I do not usually share posts that arrive to my email inbox, but I love the ideas in this offering from Pottery Barn Kids and I am sure that you'll love them too!
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Holiday treats are extra sweet when shared in homemade containers. Part party favor and part accessory, kids will love customizing these Personalized Take-Out Containers, Glass Cookie Jars and Cookie Boxes, then filling with delicious cookies and candies!
Last-minute wrapping to do? Give your presents that extra little flourish of hand-crafted care, and try one of our creative approaches to gift wrapping. Make your presents even more magical this season with Starry Wrap, Keepsake Footprint Paper and Rudolph’s Nose Wrap.
Share the joy of Hanukkah! This crafty Menorah is easy to assemble – and best of all, kids can "light" the candles on their own to celebrate each night of Hanukkah. Bring a little sparkle to Hanukkah celebrations with these creative Glittery Dreidel Place Cards. They're simple for kids to make and add a fun element of festivity to the table – plus, they make great party favors!
Plan your own Hanukkah festivities with tips and recipes from Pottery Barn Kids.
I was shopping Amazon (fast shipping!) and thought I'd pass on my finds. If you're like me and stuck for last minute gift ideas, try some of these on for size!
North American Bear Company Plush Dolls
I am fairly certain that these are made by the same company that makes the soft dolls for Pottery Barn Kids. They are adorable, highly rated and super affordable!
Many of the Green Toys branded toys are on sale at Amazon - some close to half off! We have a few of their items and the kids love them. We love them too because they are very well made, sturdy and made from recycled content!
eReaders Rock!
I got an an Amazon Kindle last year and I simply adore it! It makes getting and reading books so convenient and, as an added bonus, prices have dropped drastically! There is a Kindle for any price-point and they make a great gift for kids and adults alike. Want fancy? Go all out and grab the new Kindle Fire!
Pinterest!
Don't want to buy a gift or just don't have time?! Try some of these great ideas from Pinterest.
From left to right: Recycled Sweater Blanket - Great for babies, but could be done at any size and it's sure to be a favorite! Candy Cane Vodka - For the adult that has everything :) Puppet Theater! - This super easy DIY project will keep their imagination going and you entertained! Etched Cookware - Get crafty and personalize cookware for the hard to shop for lady in your life. She'll love it and never lose another piece at a pot-luck event, that's for sure!
I love some good fun and Jill over at Baby Rabies sure knows how to have fun. She is hosting the hallarious Inappropriate Elf Contest. I was planning to buy an Elf, but I couldn't find one locally and time was wasting, so to prep I though I'd share my DIY Elf with you and how I made the magic happen.
I'd also like to say sorry to anyone who finds my next Elf post highly inappropriate. You'll be seeing it soon! Want to see more? Click the elf above!
DIY Elf on the Shelf
Cost: Approximately $6
The first thing you're going to need are some supplies, so head to your nearest Hobby Lobby and grab the following items from the doll section.
Supplies
1 14" poseable muslin doll form ($2.40)
1 Doll Face ($0.35)
2 Pieces of Red Felt ($0.50)
1 Piece of White Felt ($0.25)
1 Block of Sculpty Clay for Hair ($2.00)
You will also need a hot glue gun, or you can sew it if you're feeling spunky, though you will likely want some sort of glue for the hair.
The first thing I did was lay out my pieces and then cut out the neck section on my face so that it would fit nicely onto the muslin form. These poseable forms have feet, and I wanted to stay to true elf form, so I cut them off (poor Elfie) and used some hot glue to stitch him back up. Once his feet were ready to go it was time to start dressing my elf!
Dressing your elf is really simple. Using long rectangular pieces of red felt, glue it to the leg. I chose to have my seam run down the back of the leg. Once it's in place simply wrap the felt around and glue down the other end. I found that making my piece a little wide was best, because then I could trim if needed, but be sure to have enough material as these doll forms aren't perfectly uniform. After the Legs were covered, I set of to do the arms. Elfie has white hands, so I put a tube of white up near his hands in the same fashion that I did the legs, but I filled the end with glue and pressed it shut as it tried (be careful! the glue is HOT). Once it was cool enough (not totally dry) I cut the hand shape and pressed the ends shut fully. Once both hands were done I covered the arms with red felt, just as I did the legs. The body was the same idea except I used two rectangular pieces, glued the back on and then the front to wrap around his sides to hide the seams. Easy peasy!
Next up was his hair. This part I didn't photograph because it really just requires a bit of playing with adult playdoh. You can shape the Sculpty however you like, when you're done pop it (the clay ONLY, not the head) into the oven for about 15-30 minutes at abour 275 degrees (read the instruction on your package). Allow it to cool and then glue it to your elf's head.
Once the hair is on you can add his hat! Cut out a simple 1/4 circle in red and a long rectangle in white. Glue your 1/4 circle into a cone shape and glue to your elf's head. I found that my elf needed some stuffing for his head to be more... well head shaped, so I used some cotton balls to fill in the gaps. Add your white strip and then you can whatever neck decoration you like.
All in all I think that Elfie turned out pretty great, now I need to get started on his partner in crime and my entry!
Don't forget to buy or DIY your own elf and enter the contest! Entries must submitted to the link on the Baby Rabies blog by midnight on December 11th! Go go, enter and have fun!!
Christmas is a ways away, but I'm already trying to find fun gift and craft ideas. I know, I know - respect the turkey... Sorry!
I saw a melted snowman ornament on Pinterest, but it used several materials and well, it really wasn't my style, so I started thinking how I could adapt it to be easy to to make for kids, and with fewer materials. I landed on this guy and I love him :)
This fun showman is easy to make, and a great craft for kids. It uses hardly any glue, so a whole bottle should make plenty of snowmen to help decorate your tree!
Using string or ribbon, make a small loop to use as a hanger. (If you don't want to see it in the glue once dried, you could skip this part and add it later by poking a hole in your snowman.)
Get out a piece of wax paper and your glue. Lay down your hanger and then use the glue to create the snowman shape (or other fun shape of your choice!) Be sure to fill your shape in fully with glue. Let it dry overnight, or until the glue has turned clear.
If you'd like for your snowman to have arms, you could lay tiny sticks in the glue!
Once it's fully dried you can carefully peel it up off of the wax paper, it should come up easily.
The next step is to get out your markers and have fun. Make eyes, a carrot nose and button mouth. Add fun snowman type decorations like a scarf, vest or whatever your child thinks up.
A while back, I wrote about my new found love for eReaders. I received a Kindle for Christmas and have been somewhat addicted since. If you don't have one, I highly suggest getting one, I love mine. You can pick up a Kindle these days for as little as $114! In addition to the Kindle being more affordable, there are thousands of books available to read for free.
So now that you have an eReader, you need something to protect it. Covers run from $30 on up. I love my reader, but I really don't feel like spending a lot on a cover that I may want to change up in the future. I have a sleeve style cover that my husband got me with my Kindle, but I've been wanting something that helps me hold and read a bit easier - something a bit more like holding a real book. After looking at several covers on Amazon & Etsy, I decided to make my own. It took me just a couple of hours from start to finish and I couldn't be happier!
If video instructions aren't for you, check out the step by step guide below!
Find a book that is a little thicker than your eReader and about an inch larger in each direction (or bigger to be cut to size). Remove the insides of the book and measure for cutting if needed. To give you an idea of size, my Kindle is 7.5"x5", so I cut the book so that the back panels measured 8.5"x6"
Once you've cut your cover to size, use tape to reinforce the spine and all of the edges. This will also help give the cut edges a smooth finish.
Next you'll want to select a fabric you like and cover your book cover. It doesn't need to be very neat as the edges will all be covered up, do try to keep it somewhat tidy though, so that you don't end up with big bumps or ripples. I found that hot glue worked very well for this.
You also want to place a wide strip of fabric up the center of the book, be sure to fold under the top and bottom of the fabric to hide the edges. These will be visible.
After you've covered the case portion, you'll want to get some paper board for the inside cover. Something with a sturdiness like a cereal box or other product box will work well. Standard cardboard would be too thick for this. I also cut two pieces of felt to help provide some 'cushion' for my Kindle. My panels are 8"x5.5".
Use craft glue to attach the felt to the paper board and then cover it with your fabric of choice, just like you did the outer cover. Once you've completed that, you can add your elastic.
You'll want to use elastic that is approximately 4 inches or so in length. I used my sewing machine to securely attach the elastic. You could use hot glue, but be sure that it is secure! If you want to add a closure of some sort, you can do that now (see the loop on the right?) After I attached my elastic loop, I attached a bead to the front of my cover using a seam ripper to carefully poke two holes through my cover to thread a needle and string through to secure my bead.
After you've completed this step, you are nearly home free! Load up the backside of your panels with glue to attach them to the inside of your cover. I used craft glue all over the back, and then before attaching them, I went around the edges with hot glue to give it instant hold.
Insert your eReader and enjoy your brand new cover! If you made a closure on your cover, I recommend allowing the glue to dry for a day before using it.
Now you can enjoy your eReader in style (your imagination is the limit!) You'll have the wonderful feeling of holding a book in your hand and what's nice, is that this cover can even fold backwards while you are reading if you choose to do that.
This is a fun way to have several covers (if your an accessory fan), to give a personalized gift or simply to have for practical reasons.
I had a lot of fun making this cover and I just love it. I hope this post helps you make your own. If you try it, please post link your pictures or post them to our Facebook page. I'd love to see them!
So, I saw this posted and fell in *love* with the idea! It is a repurposed entertainment center! If only I had seen this before we ditched ours! (so kicking myself for that now)
Is this not the coolest play kitchen ever!?!
Just think of the *endless* possibilities in customizing this for your child to fit their needs, wants and personalities to a T!
Can you believe that it started out as this!
I don't know about most kids, but I know that mine *love* imagination play and especially anything relate to real life (cooking, dishes, vacuuming, etc.)
We have a plastic play kitchen. My mom got it for my son a couple years ago. I love that the kids love it, but it doesn't have room for two kids (so they do a bit of yelling over it) and it's plastic, so that's not my favorite feature :\ I can't wait to do this for our kids. I just need to find a cheap entertainment center. When I do, I'll be sure to update with some pictures!
Thank you to Erin of Sutton Grace for allowing me to use her images and post this for you!
Be sure to check out the full tutorial to do this for yourself!
If you do this, please send me pictures! I would love to see your creativity in action :)
So the holidays are coming and I keep searching for things to make the kids.
I have some DIY kid gifts listed here on a previous post.
AND if DIY isn't your thing, I have some store/shop bought options listed here.
Let's get started with a FABULOUS idea for doll clothes :) Talk about too cute and saving some cash.
Doll clothes from dollar store undies! I found this on the Old Day, Old Ways blog.
Tutorial complete with patterns! These fit 18" dolls, but could certainly be modified.
I also came across this simply AMAZING tutorial on how to transfer images from your computer onto wood. It's insane and awesome.
