We recently had a little bookmark craft camp at our house. We were running dangerously low on bookmarks, and I was grabbing random receipts and junk mail to mark my spot.

Now, we have lots of pretty bookmarks use, and some extras for gift-giving, too.

I’m sharing our three favorite bookmark crafts at Simple Kids today – there’s sewing, painting, and collage-making.

See you there!

Painting rocks is fun, and turning painted rocks into cute critters is even more fun! Why not make a bunch of love bug pet rocks with your kids? Here’s the simple how-to:

• Head outside and find a perfect rock.

• Paint your rock and let it dry. We use acrylic paints for the best coverage.

• Glue on heart-shaped wings cut from paper, craft foam, felt, or fabric. (A grown-up can help with cutting!)

• Add some googly eyes or draw eyes with a marker.

• For some sparkle, paint your bug with a thin layer of glue, then sprinkle with glitter. Or, use glitter glue pens like we did.

• Give your love bug to someone you love!

Enjoy your weekend!

I’ve had make colored glue on my art to-do list for a while. During one of our recent history readings (we’re learning about the Middle Ages), we learned a bit about how stained glass is made. Perfect time for a stained glass art project!

We used a stained glass pattern of a castle, traced onto watercolor paper. (Hold your papers up to a window for easy tracing.) You could also draw your own picture with a pencil, or trace a design from a coloring book. You’ll definitely want a sturdy paper for this project.

Starting with a partially-full bottle of white glue, add a few squirts of black paint. I used black BioColor Paint – tempera or acrylic paint would work, too. Use a chopstick or small paintbrush to give the glue and paint a good mix.

The girls loved “drawing” with the black glue. We practiced on scratch paper before diving in to our castle project. Gently squeeze the glue bottle and keep the tip touching the paper for a steady line.

Let the glue dry completely – ours took a day to dry. Then, paint away! We used liquid watercolor paints this time. The dried glue lines act as barriers to keep your paint in its spot.

The girls have declared this their new favorite art project – that’s a pretty good endorsement!

We followed these excellent tutorials for our stained glass painting project:

Black Glue and Watercolor Resist :: Pink and Green Mama

Stained Glass on Paper :: that artist woman

Free drawing with the black glue is really fun, too. This is an engaging art experience for younger kids, and older kids might enjoy making an abstract masterpiece, too. I made this one and had a blast!

Materials from Discount School Supply:

BioColor Paint
Watercolor Paper
Liquid Watercolor Paints
Paint Cups In A Base (for saving liquid watercolors in between projects)

What’s the favorite art material or project in your house right now?