Borax crystal ornaments are such a fun craft / handmade gift/science project all rolled into one! With a little borax and water, you can cover pipe cleaner shapes in sparkling crystals to make snowflakes for the windows or ornaments for the tree. The best part is that kids (and adults!) can spend their time getting…
I love these 3-D paper snowflakes, and while they're a bit labor-intensive, this is the perfect craft to keep older kids busy for a few hours. And they're so pretty! In fact, my husband liked the first one I made so much that he asked if I could show the girls how to make them…
Dutch speculaas are thin, crisp cookies flavored much like German pfeffernüsse. They're typically baked for St. Nicholas' Day on December 5th or 6th and are, traditionally, stamped with images from the life of St. Nicholas on the front. It turns out that I really like traditional Christmas cookies from this part of Europe, with their strong spices and unique textures! I…
As a mom, I can often use the reminder that the simplest crafts are the ones that my girls enjoy the most, and this one is no exception. Yesterday afternoon during quiet time, I pulled out the pipe cleaners and pony beads and asked my 5 year old if she could make candy canes. What…
I wish I'd posted this idea yesterday just to be "punny," but I, unfortunately, didn't even think of that until this moment! I love skeleton keys, and we bought a set from Pottery Barn several years ago for my office. But as we've been redoing the loft to serve as a homeschool room/office/library, it's been…
Our master closet has been a nursery for as long as we've lived in this house (even though Jackson has never actually slept in there!), and we have two large Ikea wardrobes in our bedroom instead. The one downside of these wardrobes is that they often leave our clothes smelling stale. I'm not sure what…
The following post is from Jason & Jennifer Bruce of New Season Design: Printable candy bar wrappers {101 Days of Christmas} Here's a gift idea that's cute, easy, and fun! These printable Christmas candy bar wrappers are also inexpensive, so you could make a whole basket full to share with friends, family, teachers, neighbors, etc.,…
My mom is the queen of wreaths. Three years ago, she made these beautiful hanging pinecones for her front door, but two years ago, she was preparing to move, and last year she was living in Florida (where pinecones just don't quite fit...), so she hasn't made a Christmas wreath since. But this year, she's…
Ancestor to the croissant, kipferl cookies are fragile crescent-shaped cookies that literally melt in your mouth. They are made from ground almonds and have the slightest hint of almond flavor and a sweet vanilla sugar coating. These cookies are so good that my husband fought over the last cookie of both batches I made. Despite their "fancy"…
Handwritten printable gift tags Growing up, we always bought packs of colorful, illustrated "Santa" tags for $1-2, but I love that the internet makes it so easy to find pretty, trendy tags that match your style without the designer price of some of the high-end brands in the store. I'm excited to use these "handwritten"…