It’s time for another super-FUN giveaway, this time from our generous sponsor CSN Stores! CSN Stores is made up of over 200 online shops, where you can find products ranging from toys and games, to patio furniture, to baby cribs. Their customer service is well-known for going above and beyond the call of duty. For […]
Mother’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make — Hand Painted Pendants
April 15, 2010 by
I thought it would be fun to do a little series on frugal Mother’s Day gifts kids can make, so all you Dads out there… pay attention! (hint, hint) We enjoyed some warm sunshine this afternoon along with some messy art to make these BEAUTIFUL hand-painted pendants! You can find large washers like these at […]
Beautiful Custom Jewelry Giveaway from Lisa Leonard Designs
March 10, 2010 by
[Update: And the winner is… Jody from Mommy Moment! Congratulations!! Thanks to everyone for entering this fun giveaway! ] It’s time for another fun giveaway — this one from the lovely and super-talented Lisa Leonard from Lisa Leonard Designs! If you have not seen her beautiful custom jewelry before, it is amazing! Each piece is […]
Cheap Thrills — Tea Time Edition
February 27, 2010 by
For a fun time, take photos of your child (or yourself) jumping around. Print out the photos, cut them out, and attach to the end of the string of a tea bag. They make fabulous tea tags!! Lucky for us, we have plenty of aforementioned photos, since Emily is constantly in motion! In mind were […]
Kid-Made Stuffed Toys
January 25, 2010 by
I helped Emily make this cute stuffed robot toy this afternoon, and if you have some fabric scraps, stuffing, and a some fabric markers, you can make your own stuffed toy using this technique too! Emily was so proud to have made this toy, and plans are in the works for a home for our […]
Sunday Snapshot — All Dressed Up (Sort of)
December 27, 2009 by
Almost a year ago, I had found these beautiful holiday dresses for both of the girls at our local thrift store. The girls wore them to my parents’ house for Christmas dinner, until my brother gifted Clara with an adorable monkey bathrobe and sock-monkey slippers. She LOVES them. The minute she saw them, she made […]
Handmade Holidays — Scented Bath Salts
December 20, 2009 by
It’s not too late to make some last-minute handmade gifts for that special someone on your list who is in need of a little pampering… (hint, hint). Mark and Emily whipped up a batch of lavender scented bath salts and it only took a few minutes! To make your own scented bath salts, you will […]
Gifts Kids Can Make — Chocolate Nut Bark
December 18, 2009 by
I found this recipe for Chocolate Nut Bark in an issue of Real Simple magazine, and it’s so simple and easy — a five year old can do it (with a bit of supervision). That’s my kind of “baking”! To make your own, you will need: one 12 oz bag of semi sweet chocolate chips […]
Gifts Kids Can Make — Chocolate Covered Pretzels
December 15, 2009 by
The girls and I did some holiday “baking” this afternoon. These chocolate covered pretzels were so much fun to make! We made several bags of them for neighbors, friends, and family. To make your own, you will need: One 12oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 Tbsp. shortening Pretzel Rods Melt shortening and some of […]
HELP! Advice Needed — Gift Ideas Kids Can Make
December 12, 2009 by
A few days ago, I received the following email from Sherry at A Little Fun with Me and Lu. I know Sherry is not alone in this dilemma, so I thought I would share her email with all of you, and together maybe we can come up with some options for the rest of us […]
Handmade Holidays — Stamped Gift Bags
December 7, 2009 by
After yesterday’s drive through the neighborhood, we were inspired to make these gift bags with printed holiday lights on them. We used brown paper lunch bags, and we found that they are the perfect size for holding small mason jars of homemade peppermint hot cocoa mix! First, cut a potato into the shape of a […]
The Ritual of Tea — Plus, a Giveaway!
December 2, 2009 by
It’s no secret that I have a deep love for tea (as mentioned here, here, and…. oh yes here). Tea has played a crucial role in my life since childhood. One of the first things I would do when I came home from school was heat up water for tea. My mom and I used […]
Handmade Holidays — Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix
November 30, 2009 by
Hot cocoa is a real treat in our household, and I’ve found that it is so simple and easy to make your own mix! Plus, Emily thinks this is a super-fun activity! We went the all organic route, but you certainly don’t have to. To make your own peppermint hot cocoa mix, you will need: […]
Handmade Holidays — Meet Rose!
November 18, 2009 by
As promised in yesterday’s post, here’s what we’ve been working on…. a doll made from felt! This handsewn doll became an instant treasure, and Emily has named her Rose. Rose was easy to make, though she did take a few days to complete. I made two dresses (one red, one blue), and Emily loves to […]
Crafty Sneak Peek
November 17, 2009 by
A little peek at what we’re working on for tomorrow…. Emily is about to burst with anticipation! It does not involve a sewing machine, but it does involve a pattern that is free for download. Fun!!
Handmade Holidays — Postcard Gift Sets
November 16, 2009 by
Whenever Mark’s sister (Julia) travels, she manages to slip a postcard in the mail for Emily. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but my sister-in-law rocks! Emily is always so happy to get mail, and loves to see the beautiful photos of where Aunt Julia mailed the postcard from — Japan, Germany, Taiwan, […]
Handmade Holidays — Fabric Dollhouse
November 9, 2009 by
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 […]
