How To Make Valentine’s Day Coupon Booklets

Materials Needed:

• Paint Chip Sample Cards or any other rigid card stock type of paper, including cereal boxes would work
• Index cards or printer paper
• Stapler
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Glue dots
• Miscellaneous items for embellishments, such as scrapbook paper, construction paper, fabric scraps, buttons, brads, stamps (I used a piece from a used aluminum pan for the silver hearts in the picture) — basically anything you’d like to use that can be glued to paper.

Directions:

1. Take your paint chip card and fold one end up, about 3/4″ or so (this will become the bottom of the matchbook style notebook).

4. Place your coupons inside the short flap of the paint chip, and staple the coupons inside the flap. Fold the long end over and tuck it into the short end. If the long end is too long, just cut off part of the chip, until the end tucks in nicely into the flap, just like a matchbook.

What crafts will you be making this Valentine’s Day?

Theresa Jones is the mom of a good-sized family, consisting of herself, her husband, four grown children, 2 high school-aged children, 1 granddaughter, one son-in-law, one daughter-in-law 1 dog 2 cats and one grandchild-to-be (Aug 2012).

She spends a good part of her day working on her blog, Frugal Experiments. It is where she writes about experimenting in frugality, book reviews, product reviews and giveaways. When she’s not writing, you will find her either, reading, cooking, gardening, crocheting, or studying. She is currently enrolled full-time in college, taking a certificate course in Entrepreneurship, with the intent of turning her love of blogging into a business.

This year, my kids and I decided we wanted to do a snowman craft project. Our family has been drinking a lot of hot chocolate lately because the weather has been so cold in Utah. For our snowman craft, we decided to decorate our own snowman mugs. This project was super simple and the kids had a lot of fun coming up with their own designs.

How To Make a Snowman Mug

The first thing you will need to do is go to your local craft store and purchase a mug decorating kit. The Webster Group puts out one that is called Precious Mugs. This kit comes with two mugs and six Perma-Coat Markers. I have more than two kids so we ran to our local dollar store and found 2 more white mugs so everyone could have one.

Draw your design on your mug. The marker only takes a few minutes to dry so remind your kids to be super careful. As far as I know, there is not a way to erase mistakes. Who cares if you mess up. I think it gives the mug character. Once your mugs are dry, you are done. I liked that this project because it didn’t require baking or clean up time.

These mugs were a fun way for each of my kids to express themselves. This was also a fun project to show our love for the beloved snowman. You could make mugs for just about any holiday. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Birthdays, or for a teacher’s gift. Here is one that my son made for his dad!

What craft projects do you enjoy doing with your kids? How will you celebrate the World Day of the Snowman?

A couple Mason glass jars, old Christmas ornaments, glitter, baby oil, and voila, your own snow globe! My kids are too young to make this craft on their own, so I let them carefully glue the rocks. They also made their own clay shapes. It’s a great multi-day project that will keep your “play table” busy!

Materials

• Empty glass jar
• Baby oil
• Silver glitter

To create the winter scene:

• Polymer clay (like FIMO)
• A few glass pebbles
• Super glue
• Cookie cutter (small tree shape)

Alternatively:

• Miniature Christmas ornaments (snowmen, trees, Santa, deer, etc.)

Instructions

1. Place a few glass pebbles inside the lid of the glass jar and use super glue to secure them in place.

2. Use polymer clay to make the figures you wish to put in your snow globe. Use a small cookie cutter to make the shape of a small tree. If you don’t feel comfortable with your “sculpting” skills, then go through your Christmas ornaments. You will certainly find miniature snowmen, Santa, trees, etc. Use these instead.

If you use polymer clay, follow the instructions for baking. Once your figures are ready, glue them on the pebbles you have already put in the lid of your jar. Make sure the figures you make are small enough to fit in the jar when it is sealed.

3. Fill the jar with baby oil (leave about 1/4 inch empty). Drop about half a teaspoon of glitter into the baby oil.

4. Once the glue is dry place the lid and seal the jar securely. Then Let the jar stand on its lid and watch the snow fall!

Note: If your jar leaks, use silicone to seal it. Once it is dry, wrap a ribbon around the lid to hide the silicone.

This is a great craft to make with kids over a couple cold winter days. Make different sizes and use as a festive display for a winter wonderland party! We used it as part of our Christmas decor and our kids have their own as decorations in their rooms.

December joy brings January blahs. What craft projects are you planning during the cold weeks in January?

Chris is a work-at-home Dad to two preschool girls (oops, one’s in kindergarten already!), and while he pretends to be a computer geek, you’ll usually see him with play dough or having his hair covered with pink hair clips. He operates a theme party website where he writes about kids parties and activity ideas. You can also find him on Facebook.

I’ve found that aside from food, having crafts for the kids to make is not only a way to help them make it until midnight, but also a fun moment to share with friends. Two years ago, they made zany glasses from a template from Family Fun.

This was, I think, the easiest New Year’s Eve craft ever for me to prepare because all I did was print the template out a few times on orange cardstock, then provide the kids with scissors, starch packing peanuts (those are the blobs of color on N’s glasses), foam letters, and glue, all of which I had on hand.

Event the adults, including Jyl and I, got in on the action as well.

Poor Jyl got a paper-cut boo-boo while putting her glasses together. And then there’s me, giving the craft two thumbs up…

…’cause I’m just that cool.

This year, I’m again putting together something that will be easy to prepare and fun for the kids to make. I also want it to result in something that visually commemorates the new year. It will be something they will likely dispose of the next day, but the pictures of them making and displaying the craft will be scrapbooked as markers of not only the year but also their changing interests and developing minds. Such serious goals for such silly crafts? I think not. If it’s the right craft, that is an easy result. Here are the possibilities:

1) Making the numbers “2012″ out of Li’l Smokies.

2) Making a collage like this one of the numbers.

What do you think?

What New Year’s Eve craft projects do you love to make with your kids?

Holiday Craft Project: Chex Mix Candy Gift

Chex Mix Candy Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 cups of Honey Nut Chex (this is gluten free!)
• 4 cups of mini pretzels
• 1 pkg. of vanilla candi quik
• 1 package of peanut m&m’s
• 1 cup of melted chocolate
• 2 crushed candy canes (optional)

Directions

Fill your boxes with the yummy Chex Mix and tie a cute bow with bakers twine or ribbon. I found these fun Chinese Boxes at Hobby Lobby, but I have seen them at several other craft stores. I also added a fun little accordion pinwheel to the front (you can find the whole tutorial here), but it would be cute with a fun gift tag as well. This is a super easy gift to put together, and your friends will LOVE it!

Warning: This Chex Mix is very addicting…but oh so yummy!

I wish everyone a very Happy Holiday!

Do you have a fun gift you like to give to neighbors and friends? What are some of your favorite snacks at Christmas?

 My name is Jamielyn Nye and I’m a hopeless chocolate addict. Sometimes known to eat chocolate chip cookie dough straight from the bowl. I’m a Mama to two chubbies and married to one sexy man. My days are full of chasing my 2 little monkeys, cleaning messes (it’s like shoveling in a snow storm), pinterest, snuggling, avoiding the ever-growing pile of laundry, e-mails, play-dough, crafting and wondering, “Is it nap time yet?!” Find me blogging at I Heart Nap Time. Chat with me on Facebook & Twitter.

We have done this craft a couple times, most recently as an activity at my daughter’s Yo Gabba Gabba birthday party. We took a bunch of orange, blue, pink, and yellow beads and strung them together. Next, we tied an orange pom-pon to the top to represent the hat of one of the characters on the show.

My wife thought, “Why don’t we try this as Christmas ornaments?” I said, “This would be a great idea for a craft article!” So, here’s what we did together:

Beaded Christmas Tree Ornament

Supplies:

• Assortment of beads
• 12 gauge wire (gold, silver, green, or any color which would coordinate with your tree)
• Scissors (strong enough to cut wire) or wire cutters
• Ornament string

Instructions

1. Cut a 12-inch length of wire (or longer if you want a longer ornament). Cut the wire an inch or two longer than you want the ornament for ease of working. Create a loop with the wire at the top (by wrapping the wire around a pencil) to hold the beads on.

2. Determine the order you want your beads to hang on the ornament. Arrange the beads in order.

3. String the beads onto the wire in order. If you don’t like the order of the beads or how they look next to one another, restring them and rearrange the order of the beads.

4. Loop the wire at the bottom (by wrapping the wire around a pencil again) once all of the beads are on the wire. This will help hold the beads on the wire. Create a small circular wire (similar to a keychain) to attach to the bottom if you want a bead to hang from the bottom of the ornament.

5. Tie the ornament string to the top wire loop.

These ornaments can be done in a variety of lengths and colors to coordinate with any Christmas tree décor. They are very showy and they look very expensive (and you can say they are, wink wink!) They are sure to become one of your favorite Christmas tree ornaments. We’re going to make a couple more to fill out the tree.

What fun crafts will you be creating with your family to place on the Christmas tree this year?

Thumbnail photo courtesy of Flickr.

Chris is having a challenge this year teaching his two year old to only look at the tree, not touch the ornaments. It doesn’t help that they are so shiny and sparkly. You can view more crafts for kids at his birthday party idea blog.

However, the day after Thanksgiving, I waste no time in putting away the pumpkins and replacing them with holly, snowflakes, wreaths, pinecones, Santa Clauses, and stockings. By the time I crawl into bed the night after Thanksgiving, my house exudes with the sights, smells, and sounds of the season’s holiday cheer.

After all of the decorations were put in their places this year, I looked around and had the sudden urge to add a touch of craft to my display. I made one stop at a local craft store and picked up all the necessary essentials needed to make Ribbon Christmas Trees.

This project is incredibly easy and the best part is that it is kid-friendly. Plus, after you’re done working on the project, you will have cute Christmas trees throughout your home that you can enjoy for years to come.

Ribbon Christmas Tree Craft Project

Supplies:

• Styrofoam cones
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Pins

Directions:

What is your favorite homemade holiday craft project? How do you get your kids involved in making crafts during the holiday season?

Jen Tilley has an insatiable appetite for all things related to baking and cooking. She is the author, photographer and recipe developer on How To: Simplify, a blog that shares tips, tricks and recipes to simplify life in the kitchen. She enjoys sharing recipes that require very few ingredients and only a small amount of prep and cook time, all of which make time spent in the kitchen simple and enjoyable. Find her online at How To: Simplify, @HowToSimplify, and Jen Tilley Photography.

Case in point: My boys are eight and 10. My 11 year-old son keeps reminding me that he is too old for everything since he’s a tween. So, I full on expected his eyes to roll when my friends and I got together with all of our kids and broke out the supplies, sharing that we were going to make reindeer antlers. But, all five of our kids ages two to almost 11 had a great time both making and wearing them, proving to me that you are never too old to be a kid—even if you’re a tween with attitude!

How To Make Reindeer Antlers

Making the reindeer antlers is simple.

Supplies

To create this craft, you need the following supplies:

• Plastic headband, new or used
• 6-inch piece of brown ribbon, 5/8 width
• 2 red pipe cleaners
• 2 white pipe cleaners

Instructions

1. Glue one end of the ribbon to one end of the headband. Wrap the ribbon around and around the headband, overlapping each wrap, until the entire headband is covered in ribbon. Add glue to the back of the ribbon at the end to attach it. Let the glue dry completely.
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2. For the antlers, twist together 1 red pipe cleaner with 1 white pipe cleaner. Do the same thing with the remaining red and white pipe cleaners. Bend each twisted pipe cleaner into a candy-cane shape.
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3. To attach the antlers to the headband, bend 1–2″ of the bottom of one candy cane pipe cleaner around the headband and about 1–2″ away from the center. Twist the pipe cleaner together with itself as you secure it around the headband. Repeat this step for the second candy-cane pipe cleaner, but place it 3–4″ away from the first pipe cleaner so that both candy canes look like antlers, as shown in the photo.

Interested in more fun art and craft ideas? Check out WileyCraft.com.

What fun art and craft projects have you done or do you have planned with your kids this holiday season? Tutorials you’ve created or tips you’ve found? Please share links!

Gratitude Jar

A gratitude jar is a perfect way to help us get into the spirit of the season. This craft is really simple to make and would be a fun gift to give to your family and friends.

Materials

You will need a few things for this project:

• A medium size mason jar
• An assortment of scrapbook paper
• 15 inches of 1/4 in. ribbon
• 4×4 piece of fabric or enough to cover your jar lid
• Silk leaves
• A hot glue gun
• Computer to print tags

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Step 7. Print your thankful cards on white paper, cut them out, and glue them to your scrapbook paper. When you are finished, put your cards into your jar and put the lid on.

Step 8. Add a tag to the outside of this jar, backing it with paper. Then, punch a hole in it, and use the last of your ribbon to tie it to the outside of the jar. The one I made says, “I am thankful for you and pumpkin pies!”

Voila! You are ready to either give this away or start pulling out the cards as a family once a day to help you focus on all of your blessings.

What fun traditions do you you and your family have? How can you teach your children to have gratitude?

(Gratitude Jar Craft made by Vanessa Sperry).

Thanksgiving Turkey Place Card Holders

Here is a list of the items needed to make this easy craft:

Supplies:

• 1 orange pipe cleaner
• 1 walnut in the shell
• 1 acorn
• 2 small googly eyes
• 1 – 1 1/2 in. wooden heart
• small scrap of red and orange felt
• several different colors of 4 in. silk leaves
• glue gun
• small card to put your guest’s name on

What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions? How can you involve your children in your Thanksgiving meal plans?