more glue stick collages

cutting and sorting photos for collages

Wow. This time last year I was doing the same exact thing: cutting out pictures for my daughter to paste on paper. It must be the official start of the holiday direct mail season.

Last year we put all of the shapes together in a single envelope, which created a lot of mess. She’d dump all of them out just to find one or two that she wanted. This year we are sorting them by category to make it a little easier.

Now that she’s using scissors, this is even more fun for her. Of course, we’ve created a whole different mess of scraps on the floor, but who cares. It keeps her busy and she enjoys it. I just need to remind her that we only cut paper and not hair!

envelopes: My daughter loves writing little notes and was cruising through my stash of envelopes. I started saving the ones that come with all of our junk mail. She’s got a nice supply now and that’s what we used to sort her cutouts.

catalogs: Did you know you can cut down the amount of paper that gets delivered to your mailbox? I’ve had good luck with Catalog Choice. Only problem is when you order something new, you get put on the mailing list again. At least we’re putting the catalogs to good use!

glue stick collages

I’m sure I’m not the only one who needs a little time alone with my knitting needles or sewing machine (or work!). I’m always trying to find non-TV related activities for my daughter so I can get a little bit of work done. The things that have kept her most occupied are crayons, paints and stickers. A lot of times she will sit and “read” books or get absorbed in her train engines.

Lately, it’s been hard to keep her occupied. She always wants to know what I’m doing—always wants to help out (which is sweet, but not always helpful). Today I got almost two hours of productive time. Want to know how? (OK, the title of this post gives it away.) My daughter has discovered the glue stick.

glue stick halloween collage

You know how I say nothing is safe if it fits under my presser foot? Well, not much is safe from my daughter if she can glue stick it to a piece of paper.

martha stewart living magazine

The images are from Martha Stewart’s Living, last year’s Halloween edition.

glue stick magazine on poster board

We have big plans for future collages. Thanksgiving and Christmas themes, animals, shapes, letters and numbers…the possibilities are endless.

magazine collage

Look, Mom! The owl and skeleton are holding hands!

I remember my friend Barbara telling me how she spent her evenings cutting up National Geographic magazines so her granddaughter could make collages. Such a brilliant and simple idea. I highly recommend it!

recycle: You will be amazed at what you can find in your recycle bin for this project. Don’t overlook catalogs and non-crafty magazines. Pay close attention to ads. Tip: for maximum productivity, cut the pictures out the night before.