"Bite Me" Easter sign

When we were very little, my brother stole my aunt's chocolate Easter bunny and took a bite of it before hiding the evidence. When the bunny was found, my dad compared our teeth to the impressions and was able to figure out who the culprit was. Obviously, my brother still hasn't lived it down and it's one of those funny family stories that gets re-told every so often.

So, I felt my aunt needed this sign to put up in her office:

I bought the plaque at Walmart and painted it pink. I found a bunny silhouette online and uploaded it to my Cricut account. This was such a fun, simple project, and it gave my aunt a good laugh.

Happy Easter! Here's my inspiration. I'll be linking up to Tip Tuesday at Tip Junkie.

Candy Sleds

If you're looking for a fun treat to give to friends/teachers/neighbors this year, try making a sled out of candy!

With a little hot glue and a lot of sugar, you will have an adorable treat for those you appreciate most in life to enjoy. For each sled, you will need one Kit Kat, 2 candy canes, 2 Hersheys kisses/hugs/etc, and some mini Hershey's chocolates. I also added 6 Dove chocolates on the bottom.

Road T-Shirt for Dad

My boys don't play with cars much anymore, but whenever their Daddy wears the road t-shirt we made him for his birthday last year, they insist he lies down so they can drive all over his back. It's a win-win because he gets a little back-rub for his troubles!

I used the tutorial and printed off the map at The Blue Basket...thanks for the fun idea! I’ll be linking up to  Mom’s Library, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, The Mommy Club,Whatever Goes Wednesday,

Affordable Teacher Appreciation Gifts

When my oldest started school, I was floored at the end of the year with the types of gifts families were giving to his teachers. I could tell that they were spending way more money than was in our budget for gifts and I was honestly embarrassed to give the teacher anything. I felt like our meager gifts would be insulting. Last year, my then-5-year-old got off the bus and declared that his bus driver loves chocolate and that he had to buy her chocolate. I decided that was something we could afford and started thinking of a cute way to say thank-you to the teachers/adults who had influenced my children’s education for that year. Here is what I came up with:

My husband and I are both musical, so I loved the idea of the Symphony chocolate bars with a simple little note attached. On cardstock I printed “Thank you for playing a role in ________’s life symphony this past year!” I hope that in some way this showed their teachers/bus drivers/etc how much we appreciated them.

How do you thank the teachers in your children's’ lives?

Rag Dolls

When I saw the rag dolls that Red Ted Art made, I knew I had to make one for my daughter! While I was at it, I decided to make more for nieces and friends' daughters.

Before I knew it, my house had random, disembodied doll parts all over the place! But, I finished them and think they turned out adorable. I'm saving one for my baby's first birthday this summer :).

You can find the pattern and directions for these rag dolls over on Martha Stewart's site.

Star Wars Finger Puppets

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Now, we’re making the transition to Christmas and it’s time to start planning presents for all of our loved ones…

If you have a Star Wars fan on your Christmas list, I highly recommend making them Star Wars finger puppets…how cute are these?!

   

I bought the pattern from The Idea Room for $4. My husband happened to be at the store and bought me a bunch of felt. Sheets of felt are so cheap that when all is said and done, this is a very affordable gift and will provide hours of entertainment.

I did make most of the bodies longer because I made these for my dad and the bodies are a bit short to stay on grown up’s fingers.

My favorites were R2-D2 and the Ewok!

“I am a Child of God” Subway art blocks

In our church, my calling or job is to work with the children under 12. For their birthdays this year, we decided to make Subway art blocks with the lyrics to the song “I am a Child of God” on them, from Sugardoodle. I love how they turned out and it’s so fun seeing the children’s faces when we give them our little gift. My boys are both so excited for their birthdays so they can get their own blocks :)

Thanks Sugardoodle for the cute printable!

Wacky Kids Bookmarks

If you’re looking for a fun, simple gift to give to grandparents this year for Christmas, try these out:

I fell in love with the idea as soon as I found it on Pinterest linked to Creative Family Moments. These are wonderfully simple to make and they turn out so cute! Come to think of it, these could make really cute little ornaments too…

To make your bookmarks just have your children pose like they are holding onto a rope and snap a few pictures…the sillier the faces the better.

Bacon Roses

If the father in your life is anything like my husband, and by anything I mean obsessed with meat, give the bouquet that will go straight to his heart…through his stomach. That’s how you’re supposed to catch a guy right…through his stomach?!

I made these for my hubby for Valentine’s Day, but this would also be a fantastic Father’s Day or birthday gift for that special guy. I got the idea from Instructables but changed a few things and this is how I made my bacon rose bouquet…

You will need: bacon, fake flowers (I bought a bunch or two from the dollar store), foil, and an oven.

Salt Dough Handprint

If you’re wanting a fun, frugal way to capture this moment in time for your child, make a salt dough handprint!

Honestly, I love just holding this little handprint and tracing my fingers around each of the fingers, just in awe of how small but how amazing my son is.

To make your own little memory of your child, mix up a batch of salt dough. Roll out a ball of dough on some wax paper and have your child press their hand into it. Use a toothpick to make a little hole in the top and maybe write the initials and age of the child somewhere. You can neaten up the edges as well.

I recommend just leaving your handprint out to dry in a safe place for several days. I think ours took almost a week, but I tried baking other salt dough projects in the oven and they got too puffy and never really dried out :(.

This could be a great Father’s Day gift or something for grandma and grandpa!

I’m linking up to What Are Little Boys Made of and Preschool Corner Friday.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope that you have felt loved by those closest to you.

This year, I asked my husband to get me something creative for Valentine’s Day instead of just flowers or something of the like. Last night as he was out shopping he happened to be listening to Delilah who just happened to say that you don’t need to buy fancy flowers or jewelry, to just be creative. He called me asking if I was in cahoots with Delilah :).

After sequestering himself into our extra bedroom for quite a long time, this is what he presented me with…

This is definitely the most creative thing he has ever given me and as promised, I am featuring his creation here on my little blog. Each of the items is part of the card…such as the part where it says that due to my “culinary craft” I have given him a “Jelly Belly” referring both to St Nick in the back ground and the monstrously huge bag of Jelly Bellys.

So…even if you have a limited budget, be creative. The thought will likely mean much more than a bouquet of flowers someone else assembled or jewelry. Have fun today with the ones you love!

Photo Transfer Ornaments

If you’re looking for a last minute, meaningful gift for someone in your life, make them a photo transfer ornament. These are fairly simple to make and can definitely leave a lasting impression!

I made this ornament for my aunt using a picture of Munich I found online because she took me there just before I got married. On the back I transferred the words Merry Christmas…We love you!

To make your own ornaments, just follow the directions for Mod Podge photo transfer in my Light Switch Cover post, or my Popsicle Stick Puzzle post using a small wooden disc you can find for super cheap at Hobby Lobby or other such stores.

I’ll be linking up to Fun Stuff Fridays, Christmas Craft Link Party, Frugal Friday, Frugalicious Friday, and Friday Fun Finds.

How to Make Gift Bows from Magazines

Last year I saw several blogs post about making their own gift bows, but I procrastinated too long, so the idea has been simmering in my mind ever since! Thanks to eHow, I can now share with you how you can make your own gift bows :).

All you need is a magazine, scissors, some paper board (like a cereal box), and glue.

Homemade Christmas: Popsicle Stick Box

My son actually made this for my husband for his birthday, but these are so cute and kids of all ages can make these for those they love…perfect for handmade Christmas gifts or just somewhere to store their own little treasures.

All you need is: lots of popsicle sticks (our box took about 48 of the narrow sticks), glue and paint.

Father’s Day: Photo Transfer Popsicle Puzzle

If you’re in need of a last minute Father’s Day gift from your kids, you can always make Dad a photo transfer popsicle stick puzzle. Of course, you could make them a normal popsicle stick puzzle which will also look darling, but add the concept of photo transfer and you’ve got a cute, fun variation!

Not all printers will work for this, but we have a laser jet and it works just fine. If you don’t have a laser jet, a photo copier will work too. Print out a picture in the size you want it based on the popsicle sticks. I used 12 sticks and my picture was 4x6 inches.

Graduation Gift: Recipe Book

If you’re looking for a practical gift for the graduate in your life, give them a recipe book with all of the family’s favorite recipes.
Above is the recipe book my mom gave me when I graduated high school and I have used this book several times a week ever since…all of my favorite recipes have been written in it, and I have continued adding recipes through the years.

This is a perfect, frugal way to send a bit of home with your kids/siblings/graduates.

Thanks Simple Mom for reminding me how much I love this gift!
I’m linking up to Works for Me Wednesday.

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

My mom is one of the hardest people to shop for because she always says there’s nothing she wants or needs…it’s the thought that counts. I’m beginning to believe her more and am starting to feel the same way, so each year I find myself trying to show her my (and my children’s) love for her in new, creative ways. Here is what I’ve come up with for the past few holidays:

Birthday Interviews

If you’re looking for a fun idea, other than birthday letters, to preserve your child’s personality as they grow older…hold a birthday interview. This can be done by either writing up the questions and answers or video taping it.

Some of the questions we asked K that made us laugh were:

• How old are you? “4, and my 3 and my 4 and my 1 and my 2” (all the ages he’s been)
• What’s you favorite game? “E-mail”
• What is something mom always says to you? “Go to a place”
• What is something dad always says to you? “Put shoes on”
• What makes you happy? when “C gives me toys”
• What makes you sad? “Take a toy from me. If my baby brother does that.”

I love feeling the pages of journals as I read through my past, and I can only hope that my children will also enjoy holding these interview pages when they’re older and learning a bit about who they were and how far they’ve come.

I’m linking up to Works for Me Wednesday, and Tot Tuesday.

Rice Bunnies

I figured my boys could use some more friends for Bunny & Clyde this year and after seeing Dana’s Peeps Bunting, and pondering on it for a while, this is what came to mind:
Rice bunnies! You know the rice bags that you heat up for a sore tummy…or bean bags for throwing around?

Birthday Letters

I am republishing parts of this post from last year because today is C's 2nd birthday!!! I plan to sit down later today and write my handsome little boy a letter to preserve the memories I have of this last year with him.

The night before I got married, my mom handed me a stack of envelopes with dates written on them. Each envelope was unique and had aged a certain degree. Greatly puzzled, I began opening the envelopes and inside each one was a letter written to me by one of my parents on several of my birthdays. It was incredible to see my past through my parents eyes as they described what I was like at different ages, how they felt at the time and lessons we were all learning. I had absolutely no idea that each year, amidst all of the birthday chaos, one or both of my parents tried to write me a letter.

Ever since I read those letters, I decided that this was something I wanted to do for each of my children. It's one way I can easily pause time whenever I pull these out over the years and remember how far my boys have come. I love writing these letters because I get to write about who my boys were at the time of their birthdays; interests, funny stories, little quirks they have…anything I think they would enjoy learning about themselves when they are grown up. This is one gift that will outlast many of the toys or treats they will receive over the years, and hopefully one they will cherish.

I’m linking up to Homemaker Monday @ 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven, Tot Tuesday @ Delicious Ambiguity, and Works For Me Wednesday.