Aloha, Summer!

That last school bell of the year is just about to ring, which means summertime fun is just around the corner. If you “battle boredom” with your kids, why not try one of these easy, kid-friendly projects that will fill your sunny days with memories worthy of scrapbooks!

Decorate a jar with stamped images and patterned paper—I’ve used the versatile combo of Indian Corn Blue, Barn Red, Brown Bag, and Colonial White. The real creativity comes in what’s INSIDE the jar: you can make it a “chore jar” full of job ideas everyone can do to pitch in, or a “treat jar” with reward suggestions kids can strive to earn for great work done, or my favorite, the “idea” jar. This jar is filled with great family-focused ideas from taking an early-morning bike ride together to walking to the library. It’s a great way to turn off the TV, get active, and enjoy time together.

And remember last week’s post, when I encouraged you to “reinterpret paper” by pulling one or two B&Ts together, adding a strong, new color and creating a whole new look? Well, today’s artwork provide more examples of this technique. You can see my artwork uses a plaid paper (from the “Sarsaparilla” kit) and a diamond pattern (from the “Passages” kit). Do either of these kits instinctively say “summer”? Nope. And do either use Indian Corn Blue? No, again. But by introducing the blue, the papers take on a whole new feel—beachy, bright, and ready for the celebrations of summer. Are you ready?