And the winner is…

Just a quick post to announce the winner of the Absolutely Organized giveaway (chosen by random.org) is Amy from A Small Farm Family! Congratulations, Amy!! And thanks to everyone for entering. If you haven’t picked up your copy of Absolutely Organized: A Mom’s Guide to a No-Stress Schedule and a Clutter-Free Home yet, now would […]

Write to Grandma Kit

Emily loves writing letters to Grandma, so we put together a little letter writing kit to encourage this important task! This is a fun way to celebrate Grandparent’s Day (Sept. 13th). Somehow I had accumulated a tremendous amount of stationery over the years, and Emily enjoyed going through my collection to pick out cards and […]

Rainy Day Fun — Reusable Art Mat

Emily wanted to draw with sidewalk chalk this afternoon, but Clara was taking a nap so I didn’t want one child outside while the other was indoors. So we compromised using a shower curtain liner as a reusable art mat. It worked beautifully! The vinyl shower curtain liner was only $1 from Big Lots, and […]

Inspiring Friends of Frugal Family Fun Blog Round Up

Happy Labor Day! Here are some fabulous, inspiring posts from some of our most loyal readers and commenters. You could be featured here next! Sure to Please Recipes This recipe for Roasted Tomato Sauce became a family favorite instantly. It’s so easy and incredibly delicious. Be sure to visit Val at Collecting the Moments… One […]

Sunday Snapshot — He’s got some life

Book Review and Giveaway — Absolutely Organized

Looking for a book with practical advice you can actually use? Then you must have a copy of Debbie Lillard’s book Absolutely Organized: A Mom’s Guide to a No-Stress Schedule and Clutter-Free Home. I had the honor of meeting Debbie while taping a recent segment for The 10! Show, and she featured some fabulous ideas […]

Make Your Own Foaming Hand Soap

Emily has been insisting that I blog about this little tip for quite some time now. Today seemed to be the perfect time to do it since she was fresh out of foaming hand soap this morning. To make your own foaming hand soap, you will need an existing foaming hand soap dispenser, and some […]

Easy Apple Printed Book Covers from a Paper Bag

One of the first homework assignments many kids need to complete is to cover their books. Why not have a little fun doing it? Using some paint, a brown paper bag or freezer paper, an apple, and a potato, you can make beautiful book covers! I see book covers at office supply stores all the […]

And the winner is…

The winner of the 500 business cards from UPrinting.com is Katie from Autumn Wind Creations! Congratulations, Katie, and thanks to everyone who entered this fun giveaway!! Be sure to check back because another fun giveaway starts soon!

Tutorial — Apple Printed Lunch Sack from Old Jeans

We are still finding new uses for that box of old jeans from my dad. They make great drawstring lunch sacks! My sewing machine is by no means heavy-duty, but it didn’t have any problems sewing through two layers of denim. To make your own lunch sack from an old pair of jeans, cut off […]

Marbled Sunset Painting

While the sun was setting behind us, I thought Emily would like to paint a picture of a sunset. I wanted to use a technique that would be easy for her, but give great results. This one was a hit! To make your own marbled sunset painting, you will need: shaving cream (very inexpensive, make […]

Finger Painting Fun in the Sun, Sun, Sun

Just a quick reminder, today is the last day to sign up for our free online sewing workshop Sewing in Baby Steps. Today, we celebrated one of the last few days of Summer by finger painting Sun pictures! This was a particularly messy project, but a really fun one that both my girls really enjoyed! […]

Sunday Snapshot — Fueling Emily’s Obsession with China

Bacon Bowls — Hey, there is something green in my bacon!

If there is one thing our entire family can agree on, it’s our love of BACON! In fact, bacon played a crucial role during the courting phase of my relationship with Mark. At the time, I was a strict vegetarian, but I kept packages of bacon in the fridge of my dorm room as “Mark […]

Poor Man’s Planetarium

It was a cloudy, wet, and rainy evening here. That didn’t stop us from doing a little star gazing! The stars were so close… we could almost reach up and touch them! Coming up… more fun reviews/giveaways from our new sponsors, including some delightful pretend play toys from www.AllChildrensFurniture.com. Their website features fabulous children’s bedding, […]

Sewing in Baby Steps … the Workbook!

If you always wanted to learn how to sew, but were too afraid or intimidated, this is the workshop for you. The Sewing in Baby Steps workbook is designed to teach you how to sew one baby step at a time. The workbook is divided into 13 days. Each day contains a short baby step […]

Sponsor Giveaway — UPrinting.com 500 Business Cards

It seems as though every time I prepare a craft segment for The 10! Show, show up at a MOMS® Club meeting, or just take the kids to the playground, someone will ask for my business card. “Umm… I don’t have one. Do you… have…. a sheet of paper..???” Talk about major embarrassment! Fortunately, UPrinting.com […]

Pillowcase Pajama Pants

Emily loves that her new pajama pants are so soft and comfy, since I made them from an old pillowcase. I used a technique very similar to the one found in The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule. These were made in just a few minutes! By using the existing hem on the pillowcase, I […]