This fun ladybug picture was inspired by a recent ladybug sighting at the playground a few days ago. In our household, we are all about celebrating the little things in life! The best part — this project is very low cost!! Did you know that Home Depot has paint chips in the shape of leaves? […]
Easy City Scape Mural
May 10, 2010 by
During taping for a segment on today’s 10! Show, I had the pleasure of meeting Eren Cannata, a very talented singer/songwriter who was today’s musical guest. Eren performed his title track from his latest CD “Blame it on the City” — a fantastic song, and it was the inspiration for our lovely city scape mural! […]
LIVE and in HD… It’s FFFB!
April 14, 2010 by
I was interviewed for two segments LIVE this morning on 69 News at Sunrise to share some of my ideas for family fun on rainy days! In case you missed today’s show, here are the clips: Next, Eve Tannery and I had LOTS of fun gettin’ crafty! Special thanks to Eve and the crew over […]
Easy Hyacinth Paintings
April 13, 2010 by
The hyacinths are in full bloom at our house, and to celebrate, the girls made these fun paintings using a cork as a stamp! I drew the stem and leaves, and the girls dipped the cork in some pink paint and stamped away! This project combined two of their favorite activities — painting and stamping! […]
Shop Update! Butterfly Play Set
April 12, 2010 by
Once upon a time, there was a little caterpillar who liked to eat lots of leaves. When he was full, he spun a cocoon, and went inside. He was in there for a long time! Then, the cocoon started to move, and…… out came a beautiful butterfly!! Emily had so much fun playing with this […]
12 Ways to Boost Happiness (for FREE!)
April 8, 2010 by
In need of a little pick-me-up? To help prove the old adage that the best things in life are free, here are a dozen quick and easy happiness boosters that our family has enjoyed — and they won’t cost a penny! From Left to Right: 1. Make a card for someone you love using paint […]
Cheap Thrills — Mud Pie Edition
April 7, 2010 by
For a fun time, go outside and set up some sand or dirt on a table with some old baking tins. Add a pitcher of water, and some spoons. Make mud pies!! I can remember spending entire afternoons making mud pies when I was a kid. I think mine were decorated with sticks for birthday […]
Easy Spring Mural
March 29, 2010 by
A few days ago, I bought a package of flower-shaped Post-Its. We couldn’t resist making an inexpensive no-mess Spring mural with them! While Clara was napping this afternoon, Emily helped me take down the four leaf clovers in the sewing room and replace them with colorful flowers! One pack of Post-Its comes with three different […]
Flowers as Canvas
March 25, 2010 by
Our Star Magnolia tree is just starting to bloom with beautiful white blossoms. We trimmed some of the branches, and placed them in a vase. The girls LOVED coloring on the white petals with bright markers! Art and nature ….combined! Clara took this coloring job very seriously. It’s hard work, being a crafty toddler, and […]
Flower Prints from Soda Bottles
March 23, 2010 by
Another rainy day here, and the girls were starting to go through a bit of “messy art withdrawl”. We made flower prints using empty soda bottles! In our case, they were empty seltzer water bottles, but you get the idea. Clara really got into the painting today! She could hardly contain her excitement! To make […]
Crazy Weather Pictures
March 22, 2010 by
We’ve had a lot of crazy weather here lately. One day it’s warm and sunny, and the next (like today) is cold and rainy. So we made some crazy weather pictures! To make your own, you will need a clear sheet protector (very inexpensive), some wipe off markers, two binder clips, and some markers or […]
Story Stones and Sidewalk Scenes
March 19, 2010 by
For some cheap creative fun, draw on some rocks with a fine point permanent marker to make your own story stones. Once your characters and props are all made up, take them out to your driveway and….. ….with a little chalk, draw up some scenery for your imaginative story! Emily loves to make up stories, […]
Quick Craft — Spring Tree Sculpture
March 18, 2010 by
It happened right before my very eyes — Emily turned 6 years old!!! We had a fun time at the zoo, and went out for lunch to celebrate. When we got home, Clara crashed for a nap, so Emily and I snuck in this super-quick Spring craft project. For this Spring tree sculpture, make a […]
Catching Leprechauns
March 17, 2010 by
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we thought it would be fun to lure some leprechauns into our house for good luck. Armed with a pair of Clara’s old baby shoes and some colorful chalk, we made green footprints on the sidewalk leading into the house! Emily told me not to forget about the rainbow. […]
Welcome Birds with a Bird Nester
March 12, 2010 by
The girls had so much fun putting together these bird nesters, and Clara was thrilled to participate along with her big sister! These are similar to bird feeders, but instead of filling them with bird seed, we fill them with soft, natural materials for the birds to use for building their nests. First, Emily tore […]
Birds on a Wire
March 11, 2010 by
These colorful birds are so happy and cheerful! The best part — they were made using leftover color coding labels from the dollar store. Very inexpensive, since we had an entire pack of 225 of them for $1! First, we cut a piece of blue construction paper in half to form two long rectangles. Then, […]
Flower Arranging 101 — Dollar Store Style
March 3, 2010 by
With more snow forecasted for today, this sweet flower arrangement was a nice reminder that Spring will be coming soon! Isn’t it so bright and cheerful? Emily put it together all by herself, and the best part is that all of the materials for this craft either came from the thrift store or the dollar […]
Crafting with Recyclables – Giant Sunflower
March 1, 2010 by
It was the sheer size of this giant sunflower that made us smile, and what a fun way to reuse those empty oatmeal canisters! We used a technique similar to the one here, but on a grand scale. We love crafting with recyclables because they are FREE art materials! To make your own giant flower, […]
