Looking around our house it’s clear that “stickers” was the perfect theme for Elise’s second birthday party. Last year it was monkeys and bananas but like many kids her age Elise is a sticker junkie — the proof is on our refrigerator, furniture, clothing, floor and pretty much everywhere else. So “stickers birthday,” yeah, she’ll …

(all photos courtesy of  Heather Crosby of YumUniverse) My friend Heather Crosby from YumUniverse and I were two of the lucky 450 (!) to attend Martha Stewart’s Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations book signing and on-stage interview with Susanna Negovan at the Standard Club in Chicago. The venue was posh and very Martha from the …

Thanksgiving is around the corner so I thought I’d round up some of my favorite Thanksgiving free craft project tutorials. First: Some easy ways to dress up your turkey table this Thanksgiving with napkin rings and placecards: – Thanksgiving felt leaf napkin rings free craft project tutorial – Thanksgiving felt and paper leaf placecards free …

I made this teeny witch’s hat Halloween costume for Elise’s best friend and monkey Ooh-ah (her Angel Dear monkey blankie stuffed animal who you might remember from Elise’s Pink Monkey and Bananas 1st Birthday Party Idea and Free Printable Templates). Now I was a bit under the gun doing this the night before so I …

I made these personalized sugar cube wrappers to go along with a bridal shower gift for my friend Debbie. I bought Debbie’s sugar bowl and creamer from her registry (very pretty btw) and filled it with personalized wrapped sugar cubes in her pink and orange wedding colors with her soon-to-be married name: Ten Eyck (yep, …

Today’s indoor craft activity is for toddlers under two years old: it’s a color sorting straw game made out of a recycled oatmeal container. And trust me, it will keep them entertained at home for hours. All you need is an empty Quaker oatmeal canister (or cardboard box), a standard hole punch, a bunch of …

Mini pizzas have quickly become a dinnertime staple at our house. They’re just so cute and easy to make, and Elise can help with the recipe. The final mini pizzas are about 2-1/2 in diameter – perfect for kids to handle on their own or for adults to pop in their mouths amuse-bouche-like. I usually …

This DIY baby wipes container craft will put the finishing touch on your nursery decor. My baby wipes box has become a fixture on Elise’s shelf so I thought why not make it extra pretty? So I decided customize it by covering it with fabric. Here’s what the baby wipes pop-up container tub looked like …

I made this ring holder from a recycled cardboard egg carton as a gift for my friend Debbie’s recent engagement. Would you ever guess that this ring holder was made out of a recycled egg carton if I hadn’t told you? Is this crazy or what? I’ve been eyeing our empty cardboard egg cartons before …

I whipped together this easy but clever hostess gift for my friend Wendy’s ‘Welcome Home’ housewarming barbeque: a potted mint plant with a teabag ‘card’ perfect for summer sun tea. Wendy’s new 3-bedroom Chicago condo has a rooftop deck that’s easily the size of a large outdoor beer garden. No kidding, it’s really that huge …

Here’s how to make a fabric baby gate for the bottom of stairs or between doorways. This DIY fabric baby gate has given me a lot of piece of mind these past months. We tried store-bought safety gates at the bottom of our stairs but couldn’t figure out how to work around our awkward window …

These free printable wedding invitation and round place cards are part of the “Inspiration to Reality: My Modern Clementine” feature at Style Me Pretty in partnership with Bliss Wedding & Event Design and C STUDIOS. The chic design was inspired by 60s geometric bold patterns in black and white, clementine orange, fresh green and gold – …

Make your own oven mitt in less than one hour with my free oven mitt sewing pattern. These DIY oven gloves are just the right size — not too big and floppy — and you can choose to quilt the outside of the oven mitt or leave it nice and smooth. I’ve made them both …

Today’s photo frame craft idea is all about recycling. I used masking tape pieces to cover an old red photo frame that I almost gave away to Goodwill and voila! A whimsical, throwback photo frame for Elise’s one-year-old portrait. Anyone else out there make masking tape vases as kids at camp? At Camp Na-Wa-Kwa we …

My friend Jolyn, the Queen of Handmade Burp Cloths, taught me years ago how to turn regular white burp cloths into posh fabric-covered burp cloth sets in less than an hour. Cute, huh? And oh so useful too – my #1 baby gift criteria. Recently it seems like everyone is having babies and I have …