Search Results for: recycling

Around the Web — Displaying Kids’ Art

It’s no secret that I am a BIG proponent of displaying kids’ artwork in the home. Not only does it send the message that you value their work, but it is also super-cheap & stylish decor! Added bonus — GREAT conversation pieces, AND seeing kids art on display always makes people smile!! Our home has LOTS of […]

Frugal Teaching Aids

Often times the most effective teaching aids can be the simplest ones. Here are some of our favorites! Added bonus — the kiddos had an active role in making them from very frugal materials!! The cost of workbooks can add up, especially for large families. Here’s an easy tip to reuse workbooks! Encourage early handwriting […]

Colorful Spring Branch Craft

The girls have been busy crafting up lots of Spring decorations for our home! This Spring branch craft is so bright and cheerful — I cannot wait to put it up on display in our foyer to welcome guests!! I drew some branches on a sheet of paper with a brown marker, then showed Clara […]

I’m Over at Stonyfield’s Blog!

Come visit me over at Stonyfield’s blog, where I did a fun guest post on showing how to create an Invention Kit! If you don’t already have an Invention Kit at your house, this is the perfect time of year to put one together for lots of creative fun during long Winter days. It is […]

Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #1

Happy New Year!! It’s time to feature the number 1 post on FFFB for 2010!! This one was such a hit that in a separate post, I just had to share a few of the other versions done by our wonderful readers! The number 1 post of 2010 is……… Owl Family Play Set!!!! If you […]

Owl Family Play Set

It is good to be home again, and we are back to our usual fun crafty selves! Before I left for NYC, I had left a few paper towel rolls on the kitchen counter to be used for a some upcoming craft projects. Turns out, a certain someone (aka Mark) got a little too trigger […]

Lemon Rubbings from Yogurt Lids

Do you follow FFFB on Twitter? If not, you should! The Stonyfield Blogger Barnstorming Tour is starting this weekend, and I’ll be tweeting and posting virtual postcards from the road. Thank you, thank you, thank you for voting for me! I wish I could give each of you a great big hug!! If it weren’t […]

Crafting with Recyclables – Design a Robot Kit

In honor of Earth Day, I thought we would do another fun craft with recyclables — a kit to design your own robot! Of course, we craft with recyclables year round, since it’s better for the environment, plus I consider them to be free art supplies. Emily has been on a robot kick lately, as […]

Frugal Family Craft Fail: This is awful, and you should feel bad for doing it

Mark here. With this project, Valerie and the girls were not repurposing all of my stuff but… Things don’t always go according to plan, even at the Frugal Family Fun house. Sometimes crafts don’t turn out like they were supposed to. You might call them “awful”, if you are being nice. Valerie and Emily were […]

Behold… the Power of Mod Podge!

Mod Podge is quickly becoming one of our favorite ways to re-use recyclables. You can find Mod Podge in the glue section of any craft store, and we have found that one bottle will go a long way. Isn’t it cute?? Emily wants to make another one to organize her paint brushes, colored pencils, crayons […]

10 Tips to Stretch Your Art Supplies

Over time, the cost of art supplies can really add up, and this is especially true for large families with many children. Here are some tips to help you stretch your existing art supplies, and find great alternative supplies from things you already have in your home: Paint — To stretch paint, combine 1 tablespoon […]

Jar Matching

It still amazes me how much of our inspiration comes from our recycling bin. For Emily, this is like an endless supply of free craft materials! For this matching activity, you will need jars of various sizes with different sized lids. We used jars from apple sauce, salsa, yeast, baby food, and artichoke hearts. Wash […]

$5 Friday — Bean Bag Toss

For $5 Friday, we made our own bean bag toss game and spent some time playing it outdoors. I indulged Emily’s love for outer space and made it a throw-the-star-into-the black-hole game.  To make your own, use a star-shaped cookie cutter for a pattern and trace onto pieces of felt. Cut out the shapes. Sew […]

Spring Storage Boxes

Looking for some great frugal storage solutions? You may be able to find just what you need by looking in your recycling bin! Emily needed some storage for her books on CD and other music CD’s. This little baby food box was sturdy and just the right size and shape. It was easy to spruce […]

What does frugal look like…

The question is — What does frugal look like in your life? Awhile back I did a post entitled Top 7 Things About Being Frugal, but I feel some very important elements were missing from that list. I thought now might be a good time to get a more detailed, closer look at some of […]

The Invention Kit

Several of the crafts Emily and I create are products of the Invention Kit.  We love recycling materials and finding new uses for things, so we set aside a separate box with things that might be useful for future projects.   Here are some of the things we keep in the Invention Kit: Egg Cartons […]