Get the crafting warm fuzzies with this Easy Yarn Pumpkin Necklace Craft + Garland Idea. May contain affiliate links (so I can afford more pumpkin spice lattes at no cost to you)

Easy Yarn Pumpkin Necklace Craft + Garland

Pumpkins give me the warm fuzzies. Literally – I’ve got warm fuzzies all over my house right now with this Easy Yarn Pumpkin Necklace Craft + Garland Idea! A sweet little fall craft that’s perfect for little hands, this easy pumpkin inspired craft will have your little one bursting with itty bitty pumpkin joy. I just know it. Grab your dinglehoppers for this one. Let’s craft some fall love together.

[Read more…]

Are you having a Thursday-est Thursday like me? Craft your way into happiness with this Ombre Paint Chip Pumpkin Pie Craft + 72 Fall Kids Crafts. May contain affiliate links (that fund my coffee addiction)

Ombre Paint Chip Pumpkin Pie Craft + 72 More Fall Kids Crafts

Today is the Thursday-est Thursday. Those that know me well understand that Thursday and I don’t get along.

Monday – It’s the start of the week. I feel motivated and energized.

Tuesday & Wednesday – I’m plugging along, feeling accomplished, getting work done. In the zone!

Friday – It’s the last day of the work week. I put my head down and focus on the weekend ahead.

But Thursday…oh, Thursday. I’m somewhere between going stir crazy to pulling out my hair status. By Thursday I’m itching to get out of the house, far away from my computer and anything to do with blogging…much to my toddler’s delight. Today we ended up at Home Depot and the craft store – to where this Ombre Paint Chip Pumpkin Pie Craft came to be. BINGO. Good-bye Thursday-est Thursday. Taking my frown and turning it into something crafty, that’s where I thrive. So my toddler and I made this adorable Pumpkin Pie kids craft to celebrate fall, Thanksgiving and everything deliciously pumpkin good. So in case you’re having the case of the Thursdays, come craft with us.

[Read more…]

Welcome in fall with these Apple Playdate Ideas for Preschoolers. This post was sponsored by WaterWipes as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.

Apple Playdate Ideas for Preschoolers

It was a few days since Hurricane Hermine had left the building. And there it was – a surge of “cool” fall weather – or in Florida, a low in the 70s at night. With fall in the air, it was time to bring a little fall to our mom playgroup at church. Grab your easy Apple Playdate Ideas for Preschoolers – from crafts to snacks – and bring a little fall fun to your kids this season.

[Read more…]

Want to make a safe slime for your kids? Make this DIY Allergy-Friendly Edible Slime for Toddlers. This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sprout Organic Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.

Allergy-Friendly Edible Slime for Toddlers

Flour. Shaving cream. Glue. What do they all have in common? They are all ingredients normally found in homemade slime. Immediate red flag for my toddler – where 99.999% of all arts and crafts projects begin and end with fingers in the mouth. Gross. So how do I tackle homemade slime that’s safe for kids? Make your own Allergy-Friendly Edible Slime for toddlers with only three ingredients you already have at home. It’s the perfect DIY slime for playtime. [Read more…]

Celebrate the first day of school with this Mini Back to School Banner Pancake Topper! This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Gorilla Glue Company . All opinions are 100% mine.

Mini Back to School Banner Pancake Topper

2nd grade is a BIG year for us. A new school. New teacher. Brand new glasses. New bus stop. You get my point. Needless to say, I’m nervous for him with all of the changes for this school year. So I always make a big deal out of the First Day of School…like BIG. This year, we decided to celebrate 2nd grade in a fun way with this Mini Back to School Banner Pancake Topper. A big ole stack of his favorite breakfast food (extra syrup, please!) and an easy DIY banner to crown the top equals BIG smiles for a great school year. Check out how easy it is to make this adorable mini banner for the First Day of School – and celebrate a great school year with your child.

If you’ve been around this blog for awhile, you know how much I love a good craft. Inspired by my friend Ruth over at Viva Veltoro (Do you follow her yet? She’s ah-mazing!), I love the idea of celebrating the First Day of School with pancakes. I mean c’mon – how can a kid resist a special First Day of School stack of pancakes? But then taking your child’s special breakfast and making it into a fun crafty surprise, I was in love. And no great craft on this blog is complete without Hot Glue. I use this stuff for EVERYTHING.

Have an adorable craft idea? There’s hot glue for that.

Broken shoe? There’s hot glue for that.

Kids’ school project gone awry? Yup, there’s hot glue for that.

This Back-to-School season I’ve stocked up on Gorilla Hot Glue Sticks for all of my crafting projects. Available at Walmart, Gorilla Glue is a great and affordable hot glue brand for all of my DIY moments. Of course for this DIY Mini First Day of School Banner Pancake Topper, I relied heavily on Gorilla Hot Glue Sticks to make this craft a perfect surprise for my son. Gluing wood to string? I needed serious gluing power. Ready to make your own? Here’s how:

DIY Mini Back to School Banner Pancake Topper

What You Will Need (may contain affiliate links):

• (2) Grill Skewers
• (4) Medium Red Pom Poms
• (4) Flat Toothpicks
• Green Felt
• Quality hot glue, like Gorilla Hot Glue Sticks
• Hot Glue Gun
• Thick Alphabet Banner Stickers – such as this or this.
• String
• Yarn Needle
• Scissors

Directions:

Starting with the adorable mini apples, I pushed the toothpicks through the pom poms to make the stems. Cut off the excess.

Then, cut out mini green leaves out of your green felt. Using your Hot Glue Gun, attach the ends of the green leaves to the stems of your apples. Allow to dry.

Thread your string through the yarn needle. Then thread your letters onto your string. Notice I did “2ND” on one string and “GRADE” on another. You may want to layer accordingly. Leave plenty of extra string before cutting off the ends.

Raise your skewers in a vertical upside down “V” shape (using Styrofoam, etc. to keep them upright as you work). Attach your string to the skewer, so that the letters hang as desired. Use your hot glue to secure the string to the skewer.

On the ends of each word, I hot glued the apple stems to the string (I told you that I use hot glue for everything!). Hold up until dry.

Taking the ends of the strings, tie into a pretty bow. Cut off excess.

When your stack o’ pancakes are ready, skewer your masterpiece in place. Don’t forget to grab your camera.

How ADORABLE, right? This mini Back to School Banner is a perfect way to make your little learner feel extra special – I know that my son was super thrilled!

Don’t let pancakes be the only use of this banner. Cakes, Cupcakes, Teacher Appreciation, and more – I know that this mini banner would be a great accessory to your child’s school year. I definitely plan on using mine again to make sure that my favorite 2nd grader feel special throughout the year.

2nd grade is going to be a BIG year! And this year is off to a great start thanks to Gorilla Hot Glue and this adorable Mini Back to School Banner Pancake Topper.

$250 Walmart Gift Card Giveaway

Are you inspired to get your “craft” on this Back-to-School season with Gorilla Hot Glue Sticks? Enter now to win a $250 Walmart Gift Card thanks to Gorilla Glue. Open to U.S. residents only. Ends 9/7. Here’s how to enter: [Read more…]

Make summer reading fun with this DIY No Sew Reading Tent for Kids! This post is sponsored by Zenni Optical via One2One Network. All opinions stated are my own. May contain commissioned links.

No Sew Reading Tent for Kids

We officially have a little glasses wearer in the house. That’s right. At 7-years old, my son is now the proud owner of a sweet little pair of spectacles. The change for him at first was difficult.

“No one else wears glasses in 2nd grade. Do I have to wear these everyday?”

But when he put on his glasses for the first time, it was amazing how differently he could see the world. Shapes, colors, people – everything looked beautiful and new. I knew that I had to celebrate my son and this new beginning, but how? I headed to my favorite store for inspiration. Then I saw it. A teepee, perfect for reading…for $90. My mouth literally dropped in the middle of the store. Then, light bulb. And so, the DIY No Sew Reading Tent for Kids was inspired. Just a few supplies, no sewing required (because you know me, I don’t sew), and all for around $20 – this tent will inspire your little one to read this summer too!

What You Will Need

• (5) 3/4″ diameter PVC Pipe, about 5 feet long (We had some leftover from our DIY Kids Car Wash!)
  
• (2) 3/4″ diameter PVC Pipe, about 4 feet long
• (4) 3/4″ PVC elbow joints
• PVC Pipe Cutters
• (2) 50″ x 84″ tab curtains
• Rope

Directions

Begin by taking 2 of the 5 foot pipes and tying together in an “A” frame as shown. Using the rope, be sure to wrap around both poles both over and under to keep the 2 poles in place. Knot the ends. Make another A-frame out of 2 more of the 5 foot pipes.

Place elbow joints at the bottom of each A-frame pipe base. Using the (2) 4 foot pipes, connect and complete the A-frame as shown.

All that’s left is the last 5 foot PVC pipe and 2 curtains. With the pipe in the middle, lay out the curtains so that you have one curtain on either side of the pipe, pattern side up. Now thread the tabs of the curtains onto the pipe, alternating between the 2 so that you have a tent like the picture above. Let the curtains hang down.

Place the curtain pole across the top of the two A-frames.

Pull curtain taut. Wrap the remaining curtain length around the bottoms of the A-frame and underneath the middle of the tent (built in tent bottom).

Time to read! My son LOVES to read in his new reading tent. The perfect place to enjoy some quiet time, this tent is the perfect spot to catch up on his favorite chapter book.

And no reading tent is complete without showing off his new specs from Zenni Optical. Encouraging families to read all summer long, Zenni Optical offers a huge variety of stylish glasses and sunglasses for kids and adults at affordable prices.

That means my son’s new stylish specs from Zenni Optical cost me less than the supplies for this tent!

Encourage summer reading with your family with this DIY No Sew Reading Tent for Kids. And get your family quality glasses for your family budget at Zenni Optical. See why #SeeingIsForReading at http://bit.ly/SeeingIsForReading.

Giveaway!

Ready to encourage your family to make reading fun this summer? Enter now to win a $50 Gift Card to Zenni Optical! Perfect for stocking up on affordable glasses and sunglasses (prescription and non-prescription) for kids and adults, your family will love the budget-friendly style. Open to U.S. residents only. Ends 8/9/16. Here’s how to enter:
[Read more…]