With the massive amounts of crafts and craft supplies available in kit form, we often forget to use our own ingenuity to create personalized kits to use.  Kits are the perfect way to purchase any craft if you have never tried your hand at a craft, but when your on a budget and just need some stocking stuffers’ or quick gifts, I recommend making your own kits.  It is very easy to do.

Kits do not require expensive supplies.  These days there is a dollar store or other discount store in just about every neighborhood.  Take some time and walk about and see which things would go together to make up a little craft kit.

A mirror makes a terrific base for personalizing.   Choose a nice container and a mirror.  Find some stick on decals and a few fun little ribbons or other embellishments that can easily be attached with glue.  Little girl barrett’s and pony holders make excellent items to take apart and use as additional decorations. 

Boys love to craft too and will have a great time painting most anything.  Many kits can be made using a paintbox, glitter, glue, and perhaps a miniature bird house or small treasure or jewelry box.  Add some shells or other items to glue on the box.

These are only two idea to help you get started, but you will find many of them.  As you pass by the rows full of discounted items, think about what else you might be able to turn it into. 

A colorful vase could be filled with glass stones or sand and decals placed upon it. 

A dog dish could act as a canvas for painting designs and the dogs name. 

A plastic bowl or container would be a great idea for stenciling a seasonal picture on and then given as a gift. 

Often times you will find miniature tools in little kits.  Take them out and turn them into Christmas tree ornaments by adding colorful paint to them and a hanger.

Once you get started imagining what things can be used for besides their original intent, the ideas will flow quickly.  This is a great way to economize during a period when money is tight, but it is also a fantastic way to gather together items a create a very personalized gift.  Have fun putting your imagination to work for you in creating a kit.  Once you get good at this, this is also a great way to start your own little home business. You will be amazed at how many people will love and appreciate a new craft that can not be found in a store.

I was looking through a box of old decorations I have had stored away since our big move, and came across a kit that I had forgotten I even owned.  I bought a Christmas stocking kit a couple years back and then never got around to making it.  I have pulled it out and plan to make it up this year. 

I no longer have a fireplace, but stockings hang just as well from a pegged shelf or the banister.  However, I am not going to use it for either one.  I discovered that I have an elderly neighbor who does not have any children in the area, and with the gas prices they can not come this year to visit.  My plan is a nice stocking filled with some home made goodies and an invitation to Christmas dinner.  The holiday table is kind of like Jello.  There is always room for more, and in this case one more at the table just means I do not have to eat turkey for five days straight!

There really are a lot of Christmas stocking kits available these days, and also tree skirt kits.  I did put a link in the store for Christmas Stocking kits.  This is a craft that is easy to do.  Everything is in the kit, but you can also add lots of your own embellishments too.  Have fun making a stocking or two.  I have mine out and the machine ready to sew!

How many of us haven’t had the kids or grand-kids paste and glue scraps of colored paper onto a base paper?  It kept them busy and without realizing it, you were teaching them an important lesson in dexterity and hand and eye coordination.

Mosaics are another way to do that, but mosaics add another element known as boundaries, which fine tunes their capability to use their eyes and hands to strategically place small items within lines, or those boundaries.  Naturally, this is not just a craft for kids.  It is also an excellent therapy craft for anyone who needs to build up muscle strength or the usage of muscles.  Strokes are often times not severe enough to debilitate completely, but leave the arm and hand weak.  A routine of using different movements can and does regain a more normal usage of that limb.

Mosaic kits come in various styles and sizes.  There are some with large glass pieces and others which use smaller tiles.  Stones and many other mediums can be used to accomplish the same thing.  There are many in the store and lots of mosaic supplies to use on mosaic patterns of items you would like to make.

Don’t stop at just making a kit.  Mosaic arts go way beyond glass tiles and stones.  In fact, a very simple test to see if mosaics will be of interest is to take a coloring book page and make a copy on card stock paper.  Find different colors of seeds, beans, popcorn, buttons, rocks or anything else you can think of to make your own tiles.  It isn’t always about buying to try, but rather try with what you have and then if it seems to be a fun activity for either yourself or your kids, then buy one.  Let them join in the fun of picking out a special kit or supplies to create something they have chosen to do.  You will be amazed at how much this helps with self-esteem when the act of accomplishment has their project hanging on the wall or placed where it can be seen.

First I would like to thank all of you who emailed wondering what happened to the Kitzone and the blog.  Unfortunately due to my own neglect, an intruder was allowed into the site who decided to make a real mess of things.  The sites were destroyed beyond what I could possibly correct, and shut the sites down.

The good news is that I learned a valuable lesson and have armed myself with some online smarts!  I think we should be good to go from here on in and build back into a fun site.

I will continue to add back in as much as I can as I find my notes back pertaining to the therapy, educational and rehabilitation crafts.  Fun kits are already up and running and we added something new. 

Several of you asked where to get finished items instead of kits.  The Ebay Mall is a great place to find the most affordable pieces.  Our software can pull out a lot of great ones for you to buy.

Thank you so much for returning to visit again.  It will take a few months to get back up to par, but we will, and hopefully be even more informative and fun then in the original state.  New crafty tidbits will begin being posted tomorrow.

Sincerely…Rebecca
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