Chomp! Chomp! Tissue Box Eaters

Looking for a super simple craft to help preschoolers learn their letters or numbers?  This past week I battled a cold... and used (what felt like) hundreds of tissues.  Before I tossed out my empty tissue box, I transformed it into a fun letter eater to help youngest learn his alphabet!

Tissue Box Letter Eaters

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Kids Spring Fairy House Craft

Looking for a super easy Spring craft that gets the kids creating outside?  Or, are you looking for an easy STEAM inspired activity that kids of all ages will love?  Try this Nature Fairy House Craft Challenge!

What kind of fairy house would YOU design?

Can you draw a face just using one line?

I'm not sure about your family, but sometimes nighttimes with little kids can be pretty trying.  Everyone is grumpy. Everyone is tired. Emotions tend to run high. Patience is worn thin.

Well, we've had a couple of tough nights these past weeks.  Recently I've found that simple drawing activities can put the kids (and me) in better moods.  Here's one easy art activity that we recently tried and enjoyed.  Can you draw a face using just one line?

One Line Face Drawing Challenge

DIY Homemade Spirograph

Ever play with a spirograph toy?  We LOVE them and the other day I got to wondering.... could we make a DIY version using materials around our home?  Well, the answer is... YES!  Today I'm sharing this artsy- science craft.  It got a big two-thumbs up from my eldest. He really loved trying it out with me.

Let's Make a DIY Homemade Spirograph Toy!

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Pop-Up Paper Plate Rainbows

It's been raining a lot! And while we need the rain, I do miss sunny days and blue skies.  Last week was filled with grey skies, so we cheered ourselves up with these pop-up paper plate rainbows.  Rainbow crafts are some of our favorites and this easy one was a lifesaver!

Let's Paint Paper Plate Rainbows with Kids!

Dancing Paper Slinkie Dragons (Free Printable included!)

Happy Chinese New Year!  How will you be celebrating the new year?  Tomorrow I'm going to celebrate in my son's class by giving out red envelopes, reading a fun storybook about the animals of the Zodiac The Great Race, and making these super cool Dancing Paper Slinkie Dragons!

Do these dragons look familiar to you?  Well, I used the same face, legs, and tail from my paper chain dragons and the results came out pretty cool!

How to Make Dancing Paper Slinkie Dragons

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Cute Mandarin Pig Craft (For Chinese New Year!)

Hosting a Chinese New Year event and looking for a super cute Chinese New Year Craft that also doubles as decor?  This is it!  Halos Mandarins recently reached out and challenged me to make a craft using their fruit.  Well, these adorable mandarin pigs definitely fit the bill.  These sweet pigs are a yummy and cute way to celebrate the Year of the Pig.

(Many thanks to Halos for sending me craft supplies and boxes of yummy mandarins!)

Super Sweet Mandarin Pigs for Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year Pig Watercolor Paintings

Did you know that this Chinese New Year is the year of the pig?  A couple of nights ago my boys and I began making our annual Chinese New Year Crafts together.  One of my good friends is an art teacher and she painted some lovely pigs with her students.  I loved her idea so much that I wanted to try the activity out with my two boys too.  (Thanks, Alicia for the awesome idea!!!!)

Tada!  We all had fun trying our hand at painting some watercolor pigs for Chinese New Year!

Painting Watercolor Pigs for Chinese New Year!

(Can you guess which one my preschooler painted?  He fully enjoyed himself and got immensely messy!)

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Easy Paper Heart Pigs

Hello friends!  Today's sweet pig craft is a perfect Chinese New Years Craft AND Valentine's Day Craft too.

Easy Paper Heart Pigs

Chinese New Year Paper Chain Dragons (Printable included!)

Looking for an easy Chinese New Year Craft that you can make with kids of all ages?  Try making these paper chain dragons.  Can't draw?  Don't worry!  Download the free printable below and you'll be making tons of dancing paper dragons in no time!

How to Make Chinese New Year Paper Chain Dragons

Family Watercolor Heart Banners (and our 6 Favorite Valentine's Crafts)

This super sweet watercolor heart banner is a great Valentine's Craft celebrating the entire family.  During a recent playdate, I had the preschoolers make their own heart banners for their family.  The children enjoyed painting, gluing, and identifying all the members in their family.  Here's how we made this craft.

Family Watercolor Heart Banner

How to Make a Clay Mermaid Tail Necklace

Who loves a good mermaid craft? (We do, we do!)

Recently the makers of Sculpey Clay sent us some colorful goodies to try out.  The kids and I had a ton of fun one rainy afternoon crafting with friends.   I'm currently infatuated with all things magical, so I helped my youngest make his very own mermaid necklace.  

(Does anyone else think of Zoolander here?  Mermaid? Oh wait.  Merman. Merman!)

Let's Make Clay Mermaid Tail Necklaces!

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Painting on an Icy Snowman

Looking for a fun, winter-themed kid activity? Try painting an ice snowman.  This is a perfect activity for kids who are stuck inside and looking for something creative to do!

How To Make an Ice Snowman (and Paint It Too!)

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"Dreaming of you" 3D Heart Art Project for Valentine's Day

It's January... which means it's time to start sharing Valentine's Day Craft Ideas! Last year I posted an easy way to draw 3D optical illusion hearts.  They were such a hit.  So this year I'm sharing this cute "Dreaming of You" 3D heart drawing.  Like the previous art project, it uses curved and straight lines to create the illusion of a three-dimensional drawing.  But this time I added some fun Sharpie details and a sweet sleepy heart face (because let's be real- who doesn't love a kawaii face?)

Here's how to draw these sleepy three-dimensional heart drawings with your kids.

Step-by-Step instructions for drawing adorable 3D optical illusion hearts

A great Sharpie and Colored Pencil art project for kids!

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Free Printable 2019 New Years Crown

Looking for a quick New Years craft for 2019?  Here's a super easy printable crown that the kids can color and wear!

How To Cut Christmas Nativity Snowflakes

Today I'm sharing the final snowflake craft of the year!  I'm taking a short break over Christmas and thought I'd leave you with one final snowflake design.  These nativity snowflakes are really simple and pretty.  They're a great way to celebrate the season.

How To Cut Nativity Snowflakes

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Jolly Reindeer Snowflakes

We're still on the snowflake craft kick!  Today I'm sharing these super sweet Rudolph inspired reindeer snowflakes!

How To Cut Holly Jolly Reindeer Snowflakes

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Super Sweet Pusheen the Cat Snowflakes

Have you heard of Pusheen the Cat?  I recently found out about this super cute feline sensation and fell in love with her squishy, huggable body.  So, today we're adding to our ever-expanding list of snowflake crafts with this uber adorable Pusheen snowflake craft!

How To Cut Adorable Pusheen Snowflakes

(Oh! The cuteness!)

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Uber Cute Narwhal Paper Snowflakes

The obsession with all things cute and snowflake-related continue!  Today our paper snowflakes are taking an under-the-sea vibe with these funny narwhal inspired snowflakes!

How To Cut Uber Cute Narwhal Snowflakes

(2 designs included!)

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Fa La La Llama Paper Snowflakes

Are you ready to make the cutest llama winter craft ever?

Ahhhh!  I introduce to you this llama snowflake design!  Ok, ok.  I've gone kinda bonkers with paper snowflake crafts.  But I can't help it... I  just looooove them so much.   And we don't get snow here in southern California.... so I have to make do with these paper flakes.

 Today's paper snowflake design is sooo cute and quite possibly my favorite-ist design of all time.  (Don't tell my other designs.)   (And can we talk about my word choice here?  Favorite-ist?  Well, it's not a real word, but it gets at the heart of things. I just really love cute paper crafts.)

Fa La La Llama Paper Snowflakes

(aka the cutest llama craft you'll see today)

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How to Cut Unicorn Snowflakes

Winter time means snowflake cutting time.  Today I'm sharing a design for magical and cute unicorn snowflakes!

How To Cut Unicorn Snowflakes

Anthropologie Inspired Painted Placemat Art

Today's post takes a detour from kids crafts.  We're venturinging into the land of home decor.  Have you seen Anthropologie's selection of basket wall art?  I fell in love with their modern, geometric, and graphic designs.  But, the prices are a bit steep for me.  So I put on my DIY cap and tried creating my own inspired wall art using thrifted items.  Here's how the project out  Pretty cool, right? 

Anthropologie Inspired Painted Wall Art

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How To Cut Pokemon Snowflakes

Hello, friends! Do you love Pokemon crafts?  Do you enjoy cutting paper snowflakes?  (Wow.  You too?  I'm so glad to meet you!) 

Every winter our family enjoys cutting paper snowflakes together.  And every year I try to come up with new cute character themed snowflakes (like these Lego Men Snowflakes and these Snowman Snowflakes.)  This year I designed these fun Pokemon Snowflakes since the rest of my family has gone Pokemon crazy.  Tada!

How To Cut Pokeball and Pikachu Snowflakes

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Handprint Christmas Peace Dove Art

It's time to start making Christmas crafts! Yesterday we put up the tree and it was so, so sweet to see my preschooler oohing and ahhing over the lights.  Today I tried to keep the Christmas-y momentum going with this super easy paper plate dove craft.  Inspired by Imagination Tree's sweet dove handprint keepsake, we made our own version using paper plates instead of salt dough.  (Anna's craft is really, really lovely, so definitely check out the post for another fun idea.)

Let's Make Christmas Peace Doves!

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Cute Toilet Roll Turkeys

Looking for another easy Thanksgiving craft?  Grab your cardboard rolls and make these super simple turkeys using everyday materials:  toilet paper rolls and cereal boxes!  A great kids craft,  crafters of all ages from toddler to adult will certainly enjoy making and decorating these Fall fowl.

How to Make Cardboard Turkeys

(A gobble gobble great craft!)

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Easy Groovy Pumpkin Cheesecake Marbled Brownies

I've realized that I am a lazy baker.  That's the reason that I like kids crafts. They're easy and there's little pressure to make things perfect.  The act of making is the fun!  But baking?  Ugh. Completely other story. Exact measurements.  Specific ingredients.  And gluten-free baking?  (My eldest is allergic to wheat.)  Double ugh.  Forget about it.  It feels like I never have the right ingredients or flours...

So it's the holiday season and recently we were invited to Friendsgiving dinner.  I volunteered to bring a dessert... which seemed like a good idea because I wouldn't have to be in charge of the heavy cooking... But then I realized... eek! I only have 3 desserts in my current potluck repertoire- Rice Krispie treats, some variant of mochi cake, and boxed brownies.  Well, the brownies seemed to be the only viable option for this meal.  But I had just made my brownies a week ago so I figured I should at least jazz up my efforts somehow... and that's when I decided to try making something new:

Groovy Pumpkin Cheesecake Marbled Brownies

(They're so puuuuuurty?)

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Mini Printable Pokemon Booklets (from 1 sheet of paper!)

Our obsession with tiny DIY notebooks continues!  Last week we folded mini science journals from 1 sheet of paper.  Today, we're continuing the mini notebook trend and folding these sweet Pokemon notebooks from a sheet of computer paper.  I've included a printable template down below so you can draw your very own book of Pokemon cards!

Let's Fold Mini Pokemon Booklets

(from 1 sheet of paper!)

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Make a Mini Science Journal Booklet from one sheet of paper

Have you ever tried making tiny notebooks?  My eldest is currently obsessed with pocket-sized books.  He loves using them to doodle, jot down ideas, or record stories.  Today we're doing a STEAM themed craft and turning a single white sheet of computer paper into a cute science journal.  It's the perfect place for young scientists to jot down observations, hypotheses, and ideas for experiments.

Let's get making!

How to Make Mini Science Journal Booklets

(from 1 sheet of computer paper!)

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Giant Dia De Los Muertos Skulls

Do you celebrate the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)?  We don't, but I enjoy introducing bits of different holidays to my kids.  Recently I made some giant Dia De Los Muertos Skulls with preschoolers.  They had so much fun with this easy-to-set-up activity,  I thought I'd share it here today.

Giant Dia De Los Muertos Skulls

(A perfect preschool art project for fall!)

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Last Minute Cardboard Elephant and Piggie Costume

Halloween is only a few days away.  Do you have your costume yet?  If not, I have a super fun (and cheap) cardboard costume that you can whip up to wear this Wednesday.  Today we're making Elephant and Piggie Costumes!

How to Make Easy Elephant and Piggie Costumes

(for practically nothing!)

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How To Fold Easy Origami Vampires

If you love cute origami projects, you'll love this easy Halloween-themed origami.  We're folding origami vampires!

How To Fold Easy Origami Vampires

(in 7 simple steps)

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Folding Origami Frankenstein Faces for Halloween

Lately I've been in the mood for easy Halloween crafts.   Recently I tried my hand at making this neat Frankenstein origami craft.  The results turned out so cool (and the actual folding was sooo easy) that I had to share it with you!

How to Fold an Origami Frankenstein Face

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Super Easy Origami Faces (in 3 steps!)

Today I'm sharing a super easy origami craft for little kids.  We're making cute faces.  And the best part is that this craft only has 3 steps (7 folds.)  That's it.  Let's get folding!

How to Make Easy Origami Faces

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How to Doodle Frisbees

Hi everyone! Quick fun art idea here- I wasn't sure what to call this post originally.  Doodle Frisbees?  Art frisbees?  Mandala frisbees?  "Sharpies-are-so-cool-they-draw-on-everything" frisbees?  Oh well.  Names were never my strong suit.  But I had to pop in and share this craft because I think it'd be a fun one to do for a party on during a playdate.

How To Doodle on Frisbees

(aka "Gosh. Sharpies really do draw on everything.")

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Cute, Marbled Ghost Banner Craft

Looking for an easy and different Halloween craft for preschoolers?  Recently we made these marbled ghosts with friends.  The results were so cute that we turned the ghosts into a banner to hang over our fireplace for a pop of DIY Halloween decor. 

Want to try this boo-tiful craft too?  Read on!

Cute Halloween Ghost Banner Decoration

Squishy, Slimey, Squelchy Halloween Monster Slime (Only 3 Ingredients!)

So what are your thoughts on slime?  Love it?  Hate it?  We've made slime a handful of times before with mixed results.  (Sometimes we get slime... and sometimes we just get weird wet stuff.) 

Personally, I love the idea of slime... but I have mixed feelings about the mess that it entails.  Recently, I was sent a copy of The Slime Book to review and I jumped on the opportunity.  40 easy slime recipes all in one book?  Count me in. 

Authors Stacey and Jennifer share a ton of fun ideas, but with Halloween approaching, the orange Metamucil slime recipe caught my eye.  I added some googly eyes to their simple 2 ingredient recipe and boom.  Then, boom.  Instant slimey Halloween monster goodness.

Super Squishy and Slimey Halloween Monster Slime 

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Oil Pastel Rock Monsters

These little rock monsters are super cute and fun to make around Halloween!  Just grab some rocks and oil pastels and you're ready to go!

Oil Pastel Rock Monsters

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Easy, Pretty, Preschooler Fairy Houses

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a playdate for some preschool-aged friends at the park.  I love creating with kids, so I wanted to bring an easy, park-friendly, nature-inspired craft. These super easy cardboard fairy houses were perfect.  There was very little prep and the kids loved looking for the items and making their own houses.

How to Make Easy, Pretty, Nature Fairy Houses with Kids

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Woven Paper Cats in Sweaters

If you think cats are adorable, this craft is purrrrfect for you!  These cute paper kitties are wearing uber sweet woven vests.  Why?  Why not!  So if you're looking for an easy and sweet paper craft, this one is the cat's meow! (Too many puns.  Ok.  Last one.  I purrr-omise.)

Woven Paper Kitty Craft!

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Making Oatmeal Container Castles with Kids

Princesses, Princes, Kings, and Queens!  Calling all kids who love castles and fantasy!  Do you have an old oatmeal container lying around?  Well, don't throw it away!  Here's a super easy recycled craft that transforms oatmeal containers into castles!

What should you do with oatmeal containers?  

(Turn them into castles with kids!)

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Super Easy Origami Witch's Claws

Is it too early for Halloween themed crafts?  I don't think so!  These super cool origami witch claws are sure to get you and the kids in the Halloween spirit! 

How to Fold Super Easy Origami Witch Claws

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