Projects

Here is where you will find posts about projects big or small. This could range from big projects I am working on around the house to simple crafts I do with my kids.

  • Projects

    Creating an Elven Warrior Costume

    When Ryan first told me he wanted to be an Elven Warrior for Halloween, I was intimidated and had no idea where to start. I made him look through Pinterest with me until he could give me an idea of what he was picturing in his mind. As it turned out, he wanted something that looked similar to Link in Legends of Zelda. I still wasn’t sure where to start, but we agreed that I would sew him a tunic and hat. We ordered him elf ears for a few dollars from Amazon. For the tunic and hat, I took him to a local sewing shop to pick out fabric.…

  • Projects

    Making a Tiger Tutu

    When we talked about costumes for the kids, Saoirse really wanted to be Daniel Tiger, but also wanted to feel like a princess. So the natural solution was to make her a Daniel Tiger tutu. I had thought about making her pants with tiger stripes, but the tutu alone is perfect for giving her tiger stripes on her legs. I looked around online and found a lot of different ways to make tutus. I ultimately decided to follow the simplest tutu instructions because that also seemed like the tutu design most likely to grow with her longest. I found a great tutorial online at DIY Network.  I picked up some…

  • Projects

    Making a Daniel Tiger Costume

    I am almost done with both kids’ Halloween costumes with just a few more final touches to finish. On Thursday, I finished making Daniel Tiger ears for Saoirse. The great thing about a Daniel Tiger costume is that it is a super simple costume to piece together. She already had a red hooded sweatshirt that she has proudly called her Daniel Tiger sweater for months. When I was searching for costume ideas, I also saw a link for Keds red Graham sneakers. These sneakers look exactly like the shoes that Daniel Tiger wears. The shoes were honestly the only part of the costume I even needed to spend any money…

  • Projects

    Halloween Costuming – Creating a Daniel Tiger Princess and an Elven Warrior

    October is here and it is time for me to buckle down and get working on my children’s Halloween costumes.  We have been talking about what they want to be for the past few weeks and now I just need to actually make it happen. Ryan is a creative kid and I love his individuality, however it is a pain when it comes to his Halloween costumes.  He will never settle for a costume that doesn’t have his own unique spin on it.  For example, when he wanted to be a superhero, he couldn’t just be a generic superhero.  He had to design his own hero identity – Lava Ryan. …

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  • Projects

    Painting with Apples

    It is apple picking season and there are so many different things to do with all those delicious apples kids (or adults!) bring home from the orchards. Aside from eating and baking them, slicing open an apple can be a great learning opportunity for kids and you can use them to make crafts.  This week, Saoirse and I sliced open an apple and dipped it into some paint to make some fun prints. This was an activity that we attempted last year during our library’s storytime, but she wasn’t quite ready for it then. This is a craft that works best once your child will not just want to eat…

  • Projects

    Using a Bullet Journal to Organize Home and Habits

    Bullet Journaling methods have become quite trendy in recent years.  A quick search on Pinterest will easily yield thousands of results for creative page layouts.  A search on Facebook will bring up hundreds of Facebook groups dedicated to sharing and discussing using a bullet journal and page layouts.  All of these “bullet journaling” approaches started with Ryder Carrol’s Bullet Journal method, a specific organizational system used with a notebook.  If you visit the Bullet Journal website, you can find a step by step breakdown of his method as well as an app, book, and notebook for sale. The popularity of Ryder Carrol’s method inspired many creative and artistic approaches to…

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  • Projects

    Starting Sewing (and a Phone Pouch)

    Sewing is a really great skill to have.  You can take simple scraps of fabric and transform them into something new and usable.  Six years ago, looking at the creations of others on Pinterest, I felt inspired to expand my sewing skills beyond basic handstitching.  If I had a sewing machine I was sure that I could use it to easily whip up some of those amazing creations.  So I asked Cal for a sewing machine for Christmas, and that is exactly what he got me.  It felt so full of possibilities. I could envision plenty of future projects with it.  I remembered using the sewing machines in Family and Consumer…

  • Projects

    Cal’s Homesick Houstonian Salsa

    Anyone who has spent much time at my house knows that Cal does most of the cooking, especially when we have company.  He could talk about food for hours and is always experimenting and perfecting his recipes.  One of his simplest and most popular recipes is what he calls his “Homesick Houstonian Salsa”.  He usually makes the salsa mild for me, but when we have company, he will generally make a mild and spicier option.  This salsa is always a hit, and is especially delicious when it is still warm and freshly made. Cal’s Homesick Houstonian Salsa recipe Cal’s comments: Salsa is one of the healthiest things you can eat. …

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  • Projects

    Lunch Cards

    When Ryan was in first grade, he kept asking me to send something special in his lunch box. He even brought home a book about napkin origami from the library in an attempt to get me to try it. My origami skills are non-existent, so instead I started sending him notes. My original notes were very simple, basically saying “Have a great day! Love, Mom” with a smiley face. I couldn’t keep sending the exact same note every day though, so I expanded the notes to jokes. Every night after Ryan went to bed, I sat down and Googled a kid joke (usually related to something he and I had…

  • Projects

    Creating a Back to School Command Center

    It is hard to believe it is already time for Back to School!  Summer seemed to fly by this year.  In getting ready for a new school year, I really wanted to create a create a more organized homework station/command center for Ryan. Looking on Pinterest, there are tons of creative ideas.  I would have loved to come up with some new creative idea that was super Pinterest-worthy, but instead I have created a pretty basic homework station.  Here is what we have: I picked up blueish paper and pen holders from T.J.Maxx.  I wanted to keep pens/pencils/markers easily accessible and have a spot for any important papers or library…

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