Crafts/DIY – Page 14

5 Great Ways to Get Outdoors With Kids

June 3, 2013 by Danielle

Now that summer is here we’re making our “must do” lists for what we want to to do this summer. And in creating this list we’ve looked back at the other fun things we’ve done with our summers in the past. And most of them seem to involve being outdoors.

I think that getting outdoors with kids is a very important part of summer fun. And having a few activities in our back pocket to bring out and do with our kids might kick start that summer fun.

Below is a list of 5 great ways to get outdoors with kids this summer. I’d love to hear your ideas as well!

Encourage Reading with Kids Reading Nook Ideas

May 28, 2013 by Danielle

The one thing I will never deny my child is a book. No matter where we are, if my kid finds a book they love, I’m going to get it for them (within reason). I can say no to more toys, more clothes, more shoes, but I can’t say no to books! So I decided to find out how to encourage reading even more and was amazed at the great kids reading nook ideas I came across.

Not only would the kids be able to have a place to access their books, they could cozy up and read them as long as they want.

I read somewhere that the biggest hurdle at home to get kids to read was the lack of books available to them. They either didn’t have many books to access or there wasn’t a place to put them. So from a very young age I’ve made sure that my kids have access to many different books. And we may have taken it a bit overboard.

We have books pouring out of every room in the house. So having one central location for most of the kids books was a big priority when we rearranged the room and moved some furniture. And with this change we created our kids reading nook.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged With: kids, Kids DIY, kids furniture, Reading, reading corner, Reading Nook

Creating a Fun DIY Chalkboard Herb Planter

May 24, 2013 by Danielle

This DIY chalkboard herb planter turns regular clay pots into beautiful and fun places to grow your herbs! Use smaller pots for an indoor garden and larger for outside! Don’t forget to get the kids involved!

I love to garden. I love being outdoors, enjoying the weather, and getting my hands dirty. I also love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I see the results of my hard work.

But sometimes gardening and landscaping doesn’t have to be difficult or hard. With this fun DIY Chalkboard Herb Planter I’m able to plant the herbs I love in cute decorative pots and don’t really have to worry much about them.

Plus, you can make this project with simple materials that you might already have in your home!

Minnie Mouse Fun with Glidden Disney Paint #DisneyPaintMom

May 19, 2013 by Danielle

With my daughter and son sharing a room in our small home it’s hard to find a balance between the girly, princess world my daughter is living in and the bug-filled, dino crazy world my son loves. I thought I found a great balance when I transformed their room into a woodsy Forrest Friends theme but it wasn’t enough for my daughter.

Luckily Glidden had reached out to ask if I could head to Walmart and try out the new Glidden Disney Paint line. I happily accepted as our family loves Disney and was excited to find something that would work with our existing design but be girly enough for my daughter.

Who knew that a little paint, some sparkle, and Minnie decals would change my daughter’s side of the room into the perfect Minnie Mouse playhouse.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Disney, For the Home, Room Makeovers, Uncategorized Tagged With: Disney Paint, Glidden, Minnie Mouse, Walmart

Kids Reptile Birthday Party (San Diego)

February 17, 2013 by Danielle

On Friday my baby, my first born, will be 4 years old. And I cannot believe how fast time has flown by!

My boy is kind, curious, funny, and constantly moving. He is smart as a whip and picks up on everything and loves his little sister dearly.

For his 4th birthday party my son insisted on having dinosaurs. But since his 3rd birthday party was a dino party we tried to think of variations that would fit his interest. And he decided on reptiles.

Since he’s obsessed with reptiles, bugs, and really anything creepy crawly (he’s the kid digging in your garden for earth worms and other critters) it was perfect!

Seductive Tables for Two on a Budget

February 15, 2013 by Danielle

Setting time aside for date night is something my husband and I do at least once a month. Getting a chance to rekindle and reconnect with one another not only strengthens our bond as husband and wife, but also makes us better parents for our kids.

But date night can get a bit expensive so some months we hang out at home and make the best of what we already have. And after reading Seductive Tables for Two by Moll Anderson I now feel confident enough to take the romance from the restaurant and re-create it at home.

With a few simple ideas I’ve been able to create a gorgeous tablescape that creates the perfect place to rekindle at home as we enjoy a delicious meal.

Great Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids

January 31, 2013 by Danielle

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner and my little ones asking for crafts to make together, we’ve started to work on a few Valentine’s Day crafts. Including the valentines my kids will be passing out at preschool and with our playgroup.

But aside from the valentines we also love creating mementos we can cherish and pass along to grandparents and other family members as well to show our love. These great valentine’s day crafts for kids are perfect for just that!

Valentines to Pass Out

1. Looking for an easy but cute valentine for the kids to pass out this year? Why not use these Printable Disney Cars Valentines from DisneyDIY?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, gift ideas, Uncategorized Tagged With: Crafts for Kids, Holidays, Kids Crafts, Valentine's Day

How to Make Valentines With PicMonkey

January 23, 2013 by Danielle

A few weeks back I shared my love of PicMonkey with you all with a quick tutorial on how to make Subway Art using PicMonkey. Well I’m back again proclaiming my love but this time with all of the new Valentine’s Day options PicMonkey has available to use!

Now you don’t need to purchase ANYTHING to use PicMonkey. It’s completely free. But if you want to take advantage of the Royale features you can pay $33/year for access to everything. How awesome is that?

Using the new Valentine’s Day features like swatches, ribbons, and fonts, I was able to create some simple and cute valentines for my kids to pass out at their preschool. With PicMonkey I was able to create what I wanted in less than 15 minutes of playing around. Once I was done I assembled the valentines and am now set for the big day!

Want to learn how to make valentines with PicMonkey? Well keep reading and you’ll find out!

1. Just like in the Subway Art tutorial I’ve shared previously, we’re going to start by clicking on “Create a Collage” first. Remove all cells but one from the collage. This will be your template. Adjust the size accordingly if you want larger or smaller valentines.

2. Go to the “Swatches” tab and choose a background that you like. Save this collage as your base photo to edit.

3. Click on “Edit a Photo” and open up your collage photo. Go to the Overlays tab and choose an overlay you want to use. Feel free to change the color to whatever you’d like. Add a few embellishments like the ribbon I used or some hearts.

4. Add your saying on the overlay. Feel free to play with different fonts and colors to liven up your valentine! Once your done, save your photo to be used later.

5. To print your photo simply open up a Word document and insert the photo (or two).

Don’t want to make your own and want to simply use mine? Print out this PDF and cut with a small white border around the valentine (you can also click on the photo above for the PDF). Follow these instructions on how to assemble your valentine and you’re set!

Free Cutie Valentine Printable PDF

How easy was that?

Looking for more Valentine’s Day printables? Check out these posts:

Minecraft Valentine’s Printables

Tic Tac Toe Valentine’s Printables

Bugs and Kisses Valentine’s Printables

Dinosaur Valentine’s Printable

I’ve linked up with my good friend Chelsea over at Someday I’ll Learn for Teach Me Tuesday! Head on over to her post here and see all of the other awesome things you can learn to do this week.

What are your kids bringing as valentines?

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Holidays, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day Tagged With: how-to, PicMonkey, Teach Me Tuesday, Valentine's Day, valentines, valentines crafts, valentines day ideas

Over The Door Wrapping Paper Storage Solution

January 22, 2013 by Danielle

As part of my 31 day challenge I tackled the one closet I’ve always been afraid of… my hall closet. Not only was it overfilled with junk including cleaning supplies, extra toiletries, towels, and board games, it also contained all of our wrapping paper, ribbon, gift bags and more. So I decided enough was enough! I was not going to go through another day of praying rolls of wrapping paper didn’t come flying at me when I opened the door.

I searched around in hopes of finding something that would work. My only criteria being that the wrapping paper stay in the closet and not migrate out into another area of the house. I already had an issue with space and did not have any room elsewhere to store my stash.

With a few quick searches for organizational ideas I found something that might just work! I Heart Organization shared the gorgeous way a reader used an over the door solution to store all of their gift wrap supplies. They were inspired by Better Homes and Gardens post here. This would be perfect for me! But being on a budget I couldn’t quite shell out the money an Elfa storage system would cost.

31 Days to Organize Your Home

January 13, 2013 by Danielle

While most years I vow to get back on track and start eating healthy, exercising, and losing weight, I want to start this year different. I want to make the healthy eating, exercising and losing weight a way of life, not a resolution. So I’m resolving to organizing my home. And I’ll share with you my journey and the tips along the way.

Below is a list of what each day will tackle. Then as we complete each day I’ll link up to the post that gives helpful tips and solutions to completing the task. I’ll also delve in more to what else you can do in each room and on each day.

31 Days to Organize Your Home

Day 1 – 3: Start with the Kitchen

Organize the cupboards – throw out what you don’t use!
Re-arrange the items on the counter to reflect what you use and utilize

Organize and clean out the pantry – go through everything and throw out any expired foods or anything ripped or torn
Organize and clean out the fridge – same rules as the pantry.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Organization, Uncategorized Tagged With: Home Improvement, Organization

5 Great Ways to Get Outdoors With Kids

Encourage Reading with Kids Reading Nook Ideas

Creating a Fun DIY Chalkboard Herb Planter

[Read more…]

Minnie Mouse Fun with Glidden Disney Paint #DisneyPaintMom

Kids Reptile Birthday Party (San Diego)

Seductive Tables for Two on a Budget

Great Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids

Valentines to Pass Out

How to Make Valentines With PicMonkey

Want to learn how to make valentines with PicMonkey? Well keep reading and you’ll find out!

Free Cutie Valentine Printable PDF

How easy was that?

Over The Door Wrapping Paper Storage Solution

31 Days to Organize Your Home

31 Days to Organize Your Home

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danielle@acraftyspoonful.com

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