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Yuma, Arizona (NAPSI) - There’s good news for those looking for ways to keep kids entertained after school or on the weekend. Do-it-yourself craft activities remain an excellent way to promote creative thinking even outside of the classroom.

From designing a custom comic page to learning how to make 3-D paper art, there’s now a website that provides free tools and activities designed to inspire kids of all ages to create their very own masterpieces. It’s called the Canon Crafting Corner.

By engaging in projects such as these, children can continue to think critically and creatively outside of the classroom.

• Become A Comic Book Hero

With the PIXMA Comix Facebook App, kids can design and print a customized comic page with their very own photos and video. They’ll be inspired to tell a story with the easy-to-use application.

After uploading still images from a video file, or up to six photos, a variety of fun effects can be added to give each story a unique flair. With filters and the ability to add text and speech bubbles, your child will become an accomplished storyteller while demonstrating creative thinking. Your child can even take his or her creativity a step further and use the app as a template for event invites, T-shirts or to frame the comic page for a memorable gift.

• From Mess To Masterpiece

It’s possible to turn existing photos into homemade accessories with help from expert crafters Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman of the blog “A Beautiful Mess.” They provide easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions that illustrate how to create personalized crafts by using your own images, basic craft materials and high-quality photo printers.

Kids can enjoy expanding their creativity while working on projects including, photo-covered playing cards or a simple photo-covered journal, both of which are personal and truly one of a kind.

• Lifelike Art

Kids can create animals, automobiles, board games and other projects with the easy-to-use 3-D paper crafts that bring objects to life. With hundreds of options available online at various levels of difficulty, kids of all ages will enjoy building their very own creations.

Simply print out the patterns and easy-to-follow assembly instructions to begin crafting. In just a few steps, construct a rabbit or a crown—or for a more advanced project, try making an elastic-powered stegosaurus or a pair of dancing dolls.

• Fun Family Folklore

With scrapbook templates, photo frames and more available for free download, it’s possible to make preserving memories an easy, family-fun activity. Simply choose from one of several themed pages and paste in your own photos to enhance scrapbooking activities.

For example, kids can frame their photos by selecting a Frame Factory photo border on the Canon U.S.A. Facebook page to give their images even more personality.

For more information on these fun crafting platforms or to get crafting, visit www.usa.canon.com/crafting.