Writer's Backpack

   Every writer has supplies that they use to create their masterpiece. Here is a list of things to help you start your own writer's backpack.

• A Backpack
• A Binder 

Binders are good because you can rearrange the pages you have inside which helps you keep much more organized than a plain notebook would.

• Post-it notes

This also keeps you organized, and prevents you from flipping page after page after page.

• A Pencil

Being able to erase is a blessing. I'll tell you one thing that I really hate is when I have written down a whole paragraph in pen and I don't like what I've written. There goes a good 2-4 in. of writing  space.

• Highlighters

I LOVE using highlighters they're super fun, and are useful for editing.

• A Dictionary

Man, I hate using the dictionary. But it does come in handy.

• A Thesaurus

For when you don't want to only use the word "talk" but can't think of the right synonym. I use the thesaurus often.

•  A Pencil Sharpener

If you're gonna use a pencil, you're gonna use a pencil sharpener.

What else do you use? Share in the comments.

How to Make Crayon Lipstick in 5 Easy Steps

   This is fantastic! It is easy, fun, and cheap! I have made many different colors and I use them often.

   What You Will Need:

• a crayon (whatever color you want)Below we are using "pink" in crayola. Above we used "red" in crayola.
• 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• a small glass mason jar
• a sauce pan
• a ca-bob stick, or long stirring stick of any kind
• a water bottle cap, Gatorade cap, etc.
• a hot pad
• and parent or guardian supervision
• You can also add essential oils to give your lipstick a nice smell or flavor, which is fun.

#1. Boil a small amount of  water in your sauce pan with the mason jar in the center.

#2. Put the 1/2 tablespoon of oil into the mason jar along with about 1" of the crayon.

 #3.With your stirring stick,stir the oil and crayon until the crayon is completely melted. (You would want to add any scents or tastes now.)

#4. Turn off heat. Carefully remove the jar from the pot and poor the melted crayon into your water bottle cap. (The cap we used was transparent so you can't see it in the picture below.)

#5. Let your lipstick dry. Then enjoy your nontoxic, homemade lipstick! 

For Application: Use your finger to apply the lipstick.

Important: If you want to mix and create your own crazy colors make sure to keep adding oil; a tablespoon per 2". If you don't you will be unable to apply it.

Book Monsters

Cute! Easy! Fun! Great bookmarks!

What You Will Need:

• An Envelope (Any color) 
• Construction paper (Again, any color. But you will need a white or lighter color for the teeth.)
• Markers
• Scissors
• Glue
• Shape Punch (This is optional)

#1.  Cut the bottom corner of your envelope off. Then draw some patterns on the piece you cut off to make fur or scales.

#2. Use your shape punch or scissors to cut out a pair of eyes from your construction paper. You can cut multiple layers for the eyes or use the markers to add pupils and such. Glue on the eyes.

#3. Now the teeth. On the edge of the paper cut out a strip of tooth shapes. The teeth can be pointy or rounded, etc. Glue your teeth on the back side of the side that your eyes are on.

#4. Now use construction paper and cut out ears, horns or antennas. Glue them on, too. If you don't want any of this you don't need it.

#5. Let your glue dry and then enjoy your funny little book-monster!

Make dogs, cats, pandas, and even more!!!

Dandelion Curls

Super cool!!! Super Easy!!

Psst! My sister helped me take photos:-).

What You Will Need:
Dandelions with very long stems.
A body of cool water, lake, bowl, stream.
your hands, big or small.

1. Break off all your extra stem so that there is about 6" left connected to the bud.

2. Peel your stem in half so that the bud has two strings connected to it.

3. Peel each half in half again so that the bud has four strings attached to it. You can keep repeating this step until you think the stems are thin enough. Note that the thinner your stems are the more they curl.

4. Place the dandelion in the water and watch it curl!! The longer you keep it in the water the more it will curl.

Curling.........

Done!

I made the stems very thin and left in the water for quite awhile, look what happened!!

If you have any questions or suggestions leave a comment!!

Starry Night Bandanna

Fun, cute, and easy!
   


   What you need:
   *A blue bandanna
   *A white fabric marker
   *That's it!





#1. Lay your bandanna completely flat on your work surface.

#2. Begin to draw, with your white fabric marker, constellations. You can either draw real constellations or make up your own. Here are some of mine:

Little and big dipper

Sail boat

pig

Unicorn

#3. Add some shooting stars to fill some of the empty spaces.

#4.  Have fun wearing your new bandanna!

Make a cute journal!

  Here is a cute journal that you can keep all your great ideas in!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• some fun paper 
• glue
• a foam brush
• two pieces of cardboard
• ribbon 
• index cards

Step one: 

   Cut two pieces of cardboard that are at least half an inch taller and wider than your index card. Then cut out two pieces of your paper that fit right on top of the cardboard.

Step two:
   Glue one piece of paper to each piece of cardboard. These will be the covers to your notebook.

Step three:
   Punch two holes into each cover.

Step four:
   Punch two holes into each index card to make your pages. Make sure that the holes in the index cards match up with the holes in each cover.

Step five:

   Thread the ribbons through the holes that you punched in your pages.

Step six:
   Thread a cover onto each side.

Step seven:
   Tie the ribbons into bows and now you have a cute little journal to write and draw in! You can add stickers, rub-ons, and other fun accessories to the covers and pages to make it yours! Happy journaling!

Getting finished.

   After you have a bunch of inspiration and you've started the project, the hardest part, then, is finishing it. I know I definitely struggle with this, and my only advice is to just focus on that one project. Don't start new projects, instead write down your ideas and save them for later. Make it part of your everyday schedule to work on the project. Don't give up on it even if you don't like it so far, the finished product will most likely be way different then where it is at right now. Keep working, keep believing, and good luck!

Any advice? Share with us in the comments!(I am definitely looking foreword to it!)

Getting Inspired!

   One of the hardest parts of being an artist, or writer is getting inspired! I know it is for me. So what I like to do is listen to music, read books, go out into nature, read the bible,etc. Find other things that you really love that get your mind moving.
  Maybe you just need some rest. Lay down and take a nap and your mind might just wake up fresh and new with tons of ideas! If nothing is working and your mind is just flat out stuck; give it some time. God knows exactly when you need to get inspired, and when it's time, you bet you will have more inspiration then you'll know what to do with!

How do you get ideas? Please share in the comments.