Month: October 2018


Oct
2018

Friday Favorites #31

categories: Everyday Life

It’s Friday!

We have had a great week around here! Everyone in my house is PUMPED that starting next week, the Halloween costumes get to officially come out. I have been asked approximately 7,865 times since we bought them if they can start wearing them around. Since September. They are excited to finally wear them. I am excited to not have to hear the whining about it anymore. Everybody wins. 😉

I’m linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea with a random list of Friday Favorites this week – which if you ask me – is the best kind of Friday Favorites anyway. 

So last week right as I was working on my Friday Favorites post actually, this happened to my computer.

I was not pleased. Mostly because my computer is only four MONTHS old. After it cycled through this during the entire afternoon and evening, I had to wipe my computer completely clean to get it to boot.

Now. I’m one of those annoying people who this has happened to before and I’ve lost my mind because I don’t back up my files. When I opened up my Etsy shop, my husband convinced me that we needed to get an automatic backup software. And you guys, this past week IDrive saved my life. This HAD to be one of my favorites this week because I didn’t lose a single file when I had to unexpectedly wipe my computer clean. It had run every night for the past few months, saved all my files and I didn’t even have to tell it to back up. 

They have a deal going right now that your first year of back up is only $6.95 and clearly ours has already been more than worth it. Even if you just have family pictures or pictures of the kids you don’t want to lose? Check this out! (NOT affiliate!)

My favorite Etsy store listing this week is this cute transportation set!

Perfect for any car, plane or boat loving little boy (or girl!). We may have a few of those in my house. Available in physical or digital prints and a variety of colors! Like my page on Facebook for sales and coupon codes!

My oldest is in second grade this year and he’s having a hard time adjusting to the focus being more on school work than on fun. He’s a creative, artsy kid and there aren’t as many opportunities for that this year as there were in first grade and kindergarten. It’s been a challenge to motivate him to read to us (as his homework) after a long school day and I was struggling to find something that he was excited about reading! He was choosing books that were beyond his difficulty level and getting understandably frustrated.

We found these Magic Treehouse books and they have been amazing for him. The series follows a boy and a girl who travel to different points in time on secret library missions. The books are 10 chapters and each one deals with a different historical event. We are reading one right now about the Titanic and just finished one about the Ancient Olympics. He is loving them. They would even be great as a beginning chapter book to read to younger kids too. Plus there are 50 of them so we have a ton of material to work our way through! Love, love Magic Treehouse! If you have a kiddo around this age, I bet they will love them too!

We have a very thin wall in our entryway that I have never been able to figure out what to do with. I was at Hobby Lobby the other day, saw these letters and loved this idea!

I love that you can see it from the outside when our front door is open! It’s a perfect fit for this space.

Also… tell me I’m not the only one who does this at Hobby Lobby? Haha!

It’s no secret on here that Josh and I are huge Survivor fans. Season 37 started a few weeks ago and it does NOT disappoint. If you haven’t seen Survivor before, you need to. All seasons are available on CBS All Access and a bunch are available to stream on Amazon Prime. Clearly it’s a great show if they are on their 37th season! Settle in for some binge watching because once you start, it’s hard to stop!

Where are all my fellow Survivor fans?

Also, we have 2 weekends left for Halloween fun and if you are looking for some crafts to do with your kiddos – check out this post I wrote for Twiniversity. Four super simple crafts with things you probably already have at home. Plus, you’ll see some familiar faces in the photos!

Hope you have a great weekend!


Oct
2018

Handprint Pumpkin Keepsake Art

categories: DIY

Happy Friday everyone! And Happy October!

Despite the 87 degree temperatures here in Iowa on Wednesday, we are all about the fall fun in our house lately. We tried out a brand new pumpkin patch this year and for once managed to go at a time when the crowds were low.

The boys are finally all the perfect age to enjoy every activity and had an absolute blast. Josh and I almost didn’t know what to do with ourselves because we’ve had babies or small toddlers that needed constant help for the last 6 years!

Our kids are also at awesome ages for baking and crafting little Halloween decorations. We made these adorable suncatchers with contact paper, leftover party streamers and construction paper.

And these Jack O’Lantern luminaries with old (clean) milk jugs, a permanent marker, and orange Christmas lights.

But I’m here today to talk about my favorite thing we’ve made so far! A handprint pumpkin keepsake plaque! I’m a sucker for handprint art – we all know how fast our littles grow – and I never want to forget how teeny tiny their hands were! This plaque is super easy to make and you can look back on it for years to come.

You need:

Ceramic Plaque (I found mine at Michael’s craft store but they are only sold IN store)

Paint – any kind

Paintbrushes – fine tipped

Pencil and eraser

Permanent marker in desired color for writing

1- Paint the face and sides of your plaque the desired background color. Don’t worry about streaking or making it perfect. Some pieces will be covered up and the rest of the imperfections give it character! Let dry.

2) Lightly paint your child’s palm and fingers. Don’t glob on the paint or the handprint will be difficult to see. Position the plaque in a sturdy place. Ask your child to spread out their fingers as best they can and gently place the hand onto the plaque. Carefully press down each of their fingers and lift their hand straight up. (I flipped ours upside down so our pumpkins would be larger on the bottom than on the top. You can decide how you want yours to look!) Let handprints dry.

3) Use a pencil to draw on your writing and details. Erase as needed with a regular eraser.

4) Paint over using one color at a time. The material of the plaque allows paint to dry very quickly but I still waited a little while in between each color to make sure I didn’t smear any wet paint. Use permanent marker for any writing and for writing your child’s name and age near their handprint!

5) Once finished, erase all leftover pencil marks and display on a small easel!

These little hands grow so fast! I love having their prints in memory form so I can always remember how tiny they once were.

Update 2021: This year, there is even more Fall Fun Printables for your littles for you to choose from! Click the photos or links below to head to my Etsy shop for these expanded choices! $3 instant download! Our sweet kiddos love these fall themed coloring pages and activities.

Fall Coloring Pages and Activities Pack – Instant Download!

Fall Activity Worksheets Pack – Instant Download!

Happy Fall!