This was one of my all-time favorite posts — a fun ACTIVE way in introduce kids to the concept of gratitude. It’s perfect for this time of year, and we enjoyed this activity so much last year that we are doing it again this year. Enjoy!! Around Thanksgiving we try to do crafts and activities […]
Pumpkin Gift Bags
Clara and I had a lot of fun with this little (frugal) project — we made up some gift bags to give to friends who come over for play dates! I think they would also be very nice to wrap hostess gifts for any sort of gathering this time of year. She was having a […]
Low-Mess Color Collage
When Emily came home from school this afternoon, I surprised her with this quick and easy color collage project. It was a great way to unwind from the school day! To make your own, you will need some colorful crepe paper. We used party streamers — they worked perfectly and are very inexpensive! Emily loved […]
Silly Straws
Thanks to the latest research from our exclusive laboratory, we have now scientifically proven…. ….that milk drunk from a homemade silly straw…… …..is (shockingly) 25% yummier!! To make your own super-silly straw, insert flexible straws one inside the other and wrap packaging tape around the parts where two straws overlap. When you’re done sippin’, make […]
Toddler Art — Autumn Tree Painting
Clara and I worked on this simple Autumn painting project together this afternoon, and I think it is one of my all-time favorites! I was so pleased with how well it turned out, and I wish you could have been here to see the look of pure joy on her face when she spotted the paints […]
Frugal Halloween Tips and Tricks
It’s been a fun and exciting week around here! Tuesday morning, I visited 69 News at Sunrise to demo a few Halloween crafts and some fun Autumn active play ideas for the kiddos. Eve and I had SO much FUN!! In case you missed the segments, you can view them here. If you’re looking for […]
Creepy Crawly Placemats
Here’s a festive Halloween craft that toddlers or preschoolers could make! These creepy crawly placemats make fun gifts for family or friends. The best part is that this project uses common household items you probably already have on-hand! Clara surprised her big sister with a creepy crawly placemat this afternoon! Here’s how to make […]
Handmade Holidays – Soft (Felt) Pretzels
I sewed some quick and easy soft pretzels for the girls using just two 9″ x 12″ sheets of craft felt and some stuffing. It’s been a great addition to their fold up kitchen set! The pretzels are just long skinny tubes sewn from the felt (no measuring, just eyeballed it), stuffed (by Mark, thanks, […]
Weekend Rewind — Pumpkin Printed Treat Bags
Emily still has this trick-or-treat bag she decorated last year, and she plans to use it for trick-or-treating again this year! We have some great posts lined up for next week, so be sure to check back. You won’t want to miss it! Today’s project was inspired by Lisa Anne from Smell the Coffee, Lisa! […]
10 (Frugal) Autumn Things That Make Me Happy
So much of the frugal lifestyle is made up of finding ways to celebrate the little things in life. Here are some of my favorites! Taking the girls to an organic orchard to pick apples. Trips to the playground with a girl whose feet never seem to hit the ground. Library visits on rainy days. […]
Candy Corn Family Play Set
This CUTE project can be done in just a few minutes, and is perfect for the kiddos to do during Halloween get-togethers! To make your own candy corn family play set, all you need are some inexpensive make-up sponges and a bit of paint. Dip the fat end of a make up sponge in some […]
Suggested Supply List
You’ll want to bookmark this post to have it handy By popular request, here are some suggested craft supplies (and related projects) that our family loves to have on-hand! Many of these can be found at Target, your local grocery store, or just laying around your house. I’ve included links to Amazon, for easy purchase […]
Let’s Go Fly a Kite
We have had such great luck with these super-simple frugal paper kites! This time, we decorated a few for Halloween…. …went to a local park, and flew them!! It was so much fun! Even Clara could get her kite off the ground easily — and that’s saying a lot for a 2 year old! Complete […]
Spooky Bones
Inspired by Martha Stewart Living magazine, we made a super kid-friendly version of these spooky bones using just newspaper, cheap-o paper napkins, masking tape, and a 50/50 mixture of glue and water. Once they were dry, we took turns hiding them around the house for an indoor fossil hunt! Roll up a sheet of newspaper […]
Owl Family Play Set
It is good to be home again, and we are back to our usual fun crafty selves! Before I left for NYC, I had left a few paper towel rolls on the kitchen counter to be used for a some upcoming craft projects. Turns out, a certain someone (aka Mark) got a little too trigger […]
Autumn Activities Galore!
Here are some of the most popular Autumn crafts and activities we’ve done here on FFFB — enjoy!! These Fall Leaf Coasters are easy to make and quite functional as well! Make up a set of fun bat finger puppets using craft foam and googly eyes! This beautiful autumn leaf garland is my favorite way […]
Around the Web – Pumpkin Crafts
Don’t you just love pumpkins? Here are some quick, easy, and frugal pumpkin craft projects for the kids (and grown up too!) Enjoy!! This pumpkin craft uses rolled up strips of construction paper. Find out how at Kaboose! This adorable pumpkin uses toilet paper for stuffing! See the complete instructions at Craft Elf. Grab some […]
Around the Web – Owl Crafts
Some fun owl crafts for the kiddos (and grown-ups) to make…. Enjoy!! This owl snack by Christy over at Superheroes and Princesses is cute and nutritious! Whooo whooo! These stuffed owls look like so much FUN to make! Find out how at Elsie Marley. I’m loving these cupcakes by Almost Unschoolers! Cute and EASY…. my […]