Holidays (national or somewhat arbitrary) offer fun inspiration for projects and lessons for kids. Yesterday was Penguin Awareness Day (though I'm happy to celebrate penguins any day of the year!) and I wanted to take this opportunity to shine a light on this fine bird with project, book, and design inspiration. If you have other ideas to share, feel free to do so in the comments below!
Has the duct tape craze hit your house? It's been sticky craft madness around here ever since Laurel discovered it! We've got duct tape flowers, wallets, bookmarks, coasters, and more around the house. The other day when Laurel asked about ideas for a new project I -- ever the proponent of usable items -- suggested we make some cute belts. It's such an easy and cute project and I wanted to share the DIY with you today.
As I mentioned yesterday, I have a few posts I want to share related to simplifying birthday parties for kids. If I can manage, I'll bust everything out this week while things are top of mind. First, I want to share the 3 easy (and delightfully rainbow-tastic!) party activities I planned for Laurel's party. You can do these any time, really, and I recommend doing the chalk paint ASAP while the weather is good. So easy and fun. Enjoy!
I love necklaces. Except when they're clumped and tangled, as most of my collection has been for some time now. I was planning on buying a cork board to make sense of the mess, and then this past weekend, as I stared disdainfully at furniture packaging that needed to be broken down for recycling, I had a light bulb moment: turn the large Styrofoam sheets into jewelry boards! It would save the effort of breaking down the material to fit into our recycling bin, and save me the cost of cork boards! Here's the how-to for this ridiculously easy and awesome project:
Today, Debbie (also of Two Adopt Two) shares six ideas for outdoor fun:
Particularly now, as we're all buried under huge piles of snow, recovering from shoveling induced aches and pains, and the novelty of snow days has worn off, you're probably dreaming of beaches, sandals, and umbrella-laden drinks. Your kids are even tired of electronics and you've already built an army of snowmen. Now what? If lift tickets are beyond your budget, fear not. Here are six ideas for outdoor fun for next to nothing.
Today, Jane (also of see jane blog) shares a great way to repurpose wine corks for craft:
Given that my four kids and I love crafting, I collect things that look like they might be useful later: jars, pine cones, cool sticks, wine corks, etc. I recently decided to be more proactive in my collection of wine corks by sourcing local. I printed my contact information on two reusable bags and took the bags to two local restaurants and explained to the bar managers that I wanted to collect wine corks for crafting with my kids -- both restaurants were happy to help! About six weeks later, the restaurants called to say the bags were full: presto, free recycled crafting supplies!
Today, Miriam (also of Other Pieces of Me) shares thoughts and resources for those considering home sandboxes:
A few months ago, I decided I was tired of having to redirect our almost three-year-old son from my (then dormant, but soon to be planted) raised garden beds. He was overwhelmingly attracted to the 8' x 4' plot of dirt to the point that the area became replete with sand toys and multiple baths were required each day.
Today, Kate shares an art center I'm itching to try with Laurel:
My daughter has always loved art. From her early daycare days of finger-painting and messing around with sand, through coloring and cutting, and now up to learning how to sew and knit and make complex collages, she is drawn to create using color and materials and shapes. And while she always makes a beeline for the art table at school and we have collected boxes full of art supplies at home, there are still limits on what we're able to do ourselves. For this reason, I was thrilled to discover Maud Morgan Arts, a wonderful art center and school discreetly hidden on Sacramento Street in Cambridge.
Today, Miriam (also of Other Pieces of Me) shares seven favorite local indie shops (that have saved her on more than one Saturday):
It's not entirely uncommon for me to wake up on a Saturday morning and realize that my son is scheduled to attend a birthday party later that day. I imagine I'm not the only one who has encountered this scenario, right? Thankfully, there's no shortage of independent stores in almost every corner of the city of Boston that are replete with great last-minute selections. Here are seven of my favorites...and bonus points if you pick up something for the next birthday party that's coming your way!
Laurel typically enjoys quite a bit of generosity from her relatives during the holidays, so in the Christmas aftermath, it's particularly impressive when one thing captures her attention. And, well, ours too. This year, that thing is Katamino. Including an adjustable-sized playing board (increasing the size of the playing space increases the difficulty), different wooden shapes (pentaminos), and an impressively varied instruction manual, this game inspires seemingly endless spatial puzzles for one or more players.
Today, Evadne shares a great game from a Newton-based company (also, check out below for details on a sale today and tomorrow!):
I recently played Gamewright's Take the Cake with my kids and was reminded what good wholesome fun board games are. Take the Cake's tag line describes the game perfectly: a sweet game of shakes, shapes & cupcakes. The idea behind the game is to decorate cupcake cards with colorful wooden shapes that sprinkle out of a shaker. If you complete the toppings on your turn, you collect the cupcake card -- that is, you take the cake. The player with the most cards wins the game.
Today, Kate shares a great local spot to learn to sew with kids:
My 6-year-old daughter likes to watch me knit and sew, and often asks when she will be old enough to join in. I have so far hesitated, being not quite confident that her little hands are ready to carefully handle sharp needles and scissors and small pieces of thread. A recent trip to La Esquina Studio in Cambridge, however, convinced me that she is nimbler and more capable than I would have expected, and more ready to sustain the attention needed to see a project through to completion.
I admittedly tend to shy away from plastic toys, but we recently caved and bought the Perplexus Maze Game, which Laurel couldn't stop talking about after learning about it from classmates. And I have to admit that this game is ridiculously fun. The 3D sphere comprises one long, convoluted maze track including three different entry points -- so, for example, you don't have to start at the beginning if you've already mastered section 1 of the maze. Following the maze requires careful rotation and keeping your eye on the ball.
Today, Kate shares a great resource for getting your craft on:
For much of my life, I could sew on a button and mend small tears, but I didn't have the slightest idea how to tackle a real sewing project. My grandmother sewed and my mother occasionally used her sewing machine, but the skills and interest seemed to have skipped my generation. And then, two years ago, I suddenly became intrigued by the idea of learning to sew. I read up, bought a simple sewing machine, and plunged in. My projects to date have included several sets of napkins, a simple bag, a pillow, some basic summer dresses for my daughter...and lots of crooked seams and asymmetrical corners. I love the work, though, and the joy of picking fabrics and watching them come together into something both pretty and useful.
My friend Amy recently sent me a teething toy that perfectly marries Violet's insatiable oral fixation with our love for simple, eco-friendly toys and musical merriment. Handmade of locally sourced hardwood and crafted with a smooth, sweet silhouette, Little Alouette's wee guitar teething toy is perfectly constructed for little hands and busy mouths. And when Jon, Laurel, and I are rocking out together on guitar, mandolin, and keyboard (Laurel is teaching herself Beatles songs!), Violet really seems like part of the action while munching on her wee guitar. There's so much cute stuff at Little Alouette; definitely check out the collection when you're next gifting expecting loved ones.
Today, Heather recommends a toy that her brood never tires of:
Magna-tiles may very well be the best toy purchase I have ever made. My 7-year-old and 4-year-old triplets never get bored with them, and, well, neither do I. We purchased the 100 piece translucent set that includes square and triangular tiles in a variety of sizes. The tiles attract on all sides and in all combinations, helping children move easily from two-dimensional to three-dimensional creations.
Natalie Zee Drieu and I are virtual kindred spirits around all things stylish and crafty. In addition to sharing fabulous finds at her blogs Coquette and Coquette Maman, Natalie is the editor-in-chief at the fantastic website Craft, where I have had the honor of sharing some of my crafty tutorials. Natalie and I both have crafty daughters, and since I've been thinking of ways to keep Laurel happy while I'm busy tending to her new sister, for today's four favorites guest post, I asked Natalie to share four favorite crafts to entertain older siblings.