Craftin' with My Niece: Thrift Store/Green Fun

My teenage niece was in town the other day on spring break and I got a chance to spend the day with her! We don't get much time to spend together since she has lived a couple states away for many years... and when we do, it's usually with the whole family. So, this was a big treat for me to just be one on one together.

I tried to rack my brain of ideas of what would be "cool" to do -- from a teenagers perspective. When that didn't work, I of course resorted back to good ol'crafts!

We headed to the bookstore, and I saw one of Somerset Studios new publications, Green Craft Magazine. Lots of great ideas... perfect for some aunt and niece fun!

We decided to start in on the t-shirt necklace project, so we headed to the thrift store to pick up some old colorful t-shirts. In doing the project, I definitely recommend patterned t-shirts as well as solid shirts. When braided, the different colors in the patterned shirt make for an more interesting design.

Once home, we started to shred! My niece used scissors and I tried my luck at tearing. The trick is you want long strips, so sometimes tearing doesn't work. Once we had our pile, it was time to braid.

We made many necklaces as well as a couple bracelets and anklets too! My niece also did extra braiding and made some bracelets for her younger cousins. Weren't they lucky.

Do you have a fun craft you like to do with your niece or nephew? Would love to know!