Here’s another fun post for our series of Inexpensive Mother’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make (using items found at the hardware store)!! Mark doesn’t know it yet, but I’m secretly plotting to have our kitchen countertops re-done. I picked up some samples, and a few price quotes the last time I was at the hardware […]
Crafting with Recyclables – Design a Robot Kit
April 22, 2010 by
In honor of Earth Day, I thought we would do another fun craft with recyclables — a kit to design your own robot! Of course, we craft with recyclables year round, since it’s better for the environment, plus I consider them to be free art supplies. Emily has been on a robot kick lately, as […]
Mother’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make — Recipe Journal
April 20, 2010 by
While Clara was napping, Emily and I made this very special recipe journal for Grandma. Emily thought this would be a particularly useful gift, and I had to agree! Added bonus — We recycled some beautiful paper that was FREE!! Not many people seem to know about this, but if you’re looking for some gorgeous […]
Mother’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make — Ceramic Trivets
April 19, 2010 by
Another post in our fun series of Mother’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make — if you haven’t already done so, send your husband over here, and maybe he’ll take a hint. (wink, wink!) Most of these projects will feature very inexpensive items you can find at any hardware store, so manly men don’t need to […]
Giveaway — Plasma Car and Bike Helmet from CSN Stores
April 16, 2010 by
It’s time for another super-FUN giveaway, this time from our generous sponsor CSN Stores! CSN Stores is made up of over 200 online shops, where you can find products ranging from toys and games, to patio furniture, to baby cribs. Their customer service is well-known for going above and beyond the call of duty. For […]
Mother’s Day Gifts Kids Can Make — Hand Painted Pendants
April 15, 2010 by
I thought it would be fun to do a little series on frugal Mother’s Day gifts kids can make, so all you Dads out there… pay attention! (hint, hint) We enjoyed some warm sunshine this afternoon along with some messy art to make these BEAUTIFUL hand-painted pendants! You can find large washers like these at […]
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 […]
Fun Fossil Dig
April 10, 2010 by
Mark and I took the girls to a local park for a fun “fossil” dig! Since there are no beaches near us, we settled for the park’s outdoor sand volleyball court. The girls love to dig in the sand! Our “fossils” were made up of small toys (i.e. Happy Meal toys, game pieces, toys from […]
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 Kid-Made Stamp Wheels
April 6, 2010 by
Emily was so happy to make her own stamp wheel so she could create this fun rainy day picture! The stamp wheels were easy to make and made good use of recyclables. We used some foam stickers we had on-hand, in this case, clouds and raindrops. Emily started by sticking the cloud stickers around an […]
Blossoming Cherry Tree
April 5, 2010 by
With just a bit of help from her big sister Emily, Clara was able to enjoy some crafting fun with this blossoming cherry tree craft! To make your own, you will need brown, white, and green paper (we recycled some leftover scrap paper), pink tissue paper (again, recycled from a gift bag), and some glue. […]
Weekend Rewind — Make Kites, Not Friends
April 3, 2010 by
It’s time for another fun post from the archives. Here’s an activity we plan to do again this weekend! The kites were A LOT of fun! The snooty moms at the playground, not so much, but it made for an interesting story. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Easter weekend! Today’s post was going […]
Zoo Journal
April 2, 2010 by
For Emily’s birthday, we splurged on a family membership to our local zoo. Since we plan to make many trips there throughout the year, I thought it would be fun for her to keep a zoo journal filled with sketches of all the animals she sees! It was a beautiful day, so most of the […]
Cheap Thrills — Poolside Edition
April 1, 2010 by
It was such a sunny and warm day, Emily decided to take a dip in the pool. Ahhhh… refreshing! Happy April Fool’s Day!!
Quick Craft — Bunny Handprints
March 31, 2010 by
Emily loved making this adorable bunny handprint this afternoon, and I think Clara will want to do one when she wakes up from her nap too! It was a super quick and easy project. I’ll be making color copies of them to turn them into Easter greeting cards! To make your own, you will need […]
Felted Easter Eggs
March 30, 2010 by
The girls and I had so much fun making these CUTE felted Easter eggs! To make your own, you will need some wool roving. If you have trouble finding wool roving, you can purchase it online here. Start by filling a pitcher with some very warm water, and add a few tablespoons of dish soap. […]
