If you are planning a party for an upcoming birthday or other occasion you have to check out some of these creative resources! They will help you with everything from planning to cleaning up... Well, almost...

• Before you start planning the details of your party, other than the date, you might want to decide on a theme for your party. For help with picking a theme, perhaps one of these books will help.

• Once you know the date and theme, you can start filling out invitations. Instead of buying invitations, consider making your own.

• You can print out and assemble fun party supplies such as favor bags and party hats and even create fun birthday-themed coloring book pages.

• Ahead of time, you can create some home-made birthday party favors and noise makers. You can also wait and have the party goers make these during the party.

• A popular item you will find at birthday and other parties are pinatas. Instead of spending your money on a store-bought pinata, follow these directions and make your own.

• Finally, if you are throwing the party for someone else, don't forget to make a special gift, gift tags, and card to give to them.

You can find all of this information and more in my Creative Birthday Party Planning Guide. The creative ideas, tips, and projects shared here will not only help you save money but also time.

(Photo © 2010 Sherri Osborn licensed to About.com, Inc.)

Are you ready for another Make-It-Over Monday? Buttons seemed to be a popular crafting items, check out some of the ideas that were submitted:

• Button Box Craft submitted by Susannah Wollman
• Button Heart Craft submitted by Anne Davies
• Life Path Challenge Tags submitted by Coleen Franks
• Button Frame Craft submitted by Jill
• More Button Crafts
  

Such great projects submitted! As always, submissions are still being accept for any and all past Make-It-Over Craft Challenge items.

I thought for this week's Make-It-Over craft challenge we might try something a little different... With Mardi Gras being celebrated on February 16th this year, I thought it might be fun to challenge everyone to make a Mardi Gras mask. You can use your own supplies or use this free, printable mask template. While traditional Mardi Gras colors are purple, gold, and green and you will often find them embellished using feathers and beads, you can use anything you want to decorate your mask and make it any colors you choose.

Please make your mask and submit a picture of it following these directions. Some of the submitted ideas will be shared in the next Make-It-Over Monday blog post and will become part of a special Mardi Gras mask online photo album. Remember, if you have a Web site or a Blog, share your URL and I will include it with your post.

If you have questions or comments about this craft challenge, use the comment feature below. Suggestions regarding this feature? Again, use the comments feature to post your suggestions; and, thanks for playing along. If you want a reminder when Make-It-Over challenges are posted, sign up for the Family Crafts newsletter.
RELATED:
- How to Submit a Project
- How to Submit a Photo

(Photo © 2010 Sherri Osborn licensed to About.com, Inc.)

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What is your favorite craft this week?

• How to Make Ice Cream from Snow - Follow these directions to make your own ice cream treat using snow.

• Toilet Paper Roll Dragon Craft - Kids of all ages will love making and then playing with their very own dragon.

• Tissue Heart Picture - H. Marie shared these instructions for making a fun heart picture using tissue paper. A nice Valentine's Day decoration.

• Zzz Sleeping Groundhog Craft - Follow these directions and you can make a sleeping groundhog craft using an egg carton, pom-poms, and a few other supplies.

• Fringed Fleece Pet Toy - Find out how to create this fun pet toy using fleece and easy sewing techniques.

• Heart Counting Game - Here are some directions for a simple game that can be made and enjoyed by everyone.

• Pine Cone Snowman Craft - Follow these instructions and you can make a snowman out of a pine cone.

Enjoy, and remember, if you complete any of these crafts, take a few moments to send me a picture and it can be featured here too!

(Photo © 2010 Sherri Osborn licensed to About.com, Inc.)

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Start out your weekend the right way by exploring these crafty blogs:

• Cathie Filian - Enter win Cathie's HUGE 101 Snappy Fashions Giveaway!

• Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world - Craftside's got how-tos on making a double sided hanger out of a soda tab, burning the edges of silk, a good list of essential oils to add to homemade paints, a gift tote bag tutorial and some really wacky mannequin outfits from CHA!

• Crafty Princess Diaries - Tammy is so excited! She has some new craft books to read, yes!

• Cross Stitch at About.com - Stitch up some witty signs for your laundry room using patterns Connie created using help from the About.com Laundry Guide Mary.

• Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter - Make a romantic ribbon wristlet with The Impatient Crafter for iLoveToCreate.

• Mixed Media Artist - Snow painting? Sure...go shovel up a small bucket full and meet Cyndi at her blog!

• Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery - See how to make a Paper Flower with a quilling paper fringer inspired by one from the beautiful book- Home, Paper, Scissors by Patricia Zapata.

• The Artful Crafter - How to make laminated tasseled bookmarks and personalize them for any occasion. And don't miss Eileen's follow-on tutorial on making your own tassels (should you run out mid-project as she did - lol).

• Aileen's Musings - Aileen has a funtastical mini tutorial on creating a mailable canvas valentine and birthday card!

(Graphic is courtesy of morgue.com)

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