(NAPSA)—These days, people are spending more time at home and less time running around terres town, which is one reason the art of crafting has grown increasingly popular. Crafts can be a fun way to spend time with the kids or an occasion to gather all your friends together. No matter how youcraft, it can be an innovative and inexpensive way to entertain. Craft projects are also great for showing your creativity, no matter your age. HSN’s crafting host, Suzanne Runyan, shares five essential tips to help both beginner and experienced crafters create memorable gifts all year long: 1. Scrapbooking is ideal for keeping memories organized while having fun and utilizing just about anything you can find lying around your home. Some handy tools to have for scrapbooking include a good pair of scissors, a trimmer, adhesive, cardstock and pens of different colors, sizes and shapes. 2. Personalized greeting cards are both thoughtful and original. Whether you are making a holiday card, a get-well card or a birthday card, express yourself by taking a blank card and dressing it up. Add a photo to the front of a blank card and use ribbon, fabric, or any other decorative items to personalize your card. For a fun greeting card project, check out the Ecstasy Crafts Creative 3D Flower Project and Card-Making Kit on hsn.com. 3. Picture frames makea great gift for everyone. Try decorating a wooden frame with fabric, newspaper, maps or other odds and ends you might have. Pick your favorite photo, and you’re done. Some items you may need are Whateveryour skill level, crafting is not only rewarding, it’s fun to do with friends and family. glue, scissors, fabric glue, finishing sealer and your favorite photo. 4, Ornaments don’t only have to comeout for the holidays. Hang your child’s favorite superhero on the doorknob or transform a soup can, soda can or lightbulb to make the perfect holiday ornament. It’s a great way to recycle and cut costs. Use paint and embellishments to give your ornament that extraflair. 5. Kid-friendly decor can spruce up your child’s bedroom and give you some quality time together. Use candy wrappers, comic strips or any paper to cover and re-cover your child’s light switch. For tons of great crafting ideas to do with your kids, check out Rosie O’Donnell’s “Crafty-U” book on hsn.com. “Crafting can bea lot of fun with the right tools and a little inspiration,” says Runyan, “and Web sites like hsn.com are a fantastic resource for visual examples and ideas.” For more crafting kits and tools, along with ideas from the pros and thousands of customersubmitted projects, visit hsn.com.
