craft » Frugal and Fun Mom/ Mom Blog, Reviews, Giveaways, Family Fun

Review Of The ClosetMaid 9 Cube Organizer! It Helped Me Get Organized for Spring Cleaning!

Apr 202013

Posts may contain affiliate links, for details visit Site Disclosure.

Like this post? Make sure you Share it or Pin-it!

Thanks to ClosetMaid, I was given a 9 Cube Organizer plus 3 Cubeicals Fabric Drawers to review here on Frugal and Fun Mom.

The ClosetMaid 9 Cube Organizer is a shelving system that can hold crafts, toys, CDs, DVDs, office supplies, and so much more. It comes in 5 different colors including white, black, espresso, alder, and dark cherry. In addition, it can be customized by adding colored fabric drawers called Cubeicals.

The Cubeicals provide a way to store loose items in an organized and clean way.

Here is my room before.

I was needing a way to neatly display my kids DVD’s, coloring books, crayons, and other crafting supplies. In the before picture our stuff was intermingled together in totes, boxes, and baskets. The kids had a hard time getting to their items, and would often times forget they even had them. When I walked in the front door of my home, I would see a garbled mess.

Now that their items are in the 9 Cube Organizer, the kids are rediscovering the DVDs they forgot about, and are using the coloring books and play-dough that are now stored in Cubeicals. I was also able to get rid of a few storage items and put them to better use in other areas of my home. Everything is easily accessible, and instead of seeing a big mess, I see a nice organized area.

9 Cube Organizer from ClosetMaid After

Here is my room after.

Getting my kids stuff organized was such a motivator for spring cleaning. As I moved the totes around, I dusted and vacuumed under and behind them. I also ended up flipping the room around, creating a space for our home office, a space for my crafting, plus I set up an area strictly for the kids. Having our own areas in the room makes using this part of the house much more pleasurable.

To learn more about ClosetMaid, their products visit closetmaid.com. You can also check them out on Facebook at facebook.com/ClosetMaid and Twitter at twitter.com/ClosetMaid for organizational ideas.

How do you organize your kids toys? Have you tried any of the ClosetMaid products? If so, which one?

FFM

Frugal and Fun Mom did not receive compensation for this post, but was provided items for free to review. The opinions expressed are that of my own.

21 Valentine Craft Ideas for Kids!

Feb 092013

Posts may contain affiliate links, for details visit Site Disclosure.

Like this post? Make sure you Share it or Pin-it!

Subscribe to the FREE FaveCrafts Quick and Crafty email newsletter and receive the 21 Valentine Craft Ideas for Kids eBook as a welcome gift.

It includes card ideas, a Valentine’s Tree, and crafts made with buttons and ribbons!

CLICK HERE–>21 Valentine Craft Ideas for Kids to get your copy!

Only available for a limited time.

Enjoy!

FFM

No Glue Valentine’s Day Candy Card! A Construction Paper Craft For Kids!

Jan 252013

Posts may contain affiliate links, for details visit Site Disclosure.

Like this post? Make sure you Share it or Pin-it!

On Monday, I had all my kids at home, plus my nephew since school was out, and I wanted to put together a seasonal activity to keep them occupied.

Since Valentine’s is just around the corner, I thought it we be fun to make a No Glue Valentine’s Day Candy Card. It also gave me an excuse to use up some of the leftover Halloween Candy I still had in a bag.

If you are interested in creating this craft as well, here is what you will need:

- Pieces of Pink, Purple, or Red Construction Paper

- Extra Paper to cut a pattern

- Stapler

- Scissors

- Pencil

- Candy

- Items to decorate the card like Crayons and Stickers

How I did it:

I first folded a piece of construction paper in half, drew one half of a heart along the folded edge, and then cut this out. (This will open into a full heart) I then repeated the same step, but made the next heart a little bigger.

I picked different colors for each sized heart and then traced the patterns onto the construction paper. I then cut those out. For example, the large heart was purple, the smaller heart was pink.

I stapled the edges of the smaller heart to the larger one, leaving a space at the top so I could slide the candy in. However, before I put the candy in, I handed over the heart to my daughter (she is 4) an nephew (he is 3) to decorate. They both used crayons and some foam stickers that I had bought for Valentine’s from the previous year.

As for my son, (he is almost 7) I gave him the scissors and all the rest of the crafting supplies, and he cut it out, stapled, and decorated it all by himself.

After we were finished, we exchanged our cards, and I hung them up as a Valentine’s Day Decoration. We had a lot of fun making this, and the kids are already asking if we can do it again. This was a great activity for hand eye coordination and for the kids to use their creativity.

If you do this with your family, I hope you enjoy it!

FFM

Homemade Christmas Ornaments with Beads! A Quick and Simple Kid’s Craft!

Dec 202012

Posts may contain affiliate links, for details visit Site Disclosure.

Like this post? Make sure you Share it or Pin-it!

This Holiday season, my kids and I have really gotten into making homemade ornaments. When I was in school, we made items like this all the time, and I in turn gave them to my parents and other family members. There is just something really special about a present that is original, created by little hands, and truly valued by the giver and receiver.

I remembered making beaded ornaments one year and recalled just how much pride I had in my creation. I decided to share this craft with my children as well.

All you need for this craft is:

scissors
fuzzy sticks AKA pipe cleaners
crafting Tri-Beads, clear or multicolored (Michaels carries these so make sure you print a coupon)
string or ribbon
some creativity

To get started, I looped and twisted the end of the pipe cleaner and set my kids up with beads. I let them decide what colors they wanted and gave them full creative rights. They simply slide the beads onto the pipe cleaner and once it was filled, I wrapped the access pipe cleaner around the loop.

We ended up with very colorful wreaths, but what was also nice is the fact that we could make shapes with the pipe cleaners like bells, diamonds, or hearts. I also cut the pipe cleaners to create stars and snowflakes.

When we were finished, I ran a piece of shiny ribbon I got from the dollar store through the loop so the ornaments could be hung up. My daughter has gotten a kick out of hanging her ornaments on presents for her grandparents.

The possibilities are endless with this craft, and you and your children can be as creative as you like. Hope you enjoy it this Holiday Season!

FFM

Reindeer Candy Cane Craft! A Childhood Favorite and Easy To Assemble!

Dec 182012

Posts may contain affiliate links, for details visit Site Disclosure.

Like this post? Make sure you Share it or Pin-it!

My husband showed up with candy canes the other day, and I remembered how much fun it was to create reindeer candy canes when I was a little girl. I told my kids about it, and they were really interested in making them as decorations.

There are different ways to create these, but I am a firm believer in using what you have (frugal mind). Also, you can make them on the hook of the candy cane or on the back. We did both.

All you need for this craft is:

full size candy canes (unopened)
scissors
piece of white construction paper
glue (non-toxic)
hole punch
red and brown fuzzy sticks AKA pipe cleaners
black pen

You can also use pre-made wiggle eyes and red poms poms for the nose.

To make these, I cut a brown pipe cleaner in half, twisted the half around the top of the candy cane, and formed that into antlers. I then cut a small piece of the red pipe cleaner off, formed that into a small circle, and glued it on as the nose. Finally, I used the hole punch to make 2 eyes, I drew black circles in the middle of each, and glued those on the base of the antlers. I then hung it up to dry.

I left this up as an example for my 6-year-old, and he was able to assemble this on his own. This was so easy to make, and my son wants to keep doing it over and over. I am like “Have at it!”

This definitely brings back memories for me. I hope you and your family have fun creating it and make new special memories together.

FFM

2 FREE Craft Related Classes. A FREE Knitting Class and A FREE Sewing Machine Class!

Jun 302012

Posts may contain affiliate links, for details visit Site Disclosure.

Like this post? Make sure you Share it or Pin-it!

Wanting to learn to be more crafty? Pinterest has really gotten me motivated!

Well right now you can sign up for 2 FREE Online Classes at Craftsy! A FREE Knitting Class and A FREE Sewing Machine Class.

CLICK HERE–>FREE Knitting Class and FREE Sewing Machine Class to get started.

Once you sign-up, head to the Online Classes Tab to select your FREE Classes!

Only available for a limited time.

Enjoy!

FFM

Making Homemade Beaded Bracelets! A Surprisingly Easy Craft for the Kids!

May 242012

Posts may contain affiliate links, for details visit Site Disclosure.

Like this post? Make sure you Share it or Pin-it!

Last week, I went to Michaels to look for beads so the kids and I could make bracelets. And since summer time is coming, I am going to need some activities to entertain these guys.

I ended up finding a kit on clearance for $8.99. It has 4 types of string for the bracelets and a variety of beads. Plus, I picked up some additional items, so I could try my hand at earring making another day.

So I asked each child who they wanted to make a bracelet for, and then set them up with their own beads. My daughter of course wanted to make one for herself so we picked out her favorite colors, pink and purple and I added in clear. I then set up a pattern for her.

My son wanted to make one for his Grandma, so I just cut enough string and let him choose the beads. My daughter who is 3 needed minimal assistance making hers, and my son who is 6 did it all by himself.

Here is my little trick by the way. Cut enough string plus an extra 2 inches so you can tie it easily, and put a piece of tape at the bottom to keep the beads from coming off. You can then remove the tape when you are ready to tie the string. When you are finished, and ready to tie off the bracelet, depending upon the material, you will have to figure out which kind of knot will stay in place better.

If I would have realized how easy this was to do, I probably would have done this project with the kids sooner. Now, I am looking forward to trying my hand at the earring making.

Hope this gives you some crafting inspiration with your kiddos.

FFM

Make Your Own No Glue Valentine’s Special Delivery Box! A Cheap, Fast, and Easy Craft!

Feb 112012

Posts may contain affiliate links, for details visit Site Disclosure.

Like this post? Make sure you Share it or Pin-it!

My daughter has a Valentine’s Day get together on Monday, where they will be exchanging cards, and I thought it would be fun to put together a Valentine’s Special Delivery Box to keep all of her special gifts in.

I am all about convenience and completing a task fast, so this is a no glue project making it ready to use immediately.

I went to Michael’s on Friday and picked up foam stickers with all kinds of heart shapes (at the time they already had the Valentine merchandise on sale, so it was like 40% off or more).

So here is what I used to make our Valentine’s Special Delivery Box:

- A child’s size shoe box (you can use what ever you have)

- 3 Sheets of 8×10 Pink Construction paper

- Foam Stickers

- Crayons

- Tape

- Scissors

I had to put together the box for my 3 year old, because she does not have the skill to do this yet, and not quite ready to use scissors. FYI, depending upon the age of your child, you may need to supervise.

If I could do this over again, I would have the largest construction paper so no cutting would be required. However, I had to improvise, and basically cut enough paper to cover the ends, taped them down, and then covered the rest of the box with a full piece of paper.

I then wrapped the top. (Note: Wrap the box like a present and tape all the loose ends down.)

This is what the box should look like apart.

This is what the box should look like together.

I then handed this over to my three year old and let her do the decorating.

She had a blast and can’t wait for her exchange on Monday.

I hope you enjoy this project as much as we did.

At Home Moma

O is for Octopus. Learning the Letter O Craft.

Jul 252010

Posts may contain affiliate links, for details visit Site Disclosure.

Like this post? Make sure you Share it or Pin-it!

Want to teach your kids about the letter O. Here is an easy craft that you can do at home. Most of the items needed for this craft may already be lying around.

You will need:

The inside of a toilet paper roll
Paper, construction or printer paper
Glue
Tape
Stickers
Scissors
Imagination

As always, you may need to observe your children, and monitor the glue or the usage of the scissors. Better to be safe than sorry.

To start the craft:

First, remove all leftover paper from the outside of toilet paper roll.

Next, put glue all over the roll and put the top of the paper to the top of the roll, leaving half of the paper off the end. Cut any access off the side.

Now, put a piece of tape along the seam of the paper to the end of the roll.

Finally, cut 8 legs with the scissors.

The rest is up to the kids. They can draw eyes and decorate it with markers. If you have glitter or macaroni, they could glue them to the Octopus. Let the creativity flow.

The way I finished this craft was to have my son draw Os on a blue piece of paper, and let the Octopus swim in a sea of Os. You could also use this as a way to learn the number 8. Your Octopus could swim in a sea of 8s.

I hope you and your kids enjoy this craft as much as my family does.

At Home Moma