Update: Be sure to read the comments on this post — lots of great ideas from our awesome readers to keep in mind!! A new little elf friend just moved into our house, and is causing lots of excitement around here! He made his home just underneath the staircase, and so far has been very […]
Crafting with Leftovers — Valentine Collage Placemats
January 27, 2011 by
These Valentine collage placemats are the perfect excuse to use up leftover craft supplies, and there is very little post-clean up involved. I love that it kept Emily happily entertained for a long while, and she has plans to make more of these for grandparent gifts!! She did almost this entire project on her own, […]
Purple Crayon Mural
January 24, 2011 by
Over the weekend, we took the girls to see Harold and the Purple Crayon at the theater, a holiday gift from Mark’s sister (Thank you, Aunt Julia!!) It is one of their favorite books, and afterwards Crayola was there to hand out large purple crayons to all the kiddos! Fun!! This morning, I attached freezer […]
I’m Over at Stonyfield’s Blog!
January 23, 2011 by
Come visit me over at Stonyfield’s blog, where I did a fun guest post on showing how to create an Invention Kit! If you don’t already have an Invention Kit at your house, this is the perfect time of year to put one together for lots of creative fun during long Winter days. It is […]
My Kind of Baking
January 21, 2011 by
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 […]
