We did a bit of tidying up that involved several trips up and down the stairs. So we installed an elevator in our foyer! Problem solved! Added bonus — the buttons on the inside of the elevator helped with Clara’s number recognition. Suddenly, I had no shortage of helpers to make the trips up and […]
Nature Study Kit from Recyclables
July 26, 2010 by
This afternoon the girls and I went around the house collecting recyclables and put together a Nature Study Kit to enjoy some educational outdoor fun! There were lots of interesting containers to collect specimens — a baby food jar, a tea tin, a mint tin, and a leftover mesh bag from a sack of lemons. […]
Jumping Bean Races
July 23, 2010 by
The girls and I made Jumping Beans this afternoon, and then had lots of fun racing them! They loved it!! Print out the template onto heavy cardstock paper. We used the print-out template found at Having Fun at Home, and it worked beautifully! The girls enjoyed decorating their jumping beans…. They used lots of color! I […]
Quick Craft — Colorful Window Display
July 20, 2010 by
I thought our front door needed a bit more….. color. So we broke out the paints and markers….. ….. and spent a good part of the afternoon covering inexpensive coffee filters with bright sweeps of color! If you’re in need of some stress relief, I highly recommend doing this — so relaxing! There were lots […]
Painted Orange Slices
July 5, 2010 by
The girls loved painting these cute orange slices, and they were so simple to make! Just cut a paper plate in half, and use some masking tape to mark off the segments of the orange. Invite the kiddos over to paint!! Emily will take any excuse to paint, plus her favorite color is orange, so […]
Quick Craft — Tie Dyed Sunshine Ornaments
July 3, 2010 by
You won’t believe how quick, easy and frugal this project is!! For a crafty fun time, fold a coffee filter in half 3 times, and cut the outer edge as shown. Open up the coffee filter to make a sun, and invite the kiddos over to paint with yellow, orange, and pink/red water colors on […]
Ladybug Cuteness
May 12, 2010 by
This fun ladybug picture was inspired by a recent ladybug sighting at the playground a few days ago. In our household, we are all about celebrating the little things in life! The best part — this project is very low cost!! Did you know that Home Depot has paint chips in the shape of leaves? […]
Quick Craft — Piñata Suncatchers
May 4, 2010 by
It’s almost time for Cinco de Mayo — one of my favorite holidays! I love the food, the music, and all the bright beautiful colors! We made fun pinata suncatchers today to make our kitchen look a little more festive. I drew an outline of a donkey onto some construction paper, and Emily cut out […]
Easy Hyacinth Paintings
April 13, 2010 by
The hyacinths are in full bloom at our house, and to celebrate, the girls made these fun paintings using a cork as a stamp! I drew the stem and leaves, and the girls dipped the cork in some pink paint and stamped away! This project combined two of their favorite activities — painting and stamping! […]
Quick Craft — Spring Tree Sculpture
March 18, 2010 by
It happened right before my very eyes — Emily turned 6 years old!!! We had a fun time at the zoo, and went out for lunch to celebrate. When we got home, Clara crashed for a nap, so Emily and I snuck in this super-quick Spring craft project. For this Spring tree sculpture, make a […]
Easy Super-Cute Penguin Prints
January 21, 2010 by
Emily thought these penguin prints were so much fun to make! She wants to make a girly penguin so this handsome guy can have some company. To make your own penguin prints, you will need some paint, construction paper, glue, and some googly eyes. You may want to have some baby wipes on-hand. Begin by […]
Low-Mess Mittens Painting
January 20, 2010 by
Clara and Emily loved painting these mitten pictures, and there was very little mess involved! The secret is to use bleeding art tissue, which is available at any art supply store and is very inexpensive. I cut out some mitten shapes from the bleeding art tissue paper and arranged them on top of some very […]
Peace Dove Handprints
January 18, 2010 by
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we made peace doves using hand prints! This was a quick and fun craft, and it introduced the dove as a symbol of peace. To make your own peace dove handprint, you will need: white paint, orange and blue construction paper, glue, and a paint brush. Oh […]
Easy Snowflake Suncatchers
January 8, 2010 by
Both of the girls are so proud of how their beautiful stained glass snowflakes turned out, and they were so easy (and frugal) to make! Clara was delighted to have a go at this craft, and gave a huge smile when she saw her finished work on display in the window. Using a snowflake-shaped cookie […]
Handmade Holidays — Easy Felted Ornaments
December 3, 2009 by
We spent some time with our sleeves rolled up and our hands in very warm soapy water to make these beautiful felted ornaments. I found the process to be calming, and we were both quite pleased with the results! To make your own felted ornaments, you will need some wool roving and a dish of […]
Intro to Our Inspiration Wire
November 13, 2009 by
This afternoon was spent browsing through magazines and websites. There was a lot of clipping and printing of photos… …and Emily learned all about the word “inspiration” and what it means to be inspired. One small problem — she kept calling me over to say that this photo really “expired” her. Which… is not exactly […]
Super Easy Marshmallow Pumpkins
October 30, 2009 by
Emily and I did some Halloween “baking” this afternoon. She thought these marshmallow pumpkins were the coolest thing, and they were super-easy to make. Each marshmallow makes two pumpkins. Very frugal! She made these with very little help from me whatsoever. For a slightly healthier option, try slices of banana instead of marshmallows. I say, […]
Beautiful Autumn Leaf Garland
October 26, 2009 by
We thought the dining room (aka sewing studio) could use some decorating this season, so Emily gathered up some leaves earlier in the day and we got to work on this beautiful garland for some late night crafting. Emily had been begging me to do the waxed paper leaf collage for a long time, but […]
