November 18, 2021
ad, Decor, DIY Home, Fall, Holidays, Nature, Thanksgiving, Upcycled
This post is sponsored by Stonyfield.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays to craft for—the rich colors, the dance between natural materials and traditional craft supplies, and the meaning behind it all give me the warm fuzzies. I love making crafts that combine all of these things, celebrating nature, gratitude, and family.
When Stonyfield asked me to create a Thanksgiving craft idea reusing their yogurt containers, I knew immediately that a cornucopia was in my future. Once I figured out how to achieve the shape, the outside material was the real challenge. Paper? Too sharp. Burlap? Too obvious. Felt? Too perfect. So I closed my eyes and tried to channel the autumn vibe of Thanksgiving. And that’s when it dawned on me…a nubby, cable-knit sock! You can take advantage of one of life’s greatest mysteries and use a single sock survivor from the laundry room, or shop for the ideal specimen, giving you two socks to make a lovely set. Use the quart-size container to make a centerpiece, and the single-serve cups to make minis that can sit at each place setting.
You can fill your cornucopias with small fruits, pumpkins, nuts, and leaves, or make your own with wooden beads, twigs, and berries. If you have young kids at home, you could also use their playfood to fill your horns of plenty!
What you’ll need:
Make it:
Check out the post over on Instagram to see one made in real time!
(1) Crumple up scrap paper into baseball-size balls.
(2) Tape one ball to the bottom of the yogurt container. Repeat with a second ball.
(3) Twist your paper to form it into a cone-like shape and tape it to the second ball. Use tape to make an exaggerated point.
(4) To give the front of your cornucopia an angled edge, cut off about ½” of the top rim of the container.
(5) Slip sock over the paper, and fold it into the opening. Glue to secure inside if needed.
(6) Trim sock at the pointed end of the cornucopia, and hot-glue in place.
(7) Fill with your homemade bounty or spoils from your local market!
This post is sponsored by Stonyfield.
For the kid that wants to make a statement on Halloween, this peacock costume is the one! Made with lightweight paper sheets and dowels, the feathers are attached to the belt, allowing the bird to take a break from their feathers during an active night of trick-or-treating.
This costume was made for Parents magazine.
Under the Sea: it’s a popular category for birthday parties, animated features, and also, you guessed it, Halloween costumes!
When I proposed a jellyfish costume to Parents for their October 2021 issue, they were all about it. The most vital item that you need for this magical animal costume is the hands-free umbrella! It will give your little sea creature the structure they need to exist as an out-of-water jellyfish, with their hands free to collect all the candy!
Below are the links for materials that I used…and for the full how-to, click over to Parents.com!
MATERIALS:
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!
September 15, 2021
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
