DIY Rocketship

It is amazing what kids can do with just a little bit of inspiration and creativity...

This wooden rocket helped to inspire this infinitely cooler creation by the marvelous se7en family. See images and "blueprints" here.

Be sure to check out the Charlie and Lola Dollhouse that really got the project rolling!

DIY Bunting

I never thought that making my own colorful bunting could be so simple and fun. The kiddos would love to help, and wouldn't it complete any birthday celebration?

(Halloween colors would be spectacular...)

Preserving Children's Art

This list of ideas for saving treasured creations is a must-read...

Wooden Photo Flashcards

I've always wanted to make personalized flashcards with words and items from around our house. This how-to for making your own wooden flashcards might be what finally gets me to do it! See it here.

We've recently realized that flashcards are a great way to learn and remember the words that my son's kindergarten class is working on. The problem is that my son isn't always enthusiastic about practicing more letters and numbers at the end of the school day. What is working for us is keeping flashcards in the car so that when when we are waiting in line at kindergarten drop-off, stopped at a long red light, or lucky enough to have someone else driving us I can hold up a few cards and we get some word practice in. It isn't time that can be used for anything else so it feels like a fun distraction and becomes more of a game than work. Even little sis gets in on the fun!

A Tactile Matching Game

We used a funnel to fill sets of balloons with pantry items of varying texture: 2 each of rice, flour, sugar, small pearl tapioca, lentils, quinoa, and pumpkin seeds. The kiddos then used their sense of touch to pair off the matching balloons while also trying to identify the sometimes mysterious contents.

Filling the balloons was almost a bigger hit than the matching done afterward. I think we'll add more textures as the balloons we have filled become easier to match and a harder version of the game is needed.

Jennifer Maher - Custom Toy Portraits

Preserving a much-adored childhood toy through art is such a lovely idea, and artist and Mother Jennifer Maher does it well.

See more of her toy portraits here, and learn about commissioning your own original and affordable piece of art here.

I like the humor in Baby Bowling/Elephant.
Some stuffed animals really do have personality...

DIY Yourself Toddler Bed

Upholstered beds are a look I am fond of. Seeing that Gabrielle of Design Mom designed and built two toddler size beds for $75 has me inspired - I like the idea of creative control, especially in a kid's room where you can have a lot of fun.

Find instructions here, and more details here.

(When we bought our children's bedroom furniture we were thinking a little too long term - there was more focus on a size of bed the kids could grow into (A full and a queen) and less about what we would do if we chose to have more children and they needed to share a room. The thought of ever having to replace what we already purchased makes me cringe. If more beds are ever needed, this would be a very appreciated solution!)

Monster Truck Birthday Party

Don't you love creative birthday party ideas? This Monster Truck Birthday Party and its use of boxes as "truck costumes" has me thinking about putting on a miniature monster truck rally in our backyard this weekend.

See more images and instructions here.

Recycle and Reuse, right?

Recently, at our house we have started recycling. My girls love to look for the numbers on the bottom of the plastic containers. One day my 5 year old asked if we recycle clothes. And here was my answer.

Before:

After:

Yes we do recycle clothes. I just love this dress and the tutorial is easy to follow.



If you aren't as daring to try it on your own, you can always have Redpajamas make one for you!

Images from craftersforum and redpajamas.

Freehand Frames

I like the quirky appeal of Graham & Brown's Frames wallpaper, but don't see myself committing to it. I can see myself taking the approach that graphic designer Jill Dupre took when she used a basic black marker to draw frames freehand on a wall of her home. This offers so much inexpensive flexibility: You could do this in any size or shape of space, and if you grow tired of the look, a couple coats of paint would wipe the wall clean. I'd love to do this in a play area, or put a few frames in a corner of my son's bedroom.

The frames can be filled with photos and children's artwork, or get creative with paper scraps or mirrors. Items are stuck to the wall and then can be sealed with a gloss medium.

image via Dec 06 Met Home Mag

Princess Fairy Ribbon Wand

My girls love love love to play dress up!! I thought this wand was adorable and super easy to make. It would be great as a Princess Party favor, or a birthday gift!

DIY Bird Mobile

Isn't this mobile stunning? It would really brighten up a corner of a child's room. Read more about the how-to here and here, and get the bird pattern here.

A Little Thank-You Gift for Teachers

Today is my son's last day of preschool and as part of his class's thank-you to his amazing teachers we are giving them a copy of the image above and a small book in which each child has a page with their picture and their thoughts on why they love their teacher and what their teacher does that makes them laugh.

I did the picture part and thought it was an incredibly fun and easy project. Just pick out the letters based on the amount of kids in the class and take pictures at the school. (I had each kid set their letter down for a separate picture that went in the book.) This final image was put together in Photoshop, but you could also attach individual prints to a paper as you can see below:

My friend who originally gave me this idea also likes to use this for teacher appreciation weeks at school. They make a huge version with 8x10 prints of the kids. With my son entering kindergarten this fall (gulp!) I think I will be stealing that idea too!

Circus Birthday

Brilliantly planned and executed birthday party by one of my favorite all-around talented gals, Caroline of Armelle Jewelry. If I ever have a boy, I'm totally doing this.

{see the amazing invitations here}

images by caroline

Felt Flower Onesie How-To

Having creative and talented friends is a wonderful thing...

A friend makes these fun felt flower onesies and put together a quick how-to for those of us that may be interested in designing our own. Just click on the template above to see how she does it.

Thanks Lindsay!

Color Me Rocket

This rocket has given us days upon days of entertainment. One day it is a rocket ship, the next day it is a house or the reading/napping room. Shortly after that it is a pirate ship and my son has put string on the tall, thin box that the rocket came in and rigged it to be his movable plank, and then that becomes the working drawbridge as he escapes from the castle. My daughter is thrilled by the artistic aspect and loves leaving her mark with crayons and markers. When she is done creating, her bears join her inside for a picnic or a cuddle.

I love imagination.

I also love items that help inspire it. This rocket is one for us. It is funny, my measurement of how much entertainment my children get out of something is usually done with minutes or hours. In the case of the Color Me Rocket I had to change my measurements to days. After a solid week of fun the rocket was conveniently folded back up and placed in its thin and easily-stored box to be brought out again soon, possibly to be attacked with paints and then by space creatures.

The company that created our much-loved rocket, Color Me House, also makes a playhouse that I can see being used as a cozy cottage one day and a fire station the next. Find both here.

DIY Boat Invitations

These invitations are worth planning a party for.

{If you would just like the boat for playtime you can find it here}

Feeling Crafty?

My girls love to play with their felt food and this pattern for a felt sack lunch is a perfect addition. I think it is something that I could even make!

Canvas Pictures

With a little less than 8 weeks to go before my baby arrives, I am feeling the urge to decorate the nursery. These canvas pictures would be perfect, and they look simple enough to make.

Thank you Nannygoat for the pictures and idea!

Make your own boardbook

My kids enjoy drawing out stories on pages that have been stapled together, and I've always thought they would be thrilled to be putting their ideas in a real book. While they are a bit young to take this too seriously, these tiny chipboard books are only $1.50, so we could deal with a "rough draft" or two.

Buy them individually or in a set of 12.

{This would also be an easy way to make a short personalized first word book - Just cut and paste your own pictures and words, and change them out as desired.}