The teal-colored pumpkins on stoops throughout your neighborhood are more than just pretty — they have a special meaning. Thanks to the Teal Pumpkin Project , a blue jack-o-lantern signals that a house offers non-edible treats that accom…
When you have young kids, you tend to find inspiration in cute Sharpie Pumpkins or maybe painted pumpkins -- perhaps with a little pastel paint and some glitter glue ? But when your kids get older, it's all about having the creepiest pum…
I'm not one to go all out and decorate my entire house for Halloween, but I do love turning my front door into a showpiece and DIY Halloween door decorations are a simple way to let all those trick-or-treaters know that yep, you're home …
I love the simplicity of brown paper packages tied up with string as much as the next person, but sometimes I'm in the mood for more creative holiday gift wrapping to make my presents really stand out under the Christmas tree or by the m…
Full disclosure: I was at Home Depot the day after Thanksgiving, picking out the perfect tree that I'll probably keep until it's brown and desiccated on Valentine's Day. I've got plenty of space for a gigantic Douglas fir, no family memb…
We're pulling out the Christmas decorations and dusting off the ornaments around here, and I'm realizing that one easy way to spruce up my holiday decor is with a fresh, new tree skirt. But have you ever searched for a modern Christmas t…
While I think using an heirloom Hanukkah menorah that has been passed down from previous generations is a lovely idea, it's also nice to have a menorah just for kids, to help get them as excited about lighting the candles as they are abo…
Houses up and down our street are starting to turn on their holiday lights, and it's beginning to look at lot like Christmas in our neighborhood. My craft-loving kids would like for us to DIY everything holiday around here -- cotton-ball…
One of our most favorite parts of the holidays (no, not presents, though we like those too) are the family traditions we celebrate year after year. There's just something so special about looking forward to our annual holiday rituals, wh…
I, like Buddy from Elf , loooove Christmas. Christmas is my favorite. So once November gets here, I start planning my holiday decorations, meals, and festivities. And one of my favorite ways to kick-off the season is with advent calendar…
Our favorite crafts around here are simple ones that don't require an MFA, and it's a big bonus when we don't even have to head to the craft store for supplies. And if these crafts help us have conversations about the world around us, al…
The holidays are fast approaching, which means it's party season! I'm thinking all about Halloween this week, but before you know it we'll be planning New Year's parties. Not to mention the, oh... 1,285 family birthdays that my family se…
It's officially that time when my kids beg to decorate our door for Halloween and here come our friends from Caravan Shoppe to the rescue! Mom and graphic artist Alma Loveland -- make of the Ollieblocks we can't get enough of -- has just…
Welcome to the no-stress portion of our Halloween coverage, as we track down some of the coolest, most creative no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas that are perfect for kids. After all, for me, Halloween's swarming bats, cackling witches, …
This year, with all five of my nieces dressing up as Star Wars characters, I couldn't think of a more perfect Halloween craft than creating Star Wars Halloween pumpkins together. So I've searched the web for them -- and all of you! -- an…
While I'm not sure I'm ready for my house to look like it exploded in hearts, Valentine's Day is coming sooner than you think. And since my kids' own language of love is craft projects, I've been looking for some easy Valentine's Day cra…
We had the best time over the past month, partnering with Amazon Free Time to throw a couple of fun press and blogger holiday cocktail parties in Philly and Atlanta. Our aim was to give parents a little more me time (Get it? Free Time fo…
I have had such a great time this week looking for ideas for DIY ornaments for the kids. After all, one of my favorite parts about decorating for the holidays is seeing the Christmas tree ornaments my kids have made over the years and he…
Now that it's officially December, I will soon unpack and set up my childhood nativity set, even if our holidays are largely secular nowadays. However after three kids who turned my nativity into a sort of dollhouse toy each year, it's t…
Since I'll be busy in the kitchen next week,I'm going to put my kids in charge of the Thanksgiving table decorations. Craft projects and art are usually a fun way for them to fill their down time when they're home from school, and what I…
Even though I'm still finding Halloween candy wrappers hidden under the couch ( kids! ), I'm keenly aware that December isn't that far away. Which means that it's time to start thinking about which Advent calendar we want in our home to …
As the holiday season gets kicking into high gear , we're reminding ourselves to simplify as much as possible so that we can really enjoy the holidays with our families. That means cutting down the time we spend running -- or clicking --…
We truly love Halloween, which is one of the reasons we start looking for the coolest costumes, spookiest decorations, and most delicious recipes around, oh...July. But we're all busy parents! So if, like us, you still need some last min…
I've seen all these DIY tutorials around the web lately for handmade knot pillows and if you have as well, these images may look familiar. Only after a whole lot of searching and secret sourcing, turns out the original photos are not fro…