It's a Camp Out!

Owen's Camp: a DIY camping party

Since we love camping as a family, I decided that this year was the year to host a camping party for my sons 2nd birthday! Since his birthday is on New Years Eve and his party is in the winter, I had to adapt a lot of outdoor fun to the indoors. But we did! Check it out!! 

Invitation

I created an invitation using Vistaprint. I use Vistaprint for all my invitations. I think they have a large variety to pick out anything and the addition of a picture(s) doesn't cost you. 

Camping Signs

I used cardboard, fallen twigs, construction paper, and a thick Sharpie marker to make these signs. They were simple, and free. And I think they came out super cute!

I used a cable tie to secure the signs to the sticks, but you can also use masking or packing tape. 

Table Centerpieces

I thought marshmallows should be a focal point of the lunch table. So I used a flower vase, more twigs, rocks, and several marshmallows to make a cute centerpiece. I used what we had at home for this item also, making it another free project! 

I then made a fire pit candy dish. I used a square vase, twigs, yellow and red tissue paper, a (luau) lei that my daughter just happened to rip earlier in the day and a small candy dish. I stuck the twigs in the square vase and balled up some tissue paper and cut up pieces from the lei to stick inside too. I then sat the circular small candy dish on the twigs and put more tissue paper and lei pieces around it. It gives the effect that the candy dish is sitting over the fire. I was going to use this as a candy dish, but last minute, I covered the top with cardboard and put condiments on it. It served a better purpose for the party this way! 

I also wrote, in twigs, "Owen's Camp" on a piece of construction paper that I taped onto the vase. 

Goody Bags

Kids expect treats when they leave parties so of course I put together some goody bags with camping "stuff" in it! Check out my finds, thanks to Oriental Trading. 

Are those rubber duckies not the most adorable things?! Oriental Trading has ducks for ALL occasions! I tend to buy a different duck for every party! And the compass is also a flashlight and whistle. I threw in some candy too- lollipops, individual candies, and candy bracelets. 

So now that the party is planned, let's check out the menu!! I wanted the table to be like a huge grill, so I bought metal disposable baking pans to put all the food in. I also made labels for the food. I recycled soup cans to hold the eating utensils and bought camping plates from Oriental Trading. 

Serving Up... 

✔️Chargrilled (hot) dogs

✔️Campfire beans 

✔️Make your own Happy Trails Mix, which consisted of: mini marshmallows, flames (aka Cheetos), M&M's, peanuts, matches (aka pretzel sticks), craisins, and Teddy Grahams. I put out individual baggies so the kids (and adults) could make their own mixes to snack on during the party or for their "hike" home. 

✔️Creamed corn

✔️Hearty greens

✔️Grilled veg

✔️Fruit kabobs 

And for dessert...

✔️Homemade camping cake by my incredibly talented, and patient husband!! 

✔️S'more pops

Now let's check out how the party pulled together! 

"The Campsite"

Story time occurred inside the tent. Here are our fav camping books!

The inflatable fire was a nice faux touch from Oriental Trading. Next to the tent is a "bush" with a parrot in it and a snail in the "dirt." The table is dressed with a red table cloth and set up for a bunch of kids. This table gets its own centerpiece- a fire pit made of 3 paper towel rolls and red, orange, and yellow tissue paper! 

"The Grill"

And table decor

And the S'more pops! 

Check out my hubby's amazing cake! He worked really hard on this and made homemade marshmallow fondant and homemade buttercream icing! A+ for my man!!

Now that the party's over, don't forget the Goody Bags! 

Everything was a hit! House is a mess and that means the kids had fun! The birthday boy and his sis were exhausted after the long day and went right to bed! Parties are fun, even if it's a mommys job to clean it all up!! 

🎉 Always up for a party!!

Gigi 

Trick or (class)Treats

I decided that I wanted Madelyn to take some treats in for her class for Halloween. With all the food allergies, I decided to keep the treat simple, and candy-free. I hit up the Dollar Store and Dollar Buys section at Target for some cheap treats. This is what I came up with. 

Pencils, erasers, stickers, and spooky Halloween rings. I placed them all in a Trick or Treat bag, tied it shut with yarn and called it a treat! I did something extra for the teacher- a Halloween koozie, two Halloween post it notes, and a pencil. Then Madelyn and I wrote "Happy Halloween from Madelyn" on an orange pumpkin (made out of orange paper) colored with a green stem to finish up the treat. I think they turned out adorable! 

What do you have in store for your Halloween favorites? 

Counting Down... 4 more days... 🎃

Gigi

Homemade Halloween - BOO wreath

I like to blog and if I didn't craft, I wouldn't have anything to blog about. I think starting this blog has gotten me motivated to do more crafting, by myself and with my kids. After all, crafting is cheaper than therapy, and we all need therapy! Hope you enjoy my posts!

BOO Wreath 

My inspiration came when I found some medium-small sized, circular foam wreaths at the Dollar Store. I thought about how boring my front door was for the Halloween holiday. After all, Every door needs a little decor, whether it be inside or outside. 

I made my wreath using Halloween ribbon that I had bought at the Dollar Store for other projects. Some of the ribbon was thick and some were thin ribbons. I used three rolls and still didn't  cover the whole thing. I secured the ribbon with sewing pins, which are so easy to use and small enough that they go unnoticed. I then adhered self adhesive stickers and Halloween rings to the wreath as spooky embellishments. I paid $1 for this wreath since I already had the ribbon and embellishments. 

As you see, I stuck a pre-lit tea light in the center to add some light when the wreath goes outdoors. 

While I created this wreath, I thought about how I could make a larger, longer wreath to write BOO. I went back to the Dollar Store and bought another circular foam and two small circles of foam. I didn't like the size of the rectangular foam so I figured I could search my house for something that could suffice.

Here's my crafting stash:

I used the larger circular foams for the "O" in BOO and the two small circles of foam for the body of the "B." I cut the center out of the small circles of foam with scissors. I then found a paper towel roll that I trimmed slightly, to use at the line in the "B." (These foam pieces are "supposed" to be used to secure flowers into a vase - the green ones - and can be found in the craft section of the Dollar Store.) I individually decorated each piece and then secured them all together with yarn hanging from a hanger. Look how cute the project came out! 

Close-up. With pre-lit tea lights. 

This whole project cost me less than $10! It was so simple to make. I can reuse it Halloween after Halloween; It's not like it goes out of style! 

Crafting an original! 🎨

Gigi 

Repurposed Hangers

I have all these hangers in all these sizes from baby to kid to adult. I was thinking about giving a stack to my friend for her baby shower, but I thought that giving a bunch of store hangers to someone for their baby shower would look tacky. Instead, I thought of a creative way to repurpose the hangers and make them beautiful. 

It was really simple and cost me nothing. I used ribbon left over from a previous project, fabric from literally 12 years ago that hadn't been used, and sewing pins and beads I already had too. I wrapped the ribbon and fabric around the hangers and then added a decorative touch using the pins and beads. 

The brown hanger is ribbon, the blue hangers are made from denim fabric and the "I love you" is a lightweight fabric. The ribbon and lightweight fabric were easiest to maneuver and stick pins through. They also kept the shape of the hanger best since they could be pulled tightly around the hanger. 

I used a sewing needle and a very small bead to add the embellishment. 

I'm happy with the end result and I'm definintely adding them to my gift bag for my friends baby shower. It gives a little life to something that was so boring before. 

Gigi

Homemade Halloween- dollar pumpkins redesigned: take 2

Tonight I made two new Dollar Store pumpkins to share. 

I was shopping at Walmart and found this adorable Little Mermaid ribbon and just had to make my little princess a pumpkin too! 

I used two colored ribbons and the Little Mermaid ribbon. The solid ribbons came from the clearance bin at Walmart. Because I wanted to make the pumpkin "fit for a princess," I added self adhesive hearts in all the empty spaces that the ribbon wasn't covering. I also added some white beads in between the hearts. Madelyn came home and was super excited for her pumpkin; she asked if she could have it in her room! Of course!! 

While in the craft aisle, I also saw some buttons that got me thinking about another creative idea for a pumpkin. At first I had picked out different colored buttons and was going to pin buttons all over the pumpkins, but then I saw these letter buttons and had a better idea! 

I bought Halloween ribbon at the Dollar Store and bought sewing pins to attach it to the pumpkin. I also used the pins to attach the letters. I bought plastic rings at the Dollar Store in the shape of bats, skulls, and spiders, and put them on the pumpkin too! Plus, this 50 pack of Halloween rings can be used to fill the gift bags for Madelyn's class at her Halloween party. 

I'm constantly thinking of new and creative ways to decorate these inexpensive pumpkins. I'm also thinking about Thanksgiving and what projects I can create for another holiday! 

Owen's Personal Chalkboard

I hadn't intended for this recycled cabinet door to become a personal chalkboard for my little man, Owen, but it's the perfect size and he seems to love it!

All a toddler needs is some wood, chalkboard spray paint, and chalk to have a little fun! Your toddler can have some cheap fun too! 

Freebie Thursday!

Gigi

Homemade Halloween - lawn signs

When we renovated our dining room in July, we had wood left over from a cabinet we tore out. I thought I could recycle the wood to make a Halloween sign for our yard. I had my very kind and patient husband cut the wood into squares and then cut a long piece into a stake. We spray painted the wood pieces with black chalkboard spray paint so that we could write on the signs. We made the signs double sided. 

My daughter drew some spooky people and wrote a Halloween message on hers.

I decorated one with a spiderweb and spider, another with a ghost and Halloween message, and a third with a tombstone. My husband then screwed the wood to the stake and we plan to stick each sign in the ground. 

I can't wait to see our front lawn when all of our Homemade decorations are up! Because they're homemade and fairly fragile, they won't be put up until Halloween- at both our campsite and our house! Full yard frontals to follow! 

What's your favorite Halloween message?

👻 Boo! 

Gigi 

Homemade Halloween - candy corn candle holder

I got inspired to make this Homemade Halloween craft by my love for candy corn and my love for fall/pumpkin scented candles. So what's better then putting them both together? 

I bought a small square glass container at the Dollar Store. This would have been the perfect opportunity to use a vase or other glass container that I didn't know what to do with to make this craft. But I didn't have another glass container, so I bought one. I then bought a bag of candy corn and started glueing them all over the container. I used plain white glue. I spread the glue all over one side at a time and stuck the candy corn on. I didn't make a specific design, but you surely can to add a little more character to this simply delectable craft! 

I worked on this craft for four days. I wanted to allow enough time for each side to dry before putting the next round of candy corn on. I will say, the candy corn melted and fell off, so when it was all done, there were still repairs to be made. I don't know if there's a better glue (maybe a glue gun) that would have worked better, so please, enter your suggestions to me in the comments section. 

The final display has two tea lights in it. It doesn't let off a lot of light, but it looks pretty cool. A design would probably look really cool as the light would really make that shine. 

This craft is perfect for other holidays too - conversation hearts for Valentines Day, red and green M&Ms for Christmas, chocolate gelt for Chanukah, birthday candles for a birthday; be creative! Creativity is the fun in crafting! 

🎨 Craft Away! 🎨

Gigi 

Homemade Halloween - dollar pumpkins redesigned

This foam pumpkin can be purchased at the Dollar Store for $1. It can be decorated for another dollar. The Dollar Store is loaded with crafts for decorating or you can use what you already have at home. 

I bought some Halloween ribbon and self adhesive foam Halloween pieces to decorate my first pumpkin. These are both available at the Dollar Store. 

The black ribbon is see through with glitter. When I unwrapped it, I wasn't pleased that you could see the orange pumpkin through it, but I am pleased with the end result. Then I put a few foam spiders on the top to make it a little spooky. The ribbon was stapled on (for my convenience) and the spiders at the top hide the staples. 

My second pumpkin was spray painted with chalkboard spray paint. I drew spiders and spider webs on it with white and colored chalk. 

While I haven't completed anymore pumpkins, I have some great ideas for the next batch. 1. Glow in the dark spray paint! I saw this for less than $10 at Home Depot. Those pumpkins would be great to line your walk as trick or treaters came to your door. 2. Duct tape! There are so many new designs of duct tape these days that you could really make a pumpkin covered in duct tape for any occasion. 3. Burlap! As I was told by a shop owner in New Market, VA, "burlap is the new silk." Plus, burlap can be dyed to any color you desire. 

These crafts were done with my 5 year old who enjoyed spending time with me, wearing a smock, and doing a craft. The pumpkins are foam so it's easy to put a hole in them or tear off the stem, so handle with care. Thank you to *A Cultivated Nest* for your blog on "15 Dollar Store Pumpkin Crafts" that gave me the inspiration to create my own pumpkins. 

You can easily make your own pumpkin too! You can redesign an original or carve out the foam for a scary face! Be creative and enjoy! 

Gigi