When I set out to do this project, I thought it would take me about a month to complete, or at the very least, a few weeks. I was wrong! Thanks to this wonderful (and free!) tutorial over at UK Lass in the US, I had almost the entire doll house complete before the girls […]
Macho Manly Man Pocket Hand Warmers for Men
November 7, 2009 by
This little project combined two activities Emily has asked if we could do recently, but I had to give the “yes, we will do that later” answer. A good tip — Keep a list of requests your child makes to be done “later”. When boredom starts to creep in, break out the list! In this […]
Stunning Winter Tree Silhouette
November 3, 2009 by
We noticed many of our trees have lost almost all of their leaves, so we were inspired to create something special. With very little help from me, Emily was able to paint this silhouette with beautiful results! To make your own, all you will need is a little masking tape, paper, and some watercolor paint! […]
This Bakery is for the Birds
November 2, 2009 by
We thought the birds could use a little love this time of year, so we made a fresh batch of bird seed cookies! While we were “baking” these, we could hear birds chirping loudly outside our kitchen window. Emily kept telling them to be patient! First, Emily traced a heart shaped cookie cutter onto corrugated […]
Five Little Bats Finger Puppet Playset
October 28, 2009 by
Here’s a fun Halloween craft for preschoolers to foster plenty of learning fun. This Five Little Bats Finger Puppet Playset is a festive way for kids to work on counting and number recognition! The bat finger puppets are quick and easy to make. The kids may want to perform their own creative puppet shows too! […]
Last-Minute Goody Bags from an Envelope
October 27, 2009 by
Emily asked if we could make some special Halloween goody bags to give out to her friends, but I am too lazy (and far too frugal) to go to the store and spend money on goody bags. In the end, she liked these handmade ones so much better! I think they would be perfect for […]
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 […]
DIY: On-the-Go Snack Cup from a Sheet of Paper
October 25, 2009 by
The girls started to get a bit hungry on the way back from visiting with Grandma and Papock. We stopped at a rest stop, and realized we had snacks, but no cups or bowls to serve them in. The solution? Mark’s origami skills and a sheet of paper! You won’t believe how quick and easy […]
Tiny Pumpkin Patch Playset — Cuteness Overload!!
October 17, 2009 by
We had so much fun creating this tiny pumpkin patch playset for our little friends (in this case, Calico Critters). Emily has been busy helping me make this, and then playing with it all day! First, we made tiny pumpkin seed packets with some paper and flax seeds. Dog got to work planting the pumpkins […]
Brighten Your Day with a Flower Crown
October 16, 2009 by
We were missing the flowers from Spring, but that didn’t keep us from making our own flower crowns! Just seeing all these beautiful colors was enough to brighten our otherwise rainy day. For instructions on how to make tissue paper flowers, click here!
Tutorial — Princess and the Pea Playset
October 13, 2009 by
Am I the only one who has craft fantasies? Not so much while I’m crafting, but after the craft has been made. I know, it’s weird, right? I noticed it after the crayon wallets were made, and the fantasy went something like this… We’re seated at a restaurant waiting for our food, and Emily pulls […]
400th Post — Fall Leaf Coasters
October 12, 2009 by
We made these beautiful Fall leaf coasters this afternoon, but first I wanted to tell you about this cute jumper I finished for Emily this morning. I started this dress late last night, and was almost finished with it, but my machine started to act up, (or maybe I was just getting too tired, but […]
Coffee Cozy from an Old Sweater
October 8, 2009 by
Here’s another cute gift idea that is super-frugal and extremely cute — handmade coffee cozies! Isn’t it adorable? It’s reusable, eco-friendly, and it keeps your drink warm too. You won’t believe how quick and easy this project is. First, find an old wool sweater and put it in the washing machine using hot water, then […]
Pumpkin Printed Halloween Treat Bags
October 1, 2009 by
Today’s project was inspired by Lisa Anne from Smell the Coffee, Lisa! She recently featured a great Halloween Spooktacular post with all sorts of neat crafty ideas. Lisa Anne plans to sew Halloween treat bags this year, and I thought that was a terrific idea, so we made our own too. I made a very […]
Sewing in Baby Steps… an Update!
September 29, 2009 by
Sorry, the free daily emailed version of this workshop is no longer available. You can still, however, download the entire workshop in a Workbook format here for $5.95. The first session of the Sewing in Baby Steps Workshop received such great feedback, but so many of you wanted to join in and missed the registration […]
Eliminate Plastic Bag Clutter with this Easy Craft
September 26, 2009 by
We recently borrowed Ed Emberley’s Picture Pie (Ed Emberley Drawing Books) from our local public library, and it inspired this quick project for a plastic bag organizer that uses an empty tissue box! We used a large circle cutter to cut all the pieces quickly and easily. Then Emily chose a design from the book […]
How to Make Tissue Paper Flowers
September 25, 2009 by
We make tissue paper flowers on a regular basis in our household, and I’ve blogged about them before here and here. We have even been known to make spontaneous deliveries of these to our local assisted living center! During the Fall and Winter months, they can be a nice reminder of warmer weather, and they […]
Spooky Spider-Printed Pumpkins
September 21, 2009 by
The only one who’s crazy about carving pumpkins in our household is Mark. Emily and I would prefer to paint on ours, thank you very much. These spider-printed pumpkins were fun and easy to make! Keep some baby wipes on-hand to keep the mess to a minimum. To make your own spider-printed pumpkins, you will […]
