My mom has this pretty ceramic plate that she threads with various ribbons for special occasions. It's a beautiful way to serve cookies and cakes, but it's obviously cost-prohibitive to be handing those out as gifts left and right. Even though cookie tins are significantly less expensive, the cost of those can add up as…
Play silks are a great open-ended toy for kids. They can become a fort, a baby blanket, a scarf, or a sari. I've been wanting to dye play silks for the girls for a long time, and I've even had the silk and Kool-Aid just waiting to be used, but for some reason, I kept…
I may have gone a bit overboard with trying Chex mix varieties this year, making original apple pie, caramel corn, and cranberry-orange mixes! I created so many different varieties (ahem, besides the fact that eating them makes my heart and my stomach happy!) that I had a vision for this fun DIY cookie tin divider. Filling…
The following post is from Myra of My Blessed Life: 101 Days of Christmas: Paper Chain Garland One of my earliest childhood memories of Christmas anticipation is making a paper chain with my mom. We always used red and green construction paper and we made the number of rings correspond with the number of days…
We made these marshmallow shooters for my younger step-brothers a few years ago, and they were a hit. Rather than just giving them the guns and some marshmallows (or pompoms for indoor play), we also include paint and foam brushes so that they could camouflage them as well. That year, as the rest of us…
The following post is from Kacey of Next Level Mama: Random Acts of Kindness Advent Calendar Does all the hustle and bustle of the holidays leave your family at a loss for what the spirit of Christmas really means? Or are you ever concerned your kids (and maybe even yourself) are way too focused on…
The following post is from Kristina of Toddler Approved: One of our favorite family traditions is setting up a special Christmas tree each year just for our kids that we decorate together with homemade decorations. The kids get to choose the tree, and then, help create ornaments all throughout the holiday season. Today, I am…
Isn't this felt coffee cozy so much fun? And the best part is you can customize it with any shape or design -- white snowflakes, a Christmas tree, an apple for a teacher, embroidered names, etc. It's also a really easy project. While I like the look of the hand-sewn edges, they don't need to…
I've always wanted to make homemade soap, but I'm intimidated by the directions for making soap from scratch because it involves lye and comes with all kinds of safety warnings. I'm a little too scattered in the kitchen -- with kids running in and out and multiple projects going at once -- to trust myself…
I love making paper snowflakes. There's something magical about creating a design you can't actually see and trying to picture how each cut will look when it's finally unfolded.They never look quite like I expect, and -- like the real things -- each one is unique. My girls love to make them as well,…