October 04, 2017

12 crafts for grandmothers and others

October 04, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

My friend Joyce is the most creative and crafty grandma I know. A quick perusal of the colorful and clever posts on her blog, What Happens at Grandma's, confirms my assertion.

Joyce recently told me she thinks crafts are one of the top things grandmas search for online. Now, I trust Joyce's instincts, hence fully believe she's right in that grandmas hanker for handicrafts to make themselves or with their grandkids.

So I searched my own site to see what comes up. To my surprise, the result presented more than a few crafts. (After eight-plus years of blogging, it's easy to forget...

April 28, 2017

Friday flashback: How to make a pillow chaise for children

April 28, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

My bonus grandson, Bud, turns 9 tomorrow and we'll be celebrating his birthday (along with his dad's, which was Wednesday) on Sunday. Brianna requested I make Bud a pillow chaise like the ones I made Bubby and Mac a few years ago — back before Bud was part of the family — so he's more comfy lounging on the floor on movie nights.

Bud's favorite color is red so I gathered the goods to create a red birthday chaise.

pillow chaise for children

As I'll be spending a portion of today putting the present together, I figure it's a fine time to feature the post on doing so as today's Friday flashback. (Speaking of time, it's likely time I create a pillow chaise for Jak, too, as he wasn't around either when I made the original ones for his brothers.)

HOW TO MAKE A PILLOW CHAISE FOR CHILDREN
(Originally published January 10, 2013)

Every once in a great while, I surprise myself and do something that exceeds my expectations. Most recently, it was the making of the pillow chaise lounging thingees I gave my grandsons for Christmas. They turned out far better than I expected, and were received with far more appreciation than I thought might be the case, especially considering they weren't toys — which, as I learned here, are far preferable to practical presents.

What? You missed my post about giving Bubby and Mac their pillow chaises? Well take a look at their joy and ability to play slug in front of the television, thanks to a soft and comfy gift from Gramma.

pillow chaise for kids

At the time I posted that, many readers wondered...

April 21, 2017

Friday flashback: Tie-dye for tots... and older kids, too

April 21, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

I've been publishing Grandma's Briefs for eight years. Which means I have an archive jam-packed with activities and other grandparenting goodies I posted long ago that deserve to be shared again for those grandmothers and others who may have missed them the first time around.

The following is one of my favorite — most simple and most colorful — crafts I've done with my grandsons. Which is why I've chosen it for my first Friday flashback feature.

Enjoy!

TIE-DYE FOR TOTS... AND OLDER KIDS, TOO
Originally published April 23, 2013

My youngest grandson, Mac, doesn't have the penchant for craft-making that his older brother does. Bubby's attention span can handle a craft that has, say, six or eight steps, knowing there's a grand payoff at the end. Mac, on the other hand — because he's younger and always on the go, go, go — can handle a craft with one quarter that number of steps, and instant payoff of some sort is key.

Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), finding a craft that pleases both can be a challenge. This one, though — a tie-dye project of sorts — was a success. Mac created one or two and was done; Bubby made one after another until the food coloring bottles were nearly empty. Yes, success!

tie-dye-craft-for-kids

What you need:

• Coffee filters

• Food coloring...

January 25, 2017

From the archives: Four for Valentine's Day

January 25, 2017/ Lisa Carpenter

The annual day o' love lurks right around the corner and Cupid will soon be sprinkling hearts and flowery fun far and wide.

Following are four of my previously published posts to peruse, a collection of sweet and silly sorts of stuff focused on ensuring grandkids feel the love — and laughter — this Valentine's Day.

valentine's day activities

Click each graphic to see the full post featuring lovey-dovey ...

October 24, 2016

Simple skeletons

October 24, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

We're officially one week away from Halloween, and I haven't put up or out or on one single holiday decoration. With all the truly scary stuff going on in our country and beyond right now, it seems rather silly to add some faux frights to the mix. And especially silly — well, especially a waste of time, to be honest — when the chances of grandkids of mine arriving at my door for a quick trick-or-treat or visit of any sort during Halloween season are zilch, nada, zero.

June 22, 2016

Pinterest prize find: Build a Dinosaur

June 22, 2016/ Lisa Carpenter

What in the world did grandmas do before Pinterest? I'd be half the grandma I am — at least in terms of the eats and activities I share with my grandsons — if not for the food and fun pinned and promoted by folks far more crafty then me.

Take for instance the super simple puzzle fun I shared with my dino-loving middle grandson, Mac. Without my stumbling upon a Pinterest pin leading to this post by a clever mama, Mac would have never had the opportunity to see how a few circles, triangles, and squares can be pieced together to create his favorite creature.

Now, I surely could simply say: Check out that post cuz it's perty darn cool. But then I'd have to come up with a post of some other sort to fill this space today. More importantly, though, I'd have no reason to share the photos of Mac making his dinos, photos that prove how Pinterest-worthy this quick, easy, and inexpensive activity actually is.

With that in mind, here are pics of the day Mac and I created the clever, captivating cutouts during my desert visit in April.

build a dinosaur

What you need:

• 1 sheet of craft foam (green...

November 04, 2015

DIY gift: Creative and colorful coffee cups

November 04, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

On the lookout for inexpensive DIY goodies for holiday gifts? (And who isn't?) Here's an idea that went over swell for my youngest daughter's birthday this past summer.

Andrea loves coffee as much as her mother. For her birthday in July, she requested a set of special cups from which to drink and share her favorite breakfast drink. She even directed me to some ideas on Pinterest.

I accepted the challenge, tweaked a few Pinterest pictorials, and came up with these—a unique gift that cost less than $10.

diy coffee cups