Keep Fright Night Fun With These 10 Halloween Safety Tips
Spooky decorations, creepy costumes and candy-filled visions spur kids – and often the entire family – into a fun-filled frenzy on Halloween. But don’t let hidden dangers spoil the evening for your ghouls and booys! Here are ten simple Halloween safety and planning tips to help keep fright night from becoming a real scare.
Scare Up Some Fun With the Best Halloween Cake Pans for 2024
No fright-night get-together is complete without a spooktacular Halloween cake. Shopping for skull, ghost, or jack-o’ lantern-shaped cakes? How about a tasty 3D haunted mansion or frosting-oozing brains for your party centerpiece this year? These top-selling Halloween cake pans make it easy to whip up spooky snacks like these—and more. Several top-rated bakeware brands make […]
Thanksgiving Prep: 5 Steps to a Stress-Free Holiday
I love hosting Thanksgiving, I think even more than hosting Christmas, and I have managed to sidestep house prep woes this year – but that has not always been the case! Here’s how I’ve managed to host Thanksgivings for more than 15 people on a working mom’s schedule and in a house that seats, say 12 on a good day.
Video DIY: Set Stylish Holiday Tables on a Budget
Is the party at you house this year? Decorating a festive table doesn’t have to cost a fortune. You can easily set stylish holiday tables on a budget that look like a million bucks! Take a look at these great table settings that are holiday-ready for any type of get together, from casual to festive […]
DIY Budget-Friendly Holiday Gift Bag Ideas
Here are some super easy DIY fun holiday gift bag ideas. They’re fun ways to go green – and even save a little green – when it comes to gift bags this holiday season. DIY Christmas & Holiday Gift Bags Instead of buying new or holiday-specific gift bags this year, why not make your own […]
Video DIY: Make Easy Christmas Ribbon Garland
Here’s a stylish twist to a Christmas tradition. If the kids want to make looped garlands this year, instead of construction paper, give them some sparkly Christmas ribbon. You’ll end up with garlands with a bit more bling – and the kids will love contributing to the decor! Our video shows how easy it is […]
Video DIY: Thanksgiving Kids’ Tables Made Easy with These Simple Tips
Ah, the kid’s table… the spot where, if lucky, you might corral busy youngsters for a whopping seven minutes during Thanksgiving dinner. It’s always just enough time for them to smear potatoes across their face, drop their plate on the floor, then materialize at the grownups’ table just as you’re getting seated… But we can fix that!
5 Easy Ways to Add Color to Fall Decorating with Inexpensive Silk Leaves
Fall seems to be a time of decorating quick-change. Within 60 days, we move from spooky Halloween décor, to russet-hued fall colors, to Christmas sparkle and shine. Add to that holiday entertaining, parties, shopping and kid’s school needs, and the holiday season becomes busy indeed! That’s why I look for easy and quick decorating options, […]
DIY Easy No-Sew Fleece Pillow for Halloween — or Anytime
It’s So Easy it’s Spooky! Two simple polar fleece panels come together without a single stitch to create a cuddly no-sew fleece pillow perfect for crisp fall weather — and scary stories! This is a great family craft project. Anyone who can tie a knot can join in! Match it with our No-Sew Fleece Throw! […]
Easter Decor DIY: Egg-cellent Easter Wreath
Our Easter Wreath is an inexpensive, easy-to-make twist on the classic grapevine wreath and adds a festive Spring-fresh Easter touch to a door or wall. It also makes a great centerpiece on your Easter table as a fun “nest” for a stuffed or chocolate bunny or as a complement to an Easter floral arrangement. Since […]
Cuddle Weather is Coming! Make a No-Sew Fleece Throw to Fight off the Chill
Our no-sew fleece throw blanket and pillow is a quick and easy DIY project to whip up for yourself and a cuddle buddy. We made ours for Halloween, but the options in polar fleece are limitless! You can finds patterns for everything; baby, teens, sports teams, hobbies… you name it. Best of all, you can combine two for a […]
How to Cook Up the Perfect Easter Egg
Decorating and hunting brightly colored eggs tops many Easter to-do list, and it all starts with the simple boiled egg. Here are a few tips for cooking up the perfect egg without cracking shells, and how to keep them fresh so they don’t go to waste after Easter. To boil up the perfect Easter egg, […]
Easter Decor DIY: Fluffy Easter Bunny and Chick Topiaries
Kids will love creating and displaying these cuddly bunny and chick tabletop decorations — and making them couldn’t be easier! These friendly Easter critters are made using simple foam or cardboard cones, fuzzy pom-poms or cotton balls, and a few scraps of fun foam or construction paper. These go together quickly, so you can easily […]
Easter DIY: Egg-Cellent Easter Egg Tulips
Add a touch of springtime freshness to your Easter tabletop with our stylish (and inexpensive) Easter Egg Tulips project. Best of all, kids of any age can help with this easy craft and will be so proud to see their creation on display. In our project, we used styrofoam eggs from the craft store and […]
DIY Holiday Photo Frame Wall Hanging
This easy DIY Holiday Photo Frame Wall Hanging is a fun, easy-to-do craft project and a great gift idea any time of the year. Pick Spring colors and patterns for Easter and Mother’s Day, Patriotic for 4th of July, Bandanas for a western theme, or just use colors that match your everyday style. The variations […]
Fun DIY Fourth of July Centerpiece Adds Kid-Friendly Style to Tables
Add patriotic flair anywhere this Fourth of July with this easy flag finial project. It’s a great Fourth of July centerpiece and a truly KidSmart project that’s tough enough to handle bumps and spills from busy hands. We made it out of decorative pre-drilled wooden post toppers from the home improvement store. And it couldn’t […]
Video DIY: How to Decorate a Table with Calla Lilies
We filmed a series of fun table setting videos for eHow.com recently and our How to Decorate a Table with Calla Lilies creates one of my absolute favorite table looks — elegant Calla Lilies paired with silver, white and green. I think it’s a great look for summer weddings or special occasions… elegant, formal and […]
DIY Confetti Eggs: Fun Twist for Any Easter Egg Hunt
Ever dreamed of cracking an egg over a certain someone’s head? Well, here’s your chance to do it without any unpleasant repercussions. Make some Confetti Eggs! They’re real eggshells in bright colors filled with confetti. Confetti eggs are a fun, kid-friendly twist to any Easter egg hunt – but definitely an outdoor activity! To Make Them, You’ll […]
Video DIY: How to Make Kid-Friendly Christmas Tabletop Tree Decor
Here’s an easy How-To for Christmas tabletop tree decor that sparkles – and holds up to busy kids! With a few foam cones and some colorful felt or cording you can make these tabletop Christmas tree decorations in about an hour or so. Since they’re kid-tough, use them for worry-free decorating on low tables, mantles and even centerpieces. We used inexpensive sparkly […]
Video DIY: Spooktacular Ideas for Kid-Friendly Halloween Decor
Check out these kid-friendly Halloween decor tips and video how-to’s for dressing up mantles, tabletops, and shadowy nooks and crannies — plus some KidSmart ways to add a spooky candle-lit glow to festivities without the scary flames! 1. Start with Kid-friendly, Flame-free Candles and Votives: Battery-operated candles offer the same flickering ambiance of wax candles… without the danger of […]
Video DIY: Kid-Friendly Halloween Decorating Tips and Centerpiece
Here are some kid-friendly Halloween decorating tips and centerpiece ideas that add creepy crawly fun to homes… even those with busy kids. Best of all, we created these budget-friendly Halloween decor ideas using everyday items — like plastic glasses for Halloween votive candle holders; branches and a coffee can for a creepy spider centerpiece; and repurposed everyday […]
Safe Holiday Home Decorating Ideas for Busy Families
Armed with a few safety precautions, decorating alternatives, and a dash of creativity, parents can create fun, worry and hazard-free holiday homes for all to enjoy.
DIY Falling Leaves Thanksgiving Wreath in Fall Hues
This richly colored Thanksgiving wreath is so easy to make, I actually pulled it together one Thanksgiving morning when I realized I didn’t have a door decoration to greet my guests. Luckily, I had wreath form and a bag of fall-hued silk leaves tucked away in the crafts cabinet. I just added a little hot glue, a bow, and voila! […]