We go through several workbooks in this household, so I was trying to come up with an easy way to reuse them and save them for when Clara is a little older. This seemed to work the best, and it’s also very frugal. To reuse sheets from a workbook, tear out the pages, and place […]
DIY: Bamboo Knitting Needles
September 16, 2009 by
The arrival of Fall always makes me want to start knitting again, and I love the feel of bamboo knitting needles (although the store-bought ones can be rather pricey). Fortunately, I found an easy, and practically free way to make your own! These would make such cute gifts for any avid knitter. To make your […]
Easy Autumn Tree Suncatcher
September 15, 2009 by
This cute Autumn tree suncatcher is an easy craft that even the little ones can do, and it doesn’t involve any messy glue. To make your own Autumn tree suncatcher, you will need: clear contact paper, tissue paper, construction paper, and scissors. Pre-cut some leaf shapes out of tissue paper. I folded the tissue paper […]
Happy Birthday to Me!
September 14, 2009 by
Elements for the perfect birthday. 1. Gorgeous weather making it perfect for picking our own organic apples at Rodale Farm. 2. An afternoon game of tennis with my dad. 3. Back home to enjoy Chinese food, open presents, and eat cake. 4. The celebration continued the next day with a completely spontaneous and FUN road […]
Sunday Snapshot — (Parent-Powered) Blanket Swing
September 13, 2009 by
And in other news… We are looking forward to some impromptu (and frugal) celebrating for my birthday! This post is linked to Family Friday.
Frugal and Useful — Post-it Bookmarks
September 11, 2009 by
Here’s a useful gift that even the smallest crafters can make — Post-it® Bookmarks! I am so guilty of folding multiple corners on just about every book I read and writing in the margins, so I really needed one of these. When Emily saw what I was up to, she wanted to help. To make […]
DIY: No Sew Pencil Case
September 10, 2009 by
Cuteness Alert: This may be the cutest little pencil case ever, and there’s no sewing involved! Emily is making a few more of these for some of her friends to take to school. To make your own super-cute pencil case, you will need two sheets of craft foam (5″ x 7″) and (3″ x 7″), […]
Write to Grandma Kit
September 9, 2009 by
Emily loves writing letters to Grandma, so we put together a little letter writing kit to encourage this important task! This is a fun way to celebrate Grandparent’s Day (Sept. 13th). Somehow I had accumulated a tremendous amount of stationery over the years, and Emily enjoyed going through my collection to pick out cards and […]
Rainy Day Fun — Reusable Art Mat
September 8, 2009 by
Emily wanted to draw with sidewalk chalk this afternoon, but Clara was taking a nap so I didn’t want one child outside while the other was indoors. So we compromised using a shower curtain liner as a reusable art mat. It worked beautifully! The vinyl shower curtain liner was only $1 from Big Lots, and […]
Inspiring Friends of Frugal Family Fun Blog Round Up
September 7, 2009 by
Happy Labor Day! Here are some fabulous, inspiring posts from some of our most loyal readers and commenters. You could be featured here next! Sure to Please Recipes This recipe for Roasted Tomato Sauce became a family favorite instantly. It’s so easy and incredibly delicious. Be sure to visit Val at Collecting the Moments… One […]
Make Your Own Foaming Hand Soap
September 4, 2009 by
Emily has been insisting that I blog about this little tip for quite some time now. Today seemed to be the perfect time to do it since she was fresh out of foaming hand soap this morning. To make your own foaming hand soap, you will need an existing foaming hand soap dispenser, and some […]
Easy Apple Printed Book Covers from a Paper Bag
September 3, 2009 by
One of the first homework assignments many kids need to complete is to cover their books. Why not have a little fun doing it? Using some paint, a brown paper bag or freezer paper, an apple, and a potato, you can make beautiful book covers! I see book covers at office supply stores all the […]
Tutorial — Apple Printed Lunch Sack from Old Jeans
September 2, 2009 by
We are still finding new uses for that box of old jeans from my dad. They make great drawstring lunch sacks! My sewing machine is by no means heavy-duty, but it didn’t have any problems sewing through two layers of denim. To make your own lunch sack from an old pair of jeans, cut off […]
Marbled Sunset Painting
September 1, 2009 by
While the sun was setting behind us, I thought Emily would like to paint a picture of a sunset. I wanted to use a technique that would be easy for her, but give great results. This one was a hit! To make your own marbled sunset painting, you will need: shaving cream (very inexpensive, make […]
Finger Painting Fun in the Sun, Sun, Sun
August 31, 2009 by
Just a quick reminder, today is the last day to sign up for our free online sewing workshop Sewing in Baby Steps. Today, we celebrated one of the last few days of Summer by finger painting Sun pictures! This was a particularly messy project, but a really fun one that both my girls really enjoyed! […]
Bacon Bowls — Hey, there is something green in my bacon!
August 29, 2009 by
If there is one thing our entire family can agree on, it’s our love of BACON! In fact, bacon played a crucial role during the courting phase of my relationship with Mark. At the time, I was a strict vegetarian, but I kept packages of bacon in the fridge of my dorm room as “Mark […]
Poor Man’s Planetarium
August 28, 2009 by
It was a cloudy, wet, and rainy evening here. That didn’t stop us from doing a little star gazing! The stars were so close… we could almost reach up and touch them! Coming up… more fun reviews/giveaways from our new sponsors, including some delightful pretend play toys from www.AllChildrensFurniture.com. Their website features fabulous children’s bedding, […]
Pillowcase Pajama Pants
August 26, 2009 by
Emily loves that her new pajama pants are so soft and comfy, since I made them from an old pillowcase. I used a technique very similar to the one found in The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule. These were made in just a few minutes! By using the existing hem on the pillowcase, I […]
