I am so in the mood for the nice weather! Everything’s coming up fresh and new in the garden. Even if all the winter crafts are adorably cute, I can’t wait for some green and brightness around me! 3D Pipe Cleaner Spring Garden Art on Canvas Spring and Summer are my favorite times of the year because it is perfect for outdoor play! But there are days when you are stuck at home or days when it’s time to get crafty in the classroom and this project is just perfect for that!...

Here are 7 simple crochet tips that will help you as you get started. Read on, some of these things no one tells you! Break for hand and finger stretching: Sometimes I’ll get in a groove and it will be 45 minutes of non-stop crochet. It’s usually paired with a show I’m watching, probably Parenthood or Grey’s Anatomy! I have found that I need to take quick breaks to stretch my hands and do some finger rolls, otherwise I’ll get a slight cramp....

We’re partnering with Disneyland on an upcoming family Disneyland vacation! We’ll be there to celebrate the excitement of Pixar Fest and Pixar Pier and all the fun changes they are making to turn California Adventures into a Pixar Party! It all looks amazing, so many of our favorite characters get to shine! Here’s a preview: To help us get ready for our travels, I’ve got some tips and tricks we’re doing now to prep for the trip....

9 Now Ideas for Valentine Kids Crafts Red Colored Rice: Have you ever colored rice before? There are so many different Valentine’s Day crafts you could make with this pretty red colored rice! Like this Valentine’s Day Countdown. Pom Pom Bag Craft: This pom pom bag would be so great to collect Valentine’s cards in! Or to make someone for the holiday. Easiest craft ever! Easy Q-Tip Painted Heart Art: Loving this Q-Tip painted heart craft!...

This year as we headed to the beach, I got a little wiser with what swimsuits to bring for my kids. I’m sharing a quick video with you about a super simple tip for swimsuits and the sand. Just listen to those waves! What beach tips have you discovered as you’ve spent time in the sand?

I recently reached out to Rosetta Stone, a company known for their language immersion programs to talk with one of their learning experts, Duane Sider. He’s been with the company since 1997, helping develop the program to what it’s become today. We talked a lot about the benefits of why and how children learn a second language. Here are the main points I learned from my research and discussion with Duane: Being biligual/multilingual can help an individual with many areas of life....

Plus the best part about making these treats, there’s no wrong way to decorate! And it’s even more fun the scarier and creepier they get! Supplies: rice crispy treats recipe food coloring toothpicks candy corn chocolate candy rocks m&m’s, raisins, other candy around the house Instructions: Make rice crispies according to the directions, BUT add some food coloring in to the marshmallow mixture before you add the cereal. I put half my marshmallow mix in one pan and added yellow and red coloring to make orange, then left half in the original pan and added green coloring....

For holidays and birthdays, homemade cards are my favorite! With just a stack of colored paper, markers, and glue, my kids and are making an adorable bouquet of hearts card for Valentine’s Day. We will make some to share with friends and family, but I’ll definitely be keeping one for myself! Supplies: white construction paper or card stock colored paper markers ribbon glue dots or white glue Instructions: Cut a big pile of hearts from the colored paper....

First, make your spinner outline on card stock or other heavy paper. We traced a bowl, then used a ruler to divide our spinner into 8 wedges. Our spinner is around 5″ across. (You can also skip this step and print a blank spinner & arrow template from The Homeschool Hutt.) Color the wedges, if you like. My girls chose crayons, but colored pencils or watercolors would work well, too....

Supplies: Everything is available at your local craft or fabric store. Punching Awl Pattern for Tree to punch: Download here, then print the pattern: christmas-tree.pdf Cork board: For punching holes in card – found at kitchen or office store (try a cork hot plate) Thread: I usually use DMC floss, with all six strands Needle: Cross-stitch needle #26 for 18-22 count fabric Cardstock: white piece, accent color piece, folded card piece Envelope: white envelope that measures, 4 ½ “ x 5 ¾ “ Glue: Glue stick, glue dots, spray glue is recommended...

Not only is this particular spring themed kid craft a great way to spend the afternoon BUT it’s also really fun and great for children of ALL ages {even those crafty adults!} PLUS it in-cooperates little handprints, which I absolutely LOVE since it can be easily turned into a keepsake afterwards. So what are you waiting for? Let’s grab those simple craft supplies and get to “chirping” on this craft!...

Some time ago I was browsing Anthropologie (I’m not the only one, right?!) when I saw some great ombre dyed velvet pillows. I loved the look and knew it wouldn’t be too difficult to recreate at home. Later I saw an inexpensive velvet pillow cover at Ikea, and I knew it was time to give it a try. This project was really very simple, but still a lot of fun....

This handmade phone and card purse is perfect if you don’t want to carry around a bulky wallet or bag. I had a few leather scraps that I decided to add to mine, but to make an easier version of this you can skip that part and cut our outside fabric to the same size as the inside pieces. Supplies: Fabric – 2 prints in a heavy outdoor or canvas fabric....

Easter Bunny Napkin Holders Supplies for Pipe Cleaner Bunny Napkin Holders: one white pipe cleaner googley eyes pink pom pom nose 1 small white pom pom tacky glue Instructions: Take your pipe cleaner and fold it over in half to create a small circle. Twist the cross-section around. Fold down each of the ends and twist them around the center to create the 2 bunny ears. Glue on your bunny’s face, 2 googley eyes and pink pom pom nose....

Easter Egg Color Matching Game We’re getting ready for Easter with a fun Easter egg hunt. I’ve mixed up the egg’s colors and the kids are on a hunt to find their match. Hopefully they’ll learn more about colors while having fun finding Easter eggs. Supplies for Easter Egg Color Hunt: 10 plastic Easter eggs 3 white paper sheets black marker crayons one package candy to fill the eggs...

Hello everyone! Erin and I had so much fun doing Marie’s Living Room Design that I’m back to share a tip with all of you. (Marie: which will be complete in August and I promise to share!) My husband and I have been working on our landscaping recently. I will admit that it’s been quite the chore, but the end result has made it all worth it. In the process of redoing our landscaping, we have installed a new hose stand....

This is the guest bedroom in our house. We still have a couple of projects to complete, but the big one was adding a headboard to the bed before winter. When the temperature drops outside you can feel the cold on the pillows because they are so close to the window. This headboard will prevent that from happening. It also gives our guests something to lean against when they sit up in bed....

Our little family is still pretty new so we are discovering our own traditions and ways to make yearly celebrations special. Every day we try to teach our children about being eco-friendly and reducing their carbon footprint. Celebrations are no exception! There are many little and big ways you can help the environment during your celebrations throughout the year. Eco-Friendly Celebrating Decorations ~ Create or buy decorations you can use throughout the years....

Flower Girl: Make an Easy No-Sew Fleece Poncho, but cut it into the shape of a flower. Create one for each child beforehand, ready to wear during the party and to take home with them. Invitations: Make these great Plantable Greeting Cards for your invitations. Put your birthday party details on the inside of the card, then they can plant the card in the ground after the party! Food:...

Storing your watercolor paints. I keep my watercolors and my plastic tablecloth in the same zip bag. Then it’s all ready to go the next time they want to paint. A hard plastic container with a lid would work as great storage as well. Set it all up before you start. I like to get the table all set with the tablecloth, paints, water cups, and paper all on the table before I let my kids sit down....