Crafts and DIY

I’m always looking for easy ways to help my toddler develop his fine motors skills.  I wanted to share a mini-project that I recently assembled that does an excellent job at addressing just that. Hold onto your hats… this one’s a doozy.  First, you’ll need a package of pom poms.  They can be purchased at any craft …

1) Participate in a Polar Express inspired train ride. 2) Make ornaments! These are my favorite, of course, but Pinterest is booming with kid-friendly ornament ideas. Just search “DIY ornaments” and you’ll be feeling crafty for days. 3) Visit Santa … and not just the mall ones. My favorite Santas to visit seem to be the …

Our tree is simple and sweet this year – white lights, a ribbon garland and homemade cinnamon ornaments. These ornaments are the perfect Christmas craft and ensure that your home will billow the scent of Christmas all December long! Earlier this week my daughter and I mixed the cinnamon dough in our trusty KitchenAid and …

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: I am cheap. Cheap, cheap, cheap. If you can pay for professional family photos, more power to you. I, on the other hand, can’t. And for now I will stick to faking them myself. And I’ll go ahead and toot my own horn and say that …

Every year I look for cheap gifts to give to everyone. Yep. I’m cheap. I can’t help it. I don’t have a bazillion dollars to gift everyone something that they really want. Not to mention, I think handmade gifts mean a little bit more. I actually tried on your gift. So there. Since I got …

Technically, I don’t even know if this qualifies as a DIY because I literally did nothing more than plug in a hot glue gun. Recently, my son discovered that the dishwasher is magnetic and has been having a lot of fun moving the magnets around on there.  Unfortunately, it seemed that the magnets might be scratching …

So… What’s a busy bag? Here’s the deal. A busy bag is basically an activity that you keep in a Ziploc that your kid can do BY HIMSELF. It should be called “The Heavens Have Parted And Provided You With 20 Uninterrupted Minutes While Your Child Plays Happily Unassisted.” But “Busy Bag” is cuter and …

A fun and easy way to instantly add festive decor to your Thanksgiving table is to create Thanksgiving table place cards! This is also a great way to let your guests know where they’re sitting, and add some fun to the table. Guests can then take these place cards home as a little thank you, …

One thing that I absolutely love about the holidays is decorating. Well, sort of. I hate the cost that comes with decorating, especially when whatever you buy falls apart after one year (which most of that year is spent sitting in a box!). But I don’t mind spending a little extra to make it myself, …

I’m a simplest when it comes to do it yourself projects – especially painting ones. I can follow instructions, but am not in the right time of my life to take on anything too laborious. And that’s why I’ve found Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to be the PERFECT answer to my furniture renovation dreams. Let …

I know I said in Episode Two that the Firehouse Room was one of my favorite rooms in our house, but I have to say that the Clubhouse room is right there with it as one of my favorites. This is another unique kid’s room that we really put our heart and soul into designing. …

We’re having somewhat of an Indian summer here in the Northwest. Leaves are turning and falling as the sun shines and we’re sneaking outside for after dinner walks quite often. On our strolls we’ve been gathering “leaf bouquets” as my daughter calls them and many of these crinkly little friends have made their way home …