DIY CRAFT

PARTY DECOR

PATERNS

RECIPES

DIY CRAFT

PARTY DECOR

TRAVEL TIPS

Party Planner and DIY Projects

- Christmas Craft for Kids to Make
  November 25, 2019 The holiday countdown has begun, we’re all very busy getting ready. We’re shopping, baking, wrapping, decorating, entertaining, and crafting! I know many of us are trying to get as much done before school lets out for the winter break. Here are some crafty ideas to keep the kids busy when they’re home and gets them involved in this year’s holiday preparations. If you’re playing the neighborhood holiday game “You’ve Been Jingled” let the kids join the fun! They’ll love the idea! They can help make up the gift baskets and older kids can even drop them off! They’ll love the idea of ringing a neighbor’s door way and disappearing without being seen! For FREE game printable click here! Image from Savvy Nana’s Stock up on paper plates for kids to use in these paper plate elves and snowman from Crafty Morning. Pick up some popsicle sticks from the craft store and have kids make these cool ornaments from Chickabug. Buggy and Buddy use beads and pipe cleaners to make these pretty ornaments. Cut out candy cane and wreath forms from cardboard and have kids glue on pom-poms to make these ornaments. Use buttons to make ornaments like this tree ornament by UK Lass in US. Make sweet smelling ornaments with this No Cook Cinnamon Salt Dough by Growing a Jeweled Rose. Use paper towel rolls to make these star ornaments. Learn how from Blog a la Cart. Recycle plastic container lids and make this glittery ornament from No Time For Flashcards. Thumbprint ornaments are easy to make and will make a wonderful keepsake ornament for years to come. A great activity, have the kids get ready for Santa’s Christmas Eve visit, make Rudolph and his friends reindeer food. Get tutorial from Smart Schoolhouse here! For more holiday craft ideas for kids follow my board on Pinterest! ... Read more...
- DIY Cookie Exchange!! Free Printables
  November 22, 2019Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone we turn our attention to the winter holidays. That means lots of cooking, baking, cleaning, decorating, and shopping going on. Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukka, or other winter holiday you’re probably wondering how you’re going to fit in all the seasonal activities. One way to reduce your seasonal cookie baking is to host a cookie exchange and swap baked goods with friends and relatives. It may take a bit of planning, but at least you’ll only have to bake one type of cookie and still have a variety to enjoy or gift over the holidays. It’s also a good excuse for a girls day or night out! Hosting a cookie exchange doesn’t have to be a big fancy affair nor does it have to cost a fortune. You can easily host one with just your close friends and family on a tight budget. Here’s a few tips to help you plan your cookie exchange! 1. Decide who you want to invite. You may want to keep the party small and intimate to keep it manageable. It’s probably not the right time to throw a party with 50 of your friends and their families. 2. Set your date and time. Send out invitations. Ideally cookie swap invitations should be sent out a month before, but if you haven’t already done so, you should schedule it as soon as possible so guests can plan to attend. Everyone is busy during the holidays, if your guests are able to attend weekday events it may be easier to have your cookie exchange during the week, otherwise you can schedule a weekend day at least a week before the holiday. I like to send written invitations, but if you’re pressed for time invitations sent via email or text will do. How ever you decide to send invitations always request guest to RSVP and if possible let you know what type of cookie they will be bringing. This will help avoid duplicates and you can gently suggest an alternative before the cookie exchange. Tell guests they must bring a dozen cookies per guest plus an extra dozen for tasting. Suggest that the cookies they bring should be easy to pack and store. You can also ask them to write down the cookie recipe on a recipe card if they want to share it. Recipe cards can double as table cards and guests can help themselves to a card as well as the cookies. 3. Bake your cookies. You can make them well in advance and store baked cookies in the freezer. Cookie bars freeze and pack well as do chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, sugar, and snickerdoodles. For a list of cookies that freeze well check out this article from aboutfood.com. To learn how to freeze cookies click here! 4. Purchase packing supplies. You can use boxes, tins, or even ziplock bags. You may want to provide ribbons, tissue paper, tags, and other supplies so guests can pack up cookies for gift giving. You may also want to have small party favors for each guests. Nicely wrapped oven mitts, kitchen towels, cookie cutters, and wooden spoons are all inexpensive and useful items that would make cute favors. 5. Decorate your house, cookie and packing table. Set out platters and stands for the cookies. To make your own tiered stands click here! You may want to set up a table or counter to pack cookies aside from the table or tables for the cookies. Table cards with cookie type is a nice touch, or if guests are bringing recipe cards to share they can double as table cards. Here’s a cute and festive way to set up table cards, otherwise tent style folding cards work just as well. Glue 3 candy canes together to form a tripod. Place table card on the hook part. 6. Offer guests coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or even wine. You should also set out a few savory tidbits for guests to snack on. Finger sandwiches, dips, and other bite sized savories are ideal and will ward off the sugar rush from sampling all those cookies. 7. The star of the show are the cookies and the main event is the exchange. Decide how you’re going to work the exchange to allow guests to choose the cookies they want. You can have a couple of guests at a time choose all their cookies or you can have rounds with each guest choosing a dozen cookies at a time. Guests can choose the same amount of cookies as they brought. Free Cookie Exchange Printables from How to Nest for Less... Read more...
- 15 Cheap Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
  November 18, 2019Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks, that means the kids will be out of school for the very long weekend. Keep them busy making fun inexpensive Thanksgiving crafts while you’re busy in the the kitchen preparing that delicious Thanksgiving Day meal. You can also set a kids’ Thanksgiving table for your little guests and keep them entertained making their own craft projects to take home. Many of these kid’s crafts are made using things you have at home or inexpensive supplies you can pick up at any discount or dollar store. Recycle toilet paper and paper towel rolls, paper plates, baby food jars, and bottle caps for these crafts. Paper Roll Turkey from Arstsy-Farsty Mama is a great way to recycle toilet paper and paper towel rolls. Instructions here! These Turkey Glitter Globes from ilovetocreate.com uses empty baby food jars. Instructions here! This Pilgrim Hat crayon holder by The Moody Fashionista would look great on the Kids’ Thanksgiving table. Make one for each place setting and add a blank rectangular piece of brown Kraft paper. Kids can make their own placemat! Instructions here! Take a tip from Martha Stewart. Kraft paper placemats on the children’s Thanksgiving table will keep your little guests entertained. Add the Pilgrim Hat crayon holder and you’ve got a cute and practical table setting. Kids can take home their crayons and palcemats as party favors! Instructions here! Take a break from making turkeys and make a Paper Pumpkin from All Kids Network. It uses toilet paper rolls, constructions paper, and tape. Instructions here! I love this idea from Alittletipsy.com! Handprint trees! My grandson made me one for mother’s day using different colors. My daughter added a poem and had it framed. It proudly hangs in my family room! Instructions here! A variation on the handprint trees are handprint turkeys! This craft from Terrific Pre-school Years makes a turkey placemat. Instructions here! More Turkeys! Make a turkey hand puppet using a paper bag. Great craft from Learn Create Love. Instructions here! Another puppet craft from Crafty Morning recycles plastic water bottles. This craft takes a bit more time as it needs time to dry. Instructions here! Paper plate turkey from I Heart Crafty Things. Easy, Fun, and Cheap! Instructions here! Thanksgiving head gear! Love these Pilgrim Hats from MPMK. Grandparents can help kids make this! Instructions here! Take the head gear one step up and make this Turkey Pilgrim headband by BigKLittleG. Done with Turkeys? How about this Native American Headdress by Ankle Biter Art. Your little Pocahontas will live it! Instructions here! Or forget Pilgrims and turkeys all together and make this Harvest Crown by Dana-Made-It. Instructions here! Gum drop turkey by Celeste Rockwood-Jones. Yummy! Instructions here! For Easy Toddle Thanksgiving crafts click here! For 12 FREE Thanksgiving printables click here!... Read more...
- DIY Thanksgiving Buffet Table – Free Printables
  November 8, 2019The Thanksgiving table can get very crowded. What with the turkey, side dishes, gravy, and sauces, there’s no place for anyone to actually sit down and eat! I solved this problem long ago by setting up a Thanksgiving Buffet Table for all the food and having an adult table as well as a kids’ table. Depending on the space you have and the number of guests you are expecting this could take some doing. You might consider setting up different stations or bars; appetizer, sides, desserts, and drinks; or any combination there of. If you’re limited on space your stations may have to do double duty after dinner; appetizer station can be converted to dessert bar. You may have to think out of the box and re-purpose furniture pieces to hold food and tableware. You will more than likely have to rearrange furniture to accomplish your goal. However you decide to set up the meal it will require advance planning, so much easier to move furniture without a ton of guests milling around. Here are a few tips to help you set up a Thanksgiving Buffet Table. 1. Plan your serveware. Know ahead of time what dishes you will be using. I usually do this as soon as I’ve planned my menu, making a note beside each dish what I will be serving it in. Be creative, make your buffet interesting by adding height, this also creates space. I love tiered stands and racks, but you don’t have to spend a fortune buying them. Stands can easily be made from dollar store items with very little time and effort. Check out Savvy Nana’s DIY Hurricane Vases & Lamps to learn how to make your own tiered stands. You can also stack platters on upside down stemware or bowls to create height. Or use books or boxes wrapped in pretty paper. If you don’t have time to wrap books or boxes, just place them where you want them on the table and cover everything with a large tablecloth. You can even set Plates on pumpkins to create varying heights For some great ideas on how to set a buffet table watch Kid’s Smart Living‘s video tutorial A table in the middle of the room allows several guest access to the table at the same time, in this case taller dishes should be placed in the middle of the table. If the table needs to be set up against the wall meaning it will be front serving then taller dishes should be in the back. 2. Once you know which serving pieces you will be using you need to decide what you’re going to put them on. Breakfast tables, sideboards, baking racks, kitchen islands and counters work well as long as at least 2 people can serve themselves at the same time without blocking the way for everyone else. You may have to move furniture to accommodate the this traffic and arrange your serving ware accordingly. Consider setting out trays of appetizers on coffee tables and end tables in the living or family rooms. This frees up space on the buffet table for the main event. If you don’t have enough room on the table for plates and eating utensils consider setting up another table, shelf or rack to place them on. Dinner plates stacked neatly on a chair will work! Make use of all the flat surfaces in your house. Setting up a bar on the mantle works well! 3. Keep eating utensils neat and within reach by placing them in mason or apothecary jars, or on trays. Free Printable 4. Decorate your buffet or bar with centerpieces and even a backdrop. You don’t need table cards but they’re a nice touch as is a framed photo or sign. You can hand write your own on card stock or use one of these printable. Click here for this free printable from Home Cooking Memories. Click here for this free printable The Tom Kat Studio... Read more...
- Adopting A Pup At Christmas
  November 5, 2019As the Christmas festivities approach, you may already be looking for a fantastic idea to surprise your family. Adopting a pet is a typical Christmas present. However, countless households are not ready for the commitment of owning a dog. Indeed, Christmas adoptions can have a sad conclusion, as families who can’t cope choose to abandon their pet or bring it to a shelter. In other words, if you’re looking to make Christmas magical with a puppy, you need to be absolutely certain that you can commit to the responsibilities of a dog owner. You can prepare yourself by considering the typical complaints that new pet owners have: #1. It’s another mouth to feed A puppy might be cute and small, but it is, in practice, another family member you need to cater for. Grocery shopping for pets is a little different. You will need to research the best food for your breed of choice, whether you’re looking into puppy food for large breed dogs or small dogs. Just like you put your family’s health first during your grocery shopping, you need to do the same for your pet. Choosing the best products for your dog is essential to keep your furry friend happy and growing safely. But, ultimately, it means planning for additional expenses, which can be tricky if you work with a tight budget. #2. Dogs can be destructive They look adorable. But that doesn’t mean that dogs can’t damage your home. Puppies need to be house-trained before you can leave them safely at home without fearing for your furniture or your carpet. As a result, it can take several months before your puppy behaves appropriately indoors. In the meantime, you are likely to struggle with urine stains on the carpet and chewed furniture. You can reduce the risk of damages by choosing a laminate flooring solution which is easy to clean. As for your furniture, pet owners sometimes use baby fences to block access to specific rooms. #3. Your dog needs attention Adopting a dog means dramatically changing your lifestyle. You need to be ready to walk your pet every day, regardless of the weather. Indeed, walking your dog provides the mental and physical exercise your pup needs. Besides, it reinforces your bond as you can spend quality time together. As a pet owner, you can’t afford to be lazy! Taking your dog for a walk outside can sound exciting at first, but you have to be ready to go out every day, at least twice a day. #4. The spirit of Christmas Finally, Christmas is all about spreading joy and love around you. If, like most people, you find yourself more likely to perform surprising acts of generosity and help others as the Christmas season approaches, you might want to turn your pet adoption into a positive thing. Adopting a senior dog rather than a puppy can make a significant difference. You are virtually giving an animal a second chance at happiness, which is the best present you could give a dog for Christmas. Should you adopt a pet this Christmas? There is no right or wrong answer. But if you’re tempted by introducing a furry ball of energy to your household, you need to be aware that having a dog comes with responsibilities.... Read more...

Recipes, Parties, Crafts & Travel

Get Our Newsletter

Latest Posts

ABCmouse Educational

Ethel M Chocolate Gifts

FUN SUITS

Shop Fun.com for Back to School supplies!