Arts and Crafts

For me, the hardest part about being a working mom is missing my kids - simple as that. And I think most of my fellow working moms would agree. Because of this, we usually have pictures framed on our desk or tacked to our board because we miss those faces. Something I saw recently got me thinking of how I could create a statement art piece for my office that incorporates my boys on the cheap. And it came to me - get my kids to make it! Having pictures of your kids is wonderful, but when I see their artwork, I just melt. I already have an element of this that I started anytime my kids come to visit...

When we bought our house a little over a year ago, I knew that we'd have our hands full and our hair speckled with paint. I've learned a few things along the way as we've painted one bedroom, two bathrooms, 3 vanities, a dining room, nearly all the trim in the house and 3 doors (only two bedrooms, one bathroom, one hallway, an entry way and 17 doors to go). Painting your house is a relatively inexpensive way to make a dramatic change to your home, but it can also be very overwhelming. I've come up with a few tips, some serious and some not so much, to help you on your painting journey. Step 1: Pick A Color DO NOT, I repeat...

  Happy Easter! We celebrate the Resurrection, Easter Bunny and Spring during this holiday by attending egg hunts and all sorts of outdoor events. Make a few more memories and family Easter traditions by incorporating crafts! Bunny Nose Great for Easter gifts for friends or classmates What you’ll need: Gray paint Small paintbrush Craft stick 3 white pipe cleaners 1 pink pom pom Hot glue gun   1. Paint your craft stick grey and let dry. 2. Wrap one pipe cleaner, centered, once around the top of the craft stick. 3. Twist the pipe cleaner once at the back and bend out again. 4. Repeat with two more pipe cleaners, centered and diagonal.       5. Hot glue a small amount around the pipe cleaners on the back of the craft stick. 6. Hot glue the pom pom to the top of the craft...

If I had $1 for every time I Googled or Pinterested (is that a word?) "creative ways to display kids' art" I would have enough money to build an art studio on the back of my house. But since I've been searching furiously for free, I have to make do with my formal dining room. I wanted my daughter to have a nice space to be creative, with lots of handy tools, and the wall space to see her creations proudly displayed. But because this is the first room you see when you walk into my house, I also didn't want it sticking out like a sore (and messy) thumb. I'm happy to report that I think I have...

You may be wondering, "A birthday party whaaa?" I thought the same thing when I saw a blog introducing the concept a couple years ago (I wish I had the link to give due credit!), but it brings celebrating birthdays as a family to a whole new level. And as a birthday-loving family, we have come to embrace it fully. All this took was a quick trip to the Dollar Tree and we had our bucket o' birthday. These are just a few things we have included, and I haven't had to restock yet: We keep it in our kitchen buffet and whip it out the night before to surprise the boys as they wake up or surprise each other. I'm telling...