Creative Crafting with Cookie Cutters

In The Kitchen:

• Cut cheese for appetizers.
• Make pancakes from animal-shaped cutters.
• Cut out star shaped sandwiches for your "star" pupil to carry in lunchbox.
• Liven up a plain bakery cake or box-mix cake by pressing cookie cutter shapes into sides. Dust with confectioners sugar, if desired.
• Need a fast and fancy dessert? Cut store-bought pound cake into shapes with cutters, place on a pretty plate and top with whipped cream and berries.
• Encourage kids to eat more fruit. Cut watermelon, cantaloupe or honeydew into shapes for after-school snacking.

For The Holidays:

• Tie stars, bells and other holiday shapes with ribbon and hang on Christmas tree.

• Attach to a homemade kitchen gift (such as a box of fudge, your own special granola or a potpourri jar) for a special touch.

• Let kids cut out shapes for Fourth of July, Easter, or Thanksgiving using cardboard, construction paper, and glitter. Punch hole in top, tie a ribbon or piece of twine and hang over a doorway for a mobile.

Around The House:

• Use as picture frames. Go through that old box or drawer of photos that didn't make it into the scrapbook and cut the shapes to fit inside the frames, using a little craft glue to keep them in place.

• Trace cookie cutters onto cardstock for unique greeting cards.

• Use up fabric scraps from sewing projects. Trace and cut out designs, sew together and fill with beans for beanbags or use as homemade patches for blankets, jeans or jackets.

By Claire B from Phoenix, AZ