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Yesterday I shared the HUGE Custom Photo Poster I made for my girls' room.  My son was impressed when he saw it and wanted something similar, so I used the same concept with an engineering print, but made it a sports collage instead. Check it out...   I knew I wanted something sports related to match his room and his interests, so I made a collage of him playing four different sports and added text labels.     Again, I used PicMonkey.com to add the effects, make the collage and add the sports words.  This isn't a sponsored post or anything, but if you haven't tried PicMonkey for photo editing fun, you really should.  It's really easy and there's so much you can do. I simply went to the collage page and chose the layout that I wanted, then added my pictures.  I changed all the photos to black and white, adjusted the sharpness and exposure, and cropped them to best show the action.  When I had everything looking the way I wanted, I hit "Edit" at th...

Last year, I saw this awesome Giant Picture on Sugar Bee Crafts and knew I wanted to make something similar.  All I had to do was wait till I got the perfect photo that I would want to make giant-sized.  Well, last week I finally got that perfect shot of my girls and set out to make my own huge print. Here it is... Isn't it pretty?  It's 2 feet by 3 feet, so it's quite big, but fills the space above their big dresser just perfectly.  (For a tutorial on their pretty, fabric-covered dresser, go HERE ) .  Oh, and did I mention that this gorgeous big custom print cost under $4?  That's right, four bucks!  It was so inexpensive that I splurged and got an $18 white frame to display it in.  Just over $20 and such a wow factor when you walk in their room. When even an 8x10 photo enlargement can easily cost $4 or more, how did I get an 24x36 print for the same price?  The secret is getting an engineering print at an office supply store or copy center...

I love when I can find fun ways to use photos of the kids in little projects or crafts.  Last year, we made these Fun Photo Bookmarks and they were a big hit.  After the kids did a super fun Mud Run obstacle course with their cousins this summer, I knew I wanted to do something clever with some of the photos I took of all the muddy fun.  Then I remembered this pin I'd spotted several months ago.  I was super bummed that it was just an image and I can't find the source anywhere (if you know the source, please let me know so I can credit this great idea).  However, I figured out how to recreate it and the kids love being trapped in a bottle. Check it out!  Isn't this cool? It was really easy to do, the hardest part was choosing a picture then making a quick run to the office supply store to get the transparency. First, a quick peek at the fun they had getting filthy at the Mud Run (it was a 1 1/2 mile course through tons of muddy obstacles and all the proce...

A few weeks ago, my sister told me she saw a cute idea to use a straw dispenser to hold sharpened pencils.  I thought it was such a cute and clever way to always have sharpened pencils on hand and ready for use, but I was bummed that I'm no longer a full-time teacher with a classroom of my own.  Then I realized we still go through a ton of pencils here during homework time and I'm always scrambling to find sharpened pencils when the kids have to restock their pencil cases before they go off to school in the mornings.  I decided I was going to go ahead and get our own pencil dispenser for our house. Check it out... It's funny how exciting it can be to get a new electric pencil sharpener and a cool dispenser.  No matter what time of year it is or how old you are, fresh school supplies can give you a fresh outlook! There was really nothing to this "project".  I simply ordered an acrylic straw dispenser from Amazon , (Amazon affiliate link)   the kids sharpened...

We made similar Valentine's cards last year and they were a big hit with the kids.  This year, when I asked my three what they wanted to do for their classmates, they requested these same lollipop cards.  They're so cute and they're fairly quick and easy to make so I happily obliged. Check them out... And they're really quite simple to make.  I simply took a quick photo of each kid in front of a blank wall with their arm outstretched as if they were holding onto something. Then I used PicMonkey.com   to crop the photo, add text and a frame.  If you've never tried PicMonkey, check it out.  It's really easy to use and all the features I used for these cards are free.  (Other features, additional fonts, etc. require a small membership fee) Then I just inserted the image into a Word Document, put four on a page, and printed them out on cardstock.  I used an exacto knife to cut a small slit at the top and bottom of the kids' hands on the picture and i...

I love making recipes that are easy and delicious, but have a cool little twist.  I first found this Saltine Toffee recipe years ago in one of those community cookbooks where everyone submits their favorite recipes.  I love making it because it's so super simple, but tastes absolutely awesome.  (I've heard of it referred to as "Christmas Crack" and I can see why, it's really addicting!)  You wouldn't think saltine crackers would belong in a candy recipe, but the slight saltiness and crunch that they give this toffee is just perfect. Take a peek... Here's what you need:   (It's only 5 ingredients!) saltine crackers (about 1 sleeve of crackers out of a box, plus a few extras) 1 cup of butter (that's 2 sticks) 1 cup of brown sugar, lightly packed 2 cups of chocolate chips, either milk chocolate or semi sweet (that's about 1 bag) approx 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional) Here's what to do: 1.  Preheat your oven to 400*. 2.  Line a jelly roll pan ...

We've decorated plain candles using the tissue paper technique a few times now and the results have always been cute.  First we made some Artwork Candles ~ we drew our own pictures with markers on tissue paper, then put them on a plain white candle.  Then, for Mother's Day , we used paint to make some cute thumbprint designs which we also put on candles for the grandmothers.  For both of those projects, we used white tissue paper which "disappeared" into the candle as it was fused on.  This time, we used darker blue tissue paper to make some cute, winter snowman candles. Check them out... Cute, aren't they?  I like how we were able to make the handprint snowmen I'd seen done on ornaments, but we did them on candles which can be displayed long after the Christmas trees are taken down.  The dark blue tissue paper also fused into the candle, but the brighter blue color really stands out and shows off the kids' white handprints. Here's what you'll nee...

Last month, when the kids were off school for Election Day, we worked on a 1,000 piece puzzle of the U.S. Presidents .  We enjoyed doing it and with all four of us working together, we actually completed it in just one day.  However, once it was done, it sat on the floor in the corner of my living room for nearly a month.  The kids wanted to save it and hang it up, but I didn't want to deal with the hassle of using the puzzle saver glue.  I'd tried the glue before  ~ it was kind of messy and I didn't think it held the pieces together all that well.  I knew there had to be a better solution, but it took me a month of stepping around the finished puzzle before it finally came to me ...  Use iron-on adhesive! It turned out awesome and it was super quick and easy to do.  Seriously, like 5 minutes tops!  All you need is some Heat n Bond Iron on Adhesive .  It's meant to be used on fabric (I use it all the time) so you can find it in most fabr...

These cute pillowcases and sleep masks were the favors for my daughter's slumber party.  The pillowcases were very easy to make and also provided a little activity for the party.  The sleep masks involved a few more steps, but I made them without having to do any sewing at all.  The total cost for both items was less than $4 per girl and I think they turned out really cute. Check them out... I ended up making 13 sets of them all together ~ 9 for the girls at the party, one for a good friend who couldn't make it, and 3 for the "little sisters" ~ my youngest daughter and two nieces who had their own sleepover the night of the party. First, for the pillowcases... Here's what you'll need:     * plain pillowcases ( I got them in a 2-pack at Walmart for $5)    * Heat n Bond Ultra Hold    * fabric (I used one yard of fabric total for the 13 sets of pillowcases and sleep masks)    * letters to trace ( I just found a font on my compute...

Yesterday was the first day of school for my kids (woo hoo!)  They'd already made these cute little pencil bouquets for their teachers (which I heard were a big hit) and I'd picked up all the necessary supplies they needed to bring in to school.  However, I wanted to give them a little something special from me to celebrate the new school year. I decided to pick up some extra supplies that they might need for here at home ~ things that weren't necessarily on their supply lists, but that might come in handy for homework assignments or projects. Knowing that extra scissors and markers aren't really a "fun" gift, I decided to put a neat little twist on my practical gift.  Check it out... Pretty clever, don't you think? (and, yes, I am patting myself on the back for this one). Incorporated in each bit of advice are key words that correspond to the various school supplies.  As the kids read the words of wisdom, they were directed to open certain numbered gift...

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Astrobrights Papers by Neenah Paper for SocialSpark . All opinions are 100% mine. School starts here in just a few weeks and we're all excited for the new year to begin.  The kids are looking forward to seeing all their friends, meeting their new teachers and learning new subjects.  When I was recently given the challenge to "Make Something Astrobright", I knew just who I wanted to make it for ~ the kids' teachers!  As a former teacher myself, I know how demanding the job can be.  I want the kids' homeroom teachers to get a little something on the first day of school to say thanks in advance for everything they'll do this year.    Check out these cute and very  colorful pencil bouquets...   Won't they look pretty on the teachers' desks?  They're bright and very colorful, but practical too!  Plus, I think it's a thoughtful little gift without seeming like an over-the-top form of bribery...