We’ve always been huge fans of collages. All you need are some old magazines, scissors, and glue and you’ve got an instant arts and crafts project. We found a particularly inspiring project this year on Cool Mom Picks from the new DIY magazine Moomah. You can download a template, which includes an abundant cornucopia and the phrase “I am thankful for….” Look through newspapers and magazines Thanksgiving week to find pictures of characters, objects, animals, or even simply colors that your kids are thankful for. It’s a great way to keep them occupied while you’re cooking up a storm in the kitchen. And the results are simply frame-worthy.

Some of the best toys, whether paper dolls or paper planes, are the ones you can make together as a family. Moomah is a new type of community with a motto of “dit” or do it together, offering easy DIY that make fun projects to do with your kids. Their tagline: “Be inspired and know you are doing enough,” says it all. You can subscribe directly to their magazine to get smart, fun ideas delivered right to your mailbox.

With 85% of textile waste going to landfills every year, Halloween can have a devastating effect on the environment. While it’s tons of fun to pick out a costume and dress up, any family can make a night of crafting DIY costumes, and avoid creating unnecessary waste. Look around for wornout clothes, old sweats, or too-small garments. Many of today’s costumes can be made by hand if you have a sewing machine. Or if you truly want to make something easy, consider making an easy paper mask to wear on top of a colorful outfit. Paper masks can be tons of fun for kids and adults to wear. There are lots of sites that offer outlines for you to print out. Just color them in, add some sequins and glitter and you’re ready to go.  For masquerade style, glue it onto a stick, or for easy-wear just add an elastic band.

The great site Cool Mom Picks has rounded up their favorite online patterns. There are six fright-ready choices available at Mr. Printables, including a black cat, jack-o-lantern, skull and spider. They’re free to download. The patterns can also be used to make longer-lasting felt masks. The cutest patterns online are hands-down Wee Society’s DIY Wee Alphas, which are free cutouts that can be pasted onto a brown paper bag. These little bags are the complete costume. Choose between an owl, lion, fox and gorilla. For a more fancy option, Etsy store Shades of Every Color offers digital downloads for $3.99 each. Choose between full-color printouts of a peacock, owl, or deer. And if you’re feeling inspired, just take out some cardboard and markers and get to work.

This weekend we celebrate father’s day, thanking dads everywhere for being such swell guys. Looking for a last minute gift? You can recycle any old tie into something useful with this handy guide courtesy of Ecouterre. Find the tackiest, most out-of-style tie and turn it into something useful. Ecouterre provides step-by-step directions for making an awesome new guitar strap, eyeglasses case, camera strap, cellphone case, and pillow.

While it’s easy to buy a last minute gift, show dad you care with something made from the heart. You can make most of these with items you already have around the house: a bit of thread, scissors, a needle, an old button. Check out the photos for more. Do you have any more fun ideas for ways to recycle a tie?

Happy Father’s Day everyone!

How did you celebrate America’s birthday? Are there any neighborhood traditions you enjoy? What timeless activities did you participate in? We want to hear it all. Happy summer, everybody!

UPDATE: Congrats to our 4th of July Paper Culture gift certificate winners: Most popular post – Carole Da-Cruz her bike ride and my favorite: Beth Cardwell and her good old fashioned block party! Congrats!

To all the rad dads out there, this one’s for you, Happy Father’s Day!

My friend Ed believes the “… the art from my kids still is the best but the smallest thing I refer to constantly is my Weber grilling cookbook. [It's] very suburban of me but I always check it for recipes and especially cooking times for different cuts of meat.” Handmade gifts are truly original and thoughtful and a fun and crafty way for a parent and child to spend time together. I wouldn’t have immediately thought to purchase dad a cookbook, but I guess, one related to barbecues (and the foods he enjoys) makes a pretty nifty gift.

Ian in Atlanta says he enjoys spending time doing an activity together with his family, “Often we go to play mini-golf,” and that makes him happy enough. With competing schedules, it can be hard to get the clan together. What’s up with golf and dads anyway? A colleague of mine mentioned that this year he and his brother are going to play golf with their dad after he realized, “the last five [gifts] were stacked on the table unopened”. Dedicating a window of time to just hang seems like a real winner. Some of my fondest memories of spending time with my dad were of the ones like these.

Pierre, a father of twins claims, he enjoys an “exceptional meal provided by his family.” Yep. Cooking and eating together is filling and fulfilling. Everybody has a favorite meal too so it’s easy to plan for. That said, my buddy Jason enjoys eating out at a nice restaurant with his family. His son Max is a tween so sharing a meal in public has become enjoyable again for Jason. It’s easy to see why studies that show families who routinely eat together also seem happier in general.

And sometimes it’s just the gesture of an every day occurrence that makes Father’s Day fun. Chris, here at Paper Culture, enjoyed Baby B running up to him to say, “Happy Baasahrs Day” (a two year old’s attempt to say, “Happy Father’s Day”) even though she tripped as she came to give him a hug.  The moment made everyone laugh and we feel, these priceless moments are the ones  parents enjoy and get a kick out of.

We hope that however you choose to celebrate the caretaker and father in your life this weekend, that you will be able to continue to cherish him for more than just one day a year. Happy Father’s Day to all!

The joy in all these videos is infectious. And I think it’s so sweet that the children and dads are laughing at the simplest things. I only wish we could have so much fun with our fathers every day!