Target: More Coupon Match-Ups

Moms By Heart has a super nice compilation of Target deals that are matched with the latest Target coupons HERE.

Also, there's news on Target printables: We have to go directly through Target's site for them, limiting them to two per computer. I'm actually surprised they didn't do this sooner. Ours have been quite generous to couponers on their store printables. (Thank You, Target!!)

Thanks for sharing, Moms By Heart!

Krafty Kid: 5 Crafts for $4.99 Shipped

She Saved has details HERE on how you can get 5 Krafty Kid Crafts for $4.99 shipped, during their Grab Bag Sale. (Normally $14.99) One category is already sold out, so you won't want to wait!

Thanks for sharing, She Saved!

We are always looking for things to do so I ordered some myself!

Freebie: Quick and Thrifty Crochet Patterns eBook

Subscribe to the FaveCrafts Quick and Crafty email newsletter HERE for free and receive the 25 Quick and Thrifty Crochet Patterns eBook as a welcome gift.

Michael's: Free Craft-Making Event

Another one for your "event" calendars. For those of you with a Michael's, you can take the kiddos ages 5-12 by on Saturday from 10AM-1PM to make these cute little crafts!

Thanks, Sisterly Savings!

Hot Chocolate Valentine's Treats?

When I was at Dominick's on Sunday, I saw they were selling the hot cocoa cones pictured above, but with a twist...they added heart shaped cinnamon red hots on top of the marshmellows. (I think they were selling them for around $5!)

It got me thinking how this could be a cute Valentine's treat for your child to bring into school. Hole-punch a regular Valentine and tie it on to the top when you tie off the hot chocolate cone. (You could even use red ribbon to make it prettier! Most craft stores sell ribbon with hearts on it around this time of the year.)

Not only do their friends get a Valentine, but they also get a treat to enjoy when they get home. And with the way the weather's been, hot chocolate will hit the spot! Brrr!! It might also be something for a Bake Sale, if your school is having one.

Here's my original posting on the hot chocolate cones.

Simple Craft: Bookmarks

Nathan and I made paper snowflakes the other day. We had strips of paper left and I tried to think of a way we could make some art out of them. I came up with bookmarks.

I cut them into bookmark-like shapes and then I had him color them. On the backside, I wrote a special message for the people we are going to give them to. We then put the paper between two sheets of contact paper. I used a hole punch for a place for the tassel, which we made from yarn.

These didn't take very long to make and Nathan had a blast working on the craft. Next time, I'd probably use white poster board instead of paper so the bookmark is thicker. But they still turned out pretty good.

A little fun time together and a small gift for his Nana and librarian!!

A Few Snowman Recipes and Craft

Click here to find out how to make this cute snowman doorstop.


Click here to find out how to make these cute Jolly Face Snowman cookies.


Click here to find out how to make these cute Sugar Cookie Snowmen.

Simple Craft: Garden Trellis Photo Collage

When we first bought our house almost 5 years ago, I was looking for a way to hang as many pictures of our families as possible, without overloading our walls with frames. I looked at several collage frames but kept finding the same two things: They were either too expensive or two plain.

Around the same time, I had picked up a trellis for a large plant I had. It turned out to be too large of a trellis but it worked out ok because I thought...that would make a nice photo collage!

I simply took some strips of duct tape and put them on the back of photos. I arranged them on the wooden strips and added a few fake flowers, ribbons and cattails to the bottom and was finished. Just recently, Nathan found a HUGE maple leaf outside and we added that to the flower area for him. :)

A simple and inexpensive way to display a lot of photos!

Simple Craft: Thankful Thanksgiving Centerpiece

One more turkey craft for you...

This one looked like a really fun and cute centerpiece to make with the kids. Check out all the details here.

Nestle: Homemade Gift Jars

Nestle has some recipes for Homemade Gift Jars on their site. They also have the option of printing off special gift tags for them. Click here for more details.

These might come in handy for some homemade Christmas gifts!

They also have some printable baking stencils here for cakes/cupcakes.

Happy Crafting!

Simple Craft: Lid Container Toy

Back when Nathan started eating more solid foods, the only pasta he would eat were those pasta Graduate meals from Gerber. I always wanted a way to re-use those colorful lids that came with them. One day, Rich emptied out the 13 oz Folgers plastic container and when I looked at it, it seemed about the same size opening. It's a PERFECT fit! I washed up the container and soaked it to get the coffee scent out. I then started stuffing all the lids in the container. Once it was full, I gave it to Nathan to see what he thought. I am not kidding when I tell you that it became one of his favorite toys. At almost 20 months, he still loves to put the lids in and take them out. If there's one thing I have learned about babies/toddlers it's that the simpler the toy, the more they love it!

I wanted to "spruce" the outside up a little. I made a document in Word with images of shapes of all different colors. (triangle, circle, hexagon, star, etc.) I then attached it to the container with some contact paper. Now, not only does he have a cool toy, but it's also a great learning tool.

If you are looking for a use for your Gerber lids (or know someone who has some) this is a simple toy to make. If you don't make the outside scenery, it's just a matter of cleaning up the lids/container!

Happy Crafting!

Simple Craft: Personalized Crayon Holder

When I was visiting my friend, Lisa, in Wisconsin, Nathan was fascinated with these frosting cups she had on her shelves. Little did I know, they had crayons inside. She said they were the perfect size for them...and she's RIGHT! They make the BEST crayon holders. I wanted to make Nathan's a little more personalized, so I came up with this:

You need:
~1 frosting container (obviously emptied) :)
~contact paper (sized a little bit longer than the container)
~Microsoft Word, some other equivelent program or simple stickers or magazine cut-outs.

For Nathan's, I typed up his name in Word, changed the font colors to be a little more colorful and then added a graphic of a monkey on one side and a tiger on the other. (He's really into these animals right now!) I couldn't capture those in the picture since it's cylinder. For those of you who want to do this but aren't computer savvy, here's how:

1)Open up Microsoft Word.

2)Under File/Page Set-up, change to Landscape. This will make the name wrap around.

3)Under Format/Font, you can choose the size of the letters (size), design of the letters (font) and their colors. (font color) To change each letter's color, drag your cursor over each letter individually and change the font color for each one.

4)To add the graphics, go to Insert/Picture/Clip Art. Do a search on what you want a graphic for and double click on it to add it. You can resize it by clicking on the picture and dragging the sizing arrows.

5)Make sure you save your document and then print.

After printing, cut the personalization to fit the size of the container. Cut the contact paper a little longer than the personalization so you can wrap it to stick. The contact paper will keep the personalization from getting "goobered" up or from ripping.

That's all! Nathan was very excited when I showed him his. He keeps pointing to the monkey and tiger ("kitty cat".) If you have multiple kids, it's a great way to keep each one's crayons separate.

If you are on a tight Christmas budget, consider making one of these for kids on your list. Use the frosting to make treats for Christmas and the container for a very special present! And they don't have to just be crayon holders. You can put anything inside them!

Thanks to, Lisa, for the initial frosting cup idea! We love it!!

Happy Crafting!!

Simple Craft: Family Art

I had read in a few baby magazines that it's good to make a photo album with family pictures to help your baby associate a name with the face. I bought one of those baby flip books but within no time, it was bent up and the pages stuck to the pictures making them hard to see. I thought of just doing a photo collage frame but I refuse to add any extra glass into the house! At around the same time, I had started to dislike a canvas painting I had picked up. So I decided to use it as my frame.

I wrapped the canvas in some brightly colored ABC fabric that I already had. I then dug through all my HUNDREDS of pictures to find a good shot of each member of our families. I had a few open spots so I filled those with my favorite pictures of Nathan. I simply glued the pictures onto the fabric. I wasn't sure if they'd fade or get messed up, but surprisingly, it looks just as good today as it did months ago when I made it!

I simply hung the canvas onto the wall with two regular nails. I also found some brightly colored foam letters at Michael's craft store ($1 each) and I picked up enough to spell out his name. They sit perfectly on top of the canvas and I've never had a problem with them falling off. (I had a 40% off coupon so the letters ended up being a great deal!)

Before we go to visit a family member, we take Nathan to the board and say, "We are going to see Aunt Jodi or Uncle Garrett etc." He seems to connect it later when we actually see them. Throughout the week, Nathan will do his little "up-up" and make us go through EVERYONE'S picture, naming them all for him. Sometimes we have to do this twice a day. :) He really seems to like his picture board.

So if you are looking for a way to teach your little one family members, this might just work out for you. Before you spend $ on a new canvas, check out your local Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift stores. You can usually find one there for $3 or under. Since you'll be covering it, it really doesn't matter what the original picture looks like. If you can't find one, hold out until Michael's/JoAnn's puts one of their 40% off coupons in their sale ads.

Happy Crafting!

Simple Craft: Peek-A-Boo! Board

I modified this Peek-a-Boo board from a suggestion I found in the Active Learning for Ones book. (This is a great series! I've only found it on Amazon or eBay, though.)

For mine, I used a smaller canvas that I got for 50% off at Michael's fabric store. I covered it with fabric. I then bought six other colors/textures of fabric for the picture flaps. You could glue these directly on, but since I wanted the freedom to switch them out for variety and in case sticky fingers came in contact, I used little round velcro pieces. The cheapest I've seen those are at Wal-Mart. I then used velvet letters for the "Peek-A-Boo!" heading across the top. (Yet another texture for them to touch.)

Under each of the fabric picture flaps, I put another piece of round velcro and I printed out pictures from Microsoft Word and covered them in contact paper. Throughout the week, I'll switch out the pictures or simply just move where they are on the board. Nathan never knows what to expect! He loves this little board! It doesn't take too long to make or maintain and it's a great tool for teaching your children a larger vocabulary. You can even put pictures of family members under there to teach them who everyone is.

Watch your sales ads for fabric stores as ours (Michael's and JoAnn's) will have 40% off any one item coupons. Typically, if you sign up for their email newsletter, they'll send you coupons that way, too. This helps keep the expense of the board down. These also make GREAT Christmas gifts if you are looking for something unique that won't kill your budget.

Happy Crafting!