I love this time of year when there’s a nippiness to the air. It also heralds the poncho sewing season at our house. We’ve been sewing these for years not only for my girls but also as gifts. They are easy to sew, taking only 1 hour for the inexperienced sewer. All sizes are girls’ […]
Easy Toilet Paper Pumpkin Decoration
Aren’t these pumpkins cute? Call me cheap. Or frugal. But they are made by wrapping a roll of toilet paper with fabric. The girls are wanting to decorate for fall. I was going through our fall decorations and realized we needed some new ones but didn’t want to take a ton of time to actually […]
Fall Yarn Leaves
All week long we are making decorations to use in our autumn celebration next week. (More on that later) Today’s craft was different than one we’ve ever done before but the results as you can see were beautiful! These can be made into magnets for the refrigerator or strung on a string for garland (which […]
Homemade Paper
Last week while I was watching some nieces and nephews we decided to make some homemade paper. It was fun, easy, and the kids loved the mess! Supplies Needed:* Window Screening* Old Wooden Photo Frame* Staple Gun* Plastic Tub (large enough to immerse the frame)* Felt or Flannel Pieces* Blender* Old paper: newspaper, discarded printer […]
Kool-Aid Play Dough
I’m watching three nephews and a niece today so we made four batches of Kool-Aid play dough to give the littles something new to do. The play dough is very easy to make and smells oh-so-yummy! To get different colors use different flavors of Kool-Aid. Kool-Aid Play Dough 1 cup flour1/2 cup salt3 Tbsp. oil1 […]
Cool Summer Days Paper Calendar Tutorial
Upon posting the sewing tutorial for the Cool Summer Days Calendar I received many comments from those who don’t sew but would still like one. Here’s a paper version I came up with. It’s fairly easy – just print, cut, paste, laminate, make a few more cuts, and tape together. It only takes about one […]
Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime {2}
Here’s a reposting of my summer activity list from last year. It has been updated with more ideas to have fun with your children this summer. I always feel so sad for those children whose parents dread the end of school, who fear having their children home all day, who don’t enjoy their children. Now […]
Pass a napkin, I’m drooling again
I don’t usually watch television but today was an unusual day. I happened to get the last three segments of Martha Stewart on the Fine Living Channel. Oi! How about a spiffy little cardboard range for cooking and baking complete with CD stove top burners. Or an oober cute Felt Cherry Pie to bake inside […]
Envelope with Heart Closure
I first saw an envelope similar to this years ago. I love it! It’s not hard but does require a little bit of tracing and cutting. First you’ll need the templates I’ve made. I have three sizes – a 3inch square, a 5 inch square (for 12×12 inch sheets of paper), and one that is […]
Woven Felt Hearts
During my one-on-one time with Brownie last Monday we decided to make some woven hearts in preparation for Valentine’s Day. Last year we did paper hearts this year we’re going with felt.These are easy to make once you get the weaving down. Step#1: Cut out two identical pieces for each half a heart. The bottom […]
Personalized Notepads – A How To
WARNING – The following tutorial, if followed, can be very addicting. Proceed with caution! Supplies: Paper – any kind, scrap, colored, personalized, etc. Here I’m using some family photos printed at 40% opacity and a fun design for my grocery lists.Paper cutterHeavy Books, binder clips, or specially made clampPaintbrushThin Cardboard – old cereal boxes work […]
Gingerbread Houses
I was beginning to think I’d never get this posted. Our power has been on and off all day. Looks like it’s finally on to stay. I began making gingerbread houses when I just had Bon Bon and Semisweet. It has become a tradition we all look forward to every year. It is always a […]
Art – Eric Carle Style
Last week was rather wretched for us. What with running into town several times for doctor visits, blood work and all the emotional and physical ups and downs that accompany a miscarriage (11 weeks along this time) our school work was the bare bones. Essentials were accomplished but not much else. On Wednesday I decided […]
Art & Crafts Sites
School always seems more fun when there are art projects or crafts to go along with what we are studying. Here’s a list of sites that I like to peruse to find the “perfect” project. Crafty Crow – a collection of craft ideas from around the internet – mostly other blogs. You can search by […]
Monthly Baby Onsies
I love figuring out new gifts to make for friends and family. Ones that are really awesome, somewhat different than the norm, and so fun to do that I know they will be a go-to gift for quite a while, or until I run out of people to give them to. My friend Julie had […]