Apr 29, 2019 | Corner, DIY Crafts, DIY Holiday Crafts, DIY Projects, FREE Printables
Mother’s Day is fast approaching, this year it’s Sunday, May 12th. If you’re planning to take mom out for breakfast, lunch, or dinner you should make reservations now if you haven’t made them already; Mother’s Day is one of the busiest days for restaurants and reservations fill up fast.
Along with taking mom out for a meal the kids like to give her a gift as well, and what better gift to give mom than something made lovingly for her. Here are some really unique ideas that kids can make with just a bit of help from dad, aunties, or older siblings. Moms can make them too for grandmas, friends, and aunties!
This is one of my favorite gifts, my grandson Devon made it for me a few years ago.
His mom, my daughter, helped him make the hand print tree and write the poem. She then had it framed and Devon presented it to me on Mother’s Day. It proudly hangs in our family room.
Here’s the poem, feel free to use it for your projects.
This cute idea from Her Split Ends recycles baby food jars.
Learn how to make it
here!
Give mom some of these yummy strawberry bath salts by Crafts Unleashed. And Cute Gifts for new moms.
Learn how to make it here!
The Keylor Family made this lovely framed silhouette.
Learn how here!
Cover terracotta flower posts with fabric.
Learn how from Shelterness.
This cute planter recycles tuna cans decorated with clothespins.
Learn how to make it from Family Chic click here!
I love this idea of taking a picture in a frame, my daughter did this with her kids last fall!
This pic was done by Moose Photography, professional photographers and posted by Cool Mom Picks But you can DIY it!
You’ll need the same frame in 3-4 sizes depending on how many generations you want to include. Take a photo of the smallest member, the baby, frame that. Take a photo of the next, mom, holding the framed picture of the baby, frame that.
Continue with each generation, grandma, great-grandma, etc.
Be sure the pictures are all taken using the same background.
This is too cute!
This idea came from Tips from a Typical Mom.
Just take photos of your child in 5 different poses, each pose holding a letter to spell “Mommy”. Mat and from the photos. Easy peasy! Great gift for Moms and Grandmas!
Here’s a unique way to use a picture frame from Making the World Cuter.
Not only is it cute, it will help organize mom’s bathroom or dresser. Learn how to make it click here!
Kids will love to make these fizzy bath bombs and moms will love soaking in them!
Learn how to make them from Playdough to Plato.
Apr 26, 2019 | Corner, DIY Crafts, DIY Holiday Crafts, FREE Printables, Recipes
Mother’s Day is fast approaching; but you still have plenty of time to think of something to give Mom this year. If you’re thinking about taking her out to brunch or dinner you better make reservations now! Mother’s Day is one of the busiest days for most restaurants, that’s probably because Moms don’t want to cook on Mother’s Day, I know I don’t!
Instead of taking her out this year why not make Mom breakfast in bed? You don’t have to be a great cook, it can be as simple as bringing her a bowl of cereal or even a pop tart and a glass of orange juice. The idea is to make the day special by doing something for Mom instead of how it usually works, Mom getting up and doing for everyone in the house!
Here are some ideas and recipes for Mother’s Day breakfast in bed. I hope it will inspire you this Mother’s Day!
How to serve it?
First things first! It all begins with a tray, you’ll need to put her food on something to carry it to her room. Even if it’s just a pop-tart it will look yummy dressed up plated on a nice dish and served on a pretty tray with a flower from the garden.
Buckets of Burlap up-cycles pallet wood to make this pretty breakfast tray table.
Click here to learn how!
Mother Earth Living makes this cute tray from an old suitcase lid and bits of wallpaper.
Click here to learn how!
For a multi-purpose tray try this up-cycled cabinet door by So You Think You’re Crafty. You can serve her breakfast and wish her Happy Mother’s Day on the chalkboard tray!
Click here to learn how!
If you don’t have an old cabinet door you can paint an old metal or plastic tray with chalkboard paint and add a couple of cabinet pulls from the hardware store to make a similar tray. Or just paint the frame of a chalkboard and add the cabinet pulls for handles. Lots of possibilities here to show off your craftiness!
What to serve?
Now that your “stage” is set you’ll need to move on to the main event, FOOD! Whether you’re a top chef or a kitchen klutz I’m sure you’ll find something yummy to serve Mom. Just remember presentation is everything; even a store bought donut can look special plated on fine china with a paper doily from Walmart.
Want to impress Mom with your culinary skills? Cook her up some of these yummy things from Donal Skehan.
Click here for recipes!
Ok, so you don’t cook, you can still impress her with a yogurt parfait topped with fresh fruit and granola. You can buy it all from the market or go ahead try your hand at some homemade granola.
Click here for granola recipes!
Somewhere in between chef and klutz? How about these “Love” pancakes from Stepable?
It’s done using boxed pancake mix, you basically just add water and stir if you get the quick pancake mix!
You can fry up any letter you want to send your own special message.
Click here to learn how!
If you really want to impress Mom with your craftiness and culinary abilities whip up this edible arrangement from Hungry Happenings.
Click here to learn how!
Oh, right! You’re banned from the kitchen because you’re the burn the kitchen type of cook! No worries, pop on over to the neighborhood coffee shop and pick up a couple of pastries and her favorite tea or coffee. Slip them out of the bag and plate them on a doily covered dish and pour the hot drink in a pretty cup or mug, she’ still love it!
What about the beverage?
You can serve mom her favorite tea or coffee in a pretty cup or mug and a pitcher of OJ or her favorite juice. If you want to make it really special whip up one of these morning beverages.
Wake her up with a fruity Sunrise Mimosa from Wine & Glue.
Click here for recipe!
Mom prefer something spicier? How about this Perfect Bloody Mary from Pieces of a Mom?
Click here for recipe!
If Mom’s not into booze mix up this refreshing non-alcoholic Citrus Rosemary Spritzer from The Kitchn.
Click here for recipe!
Serve your beverages, hot & cold, in pretty carafes and tea or coffee pots so she can have refills. Saves you from going back and forth to the kitchen for them.
Still need a GIFT?
If you still feel breakfast in bed is not enough then make her a keepsake and pop it on the tray.
Spruce up the breakfast tray with a card or mini banner.
Click here for Mother’s Day FREE Printables from B. Lovely Events!
Serve her coffee or tea in this Hand-Warming Mug from Better Homes and Gardens. It will surely warm her heart!
Click here to learn how!
Or put the flowers in this Mason Jar Picture Frame by Home Stories A to Z.
Click here to learn how!
If Mom prefers potted plants to cut flowers then give here these succulents in a Mason Jar from Lolly Jane.
Click here to learn how and for FREE printable!
Mom doesn’t have a green thumb? Combine flowers and photos with this Flower Tree from Better Homes and Gardens.
Click here to learn how!
Whatever you decide to give Mom this Mother’s Day rest assured that she’ll love it specially if it comes with a great big hug!
For more Mother’s Day craft ideas click here!
Apr 1, 2019 | Corner, DIY Crafts, DIY Holiday Crafts, Easter, FREE Printables
If you haven’t already heard our family loves holidays, we like to celebrate every single one. Right now Easter’s coming soon and we’ve been busy with various craft projects. We’ve made pom pom bunnies and chicks, chick aviator hats and peek-a-boo bunny hats, and Easter plaques. The last couple of days I fired up my Cricut Explore Air cutting machine to cut some Easter bunnies and eggs to use for our paper projects. To add texture to the cardstock I used my cute little Sizzix Texture Boutique Embossing Machine. Here are some of our Easter Paper Crafts for the Entire Family! I’m sharing some templates too!
Many of these projects are very simple, all you need are cardstock or construction paper, glue, scissors, small pom poms, and scraps of ribbon and twine. If you have a cutting machine you can definitely use that to cut out cute little bunnies; if not you can use the free templates I’m sharing and cut them out by hand.
(This post contains affiliate links to the products we used)
Click here for templates! It’s free!
One of the easiest, and in my opinion, cutest Easter Paper Craft is this Bunny Frame. I just used an 11″x 14″ frame I already had, luckily it was light blue, a perfect Spring color! Here’s how I made this:
Supplies:
Frame – any size you want, mine is 11″ x 14″ which holds an 8″ x 10″ photo.
Cardstock – any color you prefer, I used dark pink for the background, pearly white for the front card, and blue for the bunny.
Small pom pom – you can get some from the craft store
Die cut machine, letter stencils, or letter stickers
Cut the background cardstock to the size of your frame opening
Cut the front piece of cardstock 1/2″ smaller than the background piece. If you have a die cut machine you can cut out the letters for “Hippity Hop Easter’s on its way!”
If not you can stencil the words on, or use stickers. Or you can just print them on with a marker!
Cut out the bunny shape using a die cut machine or the free template here.[spacer height=”-20px”]
If you want to you can emboss the bunny with an embossing machine if you have one, but you don’t have to. You can also hand emboss it, here’s a great tutorial from The Frugal Crafter to show you how to emboss with out a machine![spacer height=”-20px”]
The picture tutorial below will show you how to emboss with the Sizzix Texture Boutique! It’s a cute little machine that’s shaped like a purse. The item you want to emboss is placed into an embossing folder (sold separately in different designs). The folder is then sandwiched between the 2 black plates and in this case because I was embossing a single sheet of cardstock, a mylar shim (plates and shim is included with the machine).
The “sandwich” is then placed in the slot of the machine and cranked thru. When the “sandwich” get thru the cardstock is embossed with the pattern.[spacer height=”-20px”]
Once you’ve cut and embossed all the pieces it’s time to assemble the picture. I used Elmer’s Craftbond Glue Runner, to glue all the pieces together.
Finally I used Aleene’s tacky glue to glue on the pom pom then placed it in the frame.
Another Easter Paper Craft we did is this adorable Bunny Banner.
Like the Bunny Frame I cut out the bunny shapes with the Cricut and embossed some of the with the Texture Boutique. I wanted each bunny to be different so I stamped a couple of them with white ink. [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Cut out the bunnies.[spacer height=”-20px”]
Emboss and/or stamp each bunny. [spacer height=”-20px”]
Punch a hole on each ear of each bunny. Make the holes evenly.[spacer height=”-20px”]
Glue a pom pom tail on each bunny. To learn how to make pom poms using a pom pom maker click here![spacer height=”-20px”]
Thread twine thru the holes and you’re done![spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
We also made this vertical Bunny Banner using glitter paper.
I cut the bunnies from glitter paper which we glued vertically along a strand of ribbon. We glued on the pom pom tails and tied on a bow. Easy!
Here’s an Easter Paper Craft the kids loved! A paper plate wreath.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Again I cut out bunnies and eggs on the Cricut and embossed some, and stamped others. Then I cut a circle out of the middle of a paper plate and let the kids glue the eggs and bunnies on it.
When they were done I punched 2 holes on the top of the wreath and threaded a length of ribbon thru for hanging.
These are just a few crafts the whole family can do this Easter season. They are all very inexpensive, easy, and fun. You can decorate your whole house! You can even use the cut outs to make cards and signs. Check out my Easter Plaque craft!
[spacer height=”-20px”]
Mar 18, 2019 | DIY Crafts, DIY Projects, FREE Patterns, FREE Printables
Spending time with your children or grandchildren can be a real joy, but it’s also a golden opportunity to help them learn without even realizing it. With the latest exam data showing that just 42% of Hawaiian public school students are reaching proficiency targets in Math – the same percentage as in the previous two years – helping your child to be confident in numeracy is really important. Whether they’re following a delicious pancake recipe with you or working out how to make their Lego pieces fit together, kids need numbers. Thankfully there are lots of fun ways to support your child at home and build strong math foundations for life.
Laying fun foundations
Teaching professionals have found that simple math games can help to introduce your kids to mathematical principles in a fun way. Card games like Uno can teach them about matching colors and numbers, and counting the cards you need to pick up. Classic board games such as Monopoly help them learn to count numbers on dice, move spaces and count money; you could even get the Hawaiian edition to brush up on their local knowledge too. These traditional games are also wonderfully sociable and easy to play with less active members of the family too.
Math on the move
In a recent vacation survey, 64% of families were planning road trips as an affordable, easy way to travel. If you need something to keep the kids entertained, having some simple math games to hand can really help. Counting cars of matching colors is a nice easy game for all ages. You could also prepare colorful flash cards to test each other on your times tables as you travel.
Mother Nature’s math class
For a really easy way to make math part of everyday life, simply step outside. As a local study finds that the average Hawaiian youth spends 3 hours a day on video games, make it your mission to step away from screens and get out into nature. Children can learn to spot shapes in nature, count petals, birds or study the shapes of different types of leaves. For a fun craft project, teach them to make a kite.
Math doesn’t have to mean sitting at a table with sums; you can use it when you bake together, make crafts or visit the park. By making numbers fun, approachable and relevant, you can remove some of the barriers which may make children feel less confident about the subject. Whether the child in your life is going to be an astronaut or sell their own paintings, math is at the core of life; help them find a little joy in it.
Jan 18, 2019 | Adult Parties & Events, Corner, FREE Printables, Parties
Super Bowl LIII is on February 3. It’s the largest televised sports event in America. Millions will watch while consuming millions of pounds of potato chips and other snacks with friends and family.
Many people host parties around the Super Bowl, after all it’s more exciting when you watch the game with friends and family. It gets really interesting when those present are rooting for opposing teams! It certainly does at our house!
If you’re planning a Super Bowl Party here are a few ideas to get you started.
Send out invitations
It’s really a very informal event so you can text or email your Super Bowl Party invitations and ask for an RSVP via text or email.
You can create a simple invitation on picmonkey.com. Just download a .jpg background and add borders, texts and more. Once you’ve created your masterpiece you can share directly from the site.
Or you can download this free printable Super Bowl Party invitation I’m sharing with you and print it out on card stock and send to friends and family!
If possible have 2 viewing areas.
Perhaps a media/game room and the family room, or better still your man cave and another room. The die hard fans can watch the game uninterrupted (noise, kids, etc.) in one room, while the casual fans can watch in another room. This should keep everyone happy!
Plan a menu of easy to make snack foods and set out a party bar or buffet.
For Super Bowl party bar ideas click here! or if you must build a snack stadium. For ideas and instruction on snack stadiums click here!
Decorate the party areas
Drape the table and around the rooms with pennants, flags, footballs, etc. You can use either team’s logos or generic football decor.
Here are some fun free Super Bowl Decorations I found around the web!
Free Poster from printthisfree.com (matte & frame not included)
For printable
click here!
Plan a fun activity or game before the game begins, at half-time, and for kids during the party.
Keep the kids busy with coloring pages of your team.
Play game bingo free printable from Flamingotoes.com click here!
 |
| Purchase these printable photo booth props here! |
A photo booth is fun for young and old.
You can use bunting, pennants, flags, etc. for your backdrop and set out props. You can purchase downloadable printable props from Esty.com
How ever you decide to spend Super Bowl Sunday have a great time!
Sep 24, 2018 | Corner, DIY Holiday Crafts, FREE Printables, Halloween
Lately I’ve got Halloween on my mind, and it’s no wonder Halloween is just a few weeks away!
Halloween is one of our most favorite holidays, surpassed only by Christmas! It marks the start of the busiest time of year for us when 4 major holidays seem to run right into each other. It sure makes the last quarter of every year go by fast!
We started our Halloween/Fall crafts and decorating back in late August and still aren’t ready! We’ve made a few wreaths and jars, but we’re still working on costumes for the kids.
To get everyone in the Halloween spirit I thought I’d share these fun door hangers. They’d be fun to hang on any door in the house, on your office desk, or a school locker.
Just print them on card stock and cut them out. Click on the links to get the FREE jpg files.
We’re working on FREE printable signs and stickers for my favorite neighborhood game “You’ve Been Booed!” and should be able to share them soon!
Aren’t familiar with this game? Check out my post last Halloween for game details and come back soon to get this year’s new FREE Printables – we’re adding matching stickers/tags for you to print out and hang on your Boo Basket! Click here to learn more about this popular neighborhood game!
Click here to download this door hanger!
Click here to download this door hanger!
Learn how to make this Mason Jar Picture Frame Vase from Home Stories A to Z click here!
Salt dough heart footprints by Roaming Rosie on Hub Pages are a cute idea. Kids can help mix they dough!
/0274aa8cdec049ba8e6423ede19b6ce0/love-pancakes-breakfast-in-bed-04.jpg)
