Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Handprint Christmas Tree

Today I'm sharing a very simple and fun project for kids of any age to do. I got the original idea for this from Earning My Cape. 


All you have to do is trace your child's hand onto a sheet of green construction paper, then cut it out. Use the handprint to trace 5 more hands, so you then have 6 total. Next, glue the handprints onto a separate piece of construction paper into the shape of a tree like in the picture below. You can add a trunk with marker, or by cutting out a rectangle shape out of brown paper. Have your kiddo add decorations such as stickers, pom-poms, small pieces of paper, foam shapes, etc. to the tree, then put a star on top. Very easy and kids ages 2-12 should have fun with this. Younger children will obviously need assistance with the glue and scissors. 



Lily and I started making some new glittery bell ornaments last night, but she wasn't really into it, so we'll try again tonight or tomorrow, depending on how she's feeling. Here's a little sneak peek of how far we got before she had enough of the glitter glue:


Other than crafts and such, I've been busy making cookies to give as gifts, finishing last minute Christmas shopping, and getting the house ready for the little holiday party we're having Sunday. I've also been a bit under the weather- courtesy of Lily's sickness last week, most likely -but, I'm holding it down and drowning my yuckiness with vitamins, tea, hot soup, and healing herbs propolis and echinacea. I'm excited for the holidays and that's all I can really focus on at this time! I'll have something up for Sweet Saturday this week, so please come on back Friday! I won't be doing a Meatless Monday link-up Monday, but may share a Christmasy post just to wish you all happy holidays :)

 

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Sweet Saturday #31: Cottonball Snowmen Decorations

I meant to post these simple, kid-friendly projects on Wednesday, but my little sweetie has been sick this week, thus placing me into Mommy Overtime. She's on the mend now, though, and the other day we did have the time and energy to make these cute and easy snowmen using cottonballs, construction paper, glue, and a few other things...

Happy Cottonball Snowmen

Materials:

Cottonballs
Construction paper
Glue
Glitter glue
White paint
Q-tip

Step 1: Paint white dots with Q-TIP
Step 2: Glue on cottonballs
Step 3: Add stick arms and face with glitter glue
Step 4: Add some random splotches of silver glitter with an extra cottonball (Lily's addition)  


The large piece of cotton came from the inside of a vitamin bottle

Voilá! Cute little happy snowmen to hang up in your home. Due to my lacking craft skills, it looks as if my 2 1/2 year old did this one all by herself. Martha Stewart has nothing to worry about.

In continuation of our DIY decorations, Lily and I also made these cottonball snowmen ornaments-

She could not be bothered to stop doodling in her doodle pad while sticking on the cottonballs

For these babies you will need:

Cottonballs
Construction paper
Scissors
Googly eyes
Glue
Glitter glue
Pipe cleaners
Ornament hooks
Add-ons: yarn for a scarf, felt top hat, mini pom-poms for buttons, actual buttons (all things I did not have handy, but wish I had to make these snowmen look less like fluffy fat ducks)

The images above should clearly show you how to make them- and, yes, the "carrot nose" is a very small piece of orange pipe cleaner. I used red paper thinking it would create a nice shadowy effect on the snowmen, but in hindsight, I think white paper would've been better, just a tip. What do you think?

Now for last weekend's most-clicked holiday features!

 
Our most-visited link last weekend were these sweet little trees from With A Blast. And they're edible! Thanks, Linda!



New linker, Mellywood's Mansion, shared this super cute bauble hair clip. Simple to make and the perfect adornment for the holiday season. Thanks, Mel!



I found Finely Ground via Full Hands, Full Hearts' Christmas Link-up and fell in love with this thrifty and original DIY wreath- I just had to invite her to the Sweet Saturday party! Thanks for joining, Marissa!


Thanks to all the new linkers! We had quite a turn-out last week, and I greatly apologize for not getting to visit everyone yet and personally thanking them, but I promise I will as soon as I can! I'm sure you all know where I'm coming from to at least some extent when I tell you I was busy with a sick toddler all week :( 


Grab a button if you were featured!
 
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Now on to the party!

Just follow these simple rules:


1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 
2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me if you are not already via GFC, Linky Followers, Networked Blogs, or subscription. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!
3. Don't forget to hop around and say hi!
4. Share my button so more people can join us (not required, but it would be nice!)


Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby


Thanks for stopping by, this little get together really makes the weekend even more enjoyable for me, and gives me the encouragement to keep my little blog going :) (as difficult as that can be sometimes!)


 

Friday, December 7, 2012

Sweet Saturday #30: Happy Holiday Wreath

This year has been the first time that I have gotten so into decorating for the holiday season since I was a kid living at home. Obviously, this is mainly because I have my own family now and I want Lily to get to enjoy all the fun things I did when I was a little girl. I have been having so much fun right along with her, too! This week we made some ornaments out of paper, glitter glue, and paint, and this weekend we'll finish up the Christmas table I've been working on for her (check back next Wednesday for that!). 

The holiday wreath, though, was all me :)




I love making wreaths :)

It cost me around $12 to make this one. I got the wreath base for $2 from Target, then the decorations came from A.C. Moore, Dollar Zone, and from my own collection of re-purposed materials. I love the little cardinals, they really bring a lot of cheer to me whenever I walk through the door...



Now it's time to see our most-clicked holiday features! 
 


Angela of Tartan Tastes in Texas shared this yummy holiday cake. It's no wonder this Scottish, spongy holiday cake with candied cherries was the most-clicked on. Thanks, Angela!


Winnie from Something Sweet shared these tasty little cinnamon treats. How hungry do those cute cupcakes make you?? Always a pleasure, Winnie!


Ana from carpe diem always has such creative ideas! Take a gander at this adorable under-the-tree nativity scene! What a great idea! Thanks, Ana!

And our most-clicked honorable mentions are:

 Banana Pancakes from Our Neck of the Woods (from last week's guest hostess!)

Thanks to everyone who joined-up last week! I loved reading all of your posts! So many great ideas going around! Grab a button below if you were featured!

Photobucket


Now on to the party!

Just follow these simple rules:

No guest-hostess this weekend- yeah, it's been one of those weeks!

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 
2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me if you are not already via GFC, Linky Followers, Networked Blogs, or subscription. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!
3. Don't forget to hop around and say hi!
4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)


Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby

It is officially Christmas time and I intend to post at least 1 holiday-themed post each week, along with the weekly Meatless Monday Recipe Hop and Sweet Saturday Link Party. Let's hope I can keep it together and stick to that schedule!

Thanks for stopping by, this little get together really makes the weekend even more enjoyable for me, and gives me the encouragement to keep my little blog going :) 

 

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Paper Ornaments for Kids

I have decided that for the month of December I am going to do at least one holiday-related project with Lily (and then blog about it). This week we made ornaments! It took me a bit to think up a way for a 2 1/2 year old to make her own ornaments, but this is what I came up with, and she did do quite a bit of the work all by herself!



Paper Ornaments

Materials:

Green construction paper
Red washable paint
1-2 Q-tips
Scissors
Cotton balls
Stapler 
Twine or other string

First, get a smock on that kid if you want less mess to clean up. Give them the paper, paint, and a Q-tip and instruct them to make little red dots on the paper- these dots will represent ornaments on a tree, or berries on a wreath. (Lily insisted I make one, too. You can see the side-by-side of our dot work in the top right corner of image below). Allow paint to dry, then using something to create the desired shape, such as a stencil (I used a wooden shape), trace a Christmas tree or wreath onto the polka-dotted paper. Or, if you have some artistic talent, draw it free hand- the shapes just have to match up exactly so that they can be stapled together.


Next, place a couple of pieces of cotton between 2 of the cut-out shapes, then staple closed, as if you are making a little paper pillow. Staple a looped piece of string to the top so it can be hung from a tree branch. Add glitter glue, sequins, or other adornments if desired.

Lily added some glitter glue drops, and she really had fun with that- so much so, that she decided to decorate the packaging from said glitter glue.

Decorating her ornament

Decorating her piece of trash

I made one shaped like a wreath, but as stuffing I thought it would be clever and less wasteful to use crumpled up scrap paper, and it turned out just as well. So feel free to stuff your ornaments using either method. 



This is a fun and easy project for kids 2 years or older. Have fun!     

Shared at:



Wednesday, November 14, 2012

November's Up-and-Coming Blog of the Month!

I get to visit a lot of really great blogs from the link parties I host here, and I have a lot of dedicated "regular" party guests. It's always a thrill to see new posts every week and to sometimes meet someone new, and I love every minute of it.

I found Ana's blog, carpe_diem,  through another blog hop; after seeeing this super cute watermelon bag, I became her follower right away! Since then, she has continued to wow me with her immaculate DIY-projects, such as an array of costumes, homemade treats, and other creative handmade projects, like this cute little mushroom stool. 

The adorable watermelon bag!!

Ana hails from Croatia, and her blog is full of lots of fun things to explore. She is a real sweetie and her handy work is truly remarkable. Stop by her blog today and show her some love! 

I have some blogs in mind for the next Up-and-Coming Blog of the Month, but if you would like to nominate one, please do so in the comments. The only requirements are that the blog has 200 or less GFC followers, is continuously updated, and has to do with parenting, health, crafts, cooking, and/or creativity.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Post- Post-Halloween Wrap-up

For most of the world, Halloween was celebrated 1 week ago on October 31st. However, those of us who were effected by superstorm Hurricane Sandy didn't get to "officially" celebrate until November 5th, this past Monday. It was cold, and the trick-or-treaters were scarce due to most people still more focused on recovering from Sandy's devestation than on collecting free candy and dressing up, but I was pleased to get rid of at least 2 of the 4 bags of candy I'd bought! 

Best of all, this was Lily's first time trick-or-treating, so it was fun to take her around for the first time. I had debated over the possible ramifications of celebrating this holiday with her- i.e. receiving free candy from strangers, having more than enough candy than she would ever need, me debating whether or not I should even allow her to eat any of the candy...In the end, I decided to focus on the positive parts of the holiday that was a favorite of mine as a kid- and still is! I love spooky stuff and dressing up and all the fall fun that goes along with the month of October. I felt it wouldn't be right to not allow Lily to participate with the other kids, even though she is still a bit young to even really know what Halloween is. Our night went something like this:

"I can has Halloween?"

The trick-or-treaters started arriving around 5ish, and at first Lily was confused, and then a little frightened by some of the costumes. But, after a while, and after I explained it to her a few times, she became curious, and said to me: "Mommy, I want to do Halloween". So, after dinner I dressed her up in her super cute Alice in Wonderland costume my dear friend Kristen had given her, and I bundled her up in a warm coat and sweat pants over her white stockings. Armed with her jack-o-lantern bucket, we set out and went to our neighbors homes who we already knew (so she wouldn't get too nervous), and after just 3 houses she told me she was ready to go home. Her bucket was already bursting as you can see from the picture below! She was so cute, she got extra goodies at each house we visited!

Happy with all her goodies
Inspecting her loot

I haven't let her eat any of the actual candy and don't intend to, although she "allegedly" opened a Tootsie Roll on her own and ate a small bite of it (I say allegedly because Paul was present when this happened, so I suspect he may have assisted). She still doesn't really know what candy is and is happy just to play with it by dumping it out of her bucket, looking at it all, and then putting it back in. Our neighbors were thoughtful enough to give her some treats that were less sugary, such as potato chips, oatmeal cookies, and a juice box, so we're letting her have those. They are working well as rewards for her good behavior :)

Happy Halloween!


Before the big day, we decorated some pumpkins in various ways. Holli from Full Hands, Full Heart shared this very clever way to allow toddlers to easily paint pumpkins with minimal mess and including a cute jack-o-lantern face! 



First, cut out shapes for the desired face, then pin directly onto pumpkin with sewing or safety pins.


Then let them paint away! The tacked-on face blocks the paint, and once the decorated pumpkin is all dry, you can remove the pins and paper and voilĂ ! Here are our finished pumpkins:


I really gotta stop giving her black paint..

We added some glittery pom-poms, and I made a Mardi-Gras-themed pumpkin myself. The little green one is the one Lily picked from the patch at the farm we visited, and I painted the face on it. The pumpkin on the far left is Lily's first decorated pumpkin, which you can see more of here. 

All-in-all, it was a pretty fun Halloween, despite not being what I'd hoped it was going to be. You can't predict what Mother Nature will do sometimes, but that's okay. We are alive and well and our home is still standing. That's all I needed to make this Halloween a success. Keep others less fortunate in your thoughts and prayers. 

 

Friday, October 26, 2012

Sweet Saturday #26: Pumpkin S'mores Cookies

Happy almost-Halloween, everyone! I don't know about you all, but I'm getting excited! I'm also going pumpkin-crazy, so I just had to make something pumpkin-y. I came across these AH-mazing sounding cookies recently and had to try them. Don't they look so yummy? I only did some slight tweaks, and I honestly was not 100% satisfied with them, but wanted to share anyway. The original recipe is called "Pumpkin Swirl Sugar Cookies", but they made me think of s'mores, so I gave them this cute name for my post. I Read on for how it went...



Pumpkin S'mores Cookies
(makes about 30 cookies)

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (+ extra for rolling) 
Chocolate chips  
Mini marshmallows
Raw brown sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar, coconut oil, and butter, then mix in the eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 

Flour a flat surface for rolling the dough out on. Take a section of the dough, and roll out onto the floured surface with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 1/4" thick. Spread chocolate chips and mini marshmallows onto the dough like shown below.

  
Roll the dough into a log.


  
Slice roll into slices about 1" thick, then spread onto ungreased baking sheet about an inch apart. Sprinkle some of the raw sugar on top of each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly browned on top. Allow to cool before serving.

  
Now, as awesome as these cookies look, I was a little disappointed. I thought dough was too doughy, and the pumpkin flavor was too subtle. This may have something to do with my using whole wheat flour or omitting the ginger, but I really don't think that should've made a huge difference. Also, the marshmallows practically completely dissolved into the cookies, which may have been because they were a cheap brand, perhaps? Honestly, I don't know. I followed the recipe to a tee except for the slight ingredient changes, but what I changed shouldn't have changed the cookies flavor too much I feel, but what do you think? I'm not the most experienced baker, maybe I did miss something...

Let me know what you think if you give them a try! Now, onto the features! Last week's most-clicked on posts were....


Simple Sweet 'n Savory is being featured here again for these too-cute cupcakes!! Love the cobweb frosting!


This yummy apple and honey challah is from Something Sweet, a blog that always has the most amazing baked goods on the web! 


Pinkoddy shared this sweet and simple DIY ghost tutorial made from upcycled materials.



This adorable unicorn-themed birthday party post is sure to inspire you! Congrats, Becoming SuperMommy, for being the most clicked-on feature!

I invite you to link-up Halloween-themed posts, but feel free to link-up whatever you want, as long as it is family-friendly and sweet! Fall-related posts are also encouraged. Our guest-hostess today is Good Girl Gone Green, and her blog is one of my favorites, so please check her out and be sure to leave some comment love if you like what you see ;)


Just follow these simple rules:


1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 
2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me and Good Girl Gone Green if you are not already. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!
3. Don't forget to hop around and say hi!
4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

I am still working on my Halloween costume, so expect some sweet pics of that and Lily's coming soon, as well as our pumpkins! Have a great weekend! 

Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby

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