We made these quick and easy candle holders with sculpey clay. You could also create flowers by hand or use cookie cutters or molds to make different shapes.

The insert says that the clay is suitable for children six years and up but I think a younger child could do it as long as they were supervised.

For these all we did was knead the clay until soft and then roll different colors out into snakes. Later we blended them all together and cut them into small circles. If you want to see more light, cut it thinner.

Then you simply place the shapes where you want them and press. Cook for 30 minutes at 250 degrees Farenheit.  I love the way the light dances through the holes in the candle holders. It’s a great way to personalize and brighten up a plain glass holder.

We just got back from a crazy camping trip so thought I would share some of our fun crafty adventures.

Before we left we prepared by creating fire starters which we made by adding wax and dryer lint together in egg cartons after adding a wick.

They help keep the fire burning a little better than just using newspaper, especially on a wet day. We had one of those because there was a giant rain storm Monday night.

It was more important than I thought to maintain the fire because we brought the wrong size tank for our old Coleman stove. We were stuck cooking over the open fire. It turned out to be a lot of fun and it worked out anyway.

We also rigged up roasters for our marshmallows and wieners by stretching out coat hangers. Just use the old fashioned uncoated kind and twist one end into a handle.

The marshmallows were the biggest hit because we used them for smores. Put your roasted marshmallow between two graham crackers, add a couple chocolate chips and voila, you have a delicious smore.

Sculpey has this new eraser polymer clay out that we have been having fun with. You just need to bake it for 10 minutes for each 1/4 inch of thickness.

For these fish our children used push out molds. Make sure you spray well with water because it’s extremely sticky. For that reason you need to take them out of the molds immediately. I used cooking oil spray and it worked out.

My kids didn’t feel confined to traditional colors so made a cheerful bright blue dolphin and a pink whale.

There’s enough to make plenty more and we’ll do some more later. If they’re not up to it I think I’ll go ahead and make a couple of these silly heads on my own. You start by shaping a ball of clay onto your pencil. See Meet the Kids! Pencil Toppers for more.

There are tons of other eraser ideas on Sculpey’s website including Halloween projects, flowers, cars, animals and food.

They do actually erase about as well as those pink erasers. There are better out there but I think they’re cute. The fact that they made these ones will also make them less likely to lose them.

I was so pleased with how pretty these candles turned out and they’re so easy! All you need to do is cut a beeswax sheet diagonally, insert wick at wide end and roll!

Once it’s together, you can rub the seam a little so it stays stuck. Younger children can do this as long as you do the cutting for them.

Beeswax smells sweet naturally and it also burns well. Several colorful rolled beeswax candles wrapped in ribbon would make a nice gift. We just made two gold beeswax tapers pictured here along with others made the day before.

If you heat the beeswax sheets a little with a blow dryer it helps soften the sheets so that they will be more pliable. I learned this the hard way since one of our red ones cracked. It turned out fine though because we just made a couple smaller ones instead.

To make votives with beeswax, cut the sheet straight across into 2 inch length strips and roll evenly around a medium cotton wick. For pillars, use the whole sheet for a big one or cut one in two straight strips for smaller ones.

This was so fun although the kids took off on me. I love the colors of the popsicle sticks and the paint combined.

All you need is popsicle sticks, cardboard, glue and scissors. If you want, you could decorate it with sparkles, beads, buttons, noodles, string or ribbon.

First, you need to cut the cardboard and the picture if needed to fit into the size of your frame.

Glue the picture onto the cardboard so that it’s secure.

Arrange the popsicle sticks in a criss-cross fashion as shown. Glue them on and decorate with paint. I used wood glue.

You could also glue a magnet on the back and use it for a fridge magnet or add a colorful ribbon to hang. This would make a lovely keepsake for a relative or friend especially if they were included in the picture.

Hello there! I’m Sandra and I’m very excited about writing for Crafty Mom at Today.com. We have a creative family and we’re always coming up with new crafts and creations for fun.

Some still call me a tomboy and I have an independent streak so I’m also big on DIY projects. Sometimes it seems like a strange combo and I have friends who are surprised when they find out I enjoy cross-stitching for example.

I just bought a new futon that did not come with the hardware but I improvised with some screws and bolts I picked up from the hardware store. Both sides bend up into arms for lounging and I love it.

• I am crazy about candle making and continue to learn more about that. The newest projects that have been the most fun are cookie cutter floating candles, seashell gel candles and layered multicolored soy candles.

• Often I use recycled materials and it’s fulfilling to create new treasures from trash. Jewelry making is also very therapeutic for me and so is baking. Last Christmas I gave everyone either handmade jewelry, candles or cookies for gifts.

I look forward to and encourage you to share your craft creation ideas and input as well. You never stop learning and I’m interested in hearing about what arts and crafts you would like to explore. I will share some of the projects we’re working on in the meantime.