naturally decorated easter eggs

March 13, 2014 by mama lola

easter feels like it’s late this year, but with this epic winter i think it’s kinda fitting.

although, i do love all of the pastels associated with easter, i wanted to collect a few crafts that were more natural. i just love all of the crafts below. they are all simple in colour, concept and look, which i think will make a bigger impression in the end. i am keen to get my kids to help with these project and once the snow melts we can go pick some lovely leaves and flowers of our own.

how to decorate easter eggs with seeds via diy enthusiasts

holiday wheatgrass eggs via momtastic life

decorated eggs via a daily something

decorate eggs with pressed flowers via the magic onions

which one of these projects will you make?

thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

easter sewing projects!

March 9, 2014 by mama lola

i love all of these easter sewing project ideas! they vary from quick n’ easy to more time consuming ones, but regardless of how much effort they require they are all super cute! i hope you are inspired by this mini round-up, and get your sewing machine loaded for action!

so, here we go…

egg tee from icandy handmade

fabric easter basket from V & co.

easter bunny masks from rosy posy

easy felt carrot garland from positively splendid

easter bunny treat bags from sew can she

i think my kids would love it if i made any of these for them!

i’m loving all of these bright colours!

birthday party name tags!

February 6, 2014 by mama lola

bear has asked for a dinosaur themed birthday! for this craft i couldn’t actually find any wee dinosaurs, but i found these cute lizards for 99 cents a pack and i thought they were close enough!

here’s what i did… first, i painted the clothes pegs with acrylic paint. i had to do a couple of coats to achieve a nice, solid, bold colour.

then with my hot glue gun i attached the lizards to the painted clothes pegs. i then cut some cute flags out of card stock, wrote each child’s name on, got a paper straw and voila… DONE! i found the straws for $3 for a pack of 18 at michael’s.

how adorable are they?

this is one of those crafts, where the impact is huge and process is so minimal!

the kids can then take the lizard pegs home and use them to clip important pages together or whatever!

cute pom pom crafts!

January 30, 2014 by mama lola

before christmas i shared a tutorial on how to make basic pom poms a few different ways; check it out HERE.

recently i’ve been trying to think projects that are slightly out of (my) box and then it hit me pom poms! these soft, plushy, cute things can be made of any funky colour or colours; can be made big or small or HUGE; and you can use them for a whole lotta fun activities (just check the list fox & owl shared, link below!)

pom poms are good for from fox & owl

look at these adorable little pom pom animals! so adorable! a must try! how to make animal pom poms from mr. printables

these sweet chicks are perfect for easter! easter pom pom chicks from chellsen clan

a pom pom garland like this colourful beauty could be used at parties or in a kids room or wherever! pom pom garland from everything etsy

how cute are these rings? perfect bling for anyone wanting to be fancy! pom pom rings (with video tutorial) from sew crafty kids

i think i may need some of these for myself! love! pom pom hairpins from sugar bee crafts

so, which of these pom pom projects are you going try? i just love the all!

10 fun kids birthday ideas!

January 26, 2014 by mama lola

we are in full birthday fever over here! my bear is turning the BIG 6 and i am in full b-day crafts mode! i am up to my eyeballs in glue, green paint, dinosaur stickers and scraps of paper! haha! we like to make a lot of our own decorations, cakes, treats and invitations, but it is time consuming! whoa! details of bear’s party prep coming soon… but, today i am sharing some wonderful ideas i found while looking for inspirations online.

DIY happy face birthday invitation from bear & lion

sprinkled mini birthday hats from jacks & kate

oreo pops from makoodle

DIY no sew birthday banner from small for big

happy birthday balloon card from the thrifty ginger

felt crowns from kojo-designs

ice cream cake from one charming party

balloon wreath from fast daze

M&M pretzel peanut butter banana’s from the sweet spot blog

DIY pixie/ candy stick from kara’s party idea’s

although we like t get crafty, we do like to keep things on the simpler side of things, that’s why these ideas included here i love! those banana pops are a perfect party munchy, and you could use other nut butters, or nutella if you had guest with a nut allergy. and those crowns, LOVE the bold colours!

valentine’s day sewing crafts!

January 14, 2014 by mama lola

there are so many wonderful sewing projects out there for valentine’s day. i chose ones that i thought my kids, family or friends would enjoy. and, one’s that i thought i would and could actually sew! someone asked me which project was my favourite, but i couldn’t decide, as they are so delightful and lovely in their own way!

paper valentine candy filled hearts from in my own style

valentine’s day love letters from beneath the rowan tree

heart felt bracelets from holiday crafts and creations

zippered heart pouches from purl bee

valentine’s day reverse applique pillow from she said sew

dip dyed mittens from an old sweater from my story: modcloth

XOXO pillows from craftaholics anonymous

time to go see what kind of fabric i have in my stash and get the ol’ sewing machine plugged in and going!

happy sewing!

valentine’s day crafts

January 11, 2014 by mama lola

valentine’s day will be coming up quickly, so it’s good to have some crafts ready for the kids to get busy with.

i’ve incuded some really sweet crafts here; a wreath, some fancy jewelry and even a wonderful heart shaped birdseed treat for our outdoor friends! at our house valentine’s also happens to be bear’ birthday, so we tend to focus on that more. but, i do love to decorate with hearts, so i think i’ll make some suncatchers with my afterschool kids, make some of those pretty jars for our dinner table and o know the boys will love to make the heart bracelets for their friends!

heart wreath from planet forward

bird seed heart from no time for flash cards

heart shaped bracelet from make and takes

beaded heart from toddler craft

paper mache jar candle holder from fabulessly frugal

easy heart suncathcher from happiness is homemade

which craft will you make with your kids?

DIY bird feeder round-up!

January 7, 2014 by mama lola

we here in SW ontario have been having some wild, winter weather. to help out the birds, we have put out all sorts of yummy things for the birds to eat. i know some people are against bird seed and bird feeders, but i think they are wonderful. our whole family enjoys watching the variety of feathered friends that come to visit!

this round-up includes bird feeders that kids can help make. these kinds of projects are a great way to teach children about the natural world. i value my kids’ connection to their surrounding environment greatly and am always looking for ways to help initiate more curiosities with it.

simple orange bird feeder from confessions of an overworked mom

heart shaped bird feeder from alpha mom

classic cheerio feeder from hands on as we grow

milk carton feeder from chic steals

toilet paper roll feeder from a thrifty mom

toilet paper roll feeder with sticks from play from scratch

DIY grapevine suet feeder from the garden roof coop

i have made some of these kinds of feeders before. one christmas i made little bird seed feeders with various holiday cookie cutters, like the heart shaped ones. not sure how practical they are, but lion and i had fun making them and people were delighted to receive them as gifts.

have fun making your own feeder. tweet, tweet!

winter branches.

January 4, 2014 by mama lola

i know many of you might be slightly crafted out from all of the holiday projects, but this is a super easy craft with big effect. my mum taught me how to make these gorgeous winter branches.

MATERIALS:

tissue paper

scissors

green branches (pine, balsam, spruce, cedar…)

white glue

glitter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. cut the tissue paper into tiny pieces. keep in a container.

2. place branches in chosen vase or basket.

3. add glue generously to branches and needles, sprinkle cut tissue paper onto wet glue. add glitter as desired to wet glue. ensure the tissue paper is evenly spread amongst your branches creating a realistic snowy effect. that’s it.

now that christmas is all packed up, these winter branches are a wonderful decorative touch for the first months of the year. i have received so many compliments on my branches!

christmas orange pomanders!

December 14, 2013 by mama lola

christmas pomanders are something i make every year. they are a wonderful gift for others and beautiful decorations in your own home.

they smell like christmas!

all you need to make these are oranges (or clementines) and cloves. i have made pomanders with different patterns; spirals or hearts, so pretty! adding a ribbon is a nice touch as well, just remember to add it first. some people suggest placing a rubber band around the orange to guide in making a straight line. just take a clove and poke it through the rind. it can get painful for your index finger after a bit, but it’ll be s worth it in the end… trust me!

i made a pomender three years ago and it tried beautifully and still smells yummy!