Boys Love Dress-up too + DIY Dress-up Tips

••May include affiliate links••

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Playing Dress-Up:

Not to be considered strictly Girls Only ...

Make-Believe is for boys too!

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When your hear a parent talking about their kids playing dress-up, most people automatically think they are talking about their daughters. Dress-up has always been known for being more of a girls activity but that's not always so. When my step-son is over at the house and his sisters are playing dress-up, he wants to play too. Of course he don't want any faerie wings or dresses to wear but a couple years ago he started asking me if I would find him some boy dress-up clothes so he could play with his sisters, So I agreed.

Here's what I figured out about shopping for dress-up clothes, for boy and girls:

I started at the best place I could think of to find dress-up clothes... Thrift Stores! They're always full of a variety of clothing for very little money. Not to mention that unused Halloween costumes often find themselves at thrift shops. That means easy picking for you! 

When dress-up shopping for boys or girls, it's always a good idea to begin the first of November, with Halloween Clearence! Most of the work is done for you, adding personal touches is optional.  Once the trick-or-treating is over, instead of boxing up the costumes, hand them to the kiddos to be enjoyed over and over again instead of just the 1 night!

This is the time to let all of your creative energy out to play, use anything and everything available to make your vision a reality! And remember that no costume idea is off limits! Let your children help with the shopping and designing process for done great bonding fun!! 

Just be sure to have fun and remember that anything goes!

Costume Ideas:

• To make a Cowboy Costume you could use a wore out pair of jeans, a flannel shirt, a brown vest, cowboy boots and hat and maybe a belt. (You can find cow-boy belts with plastic guns at The Dollar Tree)
• For a Mad Scientist you can use a pair of white cloth pants, an over sized button up white shirt (maybe a chefs coat). Add some black framed glasses and a few glass or plastic vases as the potion beakers.
• Be Creative!!  The options are endless!!

You may not find what your looking for on the first shopping trip, check back another day. Each shop you visit will be different then the rest and it's your job to find the diamond in the ruff!

Don't forget the flea markets!

Anything is possible when you get creative!

• If you like the Halloween Costume idea for dress-up clothes, wait until early November to buy the costumes. That's when the stores start their Halloween Sales to get rid of all the extra Halloween costumes and decorations so they can start getting ready for Thanksgiving. You can get costumes for just a few dollars! I like to buy a few of them when they're on sale and put a couple up for Christmas presents. 

My step-son now has his very own dress-up collection without a single girlie touch! We found a cape, things for a fireman, an army man, and a ninja  - just to name s few. He's happy and that's dll the matters! My kids play for hours, running around in their new dress-up clothes.

Watching that boy enjoy every ounce of playing dress-up with his sisters is why I whole-heartily believe that everyone dreams of s different life and playing dress-up is the perfect way to help dreams come true!

 “Dress-up being for Girls Only" is nothing but huge myth.

Boys pretend too!

You can also find lots of retailers on & offline that sale a variety clothing designs to insure each creative idea with the prefect outfit for play!     Make-believe is for everyone....

Boys and Girls, no matter the age!

The local costume store is an obviously great choice to find perfect add-on items to complete the look!

Get creative and use that fabulous brain of yours!!

Anyone up for a dress-up session? 

#ReUseIt - Give Your Unused Baby Items a Whole New Life!

This post contains affiliate links

 

If your a parent then you know the frustration that comes along with your beautiful little baby outgrowing everything within months of being purchased. Bottles, tiny clothes, diapers, baby wipes, diaper rash cream, toys, crib... The list goes on and on and on!
Once your son or daughter outgrows their baby stuff, what do you do with it all? Throw it in the trash, donate it, give to friends? Even though helping out a baby in need is a wonderful idea, why not try and reuse some of that baby stuff and make sure you get your moneys worth out of them?! You may not realize it but you can reuse and sometimes redesign your baby's unused things into useful household items and give them a whole new life. I love reusing stuff that most people wouldn't think of being anything more than the obvious.
Here's a neat list of ways to reuse your baby things once they're no longer needed for the kids:


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Baby Clothes:

• Pass on your kid's outgrown baby clothes on to your daughter to be used as clothes for her baby dolls! It's ridiculous to spend so much money on doll clothes when you already have baby clothes that fit perfect!
• You can also cut squares out of your favorite outfits and save them until you have enough to make a one-of-a-kind memory blanket that's more than personal.
• Not to mention that old clothes are great to be used as scrap fabric.

Baby Wipes:

• Who hasn't used baby wipes to clean up their dirty baby as well as their older siblings? Their also good for cleaning up small messes around the house.
• My all time favorite use for baby wipes is face wipes for removing makeup, dirt, sweat and anything else you may find yourself wiping off your face.
• Don't forget about the obvious use for those leftover wipes... Just sit them in the bathroom and your family will figure out the rest :)

Baby Wipe Containers:

• I'm sure many of you already know that those empty baby wipe containers make great storage boxes, especially for small kids toys. Toddlers enjoy the task of putting the toys in and dumping them back out :)
• You can also store money or other small items in them as well.
• When my girls were little, they wore diapers that were 1 size apart for a while, so I put a few of each size in 2 separate baby wipe containers and wrote their names on them with permanent marker. It not only made diaper changing at home less stressful but those boxes worked wonders when we left the house in a hurry. I simply grabbed the containers and was on my way!

Crib:

• With a bit of creativity and few tools, you can transform that old crib into a new homework desk for the kids. Remove the side rails, add a solid board or sheet of glass that's the same size as the bottom of the crib as the work surface. Slide up a chair and you have a simple homework desk.
• If your crib wasn't already build to be used as a toddler bed once your little one outgrows it, just remove one long side of rails and there you go! Simple as can be! Painting your child's "new bed" is always an option when revamping something.

Baby Food:

• Did you know that you can use leftover baby food to make dog biscuits?! Many homemade dog treat recipes call for baby food and are a big hit for your 4 legged kids!
• You can also add some baby food flavors to regular recipes, such as muffins and cookies. Yum!

Baby Food Jars:

• Need somewhere to store your button collection and other small craft supplies? Baby food jars are great for small storage and organizing!
• You can also turn those little jars into all kinds of fun stuff with you get your crafty brain to working! (Candles, lightening bug jars, etc.)

Diaper Rash Cream:

• Ever find yourself needing some face paint for a birthday party or a Halloween Costume? You can either go to the store and buy some like everyone else... or... you can create your own using diaper rash cream! (I'll be telling you how to do this very soon in a future)

Teething Rings:

• Before you toss out those water filled baby teething rings, stop and ask yourself one question... Can this be used to keep food cool whole in a lunch box? I bet it can! Never thought of that idea before have ya? There are hundreds of reusable things in this world! :)

  Baby Blankets:

• Your daughters' old baby blankets will put a huge smile on her face when you tell her that they now belong to her dolls!
• Grab the kids and teach them how to sew while creating pillows from baby blankets! Fold the blanket in half to make  a mini body pillow that only needs 3 sides sewn, the last side will be the folded one! Make sure you have some stuffing to fluff up your pillows with.
• You can also toss those unused blankets in with your scrap fabric to be used on future projects.

Wooden ABC Blocks:

• Almost every child has a set of wooden blocks. Wither they're ABC Blocks, have numbers on them or decorated with pictures - wooden blocks are great! But once your child stops playing with them, what do you do? How about making wall art that's personalized with your child's name or a special phrase?! You can either attach the blocks together with wood glue or leave them separated and display the blocks on a shelf in your child's room.
• Bookends can also be created by stacking two identical towers from the blocks, attach them together and add to your bookshelf!
• Or use single blocks as shelf brackets (attach to bottom if shelf and wall) for unique decorative shelves.
• Continuing with the block theme, drill a hole into the back of a few blocks and replaced drawer handles with blocks and have a whole  new set of drawer pulls! Creative right?
• Last but not least... Cover a decent sized wooden cube or padded milk carton crate (make sure you add enough padding to both to insure comfort) Add four blocks, one on each corner, to be used as feet on your awesome new stool!!

Unwanted Stuffed Animals:

• We all have that random collection of old stuffed animals that never get played with. No one ever knows what to do with them since getting rid of them never seems right... Well, what about giving them a new life by using some of their faux fur on clothing revamps as well as for DIY Halloween costumes! (I used fur from an old stuffed toy to make a Ware wolf costume for my friend's son a couple years back, it turned out really neat!)
• If you decide to create pillows out of old baby blankets then you can use the stuffing from inside the animals instead if spending money for big bags at the store.
• Not to mention that if you get creative, those old stuffed animals can be used in many other ways during craft time.

Socks/Booties/Shoes:

• Like with the outgrown baby clothes, baby socks, booties and tiny shoes can be reused by your daughter(s) with their baby dolls!
• By adding a zipper or button to the opening part of the socks, you can create tiny little change purses that are simply adorable!
• You can also create tiny sock puppets and add the left overs to your scrap pile for future projects.

Bassinet:

• Great for blanket storage or even add a couple store bought flower baskets to sit inside, creating a beautiful flower display.

Baby monitor:

• My aunt actually still uses her baby monitor in her daughter's bedroom so she can feel comfortable about her 8yr old daughter being on the other end of the house. I'd say that this us a wonderful idea to use with your kids up until they reach the pre-teen age.
• There are soo many other baby items that I know I've missed and could be reused as well. Try training yourself to ask questions like "What else can this be used for?" & "Would this would good for the craft box?" before tossing unused things out the door!

What are some things that you've gave a new life too recently?

DIY Project: Create Unique Pet Beds using Upcyced Sweaters -- Minimum Sewing Ability Required!

★DIY Pet Beds: Upcycle your old, unwanted Sweaters!! ★

Create something special for your furry friends by transforming your unwanted winter sweaters into comfy masterpieces that are fit for any royal pet...
Did I mention how simple these pet beds are to create?? Let the kids join in and make a family project day out of it!!

Needed Supplies:
1 Sweater
2 Unused dishtowels/bathtowels
Fabric Scraps or Cotton Stuffing
Thread
Wool
Sewing Needles
Scissors

Directions:

• If your using scrap fabric for the stuffing -- Start by cutting the fabric into many small pieces.

• Fold the towels to where they are just shy of your desired size, forming the base to your pet bed.

Optional - You can also add a layer of scrap stuffing if wanted.

• Pin all layers together into an oval-like shape.

• Fold in the edges toward the base center and loosely sew into place.

• Add your padding to the sweater body (Cotton stuffing or fabric scraps) and sew into place using thick wool thread.

• Stuff the sleeves as well and shape themvaround the circular base.

• Finish off the bed by sewing and securing everything into place.

• You can decorate the bed to either match your home or make it as unique as your furry child! Anything's possible as well as a non-decorated beauty that'll amaze all of your animal loving friends!

★★ Quick Tip ★★
If you match your thread color with the sweater color then you'll have less to worry about since neatness won't be noticed. Which is perfect for sewing beginners of all ages, including kids!

★★Minimum Sewing Ability Required! ★★

Get Creative and Design your pet a one-of-a-kind bed that'll score owner points in s heartbeat!!
 
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Photo & Project Source
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No compensation was received for this post!

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WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ACTIVITY TO DO WHEN IT'S TOO COLD FOR OUTDOORS?
★★★★★★★★★★

DIY Key Necklaces -- Create Unique Jewelry in a Matter if Minutes That Look AMAZING!

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-- Create DIY Frugal Jewelry --

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-- Create Amazing Key Necklaces --

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Now that the Holiday's are just about over, how about creating something beautiful that you can not only wear but be proud of as well! Use your old un-used keys to make DIY Key Necklaces that'll amaze your friends and add the perfect addition to any outfit! This is also a good project to do with the kids, adult supervision is required due to the strength of glue that is needed.

Ring in the New Year with handmade jewelry that anyone and everyone would be proud to wear on a night on the town or a day out with the family!

(Receive great deals on craft supplies at Craftsy)

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-- DIY Key Necklaces --

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Materials:

• Random Keys (Old House keys, Car keys, Skeleton Keys, etc.)
• Fancy and/or Neat Embellishments
• E-6000 glue (Or other strong glue of your choice)
• Jump ring
• Necklace chain of your choice (Old necklace chain or purchase from a roll)

Instructions:

1. Start off your DIY Key Project by collecting needed items: Gather up some old keys. (Check in your junk drawer - House keys can be surprisingly pretty and neat looking, especially the older ones. Skeleton keys are my favorite and are naturally elegant, not to mention their amazing vintage look. Even car-keys can be fancied up with awesome embellishments.)
   
2. Then it's time to collect your embellishments. Maybe a rhinestone chain or imitation chain. You can also order some "bling on a roll" or find an old rhinestone necklace that's missing a few stones or such and can be cut up and re-purposed. Other embellishments may include: old earrings (with the backs removed), vintage brooches, gem stones, jewels, buttons, scrapbook embellishments (can be found at your local craft store) and pretty much anything else that happens to catch your eye and spark your creative interest.
   
3. Make sure to clean your keys before you begin - Take some rubbing alcohol on a paper towel or cloth and wipe down the surfaces of both - the keys and the embellishment(s). Doing so; helps remove grease and/or other residue that may prevent a good bond between the surface and glue.
   
   
4. Fun Time.... Now your ready to start embellishing! -- As mentioned above: You can use any strong holding glue; E-6000 works wonderfully - it forms a really strong bond but doesn't set up immediately. Hot Glue will hold the item in place while the E-6000 sets in, or any other glue of your choice.
   
   
   
5. Decorate the keys using your chosen embellishments. Continue until you're happy with the design(s) and look of your completed keys.
   
6. Once the keys are decorated.... The real fun begins! -- Simply add a large jump ring (or small rings) to the keys and arrange them into different jewelry designs.

Craft found at Favecrafts.com

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Shop Sale Craft Supplies Now at Craftsy!

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Disclaimer: This blog accepts compensation in the form of products and/or monetary for selected posts which will be labeled as sponsored. No matter the compensation, I only write about items and/or services that I have personal experience with and believe my readers will enjoy and/or benefit from. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of others.

View Full Disclosure for further details.

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12 Ways to Reuse an Old Jelly Jar

What On Earth Can You Make With An Old Jelly Jar?

Have you ever wondered how many ways you can reuse an old jar? The possibilities are endless!!! I've created a small list of the idea's that I can think of. If you know of any more ways to reuse an old jar, that I don't have on my list, Feel free to comment them below and I'll grow my list with your ideas! Of course I'll add your name by your idea so everyone gets the proper credit :) You don't have to use an old jar, an empty Jelly Jar works just as well. Together we can keep useful things out of our land-fields!
Lets Turn Trash into Treasure!!

• Drinking Glass -- Make sure it is 100% clean and sterilized before drinking out of any old jar that you find at thrift stores. 
• Vase for Flowers -- Make sure it's clean enough and has no residue of any chemical that can hurt the flowers.
• Bait Jar -- For Fishing Trips - Have the kids run around searching for worms! Add a bit of dirt to the jar and once the kids find a worm, they can add it straight to the jar and once it's full, you just grab the jar and head to the water!
• Watering Jar -- Easy to keep sitting on the counter or window seal to quickly grab and water small inside or outside plants.
• Food Storage -- If you have the lid to the jar, you can use it to store leftovers. (Wash thoroughly)
• Storage Container -- Store ingredients in the jar to help organize your pantry.
• Gift Idea -- Fill up with Hot Chocolate mix, Add a few small marshmallows to top, Tie a ribbon around it, Pair a Drinking Mug with the Jar of Hot Choc. and gift as a gift during the cold months. (You can also do this with the dry ingredients in recipes)
• Collection Jar -- Store your favorite collection of small items so you can not only store them but display them as well. (marbles, polly pocket, legos, bouncy balls, Silly Bands, Etc.)
• Pencil Holder -- Decorate with your craft supplies to give the jar a personalized touch and so it don't just bare and plain! (I use to make these all the time! FUN!)
• Cookie Cutter -- Use the top of the jar as a Cookie Cutter.
• Candle Holder -- If you have the tall stick candles - Stand the candle up in the middle of the jar, Make sure the candle is a good bit taller than the jar - While holding the candle straight up, Pour marbles, colored gravel, Sand or other small contents - To fill in the empty space and hold the candle up. If there is a chance that the filler could melt if the flame got too close, Don't let the candler get more than 1 inch away from the filler (Maybe less, depending on that you use) You can even use small legos or potpourri  as long as you watch the flame.
• Piggy Bank -- Use the jar to keep up with your loose change. It's a great way to save a little bit of money (every penny counts and adds up fast). You can decorate the jar or leave it clear. If you have the lid - Cut a small slice in the middle of the lid that is a little bit wider than a Quarter and no longer than the length of a dollar bill - when folded in 1/2 twice. My daughters had a big jar that we were collecting change in but they decided, early one morning, that the change would be used better to play with than to save :) Gotta love those girls!! Kids are so fun and full of trouble hehe :P

So, what did you think of my list?

Do you know of anymore idea's for reusing an old glass jar?

Leave your ideas in the comments and I'll add them to my post - with proper credit giving. (Make sure you leave your blog or social media link with your idea comment if you would like credit when I add the ideas to my post.)

Photo Source - MorgueFile.com

Quick Make-Up Case

Before you throw out that glasses case that you never use because you don't wear glasses.... Put it to use!

RE-USE IT!!!

Glasses cases make wonderful make-up cases.

You can also use to it hold spare hairbows, money, 

Get FREE SHIPPING and Great Prices on Designer Kids Clothes!

thredUP is having a FREE SHIPPING Promotion this month!

At check out use this coupon code -> SHIPFEB13

Buy Designer Brand clothing for cheap prices!

You can't beat the prices at thredUP!

Don't forget that you can request a bag so you can send in your child's 'like-new' clothes for Consignment and earn $$$!!

 Click HERE!!! 

thredUP ~ An Online Consignment Store with GREAT prices and DEALS!

A little while back I told yall about the company thredUP, a online company where you can buy like-new clothes for your kids at really low prices! Not only can you buy like-new clothes for your kids but once your kiddo's grow out of their clothes, and if they are still in wonderful shape with no stains or holes, then you can send them the clothes and once the clothes are sold then you will receive money! It's an Online Consignment Store! I love it!
They only accept the best brands and in the best condition! I have found my daughters lots of really cute clothes at thredUP, their prices on undershirts is what really caught my eye. Well, right now they are having a HUGE Valentine's promotions that will begin through out the month and last through the end of February! Right now you can get 80% off the clothes your children need this year!
THAT'S NOT ALL!
With this Coupon Code - SHIPFEB13, you will get FREE SHIPPING on your order!
To take advantage of this wonderful offer click here or below.
(Take a look at these wonderful prices on some of the stuff I found for Spring!)

Make a Valentine's Bookmark ~ Kids Craft

DIY Valentine's Day Bookmark ~ For the Kiddo's!

Valentine's Day is just 9 days away and soon kids will be taking all their little friends Valentines to school. Why not mix things up this year? Instead of buying Valentines this year, why not make them? I have a few projects for Valentine's Day, you can find them at the bottom of this post. How about Valentine's Day Bookmarks? They're easy enough that your kids could make them for their classmates as Valentines! You can even add a photo to them!


All you need is:
An empty cereal/gummy box
2 Colors of Construction Paper (We used red and pink)
Glue
Scissors
Small Photo (optional) 

*Crafty Tip* ~ If you have old bookmarks laying around the house, you can use those instead of the box but you will still need the cardboard for the heart.

Cut a rectangle in the size that you want. (I used a credit card to measure the width and left the length as the size of a normal sized gummy box - 5 1/2 to 6in is a good bookmark size) 

Cut a Heart shape that is a little bit bigger than the width of your bookmark. 

Trace your bookmark shape onto the color of paper you chose. If your bookmark has writing or pictures on both sides and you don't want those pictures to be a part of your finished bookmark then trace the bookmark twice, side by side. Make sure you have a double bookmark drawn onto your paper (Like the photo)

 Trace your heart onto the color of  Paper you chose. It's best to trace it twice. One on each side (trace once, flip it and trace again) so that your colored paper will fit perfectly on both sides of your heart. 

Glue the paper to your templates. Make sure that if you doubled your bookmark color then you need to fold on the center line and glue the bookmark in between the fold to cover the whole rectangle. 

 Glue your heart to the top of your bookmark.

 You can leave it the way it is now and be finished or you can decorate it.

 If you would like to add a photo then all you have to do is cut a small rectangle that covers your photo and fits on your bookmark. 

Cut a small square in the center of your  rectangle and place it over your photo. (You just made a frame)

Glue the photo to your bookmark (acid-free glue works best with pictures) 

Once your photo is glued down, glue the 'frame' over your picture and your DONE!! 

This craft takes all of about 10 or 15 minutes and it helps get kids wanting to read so they can use their new bookmark!  


Other posts you may enjoy!

 Getting Ready for Valentine's Day
 Easy To Make Valentine Rings out of Chocolate Kisses
Valentine's Day Heart Dog Craft



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Valentine Cookie Bouquets and Bakery Treats

Gold Dipped Roses

Valentine Gift Basket Towers and Wine Gifts

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