If you have a couple of pumpkins and some canning rings, you can put together your own pumpkin ring toss game! Emily enjoyed playing this, and it is challenging. When we played, each canning ring that hit a pumpkin was 1 point, but if we got a ringer around the pumpkin stem, it was worth […]
Spooky Spider-Printed Pumpkins
September 21, 2009 by
The only one who’s crazy about carving pumpkins in our household is Mark. Emily and I would prefer to paint on ours, thank you very much. These spider-printed pumpkins were fun and easy to make! Keep some baby wipes on-hand to keep the mess to a minimum. To make your own spider-printed pumpkins, you will […]
Fishy Fun on Friday
September 18, 2009 by
We decided to have some fun with a “fish day”, so I took the girls to the local fish hatchery to learn all about the life cycle of trout. For just $1, you can buy a bag of fish food. Emily loved feeding the fish…. and ducks! Both of the girls had a great time! […]
Simple Tip to Reuse Workbooks
September 17, 2009 by
We go through several workbooks in this household, so I was trying to come up with an easy way to reuse them and save them for when Clara is a little older. This seemed to work the best, and it’s also very frugal. To reuse sheets from a workbook, tear out the pages, and place […]
Easy Autumn Tree Suncatcher
September 15, 2009 by
This cute Autumn tree suncatcher is an easy craft that even the little ones can do, and it doesn’t involve any messy glue. To make your own Autumn tree suncatcher, you will need: clear contact paper, tissue paper, construction paper, and scissors. Pre-cut some leaf shapes out of tissue paper. I folded the tissue paper […]
Sunday Snapshot — (Parent-Powered) Blanket Swing
September 13, 2009 by
And in other news… We are looking forward to some impromptu (and frugal) celebrating for my birthday! This post is linked to Family Friday.
Review and Giveaway — Printies Design Studio Kits
September 12, 2009 by
When I was contacted by Printies Design Studio Kits to do a review and giveaway, the concept intrigued me. Emily was able to create her own stuffed animal with very little help from either Mark or me and she was quite happy with the results! Here’s how it works: First, your child gets to design […]
Frugal and Useful — Post-it Bookmarks
September 11, 2009 by
Here’s a useful gift that even the smallest crafters can make — Post-it® Bookmarks! I am so guilty of folding multiple corners on just about every book I read and writing in the margins, so I really needed one of these. When Emily saw what I was up to, she wanted to help. To make […]
DIY: No Sew Pencil Case
September 10, 2009 by
Cuteness Alert: This may be the cutest little pencil case ever, and there’s no sewing involved! Emily is making a few more of these for some of her friends to take to school. To make your own super-cute pencil case, you will need two sheets of craft foam (5″ x 7″) and (3″ x 7″), […]
Rainy Day Fun — Reusable Art Mat
September 8, 2009 by
Emily wanted to draw with sidewalk chalk this afternoon, but Clara was taking a nap so I didn’t want one child outside while the other was indoors. So we compromised using a shower curtain liner as a reusable art mat. It worked beautifully! The vinyl shower curtain liner was only $1 from Big Lots, and […]
Book Review and Giveaway — Absolutely Organized
September 5, 2009 by
Looking for a book with practical advice you can actually use? Then you must have a copy of Debbie Lillard’s book Absolutely Organized: A Mom’s Guide to a No-Stress Schedule and Clutter-Free Home. I had the honor of meeting Debbie while taping a recent segment for The 10! Show, and she featured some fabulous ideas […]
Make Your Own Foaming Hand Soap
September 4, 2009 by
Emily has been insisting that I blog about this little tip for quite some time now. Today seemed to be the perfect time to do it since she was fresh out of foaming hand soap this morning. To make your own foaming hand soap, you will need an existing foaming hand soap dispenser, and some […]
Easy Apple Printed Book Covers from a Paper Bag
September 3, 2009 by
One of the first homework assignments many kids need to complete is to cover their books. Why not have a little fun doing it? Using some paint, a brown paper bag or freezer paper, an apple, and a potato, you can make beautiful book covers! I see book covers at office supply stores all the […]
Tutorial — Apple Printed Lunch Sack from Old Jeans
September 2, 2009 by
We are still finding new uses for that box of old jeans from my dad. They make great drawstring lunch sacks! My sewing machine is by no means heavy-duty, but it didn’t have any problems sewing through two layers of denim. To make your own lunch sack from an old pair of jeans, cut off […]
Marbled Sunset Painting
September 1, 2009 by
While the sun was setting behind us, I thought Emily would like to paint a picture of a sunset. I wanted to use a technique that would be easy for her, but give great results. This one was a hit! To make your own marbled sunset painting, you will need: shaving cream (very inexpensive, make […]
Finger Painting Fun in the Sun, Sun, Sun
August 31, 2009 by
Just a quick reminder, today is the last day to sign up for our free online sewing workshop Sewing in Baby Steps. Today, we celebrated one of the last few days of Summer by finger painting Sun pictures! This was a particularly messy project, but a really fun one that both my girls really enjoyed! […]
Pillowcase Pajama Pants
August 26, 2009 by
Emily loves that her new pajama pants are so soft and comfy, since I made them from an old pillowcase. I used a technique very similar to the one found in The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule. These were made in just a few minutes! By using the existing hem on the pillowcase, I […]
