Showing posts with label Winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Mini Painted Sponge Christmas Trees

Can you believe that it's already mid November?   Time sure flies by quickly!  Even though it's not yet Thanksgiving, my son's already asked me to put up the Christmas tree and make Christmas Crafts.

Well, we still haven't put up the tree, but we have been crafting more together at night.  Recently, we turned a bunch of old makeup sponges into mini Christmas trees.  I know, they're not as beautiful as the real thing... but for now, they'll do!

Mini Sponge Christmas Trees

Easy Christmas Craft- Painted Sponge Christmas trees
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Friday, November 6, 2015

Recycled Hibernating Bear Craft! (And our favorite Bear books!)

Does your child love learning about nature?  With the recent cooler weather we've been turning to more fall crafts and winter crafts.  Recently we talked about bears and hibernation.  (For some reason my preschooler was amused by the idea of an animal sleeping through the winter.  As a tired, pregnant mom... the idea of sleeping for a long time really appealed to me!)

Today I'm sharing this easy Recycled Hibernating Bear Craft!  It's a great way to teach kids about their natural world using some creative arts and crafts fun!

Recycled Hibernating Bear Craft


Preschool Science- Easy and fun hibernating bear craft!  Great way to teach kids about nature!
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Friday, January 9, 2015

The Snowy Day Shadow box

Howdy, friends!  Today the Creative Preschool Collaborators and I are sharing 5 fun Winter-themed preschool activities and crafts!  So be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for other great ideas!

The Snowy Day Shadow Box  

The Snowy Day Shadow Box- fun kid's winter's craft
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Ezra Jack Keats' book, The Snowy Day, has always been a favorite of mine.   His illustrations are simple, charming, colorful, and graphic.  He really captures the magic of a winter snowfall.  Plus, I love that he supports multiculturalism and made his main character a young black boy.  So when I found out that this week's theme was Winter, I was excited to read this book with Chuck and combine it with a craft.  


Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Lego Snowflakes

Do you enjoy cutting snowflakes from paper?  Do you like Lego?   Then I've got a treat for you! Combining both, I recently figured out how to cut out Lego snowflakes!


DIY Lego Snowflakes!


how to cut lego snowflakes
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Hubby and I both grew up loving Lego toys. Chuck loves his cars and train Duplo sets.  And every year I find myself cutting all sorts of paper snowflakes to decorate our windows.  So this year, I was inspired by this neat Batman snowflake design to create two cute and easy-to- cut Lego Snowflakes.  


Monday, December 22, 2014

DIY Star Washer Ornaments

Enjoy making things?  Looking for a fun gift to give a DIY-loving friend?  
How about these Star Washer Ornaments!

DIY Washer Christmas Ornaments- Easy to make, fun to give!


These lovely hardware ornaments are super easy to make and will look great on the Christmas tree too!  You can check out my full tutorial on DIY Candy today!

And here are 3 other easy DIY Ornaments!



Let's keep in Contact!

Like this idea?  You can always find other fun ideas on my Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts!  Or, just sign up for the weekly newsletter in the pink bar at the top of the site.

Happy making, friends!

Monday, December 15, 2014

Paper Christmas Trees (template included)

Ok.  I know, I know.  I have a small obsession with mini Christmas trees.  I've made Christmas tree advent calendars, trees from pipe cleaners and cardboard, and mini paint chip Christmas trees.  So today's post probably won't come as a surprise to you.  But I just had to share these trees because they're so cute!  And...there's a twist!

We'll be staying in Cali for Christmas this year, so we won't see our family and friends on the East coast.  I wanted to share some Christmas cheer with them, so I made a bunch of Paper Christmas Tree Packs to go into their Christmas cards!   Each pack contains all the materials needed to make a lovely paper Christmas tree!

Paper Christmas Tree Packs

header how to make paper Christmas trees with template
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Friday, December 5, 2014

Pin the Nose on Rudolph Game

Are you looking for a simple way to entertain the kids during the holidays?  Well, today our Creative preschool group has 5 great Christmas activities to do with the kids!

Recently I shared the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with Chuck.  He seemed to like Rudolph a lot, so I whipped up this super easy Pin the Nose on Rudolph game from us to try out.

Let's Pin on Rudolph's Nose!

PIn the nose on Rudolph Christmas Game


Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Free Christmas Coloring Sheets

I've been seeing lots of  beautiful Christmas coloring sheets online lately.  I love doodling and wanted to make one for the blog....but things got pretty busy during the holidays.  (Our Aussie family is visiting us AND I'm making paper Moravian stars for a friend's wedding!)  So I didn't have a chance to doodle some coloring sheets till now.

Free Christmas Coloring Sheets

free Christmas coloring sheets


These 2 coloring sheets contain ornaments (or gift labels)  that the kids can color and then hang onto the tree.  


Friday, November 28, 2014

Perler Bead Garland

The Perler Bead holiday crafting continues!  A couple of days ago I shared how to make these super easy Perler Bead Snowflake ornaments.  Today I'm over at DIYCandy sharing this quirky and unique Perler Bead Holiday Garland!

Perler Bead Holiday Garland

Perler Bead Holiday Garland- Easy, fun, and colorful!

You just need 2 materials:  Perler Beads and Zip ties!

(And if you like the adorable Christmas trees in the photo, you can find the tutorial for mini Christmas trees here.)


Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, friends!  We're going black Friday shopping today with family!  Wish us luck!


Let's keep in Contact!

Like this idea?  You can always find other fun ideas on my Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts!  Or, just sign up for the weekly newsletter in the pink bar at the top of the site.

Happy making, friends!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Angel Craft- Paper Cup Angel Luminaries

Ah, paper cups.  They're such a great crafting material because they're versatile and cheap.  We've used them to make DIY Animal Nose Paper Cups and popsicle stick ice-skating dolls.   Today I'm over at MollyMoo sharing how I turned a couple of plain old clear plastic cups into cozy, glowing  Paper Cup Angel Luminaries!



Wouldn't these be such a magical craft to make with the kids?


Let's keep in Contact!

Like this idea?  You can always find other fun ideas on my Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts!  Or, just sign up for the weekly newsletter in the pink bar at the top of the site.

Happy making, friends!

Monday, November 17, 2014

Make Mini Christmas Trees (For free!)

Here's a super easy way to decorate your home for the holidays! 
Make a bunch of mini Christmas trees!
(Bonus- All the materials are free!)



make mini christmas trees- easy DIY


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Easy Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

Christmas crafts? Christmas crafts?  Ok, I haven't completely gone bonkers... it's just that the stores have started putting out their Christmas things... so I wanted to join in on the fun.  Last year I had a lot of fun Christmas crafting (remember the village made from Plaster of Paris?)  This year I fell in love with all of the beautiful colors of paint swatches from Home Depot... so I took a bunch home (shhhh, don't tell anyone) and made a bunch of cute paper Christmas trees with Chuck.

Then I wasn't sure what to do with our little army of trees.  At first I was going to turn them into a garland of some sort, but then realized that they would make for a really simple and modern take on a DIY Christmas Advent Calendar!

Easy Christmas Tree Advent Calendar!

easy DIY christmas tree advent calendar
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Monday, November 10, 2014

Maple Syrup Candy + Craft Fail book review!

Now that the weather is a bit chillier, I thought it would be fun to do more fall and winter crafts and activities.  I loved reading the Little House on the Prairie series as a child and always wanted to try doing the things Laura did.  Last year, we made homemade butter from heavy cream.  This year, we tried our hand at making homemade maple syrup candy!

Let's Make Homemade Maple Syrup Candy!

(using snow-- ooh la la)

Make maple syrup candy using snow and maple syrup! (Great Fall and winter activity for the kids)
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Thursday, October 30, 2014

Ice-Skating Popsicle Stick Dolls

I LOVE popsicle sticks.  Today I'm over at MollyMoo sharing these easy-to-make and adorable ice-skating popsicle stick dolls!

 So be sure to pop on over there and check the tutorial out.  Weeeeeeeee!  (I'm pretending to ice-skate away.)



Let's keep in Contact!

Like this idea?  You can always find other fun ideas on my Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts!  Or, sign up for the weekly newsletter in the pink bar at the top of the site. 

Keep creating, friends!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Make Shaving Cream Clouds and Paint the bathtub walls

With all the crazy weather that's been happening around these parts, I thought Chuck and I could try creating some of our own crazy weather... indoors!  So we made a shaving cream cloud and watched it rain rainbows...

Oooh.  Isn't it pretty?
Make shaving cream clouds and rainbow rain

Keep reading to find out how we made it rain rainbows!

Monday, February 3, 2014

Make Fake Snow from Diapers

Guess what Chuck and I played with today while it snowed outside? Fake snow!  We made some from a Pull up Diaper.

Make fake snow from diapers

Say what?

Oh yeah.  We visited our nearby science center last week and the kids loved playing with their fake snow.  I found out that the fake snow was made from the same material found inside of diapers!  Wow.  Mind blown.  So of course we had to make it at home. 

Keep reading to find out how we made our fake snow!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Two Bird Feeder Crafts: Toilet Paper Roll Feeders and Ice Feeders

Earlier this week my posts focused on sending some lovin' to the special people in your life (Click herehere and here.)  Well, that's all well and good.  But what about sending love to others?  How about the birds?  With the freezing cold weather outside, our feathered friends are bound to need some loving too.  So why not try out these two bird feeder crafts?  Chuck and I made some toilet paper roll bird feeders and some heart shaped ice feeders.  Both were really easy to make and currently dangling on a tree outside our building.

Here's an up-close shot of our Toilet Paper Roll Feeder:
Toilet Roll Bird Feeder Craft

To see how I made the toilet paper roll feeders and ice feeders, keep reading!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Indoor Snow Painting (Make Rainbow snow!)

How are you enjoying this snowy weather?  Since Chuck was sick, we stayed inside.  But, the snow was just too tempting, so I let him play with it inside the apartment.  Currently there are so many blogs showcasing indoor snow painting, but this one from Housing a Forest really inspired me to do this activity.


Indoor snow painting activity 

Indoor snow painting activity setup

Keep reading to see our artwork!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

DIY: 5 Ways to update your old beanie

Hubby's away and Chuck and I are currently stuck at home, sick.  Boo.  We're watching the lovely fluffy flakes falling outside and I'm soooo tempted to bundle him up to play outside.  But, I'm holding myself back until he gets better. 

(Hrmm... but maybe I could bring some snow inside for us to play with.... thanks Lisa for that idea!)

Anyway, here's a short cold weather post in honor of the snow.

Do you have an old beanie just lying around? Maybe you never really wear it, but you just can't bring yourself to give it away just in case you need it one day?  Well, here are five super easy ways to update your drab head wear.   And bonus!  None of these are permanent changes, so you could potentially wear all five looks this winter! 

  1. Pom Pom Beanie

This update was my favorite.  Chuck is beginning to recognize Micky Mouse.  So when I saw Eugenia Kim's Pom pom beanie (for $185- holy empty wallet!), I knew that I had to make my own cheapie version.  I followed this pom pom tutorial  from Crafted.  Then, I sewed the two semi-identical (eek!) pom poms onto the corners of my beanie.  Bam.  Instant mousekateer cool.

And here I am modelling the four other updates....
2.  "Hi" Beanie:  I cut out the letters "H" and "i" from felt.  Then, I just sewed them onto the front of the beanie for some friendly headwear.  Make sure you sew the letters closer together because they will stretch apart when you wear the hat.

3.  Polka dot Pom Pom Beanie:  I bought a pack of mini pom poms from the craft store and then sewed them onto the hat.  To help with placement, I marked the hat with chalk first so I would know where to sew.

4.  Spiked Beanie:  I poked a couple of screwback cone spikes through the front of the beanie.  I thought the hat made me look like a punky Statue of Liberty. 

5.  Sparkly heart Beanie:  I cut out a heart shape from felt.  Then, I hot glued some rhinestones onto the heart.  Then, I sewed the heart back onto the hat.   Wouldn't this version be nice for Valentine's Day?  

 Alright that's it.  Time to take a nap. Stay warm and well, friends!

Monday, January 13, 2014

6 ways to entertain a toddler at home

Looking for some easy ways to entertain your toddler in the winter?

So... how about that polar votex?  Boy, oh boy, that was some crazy weather.  With the snow, ice, and freezing cold winds, Chuck and I hunkered down at home. 


After a couple of hours of reading the same books over and over again, and playing with the same toys over and over again, and listening to the soundtrack of "Planes" for the trillionth time, I finally cracked.

Redrum, redrum?

Thankfully, we didn't make it to that point.  But, we definitely bounced off the walls a bit.  To maintain some sense of sanity, we had to do something to make the time at home more enjoyable.  So here are a couple of fun activities that kept us sane and smiling...

1.  Yarn family portrait craft

yarn hair family portrait craft
Chuck loves using scissors and the glue sticks, so this activity was a hit.  First he helped me cut tons of short, white yarn strands.  Then, I doodled a bald family on a piece of paper.  Then, he helped me glue hair onto all of their heads.  The result is this cute and funny family portrait. 

Keep reading to see more ways we entertained ourselves at home...