Tired of sitting around bored at home? Do you miss Summer already? Wish the beach wasn’t so far away?? Why not turn your sofa into an ocean, and take turns diving on it — it’s so much FUN!! We covered our sectional sofa in blue sheets, added some cushions from the living room, and some […]
Spider Web Place Cards
September 22, 2010 by
Have I mentioned how much I adore Halloween? Seriously, it is my most favorite holiday. I look forward to it more than the kids! While it’s not quite that time of year just yet, I am already eager to start decorating the house as if Halloween were right around the corner. That’s where this super-easy, […]
Autumn Window Display
September 20, 2010 by
We decided it was time to update our colorful window display, and given the popularity of this activity we just had to do it again! This time the girls and I painted inexpensive coffee filters… …waited for them to dry… … gathered three filters at a time, and folded them up to cut out super-colorful […]
Toy Camera
September 17, 2010 by
I made a fun toy camera for Emily, and it’s been a big hit around here! It’s just an empty soap box wrapped with colorful paper, and some milk caps glued on. We love crafting with recyclables — free art supplies!! I colored the inside of the lens with black sharpie and added a drawn-on […]
Falling Leaves Wrapping Paper
September 14, 2010 by
September marks the beginning of the birthday season for many members of our family, so Clara and I made some fun autumn wrapping paper this afternoon! This is a super-simple project that even the little ones can do with great success. All you need to make your own are some toilet paper rolls, paint, and […]
Easy Village Mural
September 13, 2010 by
Emily and I felt inspired by the beautiful colors of these fun Post-It Notes to create a new mural for our sewing room. Oh, Post-It Notes…….. how I love thee! She cut some of the Post-Its in half to form triangles for the rooftops. For each square, only one triangle had adhesive, so we saved […]
Super Easy Monster Hand Puppet
September 12, 2010 by
Clara made her own monster hand puppet, just in time for Halloween — and she did it all by herself!! (With the help of a few self-adhesive googly eyes, that is….) Have I mentioned that she has a tendency to get into the craft supplies if I’m not careful…?? I don’t know about you, but […]
Organic (Frugal) Goodness
September 11, 2010 by
We just returned from a super-fun (and frugal) trip to an organic apple festival at the Rodale Institute — an event that is quickly becoming my favorite birthday tradition!! Some of the apples required a bit of team-effort…… …but it was well-worth it…….. ….to end up with a half-bushel of organic apples like this one! […]
Bang on the Drums All Day
September 10, 2010 by
I can’t even tell you how much FUN Clara had with our make-shift drum table this morning! I laid out a bunch of old pots and pans, lids, and some wooden spoons on her play table. Then it was time to Rock N Roll!!! She experimented using the spoons as drumsticks, and later hitting the […]
DIY School Supplies
September 8, 2010 by
This morning I made a trip to NBC’s studios in Philadelphia to showcase some DIY projects for back-to-school! Eryka and I had so much fun on The 10! Show!!! Here’s a list of the tutorials for the projects mentioned in the clip: 1. Apple Printed Book Cover 2. No Sew Pencil Case 3. Post-It Bookmark […]
3-D Apple Tree
September 7, 2010 by
This morning Clara and I enjoyed some crafting fun with this quick and frugal project — it’s great practice for fine-motor skills too! We used crab-apples from our yard, but you could substitute with balls of red tissue paper instead. I gave Clara a small basket, and she took her time picking a bunch of […]
Sunday Snapshot — At the Zoo (with Daddy)
September 5, 2010 by
We are still getting lots of use from our annual passes to the zoo, plus we were blessed with gorgeous weather!! We made lots of new friends this morning….. The girls had so much FUN romping around the zoo with Daddy! Mark met a new (feathered) friend………. …..and so did Clara! Emily made friends with […]
Smiley Sandwich Picks!
September 3, 2010 by
These smiley sandwich picks are a great way to add some FUN to plain ol’ PB&J sandwiches! They are so super-easy to make, that I’m almost ashamed to post about it. Gather some color coding labels, and draw SILLY faces on them! Sandwich a toothpick between two of the labels, and insert into your favorite […]
Toddler Art — Groovy Peace Signs
September 2, 2010 by
While Emily was away with some friends enjoying a dip at the community pool, Clara and I had fun with this super-easy art project! To make your own groovy peace signs, you will need paper plates, masking tape, and some paint (we used watercolors). I marked off a peace sign on the back of a […]
Bento on a Budget
September 1, 2010 by
Clockwise from top left: organic carrot flowers, crackers, Stonyfield organic yogurt topped with home-grown watermelon stars, more watermelon, organic grapes, tuna salad topped with more carrot flowers. Yum!! In less than a week Emily will be starting first grade, which means we’ll be packing up lunches for her to take to school. Have you jumped […]
Quick Craft — Leaf Necklace
August 30, 2010 by
We spent a good deal of time outside this afternoon, and a small pocket of that time was spent making these super-quick leaf necklaces! To make your own, you will need a small cutting board, clear contact paper, a hole punch, string/yarn, and some metal cookie cutters. Gather up some leaves! Emily thought these small […]
Back to School Photo Name Labels
August 26, 2010 by
The girls and I had so much fun putting together these photo name labels, and they are perfect for labeling names on folders, notebooks, and other school supplies! I drew an outline of each letter of their names on a sheet of construction paper for the girls to color. For Clara, this was great letter […]
Outdoor Streamers
August 20, 2010 by
These colorful streamers are so much fun to make, and are a great way to brighten up any outdoor space — they are completely waterproof! The girls had a blast, and we were left with very little clean up afterwards! To make your own, lay down strips of inexpensive packaging tape with the sticky side […]
