Happy first day of fall! Autumn officially began at 10:49 a.m. EDT, and boy, can we feel it in our neck of the woods. The mercury is sitting at a chilly 39 degrees right now. If we had pumpkins on our porch, they’d be covered with frost. Nothing like a good hard freeze to bid farewell to summer. Despite today’s unusually cool temperatures, I love fall and all its beauty. Autumn is the perfect season to explore the great outdoors with your family and friends. What’s more, as the days shorten and the leaves begin to tumble, you are left … Continue reading →

Forget about combing the aisles of Michaels or Hobby Lobby for unique fall decorations. Instead, head outside for inspiration… and super cheap materials. And by super cheap I mean free. Yes, Mother Nature’s got Michaels beat in regards to price and accessibility. From gorgeous colored leaves to acorns, gourds and whimsically-shaped branches, you can gather an entire room’s worth of natural items from your own backyard, and then flex your creative muscle to design one-of-a-kind fall decorations. Here are some simple ideas that even your kids can make: LEAF PEOPLE: Lay out a large piece of craft paper and trace … Continue reading →

The end of summer always gets me thinking about the holidays. I know, I know, it’s early but here is a cute little craft you can make with just paper, tape and a stapler. You can make them small or large, hang them on the tree or from the ceiling. Easy and inexpensive decorations that look fancy. First you will need six pieces of paper for each snowflake. This one is made from one sheet of printer paper cut into six squares, but I’ve also make them with six pieces of printer paper. If you use six piece of printer … Continue reading →

My 7-year-old is obsessed with glow sticks. Forget about capturing fireflies and giving them a spacious glass home to reside in; my kid is all about shaking, breaking and wearing cheap neon sticks that double as summer evening accessories. Granted, the sticks are very affordable. In fact, you can stock up on them right now at various Dollar Stores nationwide. Some locations are even selling them for 50 cents a pack. Of course, if your children are like my daughter, then connecting glow sticks with plastic fasteners to create necklaces, headbands, anklets and bracelets is simply not enough. Rather, as … Continue reading →

I never seem to have enough bags. Grocery bags, bags for library books, bags to tote my stuff in, I’m always looking for new bags. I love when I find one that is not only cute, but quick and easy to make as well. This bag will take about a yard of fabric and an hour of your time. You can get creative and make a liner, I may do that later, or just leave it as is, it’s perfect for just about anything and folds up to fit in a purse or tucked in a car door pocket. Materials … Continue reading →

My brother and sister in law are going to have their first baby. A little boy will join our family this summer. I wanted to make something personal and since they are giving him an unusual name, hand making a gift was the best way to go. I made this letter to hang on his nursery wall. Materials Wooden letter Scrapbook paper craft paint mod podge letter stickers I bought the letter at Michaels, they have many different styles and sizes so you can do just the baby’s first initial or the whole name, whatever you decide. First I painted … Continue reading →

I love to frame things. If you come to my house and stand still long enough you might find a frame around you with some lovely flowers. It’s such a cute way to corral things. I made this hair bow frame for Ivy, it was super easy, quick and cheap, three of my favorite things. Materials An old frame- you don’t need the glass fabric quilt batting ribbon hot glue cup hooks Take the backing and the glass out of the frame. Cut a piece of quilt batting a little smaller than the back so it will tuck in the … Continue reading →