This afternoon I made up some simple stencils for Emily to make up her own outer space scene in our driveway using sidewalk chalk — we had so much fun!! We traced some plates for planets…. … and colored everything in, and then it was time to……… ……launch into OUTER SPACE!!!! Weeeeeeeeeee!!!! Look out for […]
Pretend Car Wash
August 18, 2010 by
Inspired by Emily’s recent request for a car wash toy, both of the girls were kept busy for a long time with this pretend car wash activity, and they had a lot of fun! To make up the cars, I pressed down on a sheet of inexpensive craft foam with car and truck shaped cookie […]
DIY Slip-and-Slide
August 17, 2010 by
We faced a hot, sunny afternoon today. Armed with a 50′ x 3′ heavy duty contractor drop cloth, a package of U-shaped garden stakes, and several jugs of water, we made our way to a nearby park where there was a big hill and…. …..and made our own Slip N Slide!! Emily thought this was […]
Nesting Shoebox Dollhouse
August 16, 2010 by
While playing around with some empty kid shoeboxes, I came across these two that nest together quite well — a fun find that lend to some creative dollhouse making! I covered them up with wallpaper samples (discontinued wallpaper sample books are available at most paint stores for free, just ask for them!), and scraps of […]
Stunning “Glass” Sculpture
August 12, 2010 by
The neat thing about this beautiful “glass” sculpture is that it is flexible and can be re-shaped again and again! Emily was so proud of her sculpture, and they are simple and frugal to make using materials you probably already have on-hand. I used wired cutters to cut a long piece of thin gauge wire, […]
Trip to Paris!
August 11, 2010 by
Last night we packed our bags for a fun impromptu trip to Paris, France! The girls dressed up in their most colorful outfits, and fanciest …. .sunglasses..?? We left from Washington, D.C., and we didn’t have any delays, problems with airport security, or any turbulence. A very smooth flight! Well…. the pilot may have taken a […]
Rainbow Village Printable
August 9, 2010 by
As soon as I finished designing one of these adorable paper cottages, the girls went off to play with it while I made a bunch more! We had lots of fun playing with these, and then took them apart and stored them flat in a file folder for future play times. They are very frugal […]
No Mess Marbled Painting
August 5, 2010 by
This no-mess version of marbled painting was quick, easy, and inexpensive to make! Plus, it kept the girls occupied all morning while we experimented with different paint color combinations! Both of the girls loved the way they could move the paint and swirl the colors all around without getting their hands dirty! To make your […]
Modern Wall Art
August 4, 2010 by
This modern wall art project was lots of fun — and very frugal to make! Added bonus — no mess! Start with a few colored masking tape…. …and invite your child to stick pieces of masking tape on brightly colored paper. For Clara, this was a fun way to work on identifying colors! Emily loves […]
Tripping the Lights Fantastic
August 3, 2010 by
For a fun time, crank up some dance music on your stereo. Grab some flashlights, and in a dark room….. get your groove on!! Be sure to set your camera to keep the shutter open for a few seconds, and snap some super-fun photos!! Dance, dance, dance!! Awwwwwww…. yeeeaaaaahhhhh!!!! Weeeeeeeeee!!! Added bonus — tuckered out […]
Quilted Color Match Game for Tots
August 2, 2010 by
I sewed up this little color match game for Clara to practice identifying her colors. It ended up being a great quiet game for keeping both of the girls occupied while I was in the kitchen making dinner. It is so colorful! I sewed the color mat using pieces from fat quarters (very inexpensive), and […]
Easy Fishing Game
July 30, 2010 by
We went fishing in our foyer this afternoon — it was so much fun! I made up some fish out of pipe cleaners, attached a magnet to the end of the string on the fishing pole (a stick from our backyard), and we had an instant fishing game! Merlin wanted to play too! For the […]
Fairy Cafe
July 29, 2010 by
During Clara’s afternoon nap, Emily helped me declutter the sewing room. I was re-organizing a drawer with thread, when I looked over and saw she had fashioned a table from some empty thread spools. We got a teensy bit side-tracked …….. I found some toothpicks with umbrellas in the kitchen and added them to the […]
Jumping Bean Races
July 23, 2010 by
The girls and I made Jumping Beans this afternoon, and then had lots of fun racing them! They loved it!! Print out the template onto heavy cardstock paper. We used the print-out template found at Having Fun at Home, and it worked beautifully! The girls enjoyed decorating their jumping beans…. They used lots of color! I […]
DIY: Travel Play Kitchen Set
July 15, 2010 by
This travel play kitchen set was super-frugal to make, and is perfect for small living spaces since the entire set folds up! I’m thinking we’ll take it with us for trips to the garden plot, visits with grandparents, or just playing outside in the backyard like we did this afternoon. I used an ordinary folding […]
Solar-Powered Lunch!
July 7, 2010 by
We had a scorcher of an afternoon today — prime conditions to make our own solar oven! We recycled a pizza box and a clear plastic lid from a disposable cake pan. Add a little aluminum foil, and voilá… a super eco-friendly and frugal solar oven!! We even made our own sun tea, just to […]
Vacation 2010 Highlights
June 19, 2010 by
We just returned from our favorite frugal vacation spot — a cabin we rented in beautiful Montebello, Virginia! Here are some of the highlights from our week-long trip! We enjoyed lots of fishing and swimming (well, more like splashing) in the lake. We went exploring on several nature hikes together. We had to visit the […]
Father’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make — Colorful Coaster Set
June 3, 2010 by
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, […]
