Dear families, we wanted to bring you some of the most creative crafts to keep kids of any age engaged in imaginative play.
These ideas will be the perfect way to bring colour into these School Holidays, weekends, summer break and more - so make sure to keep it handy for when you need a fun activity!
Doggy parlour
Work on scissor skills (and taking care of a doggy!) with this fantastic idea created by Clare from Curious Columbus, a toymaker from Tasmania that loves to create colourful and bright games for children.
Cut a lid the size of the cardboard tube and punch holes. Cut lengths of wool and feed them through the holes to create the dog's "hairdo". Store the excess wool length inside the tube for your kids to cut and style. They can grow the hair back by pulling the wool that is inside the tube.
Draw on a dog face using Life of Colour liquid chalk pens... and you are ready to go!
Colour in tote bags
Our fabric designer tote bags and fabric pens kit is a perfect under $40 gift for children of any age. Colour in our design on one side, and add your own design to the other, and wear it out with pride. There are two designs to choose from, illustrated by Laura Moraiti.
Painting on fabric is just the beginning, you can add texture too, with embroidery, accessories, appliques, patches, ribbons, beads, spike beads, puff paint, and more.
Start your own home art gallery
Get your little one started on their art journey with our mini canvas kit. Create a work of art and put it on display immediately to start your own art gallery at home!
The Silky Paint Stix are an engaging paint medium for small children to work with, they can use it on canvas, wood, paper, seashells and more.
The kit also comes with stencils to help them jumpstart their creativity.
Paint a cool design on a mirror
Is your teen thinking of adding art to their mirror? With the liquid chalk pens, they can do it again and again.
Liquid Chalk Markers are easy to use, long-lasting and washable from any non-porous surface, so you don't have to worry about the mirror's condition after the art session.
Chalk pens are perfect to add colour temporarily onto non-porous surfaces, when you (or the teen) is bored, simply wipe and create new art!
Rainbow drip name sign
Use your creamy Gouache Stix to create this fun rainbow drip effect with the guidance of artist Tammy Klingner. Get the Gouache with the perfect paper for this craft, here.
Follow the order of the colours in the rainbow to create this effect. Start at the top right corner with red, add water and allow it to drip down the page by tilting your mixed media paper card. Continue to do the same with every colour.
Use a cardboard tube as a stamp to add more flair to the rainbow: simply paint with the gouache on the border of the tube and stamp it on the paper.
After it's dry, children can write their names or add a message for a friend!
Paint a seashell
Turn seashells into works of art with this idea by Clare from Curious Columbus. Prime any shells collected from your latest trip to the beach and have fun with the Silky Paint Stix.
With the Silky Stix, kids can paint and blend directly on the primed seashell with their fingers or the Stix itself. Add a little water to make subtle gradients or create watercolour-like effects.
Bubble wrap and cotton bud Rainbow Tree
This Rainbow Tree by Tammy Klingner is the perfect mixed media piece to start experimenting with stamping using different textures from around your house. It is suitable for all ages and will be a fun piece to try in different colour palettes.
Gouache Stix are creamy and highly pigmented - make sure to get the perfect paper to make them shine (shop the Gouache and paper bundle and save).
The first layer will be made using bubble wrap as a stamp, and the second layer will be made using cotton buds. Read the step by step here.
Make awesome wood slices decorations
Make an easy drawer hanger by combining your wood slices and stencils, we have hundreds of designs combined into different sets for those days when you want to be creative and not think about drawing something from scratch.
You can paint on wood slices with paint pens, chalk pens, Silky Stix and more!
This cute drawer decor piece was made by Jaz (13 years old).
Bunny planter
Turn your favourite animal into a colourful planter! Cut a plastic bottle to resemble the animal you chose: it can be a bunny like the original, a cat, a dog, a shark... possibilities are endless!
Prime the bottle with white acrylic paint or an all purpose primer. Use your paint pens or liquid chalk pens to paint the face features and colourful details.
Idea by Clare from Curious Columbus
Recreate your favourite piece of art from your home
Do you have a great piece of artwork in the living room you just *loooove*... you can practice your drawing, painting and observation skills by recreating it in your style.
Sit on the couch with your favourite portable art supplies and a warm cup of coffee and make your own version of your favourite art! You can try again in a couple of months and see if you spot any differences between your pieces.
Take a family painting workshop
If you need some time to unwind, relax and connect with your family, then taking a painting workshop together can be a perfect activity to do at home.
We ship the supplies to your home and provide you with a fantastic video masterclass intended for all ages. Pick your favourite online workshop: lavender fields, abstract rose, cherry blossom tree or protea in 3D - or get all four of them.
Dinosaur pencil holder
This idea by Curious Columbus will be any dinosaur fan's favourite!
Draw a dinosaur shape onto an empty milk bottle (or any other plastic bottle with a sturdy base). Cut out the shape using scissors and paint the base colour.
Add googly eyes and decorate your dino. Clare used dyed pistachio shells to mimic dinosaur spots.
Paint your shoes
Shoes by Jaz, mum Daphne Birett
Revamp an old pair of shoes, or get plain shoes to colour in! The fabric pens are permanent and will be the perfect tool to create wearable art on shoes without the mess of liquid paint splattering all over the place.
Try this rainbow drip design as an easy way to begin the shoe hobby - you can also try some of these other designs:
Design by Bea, mum Daphne Birett
Hayley Harding
Unicorn rock
To try your hand at this adorable unicorn rock by Curious Columbus, gather wool with shiny accents and anything glittery that can be turned into a unicorn tiara! You will also need clay to mould the horn and a hot glue gun to help your little one glue the decorations onto the rock.
Prime the rock white or a pastel colour. When dry, draw the face using your Life of Colour fine tip paint pens.
Glue the hair, horn and felt ears to the top of the rock - and then have fun adding all the decorations!
Frida Kahlo painted eggs
Painted eggs are not just a thing of Easter - you can decorate your own dozen any time of the year! Choose a theme and have fun turning a plain batch of eggs into a wonderful collection. Curious Columbus chose Frida Kahlo and cacti to decorate their family's eggs. How creative!
You can use paint pens or chalk pens to create all the features. For the cactus, paint the entire egg green and then add details after the green base is dry. Glue colourful pompons or wooden beads to make Frida's iconic flower crown. Use flower shaped beads or fabric flowers to help the cacti bloom.
Prop up your new friends on nursery cardboard planters and admire your collection.
Pasta tic-tac-toe
This might be the cutest idea ever... and the best part is you can open the pantry and keep the kids entertained and off screens for a long while!
Make your own fantastic pasta tic-tac-toe, an idea created by Clare from Curious Columbus.
Collection of movie inspired rocks
Any Disney, superhero, Pokemon fans in your home? Why not make a fantastic set of rocks inspired by their favourite characters!? The world of rock painting is awaiting. All you need is to gather rocks from your surroundings or purchase some in a landscape shop.
Frozen, Aladdin, Beauty & the Beast and Star Wars rocks by @ruthless_artist
Our paint pens are perfect for rock painting and you can even mix the colours to make new ones.
Paint on your old phone case
If your case has seen better days, you can make sure it gets a second life! First of all, clean your case using a soft cloth and soapy water. Dry. If it is glossy or already painted on, be sure to prime the case before painting. Next, take out your trusty Life of Colour paint pens and start making art!
These are some vibrant ideas by our resident artist Ella Hore:
This dreamy beach scene with black silhouettes painted by Samantha Dorahy. She used the 3mm pens to make the gradient background, adding a touch of glitter pink to make it sparkle!
To finish your new case, and make sure it is protected, use your sealant of choice. We always recommend a matte finish, so it looks silky and smooth!
Make your own mug
Decorate any plain white mugs laying around with these super easy designs and make coffee time look a little bit more fun!
A quick dotted rainbow is a great idea to make with the kids. Give each child a mug for them to decorate however they desire!
This retro design allows you to change up the colours and shapes to make it your own. It’s also really unique with the quote “coffee time” lettered on the front.
Use a clear acrylic spray to seal the mug.
Use a clear acrylic spray to seal the mug.
Revamp your clothes and bring art into your outfits
Painting on clothes is one of the easiest ways to enjoy your artwork while wearing it. Start by adding pops of colour to your shoes, a scarf or a tote bag before moving up to larger pieces.
This stunning jacket was painted by Jen Hall. The best kind of inspiration to keep putting your art to the test with new mediums. You can find her on Facebook as Painty Hands.
Turn any gift box into decor
It is very easy to DIY craft boxes with cool designs. Little heart boxes like these are a perfect size to do some detailed patterns or simple landscape designs like these. Whether it’s a circle, triangle or square they would work perfectly for a small DIY project like this!
These boxes had already been painted before, so giving them a coat of white before starting makes coverage a lot easier. For a simple design like these, sketch out some outlines and colour in the block areas with paint pen colours of your choice. Outline the shapes with a black fine tip paint pen and colour the “rim” with any colour you have used.
