I made up a few pretend baking kits for the girls — which kept them happily occupied, and it’s a great quiet time activity! They are SUPER easy and quick to make up. I cut up some very inexpensive craft felt using a few cookie cutters as my pattern, added some pieces for “icing” and […]
Easy Lacy Snowflakes!
January 19, 2011 by
These lacy snowflakes were perfect for adding some winter cheer to our house! It was a quick and easy project, plus it gave Emily lots of practice with the scissors! They turn out perfectly every time, giving the kiddos some early success using scissors! To make your own lacy snowflakes, you’ll need some paper doilies […]
Crafts for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 17, 2011 by
Do your kids have off from school today? Looking for something creative to do?? In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I thought it would be fun to highlight a few crafts to promote peace. Each one of these peace signs is unique, and it’s a very toddler-friendly art project!! Instructions can be found […]
5 Creative Ways to Beat Winter Blues
January 14, 2011 by
With more snow in the forecast, this time of year can cause “Winter Blues”. Here are some fun ways to cure those blues away! — Create an Indoor Snow Blizzard! — Go outside and paint the snow! — Make a Beautiful Snowflake Sun Catcher! — Have an Indoor Snow Picnic (and don’t forget the hot […]
Shiny Snowflake Mosaics
January 13, 2011 by
Clara loved how shiny these snowflakes turned out, plus it was a fun way to practice her developing fine-motor skills! This project kept her happily busy for a long time, and there was hardly any mess to clean up — Yay for no-mess (frugal) crafts!!! I gave Clara a piece of tin foil to tear […]
Kid-Made “Sandpaper” Letter Set
January 12, 2011 by
This “sandpaper” letter set was made by Emily as a gift to her little sister — and Clara adores them! I have seen similar sets in pricey catalogs. We used 2″ felt alphabet stickers ($2.80) and 3″ wooden disks ($0.24 each x 26) from the craft store. For a grand total of just $9.04! Emily […]
Printable Bird House Play Set
January 10, 2011 by
I made some colorful paper bird houses as a fun decoration for the sewing room, and I love how cheerful they look — plus they were super-frugal to make! Wouldn’t they look lovely hanging from the ceiling of a child’s bedroom, a classroom, or even lined up along a nature table?? So cute! I quickly […]
Easy Crazy Crayon Party Favors
January 7, 2011 by
We’ve been de-cluttering around here, and we found LOTS of broken/old crayons (they were everywhere!) I thought it would be fun to make “crazy crayons” a la Martha Stewart with a Valentine’s Day twist! Emily helped make them and she can’t wait to give them to friends! Gather old/broken crayons that you have on-hand. Do […]
Friendship Necklace Kits
January 6, 2011 by
These friendship necklace kits make fun (and frugal) party favors that the kids can make with very little grown-up help! I’ve included a printable template for the bag toppers sized for standard zip lock sandwich bags as a nice finishing touch, which has space on the back for “To:” and “From”. Emily really enjoyed this […]
Gum Ball Machine Craft for Tots
January 4, 2011 by
It’s no secret that we love to create projects that bring lots of COLOR into our household — they are so bright, cheerful, and they always make me smile! This particular project kept Clara happily occupied for a long time, and doubles as a prop for pretend play. I traced a large serving bowl onto […]
First Sewing Basket
January 3, 2011 by
I recycled an old basket and some other on-hand household finds to make up a sweet toddler-friendly sewing kit for Clara. It’s been a big hit around here, and it was practically free to put together! I completely under-estimated how ridiculously happy she would be to have a sewing basket of her very own, and […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #2
December 31, 2010 by
We’re just one post away from the number 1 post of 2010! We did lots of fun window displays and murals this year to help celebrate the changing of the seasons. All of them were quick, easy projects, and they added lots of color to our home. It’s amazing what you can make with coffee […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #3
December 30, 2010 by
We’re almost done counting down the top 10 posts of 2010! This next post was one of the girls’ favorite Winter activities, and we received so many emails (with photos) of kiddos (and some moms and dads too!!) around the world enjoying some active indoor fun. Coming in at number 3…. Indoor Ice Skating!! Be […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #4
December 29, 2010 by
We’re moving along with our countdown of the top 10 posts of 2010, and this next post was such a simple activity that kept the girls occupied for a good long while! Coming in at number 4…. Pretend Car Wash!! Inspired by Emily’s recent request for a car wash toy, both of the girls were […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #5
December 28, 2010 by
We’re continuing with our countdown of the top 10 posts of 2010! This next post had people from all over the world making FUN (and very inexpensive) bubble wands. Sadly, the blog that inspired this activity has since been taken down, but the photos here should give you an idea of how these are made. […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #6
December 27, 2010 by
We’re continuing with our countdown of the top 10 posts of 2010, and while this next post features a super-fun sewing project, you could easily make something similar from cardboard for a no-sew version. Coming in at number 6…. DIY Travel Play Kitchen Set!! It’s now several months later, and the kitchen set is holding […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #7
December 26, 2010 by
Moving on with the countdown of the top 10 posts of 2010. This was the year Emily began public school, and thus began our adventures with packed lunches! We had lots of fun learning tips and tricks to pack fun lunches on a budget, and later I was interviewed by Rodale to elaborate a bit […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #8
December 24, 2010 by
We’re continuing with our countdown of the top 10 posts of 2010! Coming in at number 8…. Elevator Fun!! This happened to be one of my personal favorites because we had a blast playing with an egg carton stuck to the wall. So Simple, and so much fun! Enjoy! Wishing you and your family a […]
