5 Kids Activities Books Every Parent Should Own

These kids activities books are some of the very best to inspire lots of playtime fun! The titles listed below have a proven track record with my family, as they are some of the books we most often refer to for creative inspiration again and again. My kids love them, and so do I! Here […]

Rock Cactus Garden

This rock cactus garden project would be a lovely present for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, housewarming, or anytime you need a special handmade gift. They are simple, fun, and easy to make! This rock cactus garden would make a great table centerpiece indoors or outside. A series of these cactus gardens would also make a whimsical […]

Marble Nail Polish Craft

This marble nail polish craft would be a fun weekend project for older kids. These painted tile coasters would be lovely handmade gifts for Mother’s or Father’s Day. I love how each tile is unique! This marble nail polish craft is a great way to use up the last bits of leftover nail polishes you […]

Handmade Gift Kids Can Make

The kids are always looking for pretty gifts they can make for family or friends, and these hand-painted trivets are perfect (and useful) gifts. They are simple to make, and even the littlest artists can have fun with this easy project!! This is such a fun rainy day craft for kids, plus it’s a great […]

Happy Father’s Day!

Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope. – Bill Cosby My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, “You’re tearing up the grass.’” “We’re not raising grass,” Dad would reply. “We’re raising boys.” – Harmon Killebrew Happy is the father whose child […]

Father’s Day Gift Kids Can Make — BBQ Sauce

Looking for an easy Father’s Day gift idea that the kids can make?? The girls and I have been hard at work making and canning batches of homemade BBQ sauce for a gift to Mark this Father’s Day! ((Shhhhhhh… it’s a surprise!)) Mark loves to cook on the grill. I’m pretty sure this is because […]

Photo Shoots on the Cheap

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

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

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 […]

Father’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make — Circuit Board Pencil Holder

This was a fun stamping project Clara enjoyed, and we made a Father’s Day gift from it as well! We used some Mega blocks as stampers with white paint on green paper (to mimic the look of a circuit board). She had so much fun!! Stamp, stamp, stamp!! I cut up some pieces of masking […]

Father’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make — Fish Magnets

For some reason, I tend to associate fish with dads. I think it’s because of Mark’s fish tank, and also my own father’s love of fishing. Emily and I had so much fun with this simple and frugal project — fish magnets! They are made using handles of old paintbrushes. In mind was this cute […]

Father’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make — Fish Card

This Father’s Day card was inspired by Mark’s fish tank! To make your own, fold a sheet of construction paper in half as shown. I cut some blue construction paper and made waves for water on the top edge. Emily used some masking tape to adhere it to the paper. Lookin’ good! Next, we used […]

Father’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make — Colorful Coaster Set

Emily and I had a great time making these colorful coasters for a Father’s Day gift for Mark — and they are super-frugal to make!! We used plain bathroom tiles from the hardware store, some Mod Podge, and tissue paper to make the set. I found the tiles at Home Depot for just $0.16 each, […]

Happy Father’s Day!

I was a little late in posting about this Father’s Day craft because Mark sometimes reads this blog (or at least pretends to) and I did not want to spoil the surprise! Emily used this stamp set by Melissa and Doug, some construction paper, a little glue, and some shiny star stickers to make this […]

Fabulous Keychains Your Kids Can Make

Tucked in among our craft supplies, I found some keychains I had ordered a long time ago from Oriental Trading Company. They weren’t much to look at, but they had little photo frames in them, and the kids could paint the frames. These would be okay for keeping the kiddos occupied, but personally I wouldn’t […]