If you do only ONE thing this Summer, you MUST do this!! Everything we needed to make the bubble wands came from the hardware store — eye hooks, wooden dowels, butcher’s twine, and a washer. That’s it!! A game of bubble tag just never gets old! Here’s a short video showing how to make mega […]
DIY: Travel Play Kitchen Set
July 15, 2010 by
This travel play kitchen set was super-frugal to make, and is perfect for small living spaces since the entire set folds up! I’m thinking we’ll take it with us for trips to the garden plot, visits with grandparents, or just playing outside in the backyard like we did this afternoon. I used an ordinary folding […]
Photo Puppets
May 17, 2010 by
These photo puppets were so much fun to make, and I think the girls will enjoy making scenery to act out plays with them. What little girl doesn’t like to imagine herself as a flying fairy? For boys, try this same technique, but turn them into superheroes instead. Not that there’s anything wrong with boys […]
Repurposing Toys — Peter and the Wolf Play Set
April 27, 2010 by
Last weekend, our family went to see Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” (Thank you, Aunt Julia!) We all really enjoyed the ballet and music! So much so that Emily wanted a play set so she could re-enact the story. I thought that was a fabulous idea, so I sent her on a scavenger hunt to […]
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 […]
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 […]
Kid-Made Stuffed Toys
January 25, 2010 by
I helped Emily make this cute stuffed robot toy this afternoon, and if you have some fabric scraps, stuffing, and a some fabric markers, you can make your own stuffed toy using this technique too! Emily was so proud to have made this toy, and plans are in the works for a home for our […]
Weekend Rewind — Homemade Hockey Table
January 9, 2010 by
Hope everyone is enjoying a lovely weekend! Here’s a fun post from our archives. Our entire family enjoyed many memories of hockey tournaments on our homemade table, and when we were done it was so simple to convert back to our regular coffee table. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a great giveaway from […]
Penguin Playset Tutorial
January 5, 2010 by
We were going through the girls out-grown clothes and deciding which ones to donate to Goodwill, when Emily spotted these old microfiber tights. She declared we could make a penguin from them, and of course I had to agree! To make your own penguin playset, you will need: some felt, thread, old microfiber stockings, and […]
Handmade Holiday — Meet Butter!
December 22, 2009 by
This sweet kitty cat was a late night sewing project I made using this free pattern found on Wee Wonderfuls, and I wish you could have seen the look on Emily’s face when she first saw him! She immediately named him “Butter”, and they have been enjoying many adventures together this morning. Butter’s made from […]
5 Little Snowmen Play Set
December 17, 2009 by
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 […]
Napkin Doll Tutorial — Guest Post by Mark!
December 14, 2009 by
Back in October, our family made a Princess and the Pea Play Set as a birthday gift for one of Emily’s friends. For the doll, Mark created a miniature version of his napkin dolls, and I have since received numerous requests for a tutorial on how to make the doll. I must have bugged Mark […]
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 — Fabric Dollhouse
November 9, 2009 by
When I set out to do this project, I thought it would take me about a month to complete, or at the very least, a few weeks. I was wrong! Thanks to this wonderful (and free!) tutorial over at UK Lass in the US, I had almost the entire doll house complete before the girls […]
Sunday Snapshot — And the winner is….
November 8, 2009 by
Wow, there were so many entries for this giveaway! Thank you to everyone for your kind words and support. I love hosting giveaways… they are so much fun! And now….. the winner of the felt pasta set giveaway (chosen by random.org) is…. … #2 Adrienne! Congratulations, and thank you to everyone for participating. If you […]
Felt Food Giveaway… and Our New Etsy Shop!
November 5, 2009 by
It’s our one year blogiversary! To celebrate, I thought we would revisit one of our first craft posts from the archive, do a fun giveaway, and open a new Etsy shop! We have been very busy around here! One of the first crafts I ever posted at Frugal Family Fun Blog was for a felt […]
Time Warp
October 24, 2009 by
We have entered the time warp that is Grandma and Papock’s house, where the girls are enjoying all the wonderful toys Mark used to play with when he was a kid. Don’t you just love that they saved this stuff? It’s a real trip down memory lane, I tell you. I couldn’t help but smile […]
