Showing posts with label santa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label santa. Show all posts

Thursday, December 12, 2013

diy: christmas hand print pot holders



this christmas, i wanted to come up with a cute handmade gift for the boys to give to family. these hand print pot holders were pretty east to make, inexpensive and turned out even more adorable than i expected. take the time to try this out before christmas. i know these will be a huge hit with the grandparents for sure and i can't wait to see their faces when they open them. 

supplies:
•pot holders --i purchased these at my local dollar store--they were 2 for $1.
•fabric paint - you can find these in any craft store. the colors i used were:      green, yellow, red, blue, tan and black.
•paint brushes
•a little patience :-)


directions:
for each design, i simply painted the boys entire hand one solid color and then carefully placed it onto the pot holder. be sure to use pressure to ensure a solid print. the only design where the entire hand was not painted one solid color was the santa pot holder. for that design, i painted their hand prints 3 colors to represent the hat, face and beard of santa. here is an example of how their santa hands looked before making the hand print onto the pot holder:



after making the hand prints, allow them to dry fully before painting on the details.



the details can be the hardest part. some of the designs i had in mind ended up being a little labor intensive. in my opinion, the easiest designs are the tree and santa. the most labor intensive was the snowmen...but how cute did they turn out?! 

feel free to use my designs or come up with your own. this project was so much fun and the boys are so excited to give their special hand print pot holders to their family. which one is *your* favorite?
















Tuesday, December 10, 2013

holiday gift-guide: must have stocking stuffers for kids


when it comes time for santa to stuff the stockings it can be hard to think of enough things to fill it with. today we are sharing with you our favorite must-have stocking stuffers of the year. follow our list and you will be finished with stuffing in no time! 



must have stocking stuffers for kids:


loopeez
shoe tying? eventually every parent is faced with the task of teaching their child to tie their shoes. i have been working on helping my first born learn and have had no luck. loopeez works by accelerating the learning process and eliminating frustration. teaching kids to tie their shoes using the loopeez shoe tying system is simple, fun and most of all requires little time to master. the *perfect* stocking stuffer--useful and much needed. 





dvd's make for a great stocking stuffer for kids of all ages. these two awesome ones are our favorites for this season that your littles are sure to love. 











crayola color bath dropz
Kids love these bath dropz. It's fun to color the water a different color daily. Coming in the primary colors red, yellow and blue, I love that my kids can then learn how to mix colors to create new ones like green, orange or purple.






disney figurine sets:

we have gone through countless of bath toys over the years. most of those end up slimy and gross after having water become trapped in them. a couple years ago i switched to these solid disney figurines. the boys love setting them up on the edge of the tub and pretending to be the characters as well as letting them sink to the bottom of the tub and "diving" for their favorite character of the moment, hidden below the bubble bath. the figurines are solid and won't take on water. they are also easy to clean by sticking them in the sink with a mixture of water and bleach. have fun collecting ones from your child's favorite movies or shows. 














ghost island --- choose your own adventure



i remember being obsessed with the chose your own adventure series when i was in jr high. i loved picking what choice the character would make in a given situation and then seeing what the outcome would be. i am thrilled to hear that they now make them in early readers! while my boys are too little to read these alone, they LOVE mommy reading to them and finding out what the end story will be based on their decisions.
  




i was a huge fan of the handheld water games when i was a kid, so i was so excited to find out they are still being made! i can't wait to see if my kiddos love them as much as i did.






chinese jumprope
another classic game of my childhood that i can't wait for my own children to experience. do you remember playing chinese jump rope too?






slingshot flying monkey
this silly monkey is shot through the air like a slingshot. i know it will be a big hit!




lip smackers

fun flavored chap stick is fun for kids of all ages and genders. 








power kids toothbrush

my kids get so excited for a new toothbrush. santa is sure to bring them a new one this year in one of their favorite animated friends. an easy stocking stuffer and, again, something that they need, but still get excited about too.







i am in love with melissa and doug water wow books. the pages are activated with simply water and you use the small re-fillable brush with water to "color" the pages. once dry, the color disappears and they can color over and over again. the water wow books are the perfect size for taking in the car and will make for fun, effortless learning. 






we hope you enjoyed our stocking stuffer must-haves. what will santa be stuffing your kiddos stockings with this year?





Friday, December 2, 2011

friday fun finds: favorite christmas decorations

anyone else as excited as i am about decorating for the holidays? truly my favorite time of the year. here are my favorite christmas decorations of the season---enjoy!


santa mugs




12 days of christmas ornaments

jumbo santa growth chart



Friday, November 25, 2011

friday fun finds: advent/countdown calendars

can you believe that it is already almost december? one of my favorite traditions growing up was the advent calendar---there is something magical about counting down to christmas day. here are some of my favorite advent calendars of the season. if you don't already have one, get one before the 1st so you don't miss a day. enjoy!