Popsicle Stick Puzzle for Valentine’s Day – “Let’s STICK Together”

February 1, 2016 by 661 Comments

Popsicle Stick Puzzle for Valentine’s Day

Popsicle Stick Puzzle crafts are so awesome because you can make them for any holiday! You can even make more general ones for colors, shapes, alphabet, and much more! Every mom and crafter has most, if not all of the supplies needed to make these!!

With Valentine’s Day so close, I wanted to re-share this awesome kids Valentine’s Day Craft! The kiddos will love making their popsicle stick puzzle! If you’re looking for a super cool classroom exchange idea…this is the perfect one! The kids in the class will love them!

Supplies:

Click NEXT for the Popsicle Stick Puzzle Instructions

Pages: 1 2

Creepy Crawly Spider Kids Halloween Craft

October 30, 2015 by Jenni 623 Comments

Creepy Crawly Spider Kids Halloween Craft

I just posted this spooky bat toilet paper roll craft for kids earlier today! I can’t take credit for either that one or this cute spider kids Halloween craft. Both are craft projects the kiddo brought home from school. They’re both just so sweet that I had to share them.

Halloween is this weekend, so if you’re planning a Halloween party – these would be fun to make with the kids and you probably already have everything on hand!

Supplies:

Mesh kitchen scouring pad (they used gold metal ones)
4 black pipe cleaners

Instructions:

Super simple. Just wrap each pipe cleaner around a small section of the sponge, leaving a larger section of the sponge for the body. Twist each pipe cleaner underneath what would be the spiders neck. Make sure to leave an even amount of pipe cleaner on both sides so that the spider’s legs are even.

Once all the pipe cleaners are wrapped around the sponge spider, bend the spider legs a little so that it looks all creepy and crawly!

Don’t miss these other Halloween ideas below…

Spooky Bat Toilet Paper Roll Craft

DIY Candy Corn Mason Jars

DIY Black Cat Pillow

Mummy Oreos

DIY Candy Corn Mason Jars | Super Easy Fall and Halloween Craft

October 29, 2015 by Jenni 544 Comments

Candy Corn Mason Jars | Fall or Halloween Craft

Nothing screams fall, like candy corn. Now, I have to admit…I’m not a huge fan of the real candy corn. Unless I pair it with peanuts. Then it kinda reminds me of a Payday candybar. Nom. However, these Candy Corn Mason Jars are just the sweetest, AND the easiest things ever to make!

They are perfect for making into a treat jar for teachers, neighbors or to serve at your Halloween or Thanksgiving party! It only takes a few supplies and a few minutes to make and the best part is, when you’re finished – you can remove the decorations and reuse the jars for something else!

Supplies:

Instructions:

First wash and dry your jars so they are ready for serving.

Then cut off the long skinny part of each of the orange, yellow and white balloons. Cut part of the other end of the balloon as well. You want there to be a hole on each end of the balloon.

Stretch the yellow balloon over the bottom half of the cup.

Stretch the orange balloon overlapping it slightly on the yellow.

Lastly, stretch the white balloon over the cup overlapping slightly over the orange.

Ta-da!

We’ve got some more fun Halloween ideas below…

DIY Black Cat Pillow

Mummy Oreos

DIY Black Feather Wreath

DIY Black Cat Pillow | Primitive Farmhouse Decor | Easy Halloween Craft

October 23, 2015 by Jenni 629 Comments

DIY Black Cat Pillow | Easy Primitive or Farmhouse Halloween Decor

When I think of Halloween I think of ghosts, goblins and black cats. Sometimes it’s hard to blend in holiday decor with your primive or farmhouse decor – but this DIY black cat pillow will fit in perfectly and he’s anything, but scary! It’s easy to make and even if you are a beginner to DIY projects, I promise you can do this. The primitive style makes it not only super sweet, but made to not look exactly perfect. Everyone is sure to compliment your not-so-spooky black cat pillow!

Supplies

1 pillow insert

1 black pillowcase (I bought mine at Hobby Lobby but this one is similar to the one I used)

2 button eyes – I chose to use an amber gold sparkly buttons for eyes.

1 button nose

1 metallic embroidery floss

Black thread

Hand needle

Scissors

Instructions:

This is really a simple project! First, place your pillowcase on your pillow.

Find a spot for the eyes to go. You will want to place these about a third of the way down your pillow.

Thread your needle with the black thread and sew the button on. You will want to make sure that you go all the way through the pillow at least once when sewing the buttons on to pull the buttons into the pillow a little bit. Sew the other eye on the same way.

Next you will sew your button nose the same way that you sewed your eyes on.

The whiskers are up next. Thread your needle with the metallic embroidery floss. Starting from just under the button nose, add some wispy whiskers. There is really no wrong way to do this! I found it is easiest to make one very long stitch to create the whisker.

Your pillow is complete!

Fun, pretty and perfectly primitive – this pillow is something that you would expect to find in a high end boutique! Everyone will be so impressed when you tell everyone you made it yourself. Just get prepared for when your friends ask you to make them one as well!

Don’t miss these other fun Halloween Ideas below…

Black Feather Wreath

Mummy Oreos

If you enjoyed these ideas, drop us a comment! We’d love to hear from you! Tell us what are some of your favorite Halloween crafts or snack ideas!!

Day 5 – Patriotic Deco Mesh Wreath Tutorial (12 Days of Celebrate Summer) #12DaysOf

June 15, 2015 by Jenni 710 Comments

I hope you’ve enjoyed all of the yummy recipes we’ve shared the last few days in our 12 Days of Celebrate Summer posts! Today we’ve got something a little bit different and it’s also perfect for the 4th of July!

Mary at Just Plum Crazy made this Patriotic Deco Mesh Wreath (<– click for tutorial). This deco mesh wreath is easy to make and although there are many variations of how to make one, I have tried most of them and this way seems to be the easiest.

Don’t forget to stop by and visit all the other participating blogs linked below and see what recipes and fun ideas they have for the 12 days of Summer Celebration. Enjoy!

29 Incredible Easter Recipes and Crafts, Traditions and Party Ideas #MomsCheckIn

March 20, 2015 by Jenni 87 Comments

Easter Recipes and Crafts

Easter will soon be here and if you’re looking for some new Easter recipes and crafts then you’re in the right place! We celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus on this day with family/friends. The kids always hunt eggs and eat way too much candy, and so do the adults. My brother is always stealing the hard boiled eggs from all the kids baskets, the kids have ruined their good dress clothes with mud and grass stains. You know how it is…

Anyhoo, our Moms Check In moms are talking about our favorite Easter traditions and sharing our recipes and craft ideas. We’d love to hear from you! So if you have any awesome Easter traditions, recipes, or craft ideas please drop us a comment or chat with us on our social media channels using #MomsCheckIn.

Easter Recipes and Crafts:

1. Easy Cake Mix Sugar Cookies (just 3 main ingredients)

2. Easter Peeps S’Mores (including gluten free options)

3. Easter Cookie Pie

4. Very Berry Peeps Milkshake

5. Easter Bunny Patch Recipe using Palmer’s Easter Candy

6. 5 Unique Ideas for a Reusable Easter Basket

7. 5 Creative (non candy) Easter Gift Ideas

8. Easy DIY Resurrection Garden

9. Resurrection Rolls Recipe

10. Easy Resurrection Snack and Activity for Kids

11. How to Dye Easter Eggs with Silk Ties

12. Easy Bunny Pie Pops

13. How to Plan an Easter Egg Hunt

14. 9 Lego Ideas for Easter

15. Free Easter Printable for Kids

16. 9 Tips for a Successful Easter Egg Hunt

17. Easter Cupcake Ideas

18. Kids’ Party Food:Mr. McGregor’s Garden Patch

19. Easter Bunny Pizza

20. 20 Easter Supplies and Favors

21. 20 Easter Baking Supplies

22. 25 Easter Craft & Activities

23. Easy Easter Stencil Cookies

24. Kids Party Food: Easy Easter Cookies

25. Kid’s Party Food Ideas: Delicious & Darling Easter Cake Pops

26. Monster Eggs {DIY Party Craft Ideas}

27. 33 FREE Easter Printables Boys Will Like Too

28. [Inspiration] Easter Egg Hunt

29. Bow Tie Easter Party for Your Little Man

Our Family Easter Traditions

“I love Easter. It’s an important day for us and what it symbolizes. We try to do something really fun each year. Last year for the older kids we put glow sticks in the eggs and let them hunt them after dark. They loved that! It’s a wonderful day filled with faith, friends, family and of course, a trip from the Easter Bunny!”

– Amanda is the mom to Joshua and owns It’s a Fabulous Life. If you are looking for a one stop place for all things mom, It’s a Fabulous Life is it! Full of recipes, fashion, DIY projects, recipes and parenting articles it’s the place for all of Mom’s favorites to come together! Follow her on Twitter here!

“ We always had Easter Egg hunts at my grandma and papaw’s house when I was little. Now that I have my own family, we still get together every year with our big ole’ family and let the littles hunt eggs. They always have such a great time. My addiction to those Cadbury Creme Filled Eggs comes into full swing and I always have to keep a stash hidden. Shhhhh!!!“

– Jenni is the mom of one and the author of Sweet Pennies From Heaven. A hearth and home website, Sweet Pennies From Heaven focuses on recipes, crafts and creating a comfortable home. Follow her on Twitter here!

“My Mom always made the ‘lambie cake’ for Easter every year. She has this cake mold shaped like a lamb and she always decorated it up to look so cute every year. I’m not that ambitious but I love a sweet treat for the kids and we have fun filling and hiding baskets and eggs. I think I get a bigger kick out of finding good hiding spots than they do out of finding them! “

– Lindsay is the mom of 2 and author of See Mom Click. She shares great deals, Disney happenings and recipes. You can follow her on Twitter here!

“Easter was always one of my favorite holidays growing up. My dad would always buy about 10 large chocolate bunnies and hide them around our living room. (Why so many? So he could eat them, too! Haha) After we had our 9am chocolate fix, we’d head to church and then to my grandparent’s house for turkey dinner with all the fixings. Every year it was the same and I loved it. We’re still developing our traditions with my son Sam, but Easter is becoming one of his favorites.“

– Stephanie is the mom to Sam and the author of Spaceships and Laser Beams. If you ever need party ideas her site is the place to visit! Specializing in all things boy, it’s full of inspiration! Follow her on Twitter here!

What is Moms Check In?

Who are the moms of Moms Check In? We’re 4 moms who are also professional bloggers. We chat about a new topic each week. We talk about things from dirty diapers to date night, and everything in between. Moms love to talk to other moms and let’s face it…MOMS know everything!!

Before you leave, let us know…

What are your best Easter traditions, recipes or crafts?

Day 8 – St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Mobile or Windsock (12 Days of St. Patrick’s Day Recipes and Crafts)

March 11, 2015 by Jenni 726 Comments

Today is day #8 in our 12 Days of St. Patrick’s Day Recipes and Crafts series!!! Check out this fun Rainbow Mobile from Michelle at The Neighborhood Moms! It’s a fun craft to do with your kids for St. Patrick’s Day. You could even hang this outdoors on your porch or patio in an area where the rain can’t get to it and it’d make a pretty windsock too! Click here for the full tutorial.

If you’ve missed our other 12 Days of St. Patrick’s Day recipes and crafts, they’re all in the linky below. Enjoy!

28 St. Patrick’s Day Ideas – Recipes, Crafts and Party Tips #MomsCheckIn

March 6, 2015 by Jenni 957 Comments

28 Awesome St. Patrick’s Day Ideas

St. Patrick’s Day is almost here so we’re sharing some incredible St. Patrick’s Day ideas. You know what that means friends, Spring! Spring is almost here!!! I can almost smell the green grass popping up through the snow. Flowers will start budding soon and I couldn’t be happier!! I usually love winter…being snowed in for a few days here and there. But this winter has been brutal. I’m just ready for sunshine, green grass, fresh dirt and warm days!

Our Moms Check In team are talking about St. Patrick’s Day this week and we’ve got an awesome list of St. Patrick’s Day recipes, crafts and party ideas. You can check them all out below…and then drop us a comment letting us know what your favorite St. Patty’s day treats are. Or what you’re looking forward to come Spring!! We’d love to hear from you!

28 Really Awesome St. Patrick’s Day Ideas – Recipes, Crafts and Party Tips

1. Hidden Pot O’ Gold Pudding Parfait

2. Lucky Charms Trail Mix

3. Homemade Mint Chocolate Shamrock Frappe

4. Easy Rainbow Poke Cupcakes

5. Triple Layer Rainbow Cake

6. Mint Oreo Truffles

7. St. Patrick’s Day Minty S’Mores

8. St. Patrick’s Day Minty Pudding Parfait

9. Shamrock Eggs in a Hole Breakfast

10. St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Pretzels

11. St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Biscuits

12. St. Patrick’s Day Green Velvet Cake

13. Homemade Green Noodles

14. 27 St. Patrick’s Day Baking Supplies

15. 25 St. Patrick’s Day Books for Kids

16. 25 St. Patrick’s Day Activities and Crafts

17. 27 St. Patrick’s Day Party Favors and Supplies

18. Plan a St. Patrick’s Day Party on a Budget

19. Free St. Patrick’s Day Printables

20. How to Catch a Leprechaun

21. DIY Leprechaun Pillow

22. Rainbow Pancakes

23. St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun Hat DIY Craft Project

24. DIY Leprechaun Trap for Kids

25. St. Patrick’s Day DIY Table Runner

26. 24 Festive St. Patty’s Day Recipes

27. 20 St. Patrick’s Day Crafts

28. Party Bark Treat Recipe

Here’s our Moms Check In moms take on St. Patrick’s Day…

“Josh’s favorite color is green and we are most definitely Irish, so St. Patrick’s Day is a lot of fun around here! We get visits from the Leprechaun and we build a trap to try to catch him. He always seems to outsmart us though. It’s really just a fun day for us!”

“ I love when I start seeing St. Patrick’s Day recipes and crafts online because it’s a sure sign that Spring is on the way. We usually make a few fun treats at home and for school. We always make sure to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day too, so we don’t get pinched by anyone. 🙂 “

“St. Patrick’s Day is just a fun holiday for us. We don’t go crazy celebrating but we always wear green and it’s a good excuse to have a fun little treat for dessert. Something green of course!”

– Lindsay is the mom of 2 and author of See Mom Click. She shares great deals, Disney happenings and recipes. You can follow her on Twitter here!

“St. Patrick’s Day is a sign to me that spring is coming! March is an excellent time to enjoy fun recipes and crafts as a family. The ideas above are sure to bring smiles to your faces!”

What is Moms Check In?

Before you leave, let us know…

What are your favorite St. Patrick’s Day ideas?

What’s your favorite part of Spring?

Plan Your Best Valentine’s Day Ever with this Exclusive Online Magazine

February 6, 2015 by Jenni 106 Comments

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Coupons.com. All lovey-dovey and sweet opinions are however, 100% my own and honest as always!

{Just click on the magazine above to view page by page}

Valentine’s Day is almost here and I’ve got this really fun Valentine’s Day Magazine on The Good Stuff by Coupons.com. Whether you’re making plans for your sweetheart, your kids or your girlfriends – you’ll find tons of great ideas! Fun recipes, ideas for date night, crafts and ideas for a full “Galentine’s Day” brunch with your besties.

You’ll even be able to save with these Coupons.com Valentine’s Day Deals including free shipping on some! A few of my favorite deals that I (ahem!) may have to accidentally hint around to my husband are Kay Jewelers, Shari’s Berries and The Popcorn Factory!

Here are some things you’ll find inside:

Aphrodisiac foods (hubba hubba)
Date Night ideas inspired by the movies (Pretty Woman, Chocolat, etc.)
Valentine’s Day coupon printables (i.e. this coupon is good for one morning of uninterrupted sleeping in)
VDay tote bag DIY you can do with your kids
How to throw a Galentine’s Day Brunch (who doesn’t love brunch!)
Recipes for heart waffle sandwiches, skinny champagne parfaits and more
Gift Guides
And a link (on pages 2-3) to enter the Coupons.com Share the Love Valentine’s Day Sweepstakes (Daily cash prizes of $100 for the winner and $100 for the winner’s friend – until 2/28)

What fun ideas do you have planned for Valentine’s Day?

How to Dye Coffee Filters and DRY Them Quickly for Crafts

January 9, 2015 by Jenni 2,373 Comments

How to Dye Coffee Filters – and DRY them too!

Coffee filter crafts are all the rage and have been for awhile. I actually just made my first coffee filter wreath and it turned out way better than I expected it to. I’m one of those “on the fly” crafters so if I can do it, I know you can! There is a little prep work that needs to be done when making coffee filter crafts, if you’re planning on dying your filters a certain color. It’s not difficult at all, so I’m gonna show you how to dye coffee filters and how to DRY them fast too – so you don’t have to wait to get craftin’!

Here’s what you’ll need:

water

coffee filters

food coloring of your choice
(I wanted pink and cream, so I used red food coloring on half of the filters and then I coffee stained the other half just using really strong day old brewed coffee.)

Instructions:

Decide how many coffee filters need to be dyed, depending on your craft.

Fill a bowl or container with water, starting with 2-4 cups of water. Then pour in some food coloring and try a filter or two out to see if it’s the right shade. Add more food coloring to get a little darker or more water to lighten the dye.

**HINT: Make them a little darker than you actually want, because after they’re dry – they’re going to be a little lighter in color.

After you get the shade you want, begin placing coffee filters in and soaking them in the dye. Just leave them submerged for a few seconds, then wring the dyed water out of the filters with your hands, and then lay flat on a cookie sheet or another surface. You want to make sure to squeeze most of the water out, so the filters aren’t dripping wet. You can dye 10-15 filters at a time to save a little time. Now you’re ready to dry them!

How to DRY dyed coffee filters quickly:

I’ve read online that just leaving dyed coffee filters out to air dry takes forevahhh!!!! I am not a patient crafter. At all. So, I decided to just stick those babies in the clothes dryer on low-medium heat. Literally put the filters IN the clothes dryer and dried them in 2 minute increments so they wouldn’t singe. DO NOT put them in and walk away from the dryer folks. We’re drying paper here, not a load of towels! You don’t want to use a high heat – just a low to medium. And again, DO NOT walk away from these as you’re waiting.

Check the filters every 2 minutes. You’ll eventually start to feel them getting dryer and dryer. Just dry them in 2 minute increments, and after about 5 times or so they should be pretty dry or at least starting to dry. Once they’re dry, I just put mine in a laundry basket and went and sat on the couch and made 2 piles. A pink pile and a cream pile. Just flatten them out as you stack them. You can store them in a coffee can or similar until you’re ready to use them.

Popsicle Stick Puzzle for Valentine’s Day

Click NEXT for the Popsicle Stick Puzzle Instructions

Creepy Crawly Spider Kids Halloween Craft

Supplies:

Instructions:

Don’t miss these other Halloween ideas below…

Candy Corn Mason Jars | Fall or Halloween Craft

Supplies:

Instructions:

We’ve got some more fun Halloween ideas below…

DIY Black Cat Pillow | Easy Primitive or Farmhouse Halloween Decor

Instructions:

Don’t miss these other fun Halloween Ideas below…

Easter Recipes and Crafts

Easter Recipes and Crafts:

Our Family Easter Traditions

What is Moms Check In?

Before you leave, let us know…

What are your best Easter traditions, recipes or crafts?

28 Awesome St. Patrick’s Day Ideas

28 Really Awesome St. Patrick’s Day Ideas – Recipes, Crafts and Party Tips

Here’s our Moms Check In moms take on St. Patrick’s Day…

What is Moms Check In?

Before you leave, let us know…

What are your favorite St. Patrick’s Day ideas?

What’s your favorite part of Spring?

{Just click on the magazine above to view page by page}

What fun ideas do you have planned for Valentine’s Day?

How to Dye Coffee Filters – and DRY them too!

Here’s what I did with mine……..

Click here for our Coffee Filter Wreath tutorial

Have you ever crafted with coffee filters?

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