Have I mentioned how much I adore Halloween? Seriously, it is my most favorite holiday. I look forward to it more than the kids! While it’s not quite that time of year just yet, I am already eager to start decorating the house as if Halloween were right around the corner. That’s where this super-easy, […]
Autumn Window Display
September 20, 2010 by
We decided it was time to update our colorful window display, and given the popularity of this activity we just had to do it again! This time the girls and I painted inexpensive coffee filters… …waited for them to dry… … gathered three filters at a time, and folded them up to cut out super-colorful […]
Falling Leaves Wrapping Paper
September 14, 2010 by
September marks the beginning of the birthday season for many members of our family, so Clara and I made some fun autumn wrapping paper this afternoon! This is a super-simple project that even the little ones can do with great success. All you need to make your own are some toilet paper rolls, paint, and […]
Super Easy Monster Hand Puppet
September 12, 2010 by
Clara made her own monster hand puppet, just in time for Halloween — and she did it all by herself!! (With the help of a few self-adhesive googly eyes, that is….) Have I mentioned that she has a tendency to get into the craft supplies if I’m not careful…?? I don’t know about you, but […]
Organic (Frugal) Goodness
September 11, 2010 by
We just returned from a super-fun (and frugal) trip to an organic apple festival at the Rodale Institute — an event that is quickly becoming my favorite birthday tradition!! Some of the apples required a bit of team-effort…… …but it was well-worth it…….. ….to end up with a half-bushel of organic apples like this one! […]
DIY School Supplies
September 8, 2010 by
This morning I made a trip to NBC’s studios in Philadelphia to showcase some DIY projects for back-to-school! Eryka and I had so much fun on The 10! Show!!! Here’s a list of the tutorials for the projects mentioned in the clip: 1. Apple Printed Book Cover 2. No Sew Pencil Case 3. Post-It Bookmark […]
3-D Apple Tree
September 7, 2010 by
This morning Clara and I enjoyed some crafting fun with this quick and frugal project — it’s great practice for fine-motor skills too! We used crab-apples from our yard, but you could substitute with balls of red tissue paper instead. I gave Clara a small basket, and she took her time picking a bunch of […]
Bento on a Budget
September 1, 2010 by
Clockwise from top left: organic carrot flowers, crackers, Stonyfield organic yogurt topped with home-grown watermelon stars, more watermelon, organic grapes, tuna salad topped with more carrot flowers. Yum!! In less than a week Emily will be starting first grade, which means we’ll be packing up lunches for her to take to school. Have you jumped […]
Back to School Photo Name Labels
August 26, 2010 by
The girls and I had so much fun putting together these photo name labels, and they are perfect for labeling names on folders, notebooks, and other school supplies! I drew an outline of each letter of their names on a sheet of construction paper for the girls to color. For Clara, this was great letter […]
Weekend Rewind — Back to School Edition
August 14, 2010 by
It’s that time of year again — time to get the kiddos ready to go back to school, and here at FFFB we’ve got you covered! From the archives, here are some super-fun (and frugal) crafts and activities just in time for back to school. We’ve got lots of exciting NEW things planned too, so […]
Gratitude Activity Jar
November 11, 2009 by
Around Thanksgiving we try to do crafts and activities that promote gratitude and focus on the things we have to be thankful for. Last year we did gratitude journals, but this year we’re trying something a little more active — Gratitude Activity Jars! I asked Emily to name some of the things she was thankful […]
This Bakery is for the Birds
November 2, 2009 by
We thought the birds could use a little love this time of year, so we made a fresh batch of bird seed cookies! While we were “baking” these, we could hear birds chirping loudly outside our kitchen window. Emily kept telling them to be patient! First, Emily traced a heart shaped cookie cutter onto corrugated […]
The Halloween Deal
October 31, 2009 by
Between Clara’s Little Red Riding Hood, and Emily’s Link from Zelda, we’re kickin’ it old school in our household this Halloween. Mark made the shield from cardboard, and I sewed the tunic, hat, and sheath for the sword ($5.00 fabric from JoAnn). The sword was a Target find ($5). Emily and I worked out a […]
Five Little Bats Finger Puppet Playset
October 28, 2009 by
Here’s a fun Halloween craft for preschoolers to foster plenty of learning fun. This Five Little Bats Finger Puppet Playset is a festive way for kids to work on counting and number recognition! The bat finger puppets are quick and easy to make. The kids may want to perform their own creative puppet shows too! […]
Beautiful Autumn Leaf Garland
October 26, 2009 by
We thought the dining room (aka sewing studio) could use some decorating this season, so Emily gathered up some leaves earlier in the day and we got to work on this beautiful garland for some late night crafting. Emily had been begging me to do the waxed paper leaf collage for a long time, but […]
Fun Autumn Treasure Hunt
October 22, 2009 by
We went on an Autumn treasure hunt at our local nature conservancy! It was so much fun! Emily used a clipboard with the list of treasures we were looking for. In mind were these playground scavenger hunt cards. We used our own non-illustrated version, since Emily’s working on her reading skills. Here are just some […]
Tiny Pumpkin Patch Playset — Cuteness Overload!!
October 17, 2009 by
We had so much fun creating this tiny pumpkin patch playset for our little friends (in this case, Calico Critters). Emily has been busy helping me make this, and then playing with it all day! First, we made tiny pumpkin seed packets with some paper and flax seeds. Dog got to work planting the pumpkins […]
400th Post — Fall Leaf Coasters
October 12, 2009 by
We made these beautiful Fall leaf coasters this afternoon, but first I wanted to tell you about this cute jumper I finished for Emily this morning. I started this dress late last night, and was almost finished with it, but my machine started to act up, (or maybe I was just getting too tired, but […]
