Nanny to Mommy

Nothing shows you care more than homemade cards. We take a look at some key tips for creating beautiful cards of your own.

Despite our rapidly growing digital world, Americans still collectively buy over six billion greeting cards each year. The extra touch of adding a personal message for a gift's occasion isn't going away.

With the countless options to choose from at every drugstore and retail shop, it can sometimes be challenging to find a card with the right expression. Most of us begin cherishing the thoughtfulness of greeting cards as we get older.

While we scramble to find something to wrap, many times a card can stand alone as the perfect gift when made with our own hands and imagination. Keep reading for five key tips in creating homemade cards of your own and how to sign a birthday card.

Everyone makes tie dye shirts for vacations and while I love a good matching family photo, last year we decided to make some tie dye beach towels with some old cheap towels. They have been such a huge hit! It was not only a fun warm weather activity, but it is something that we get asked about wherever we go. And with the weather warming back up and everyone ready to start float down a river, I thought I would share this fun family friendly activity.

Sometimes we want something so bad, that we forget to soak in and enjoy the wonders of life happening around us. Written by New York Times best-selling author Alan Lightman, in collaboration with Olga Pastuchiv, "Ada and the Galaxies" explores how interconnected the natural world is.

Ada is like so many children. Her focus is so much on seeing the stars, that she almost misses the wonders around her. That single-minded determination and disappointment when it doesn’t come to fruition is something all parents and children will identify with. There are even adults who are like this as well.

This Scrunchie Valentine Free Printable was created for every VSCO girl. And while I love creating these easy FREE printables for you to enjoy, I do include affiliate links where I make a small commission each time you make a purchase, but you still pay the same low price.




With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I was trying to think about what my daughter and I have created together for her to hand out to her class mates. From everything to a homemade Unicorn Valentine Box to easy, no fuss printables. This year I wanted to create something trendy that I knew she would enjoy handing out. Plus I am always trying to think of new non-candy Valentine ideas that kids or even teenagers will actually enjoy.

When I was trying to think about what to make with my daughter for our annual Valentine school handouts, I tried to think about the things she likes. As she thinks being a VSCO girl is the new hip thing (she is only in third grade after all), she loves her Hydroflask, saving the sea turtles one metal straw at a time, and of course scunchies. So I thought, why not create a cute printable for my readers that would make the perfect, non-candy school hand out.

First of all, what is a VSCO girl?

Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Looking for a non candy kids valentine idea? I have been trying to be a little creative each year with my kid's school valentines. This is a craft idea that you or your child can do because it is an easy printable! Squishies are all the rage in our house so I thought, why not create something that my children's whole class would enjoy! Plus I have made it into an easy, cute printable that you can enjoy with your loved ones too.

This was originally posted on 1/20/2019.

My daughter is obsessed with slime videos and has been asking to make it for such a long time. I finally searched How to Make Slime and realized it was SO easy! Especially since Elmer's makes Glow in the Dark glue!

So since we had so much and it is still all the craze, I decided to share an easy Glow in the Dark Slime Recipe without Borax! Make sure to let me know in the comments if your kiddos like slime as much as mine do! And if you have any tips or tricks of making your own slime since we are still very new to the process.

If you are looking for a green shirt (or hat, socks, etc.) to wear for St. Patrick's Day and you are coming up short (and no one wants to get pinched), then you can make a relatively inexpensive one with most things that you probably already have on hand with this fun Tie Dye shirt tutorial! Tie Dye is becoming popular again, just like so many trends from past generations, and this is a fun activity for the kids to get involved in too! St. Patrick's Day is a great day to teach and celebrate Irish culture.

My daughter was so excited when I told her we were going to tie dye shirts that she would NOT let me forget! She kept asking "when is St. Patrick's Day?". And when I let her know that St. Patrick's Day is March 17th, she made it very clear that she was counting down the days. She is a hoot! So here is what we did for our tie dye shirts. We went with a spiral because I think it looks the coolest, but there are easier designs as well as some more complicated ones if you do a little search, like maybe "Tie Dye Shamrock". This Tie Dye Tutorial uses vinegar and food coloring which can be a safer alternative if you want to include your kiddos in on this activity. These ingredients are usually found around the house in a pinch, but remember that your colors may not be as vibrant as using fabric dyes.

Whether it’s the birth of her child, her birthday, her first Mother’s Day or “just because,” the new mom in your life deserves a gift that will make her feel special and appreciated. New moms are often somewhat forgotten about in all of the excitement surrounding the precious new life they brought into the world, but by making her a heartfelt gift, you can ensure that she will know just how much she means to you.

There are a lot of great things about becoming a parent, but life as a new mom can be hard. It’s often quite lonely, too, once the initial excitement of bringing home a brand-new baby has worn off. If you are looking for gift ideas for a special occasion or you would just like to do something special to brighten the new mom in your life’s day, here are a few DIY gifts that she is sure to love.

My son is in kindergarten this year and the 100th day of school is coming up. He was assigned a project to complete a shirt with 100 items on it. When my daughter was in kindergarten, they asked all the littles to dress as a 100-year-old. It was too cute. I like the idea of the shirt a little better from an educational aspect because it got my son to count in groups of ten. This helped him with his counting and with his small motor skills. Since I had a search party on Pinterest trying to find ideas of what to do for our "100th Day of School" Shirt, I thought I would share some of my favorites here and you can also check out our creation too!

These ideas are super easy and very affordable. I bought my shirt for a little over $2 at Michael's Craft Store. I will try and link any related items that are inexpensive from Amazon. I remember taking 100 pennies and pasting them to a piece of cardboard sitting in my grandmother's kitchen with my cousins. We lived with my grandmother for a little while when my mom went back to school after my parent's divorced when I was five. I remember it feeling like it was taking SO LONG to count to 100. That's why I suggest the 10 by 10 method. I also only included easy and inexpensive DIY ideas because the idea was to be a project that a preschooler or Kindergartener can handle, but you could use Patches4Less as well. If you are looking for something that is great for groups, can be outsourced and is affordable and customizable check out these custom chenille patches by UltraPatches. If it wasn't a project, then there are tons of handmade shirts made with Cricuts online too.

If you also want to complete these fun custom tee shirts ideas, then try bulk custom T-shirts, not only can you customize the material needed for the event for easy modification, but you can also print the school's logo and let the students design their own designs on the shirts, and you can also wear the designed creative shirts on your body, and the kids will surely feel proud of them. It can inspire creativity and interest in do-it-yourself design.

This easy DIY hostess gift idea was created using complimentary wine I received from Winc. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

During the holiday season it can be hard to come up with gift ideas. I personally like getting the Winc Wine Subscription as a gift even if it is just one month because you get four personalized wines sent to your door. And then, during the holidays, you always have wine on hand for events or as the easiest hostess gift.




To personalize your super easy and perfect hostess gift, all you have to do is add a scarf and tie it up ribbon, then voila! You have a gorgeous and easy gift idea! I will say that wine is one of those gifts that you want to know a little about the person, that's why Winc is a great gift idea because they can personalize their own wines. 

Here is what you need to create this easy hostess gift:

These Rae Dunn or Frozen 2 inspired homemade ornament craft for kids were created with products received from Oriental Trading. Although complimentary products were received, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

If you have been following me since 2014, then you know that I have enjoyed collaborating with Oriental Trading off and on even though I have been a huge fan of theirs for years. I love the variety of products they provide whether it is birthday decorations, educational toys, costumes for the entire family, or crafting supplies. They even have home décor that you can check out as well.

My daughter celebrated her 9th birthday today and we held a slumber party over the weekend. While thinking of activities to include, I decided on having the children make homemade ornaments. I didn't want anything too involved or messy, so we settled on these Rae Dunn or Frozen 2 inspired ornaments. The writing reminds me of Rae Dunn collection pieces while the inside reminds me of Frozen 2. I loved the idea of making ornaments for a winter slumber party because it was a great activity plus they got a little party favor to take home.

I use to love different crafts projects and I still do, but I am one of those people that has to be in the mood and it isn't an everyday occurrence. Once I start a project, I like to finish it so finding the time is key for me. That's why I tend to lean towards easy projects, like this DIY Winter Princess Holiday Wreath. It is perfect for winter, Christmas, or a winter birthday theme. And it was VERY easy to make. I was sent a ton of items from Oriental Trading to provide this craft. All opinions are my own.

What my favorite part about this craft is that you can use different color tulle and make what ever kind of wreath you wanted! Red, White, and Blue for Independence Day. Red and Green for Christmas. Black and Orange for Halloween! It's seriously so versatile. I love easy, peasy home décor ideas and wreaths are a perfect way to keep your home festive.

My daughter is obsessed with unicorns and so are my nieces. So I wanted to incorporate that into a cute Easter basket idea. They also love JoJo Siwa and since she loves all things unicorn, I thought the two could go hand in hand if you are looking for some basket filler ideas! So if you're child is like mine and a little unicorn obsessed, then you'll love this Unicorn Easter Basket Tutorial and stuffer ideas.

I originally saw the idea of creating an Easter Basket Tutu from my friend Jamie who blogs at The Denver Housewife. She has done so many cute ones including a Shopkins Easter Basket. And I am all about reusing items found around the house to create new projects. I think it is more economical to do it that way, but you could very easily buy many of the items featured in Target's Dollar Spot or on Amazon like she did. I will try and link to some similar items. My mother-in-law gave me the tulle I used and I had the unicorn topper from some old party supplies. That's why I decided to recreate this look for a Unicorn theme.