Friends. Teacher Appreciation gifts can sometimes break the bank, and I know that can be hard. But being a teacher myself, I can tell you that really, sometimes simple and heartfelt is a much better way to go. Teachers appreciate hearing 'thank you' any day of the week. Really and truly. Having three kids in school and about a million teachers to recognize, I know it can also get super expensive to give gifts to these important people in your children's lives. Here's a sweet and … [Read more...]
fun dip valentines
Judge me if you will, but I have finally given in to the pressure of Owen and Cora. I've held up for quite a while, though, and for that I'm proud. Every, single year when I bragged about creating fun, super-cool candy-free Valentines for the kids to make for their classmates, they sighed. Puh-leaaaase, Mom. We just want to give our friends candy Valentines. That's all kids want. Can we just get the Valentines from the store that everyone loves? The ones that have a lollipop or Nerds … [Read more...]
easy homemade stamped pencils: plain pencils go from boring to BAM!
It’s hard to find ways to send our littles off to school with a bit of love once they become tweens. So these easy homemade stamped pencils are a super-easy way to make plain pencils go from boring to BAM! (channel your inner Emeril), and they also are a great way to send kids off to the wilds of the week with a little love. Tweens may feel ready to walk to school or the bus stop with their buddies—sans parents. Tweens may feel ready to pack their own lunches without Mom or Dad’s … [Read more...]
backyard painting–with nature
Originally published June 16, 2011, I stumbled upon this post today, and it was a good reminder to slow down. No matter your child's age. We have been taking a lot of walks lately, just slow walks where we're looking closely at what's around us because I feel like we've been moving too quickly in the rush of the last weeks of school. And just like last year, when everyone started to get antsy and bickery and up and down and not too sure of what's going on because the school schedule's … [Read more...]
quick and easy flower wish boxes
This post was written as part of a partnership with Disney-Hyperion. It's amazing how easily you can create sweet and easy gifts sometimes when you have a bit of inspiration. Sometimes it's a walk in the craft store. Sometimes it's a stroll through the park. Sometimes it's a glance through a photo album. Sometimes it's a movie, tv program, or book. These quick and easy flower wish boxes were inspired by a book series that we've recently discovered. It's a book series that Maddy … [Read more...]
teacher appreciation–finger print note cards
Originally posted on May 6, 2010, this post has been getting so much traction on Pinterest lately, I thought it was worth re-sharing! Enjoy! As a Teacher Appreciation Week gift for Maddy and Owen's teachers this year, I wanted to do something that would be easy (okay, and quick) for us to create, useful for them, but that wouldn't break the bank. Note cards, note cards, note cards. Note cards! Embellished with thumbprint animals, a shiny bow, and a … [Read more...]
melted crayon valentines
These cute melted crayon Valentines have been floating around the web for years now, but this is the first time we've tried it. Our own take on the melted crayon Valentine turned out really, really awesome. Don't get me wrong--we've melted crayons before. We just never used them for Valentines. We experimented with them on a super-hot summer day. Our family is always on the hunt for crazy-cool, handmade and candy-free Valentines that the kids can make and share with their … [Read more...]
easy snowman footprint craft for kids
I am so thankful that my sister and her boys have been on a cool and crafty streak, because lately my kids and I haven't been feeling the crafty pull. After our wild tween crafts, crafts for gifts, and crafts to wear, it seems as though we've been on a short craft hiatus. It's all good. I'm thrilled to share this sweet and easy snowman footprint craft for kids, compliments of my amazing sister and her two crafty boys. It's a great last-minute gift for grandparents, for playdates, or for … [Read more...]
proud mama moment: two new videos (starring my kids!)
Things have been so super busy over here lately, and quite honestly, I'm just doing what I can to breathe. Like everyone, I've got a to-do list 100 miles long. I have what feels like a million people tugging at my sleeve, asking me for a minute here or a quick favor there. So I've been harnessing my inner yogi and trying to find my zen on a daily basis, despite the constant push to rush, rush, rush and go, go, go that's continually buzzing during the holiday season. I'm saying 'No' … [Read more...]
handmade gifts for the whole family
Friends. You know I've been doing some work with Klutz lately, and it's been a blast. A few weeks ago, we held a twitter event filled where the main focus was to share ideas for handmade gifts for the whole family. What was shared was amazing. Honestly. I'm ready to clear off the table and get my craft ON. So I thought I'd share a bit from that event so that if you weren't able to make it, you'd still get the info. And? You can even win all FIVE of the books I share here. For real. So … [Read more...]
5 cool handmade gifts that tweens love to make
Let's face it: we're all busy--even our kids. As they get older, they're juggling homework, activities, sports, lessons, chores (ahem. . . ), and friends, so when our kids carve out the time to create a handmade gift, it really means a lot. Believe it or not, friends, now is an ideal time to start thinking about the holidays. So we've got some cool handmade gifts that tweens will love to make. Really. Huge thanks to my friends at Klutz who just keep designing these cool books that … [Read more...]
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