Handmade Holidays — Snowflake Notecard Mailers

This beautiful post on A Creative Mint had me thinking about rich shades of purple, lavender, linen, and white. It reminded me of this pad of 50 sheets of cardstock I had picked up on clearance at JoAnn’s ($3.17) a long time ago. We put it to good use today! First, I cut each 8 […]

Handmade Holidays — Meet Rose!

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 […]

Handmade Holidays — Dolly & Me Lounge Pants

I had purchased one yard of pretty flannel fabric at JoAnn back when it was on sale, with the intention of sewing some cozy lounge pants for Emily. When the pants were done, I had just enough fabric leftover for a fun pair of matching pants for Dolly. Emily was so happy with these! Dolly […]

You can’t catch me!

All four of us enjoyed some late night baking this evening. We made gingerbread cookies! This is an activity Emily has been begging me to do for ages, but I’m not much of a baker. At all. Clearly, it was time to call in reinforcements! Hey, I know my limits. First, find the perfect cookie […]

Handmade Holidays — Fabric Dollhouse

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 […]

Thrift Store Finds — Woo Hoo!

I have been on the look-out for next year’s holiday dresses for the girls, and at the thrift store today I found these gorgeous dresses (in next year’s sizes)!  Aren’t they beautiful? Emily’s cost just $4.99!  Clara’s was $3.99, but they had a sale for 50% off all blue tagged merchandize, making this cute dress […]

The Art of Re-Gifting

Re-gifting is an art. If done improperly, it is considered tacky and rude. If done properly, however, your friends will still like you and your resourcefulness will be admired. Here are some things to keep in mind when re-gifting: The recipient — Obviously the recipient should be your main concern whether you are gifting or […]

Preparing for Next Christmas

Now all the presents are unwrapped, and the holiday rush is just starting to settle down. I was tempted to just relax at home and enjoy time with the family, but the truth is now is the best time to score some awesome holiday deals at after-Christmas sales and start planning a holiday fund for […]

7 Best Buys for After Christmas Sales

Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday and best wishes for the New Year! Tomorrow’s after Christmas sales could help save your family a lot of money for next year. Here is a quick list of best buys for after Christmas sales: Holiday Wrapping Paper, Gift Bags, and Gift Boxes — If you have the storage for […]

Frugal INSTANT Gift Ideas

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, so I thought it would be a great time to share some fabulous frugal gifts you can have instantly.  It is amazing what a computer with internet access can provide.  Isn’t technology wonderful?   Here are some frugal instant gift ideas: Magazine Subscription — Magazines.com  has subscriptions that start at just […]

Frugal Family Activity — Go Caroling!

Christmas is almost here and it is the perfect time of year to go caroling with friends, family, and neighbors.  If you are like me, that sounds fine and dandy, until you realize you might not know all the words to some of the classic Christmas carols!  Don’t worry, to help you avoid any embarrassment, […]

17 Frugal Gift Ideas — Week in Review

Here is a quick review of the Frugal Holiday series posted here at Frugal Family Fun Blog: Learn to Knit Easy, Homemade Holiday Food Gifts Jar Mix Recipes Homemade Bath Salts Green Gifts for FREE Hand-painted Block Print Kitchen Towels Festive Winter Journals Chocolate Covered Pretzels Chili Mix in a Jar Bird Watching Kit Hand […]

Frugal Fun — Lehigh Valley

A few weeks ago, I published a post entitled Frugal Indoor Activities in the Lehigh Valley.  However, I had completely forgotten about Lights in the Parkway!  Our family piled into the car last night and enjoyed this great display of holiday lights. Lights in the Parkway runs from now until January 4th, 5:30pm-10pm and is […]

Frugal Gift Idea — Pretend Play Sets

Out of all of the games and toys Emily has, she seems to enjoy playing pretend the most.  I try to encourage this as much as possible because pretend play is one of the most beneficial types of play for a child’s development.  Child psychologists claim pretend play helps increase creativity, memory, fine motor skills, and […]

Frugal Last Minute Gift Idea for Kids — Doorway Puppet Theatre

Emily seemed to enjoy this frugal activity the most of all the gift ideas I have covered this week!  Today’s project is a Doorway Puppet Theatre, and she played with it all afternoon, so I am very excited to share this with you!   To make your own doorway puppet theatre, you will need: 3 […]

Frugal Last Minute Gift Idea for Kids — Make Your Own Gingerbread House Kit

As mentioned earlier this week, kids love to make their own creations.  Today’s project is a Make Your Own Gingerbread House Kit.  These are simple and easy to make, and they taste delicious!  Using these clever shortcuts, you can have a beautiful gingerbread house put together in minutes.   To make your gingerbread house kit, […]

Frugal Last Minute Gift Idea for Kids — Make Your Own Cinnamon Ornaments Kit

Today’s frugal last minute gift idea for kids is a Make Your Own Cinnamon Ornaments Kit!  Kids love to make their own creations, and this is a great way to get them actively involved in decorating the tree.  The ornaments have the added benefit of acting as air-fresheners and will keep their fragrance for up […]

Frugal Last Minute Gift Idea for Kids — Homework Organizer

Today’s frugal last minute gift idea is a homework organizer made from an empty granola bar box, and some empty baby formula tins!  This is a great gift for school-aged kids, and will help to keep them organized too!   To make these fabulous desk organizers, you will need: empty boxes (cereal boxes, granola bar […]