Eileen

Fun Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt

January 20, 2017 by Eileen 73 Comments

Last Valentine’s Day I threw together a little scavenger hunt for Ash. Every now and then I try to do something sweet 😉

Although too young to actively participate, our son was the star – as all of the clues were written in his point of view and revolved around him too.

One example was “This is where I like to sit and read…” and the clue was hidden under his Mickey Mouse couch in the playroom where he would pretend read.

Another clue was “I haven’t learned to walk yet, but I love to run” and the clue was in his exersaucer – the little thing where toddlers “run” in circles. 🙂

It turned out super cute, and I had a good laugh watching Ash run around the house looking for the clues. And, getting stumped a few more times than I would have thought.

A New Valentine’s Tradition

A few weeks ago, I was thinking about Valentines crafts and activities and making the scavenger hunt.

So, I dug out the clues and LOVED reading through them – it’s crazy how much kids change so much in one year!

I mean last year our toddler had about a five-word vocabulary and was relying mainly on sign language to tell us “more,” “hungry,” or “sleepy.”

This year, he is speaking in mostly run-on sentences: “No, mommy I don’t like carrots, actually, I would like more rice for lunch for me, please mommy, I really want rice.” :):)

Reading through all of the clues definitely took Ash and I back. So much – that I decided a Valentine’s Scavenger Hunt would be a recurring thing in this household.

There is so much stress and planning and travel involved with Thanksgiving and Christmas that it will be fun to have a special Valentine’s tradition in our family 🙂

This year, our toddler can help make it – or help Ash find all the clues. Or both 🙂

Materials for the Making a Scavenger Hunt

Card stock or construction paper
Sharpie
Scissors – love squiggly scissors
Prize to go with the last clue

Making a Scavenger Hunt

First, I typed up the clues on the computer, using a cute font with hearts. You can also hand write them – or have your kids write them.

Then, I printed them out and cut them up using squiggly scissors. I love these scissors because they disguise my lack of being able to cut in straight lines. Next, I glued them to card stock.

Here was the tricky part – labeling the clues so that they are put in the right places. So if the first clue is “This is where I sit and read” and the answer is the couch. This clue is not the one that gets hidden on the couch. The following card will be hidden on the couch.

So, I labeled the back of each card with the place where that card was hidden – NOT with the answer to that question. This made the clues easy to hide.

And, the answers were still labeled (for later re-reading), they were just on the back of the next card.

The last clue can be hidden with a prize. Our last clue led Ash to the mini fridge in his office (my old dorm room fridge is still humming!), where there was a sweet treat for him 🙂

Binding the Scavenger Hunt Clues

After Ash collected all the clues, I bound them all together using a hole punch in the top left corner of each card, and then a loose leaf binder ring to keep them together.

This was so much easier and more organized than a rubber band or paper clip because you can flip right through them.

I also use these binder rings to bind together the Christmas cards we received each year 🙂 Love them!

I’m looking forward to see this year’s hunt. Our little guy might give Ash a run for his money 🙂

And, I’m sure next year I’ll flipping through this year’s clues saying I can’t believe how much our little guy has grown… again 🙂

How to Easily Make Valentines Finger Puppets

January 15, 2017 by Eileen 96 Comments

I cannot believe it’s already halfway through January. This past holiday season flew. Thanksgiving sprang up on me, and then Christmas – I was still running around buying gifts a few days prior, which is really unlike me.

Now that it’s a new year, I’m getting back to my old ways and getting myself organized ahead of time. There’s so just so much unnecessary stress when you are running behind.

That being said, I’ve already been working on this year’s Valentine’s Day crafts! Wahoo!

And, this is a good one – Valentines felt finger puppets!

They are so simple and so cute – it’s the perfect Valentine’s activity for kids. Not to mention, I made them from scrap materials.

My son is a little obsessed with nursery rhymes – Wheels on the Bus, Hot Cross Buns, and most recently a song called “The Finger Family,” which essentially uses finger puppets for family members. He sings it probably about 50 times a day.

The other day he took off all the marker caps and placed them on his fingers and started singing “Mommy Finger, Mommy Finger, Where are you?”Before I chimed in with, “Here I am, Here I am, How do you do? (I’m not helping the obsession), I realized he needed some real finger puppets.

I thought about using photos and using our family – or just drawing some pictures with him – but then I thought I could tie it into a fun Valentine’s Day activity.

Making Felt Finger Puppets

It would have been super simple to use the fingers on a pair of gloves – but gloves are way too precious around here.

So, I used my go-to material – felt.

I was determined to use all scraps for this project – and I successfully did so. I didn’t spend a penny.

Felt Finger Puppet Materials:

One sheet of felt
Card stock/construction paper
Sharpie/markers
Hot glue gun
Scissors
Regular glue

Steps for Making Felt Finger Puppets

I used just one sheet of felt for all ten fingers. Then, I liberally traced my pointer finger eight times and my thumb twice.

After, I cut slits in between each of the traced fingers, so I could quickly fold them up (to be double sided) after I hot glued them. This worked like a charm.

Here’s a picture I quickly snapped of going over the outline with hot glue – and then folding it up.

Next, I cut off the excess felt. This took a little patience, since the glue/outline was inside. I roughly cut them and then ended up putting my pinky finger in each puppet and then carefully cutting off any additional excess.

I now had one hand ready to go 🙂

At this point, my son was begging to play with them. He was so excited about the finger puppets that I didn’t have the heart to say no.

So, I gave him these five and decided to make a second hand.

After both hands were done, it was time to get creative with heart-shaped animals.

I used a small cookie cutter to get the shape of the heart perfect and consistent for all of the fingers. It worked out really well 🙂

Before I knew it, I had a frog, chicken, penguin, panda, fox, lady bug, fish, fox, bunny, and a dog/mouse that was originally a bear.

You can see in the top of the picture (below) that I used garage sale stickers to put some quick faces on the puppets while my son waited for the animals.

Decorating the Felt Finger Puppets

You can be as creative as you like making the felt finger puppets. Aside from the cookie cutter, I cut the rest of the hearts freehand.

One of those heart paper punches would have been perfect for this – but I was determined to make this a no-cost project 🙂

I also had some heart stickers lying around, but I liked using the card stock colors and patterns. I put some googly eyes on the lady bug – they were a little big – but it shows how you can incorporate some other crafty materials, too.

After the animals were done, I hot glued each to a finger puppet – and voila! We had an Animal Finger Family.

My favorite is the chicken. It turned out so cute 🙂

Here are a few more close-ups:For longevity, you could laminate the animals (before the googly eyes and before gluing to the finger puppet), making the felt finger puppets more durable. You could do this either with a home laminator or using packaging tape.

I’ve used both, and each works well 🙂

And my son, well he LOVED these puppets. Needless to say, all we’ve been hearing is “Froggie finger, Froggie finger, where are you?”

And of course, we keep the song going 🙂

Easy Thank You Cards for Kids to Make

January 1, 2017 by Eileen 47 Comments

With the holidays over and those playrooms bursting with new toys, it’s about time to start sending thank you notes.

I’m strong believer in the importance of thank you cards from kids – when somebody puts the time and thought into buying a gift, they should get a special, handwritten note in return.

With my son still being a toddler, I’m doing most of the writing for his gifts; however, he still helps make the cards – and I try to make the homemade card ideas easy and creative.

Today, I’m sharing four simple kids thank you card ideas.

These homemade thank you cards are easy and always make the fridge 🙂

Also, these homemade thank you cards from toddlers and kids could be used for any occasion – not just for kids thank you cards 🙂

1. Cut-Out Thank You Card Ideas

This type of homemade card is my favorite and the simplest for younger kids like toddlers.

First, use a cookie cutter to trace a few shapes on card stock. We used stars, hearts, Christmas trees, and gingerbread people.

As far as paper, I always use card stock for homemade thank you cards from toddlers because its thicker than construction paper. So when the paint is layered on like the ways kids love to paint, the card doesn’t bend.

I also like the colors of card stock better than ordinary construction paper. They are brighter and more fun, which definitely ups its refrigerator-worthyness.

Then, simply cut the shapes out for your child to paint on. You can then glue these shapes to a folded piece of card stock to make perfectly easy homemade thank you cards from toddlers and kids.

Toddler and Baby Variation: You can also do a variation of this homemade card – which is great for younger ones: Have your child paint all freely over a piece of card stock. Toddlers could use brushes or q-tips. Younger ones could use their hands. Once dry, you can trace the cookie cutters and cut out the shapes.

I did something similar with the below Christmas trees. Using my toddler’s painted paper, I cut out strips and shaped them into trees. It’s his painting, but cut into a pretty shape.

If your child comes home from preschool or daycare with lots of “abstract” freestyle paints, you can always cut them up to make one of these cute homemade thank you cards from toddlers.

After, glue your cut-outs onto another piece of cardstock and fold into a card.

Your child can continue to decorate the homemade card – my toddler used q-tips and paint to further decorate the trees. You could also use stickers or ribbon – or scribbled markers or crayons works too.

These homemade kids thank you cards turned out so cute and were so easy for mama to oversee 🙂

2. Potato Stamped Homemade Cards

Always looking for new sensory play activities, I decided to give potato stamps a try. It was way easier than I thought it would be – and my son had a ball.

This might just be our new go-to card.

First, cut off the top of the potato. Then, press in a cookie cutter of your choice.

I thought only metal cookie cutters would work; yet, the plastic heart cookie cutter (below) went into the potato without a problem 🙂

After that, use a knife cut the excess from around the cookie cutter, slowly moving your knife around the border of the cookie cutter.

You are left with an awesome stamp that’s easy for kids to paint.

I got a little creative and did a double-sided stamp on this potato – with a star on one side and a heart on the other.

This encouraged my son to be more involved – getting messy and flipping the potato to see the shapes. This is great for kids messy play ideas!

This could also be a fingerpaint activity or a paintbrush activity. And, potato stamped notes don’t have to be for kids thank you cards – they could used for any occasion or even a rainy day activity.

3. Painters Tape Lettered Kids Cards

Use painters tape to spell out a word – such as “Thanks” and then have your child paint freely.

When the paint is still a little tacky, remove the tape from the card.

Definitely use painters tape for best results. I lazily used electrical tape this time and it peeled terribly.

4. Fingerprint Balloons Homemade Card Ideas

Handprint, footprint, and fingerprint cards are usually not my favorite. It’s usually too structured for my little one; however, we got a really cute homemade card with a few single fingerprints.

We turned them into letter balloons which my toddler loved.

Simply put a little of each of the colors you are using on a palette or piece of paper, and have your child dip their finger into each color and then make the print.

The number of prints will depend on the number of letters in the word.

Once dry, use a sharpie to write on the letters and draw the balloon knot and string. This balloon card is definitely an easy thank you card to make.

Kids Homemade Thank You Cards Tips…

If you will be mailing the kids thank you cards, keep in mind envelope size – or you might be making an unnecessary trip to the post office. With some of the above cards, you might want to cut the card to size before starting. I always do this so I’m not cutting up my kids thank you card after he made it.
If you feel like your toddler wasn’t as involved as you would have liked during the thank you card making process, have them accessorize the cards with stickers, color on the front, inside, or back of the creation. This preserves the cards refrigerator-worthy quality but also makes it more of their own. Either way – they will be proud of their creation!
More is always better! Even if you only plan to make one thank you card, have your children paint extra, in case they run their paint-streaked hands across the creation just when you were on the way to the sink for cleanup 🙂 Or, if it doesn’t turn out the way you thought, you have a couple to choose from 🙂 Or, when you are scrambling for a birthday card for someone, you’ll have a secret homemade card stash.

My son had a great time making these homemade kid-friendly thank you cards. Arts and crafts is one of his favorite activities, as it’s special time we spend together. He also takes such great pride in giving his homemade cards to his special family members, which is super cute 🙂

Not to mention our family members love the creativity involved and appreciate the time we took to make them something special. If you are looking for some ideas for homemade thank you cards from toddlers and kids, I hope these card ideas helped you out!

I do have to say, the cards definitely make the fridge 🙂

Check out some of our other toddler card ideas too!

Most Popular DIY Projects of 2016

December 31, 2016 by Eileen 54 Comments

The end of year is always so bittersweet – reflecting on all of the amazing memories, but grateful to move on from some others.

One of the best things this year was our blog. We have always loved sharing our home projects with others, but documenting them as been amazing!

We even started including some of our more crafty endeavors.

Creativity definitely inspires more creativity.

My love for organization inspired a few of Ash’s garage projects this year. While, Ash’s constant repurposing “junk” has rubbed off on me.

I love that we continue to inspire each other.

Here are our best DIY projects from 2016. In true New Years Eve style, here’s the countdown:

#10 – CD Tower to Pantry Shelf

This CD tower was ready to be kicked to the curb, until Ash had the brilliant idea of using it for built-in pantry storage.

He cut a hole into a pantry wall, used a cool little gadget to search inside, knocked more of the wall, and inserted the tower.

#9 – Ice Cream Sundae Gift Box

Wrapped in a pretty little box and adorned with ribbon, this Sundae Gift Box was a hit!

Much cheaper (and cuter) than ordering from the store, it has everything you need to make a sundae.

It’s a perfect gift for those who need a little happiness 🙂

#8 – Built-In Bookshelf with a Window Seat

Hands down, this is my absolute favorite of our DIY projects. In just a few weeks, Ash turned a boring old wall into a complete dream.

Not only does this built-in beautifully store all of the books I have collected, but it’s bright, airy, and gorgeous.

Not to mention the window seat, which is aesthetically pleasing and the cabinets below are awesome storage.

#7 – Chalk Paint Makeover

The before and after on this one is shocking! My dad’s jaw dropped, and he is usually only impressed with Ash’s projects.

This was my first experience with chalk paint, and I am sold. 2017 will definitely be bringing more chalk paint makeovers. This was one of our DIY projects with the biggest transformation.

#6 Picnic Table

Ash blew me away with this one too – as he built this in ONE day!

The table top and bench seats are made of composite decking – a durable, safe material that’s easy to clean, and is easy on the eyes.

We’ve had it in the yard for about five months now, and it looks just as great as it did on the first day. If you are looking for DIY projects that are cost-effective and simply, build a DIY picnic table.

#5 – Kitchen Cabinet Makeover

Our kitchen got a major makeover this year, as we gel stained the cabinets, painted the walls, and installed tile backsplash.

Yet as far as cost goes, you can’t beat it.

I was hesitant to take on such a big project, but I started small (with the bathroom vanity) – and went on to completely change our kitchen’s look.

#4 – Building a Shed

When Ash told me that he was going to build a shed, I laughed – I thought he was joking! He only had a few DIY projects under his belt, and building a shed is like building a house!

However, his motivation, attention to detail, dedication, and love of learning resulted in this beautifully built shed.

I am still in awe.

#3 – Wedding Wine Basket for First Year Milestones

This sweet wedding milestone wine basket has been on the trend this year!

It’s a creative, personal gift, and I’ve done all the work for you – as I’ve included all of the printables I used for free!

It’s so much fun to make that I’ve been waiting for more friends and family to marry, so I can make more 🙂

#2 – Green Rain Barrel

After watching me lug gallons of water down the backyard to water my plants, Ash created an eco-friendly rain barrel.

Using a trash can, he made a system that collects rain water to reuse. Thus, eliminating my trips back and forth and saving good water!

# 1 – Folding Workbench

Tired of working on the floor, Ash finally had a chance to build a workbench of his own – which was a dream of his.

Always thinking of how to save space, he came up with a floating design that doesn’t compromise any structural integrity.

Through being featured on sites such as Life Hacker and Make, it brought tons of visitors this year, thus earning our number one spot.

Well, that’s all, my friends.

Wishing you a very happy new year!

Simple Cookie Decorating Gift for the Holidays

December 14, 2016 by Eileen 72 Comments

With the Christmas season upon us and holiday traditions in full swing, making and decorating cookies definitely holds a special spot in my heart.

This year rather than just exchanging cookies, think about putting together a holiday cookie decorating box for kids and their families to enjoy. This gift provides a festive activity that kids will long remember.

I made one of these boxes for my niece years ago. Each Christmas, we would always bake and decorate cookies together – it was our special thing.

However, one Christmas I had just had my son, so I made my niece this little box, so she would still be able to decorate Christmas cookies that year.

In addition to putting together a holiday cookie decorating box for others, you could also make one for your family.

Save it until Christmas Eve, when you can then decorate cookies to leave for Santa:)

Not only is this box super easy to make, but it doesn’t involve screen time nor is it another toy.

And, if you are even a little bit of a baker or crafter, you probably already have a lot of the materials.

Cookie Decorating Gift Box Materials

About a dozen roll-out cookies – Baking the cookies ahead of time cuts out on the mess, and let the kids go straight to the fun part – the decorating.
Candy Melts – I used chocolate and red
Decorating Materials – sprinkles, candies, etc
Small containers for the sprinkles/candies – You can use condiment containers, small tupperware, or you could buy the the sprinkles/candies in small containers
Decorative Box – Michaels always has great ones
Ziplocs – to put the cookies and candy melts in
Ribbon – to spruce up the ziplocs

Holiday Cookie Decorating Box Instructions

First, you’ll want to bake your cookies and let them cool.

My family eats pretty healthy these days (one day I’ll share that story). So, I always make things as healthy as possible.

Additionally, I made these cookies without dairy, egg, or gluten. I’ve gone through quite my share of recipes, as well as trying to use substitutes on my own recipes.

Hands down, the best one is from The Unconventional Baker. She also shares recipes for chocolate roll-out and vanilla roll-out cookies. Her instructions were great. And, the cookies rolled out very well! Also, they don’t use cane sugar, and they taste just as a roll out cookie should.

After they cooled, I placed about eight of each type of cookie in a stack and put them into a ziploc bag. I folded the bag, so you wouldn’t see the zipper part when placed in the box.

Then, I adorned the top gingerbread man from each pile with a little bow:)

Next, I took the candy melts and poured them into ziploc bags.

Afterward, I also tied ribbon around these to make them look more festive.

Additionally, I found these cute little containers at Dollar Tree (10 for $1) and filled them with sprinkles and candies for decorating.

I also had all of these items in my pantry – so no additional cost for decorating materials 🙂

Next, I arranged everything into this Michael’s box. They have the cutest boxes for all holidays and seasons – and I always seem to shop when they are 70% off, which made this box $3!

The last thing I did was add a few candy canes because they make everything look so festive.

If I had a little more room in the holiday cookie decorating box, I would have added hot cocoa, paper cups, and cute straws, which would have made for a nice touch.

I spent only around $7 on this holiday cookie decorating box, as I already had everything but the box and candy melts.

Spending only $7 on a gift is quite amazing, right?

This year, as you get caught in the whirlwind of the holiday season, remember that decorating cookies is something simple, thrifty, and delicious to give!

And, I’m sure if you start this Christmas Eve tradition of decorating cookies for Santa, your kids will remember and blissfully look forward to it each year.

How to Make a Spectacular DIY Advent Calendar

December 7, 2016 by Eileen 83 Comments

With the holiday season quickly approaching and my toddler reaching an age where he can learn from and enjoy holiday learning activities, I set out to find an Advent calendar that our family would enjoy.

However, I couldn’t find one that was suitable. Some were filled with chocolates (which negates our healthy lifestyle), some where filled with gifts (I don’t want him to get caught up in the gift aspect of the holiday), and some had numbers that were too small or simply didn’t stand out enough for a toddler to easily recognize.

So I did what I do best – I created my own.

And I’m sure you can easily guess that I made the homemade Advent calendar out of felt. 2016 has definitely been the year of felt for me 🙂

I’m going to cut right to the chase since we are already a few days into December! It was a little time-consuming, but I love the way it turned out. It provides quite a few learning opportunities, and we can use it year after year.

Homemade Advent Calendar Materials

Green Felt – for the tree and bottom layer
White Felt – or other background color
Felt Pieces in various colors – (I bought a new package for more colors but ended up using scraps I already had)
Free Printable for the Tree Outline (keep scrolling for printable and instructions)
Hot Glue Gun – for attaching the felt
Numbers – Make sure you have enough for numbers 1-25.
Ribbon – for attaching the ornaments to the tree
Buttons – to hang the ornaments on
Basic sewing materials – thread, needle, scissors – for attaching the buttons to the felt but you could skip this and use hot glue
Wooden dowel – for hanging
Decorative ribbon, if desired

How to Make the an Advent Calendar out of Felt

I was excited to get work on the homemade Advent calendar. I started with the background and large pieces and worked my way down to the ornaments.

Making the Background and Tree

First, I cut the large felt pieces, and I must say, this was the hardest part. I simply am terrible at cutting in a straight line. Why don’t squiggly scissors worked on felt?!

I cut a piece of white background to be 18 inches by 22 inches. My reason for this was that I already had an interactive alphabet of this size hanging from a wooden dowel. I figured I could borrow the dowel; although I ended up finding another one in the garage.

After that, I drew a Christmas tree onto green felt using a sharpie. It took me a few tries to get all of the branches right and to maximize my use of felt. I really marked up the back of it.

To save you the same work, I am sharing the outline that I drew. It’s on two sheets of paper, and I want to note that the bottom of the Christmas tree was a little too big for standard paper.

Therefore, the second page looks like it cuts off. However, it’s not a mistake – the tree was just a too wide. So I let it run off the edges, figuring it would be easy for you to just connect these few lines – easier than drawing your own tree, at least 🙂

Click here for the tree template.

Next, I cut a little brown rectangle out of my felt scraps for the tree stump.

Then I hot glued the tree and the stump to the the white background.

Attaching Buttons to the Advent Calendar

Even though felt sticks to felt, I wanted to use buttons and ribbon for this Advent calendar to provide another learning opportunity to my son – using buttons.

I found 25 buttons from a collection that I had. I love these buttons – especially their varying hues and textures all although within the same color family.

First, I spaced the buttons out, and then I sewed them on. Also, I put four buttons under the tree for the presents I was going to make.

You also could hot glue the buttons; however, I wanted the sewed look 🙂

Making Ornaments for the Advent Calendar

Now came for the daunting part – 25 shapes to make! Yet, an idea dawned on me… cookie cutters! I used my Christmas cookie cutters to trace a bunch of the shapes – the gingerbread man, snowman, and candy cane, to name a few.

If you are trying to cut down on the work, you could use just a few shapes and repeat them.

The rest of the shapes I outlined or I just cut. If I’m not sure how to draw something or I want a shape simplified, I google an outline of it.

Looking at just the outline makes it easy to emulate. I did that with the angel, and she turned out great!

Adding Decorative Ribbon

My shapes were looking a little boring, so I used holiday ribbon to spruce them up. Just a line of ribbon here and there, actually, went a long way in turning my boring felt shapes into cute pieces.

For example, on the snowman (pictured above), I used a line of ribbon instead of buttons.

The line of ribbon on the train spruced up its plainness. And, even the faceless gingerbread man look pretty spiffy. I didn’t want to fill them up too much though because I still had the Advent numbers to add.

Adding Ribbon Hooks

Next, I needed to attach ribbon to the felt, so the ornaments could hang from the buttons on the Christmas tree. I used this green ribbon (from our wedding programs!), and simply looped one end around the other.

To keep the loop, I put a bead of hot glue to hold the overlapping ribbon pieces (right above where my finger is).

Once glued, I added another bead of hot glue to the criss-cross and attached it to the back of the ornament.

Attaching the Calendar Dates

Next, I needed to add the dates. I went to Michael’s specially to pick these up – got caught up in all the sales, and completely forgot about it.

Not wanting to waste another trip out to a craft store (and not wanting to wait for Amazon prime delivery – two day seemed like too much!), I started to cut out my own numbers out of felt using a template. They looked horrible! It was just too many imperfect twos!

The next day, I picked the below numbers up at Michaels.

They are simply adhesive cardboard numbers, so they didn’t stick that well. I had to use hot glue to give them a good stick – and that was a lot of gluing plus a burnt pinky.

In hindsight, I should have gotten felt ones from Amazon. They have a bunch of felt numbers. When you do purchase your numbers, make sure you have enough 1s and 2s.

With these adhesives, at first I wasn’t crazy about the sharp contrast that the glitterly black created, but it’s grown on me.

And, they are very easy to read, which makes them perfect for my toddler.

When you are sticking on the numbers, make sure to lay them out ahead of time. Put the single digit numbers on the smaller ornaments – to make sure that every number has a good shape to fit on.

I barely was able to squeeze the 25 onto the star, since the star is the last thing that goes on the tree 🙂

The ornaments look so cute – and I think it was that ribbon 🙂 Faceless gingerbread man is definitely my favorite, yet, Frosty is a close second.

Finishing Touches

After the ornaments for the homemade Advent calendar were done, I went back to the tree. It looked a little drab with the white background, so I cut yet another piece of green felt and hot glued it behind the white. It provided a border, a little depth, and hid my sewing.

The tree still looked like it needed a little sprucing up (haha get it?!), so I ran a line of ribbon across the bottom.

I also used this same ribbon to create tabs to run the wooden dowel through. I was planning to use felt for this, but the ribbon was perfect – and tied it all together.

Here’s a close up of a the completed DIY Advent calendar.

I love how the homemade Advent calendar turned out, and my son is learning a ton!

He is learning to follow a number sequence, identify holiday shapes, create connections between the items on this tree and the items on our real trees, apply his fine motor skills on the use buttons, and practice responsibility, as it is his job everyday to find and hang up the next number.

He also loves that he has own tree and ornaments and that he doesn’t have to ask mommy in advance if he can touch them 🙂

Here is the entire tree, with some of the ornaments hanging. In the second picture, you can see how the tree is hanging.

The calendar is going to be a little crowded when all of the numbers are on – but they all do fit, and the homemade Advent calendar is the perfect size for small spaces and doors.

Not only do I love a great learning activity, but I love holiday traditions. This homemade Advent calendar will now be one in our home 🙂

Easy DIY Gingerbread Decorating Gift Basket

December 5, 2016 by Eileen 60 Comments

I love buying fun boxes, and I especially can’t resist when they are a good price. I usually buy them on sale and then I figure out what to do with them later. That’s how my ice cream sundae gift box came to be:)

Michaels Crafts always has beautiful gift boxes.

They run a lot of 70% off sales, especially at the end of seasons, making them only a few dollars. I wasn’t planning on making any Christmas gift boxes this year. However, they ran their 70% off sale last weekend, so I picked up quite a few boxes and baskets.

I picked up a gingerbread house decorating kit too – also on sale. My niece and nephew love to do these, but we usually don’t have enough candy to decorate the house with – so we end up buying more to supplement.

Thinking of this sparked an idea…

Making a Gingerbread House Gift

I was thinking I could unpackage the pre-made gingerbread kit, compile more decorating items, and arrange everything into a pretty gift box. I also added hot cocoa items.

Now what store-bought gingerbread decorating kit also has hot cocoa?! :)The best part is that I only spent $18 on this gift box! So many times gift boxes are filled with things that really add up. This one is cheap and the items were easy to throw together.

Materials for Making a Gingerbread House Gift

As far as materials, you can really use anything you like – you could even use graham crackers, a container of frosting, and decorating icing, rather than buying a pre-packaged kit.

However, I thought $6.99 (plus my 25% off coupon) that I spent on the gingerbread house was worth it for all of the materials it provided

So, here are the materials that I used:

Gingerbread House Kit – Craft stores have the best prices on these (the one I used is pictured below and was pre-made!)
Additional Decorating Materials – Candy and sprinkles
Containers for Candy – I used a combination of cute little tupperwares I found at the Dollar Store (10 per pack!) and condiment containers that I bought a while back and keep using for various projects 🙂
Holiday Cups and Napkins – Dollar stores are great for this
Hot Cocoa – I used two individual packs
Tissue Paper – to line box or basket
Gift Box or Basket
Icing Spatula – I found a holiday-themed one at Michaels
Ribbon – to add a little flair

Instructions for Making a Gingerbread House Gift

First, I unpackaged everything in the gingerbread kit to see what I had to work with.

Then, I added in more candy that would be fun for decorating – twizzlers, smarties, peppermints, gum balls, starbursts, skittles, and tootsie rolls. I probably bought too much candy, but variety makes for fun decorating.

I also grabbed a few kinds of sprinkles that I already had, and then I simply filled the containers with all of the sweets.

Speaking of sweet, my little toddler helped me, and of course, everything is a lesson with me – so we counted, sequenced, and sorted the candy. 🙂

Then, I put together the non-food items – cups, cocoa, straws, the spatula, and napkins.

I tied a few of the things together with some holiday ribbon, as pictured below.

Next, I put together the icing. The kit came with three icing packets along with disposable icing bags and plastic tops.

All of them were in boring packaging, so I spruced them up using these little holiday cookie bags that I have had for years! It definitely made a difference 🙂

Then, I started arranging everything. I love arranging things, whether it be cookie trays, home decor, or gift boxes. It’s always my favorite part of projects. It takes me forever, but I love the results 🙂

The gingerbread house looked a little plain so I adorned it with ribbon (another 70% off Michaels find). If anyone has an easy bow-tying trick, let me know because I am the worst at it!

Also, I found a cute Merry Christmas tag (from a Dollar Store photo prop kit!! Check out our DIY photo booth post).

The tag was simply the perfect touch 🙂

And, last but not least, my plan was to glue a picture from the original box, along with the instructions (for the icing) to some scrapbook paper, so my recipients had this information. It’s always nice to look at an already-made gingerbread house for inspiration.

I love that this gift cost under $20. The kids will have to much fun making a gingerbread house. It turned out so cute, and I love that I used so many items I already had 🙂

That’s the great part about doing crafts – your craft bank grows and grows, and then you have so much to work with.

4 Simple Steps for Magical Results with Chalk Paint

November 27, 2016 by Eileen 50 Comments

I finally decided to try my hand at using chalk paint. I love using a good wood stain, but I had been hearing so much about chalk paint lately that I decided to give it a try with a “practice piece.”

Using a decades old nightstand with many stains and uneven surfaces, the chalk paint exceeded my expectations, totally transforming the desolate nightstand into a modern piece, without any sanding or priming.

I was sold on chalk paint, and I’m sure you will be too after reading through this chalk paint tutorial.

Before I give you the step-by-step instructions on using chalk paint, here are a few pictures of the piece before the chalk paint. You can see the uneven surfaces and scratches, especially on the lower part of the shelf.

Using chalk paint on furniture - You won't believe the "After!"

And this is a close-up of the top of the nightstand before using chalk paint. It wasn’t in good shape at all – but the chalk paint covered it all perfectly without any sanding.

Choosing a Chalk Paint

The first step in the chalk paint process was deciding what brand chalk paint to use. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I went back and forth deciding whether to use Annie Sloan or another brand. Since I was split down the middle, I ultimately decided to use Annie Sloan because of the chemical warning I saw written on the wax container of the other brand of chalk paint – in comparison to the natural ingredients used in the Annie Sloan wax (like beeswax).

That, coupled with the fact that it was my first chalk paint project, sold me on the Annie Sloan brand.

For the top of the nightstand, I used primarily French Linen chalk paint from Annie Sloan (keep reading for how I made it look like distressed wood).

For the rest of the piece, I used Pure White chalk paint from Annie Sloan on the rest of the piece. Just as a side note about, the Pure White chalk paint – it is very white.

Chalk Paint Materials

You can go a little overboard on chalk paint materials, so I wanted to keep it as simple as possible.

French Linen (Annie Sloan) Chalk Paint – for the top of the nightstand
Pure White (Annie Sloan) Chalk Paint – for the majority of the piece, and a little for blending the top
Annie Sloan Clear Wax – to cover the whole piece as a protective coating
Annie Sloan Dark Wax – to help create the look of distressed wood on the top
Brushes – I liked using a round brush like this one and I used a 1-inch and 2-inch angular one too
White lint-free rags – to rub the wax on
Gloves, mask (if desired), newspaper/brown paper for floor, and baby wipes to wipe down piece prior to painting.

Now, it seems like a lot of materials for chalk painting, but there is a lot of leftover paint, and the paintbrushes can be reused on any painting project.

The other thing you might be worried about is using wax. I read about a lot of others having trouble with waxing after the chalk paint. However, do not worry – the wax was the simplest part of the chalk paint process!!

Wax is way better to use than polyurethane, and it went by way quicker than the painting.

How to Refinish Furniture with Chalk Paint

With these simple four steps, you will be able to beautifully chalk paint a piece of old furniture.

Here I am ready to give this old nightstand a fresh new look with the following chalk paint steps.

Step 1 – Clean Your Piece

When getting started with the chalk paint process, first clean your piece really good so the chalk paint will stick. I like using baby wipes to clean off furniture.
Then remove any hardware – like drawer knobs – unless you plan to paint these.

Step 2 – Work on the Top

First, tape the edges of the piece. Then you can you can uninhibitedly chalk paint the top.
Then, start brushing on the French Linen chalk paint. Chalk paint goes on just like any other paint, so I gave it a good, thick coat of paint going with the grain. You can go against or in any direction, if you want your whole piece to have an uneven, distressed look. As for brushes, I used the round brush – but any of the brushes would have been fine.
As you are chalk painting, watch for edges and any dripping. The paint is thick, so it doesn’t drip too much; however, because the chalk paint dries fast, you’ll want to catch any potential mistakes quickly.
Let the first coat of chalk paint dry. It took about 30-45 minutes for me. Chalk paint dries super fast!
If you want the top to have a uniform color, then apply another coat.

Technically, the top will now be done, and you can move on to Step 3. Yet, if you want to give it a distressed wood look, follow the below steps for distressed chalk paint:

Distressing the Wood (optional)

Paint a second coat of French Linen, adding a little water in. This coat is different because you are going to add a little water into the gray. Because chalk paint is thick and fast-drying, it’s hard to brush other colors into it. Adding a small amount of water will make the paint a little easier to work with – keeping the paint wet longer, which allows you to brush in the white chalk paint. As for an amount, you can just lightly dip your brush into a cup of water or you could use a plastic cup to put some chalk paint and water into. Again, just a little dip into the water will go a long way with the chalk paint.
After you give the top a second coat of watered down French Linen, while it’s still wet, it’s time to put some white streaks onto the gray chalk paint. Use the Pure White chalk paint and dab your brush in – just a small dab. You can run the brush along a piece of paper to get rid of any excess. The goal is to create streaky white brush strokes on your gray. The round brush is perfect for this. You can make subtle white streaks like I did – or you can make them more frequent and apparent. If you have too much white, then use the gray again – keep layering it until you are happy with how it looks. Remember it’s not supposed to look uniform. The strokes of white are creating character and dimension.

Let the chalk paint dry again – 30 min to 45 should be good.
Last, use the dark wax on your chalk paint. Similarly to how you just used the white, you are going to lightly (very lightly) dip your round brush into the dark wax. Only the very ends of your brush should have wax. Just as you brushed on the white paint, brush on the wax here and there, giving the piece more dimension. If you put on too much of the dark wax, then layer again with the gray chalk paint until you are happy with the results. I used a very small amount of the dark wax because I wanted more of an even look.

As far as creating this look, I found this part of the chalk paint process so much fun, and I am not even an artist.

Rather than just painting brush stroke after brush stroke to cover area, it was something different – and was quite fun and relaxing to create this dimensional look with chalk paint. It was definitely one of my favorite steps of the chalk paint process.

Also, as mentioned before, if you make mistakes or aren’t happy with the way it looks, it is easy to fix by touching up the chalk paint.

Step 3 – Paint, Paint, Paint

Now it is time to chalk paint the rest of your piece, leaving the top that you just painted as is. I used the Pure White chalk paint and used the angular brushes to put it on. Don’t forget to also do your drawers.
The first coat of chalk paint will look streaky (pictured below), but a good, thick coat helps.

After the first coat of chalk paint dries, give the piece a second coat of chalk paint. My piece was still pretty streaky after two coats of paint (pictured below).

I did one more coat of chalk paint, which made for a total of 3. For the chalk paint to go on smoother, you can water it down a little. I did this for my third coat because I felt I didn’t need a full thick coat again.

When working with chalk paint, or any kind of paint, I suggest working in the brightest light possible. If you can, bring more light into your work space so your space is as bright as possible. This will accentuate any dripping or streaking which will help if your piece will be in a room with lots of light.

Step 4 – Waxing In Circles

Waxing is actually a piece of cake. If you are good at cleaning, then you’ll be great at wiping on this wax.

Use two rags – you can split your old t-shirt into pieces, and put one rag in each hand. With one rag you are going to wipe the wax on, and with the other, you are going to polish.
Start with a small amount of wax (half of the size of a dime) – less is more. Start rubbing it on in circles, like the way you rub lotion into your skin. Work your way across the furniture rubbing in circles.
Immediately after, using the second rag, work your way across the piece also rubbing in circles. As you buff, you will start to notice the surface becoming very shiny. This is the look you want! You want to polish in circular motions until it is nice and shiny. Once it’s shiny, move to the next area.

Quick Tip: I would use different rags for the top than the rest of the piece in case there is any bleeding from the paint onto the rags.

Also, you could wax the gray chalk painted top after the top dries in Step 2, instead of waiting until the piece is done. I did this, so I got used to the whole chalk paint process from start to finish, before doing the whole piece.

Chalk Paint Finishing Touches

Last, I replaced the knob on the chalk painted nightstand. Home Depot, Lowes, and Hobby Lobby are all good choices for knobs. This knob I had on my telephone table, but I didn’t love it there – but it looks great on this chalk painted nightstand!

I finished this nightstand within 24 hours I believe – as I kept moving as soon as each coat dried.

It was definitely my best turnaround time on refinishing furniture. When you take away the sanding, priming, and all that dry time, it really speeds up a project.

I loved working with chalk paint, and the results are just amazing. It simply doesn’t look like the same piece. And, the chalk paint process is really easy.

Even my dad’s jaw dropped when I showed him the before and after! He usually only gets impressed with Ash’s projects 🙂

Also, I have a ton of leftover paint. I went through about 1/8 of the quart of white and barely touched the gray chalk paint.

Our old piano is going to be my next chalk paint project – I can’t wait to see how it will look.

Stayed tuned (ha ha pun intended!).

How to Throw a Seinfeld Theme Party (Even in a Restaurant)

November 21, 2016 by Eileen 6 Comments

Themes make parties so much more fun. They break the ice, give everyone a few laughs, and they are filled with creative, little details which I just adore.

With Pinterest and Google’s image search, throwing a theme party is easier than ever because there are huge archives of what has already been done.

It’s like having a silent yet awesome brainstorm session with just you and the Internet.

With my sister Bridget turning 30, my family and I wanted to throw her a surprise party.

However, she is extremely hard to trick, lives in a different state, and is constantly travelling at the blink of an eye.

We were worried that we wouldn’t get her to nail down a date, let alone make sure she was actually home for it. Yet, with a little decoy plan, it all worked out.

She thought we were going to see Aladdin on Broadway. Once you purchase Broadway tickets, you are glued to that date, so it was a great cover.

The next challenge was throwing the party in a restaurant.

Planning the Seinfeld Party

Being the DIYers that we are, we love party planning and are used to hosting parties at our home –cooking themed food, decorating every corner of the house, and planning fun activities, like photo booths.

However, since we lived out of town, we wanted to go to her, making a restaurant our primary option. To keep costs down, we didn’t rent a private room but rather had the party in a nice pizza place.

At first, I thought we wouldn’t be able to have a theme party because you can’t decorate a few tables in a restaurant.

Yet, I found a few creative ways to work in the theme. We made Seinfeld desserts, organized Seinfeld-inspired regifts, and made a photo book of Seinfeld quotes paired with pictures of my sister.

My sister loves Seinfeld – I mean, everything is a Seinfeld reference.

She commonly makes jokes about New York’s awful postal service, brings us chocolate babka when she visits, and is always complaining about close talkers.

Not to mention, when I was graduating college, in the love notes section of my yearbook (where you are supposed to say how proud you are of the graduate), she submitted a note filled with Seinfeld-isms.

Check out this yearbook “love note” from my Seinfeld-loving sister:

Funny, right?! There are so many amazing lines from Seinfeld that you can do so much with.

Therefore, it was the perfect theme for this restaurant party.

Here’s how I worked the Seinfeld theme into the restaurant setting:

Seinfeld Party Food

Themed food is my favorite part of parties, and unfortunately, we weren’t able to be as creative with this due to throwing the party at a restaurant.

We had NY pizza and big salads. I also made cupcakes for dessert (easy for the restaurant to serve) with Seinfeld cupcake toppers.

To make the cupcake toppers, I used some short Seinfeld-isms on a yellow oval.

I printed them on white card stock, cut them out, and then taped them to 4-inch lollipop sticks.

Also, I made gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free cupcakes (which turned out great!!).

As far as the food goes, Seinfeld has so many amazing food references. If we were throwing the party at our house we would have had all of this to work with:

Appetizers: soup nazi soup, pretzels (these pretzels are making me thirsty), crab bisque, chips and dip (double dip), big salad
Main: marble rye sandwiches, cornish hens, calzones, atomic subs, Arby’s, bagels, pastrami, sausages, Chinese food, deli meat, beef-a-reno, poppy seeds, lobster, risotto, shrimp
Desserts: black and white cookies, muffin tops, babka, chocolate eclairs, Entenmann’s, Bosco, non-fat frozen yogurt, pie (with unwashed hands), Drake’s cakes, non-fat yogurt, Pez, Junior Mints, Twix, Tic-Tacs, and Snickers.

That would have been some spread!

Seinfeld Party Goody Bags

For another fun detail, I decided to make goody bags, which included some of the many food references from above.

Being that it was just after Halloween, I got some great deals on candy.

The goody bags included Drake’s cakes, Junior Mints, Pez, and Snickers.

I put the candy in clear bags from AC Moore that were only a couple of bucks.

The goody bags also doubled as decorations as I put these in the middle of the table for guests to take. Everyone loved the Seinfeld goody bags. 🙂

Seinfeld Party Gifts

Last, if you are anything like me, I feel like you never know whether to bring gifts or not to birthday parties for adults, and you also don’t want people to go out and spend money unnecessarily.

Soo – what did we do about gifts? Well, Seinfeld presented the perfect opportunity: the regift.

Rather than gifts from the store, we encouraged guests to bring regifts. This encouraged guests to do some Seinfeld-inspired home shopping or regifting.

It was hilarious, and Bridget got some really thoughtful gifts too. I highly recommend home shopping/regifting for every occasion now :))

Personal Photo Book with Seinfeld-isms

Additionally, the other hit of the party was a gift that my sister, parents, and I made. We took over 70 Seinfeld quotations and paired them with pictures of Bridget from the past 30 years.

As far as the number of quotations/pictures, the plan was 30 because Bridget was turning 30, but with all the great Seinfeld quotes and hilarious pictures through the years, 30 was a drop in the bucket.

Titled “A Book about Nothing,” it turned out hilarious! The pictures and quotes made for a truly humorous pairing. We also put each Seinfeld-ism in a different font.

The pictures below are a few of the Seinfeld quotations paired with pictures of my sister:

Even though our restaurant Seinfeld-themed party wasn’t as grandiose as our usual parties, it was just perfect with these special details:)

We completely surprised my sister, and of course, she loved the theme! The guests enjoyed themselves too!

A few Seinfeld party guests broke into their goody bags during the party, but sadly, I didn’t see anyone eating their snickers with a fork and knife…

Guess they didn’t read their note about nothing yet 🙂

Now that I’ve pulled off two awesome surprise 30th birthday parties, I told my family I was retiring from surprise parties. They are a little stressful!

Yet, Ash is still talking about how much he loved his, so maybe there will be more to come.

Adorable Thanksgiving Place Cards Kids Can Make

November 11, 2016 by Eileen 82 Comments

Looking for a Thanksgiving craft to do with your kids this week? Whether or not you are hosting Thanksgiving dinner, making place cards for the holiday meal is a great activity for kids of all ages.

Not only do children love painting and decorating, but they get to design a special setting for the special people in their lives. It’s a great way for kids to participate in the holiday preparation.

The best thing about the template is that it’s completely customizable.

Using this free printable, you can have your toddler making fingerprint turkeys or your older children painting more elaborate turkeys.

Thanksgiving Place Cards that Kids Can Make

With this thanksgiving place card template, you can be as creative as you like: you could have your kids use finger prints for the turkey feathers or they could glue on skittles or feathers in the shape of a turkey. You could even skip the turkey design altogether and have your child practice writing their letters.

The possibilities are truly endless, as the place card template has lots of open space for creativity.

There are even dotted lines for you or your child to cut out the place settings 🙂

Thanksgiving Place Cards Materials

Free Thanksgiving place card printable – see above
Card stock
Kids paints
Scissors
Sharpie
Any other decorating materials (stickers, crayons, markers for decorating the back or inside)

Instructions for Thanksgiving Place Cards

First, I printed the template on card stock. There are four per page, and remember that it’s always good to have a few extra. My toddler smeared paint across quite a few of them before we even started 🙂

Next, I had my toddler paint the turkeys on. You can have your child make finger prints or use q-tips. I love using q-tips (rather than paintbrushes) for toddler painting. It’s more controlled, easy for kids to use, and quick to clean up!

After they dried, I drew on the eyes, beak, and feet with a sharpie. Then you (or your child) can cut them out. The dotted lines make it easy 🙂

After folding, the thanksgiving place cards that the kids made are ready!

If you have a little one and are doing fingerprints rather than painting or q-tips, your place cards might look more like this (see picture below)… a little sloppier but still adorable 🙂

For extension ideas, you can also have your child decorate the inside or back of the place card – through coloring, through choosing stickers for each person, or through writing a note.

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