I’ve made felt crayon rolls for Emily before, but when I took the girls to my local moms club meeting, Emily pointed out that we didn’t have any paper for her to color on. After the meeting, we had lunch and did a fun shopping trip to the dollar store! When we returned home, I […]
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 […]
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 […]
$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 […]
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, […]
Slacker Saturday — Bug Hunt
May 9, 2009 by
Bug hunting is probably one of Emily’s favorite activities. Even if it’s raining outside, she likes to hunt for bugs inside the house! I think she inherited this bug-loving gene mostly from Mark. Although when I was a kid, I was known to have a fascination with caterpillars, but I think most kids are naturally […]
$5 Friday — Mother’s Day Gift Idea and More
May 8, 2009 by
Here is the sundress I made for Emily using one of Mark’s old dress shirts. If there is enough interest (just leave a comment), I would be happy to post a tutorial on how to make one — it’s very easy! Today, we used our marbled paper from last week to make a Mother’s Day […]
Day of Free Fun
May 7, 2009 by
Our day was filled with lots of free fun! After breakfast, Emily wasted no time starting a game of Hide and Seek. Have you ever tried hiding with a baby? Clara gave us away so many times with all of her giggling. Then, it was time for Ring Around the Rosy. Clara isn’t walking yet, […]
One Mom’s Brilliant Idea
May 6, 2009 by
You are looking at a masterpiece. I wish I could take credit for this, but this is my friend Lisa’s wonderful idea, which she so graciously shared with us during our MOMS Club Cinco de Mayo Fiesta. Lisa is a mom of four boys, three of whom are triplets. Ahem. Triplet BOYS, people! With that […]
Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
May 5, 2009 by
I love, love, love Cinco de Mayo! All the bright colors, the festive music, and the FOOD. Mmmmm…. What’s not to like, really? Plus, any excuse to curl up next to Mark with a margarita later tonight sounds pretty good to me! Seriously, my hubby makes a mean margarita. It was a deciding factor for […]
Slacker Saturday — Shadow Puppets
May 2, 2009 by
Today’s Slacker Saturday activity is Shadow Puppets, and there is something to be said for the simplicity here. Mark showed Emily how to make some easy versions of shadow puppets like a dog, butterfly, and duck. Then, she entertained herself with her own little stories. Sometimes the best activities are the most simple ones, and […]
$5 Friday — Paper Marbling — This is awesome!
May 1, 2009 by
After yesterday’s post about making an art smock from a garbage bag, you knew today’s post was going to be about a fun, messy project, right? Paper marbling is a bit messy, but lots of fun, and very frugal! To do your own paper marbling, you will need: cardstock, liquid starch, water, 2 dish tubs […]
