17 Art Supplies That Make Almost Any Project Possible
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As mothers who have built lifelong careers as professional crafters (Suzy is the author-illustrator ofBox World AdventuresandFun With Stitchables;Amanda is the founder ofProject Kidand the former lifestyle director ofParentsmagazine), we are both longtime believers not only in the power of making things with your hands, but of doing so alongside children. A few amazing things happen in the process: You get to turn an abstract idea into something you can see, touch, and remember, and your kid becomes your teacher, because more often than not, children come at the messiness of crafting with an ease that adults lack. Plus, the thing you make becomes a time capsule of family life — a way to look back and remember what you were feeling or learning when you created it together.
But crafting can feel like a hassle if you don’t havefun suppliesat the ready. This is why we love to recommend the stuff that we reach for again and again — the MVPs of our craft closets and the things we used most often to create the projects in our first collaboration together, a new book calledThe Art of Jewish Joy.We wrote it because we both felt the need for more Jewish joy in our own lives, and realized we probably weren’t the only ones. We also thought we could create a different, more creative way for families, young adults, and any meaning-seekers to connect with Jewish values and traditions. As we began working on the book, we discovered that our craft styles were, to use a very Jewish word,beshert —or “meant to be.”
Most of the projects in the book are suited for anyone old enough to hold a marker, but we did include some that will appeal to adults, like the kintsugi seder plate for Passover or the “Wandering Feast,” a beautiful charcuterie board that speaks to the diversity of Jewish foods and flavors. All together, the crafts represent Jewish values like loving kindness, self-reflection, and honoring freedom — and anyone, whether celebrating Jewish holidays or not, can enjoy making them. Below this list, you’ll find full directions to make one of our favorite crafts for autumn and the Jewish holiday Sukkot, called theHappiness on the Go Joyful Memory Box.
So set aside one drawer in the kitchen or living room for these supplies. We can practically guarantee spontaneous art-making moments.
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Allex Japanese Office Scissors
For older kids and adults, these perfectly balanced, lightweight, durable scissors are an absolute delight. Most scissors can make your hands cramp after five minutes of crafting, but these are so comfy to hold. The ergonomic grips add ease as you transition smoothly from the delicate snipping of tiny paper doll hands to more powerful cutting needed for cardboard boxes. You’ll be so excited to start your crafts, you’ll almost forget not to run with your scissors.
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Fiskars Kids Scissors - 5"
These small scissors are ideal for kids ages 4 to 7. When kids are still developing their hand strength and their ability to cut intricate shapes is still nascent, it’s important to have scissors that fit just right. The looped handles allow for more fingers to get into the action. This creates extra leverage and allows for easier cutting. This kid-friendly design along with the blunt edges also makes for a safer tool — more cutting of paper, less cutting of fingers.
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Stickersare the fastest way to add instant color, texture, and whimsy to any craft project — simply peel, stick, and repeat. Suzy illustrated these Ooly ones; the sheets are packed with spunky critters and meaningful phrases, and they’re the ideal embellishment for many projects in our book.
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Apple Barrel Craft Paint
This craft paint is inexpensive and available in virtually every shade of the rainbow. It creates beautifully saturated color even on porous materials like cardboard, and it can be used on a wide variety of surfaces: paper, cardboard, wood, canvas, and occasionally the dog. It’s also easy to clean up and washes out from most fabrics. (Drying tip: If you’re in a hurry, blast your project with a hair dryer.)
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Blackwing 602 Pencils
Almost every project in our book begins with a pencil, whether it’s tracing a template, hashing out measurements, creating a preliminary sketch, or simply doodling on a card or Post-it. This pencil is Suzy’s favorite, and her son’s go-to. He has dyspraxia, and struggled with using pencils until he met the 602. According to Blackwing, the pencil is designed to write with less pressure — the brand’s motto is “Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed.” We especially recommend this pencil for any kid working on their fine motor skills.
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Instead of schlepping around a case of separate fine-line and brush pens, you get both in the Tombow dual-brush. Need a thin line? Got it. Want something thicker? Just flip the pen. The brush end of the marker also substitutes as a no-frills, no-spills paint brush. The markers are versatile, long-lasting, and good for little and big hands. For everyday use, purchase a couple of the black pens. For colorful drawing, crafting, and writing, treat yourself to a few of the fun ten-packs, like “Pastels,” “Brights,” and even “Retro.”
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No craft stash is complete without a tub of these. You can stick them on pretty much anything and suddenly it has a personality. You can place one in the palm of a hand-drawn hamsa (the five-fingered symbol used in various Middle Eastern traditions) to make it look like it’s side-eyeing the room (very on-brand since hamsas are natural judges). Or, since these babies are self-adhesive, you can also eye-ify an entire fruit bowl; nothing improves a Tuesday breakfast like a banana staring back at you.
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A bin of these lives on Amanda’s kitchen counter, parked next to a wall-mounted roll of butcher paper for spontaneous mural-making and grocery lists. Chunkies are magic: They go on with the rich, blendable feel of oil pastels, then dry in just 90 seconds, making it easy to layer colors without turning your masterpiece into a muddy, smudged mess. They’re perfect to use for a multiple-age-group project, because they’re easy for little fingers to grasp.
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If your kids enjoy watching glue dry as much as they enjoy watching paint dry (no kid ever!), Glue Dots are the answer to your prayers. Because choosing the right glue (glue stick? Hot glue? Craft glue? Super glue?) can cause an existential crisis in the adhesive aisle, do yourself a favor and get these instead. They’re strong, kids can use them independently, and — hallelujah — there’s zero drying time. They come in different sizes and strengths, from removable and micro dots to balloon dots, which are specifically designed to hold balloons in place like tape. Now you can make your child’s birthday-balloon-arch dreams come true.
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Washi tape is a dream material for kids because it tears with ease and comes in bright colors and patterns. I love this particular spool because it reads solid, but the tone-on-tone pattern adds extra spice. These densely colored tapes make it easy to cover up a packaged food label — helpful when a craft calls for repurposing a cereal box or a jam jar.
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Mod Podge may look like your grandmother’sglue, but the goop inside is actually the star of the craft closet — it glues, it stiffens, it seals, and it somehow makes every project look like you knew what you were doing all along. If you like a little shine, go for the gloss version, and for a satiny look, choose the matte.
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ProjectKid Foam Brushes
Foam brushes have thick wooden handles that are easy for little hands to grip and forgiving when the painting technique is morefreestylethan delicate strokes. They’re blissfully low-stakes — no fancy brush technique needed, which lets kids focus on experimenting rather than worrying about getting it “right.” The larger size gives you nice wide strokes to turn the latest collection of cardboard boxes into a castle or secret fort. We painted the inside of a big one, then used streamers to add an open-air woven roof for the perfect tot-size sukkah.
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Paper Drinking Straws
Bendy, boba, and paper straws are a craft supply hidden in plain sight. They are accessible, inexpensive, and surprisingly versatile. Cut them into small segments to make beads, or thread them onto pipe cleaners to build a cool structure. Topped with a pom-pom, they also make excellent alien antennae, and if you’re working with clay and need a circle, you can use the end as a stamp or averyminiature cookie cutter. (We used them with jar lids and beads as the drumstick arms for our upcycled Purim noisemaker.)
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Bonne Maman Preserves
The perfectly faceted glass jars and adorable gingham lids from this particular jam company practically beg for a second life. Amanda uses them for everything from corralling buttons and beads to holding water for rinsing paint brushes. They stack really nicely and because they are straight-sided, they don’t waste in-between space on a shelf. Doesn’t everyone just buy jam for the jar?
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Stack Man Compostable Paper Plates - 10"
Whether they’re serving as a paint palette or working as the center of the craft itself, paper plates can become just about anything with a little imagination. If you’re folding and cutting, it’s easier for little hands to manipulate the thinner versions, but these sturdy ones work perfectly for the circular weaving project and the moveable face-expression toy in our book.
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We’ll rescue any cereal, cracker, or macaroni-and-cheese box from the recycling bin, but the Honey Nut Cheerios box gets first priority. The inside is white — the perfect blank canvas for any manner of craft materials. Just unfold it and let creativity take its course with pencil, crayons, or paint. It’s even strong enough to hold buttons and beads with white school glue. And unlike corrugated cardboard, the lightweight packaging is easy for kids to cut. Go ahead and splurge on the family size.
Collect rocks, sticks, acorns, and pinecones in your backyard, the woods, or a neighborhood park. You’ll want to use a discerning eye when foraging. For example, look for stones with a smooth surface to make it easier to apply paint, markers, stickers, or even googly eyes. To make the simple birdfeeder in our book, you’ll want to find straight sticks that are of equal width.
HAPPINESS ON THE GO JOYFUL MEMORY BOX
Excerpted fromThe Art of Jewish Joy: Crafts and Activities for Celebration and Connectionby Amanda Kingloff and Suzy Ultman, published by Chronicle Books 2026
As we travel through life, it’s nice to have a pit stop that emotes simple home energy — and once a year, the sukkah is just that: cozy, festive, and full of meaning. Let this tiny suitcase be your portable joy kit! Fill it up with happy words, sweet memories, or photos that make your heart do a little dance. On days that feel cloudy, pop it open, and let those good vibes come rushing back like sunshine in a box.
SUPPLIES
• Craft paints
• Paintbrushes
• Unfolded small cardboard box (like a soap box)
• Scissors
• Craft knife
• Double-stick tape
• Glue stick
• Assorted papers
• Coloring supplies
• Stickers
• String (optional)
• Holepunch (optional)
1.With craft paints and a paintbrush, paint the blank side of the box and let it dry. Paint it with a pattern of your choice.
2.Using scissors, cut off the top left short side of the box. Then, cut off the top right short side of the box, creating the lid.
3.Using the craft knife, cut a C-shape handle out of the long, narrow side of the box.
4.Using tape or glue, reconnect all of the box sides to return it to its original shape.
5.To make the corners of the suitcase, use scissors to cut a piece of solid-colored paper into a small circle, then into quarters. Glue these wedges onto the four corners on the top of the suitcase box. Cut out a buckle shape and glue it to the center edge of the box, folding it over the corner.
6.Use your coloring supplies to make your own drawings and add stickers to decorate. To make a luggage tag, punch a small hole at the top of a cut paper design and attach it to the handle with string.
7.Fill your suitcase with photos that make you smile, old fortune cookie fortunes, ticket stubs from a favorite concert—anything that connects you to your happy place!
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