CRAFT TUTORIAL: 3D Children's Drawing Cards with Special Guest Milo!

Posted by Crystal

Meet Milo.  Milo is the cutest kid ever to walk the face of the earth.  And I'm not just saying that because he is the first baby in my life.  ;) 

Milo is Michelle's 2-year-old.  Michelle is the FH Director of Technology and the crafty temptress behind Aisle 3.  (Shameless Plug: You should follow her blog...it's GREAAAAAAAT!  <--- Props to Tony the Tiger!)

Anyway, Michelle recently celebrated a birthday, so I offered to take Milo for the afternoon to give this single mom a well-deserved break!

Please note that this was a momentous occasion for all three parties:

1) It was the first time one of Michelle's friends took Milo out on his own. 

2) It was the first time Milo left his mom for the afternoon with someone other than his dad or grandma. 

3) It was the first time I ever had sole responsibility for a toddler in my ENTIRE LIFE.

That's right, folks.  Somehow, I made it to almost 30 years old without ever having spent an a day hanging out with a kid on my own.  I just never had friends or family nearby with babies.  Milo was the first baby I ever even held!

Suffice it to say, this kid holds a very, very special place in my heart.  So, of course, I want to be the most awesome "aunt" ever!!!

And what does an awesome aunt do?

Well, after a fabulous day...

...playing with puppies...

...going to the park...

...and eating popsicles...

...you go to JoAnn's to buy craft supplies!

Now, I know what you are thinking.  She made that kid go to JoAnn's???  But, the craft supplies weren't for me!  They were for a gift that Milo was going to make for his mom for her birthday.  :)

And, since Michelle got a gift, you get one, too, blog readers!  Here is a a craft tutorial on 3D Child's Drawing Cards!

FYI: Since I was watching Milo while I made these cards, I didn't get a picture for each and every step, but I'm going to explain it the best I can. 

3D Children's Drawing Cards

Materials/Tools:

1) Newspaper or Butcher Paper (to protect your table)
2) Cardstock
3) Crayons
4) Paper Cutter (or scissors)
5) Corner Rounder Punch
6) Thin Permanent Marker
7) Double Stick 3D Foam Squares (available in the scrapbooking department of craft stores)
8) Cards (or cardstock to make cards)
9) Envelopes
10) Packaging Materials (clear bag, ribbon, etc.)

 Step 1: Cover your table with newsprint or butcher paper to protect it.  Set out a sheet of cardstock and a few crayons and encourage the child to color for as long as he or she wants.  Milo was done coloring after about 3 minutes. 

Dorky Social Science Sidenote: You may want to limit the number of crayons you set out because you don't want to overwhelm the child with too many choices.  In a study conducted by Sheena Iyengar, some shoppers in a mall were given a choice of 6 flavors of jam to sample while other shoppers were given a choice of 30 flavors.  Many of the shoppers only given 6 choices actually bought a jar of jam, but far fewer shoppers with 30 choices bought a jar.  This phenomena is sometimes referred to as the Tyranny of Choice.  A very accessible book on the topic is Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz.

Step 2: Using a paper cutter or scissors, cut the drawing into squares or rectangles for as many cards as you would like to make.  The drawing will probably dictate the size of the shapes as well as where you cut them out on the paper.  I was able to cut 4 rectangles about 2.5" x 4" each from the very center of the paper were most of the crayon marks were located.

Step 3: Using a corner rounder punch, punch the edges of all of your squares or rectangles.  I like Martha Stewart's Corner Punch...much love to M. STEEZAY!  Then, using a thin permanent marker, write the child's name and the year on all of the shapes.  I like Stabilo fiber-tip pens.

Step 4: Place adhesive 3D foam squares on the back of all of the shapes.  I used 5 squares per shape: one in each corner and one in the middle.  Peel off the backing and attach your shape to the card in a aesthetically pleasing way.  I centered the shape from right to left and cheated it a bit toward the top of the card.

 Step 5: Package your cards.  Purple was a dominant color in the drawing, so I used a purple ribbon to tie all the cards together. 

Milo and I stopped at Vogt's Flowers on the way back to his house to buy a flower for him to give to Michelle with the cards.  The lovely shop assistant at Vogt's let him visit the flower cooler so he could pick out the flower personally.  He selected a gorgeous red gerber daisy...not that gerber daisies are one of MY favorite flowers or anything.  ;)

I believe the shop assistant's name was LaTonya. She was absolutely wonderful. She asked Milo his favorite color. When he said "BAH-LOO," she gave him a blue balloon on a blue string.

  Milo was over the moon for this balloon! 

So, there you have it, blog readers!  If you make these cards with the kids in your life, email pictures to us at flinthandmade@hotmail.com.

And, here is a special message to my little sister who is going to be a great mom one day:  Sis, I think I have now proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am and will be an AWESOME aunt.  So, please, start having kids soon, ok?  I know you want them...and I want to do some crafty projects with them!  ;)