There has been a LOT of holiday-making at our house lately — very exciting!! Now that Emily has one of her surprise gifts ready for Clara, I thought it would be fun to help Clara create a fun surprise gift of her own to give to her big sister. We had lots of fun sneakily crafting […]
Pretend Sweets Made with Sponges!
November 9, 2011 by
Recently, Emily and I made a bunch of pretend play sweets from dollar store sponges for her little sister’s holiday gifts. They were great fun, super frugal, AND very easy to make!! Emily cannot wait to gift these to Clara as part of her Christmas gift, and I love how pretend play food can lead […]
Take the North “Poll” and Save 25% at MelissaAndDoug.com
November 6, 2011 by
Every person who votes will automatically be entered to WIN the toy she voted for as her favorite!!! On 11/21/11 Melissa & Doug will randomly choose 1 winner from all voters who came from this blog. Only 1 entry per voter allowed. ENTER NOW BY TAKING THE NORTH “POLL” Update: This giveaway is now closed. […]
DIY Paint with Water Pages
October 20, 2011 by
Remember those “paint with water” books from when you were the kid?? Weren’t they the best? We had lots of fun with a set of watercolor pencils this afternoon, and Clara loved making her own “paint with water” pages!! If you don’t already have a set of watercolor pencils, Crayola makes a good set, and we […]
30+ DIY Halloween Treats
October 14, 2011 by
Looking for some tasty Halloween treats to make?? There are more than 30 favorites from around the web on our Halloween Treats Pinterest board, and I’m adding more all the time! Here’s a little sneak peek of just some of the goodies you’ll find there…. Halloween Treats I especially love the mini pumpkins (above) made with […]
Quick Craft — Halloween Photo Frames
October 13, 2011 by
Clara and I had lots of fun crafting these festive photo frames for Halloween, and we cannot wait to mail them off to faraway family and friends! It was a super-quick project that she could do with very little help from me. For the spider design, I cut the frame from a sheet of thick […]
Nature Inspired Wrapping Paper
September 29, 2011 by
The beginning of Autumn also happens to be the start of the “birthday season” for our little family, so we continued with our frugal and FUN Fall wrapping paper tradition! Emily gathered several leaves from the yard — lots of different sizes and shapes for variety! We used masking tape to secure them to a […]
Reason #1,438 Why Mark is Awesome
August 2, 2011 by
We were blessed with our first RED tomato… and there was much rejoicing!!! This was quickly followed by many, many, many, MANY more tomatoes — hundreds of them! Know why my hubby’s awesome?? He totally made several jars of homemade sauce! Also?? He canned them, so we can save them to enjoy well into Winter!! […]
My Secret Surprise Art Project
July 31, 2011 by
A few days ago, I took the girls on a fun trip to do some nature drawing, and Emily drew this lovely seasonal tree drawing (along with big plans to repeat the same tree drawing in Fall, Winter, and Spring). What she didn’t know was that for the last couple of nights, I have been […]
Photo Shoots on the Cheap
June 15, 2011 by
Please give a warm welcome to our newest sponsor, Kodak! From now until June 19th, visit a local Kodak Kiosk near you for a special BOGO deal on their 8″ x 10″ photo books — get two photo books for the price of one. These make great personalized gifts for dads or grandfathers this Father’s […]
Father’s Day Gift — Daddy’s Car Wash Kit
June 13, 2011 by
Our girls love to help wash the cars, so for Father’s Day I thought Mark would like to have a special car wash kit to have on-hand to keep all his supplies together in one spot! This way he won’t be wasting time trying to find all the supplies that are “somewhere out there in […]
Father’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make
May 16, 2011 by
Want to get a head start on some Father’s Day gifts?? We’ll be posting lots more gift ideas for Dad in the days ahead, but here are some fun projects from our archives that the kids can make to give to Dad on his special day. Get out some old Legos and let the kids […]
Last Minute Mother’s Day Gifts Galore
May 6, 2011 by
Need a last minute Mother’s Day gift that won’t break the bank?? Here are some fun projects the kiddos can make just in time for Sunday! If Mom enjoys tea 1. She must have awesome taste because everyone knows tea is supreme!! and 2. Invite the kids to make up a quick batch of heart […]
Mother’s Day “Frank Lloyd Wright” Votive Holders
May 2, 2011 by
I invited Clara to join me with a fun lantern project inspired by the art of Frank Lloyd Wright! These colorful votive holders were fun & easy to make — they would be perfect Mother’s Day gifts!! We cut up pieces of colorful tissue paper into 1 inch squares, and Clara attached them to the […]
Marbled Paper Journals
April 25, 2011 by
After our amazing encounter with the peacocks at the zoo, we were inspired to make some art!! Lots of marbled paper was made using this technique with beautiful peacock hues of tropical blue, cobalt blue, and apple green — so much fun!! What I love about this project is that each print is so unique — no […]
Mini Crayon Wallet
April 11, 2011 by
These mini wallet purses are super-frugal and lots of fun to make! Added bonus — no sewing is involved!! They are the perfect size for a few crayons, small toys, coins, or other tiny treasures. To make your own, you will need one 5″ x 7″ piece of craft foam, colored duct tape, ribbon, and […]
Quick Craft — Easy Easter Card
April 8, 2011 by
I wish I could take credit for this craft, but it was totally Mark’s idea. Have I mentioned how awesome he is?? Yay for awesome husbands!!! Clara and I had lots of fun making these colorful Easter cards this morning! We used our favorite washable ink pad from Melissa & Doug — vibrant colors with […]
Spring Chick Card
April 4, 2011 by
There is so much Spring crafting going on at this house, and we are anxiously awaiting warmer weather! When Emily saw Clara’s cloud painting, she instantly wanted to do a painting project with the shower poof as well. I don’t blame her — they are such fun painting tools! We used a sheet of green […]
