Getting a toddler to sit still can be a near-impossible feat. They’re constantly exploring the world around them. That’s a good thing, but sometimes they need some creative downtime. That’s where toddler crafts come in.

Crafting is great for toddlers for a number of reasons. It can help them develop longer attention spans. Most crafts help develop hand-eye coordination. And young children can benefit from learning how to follow simple instructions. Here are some great craft ideas that your toddler can do (with supervision).

Craft Stick Puppets
Puppets are fascinating to toddlers. Creating their own puppets is easy, and it’s lots of fun. All you really need are some craft or popsicle sticks, construction paper, safety scissors, markers, and glue.
Help your toddler cut animal shapes out of construction paper. He/she can draw faces and other details with washable markers. Glue the stick to the back of the shape, let dry, and he/she is ready to put on a puppet show. If you want to make more elaborate puppets, try cutting shapes out of foam. Glue on a pom-pom for the nose, and add some googly eyes.

Paint with Pudding
Kids love to fingerpaint, but it’s so messy. And there’s also the concern about them eating the paint. Even if the paints are non-toxic, it can make cautious parents uneasy. The solution? Let them paint with pudding!
You don’t need different flavors to make different colors. Just use one serving of plain vanilla pudding, divide it up into small portions, and add food coloring to create various shades. Give your child a paper plate to use as a canvas for his/her masterpiece. When done, he/she can eat it with no worries.

Design a T-Shirt
If your toddler sees you sewing or painting clothes with fabric paint, he/she may want to try a hand at designing clothes. But needles are small and sharp, and fabric paint is messy. What to do? Break out the markers!
Kids can have a blast decorating a plain white t-shirt with colorful markers. If you use washable ones, they can create a design, wear it, and start over after you wash the shirt. If a permanent design is desired, however, you’ll have to let him/her use non-washable markers. You can avoid a mess by covering the work area with the newspaper and putting a smock on your toddler.

Placemats
Making placemats out of contact paper is very easy. Have your toddler cut shapes out of construction paper and glue them onto a whole piece with a glue stick. He/she can add detail with markers or embellish with stickers. When done, place the artwork on a piece of contact paper, sticky side up. Place another sheet of contact paper on top, sticky side down.
Most toddlers will only have the patience to make one placemat at a time. But he can make another one tomorrow, continuing until there are enough for the whole table. He’ll be so proud to know that everyone sees his artwork at every meal!

Crafting can help your toddler learn important skills while keeping him quietly occupied. Whether it’s a rainy day or he’s just feeling creative, seize the opportunity to let him channel his imagination into something you can both admire.
We are open to your comments and questions, please leave them below.

We all use soap. In the old days, most people made their own. Today, we are much more likely to buy it from the store. There are lots of brands to choose from, and each brand has various formulations and scents.

But making your own soap has some definite advantages. One of the most significant is the price. We can make soap much cheaper than we can buy it. Making it ourselves also gives us complete control over the ingredients, so we can create a soap that’s perfect for our skin type in a scent of our choice.

Making soap is much easier than you might think. It is, however, important to take certain safety precautions. Here’s a basic recipe:
Ingredients
* 12 cups lye crystals
* 5 cups softened water
* 6 pounds lard

Instructions
1. Put water in a glass or plastic bowl. Carefully pour lye into water, stirring constantly with a plastic or wooden spoon. This should be done outdoors or in a well-ventilated area because it produces caustic fumes.
2. Mixing lye and water produces heat. When the lye is completely dissolved, set the mixture aside to cool.
3. Place lard in a stainless steel or enamel pan. Melt over low heat.
4. Allow both the lye solution and the lard to cool to room temperature.
5. Slowly pour the lye solution into the lard, stirring slowly and constantly with the plastic or wooden spoon.
6. Continue stirring after all of the lye solutions has been added. Drizzle a small amount of the mixture into the pot periodically. When the soap keeps its shape for a moment before sinking into the mixture, you can add scent, color, and herbs.
7. Pour the soap into a mold greased with Crisco. Wrap in a towel, and let sit for about 18 hours or until completely cooled. Uncover and let sit for 12 more hours.
8. The soap may now be unmolded and cut into bars. Let the bars cure for 3 to 4 weeks before using.
Customizing Your Soap

There are lots of different ways you can customize your soap. To make the best soap for your skin type, you may want to use different oils. Some that are commonly used include olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and shea butter. The correct amount varies depending on which oil you use, so look for recipes online or in books until you get the hang of it.

Essential oils have therapeutic properties and add fragrance. Oatmeal, cornmeal and other grains can be added as exfoliants. And skin-safe colorants may be used to produce the desired color. These ingredients should be mixed together and added to a cup of the soap mixture, then stirred into the rest of the soap mixture immediately before pouring into the mold.

Making your own soap is easy, and it can be lots of fun. Coming up with the perfect concoction for your skin is rewarding, and sweetly scented homemade soaps make wonderful gifts for any occasion.
Please leave your questions and comments below.

The initial Presentation of

your products online has a significant impact on sales. Under qualified product pictures erode consumers trust. Fortunate enough, you don’t need to spend thousands on equipment or hire a professional to create beautiful product photography that will instill faith in your online store and get results.
This article shows you how to save money on product photography and improve your store’s look and performance.

Camera

It’s important to invest in a good professional camera. Fortunate enough for you they have become very affordable.

Be sure to choose a camera

with professional grade lenses

that can capture video

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Try out this Nikon D7000 in terms of its price vs. performance its not the best there is but it is perfect for starters. In terms of lenses a 105mm lens should give a beautifully focused shot, get one here by Sony . while a bit expensive, it is great for close-up work and jewelry product photography.
You may also use a smart phone to assist in taking pictures such as an iPhone 5 which has an 8-megapixel sensor and can produce professional grade shots. I also encourage you to explore using your smartphone after you have the proper setup before committing to purchasing a higher-end camera. You may be surprised at the quality similarities between an iPhone and a professional camera.

Lighting

You will need some good lights. Of course the sun produce great results. But the Sun is fickle. Try using the Elinchrom D-Lite 4 Kit, which includes two lights, tripods, and attachable diffuser squares and it gets the job done perfectly. While there are many photography lighting kits available, what’s most important for your setup is to get lights that operate in “continuous” mode versus flash only as this allows you to use them for video as well. In fact, It is best to shoot even still photographs with lights in continuous mode as this makes previewing the shot easier and adds depth to the result.

Tripods

Use if You need to take longer exposures. Holding your camera by hand will produce blurry images that are not very appealing to shoppers.

Photo Setup

It is best to shoot products in front of a classic continuous background often white, neutral grey or natural. It’s a simple and professional look that is often used by major online retailers. Fortunately, it’s simple to achieve by using a few rolls of craft paper.
Craft papers can make a nice do-it-yourself product shoot background setup if done properly.
Try to add complements to your photo such as a peice of which the product in scope can/may be used or worn with. (NB. Try not to overpower the targeted product with its complement. Color, size…etc) this also gives you the opportunity of selling multiple products in one shot.
Place your setup near a big, sunny window if you want natural light, or in a dark room if you want to use your photo lights.

Eliminate unwanted Shadows

Avoid harsh backlighting and other setups that cast shadows on the surface of the object. Keep the lights on the same side of the object as your camera, or slightly off to one side.

Clean Up

Fingerprint on your product or dust on your lens produce poor, amateur results. Buy some microfiber rags and polish and/or prepare products carefully before shooting.

Don’t be Afraid

The biggest obstacle to doing something new is often ourselves. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Be creative. It is ok to make a few mistakes on your way to gaining a deeper understanding of the process. Not only will your sales increase, you will learn a new skill along the way.

Leave your comments and questions

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