My little girl, ‘O’, is always in a crafty mood. Her name is Olivia, but we call her ‘O’ almost as much. She gets excited about any craft or project going on, and always (always) wants to help. So she and I were chatting one day, and had come up with the plan to make her some cute stretch jewelry, possibly using buttons of some sort. The next time we were in the craft store for other projects, we picked up the supplies for her jewelry too. It’s a simple project, with adorable results, and practical for little active girls, too.… Read More
Terracotta Flower Pot Wind Chime / Tutorial
Making this flower pot wind chime was a fun and simple project to do with my kids. I was really looking forward to hanging out with them and painting, and I knew I would also love seeing the wind chime in my gardens, where I had every intention of hanging it, when it was done.
While I think we kind of ‘made it our own’, this flower pot wind chime was not at all my idea. I have seen them so many times at crafty website now, and so many style-versions of it, that I’m not sure which style I saw first, or where!… Read More
Valentine Chocolate Covered Spoons

A T-Shirt Craft / Wicked Cool, Fun, Easy, & Not Messy!
This just may be the coolest and most fun craft, I have ever done with our kiddos. If that wasn’t awesome enough, it is super easy, and it doesn’t make a mess either!! I know, right? It’s perfect for kid’s birthday parties, scouts, camps, etc. Our kids didn’t want to stop. They even made a couple of shirts for their friends. But all of you mothers, as we show you how simple this project is,….think outside the box, for yourselves, or other projects, too. I am!
All you need is:
- some white t-shirts (in your sizes)
- sturdy plastic cups
- rubber bands
- bottled rubbing alcohol
- a (liquid) dropper
- and Sharpie Permanent Markers in colors!
Skeleton Key Accessories
I’ve always thought skeleton keys were pretty cool, even back when I was a kid. While hunting at a frequented antique/junk stop of mine for old door knobs (for my recent Door Knob Project) I found some door knobs were part of a whole working set, complete with the opposite knob, door plate, locking mechanism, and of course…key holes. That got me wondering if there might be some old skeleton keys around the place too. So I asked the old man who owns the place.
By golly he did. He pulled out this box from under his desk, and dropped it in front of me with a clang. At first sight, it was looking like I wasn’t going to find much. But a little digging proved me wrong.… Read More
Summer Fan Pull (& Some Special Gifts)
Call me way late to the party, but I ‘just’ got around to making my summer fan pull. I’ve kept this one up, which I made for spring, all of this time.
But I’ve got 2 things to say about that: 1) I’m not really late TO the party. I think more, I’ve been too busy being AT a party, to find time for such things, as getting crafty. 2) The spring fan pull did not look all that out of place, so it didn’t bug me too much. I mean, it’s not like it was snowflakes or anything.
Thus, I’m giving myself a break. Just in case no one else does.… Read More
American Pinwheels
We had some guests down a couple of weekends ago, and while they were here, the kids and I got to making pinwheels. O.k., in the end, it was mostly me really working on them. They needed to be fine tuned, to work properly. Making this quick little craft was on my agenda, so I already had the supplies. The kids who visited us each took one home.
Ours has served mostly as home decor, since then, being the time span between Memorial Day weekend, and the 4th of July. But today we took them down to the sea shore to really test drive them!… Read More
Kids Crafts: Making Something Out Of Anything
Sometimes, I like to plan arts and crafts for my kids. I’ll have an idea, or see some great crafts project in a magazine or online, and we’ll do it. But whether I plan arts and crafts or not, it still happens in this house, and all over this house, every day. The kids sure don’t need me, to come up with creative ideas. In fact, I’d go so far as to say, that their wild imagination tends to venture further than mine does.
I try to keep the school room stocked with art supplies at all times, so that the kids can get creating any time it strikes their fancy to. But to tell you the truth, they often end up using lots of materials I didn’t supply, or would have even thought of. Every time I turn around in this house, there is some new creation sitting there, or they are playing with one, or someone is suddenly at my side saying, “Mama, look what I made!”.… Read More
Hand & Foot Print Aprons / Kid's Craft

One of the gifts the kids did for their paternal grandparents for Christmas, was this apron set. We found the denim aprons right at our favorite place….Michael’s Arts & Crafts. Then, we just picked up acrylic paints in the colors we wanted. Their grandparents are both FANTASTIC cooks (they even make their own pastas), and take turns in the kitchen cooking, or cook together. So we thought this idea of an apron set, with the kids hands and feet prints, would be cute for them. I only took photos the night we did feet, which was first. The kids had a good time, and never stopped smiling and giggling.… Read More



















