5 Tips for Hosting a Pumpkin Painting Party

Every year (but one) for the past five years we have held a Paint your own Pumpkin Party.  It’s a fun, non-birthday, reason for us to gather together with our friends during our favorite season.  We hold the party outside and enjoy the crunch of leaves under our feet and the cool autumn breezes.  It’s […]

DIY Flip Flop Craft

My kids loved their teachers this year so we wanted to give them a special homemade gift at the end of the school year.   We decided to give them a summer fun themed gift and made a DIY flip flops craft with materials we found at the Dollar Store! Homemade Flip Flop Gift: flip […]

Homemade Gift: Rainbow Window Clings

Spring means rainbows–bright and cheery rainbows! We thought that homemade rainbow window clings would be the perfect gift to make someone smile this spring. Homemade Rainbow Window Clings:  puffy fabric paint in rainbow colors tin foil a window that needs some fun! Window clings are easy to make!  All you need to do is draw […]

Stamped Polymer Clay Hearts

Christmas is behind us and February is quickly approaching, which, of course, means the next holiday… Valentine’s Day!  Valentine’s Day happens to fall directly between my birthday and my daughter’s birthday.  Needless to say, February is a busy month for us (don’t forget Groundhog’s Day)!  But, despite the busyness we always enjoy making a little something […]

Handmade Necklace Gift Kids Can Make

We love taking the time to make homemade gifts for the special people in our lives.  My kids especially enjoy crafting presents for their teachers and grandparents which is why they had so much fun making these DIY shrink film necklaces! Shrinky Dink Necklace Supplies: white shrink film paper permanent markers ribbon  We used the Graphix […]

Homemade Gifts for Mother’s Day: Washi Tape Vase

Homemade gifts are perfect for Mother’s Day.  Moms love to get crafts and cards that their kids have made so this washi tape vase kids craft is sure to be a hit! Making a washi tape vase from a Mason jar or jelly jar is so simple that even toddlers can do it with help!  […]

St. Patrick’s Day Crafts for Kids

St. Patrick’s Day Crafts for Kids Here are ten simple and easy St. Patrick’s Day crafts for kids, using items you probably already have on-hand! 1. Colored Cereal Rainbow Necklace — Practice patterning, color recognition, and fine-motor skills with this simple activity using colored cereal. 2. Leprechaun Trap — Decorate your house as a “leprechaun […]

Crafts and Activities to Celebrate Friendship

If you’re wondering what to do with the kids, here are 10 inspiring ideas to keep them entertained while teaching them about friendship. Added bonus — the month of February happens to be National Friendship Month, so you have the perfect (and timely) excuse to be crafty and kind! Many of these activities serve two […]

Love Painting for Kids

Do you have watercolor paints and masking tape on-hand? Here’s a quick and easy kid-friendly painting project with stunning results — just in time for Valentine’s Day! To make your own “LOVE” painting, use masking tape to spell out the word LOVE on heavy watercolor paper. Tip — use a craft stick or the back […]

Sun Ornament Craft

Are you craving the return of the sun and longer days? This sun ornament craft from Inner Child Fun is a great way to bring a little more sunshine into your home. It’s also a fantastic boredom buster activity with a beautiful end product!  Can’t see this video? You can view it here. What are […]

5 Biggest Obstacles to Crafting with Kids

The 5 Biggest Obstacles to Crafting with Kids (and how to overcome them) If you ever experience problems while crafting with your kids, you’re not alone. While crafting with my own kids, writing crafts for this blog and designing crafts for children’s magazines over the years, I have come across many issues. Thankfully, most of […]

Make Your Own Paint!

Kids Craft: Make your own paint using eggs and chalk with the help of this guest post from the lovely Rachel of KidsActivitiesBlog.com (Thank you, Rachel!) If you haven’t already seen her site, it is loaded with plenty of inspiring crafts and activities for kids! Yup. Raw egg and the leftover bits from your chalk […]

DIY School Supplies: Apple Printed Lunch Bags

Doing art on lunch bags is a festive way to dress up an ordinary bagged lunch, and it’s also a great way to keep the kids busy! I love how something so simple can let the kids have an active role in preparing their own school supplies while proudly showing their teachers & friends some […]

Easy 4th of July Windsock Craft

I’m guest posting for my friends at Melissa & Doug with an easy craft for kids as part of Week 5 of Camp Sunny Patch. You can see how we made patriotic windsocks to either display proudly in your home, or if your kids are like mine, run around with them like crazy monkeys! And […]

10 Creative Label Crafts for Kids

Do you have color-coding labels?? Here are some crafts for the kids to enjoy! Added bonus — no mess! Gumball Machine Birds on a Wire Modern Wall Art Ladybug Cuteness Summer Party Invites Birthday Card Pretty Peacock Pictures Sweets for Your Sweetie Christmas Tree Craft Spooky Spider Suncatchers   I love the colorful look of […]

Kid-Made Patriotic Note Cards

I’m guest posting for my friends at Melissa & Doug today — come see how Clara and I made Patriotic Note Cards (while sneaking in some learning fun too)! Wishing you and your lovely family a wonderful holiday weekend!!

Guest Post by Mark – Hand Painted Cards

Mark here (Val’s husband). The girls wanted to surprise Val with some handmade cards for Mother’s Day, and they were so pleased with how these turned out, that they couldn’t resist giving them to her a bit early. Val loved them so much, that she later sat down to paint more cards together with the […]