No-Stress Paint Party, Creative Family Idea Box Day #8

You know why I love watercolors so much?  Because it just doesn’t matter how big the mess is.  If there are any spills, it is just water!  There is no reason painting can’t be a regular part of a child’s life. Surprise your children with a paint party!  Set the table with brushes, watercolors (even…

Dinnertime Storytelling Game, Creative Family Idea Box Day #5

You are five minutes away from a dinner full of family stories that you have likely never heard!  This is a super-simple Storytelling Game that you can play at your next meal.  Just click the Storytelling Game image, print it, cut out the words and put them in a bowl.   During your meal, take…

Found Object Nativity Scene: Creative Family Advent Day 1

This was a really sweet project.  I told the kids we were going to make a Nativity Scene from found objects.  We bundled up, went out, and started gathering materials.  The picture I had in my head originally is drastically different than our finished product, but I am sooooo happy with the way it came…

6 Quick Kid-Friendly Crafts Made from Recycled Materials

I recently finished my miniseries called How-To Tuesdays.  To make it easier to find these in my blog, I am just putting them all together here in one post.  Hope you can find something to make with your kiddos using things you have laying around the house.  These are quick, easy, inexpensive playthings that can…

How To-Tuesdays #6: No-Sew Cozy Caterpillar (10 minute toy!)

I love stripy tights. We had so many pairs of these things in every color for the girls. Letting go of them when they outgrew them was always a little sad… But today, we discovered a way to turn them into really sweet little soft toys. This is the easiest little dolly you could possibly…

How-To Tuesdays #3: How to Make a Meow-Meow (and other soft dolls)

I love handmade soft dolls.  I have always wanted to make them, but my sewing skills are VERY basic.  A few months ago, I pulled out a bunch of old fabric scraps–some outgrown or damaged clothes, some bits and pieces of projects-gone-by.  I went through them with the girls, asking which ones they liked, then…

How-To Tuesdays #2: Cereal Box-Grocery Bag Journal

I love journals.  (You can read about my lifelong love of writing here: Journaling, or The Story of My Life)  I love handmade books.  I love kraft paper.  I love flimsy cardboard covers…  Because of that, I am just crazy about these quick, easy, no-previous-experience-necessary little handmade books.  The pages are made from cut up…

How-To Tuesdays #1: Milk Jug “Paper Dolls”

It us turning out to be an amazing summer for us.  Randy is spending a record amount of hours in the living-room-recording studio.  (If you haven’t heard any of our sneak-previews from the new album, check them out on our website–www.thejosephineknot.com)  There is a lot of creative energy bouncing around here.  As a challenge and…