Last year, my friend Erin and her two little girls taught Emily the Five Little Snowmen song. I had never heard it before, but it became an instant favorite of Emily’s and was sung over and over again in our household many times during the Winter months. To go along with the song, I made […]
Adventures in Baking — Cornbread
December 16, 2009 by
Emily and I made cornbread to go with chili for dinner, and it was delicious, fun, and frugal! We followed the recipe on the back of the bag of Bob’s Red Mill Corn Meal found here. It was so simple, even I couldn’t screw it up. Emily had so much fun with this…. …and was […]
Gifts Kids Can Make — Chocolate Covered Pretzels
December 15, 2009 by
The girls and I did some holiday “baking” this afternoon. These chocolate covered pretzels were so much fun to make! We made several bags of them for neighbors, friends, and family. To make your own, you will need: One 12oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 Tbsp. shortening Pretzel Rods Melt shortening and some of […]
HELP! Advice Needed — Gift Ideas Kids Can Make
December 12, 2009 by
A few days ago, I received the following email from Sherry at A Little Fun with Me and Lu. I know Sherry is not alone in this dilemma, so I thought I would share her email with all of you, and together maybe we can come up with some options for the rest of us […]
12 Days of Handmade Holidays — Round Up
December 11, 2009 by
Some of our favorite Handmade Holiday posts: :: Fabric Dollhouse :: Dolly & Me Lounge Pants :: Felt Doll :: Snowflake Notecard Mailers :: Knit Hat (Free Pattern) :: Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix :: Easy Felted Ornaments :: Festive Wrapping Paper :: Stamped Gift Bags :: Easy No Mess Snowflake Ornaments :: Felt Fairy House […]
Handmade Holidays — Felt Fairy House Tutorial
December 10, 2009 by
This little fairy house was an impromptu sewing project for two sweet girls (sisters) we were lucky enough to meet for a play date this afternoon. In mind was this fairy house from Imagine Childhood. Ours was made from this felted wool sweater, some other pieces of felt, a tiny bit of yarn, some buttons, […]
Handmade Holidays — Easy No-Mess Snowflake Ornaments
December 9, 2009 by
These beautiful snowflake ornaments (shown above) couldn’t have been easier to make! I love that the process was mess-free, very easy, and frugal. Plus, we have more ornaments to add to our tree that are not fragile!! To make your own snowflake ornaments, you will need: white model magic, snowflake cookie cutters, a rolling pin, […]
Handmade Holidays — Stamped Gift Bags
December 7, 2009 by
After yesterday’s drive through the neighborhood, we were inspired to make these gift bags with printed holiday lights on them. We used brown paper lunch bags, and we found that they are the perfect size for holding small mason jars of homemade peppermint hot cocoa mix! First, cut a potato into the shape of a […]
Cheap Thrills — Holiday Light Show Edition
December 6, 2009 by
We were delighted to see Danita’s girls at From the Land of Pleasant Living and Joyful Mommy and Joyful Child having fun while making their own salty snowman pictures! For a fun (and free!) activity this Winter, wait until it is almost time for bed, then dress the kids in their PJ’s with winter coats […]
Handmade Holidays — Festive Wrapping Paper
December 4, 2009 by
The girls and I made some wrapping paper this afternoon. It was so much fun, and a real team effort! We used ordinary brown grocery bags, and cut them to lay flat on the table. First, Clara got to work making “snowflakes” with her finger dipped in white washable paint. She loved it!Next, the paper […]
Salty Snowman Picture
December 1, 2009 by
This was a fun Winter art project Emily and I both enjoyed during a pocket of time while Clara was napping earlier this afternoon. Emily loved how the salt made the snow seem so “realistic”. I loved that this did not involve glitter (a.k.a. what I affectionally refer to as “the herpes of all craft […]
Handmade Holidays — Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix
November 30, 2009 by
Hot cocoa is a real treat in our household, and I’ve found that it is so simple and easy to make your own mix! Plus, Emily thinks this is a super-fun activity! We went the all organic route, but you certainly don’t have to. To make your own peppermint hot cocoa mix, you will need: […]
Back to Knitting — Free Easy Pattern
November 29, 2009 by
I knitted this hat for Clara from 1 skein of Lion Brand Nature’s Choice organic cotton yarn purchased at JoAnn with a 50% off black Friday coupon for just $3.25. Bargain! The hat was a quick and easy knit, and is the perfect weekend knitting project! I even had enough yarn leftover to crochet a […]
Handmade Holidays — Snowflake Notecard Mailers
November 19, 2009 by
This beautiful post on A Creative Mint had me thinking about rich shades of purple, lavender, linen, and white. It reminded me of this pad of 50 sheets of cardstock I had picked up on clearance at JoAnn’s ($3.17) a long time ago. We put it to good use today! First, I cut each 8 […]
Handmade Holidays — Meet Rose!
November 18, 2009 by
As promised in yesterday’s post, here’s what we’ve been working on…. a doll made from felt! This handsewn doll became an instant treasure, and Emily has named her Rose. Rose was easy to make, though she did take a few days to complete. I made two dresses (one red, one blue), and Emily loves to […]
Handmade Holidays — Dolly & Me Lounge Pants
November 12, 2009 by
I had purchased one yard of pretty flannel fabric at JoAnn back when it was on sale, with the intention of sewing some cozy lounge pants for Emily. When the pants were done, I had just enough fabric leftover for a fun pair of matching pants for Dolly. Emily was so happy with these! Dolly […]
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 […]
You can’t catch me!
November 10, 2009 by
All four of us enjoyed some late night baking this evening. We made gingerbread cookies! This is an activity Emily has been begging me to do for ages, but I’m not much of a baker. At all. Clearly, it was time to call in reinforcements! Hey, I know my limits. First, find the perfect cookie […]
