The Violet Hours

Time for Spring Break Staycation Activities

If you are about to embark upon a week of kids at home (aka wild abandon) for spring break, maybe a few of these 10 ideas from my recent Mom.me story will inspire you! (And while you're there, check out all the great things that Mom.me has to offer!)

Missing the beach in a bad way? Bring it home with this easy homemade recipe of flour and vegetable oil.

 

Too cold for a backyard camp out? Instead, camp in with a homemade tent in the living room!

 

Are Legos getting old? Try building a tower with marshmallows and toothpicks!

 

Download scavenger hunts for the grocery store, the mall, and traffic to keep your kids busy while you run errands!

Check out the rest of the story on mom.me!

Time for Last Minute Easter Egg Crafts

We are just 3 days away from the official Spring kick-off...Easter. By now you should have made some eggs or planned what you were going to make on Sunday, but if you don't have more specialty craft supplies on hand like rubber cement or candy sprinkles, then just use your basic craft supplies...Tim Gunn would say it's a make-it-work moment!

Colored pencils on eggs by Fine Little Day—seriously simple, seriously gorgeous.

 

Sharpie pens on Easter eggs by Mom.me! Yes!

 

I'm crazy about the soft, washy quality of watercolor Easter eggs. Two lovely examples by Spoon Fork Bacon and Oh Happy Day.

Time for Spring Break Staycation Crafts

I just started contributing to a very cool, newish parenting website called Mom.me, where you can explore crafts, behavior advice, recipes...basically everything under the sun that comes along with the parenting gig. They asked me to come up with some fun Spring Break staycation crafts. I tried to make each project something that would be just that: a project; not something that would only take 5 minutes. So here are a handful of the ideas. You can see the whole gallery here at Mom.me.

Snap Happy ABCs sends kids on a scavenger hunt with a camera, looking to find something from every letter of the alphabet to photograph. Upload the photos to picmonkey.com to add text then bind it with zip ties in paper-covered cereal box sides.

Growing up, my sister and I had a self-cleaning Lego mat like this Road Mat. You just push all of the toys into the center, then pull the drawstring and there you go! Clean-up is done-zo! My 2-year old son Oliver cannot believe how lucky he is that this is Mommy's "work".

The play value in this cardboard castle is huge. Let your kids spend the week constructing, and they'll play with it endlessly!

I don't think there's anything more satisfying than putting together a terrarium. Send the kids out in the backyard to gather moss, sticks, and rocks, then arrange them on top of soil in an upcycled plastic snack container (the one I used was from Target's addictive trail mix).

In most homes with young kids, you can find a handful of popsicle sticks. Just add some velcro dots to the ends and watch the kids come up with a gazillion ways to play with them. I call this, Popsicle Stickies. It's good, I know.

Check out the rest of the craft ideas on Mom.me! My second story with them will go live on April 4th; I'll be sure to remind you when it's up. (And follow them on Pinterest...they have good taste, I swear!)

Time for the First Day of Spring!

Spring has sprung (technically) so it's time to start planning some planting projects for the kids! Here are a few simple ideas that will really get them excited about gardening...

 

Remember my perler-bead craft post last week? This planter is so amazing, it's a product. If you aren't such a planner (this design would take some design skillz), this would even be cool if you just did stripes of color. Via Peaches & Keen.

Cut a hole in a plastic animal toy and create a succulent planter. Genius! Found via Digs Digs.

 

This one was a new one for me...I'd never seen a plant in an ice cream cone! Adorbs! Found via Home DIY Pins.

 

It's the simplest idea, but one of my all-time faves: a planter in the bed of a vintage truck toy. Found via Charming Spaces.

Time for Fresh Eggs: Modern Easter Egg Crafts

One of the last stories I produced as Lifestyle Director at Parents Magazine was this Easter egg story by the amazingly talented Jocelyn Worrall. Prepare yourself for some overwhelming cuteness!

These beauties were made with just a simple brush and tempera paint.

 

We've all seen the chick Easter egg craft before, but these yellow-dyed large eggs are sitting in jumbo egg shells. Genius. Watch the how-to video here.

 

This technique uses rubber cement. So easy to do and the results are gorgeous! Watch a how-to video here.

 

Wrap a ceramic or wooden egg in white yarn to make these fluffy bunnies that you can use year after year. Watch a how-to video here.

 

These little guys might possibly be my favorite. Keep clicking through the slideshow on Parents.com to see the instructions.

 

 

Time for Unusual Planters

I think February is usually the month when I say "I'm done with winter. Gimme green. Now." Thank goodness I married a guy with a green thumb, or else I'd really be hungry for plant life. There are so many clever ways to incorporate plants into your decor these days.

This gorgeous light fixture/planter blows my mind. Via Design Vagabond.

I have 2 jean jackets in my closet that I can't seem to part with. I kind of love the idea of using the pockets for a planter. Via Small Home Love.

Did you know you could turn an old lightbulb into a planter? How enlightening! You can use your trusty glue gun to add three small dots to the base to make it stand on end. Via 1 800 Recycling.

I do love my old typewriter, I do, but it just sits on a shelf under my desk and takes up space. How cool is this planter idea? And by the way, have you seen the digital magazine, Covet Garden? It's gorge.

Check out more cool planter ideas here. Clearly it's where my mind goes in February.

Time for Snow Crafts

Is every craft blogger in the Northeast blogging about snow crafts today? It's so dang cold outside that it's all I can think about!

My favorite part of this snowman craft is the plastic drink bottle cloche. So clever! You can find instructions at Crafts n Coffee.

 

Check out these adorable polar bears over at Parents.com. You can watch a how-to video here.

 

These flakes are cut from poster board, so they should be sturdy enough to last for a while. Definitely a project for an adult because of all the cutting, but how cool would they be floating in the playroom? Craft by Dana Made It.

 

The one thing that turns me off from making my own snowglobes is the baby oil element. I always make a mess, and the smell is not my fave. I love the simplicity and elegance of these liquid-less snowglobes by Sweet Something Design.

Time for Designer Tents

For some reason—with designer everything—no one has ever thought to make designer tents. These tents by Field Candy are just that. Unless you are camping in a spot with grizzly bears, why not have a tent that stands out?

 
{found via the Cool Hunter}

Time for a Crumpled Map

Have you ever found yourself on a street corner or in a car trying desperately to refold a map, bending it this way, then that, accordian folding, then just shoving it closed? And days later, you end up with a hole in the center on the seam. Nice.

This map is the best invention ever! All you do is crumple/shove/stuff it in your bag or pocket and keep moving. It looks like its made from Tyvek-like material. Oh yeah, and it's totally waterproof.

Visit Palomar to buy. Found via All the Beautiful Things I Want.

Time for Teapot Planters

I wish I were one of those people who really knew how to serve tea properly. (Did anyone see the ridiculous episode of Pregnant in Heels where a woman was learning to serve British tea properly? I'm ashamed to say I did.) But I'm so American and a mug and a teabag is about all I can muster. I have a sweet ceramic teapot that is just a dust collector, so maybe now, I will surrender to my Twinings and use it for flowers.

Photo via Beeld Steil.