The clerks at the JoAnn store near my office really should know my name by now. I've seriously been in there five times in the last two weeks. No lie. On Friday I went in there with a Christmas tree topper in mind, and walked out with a small mirror for $0.99 and popsicle sticks for $1.50 after a coupon. By Saturday morning I'd created a sparkling sunburst mirror tree topper! I will be honest with you - my creation looks much less like something a 9-year old would create now that it's up on … [Read more...]

Junior is obsessed with monkeys. I suppose this isn't uncommon with 17-month old boys, but ever since he learned the Spanish word (mono) at daycare he loves to point out monkeys wherever he sees them represented. " Exchanging ornaments is a family tradition, so for Junior's second Christmas it made sense for him to have his very own monkey hanging from a (Christmas) tree. Enter Etsy, where I found an adorable little mono that served as inspiration. I whipped up my own version on a Friday … [Read more...]

Last year I fell in love with an overpriced Pottery Barn advent calendar that was made with little buckets strung up on branches with twine. It was $200, and its simple and elegant style was pretty for grown-ups but not very exciting for kids. With inexpensive craft store supplies and mini galvanized buckets purchased from a wedding favor site, I took my inspiration piece and added bright Christmas colors to make a unique bucket advent calendar for my little boy. Supplies 5 wooden … [Read more...]