The Summer Bucket of FUN!

May 19 | Easy DIY

Say goodbye to the "I'm bored" or "There's nothing to do!" sayings once and for all this summer. Spend half an hour or so gathering supplies for your summer bucket of FUN, and you'll be ready to go with at least 23 activities at a moment's notice.

I’ll be honest in saying that I’m sort of dreading this summer. My oldest daughter will be finished her two days a week preschool and swimming lessons so she will be home a lot more. As with most five year olds, she has a lot of energy and likes to keep busy. Normally this is okay, but the littlest is still napping quite a bit so during this time, we’re stuck at home. (and boredom usually strikes…)

With that in mind, I had to figure something out. Especially since I wanted to figure out some easy activities I could do with my oldest to make her feel like mommy isn’t just around for the baby’s needs.

Enter… The Summer Bucket of FUN!

I’m so so excited about it! This summer bucket of fun is loaded with supplies, mostly from the dollar store, that can be used to create an almost endless supply of activities. I think it’s going to be a hit!

The idea is that when Sienna is looking for something to do, she’ll pull something out of the bucket and we’ll get to work doing something fun. Some of the activities she can do on her own as well. I hope that this bucket will create some fun memories for her and remind her that life isn’t all about her little sister. 😉

Here’s what’s included in the bucket:

In order to complete some of the activities, I’ll have to gather some supplies that I most likely have on hand already. In total, I spent about $25 at the dollar store to fill the bucket, so I think each activity will end up being quite frugal too! (Especially since the list below is only a small list of possibilities!)

Here are some of the possible activities that we can do with the supplies from the bucket:

  1. My Summer Adventures book
  2. Spray Chalk painting
  3. Hand print Octopus
  4. Flip Flop Footprint picture
  5. Bird Feeders
  6. Shower curtain drawing
  7. Rock candy experiment
  8. Ice cream in a Bag
  9. Marshmallow and toothpick building
  10. Nature scavenger hunt
  11. Make a bouncy ball
  12. Go to the library
  13. Paint rocks
  14. Movie night/day
  15. Ice block treasure hunt
  16. Fishing game
  17. Blow bubbles
  18. Chalk drawing
  19. Magazine art
  20. Melted crayon art
  21. Fly swatter art
  22. Decoupage vase
  23. Popsicle stick basket

You can purchase The Summer Bucket of FUN ebook! The ebook includes a list of all the activities, a supply list and instructions for all the activities in one convenient downloadable book! I’ve made it really affordable at only $5.

BUY THE SUMMER BUCKET OF FUN EBOOK HERE.

DIY Twist & Scrub Nail Polish Remover

Mar 22 | Easy DIY

Removing nail polish isn’t one of those things that is necessarily hard to do, but when you’re in a hurry (or you have children who want to do it all by themselves), these “twist and scrub” nail polish remover jars are just so convenient! Just twist and scrub!

No need for cotton balls or drippy messes… just insert your finger into the center of the sponge and twist to remove polish. Perfect for when you want to do a quick polish change.

Here is how to make your own quick and easy version of the store-bought nail polish remover jars:

YOU NEED:

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut 1/4″ off the longest end of your sponges (or more if your Mason jar is shorter)


2. Roll your large sponge piece from short side to short side and place that sponge on top of your other large sponge and roll that sponge around your rolled sponge


3. Push your rolled sponges into your glass jar with the rolled side facing up
4. Cut your scrub sponges small enough to fit in the empty spaces and place into the jar
5. Fill your jar halfway up with your Nail Polish remover


6. When you want use it, shake the jar with the lid on. Take the lid off and stick your polished fingers into the center and twist.

DIY Twist & Scrub Nail Polish Remover

Scented Candy Cane Play Dough

Dec 5 | Easy DIY, Holiday Crafts, Holidays, Homemade Christmas Gifts

This is such a simple gift idea that is inexpensive and a great way for kids to use their imaginations. Here is how to make Scented Candy Cane Play Dough!

This is such a simple gift idea that is inexpensive and a great way for kids to use their imaginations rather than grabbing for the electronics.  Today I would love to share my Play Dough Gift idea…Candy Cane Play Dough!

You can make the Candy Cane Play Dough and give that as a gift… or you can fill a jar with the dry ingredients and let your recipients make the play dough themselves at home. Either way, I think it’s a fun and unique gift idea for kids.

Here’s how to make Candy Cane Play Dough:

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup salt
5-6 drops of peppermint essential oil (or 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup cold water
Red washable paint/watercolor
White glitter

DIRECTIONS
1.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

flour-salt
2.  Add the extract, oil and water and mix until well incorporated.

flour-water

3.  Remove dough from bowl and place on a flat, lightly floured surface. Knead until a soft play dough forms (this takes about 3-4 minutes).

4.   Separate the play dough in half. Set aside one half and place the other in a medium mixing bowl.

dough-balls

5.  Add the red paint/watercolor to the play dough in the bowl and mix until your desired color is achieved. I added about 2 Tablespoons of paint to get a rich red color.

red-dough

6.  Lay both colors of play dough out on your play surface and sprinkle with glitter. Enjoy making candy canes, peppermint “candies”, etc!

glitter-dough

There you have it! A fun and frugal gift idea that kids are sure to enjoy! I’m excited to give it to my daughter, maybe we’ll get to enjoy drinking hot coffee on Christmas morning!