Today we raided the pantry and bathroom closet for some art supplies for a Van Gogh-like beach project! If you have seen this post, you would understand why we have a huge supply of oatmeal and this was a great way to use up some of it. We also added some cotton balls, paper, paint, […]
March Comes In Like a Lion….
March 9, 2009 by
Emily spent some time this afternoon working on this drawing of a lion, which proved to be quite frugal since it only required paper and crayons. She was quite happy with the end result and proud that she had drawn it “all by herself”. Here is the secret to her success — a book called […]
Frugal Fun with Stilts
March 6, 2009 by
I was trying to come up with ideas to reuse some empty baby formula canisters, and with the help of the power drill, Mark and I made these adorable stilts for Emily. These are great for practicing balance. The small canisters were the perfect size for her. Emily wobbled a bit the first couple of […]
Bird Feeders…. From Recyclables!
March 5, 2009 by
Yesterday, Newswatch 16 was here to film for a segment called “Power to Save”, which will air later this evening. While they were here, we made bird feeders from recyclables. It occured to me that with the help of a simple power drill, you could turn just about any recyclable into a bird feeder. We […]
Scratch N Sniff Painting
February 27, 2009 by
We had some leftover unsweetened powdered drink mix that was several years old — I’m not kidding! It probably would have been okay to drink, but instead we made scratch n sniff paint with it. I lightly penciled in some fruit pictures for Emily to paint. It made very vibrant colors, and the pictures smelled […]
Homemade Hockey Table
February 26, 2009 by
This is how we spent our morning — designing our own hockey table, and it was so easy! Emily had a blast, and is still planning to devote the rest of the afternoon to table hockey. A few years ago, one of our neighbors had a moving sale and sold this fabulous coffee table to […]
Mardi Gras Fun
February 24, 2009 by
This morning I helped Emily make this cute Mardi Gras mask from some leftover craft supplies, cardstock, stickers, a drinking straw, and some glue. First, I drew a pattern using a pair of her sunglasses as a guide for where to put the holes for the eyes. Emily traced the pattern onto the cardstock. If […]
Ribbon Dancer
February 23, 2009 by
I could not believe what a hit this was — so simple and Emily adored it! I was cleaning out a “junk” drawer in the kitchen and came across a plastic spatula that I rarely use. It inspired a day of ribbon dancing. We played some Brazilian music on the stereo, and this little girl could not […]
Save Money on Eating Out
February 20, 2009 by
Go to Restaurant.com and use checkout code DINE to purchase a $25 gift certificate to your local favorite restaurants for just $2!! Certificates do not expire for a full year, so it is a good time to stock up. Offer good today only. We have used these before (and given some as gifts), and it […]
Indoor Sandbox
February 15, 2009 by
One of the things Emily misses the most about Spring and Summer is playing outside in her sandbox. I created an indoor version that was a big hit for both of my girls. You might already have an inflatable pool (most likely it is hanging out in the garage for the winter). We brought ours […]
Spring Baskets
February 11, 2009 by
This was such a simple, easy project and it made Emily and I feel a little closer to Spring. This afternoon we worked on Spring baskets made from strawberry cartons, ribbon, and pipe cleaners — all found in our Invention Kit. We filled them with some tissue paper and a bunch of Hershey’s kisses — […]
The Money Garden
February 7, 2009 by
Who says money doesn’t grow on trees? This $10 seed investment boasts that it can yield over $650 worth of vegetables on just one tenth of an acre! For more gardening tips, see my recent post Garden Planning.
Frugal Fun Outdoors – Snow Painting
February 6, 2009 by
This afternoon, Emily and I took some spray bottles filled with a few drops of food coloring and some water to do snow painting. This was a big hit! I had to bribe her with some hot cocoa to get her to come back inside. I helped her spell her name out in the snow… […]
Weave a Placemat
January 20, 2009 by
This craft is so frugal, and keeps kids busy for a good while. Younger kids might need a little bit of help, but the older ones will have no trouble. Use these as a great opportunity to teach patterning! To make your own woven placemats, you will need: Two sheets of contrasting construction paper Scissors […]
Frugal Way to Occupy Kids During Football
January 18, 2009 by
Trying to watch the football game on TV and looking for a frugal way to keep the kids entertained? I thought this would be a fun topic, since the Super Bowl is coming up! Thanks to ThriftyCraftMama for posting about this fabulous frugal activity that will keep kids occupied all through the game. (Worked well […]
Thrift Store Finds — Woo Hoo!
January 17, 2009 by
I have been on the look-out for next year’s holiday dresses for the girls, and at the thrift store today I found these gorgeous dresses (in next year’s sizes)! Aren’t they beautiful? Emily’s cost just $4.99! Clara’s was $3.99, but they had a sale for 50% off all blue tagged merchandize, making this cute dress […]
The Invention Kit
January 16, 2009 by
Several of the crafts Emily and I create are products of the Invention Kit. We love recycling materials and finding new uses for things, so we set aside a separate box with things that might be useful for future projects. Here are some of the things we keep in the Invention Kit: Egg Cartons […]
Family Drawing Time — Portraits
January 12, 2009 by
Wow! This is my 100th post already!! Want to know how your kids really see you? Try a family portrait day! Each member of the family takes turns drawing everyone else. This makes for some interesting artwork, especially from the little ones. Here are some of Emily’s drawings: From Left to Right: Me (what […]
