Tucked in among our craft supplies, I found some keychains I had ordered a long time ago from Oriental Trading Company. They weren’t much to look at, but they had little photo frames in them, and the kids could paint the frames. These would be okay for keeping the kiddos occupied, but personally I wouldn’t […]
Top 5 Hobbies for Tightwads
May 31, 2009 by
Life on a budget doesn’t have to mean giving up hobbies or special interests. Here are some of our favorite hobbies that will save you money! Gardening — Growing your own organic produce is good for the environment, and saves lots of money. Kids love to help in the garden, so it is a good way […]
Slacker Saturday — Know Your Library
May 30, 2009 by
Today’s Slacker Saturday activity is simple — visit your local library! For families on a budget, getting to know your local public library can be a tremendous resource. Make it a habit to visit your library on a regular basis, and pick up a calendar of events. Resources your library may offer include: free cultural […]
Tutorial — Handmade Pinwheels
May 28, 2009 by
Another wet day here, but we had a tiny bit of time when we could go outside and run around with our newly made pinwheels. I have been meaning to make these for awhile to use in the garden as a way to keep the birds away. Emily needed a little help to make hers, […]
Dress Up Play
May 27, 2009 by
Another rainy day here, so I took the girls on an adventure to our local thrift shop where we spotted this beautiful dress for just $5.00! Emily wanted to use it as part of her growing collection of play dress up outfits. How could I resist? Look! It even twirls! Her favorite dress up outfits […]
Spin Art (Lazy Susan Style)
May 26, 2009 by
We had a rainy day this afternoon, so while Clara was napping, Emily and I had a pocket of time for a fun messy art project. I remember making lots of spin art as a kid, but I had a battery-powered kit which included paper and paint. The kit was fabulous, but once the batteries ran […]
Patriotic Wreath Craft
May 25, 2009 by
Happy Memorial Day! Here’s a simple craft Emily enjoyed in-between picnics, barbecues, and working in the garden. To make your own patriotic wreath, you will need a star-shaped hole puncher (I found this one at Big Lots for $1), some red, white, and blue construction paper, glue, a paper plate, and a pair of scissors. […]
Top 15 Cheap Picnic Foods
May 24, 2009 by
These cheap picnic foods make it easy and affordable to host a picnic. In our household, Summer is synonymous with picnics. We host lots of picnics from Memorial Day straight through Labor Day! You will want to keep some of these cheap picnic foods on-hand for impromptu gatherings with friends or family. Here is a list of […]
$5 Friday — Outdoor Picnic Snack for Five Bucks
May 22, 2009 by
This Memorial Day weekend, I’m sure there will be lots of picnics and barbecues. For $5 Friday, I took the girls with me for a special trip to the grocery store to see how far we could stretch our $5 for an outdoor picnic snack! Here’s what we purchased for less than $5: 1 lb. organic carrots […]
Block Prints from Foam Meat Trays
May 21, 2009 by
I started saving our foam meat trays to make our own block printed cards, and Emily enjoyed the entire process of this activity! To make your own block prints, you will need: foam meat trays, water-soluble block printing ink, brayer, cardstock, and a large spoon. We used the opposite end of a paint brush to […]
So you wanna go to the beach?
May 19, 2009 by
Emily asked me if we could go to the beach today, which resulted in a lesson in geography. See this map? We live in Pennsylvania. See the ocean? It’s ALL THE WAY OVER THERE. I asked her what she wanted to do at the beach. “Play in the water….. and the sand!”, she said. So […]
Bean Face Mosaic
May 18, 2009 by
Emily informed me this morning that she wanted to make a smiley face. I have no idea why she chose to make such an angry face this afternoon, but she kept telling me this was a picture of a bad guy who is very very VERY ANGRY. To make bean faces, you will need heavy […]
Tutorial — No Sew Spring Cleaning Apron
May 17, 2009 by
It’s that time of year again…. time for Spring Cleaning. Here’s an easy and frugal way to make your own no-sew Spring Cleaning Apron. Start by making a pile of three flour sack towels. Lay them flat and place a ribbon across the middle as shown below. Fold over the towels. Tie the ribbon around […]
Slacker Saturday — Paper Boats
May 16, 2009 by
For this week’s Slacker Saturday activity, Emily and I made paper boats! She liked decorating hers with crayons, and get this…. they float! For a little while, anyway. At least until the paper becomes too soggy. These are very simple to make, and you start off with a simple paper hat. There are only a […]
$5 Friday — Window Crayons
May 15, 2009 by
I was so happy to find these Window Crayons, and I scooped them up the minute I saw them at Target for just $2.70! I have let Emily use window markers before, but the ink seems to run out rather quickly, and the kids have to be really good about putting the caps back on […]
Organizing with Recyclables — Pencil Holder
May 14, 2009 by
This decorative pencil holder is great for organizing pencils, paint brushes, pens, and/or markers. We used chalkboard paint, and a little ribbon to give new life to an empty baby formula canister! This is messy, so you might want to do the painting part outdoors. We used a water-soluble non-toxic chalkboard paint. You can find […]
Leaf Prints
May 13, 2009 by
I love incorporating elements from nature in our art projects. Nature provides free art supplies, and I feel it’s important for kids to connect with nature on a regular basis. Emily enjoyed gathering leaves from the yard for this one. I have a feeling we will be doing more block-printing type projects in the future, […]
Butterfly Paintings — Lessons in Symmetry
May 12, 2009 by
Like most 5 year old girls, Emily adores butterflies. Today we painted butterflies and I introduced the concept of symmetry. To make your own butterfly painting, start with a sheet of paper, and fold it in half. Draw half of a butterfly, as shown. I used watercolor markers (just $2.50 for a pack of 8 […]
