Conserve

Shoeboxes...We all have them....It's hard to toss them, especially knowing one day your kid will be assigned the dreaded diorama project. But do you really need 20 of them shoved into the corner of your already crammed garage by your spatially challenged self?

I don't know about the rest of the planet but it's raining here..again...And will probably continue to rain throughout the weekend (again) meaning we'll be stuck indoors with a couple antsy kids for the next 48 hours (again). We're gonna need some backup. Thankfully there are ideas like this wind chime making with the kids in the world. Shawn Connally of Craft just saved our weekend.

Doing some pre-Spring spring cleaning beginning with my dresser drawers I've pulled out all sorts of t-shrits which should no longer be worn by a woman my age. And although it's true my hair is pink (what can I say? I kinda like being carded again) I just feel certain t-shirts + pink hair + a woman my age = a disastrous mess. So, the pink stays, the shirts go.

Those in the know, know that Purim, with all it's colorful costumes, food and merry-making, wouldn't be complete without a few really loud groggers (aka noise makers). Sara of Creative Jewish Mom has posted a tutorial for making groggers from recycled materials.

Sara:

There's nothing better (or funner) than teachable moments disguised as craft projects. And nothing is cooler than projects that are functional. That's why I love this Instructable by member sassygecko for making a 3 liter bottle piggy bank.

I'm completely over-the-moon in love with this soft baby book tutorial from Kristena of Thimbly Things. A thorough DIY complete with easy to follow directions, tons of juicy pictures and a printable pdf patterns of the appliques she used to make her book. I appreciate the use of reclaimed denim.

I never know what to do with all the Valentine's Day cards my kids, 3 and 10 years old, bring home from school each year. I don't have the heart to toss them out a few days after the holiday...A week later I'm cursing at damn cards which are now scattered all over the house. And I usually don't have the patience to do anything special with them. The most we've ever done has been to repurpose the cards into place mats. I just feel there should be more to do with the cards.

Recycling runty loser crayons into fun-shaped shiny new ones is always a great project to do with the kids when you're feeling like they could use a little lesson in conservation. And there are many ways to do it. When we upcycle our crayons we almost always use the microwave or stove top methods.

My kids have been a bit snack-sad ever since our dentist banned all fruits in gooey form. Watching them stare longingly at the boxes of tongue tattoos and gummy ponies every time we venture down the snack aisle of our grocery store is truly heartbreaking. That's not to say mama doesn't sneak in a box or two over summer vacation...A teeny amount of tooth decaying goodies is a small price to pay for summertime fun (plus I make they brush and floss really good after snacking). All in all, I hate the blasted snacks and I wish they didn't have such a pull on my kids.

I know we talked about this clever reuse of holiday cards last year. However, the tutorial from Amy of Let's Explore is so genius we think it deserves another mention!