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. […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #3
December 30, 2010 by
We’re almost done counting down the top 10 posts of 2010! This next post was one of the girls’ favorite Winter activities, and we received so many emails (with photos) of kiddos (and some moms and dads too!!) around the world enjoying some active indoor fun. Coming in at number 3…. Indoor Ice Skating!! Be […]
Cheap Thrills — Indoor Blizzard!
December 20, 2010 by
For a fun time, create your own magical indoor blizzard!! ((Snowflakes cut from coffee filters.)) We had lots of FUN playing in the mountains of snow (pillows with a white comforter on top), and it was a great way for Clara to burn off some extra energy! Let it snow, let it snow, let it […]
Personalized Gifts Kids Can Make
December 18, 2010 by
Need a personalized, meaningful gift for that special someone on your holiday list? Here are some fun ideas for gifts the kiddos can make! These whimsical photo tea tags feature fun photos of the kids, and serve as a great reminder to “hang in there”. They make great gifts for any tea lover! (Mmmmm… tea!) […]
No Mess Candy Cane Ornaments
December 15, 2010 by
When Emily came home from school this afternoon, she asked if we could make some ornaments for the tree, and she didn’t have to twist my arm. These candy cane ornaments are so easy and so much fun to make! Added bonus — hardly any post-crafting clean up! Yay for no-mess crafts! We happened to […]
Candy Cane Painting
December 14, 2010 by
What’s even more fun than painting?? Painting in your pajamas!!! This candy cane painting is quite toddler friendly, and the kiddos get great results! I outlined a candy cane shape with a Sharpie on some thick card stock paper, and added some masking tape stripes. Once I invited Clara over to paint, the smiles were […]
Last Minute Holiday Gifts Kids Can Make
December 13, 2010 by
Emily helped demonstrate some frugal homemade gifts kids can make on The 10! Show this morning! We had so much fun crafting these quick and easy gifts with LuAnn! The kiddos love to help stir up homemade bath salts, and they make great gifts for teachers, neighbors, grandmas, or anyone else you know who could […]
Handmade Holiday Gifts for Tots
December 12, 2010 by
Looking for some handmade gift ideas for the special tots on your list? We’ve got you covered, and the best part is an older sibling can help put these gifts together too! You can order inexpensive unfinished wooden toys from the Etsy shop Clickity Clack. I highly recommend them — quick shipping and great customer […]
Rainbow Sprinkles from Highlights High Five
December 10, 2010 by
This little gem of a handmade gift idea comes from Highlights High Five magazine — rainbow sprinkles to use as a fun topping for yogurt or ice cream! As soon as Emily saw this craft featured in the December issue, she begged to make it! If you don’t already subscribe to Highlights High Five, I […]
Giveaway — Stonyfield Prize Pack
December 8, 2010 by
WE BAKED!! (…sort of.) Baking is not my thing. At all. Sewing? Yes. Cooking? You bet! Basket-weaving? Why not?? But baking?? That’s where I draw the line. Whenever I bake anything, it’s more of a threat than a blessing. Just ask Mark about Pumpkin Pie Failure 2004. It. Was. Awful. When Stonyfield asked me to […]
No Mess Christmas Tree Craft for Tots
December 6, 2010 by
Clara and I made a fun Christmas tree using a few office supplies, and the best part..? No clean up! (Yay for no-mess crafts!) They are quick and easy to make too! I cut two identical pine tree shapes out of colored card stock (I recycled a torn file folder), then invited Clara over to […]
Around the Web — Handmade Holiday Gifts for Baby
December 4, 2010 by
Now is the perfect time for some quick weekend sewing projects. Here are some frugal handmade gift ideas for the littlest ones on your holiday list! I used this free pattern from Stardust Shoes to make several pairs of cloth baby shoes as gifts, and it is one of my favorites! Aren’t they just the cutest?? […]
Pine Forest Playscape
December 3, 2010 by
Clara and I made a fun pine forest playscape using coffee filters, and it’s been a big hit for imaginative play over here! We painted a bunch of coffee filters in hues of yellow and green. I love how happy Clara gets when she realizes that we will be painting — what fun!! She painted […]
Crafts to Cure Cabin Fever
December 1, 2010 by
This morning I visited NBC’s studios in Philadelphia for a quick demo of some FUN Winter crafts using items most households already have on-hand — the perfect cure for cabin fever! Dawn and I had so much fun on The 10! Show, and we featured crafts for kids of all ages!! In case you missed […]
Dove Garland
November 30, 2010 by
Emily and I made a pretty dove garland, and it was made using our new favorite art supply — coffee filters! These were so much fun to make!! If you have some coffee filters on hand, you can download our template, and print it out on card stock, to make a dove garland of your own! […]
Winter Window Display
November 29, 2010 by
Are you busy decorating the house for the holidays?? We sure are!! The girls helped me decorate the front door for Winter over the weekend. It was a real group effort! Since painting inexpensive coffee filters is such a popular activity in this household, we decided to use that approach. Again. Speaking of coffee filters, over […]
Handmade Holiday Gift Guide — Manly Man Edition
November 28, 2010 by
The holidays are almost here!! Need some holiday gift ideas for the men in the family? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered — all in frugal style, of course. Get the kiddos involved for some crafting fun! Handmade Gifts for Him: Macho Manly Man Pocket Handwarmers for Men – Kids can help stuff these with […]
