Tag Archives: DIY

Christmas Activity: DIY Wrapping Paper

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Looking for a different way to make your Christmas gifts even more special? Try this DIY Wrapping Paper. I promise your family and friends will love getting their gifts wrapped in paper that’s made with love. And… your kids will be really proud of themselves when they show it off to them too.

Making our own wrapping paper is a big Christmas Bucket List item for us. We did it her first Christmas and now it’s become a fun tradition. I know my parents always look forward to seeing her wrapping paper. This year, she made it for her friends at preschool. I’m sure we’ll be doing this Christmas Activity more than once this year.

Maybe this can become a fun tradition for your family too! Here’s what you’ll need to make your own wrapping paper:

  • Brown craft paper
  • Paint
  • Paint brushes
  • Cookie cutters

This activity is super simple in the best way. You get to let your child be as creative as they want to be. PLUS, they get to be messy too! I think all kids like that aspect of that.

To set up, all I did was lay out brown kraft paper, pour paint on a separate paper plate, and laid out her tools (paint brushes, cookie cutters, bingo daubers). She did everything else all by herself. I would also suggest laying trash bags down if you want to keep your surface clean.

I played Christmas music and had Mila explain to me what she was drawing. The one section was a whole scene with people. It’s fun to hear their thought process.

After they’re done creating, just let your wrapping paper dry.

Then, just wrap your presents like normal. I tried to get Mila to paint more in the middle so you could see the design. We also love to add yarn and ribbon to make presents even more special.

Mila was super proud of her wrapping paper. It’s so unique. We’ve done it every year and each year it looks so different. It’s a great way to capture her growth. It also feels like a present within a present when you give to others. I love gifting her artwork and this is a fun way to do that while being useful too!

Even though we normally do this for Christmas, I’d love to do it for different birthdays or holidays.

Let me know in the comments…

Have you ever made your own wrapping paper? OR what recycled products do you use for wrapping paper?

Easy Reindeer Pretzel Bites

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Christmas and baking go hand-in-hand. Cookies are great, but these Reindeer Pretzel Bites are easy into make and oh so tasty!

You only need three ingredients and I’ll guarantee Santa will be happy on Christmas Eve.

I actually made these Reindeer Pretzel Bites for Mila’s preschool class. They’re a perfect snack! I only had three reindeer bites per student and filled the rest of the bag with pretzels. It’s great since the kids don’t get all the sugar if they had a bag full of these.

Anyways, here’s all you need for this recipe:

  • Mini pretzels
  • Rollos
  • Red and brown m&m’s

These are a lot of fun to make and Mila got to help a lot!

First, preheat your oven to 250 F.

I would suggest taking the foil off of all the rollos before baking. When I was doing this, Mila picked out the red and brown m&m’s. This small activity that helped me was great for her motor skills and talking about all the colors.

Once the foil was off and colors were separated, we lined as many pretzels as we could on a lined baking sheet.

Then, put rollos on top of the pretzels and bake them for two minutes.

Once they’ve been in there for two minutes, press the m&m’s into them. This is a little tricky. I would suggest holding the pretzels while pushing them down.

Then, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes to set them.

These were a lot of fun to make and were pretty tasty too. I stole a few of them after I knew her classmates were covered.

To make these super cute, I added a Christmas tag to the bag and sent them on their way.

I would definitely suggest making these and would be perfect for a holiday party. You could put them in a big bowl and they’d be a hit.

What do you leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve? Or what’s your favorite holiday dessert?

Preschool Activity: Nativity Popsicle Stick Craft

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The Nativity is a story a lot of people know and learn about around Christmas time. If you’d like your toddler or preschool to know this story, doing this Nativity Popsicle Stick Craft is a way to help them remember it and make it fun too.

As you might know if you’ve been following along with our story is that Mila is in preschool. Her preschool talks a lot about Bible stories.

I don’t necessarily talk about one religion at home. We talk about how people believe in all kinds of different things and none of it is wrong. My personal beliefs stem from different religions and readings, I’ve written about them in previous posts.

No matter what I believe, I want Mila to be able to make her own decisions. Right now, she’s asked a lot of questions about Jesus and Bible stories. So, we’re reading and doing activities with what she’s curious about.

Mila loves baby Jesus. Every time she sees a Nativity set up she says, ‘awww. Look at the baby.’ Then she names everyone.

It definitely made me want to do this activity with her even more. After a trip to the store, we got everything to create our interpretation of her favorite scene.

Here’s what you’ll need to create this book and craft pairing.

To start this activity off, we read the book with each other. She let me know she knew all the characters and that Jesus was born in a manger.

After reading, it was time to start making the scene.

We first wanted to make the manger. All we used was popsicle sticks and glue. We ended up using big popsicle and it took five across for the base. We used a smaller popsicle stick to connect it together.

Then for the floor of the manger, we used one big popsicle stick across it on the bottom. For the roof, we just crisscrossed them on the top.

Next we made Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus.

Again, we used popsicle sticks. For Mary and Joseph we decided to use big ones and for Jesus we used a small one. To get the correct length, we just cut them with scissors.

To make them look like they had clothes, hair, and accessories, we used yarn. You could use any color, I think ours turned out really cute.

Then, glue them down on the manger.

After that, make a star out of pipe cleaner and attach with glue.

You could stop here, but we decided to make this an ornament. To do this, we just glued on another piece of yarn so we could hang it.

Mila was SO proud of her hard work on this piece. She loved seeing this family together and talking about what she learned at preschool. I am so happy she can always let me know what she’s learning about.

This craft is so much fun for kids of all ages. I hope if you make it, you have as much fun as we did!

What’s your favorite Christmas book or story to read? Let me know in the comments.

Also, if you make this craft/ornament, tag me on Instagram or Facebook (@greyskies.rainbowhighs).

Easy DIY Teacher Christmas Gift

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It’s the season of giving! To give back to Mila’s teachers, we decided to do an easy DIY gift I think her teachers will love. Made with a lot of love and something to remember her when they bake, we came up with this ‘smart cookie’ bundle.

Since Mila is in preschool and has three classroom teachers, I needed a gift that was simple to put together and not super costly. Instead of just doing a mug with hot chocolate, I thought of what Mila and I love to do during Christmastime: make cookies!

A quick internet search led me to the little quote on the pot holder and it all came together!

All I needed for this Easy DIY Teacher Christmas Gift was:

  • Pot holder
  • Whisk
  • Chocolate chip cookie mix
  • DIY Ornament
  • Cricut
  • Sparkly iron on vinyl
  • Fluffy yarn

The most tasking part of this DIY gift was making the pot holder. If you have a Cricut and know how to use it, you should be golden.

My friend made me the image and I did everything else. Thank goodness for friends who can help out (thanks Dana!). If you don’t know how to use a Cricut or don’t have one, I’m sure a friend or family member would be willing to help out. There’s also a ton of different pot holders on Etsy you could quickly order… but it’s seriously easy to DIY.

One issue with ironing this design on was all the stitching. I had to really maneuver it and press really hard for it to stay on. Once it got on there, I think it looked really cute. I’m so glad I had the glitter vinyl at home!

I bought the cookie mix and whisk, but I DIY’d the ornament.

All I used was cardboard, a hot glue gun, and fluffy yarn. I’m going to do another in-depth blog post in the next few days about these DIY ornaments. You could also purchase one or make another type of DIY one.

When we actually give these gifts to Mila’s teachers, it’ll be easy to wrap up and hand to them. I love how it all looks together and I just used an extra piece of yarn to complete it. This could also be done with an oven mit. The items would just sit in it instead.

Some extra things we’re going to add that aren’t pictured here are little paintings from Mila in a Christmas card. She is adamant about making them something, so that’ll be a fun project.

This Easy DIY Teacher Gift is perfect for busy parents who want to make their teacher gift special without breaking the bank or being SUPER creative. Hopefully this will give you some inspiration and take a little stress off of you this holiday season.

Wondering what to get other people in your life? Check out these two gift guides I made this year:

Let me know in the comments what your go-to teacher gift is. OR if you’re a preschool or elementary school teacher, let us know what you’d like to receive or what would be helpful. I’d love to know more things to get in the future for Mila’s educators.

DIY Christmas Ornament Garland

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DIY’ing and Christmas go hand-in-hand. So, we’re adding a little sparkle and pink to this season with this DIY Christmas Ornament Garland.

Mila and I love glitter and all things girly. This garland felt like it belonged in our home.

The best part of this DIY is you can personalize a DIY Christmas Ornament Garland to your style and it’ll be just as cute! Plus, I spent around $25 dollars for everything you see here. I think that’s a great deal for something that was easy to make and perfect for our family.

Everything you see here (minus the first ornament on the left) comes from Target. It consists of:

  • Ornaments
  • Flocked Garland
  • Tree Pick (Christmas Tree Filler)
  • Yarn/Ribbon

On Black Friday, I found most of these items at Target. They had most of their ornaments for $3, which are so cute! We love pink and have a ton of it in our home, so I knew it was a good purchase. The selection Target had was perfect. There were inclusive pieces and different textures that had to go home with us.

The flocked garland is probably 5 foot long. I wrapped it through these hooks and folded it back to make it look thicker. Then I put in the metallic tree pick for a fuller look too.

After it was up and placed how I liked it, I just started adding ornaments. To make some of them look longer, I used ribbon or yarn.

I love the layered look and how everything meshes together.

Not only do I love how it turned out, it only took me twenty minutes to make. It’s a simple, statement piece that I’m proud to have in my home.

I know that any person can something similar with ornaments that they love.

How do you decorate for Christmas? Classic reds or green? Or do you have your own style with it?

DIY Thanksgiving Gratitude Sign

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This year, I’m trying to start a new tradition with my family: a DIY Thanksgiving Gratitude Sign.

Since there’s been so many events, people, and things in general that have happened in our family, I thought it’d be special for everyone to write it all out. It’ll be a snapshot of gratitude.

Who doesn’t need a little dose of that?

Like this year’s Christmas Bucket List, our DIY Gratitude Sign only uses craft paper and markers. To make it a little more special, I used some left overs fall elements from a centerpiece.

Then, just add tape to the back and it’s ready to go.

I added the first three items to the list: family, health, and laughter.

After looking at it, I decided to add my name to the sign too. Hopefully all my family will so we can all see what everyone says.

I think this will be a beautiful tradition for my family. It’s something I want to do with Mila as she gets older. Even if she’s not in a positive space, I want her to know that I’m always thankful for her. Plus, sometimes the things you’re most thankful for are ‘small.’

This simple and easy to make gratitude sign will make a big impact on Thanksgiving Day.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and holds their loved ones close this year and for as long as they can.

With that, I know so many people grieving through the holidays. They are so hard. I miss Jensen everyday and am so thankful that he was in my life. No matter if you can’t think of anything else to be thankful for, I know a name can be powerful. Write and say your loved ones names.

I know anytime I hear Jensen’s name, I’m so thankful others are thinking of him. I’ll never be able to thank him and Mila for choosing me to be their mom.

How do you talk about gratitude during the holidays? Do you have a tradition like this? Let me know in the comments.

Bingo Marker Turkey Craft

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Quirky Turkeys don’t always have feathers, sometimes they have spots. At least that’s what Mila says. This easy craft is perfect if you run out of feathers or just want to give your child a simple turkey craft.

Plus, It turns out really abstract, which makes this one of my favorite turkeys of the year!

As I’ve said over and over again, I try to find crafts and activities that are easy for Mila to do by herself. This gives me time to clean or cook a dish for Thanksgiving. It also promotes her being independent and in turn it helps her with her confidence. Little ones need all the confidence to get by in the world.

For this activity, we only used a few things. That means it was SUPER simple to set up for her… and me!

Here’s the things we used:

To start off, I made a turkey head and face. I used cardboard from a box, googly eyes, and random scrapbook/construction paper that I had leftover. Your child could have also made a turkey face too.

Then, I unscrewed the tops of the bingo markers and told her to make the turkey’s feathers with them.

I actually love using bingo markers in crafts and activities. They aren’t very messy, unless your child goes wld with them. They also are pretty cheap. I found these at the dollar store and we’ve had them for quite a while. Plus, there’s a lot of different colors you can find!

The only other thing I instructed Mila to do was to fill up the background. You could also have your kids sort the colors or do different numbers of dots for more learning.

When I look at her last quirky turkey of the year, I keep seeing a rainbow in the background. I don’t think she meant to do it like this, it just feels really symbolic. All her turkeys this year have been so great. As always, I’m just so proud of her.

This is another activity you can easily do before Thanksgiving or on Thanksgiving Day. I hope if you do, your child loves it as much as Mila did!

What are your favorite turkey or Thanksgiving inspired crafts? If you have any links, please feel free to post them in the comments. I’d love to share and maybe do them next year too!

If you’re looking for more crafts that Mila and I have done for Thanksgiving, here they are:

As always, I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and are able to spend time with their family and friends!

Thanksgiving DIY: “Turkey” Feather Headband

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Since Mila loved her Googly Eye Headband at Halloween, I knew she needed the perfect hair accessory for Thanksgiving.

With a little imagination and a lot of feathers, I came up with a Turkey Feather Headband.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again here, feathers are to Thanksgiving as eyes are to Halloween. They make all Thanksgiving crafts and activities just a little more special. The best part of each… they can both be found at dollar stores!

Another similarity… I got almost all of the items to make this headband at the dollar store too. Everything besides the yarn!

  • Feathers
  • Fluffy kitty headband
  • Hot glue/gun
  • Yarn

To start, I took off the ears of the kitty headband and hot glued them back on. I put them bottom on the band and close together. This way the feathers stick up.

Then I wrapped the band and the ears with yarn. This took a little bit of time, but make sure to use hot glue where the yarn starts and stops. I didn’t have to hot glue the entire time. Thankfully because that would have burnt my fingers.

After it’s covered in yarn, I stuck feathers in by the ear part through the yarn. I made sure to add a little hot glue so the feathers didn’t fall out.

I ended up using a ton of feathers, especially since I covered the front end back of the headband. At first I just had the front done, but I think having both made it more complete and full looking.

When Mila saw it, she instantly fell in love! Of course she wants to wear it to preschool one day this coming week!

I’ll try to make a clip with a few feathers too.

Maybe now she’ll want to dress up for Thanksgiving Day. We usually take a cute outfit AND something comfortable to wear. Especially after eating all the turkey!

No matter what, I think this Turkey Feather Headband will be making an appearance.

Let me know in the comments whether you dress up or down for Thanksgiving. I’ll let you know what Mila ends up deciding to do.

Santa Christmas Countdown

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There’s thirty-six days left until Christmas! We’re getting so close to advent season and counting down to Christmas everyday.

Although we have our normal candy one, this year I thought Mila and I should make another.

Say hello to the Santa Christmas Countdown.

With a square wood piece and a little paint, this Santa Christmas Countdown came to life.

The transformation of this piece is adorable. It started with just paint, then numbers, and each day it’ll be filled with cotton balls.

After filling it up, it becomes Christmas decor for years to come!

I love how easy it is and that Mila loves the idea of filling his beard in. Although I’ll just have her use regular glue for the beard, I’ll go back in and add hot glue so it stays on there.

Didn’t it turn out amazing? I love each step of it, but the cotton balls are my favorite. The added texture just makes it so much warmer and jolly. Just like Saint Nick!

You could DIY this Santa Christmas Countdown OR you could just have me make it for you.

I have a Santa Christmas Countdown listing ready to go on my Etsy shop or you could message me too. Either way, I love this piece so much that I wanted to share it all with you!

Let me know in the comments… Do you have an advent calendar every year? If so, what how do you countdown to Christmas?

Halloween DIY: Googly Eye Headband

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A smile is the best accessory a girl can wear… but a Googly Eye Headband is the spookiest.

Mila absolutely loves accessorizing for school, dance class, and everything in between. We had to make something a little creepy for Halloween week! This Halloween DIY was a fun one to make and made a huge statement too!

To make our Googly Eye Headband, we just needed three things… I found everything at our local dollar store:

  • Fluffy Kitty Headband
  • Hot Glue
  • Googly Eyes

First, remove the ears off of your cat headband. Mila’s were easy for me to take off. I just had to tug at them a little bit. They didn’t negatively impact the headband either!

Next, glue the two ear together to make a diamond shape. Be careful here, you could burn your fingers.

Then, start gluing googly eyes down.

I didn’t do it in a specific order. Just where I thought the different sizes should go.

Once the diamond shape was completely covered, I glued it to the headband. To make it more cohesive, I added a few googly eyes directly to the headband too.

After everything was glued down, I made sure to take off excess glue that stuck to the eyes and headband. I ended up adding a few more eyes on it too when it was put together.

Mila LOVED how it turned out and has worn it a couple of times already.

I think it would be perfect for a witch’s costume, if your child wouldn’t want to wear a hat. It might be cute for a monster costume as well.

My favorite way Mila’s worn it was with a Halloween shirt to school!

The headband doesn’t get weighed down by all the eyes and Mila had hers on for the entire day.

This simple Halloween DIY is a fun way to add a little spooky to your every day outfits. You can easily pick up these items at your local dollar store too!

I hope you and your little ghoul love this accessory as much as we did!

What’s your favorite wearable Halloween outfit or accessory you’ve made for either you or your child?