Hello, I’m Tammy the writer and creator of Housing A Forest. I’m a mom to 3 wonderful school aged kiddos (ages 7,8 and 10), who often inspire the creative activities that I write about. I am married to my best friend, and he is supportive of all my crazy ideas. I love spending time being creative and encouraging others to be creative as well.
I often have a house full of kiddos. I love doing art projects and activities that encourage them to think outside the box and be creative. Kids have a wonderful and unique way of expressing themselves. My tool of choice is the glue gun, but I also love to paint. I am starting a new passion of turning junk furniture into something beautiful and useful.
You might be wondering why Housing a Forest? Well, I have a bit of a thing for Christmas trees. I LOVE how warm and cozy my house feels with decorations, white lights and decorated trees. I have numerous trees (almost one for every room in our home). We store them in the attic (still set up) during their “off season.” Not too long ago the cable man had to look at something in the attic and commented “wow you guys have a forest up here!” So, Housing a Forest was born.
I invite you to read along with our family’s creative adventures
BIO
Hi! I’m Tammy, writer and creator of Housing A Forest. I am a busy mom of 3 school aged kiddos, and teach high school art part time. I love being creative and encouraging kids to be creative a well. Housing A Forest is packed full of art tutorials, educational activities and good old fashioned fun your kids will love.
Have a question? I would love to hear from you.
tammy@housingaforest.com
CONNECT WITH ME
If you don’t want to miss out on any of the fun we are having at Housing A Forest, make sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Google + and Twitter.
DISCLOSURE POLICY
You can find my full Disclosure Policy here.
Love your idea……will be fun to follow what you are making. What a special time in your life. I so enjoyed it when you and Ken were into making things…..seems so long ago and I was nowhere as creative as you are……next time you are home hopefully we can go through my craft drawers and you can take anything that will help you……love you lots…..Mom
Way toooooo cooooool! Love the snowmen…..I was looking at the pics of the girls twirling their dresses and I don’t think I had noticed your back yard patio and walkway before. I love it…..time to visit again!
Wow Tammy!! You do inspire! I shall look forward to following this as my five year old is always wanting to do something crafty. Thanks so much for sharing!!
My kids love to have lots of projects happening as well, so I totally understand. Have fun and I would love to see what your kiddos come up with.
Awesome! I am so pumped to be able to see what you guys are up to and try your great ideas with my girls!
Thanks, we have been having a lot of fun. When Bree got home today, her first question was “what project are we doing today!” Love it!
Oh Tammy- I admire you and I wish I could be more like you and have cool ideas for the kids to do. We will be expirmenting now as we follow you!!! Great idea!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Shelly! I am excited to see what your kids create.
Hi Tam! I love the website and the videos on FB. I am certainly going to try some of your ideas with my kids at the Youth Centre! We’re always looking for fresh fun ideas!!! Keep up the great work!!!
Love it! I look forward to hearing all about the projects that you guys create!
And you put a picture of yourself up, I’m proud of you
Beautiful Tammy!!!
Thanks!
Found you from a link party (I think Tatertots & Jello – I have a million tabs open LOL). I love that you do so many fun and educational projects with the kids. My son is still too young to participate with me yet, but I’m storing up ideas, and you’ve given me a lot!! Also, you almost sound like you do Waldorf schooling with them because of the way you integrate education into the fun. I’ll def be back around checking things out
HI there! i am your newest follower, found you while I was looking for a tutorial for hair curlers gotta try the rag curlers. See you around!
hi tammy you take after your mom and AUnt great ideas got your web site from your mom You are so artty could tell from away back when you did your photos on Australia
Hey Tammy! Rilla told me about your website and it’s even better that I was expecting!!! I don’t have kids yet but I could definitely use lots of your ideas with my kids at school. Keep up the great work! So cool!
I just have to say I’m so absolutely in love with your site. Lots of other “DIY Mommy” Blogs are more about making things to decorate the house or stuff for the moms to wear, but your blog is so kid-centric. I’m creating a craft calendar for my husband and children to use over the summer. This is exactly what I was looking for some great ideas! LOVE the subwoofer and Oobleck idea! Amazing stuff. Keep it up!!
I’m glad you stopped by! I LOVE that you are organizing a summer fun calendar for your kiddos. Summer is over all too soon. Our kids loved the Oobleck experiment. It’s a bit messy, but totally worth it!
Hi Tammy, I discovered your blog through Pinterest. So far, your ideas have been the highlight of our summer vacation!! I have two kids, 9 and 5 and they are eating up all the craft/science stuff. The only craft one we’ve done so far is the Shamrock sparklers (we just did crazy shapes since it’s not St. Patrick’s day) and they turned out beautifully!! Their favorite science project was the dancing oobleck and the Ivory soap. We’re going to attempt the bath paint from the leftover ivory today. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas with the bloggging world!!
Love your blog, great pictures of the kids, the chicks are great! They will get to be very tame and want to move right in with you?!?! Good for the kids. Eggs are a good side lind as well. I figure my egss cost me about $20 a dozen. at least I know where they came from.
I just wanted to tell you we tried three ideas from your blog today and our 4-year-old LOVED them! We made the Ivory soap cloud, then the puffy bath paint and also played some doodle games. I also shared your blog with all my other mommy friends on my Facebook so that they can enjoy your wonderful ideas as well! Love your site and thank you for helping us have some fun family time on this Sunday.
hi – you left a comment on my food blog (www.MamaLovesFood.com) about the crock pot baked potato soup… unfortunately you’re not email enabled, and i couldn’t find an email address on your site anywhere, so hopefully you’ll see this comment. thanks so much for your kind words and i’m glad your family enjoys the soup
please feel free to mention the soup on your blog, but please do NOT reprint the entirety of my recipe on your blog. i’d love if you could link others to the recipe though! thanks so much for asking, i appreciate your consideration. best, april
tammy, i wish you were my mom. you have the BEST ideas on this site. i will be copying/stalking most of the things that you do on here! keep sharing!
ramsey
Thanks so much for stopping by! I LOVE blog “stalkers”!
Cool site! Love it!
I love your blog! I was given the Versatile Blogger Award and I would like to pass the Award on to you. There are details on my blog that explain it all. http://shellesplayschool.wordpress.com/ I hope you will play along!
Happy blogging!
These ideas are great. So much science going on. Thanks for taking the time to share it with others and can’t wait to come try things this summer.
Found you through pinterest –love your site and the big beautiful photos!
Thanks for all the great ideas .. Now I have more things to do I the class
THANK YOU for blogging about such awesome craftiness! I am always looking for fun/simple crafts I can use for the camps I put on each year here in Colorado. You do some truly cool stuff with your kiddos and their smiles are evidence that you do a beyond-great job with them!! I also found you via Pinterest, and I couldn’t be more thankful I did! God bless!
Cooll!
Hi Tammy!
I found your blog via a link on Pinterest and now I want to leave comments on each one of the posts I’ve read so far! Soooo much fun stuff – and I don’t even have kids but trust me, I’ll be playing with some of these fun ideas myself
Happy hello’s from Cape Town!
Helen — Firenze Cards
Oh, and I’m adding you to my blogroll – you’re a BIG must-see!
Helen — Firenze Cards
Hi Tammy! You have a wonderful looking family! I have a 4 year old granddaughter whose name is also Annika!
Yours is the first other I have come across. Where did you get your dehydrator & how much did it cost if you do not mid sharing that.
Thank you!,
John
Wonderful blog filled with great ideas. I am wondering if you have a Facebook page you post your ideas on or if someone can subscribe by regular email?
Thanks for the sweet comment. I just started a Facebook page, just type Housing A Forest into the search and I should come up. Hope this helps.
Hi Tammy,
I haven’t read the rest of your pages but it looks promising!
Thank you!
Yafit
Israel
Yafit
Shalom
My name is Harry, found you here at Tammy´s page.
Jewish from Rio, Art Teacher here, I wonder if you could send me some sites of art education in eretz, just to research, would you?
Toda La
Harry
I just love this website!! My kids are outside RIGHT NOW playing with their new bubble blowers I found on ur website!! They loved being able to make them all by themselves and then get to see what they can do!!
I have 3 young children and I love watching them be creative!! You are doing AMAZING things for ur family and others who see everything you create ….like mine!!
So Id like to say thank you, thank you, thank!! Keep doing great things! I look forward to trying more of ur great ideas!!
I just wanted to say “what a wonderful mum you are”. You have an amazing imagination and creative inspiration. When my children were younger I loved nothing better than, painting, glueing and sticking and play doh etc, but nothing on the level you have done with your children. You are an inspiration to mothers out there. I have two grandaughters now and again I love to do creative things, but I don’t have much of an imagination so……. your blog will inspire me to do lots ofcreative things with them. Thank you for a truly wonderful blog. Keep up the creativity, you are wonderful.
From Tracy (England UK)
Hi Tammy, I love the yarn headbands and necklaces. I have been searching for cool projects to do with my nieces. Do you by any chance have the directions for the headbands n necklaces?? I would be very grateful!!
Hi Tammy
My name is Jerry, the founder of DECOmyplace.com
We’re much inspired by your idea, and we belive your idea will inspirng other people.
DECOmyplace.com is the sharing platform from over 120 countries members,
share their decoration ideas to the rest of the world.
Here is the news report featuring your design in Chinese
http://decomyplace.com/blogpost.php?id=497
hope you like it, and thank you for inspiring us.
BR,
Jerry Tsai
DECOmyplace.com
Dear Tammy,
Glad to say that your kids are so cute. And you are a wonderful mother for raising them with a good way.
I have one advice that mini microscope is the good way to develop kids’s research ability. How do you think about it? could you contact me by email:wendy@ostec.com.cn
Thank you!
Stumbled on your blog from somewhere else and just wanted to say there your children are gorgeous…even the one that loves bugs..lol! I hate them.
You have a partner in crime. I love Xmas trees. And am know to always go to the tree lot and buy the one that most people wouldn’t. I don’t like perfect looking ones. I also do a full tree in every room and they are all themed. I make everything but the glass ornaments. I change the theme of the main tree in my living room every year. So that makes for an enormous amount of decorations. Lucky you you have a attic. I live in an apartment, though huge, makes storing all this stuff to be creative. I leave the tree up in my Studio all year and even have a small tree in the bathroom. Long story.
Thanks for sharing you wonderful ideas.
I am itching to get all my Christmas out right now, but trying to contain myself for a bit longer! I might just have to sneak a tree into the office:) Although I will admit the Christmas music has been playing for a while! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Tammy
I’m french mum; I’m sorry I don’t speak very well engish.
J’adore votre blog ou je peux trouver pleins d’idée sympa à faire avec mes enfants. Merci à vous.
Il y a tres peu de blog français avec d’aussi bonnes idées que les votres, donc j’ai décidé dans créer un pour partager avec les mamans française et les autres.
Voici mon blog.
http://mamanjesaispasquoifaire.blogspot.fr/
Je vous est emprunté certaines de vos idée ( j’espere que vous ne m’en voudrez pas ) vous pouvez vous aussi choisir dans le miennes ce qui vous interesse (même si le mien est bien moins rempli que le votre, mais c’est que le debut )
Mes enfants aussi vont à l’école du dimanche où je suis une de leurs monitrice.
J’espere que nous pourons continuer à échanger nos idées.
A bientot
Stéphanie
Stephanie, Thanks for your sweet comments. I had a quick peek at your blog and it looks great. Lots of fun ideas, thanks for sharing.
Hi Tammy,
just wanted to say, Thank you for sharing all your wonderful ideas . what a great Mum you are.I would have loved to have had you as a mum growing up!
keep up the great work! I can’t wait to make the rainbow bubbles with my little girls!!
xx
Hello housingaforest Editor,
I was going though your blog while browsing for some information related to Forest and I must say that the blog is impressive, especially the one with Creating Colorful Icicles.
Actually I am also planning to write some content on Forest Tips related topic with reference to flowers and as you also allow guest writers so would like to know if I can be one of these impressive people.
Please let me know if it is possible for you to allow me writing a guest post on your blog as a guest author.
Looking forward to hear from you!
Thanks,
Anglena Hoy.
Hi, Great blog!!!
!
I featured two of your posts ideas:
The credit card art & The rainbow bubble snakes. on my blog:
http://kidsfuncraft.wordpress.com. I hope it’s o.k.
Thank you
Hodaya
I love that you’re creative with your children. My children are grown, but I’m thoroughly enjoying reading your ideas. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing.
I just like the valuable info you supply in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and test once more right here frequently. I’m fairly sure I’ll learn many new stuff right here! Good luck for the following!
I love this website and have done almost all the fun crafts, but there are some certain people in our house that have no sense of fun whatsoever. Please tell me how to deal with this.- i’m really looking forward to when my family will be cheerful and humorous like yours is.
Please Email me.
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Best,
Mike
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