Monster Gift Wrapping

Creative Birthday Gift Wrapping Idea for Kids

Kids love receiving gifts (OK I do too!). There is something special about watching kids on their birthdays. I love seeing their anticipation grow. They have a twinkle in their eye that cant be matched. I also really enjoy listening to their sequels of delight as they finally discover what the wrapping was hiding.

Transform your next gift into a fun creature with monster gift wrapping. Your kids will love to help out. The sillier your monster is, the better.

Your present will be the talk of the party. I love creating a huge “wow” factor with very little effort! Monster gift wrapping is sure to be a hit.

Monster Gift Wrapping:

White wrapping paper (we used news print)
bright colored construction paper
tape and glue
pipe cleaners
wrapping ribbon
and the most important…your imagination!

Create your monsters features using colorful construction paper. Be creative. Your kids will love coming up with silly monster features. You are limited by your imagination!

Pipe cleaners are the perfect way to attach the monsters silly eyes.

I love that the girls added feet! They were the perfect finishing touch for this little monster.

For more kids crafts and inspiration check out our latest Monster Projects.

I would love to hear how you are transforming your next birthday gift!

Finger Knitting ~ DIY Halloween Garland

Halloween Ghost Garland ~ Finger Knitting Project

Halloween is right around the corner, but you have just enough time to squeeze in this little finger knitting project. This is simple Diy Halloween garland from Flax and Twine. I love her blog, and her pictures are amazing! Hop on over and check our her simple tutorial on how to create this little DIY finger knitting Halloween project.

When she posted this adorable Ghost Garland that is created from finger knitting, and I knew I had to share it with you! Make sure you sneak on over and check out her simple tutorial. Just click on the link or the picture and it will take you right there.

As you know, my kids love finger knitting. It is a simple knitting technique that is really easy for kids to do, and the best part…you only need your fingers and a ball of yarn. It is the perfect activity to keep little hands busy while you are waiting at the doctors office, or on a long car trip.

For more Finger Knitting Projects, check out our:

How to Finger Knit

Finger Knitting Necklace and Headband

Finger Knitted Valentines Decor

Paper Plate Pumpkins

The EASIEST Paper Plate Pumpkin

I love creating crafts from regular household items. These little paper plate pumpkins fall right into that category. An ordinary plates are transformed into wonderful toddler pumpkin:) Since our house is on a budget, cheap craft materials fit our family perfectly! Paper plates are readily available and relativity inexpensive. That makes them a win, win in my books! I often buy ours at the dollar store.

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36 Creative No-Carve Pumpkins

Carving pumpkins is a fun Halloween tradition that my kids look forward to every year. As soon as pumpkins are sold in stores the kids start asking what day we will be carving them. Can you imagine the smelly mess that would happen if I let the kids carve their pumpkin the first part of October? Gross! Below you will find 36 no-carve pumpkins that you can enjoy with your kids. This year…

Skip the mess of carving altogether and embellish your pumpkin in a fun new way.

Embellish your pumpkin with paint, sequence, googly eyes, ribbons etc and then carve the same pumpkin right before Halloween. 2 projects – one Pumpkin! I love that.

So why not try one of these creative NO Carve alternatives. No knives required!

Pumpkin Mummies from Hands On As We Grow Check out these adorable mummies! Simple and easy.

Puffy Paint Jack o’Lanterns from Train Up A Child Use homemade puffy paint to create unique designs and faces!

Alphabet Pumpkins from The Imagination Tree Decorate a pumpkin and play fun learning games!

Spider Pumpkin from Here Comes The Girls Halloween Blog Hop at the bottom of the post!

Yarn Wrap Pumpkin from The Imagination Tree This is the perfect project to use up all your scraps of yarn and ribbons!

Coloring Pumpkins from In Lieu of Preschool Cute way to create bright colorful pumpkins!

Pumpkins Decorated with Dot Stickers from Putti’s World I love the colorful polka dots.

Play dough and Pumpkin Turkey from Craft to Art Play dough is a wonderful addition to your pumpkin.

Five Fresh Fall Pumpkin Decorating Ideas from The Outlaw Mom Ribbons, rhinestones, paint, stickers and more. So many great ideas!

Playing with pumpkins from Play Dr Mom Decorate your pumpkin with googly eyes or add Mr. Potato Head accessories!

Easy Way to Paint Pumpkins from In Lieu of Preschool Great tutorial on how to paint pumpkins with kids.

Glitter and Glue Pumpkin from Domestic Goddesque Glitter, jewels and more glitter glue make the perfect sparkly pumpkin!

Glowing Pumpkins from Steve Spangler Amazing! A no-carve pumpkin that actually glows at night!

Indian corn Pumpkin decoration from Craft to Art These little pumpkins would make the perfect Thanksgiving center piece.

Tiger Pumpkins and More from Blog Me Mom Create adorable animal print pumpkins with your kids.

Perfectly Pumpkin Contest 2012 from Home Learning Journey Little fingers will love adding stickers or felt to their pumpkin. Huge list of links at the bottom of the post all about pumpkins!

Felt Pumpkin from See Vanessa Craft Check out these adorable felt pumpkin faces.

Halloween Hammer and Nails Pumpkin from The Golden Gleam Kids love to hammer, so why not give them a pumpkin and a few nails!

Pumpkin Drip Art from The Imagination Tree These pumpkins are so adorable! The sparkly paint is perfect.

Pumpkin Faces with Stickers from Putti’s World Use stickers to make funny pumpkin faces with your kids

Pumpkin Decorating with Gel Window Stickers from Mama Pea Pod I love this simple activity for your little one.

Halloween Pumpkin Craft from Blog Me Mom Turn pumpkins into silly faces with the addition of a few simple items.

Pumpkin Masks from A Mom with a Lesson Plan Dress up your pumpkin with a fun paper mask!

Pumpkin Play-date from Coffee Cups and Crayons Invite some friends over for an adorable pumpkin play-date

Chalkboard Pumpkins from Small and Friendly Chalkboard paint is not just for flat surfaces anymore!

Sharpie Oranges from Critters and Crayons These would be adorable in your kids school lunch!

Math Based Turkey Craft from Blog Me Mom Create a fun turkey out of a pumpkin and turn it into a math learning activity.

No-carve Pumpkin Decorating from Tinkerlab Glue, buttons and feathers what more could a little one want?

Our First School Project from Mamas Like Me Turn a pumpkin into your favorite book character.

Mummy Pumpkin from Mama Pea Pod I love the addition of spiders.

Painting Pumpkins 3 Ways from Mess For Less Use tape and stickers to keep some of the pumpkin paint free.

No carve: Drip Paint Pumpkin from Craft to Art I love the blue paint.

Rolling Pumpkin Paint Stamp from In Lieu of Preschool This is not a “no carve” pumpkin but by far my favorite painting activity with pumpkins! I had to include it in the list!

Painted Pumpkins from See Vanessa Craft I love the argyle pumpkin

BOO Stacked Pumpkins from See Vanessa Craft Cute front porch decoration!

Silhouette Pumpkin Decorations from Celebrations All your need is a little black vinyl to create these fun silhouettes!

Which style of No-Carve pumpkin is your favorite? There are so many creative ideas in this list. I love them all! Thanks to all my KBN friends for sharing your creative ideas!

Check out this fun list of fall ideas!

DIY Dry Erase Tiles

My kids love to draw and doodle, especially Annika. She leaves silly notes and drawing all over the house. Often when we are running out the door, she grabs a note book to keep her busy in the car. Her sweet notes always make me smile. Now we keep one of these little DIY dry erase tiles in the car.

When I found a few left over white tiles in the garage, I knew they would be perfect for making small dry erase boards for the girls. There are lots of easy tutorials on how to make DIY dry erase boards, but I want to try using tiles.

To make these simple DIY dry erase tiles, you will need:

White Ceramic Tiles (Ours were 4″ x 4″)
Felt
Ribbon – to tie the book cover closed
Hot Glue Gun
Jewels – optional

Cut the felt large enough to wrap around the ceramic tile like a book cover. It should cover the front and back of the tile. Use a hot glue gun to secure the felt to the back of the tile. Attach the ribbon to the felt with hot glue. Embellish the cover any way you like, my girls enjoyed adding lots of sparkly jewels.

Dry erase boards are a fun tool for playing and teaching your kids. Here are a few ideas to get you started…help your kids learn letters and numbers, write their name, practice spelling words, play a game of Tic Tac Toe or Hangman, work of math problems…you get the idea. The tiles are small, and the perfect size to throw in your purse for entertaining on the go.

My kids just recently discovered how to make subtractive drawings. You will need one working Dry Erase Marker and one marker that is dried up. First, cover the entire board with Dry Erase Marker. Then using a dried up Dry Erase Marker begin drawing as you would normally. The dried up marker will act as an eraser, creating a wonderful subtractive drawing.

For more dry erase fun, check out our printable BINGO cards for road trips.

Please remember to be careful if you are going to use these with your kids. If the tile drops; it will break and leave sharp edges.

Do you have any fun games to play on our new DIY dry erase tiles? I would love to hear any creative suggestions for using dry erase boards with kids.

If you are looking for more road trip ideas, follow the link to a fun list of things we like to do.