This “sandpaper” letter set was made by Emily as a gift to her little sister — and Clara adores them! I have seen similar sets in pricey catalogs. We used 2″ felt alphabet stickers ($2.80) and 3″ wooden disks ($0.24 each x 26) from the craft store. For a grand total of just $9.04! Emily […]
Printable Bird House Play Set
January 10, 2011 by
I made some colorful paper bird houses as a fun decoration for the sewing room, and I love how cheerful they look — plus they were super-frugal to make! Wouldn’t they look lovely hanging from the ceiling of a child’s bedroom, a classroom, or even lined up along a nature table?? So cute! I quickly […]
Easy Crazy Crayon Party Favors
January 7, 2011 by
We’ve been de-cluttering around here, and we found LOTS of broken/old crayons (they were everywhere!) I thought it would be fun to make “crazy crayons” a la Martha Stewart with a Valentine’s Day twist! Emily helped make them and she can’t wait to give them to friends! Gather old/broken crayons that you have on-hand. Do […]
Friendship Necklace Kits
January 6, 2011 by
These friendship necklace kits make fun (and frugal) party favors that the kids can make with very little grown-up help! I’ve included a printable template for the bag toppers sized for standard zip lock sandwich bags as a nice finishing touch, which has space on the back for “To:” and “From”. Emily really enjoyed this […]
Gum Ball Machine Craft for Tots
January 4, 2011 by
It’s no secret that we love to create projects that bring lots of COLOR into our household — they are so bright, cheerful, and they always make me smile! This particular project kept Clara happily occupied for a long time, and doubles as a prop for pretend play. I traced a large serving bowl onto […]
First Sewing Basket
January 3, 2011 by
I recycled an old basket and some other on-hand household finds to make up a sweet toddler-friendly sewing kit for Clara. It’s been a big hit around here, and it was practically free to put together! I completely under-estimated how ridiculously happy she would be to have a sewing basket of her very own, and […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #1
January 1, 2011 by
Happy New Year!! It’s time to feature the number 1 post on FFFB for 2010!! This one was such a hit that in a separate post, I just had to share a few of the other versions done by our wonderful readers! The number 1 post of 2010 is……… Owl Family Play Set!!!! If you […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #2
December 31, 2010 by
We’re just one post away from the number 1 post of 2010! We did lots of fun window displays and murals this year to help celebrate the changing of the seasons. All of them were quick, easy projects, and they added lots of color to our home. It’s amazing what you can make with coffee […]
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 […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #4
December 29, 2010 by
We’re moving along with our countdown of the top 10 posts of 2010, and this next post was such a simple activity that kept the girls occupied for a good long while! Coming in at number 4…. Pretend Car Wash!! Inspired by Emily’s recent request for a car wash toy, both of the girls were […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #6
December 27, 2010 by
We’re continuing with our countdown of the top 10 posts of 2010, and while this next post features a super-fun sewing project, you could easily make something similar from cardboard for a no-sew version. Coming in at number 6…. DIY Travel Play Kitchen Set!! It’s now several months later, and the kitchen set is holding […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #8
December 24, 2010 by
We’re continuing with our countdown of the top 10 posts of 2010! Coming in at number 8…. Elevator Fun!! This happened to be one of my personal favorites because we had a blast playing with an egg carton stuck to the wall. So Simple, and so much fun! Enjoy! Wishing you and your family a […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #10
December 22, 2010 by
I thought it would be fun to count down the top 10 posts of 2010! We certainly did lots of jumping up and down this year. If you’re in need of a little mood boost, I highly recommend jumping with the kiddos! It’s free and a great workout too! Coming in at number 10…. jumping […]
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 […]
