Sometimes you feel like a ghost, sometimes you don’t. And by feeling like a ghost, I mean decorating with them. Ghosts and witches, and spiders and eyeballs are what Halloween is made of, but sometimes a slightly more sophisticated approach is what you’re feeling.
I made these easy felt Halloween pennants for Oriental Trading’s Fun365 website…click on over there for the full how-to, shopping list, and template!
| Baby, Early Elementary, Halloween, Holidays, Older Elementary, Preschool, Toddler
When my kids were younger, I would always start the Halloween costume suggestions with animals. First, who doesn’t love a cute little kiddo dressed up as a furry friend, a cute crawler, or an exotic species? There is so much DIY potential in these costumes from colors to textures to materials…what more could a crafty parent want??
When Parents magazine asked me to drum up some animal costumes this year for their October 2021 issue, I was all paws on deck. Starting with the smallest of the group…this elegant, stylish snail.
One great thing about this costume is that it’s worn like a backpack and is VERY lightweight, so it won’t aggravate even the most sensitive of kiddos. You can wear any under-clothes that you want from a frilly dress to leggings and a tee.
Check out the rest of the animals over at Parents.com!
Photos by Timothy Smith, Styling by Jill Rothstein
| ad, Everyday Crafts, Older Elementary, Summer, Tween to Teen
This post was sponsored by The Week Junior.
The biggest summertime challenge of parenthood is how to balance out the summer fun while avoiding any brain drain. As we come off the weirdest school year in history, our kids’ focus on devices for learning, socializing, and playing have rocked the worlds of us parents…particularly ones like myself who pride themselves on the classics of unplugged fun: crafting, cooking, and especially reading.
As the summer progresses, our world is feeling like it’s getting a bit closer to normal, and let me tell you, a subscription to The Week Junior for your 8-to-14-year-old kids will most definitely help you with that. Issue 63 is a treasure…one to hold onto for its amazing feature: ‘Best Kids’ Books for Summer.’ It’s a thoroughly curated list of exciting new books, classic books, and books of all genres for kids ages 8-14. Click this link to find the book list and for a chance to win a free bundle of books!
Oliver and Sommer LOVE getting their weekly issue of The Week Junior in the mail…Sommer immediately flips to the fun stuff in the back and Oliver goes directly to the science section. (And, to be honest, I like to read the politics and world news because I love the simplified version!) Also, when there’s a topic that feels hard to explain on their level, it serves as a great reference point. And for the summer, the ‘Best Kids’ Books for Summer’ feature really helps narrow the massive world of books for tweens.
I was so excited when The Week Junior asked me to come up with some summer-inspired crafts for their summer marketing campaign! Check ‘em out below and use the templates and how-to instructions to make your own!
And, whatever you do, don’t forget to click here for your own subscription to The Week Junior!
POPPY PAPER POPSICLES
What you’ll need:
Make it:
Bonus idea: Tape a string to the backs of each popsicle and make a summery garland!
POSITIVE PENNANTS
What you’ll need:
Make it:
ORIGAMI OCEAN
What you’ll need:
Make it:
LARGE BOAT
WATER
You can also make small fish by following this origami tutorial.
This post was sponsored by The Week Junior.
| Decor, Everyday Crafts, Kids Rooms, Older Elementary, STEM, Tween to Teen, Upcycled
I have a thing for outdated tech…a wall-mounted rotary phone with a cord? Give me them all. Film cameras with bellows? I can’t resist. Typewriters? Yes and yes. And some might say that crafting one out of cardboard is as useful as owning a vintage one—neither actually work so why not design your own?
I made this super-fun DIY cardboard typewriter for Camp.com (where you can find the full how-to instructions). In order to make one, you kind of have to be a recyclable hoarder—a shoebox, a paper towel roll, a cereal box, and some jar lids. Hop on over to Camp.com for the list of craft and upcycled supplies!
Who knows? This may be the start of the next great American novel!
| Decor, DIY Home, Early Elementary, Everyday Crafts, Fall, Gifts, Grown-Up, Nature, Older Elementary, Spring, Tween to Teen
Instead of preserving nature by pressing or drying leaves, you can instead use them to make an imprint in one of my favorite craft supplies: air dry clay.
Go on a nature walk with the kids and find leaves that have very pronounced veins—the more distinct the veins, the better the finished product. Roll out the air dry clay until it’s about 1/4″ thick, then use a rolling pin to press the leaves down into the clay. Peal away the leaves and use a toothpick to “cut out” the leaf. Gently rest the clay leaf inside a bowl, creating a bend, and let them dry completely (at least 24 hours). I made a very watery acrylic paint mixture to add a translucent coating to the leaves, but you can choose whatever paint finish you like. The one thing to keep in mind: if you are using water with your paint, you have to paint your strokes fast and few…when air-dry clay gets wet, guess what it does? It wants to return to malleable clay, so you have 2, maybe 3 strokes to get it fully covered.
Check out the full post that I did for Camp.com for more details!
| Early Elementary, Everyday Crafts, Jewelry and Fashion, Older Elementary, Tween to Teen, Winter, Yarn & Fabric
Now that winter is over and spring cleaning is upon us, you likely have some lone gloves who lost their mate in the last sledding excursion of 2021. You have three options here…first, you can hold onto that glove, hoping that one day the other will magically reappear. Second, you might be the “out of sight, out of mind” type and you just get rid of the sad lone glove. And third, if you are like me, you’ll keep it and turn it into a fun craft.
The how-to for this recent project can be found over on Camp.com! And for other ideas of past glove monsters, check out this post from a few years back!
| Decor, DIY Home, Everyday Crafts, Kids Rooms, Older Elementary, Paper, Playrooms, Styling, Tween to Teen, Upcycled, Wall Decor
There are so many more fun things to celebrate than school, so why do we reserve these rah-rah pennants for school spirit? Come up with a list of things that your kids loves and make some wall signs to cheer them on! Need suggestions?
Check out this super cute and easy upcycled project that I did for Camp.com! They are made from materials that you likely have around the house, including cardboard! Head on over to their site for the full how-to!
Goooooo WIFI!!
Be a sweetie and give candy to your close friends and family for Valentine’s Day! This project is so easy and uses materials that you likely have around the house.
What you’ll need:
Remember Valentine’s Day as a kid, actually in a school building? You’d spend evenings leading up crafting Valentines, deciding which people get signed “love” and which get “from.” This year, like most things, is looking a little different than norm, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. Most kids will miss out on sifting through their classroom mailboxes, anxiously anticipating the candy, toys, and treats attached to their Valentines.
Surprise the kiddos with a little something from you on February 14th this year! Here are 14 ideas for Valentine’s Days gifts for kids of all ages!
This post contains affiliate links!
| Activities, Christmas, Decor, Early Elementary, Everyday Crafts, Family Bonding, Older Elementary, Preschool, Unplugged Time, Upcycled, Winter
Traditional snow globes are super fun to make but they require a lot of ingredients…plus the process can be pretty messy. And what if it springs a leak? Yuck.
Instead of the traditional glittery globes, try making a dry snow globe using a plastic cup, cereal box, and tissue paper. It’s truly a parents’ dream craft.
This craft was made in conjunction with the Museum of the City of New York, an extraordinary institution that celebrates all of the diversity, excitement, and wonder that is the greatest city in the world.
Click the link to watch this video and the two other winter boredom busters that we made!
