awhile and I am going to try selling it on my own. I am going to focus my sales efforts on social media and at hand-made markets over the next few months.

My mom at the Grapevine Market with me :)

I am also working with The Fashion Business Mentor, to grow my facebook presence. Meeting other designers and small business owners this past February at BlissDom and now through TFBM has been so much fun. (**Want more details about my journey from handmade to wholesale? Check out my featured interview over at The Fashion Business Mentor by clicking here!)

I love being able to share stories of success and 'lessons learned' from others who are on the same path. I think it is important to know that you can work with others who are in the same industry, another person's success doesn't take away your success. There is room, in some form or fashion, for us all.

Meeting cute customers 'face to face' makes my day!

As part of my new plan to network with other designers and grow my business through social media, I will be hosting THE REALLY BIG GIVEAWAY: {16 vendors, 16 prizes, 5 winners} right here on Crafty Texas Girls. This is my first time to organize a 'multi-vendor' giveaway. It has been a lot of work, but in the process of reaching out to others, I have met some inspiring people. I think working together, sharing and encouraging other small business owners is what it is all about!

I would love to have your support too- so please join us right here on July 10th for THE REALLY BIG GIVEAWAY! Just having you enter the giveaway and show my new small business friends "a little facebook love" would mean the world to me :) plus you might just win!

And if you are a small business owner- whether it be your blog, an etsy shop, or a dream somewhere in your heart-- I would love to hear from you! Share you link or story in the comments so that we can all encourage and support you as well!

7/4/13

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July! I hope you are celebrating the USA with your family and friends today. We spent last night watching fireworks with friends. Today, we are heading to my Dad's house for a cook-out.