Get Crafty

Are you good with a glue gun? Handy at the holidays? Well, I'm typically not, although occasionally something spurs me into a creative mode – next thing you know, I've got a Christmas tree filled with acorns painted to look like little Santas.

If you've got a holiday project you're fond of, you might want to check out the "Handmade Holiday Contest" at that Mecca of all things handmade: Michaels. Through Dec. 20, the arts and crafts store is awarding two $100 gift cards each week to the top vote-getters: Just upload a picture of your creation, and visitors will rate their top picks.

The store is also selecting grand-prize winners for "Best Creative Project" and "Best Creative Project Under $20" that will each earn a $250 gift card and a trip for two to New York City to see the queen of craftiness herself taping The Martha Stewart Show.

If you have no paper-and-glue skills whatsoever, you can attend the weekly (and free) in-store holiday workshops that cover everything from kid stuff to how to make your own awesome gift wrap (which might even turn out better than the gift itself). Or if you can build your skills at home by checking out the how-to webisodes.

Then you have no excuse not to drag out your box of sequins and pine cones and get crafting!

Crafty Feat

My 8-year-old Kate fractured her toe on Monday night, so she had to spend Tuesday morning at the office with Mom before the requisite trek to the doctor. She can easily just hang out and watch movies or listen to music, but she was drawn to the bright, friendly box on my shelf proclaiming, "Make Your Own Animal Puppets."

She occupied herself for a few hours with this fun craft project from Creativity for Kids ($17.99), despite the fact that the kit was part of the company's expanded preschool line (which includes the make Your Own Alphabet Book and Make Your Own Number Book).

She had fun crafting a zebra, flamingo and an elephant out of some super-soft socks and the kit's peel-and-stick googly eyes, beaks, ears and other animal parts.

Creativity for Kids offers several arts and crafts projects for creative kids of all ages, and the company donates 5% of the proceeds from its new preschool products to the International Child Art Foundation.

And Kate has some new sock friends who helped keep her mind off her broken toe!