Fun Valentine’s Day Gifts and Treats for Kids

Know what I love?? Surprising the kiddos with little gifts and treats for Valentine’s Day to let them know how special they are! And you don’t have to spend a lot of money to do it. A BIG thank you to our lovely Pinterest contributor, Stacy from Kids Stuff World for pinning these inspiring ideas […]

Kid-Made Paint Skin Tiles

These paint skin tiles were lots of fun to make, and they are great for mosaics and collage work! I set up a tray with some parchment paper and spread some leftover acrylic paint on top. Then I invited Clara over to swirl the paint around using toothpicks and craft sticks! She thought this was […]

Kiss Flip Book

When my father was battling cancer, Emily wanted to make something extra special for him. Something that would fit in his wallet, so it would be easy for him to take it to chemo and radiation treatments. Isn’t she so thoughtful?? When I came across this post at Color Me Katie (I adore her!!), I […]

10 Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse for some handmade crafting fun! Here are ten of our favorite (frugal) Valentine’s Day crafts from the archives.   Love Bugs “Bee Mine” Valentine’s Day Cards Thumb-printed Heart Wrapping Paper No-Sew Felt Heart Cookie Play Set Valentine Felt Mail Set Valentine Collage Placemats Reverse Resist Paintings Paint Chip Valentine […]

Quick Craft: Heart Mobile

Clara has been helping me to decorate the house in time for Valentine’s Day, and there has been lots of crafty goodness going on around here! For this little project, I invited her over to sandwich heart-shaped sticky notes and color coding labels onto pieces of string. We usually have sticky notes and color coding […]

Carpet Golf!

Do you wish mini-golf was a year ’round activity?? Want to play in your own living room?? The girls and I had LOTS of fun playing “carpet golf” using some things we already had on-hand — plus it can be reconfigured again and again! We used a bath sheet for the putting green, and I […]

Frank Lloyd Wright Inspired Window

It’s time for another pretty window display — this one was very much inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright! [Update: A kind reader notified me by commenting below that it closely resembles the work of Piet Mondrian. Thanks, Chris!!] I love using tissue paper on glass, and this time I combined the tissue paper with some […]

Cardboard Classroom

Do your teddy bears need to be educated? Do you want to send them to the best school around?? Then it’s time to enroll them into Miss Clara’s cardboard classroom! Miss Clara grades her papers promptly — with lots of colorful stamps (a yard sale find)! Her classroom is so neat and organized! With lovely […]

10 Simple No-Mess Crafts for Tots

Crafting with little kids doesn’t have to be a big mess — at least not ALL of the time. Here are ten of our favorite no-mess projects for those days when you’re stuck indoors and don’t want to spend a lot of time cleaning up!   Star Garland   Heart Tea Tags Colorful Crowns Modern […]

Kid-Friendly Printmaking

Clara and I did some fun printmaking to make greeting cards using some things we already had on-hand and a mini paint roller from the dollar store (they come in packs of 2 for $1!). This kept her happy and busy all morning long!! As soon as she saw me bring out the stickers and […]

Inspiring Crafts for Martin Luther King, Jr Day

Kiddos off from school for Martin Luther King, Jr Day? Looking for something artsy and fun to do?? Here are some inspiring crafts, activities, and art projects that promote peace and diversity. I love that each one of these peace signs is unique! Instructions can be found here for this very toddler-friendly art project!     […]

7 Tips for Crafting with Cardboard

Know what I love? Cardboard!!!! Because it is supreme! Cardboard is cheap (or free!), readily available, recyclable, and generally easy to work with. Oh! And the possibilities!! Here are some of my favorite tips and tools for working with glorious cardboard. 1. Stuff ‘Em — In the case of the city blocks I made (shown […]

5 Art and Craft Projects to Celebrate Winter

Looking for some fun crafts to celebrate Winter? Need a few good cures for cabin fever?? Here are some of our favorite “go-to” projects to bring some snowy fun to your day! 1. Winter Tree Silhouette — Featured in the latest issue of Create with Me magazine (a BEAUTIFUL publication), this is one of Emily’s […]

Cardboard City

Recently, I spotted these cute cardboard city blocks from Pottery Barn Kids. I liked them, but I didn’t $40 like them — not when I had plenty of free cardboard that was begging me to make something fun and amazing with it. (Does your cardboard ever do that to you??) So I made my own […]

Wordless Wednesday — Icy Ornaments

    I’ve added this post to: Outdoor Play Party @ Mama Pea Pod

Celebrating PURPLE!!!

Hey, kids! Do you love purple?? Then it’s time to roll up your sleeves, ’cause this project is for YOU!  First, collect various purple art mediums (ie. purple crayons, purple markers, purple paint, etc.)  Paint, color, and/or draw… all in beautiful PURPLE!! I promise you won’t even miss those other colors. Not one little bit! […]

Pretend Pretzels Made with Cleaning Cloths

The kiddos have been enjoying their cardboard cafe immensely!! Since then, there have been some requests for soft pretzels. Well, they didn’t have to twist my arm! I’ve made pretend pretzels from felt before, but this version is SO much easier — no sewing!!! To start, you will need some microfiber cleaning cloths. I found […]

Top 11 Posts of 2011

Here it is — The moment you’ve all been waiting for… The top 11 posts of 2011!!! 11. First Sewing Basket — I can’t even begin to explain to you how HAPPY Clara was to have a sewing kit of her very own! She still uses this little kit at least a couple of times […]