DIY Pizza Game

This post contains affiliate links.      I have slowed down making the kids gifts at Christmas time. There are so many of them and it takes a toll on me. Last year I purchased gifts but wanted to round out with a simple gift I hand made. The kids really loved the PB & J game I made so I used that as an inspiration and came up with this...the Pizza Game. It's super easy to make and inexpensive. It is easy to make several at one time too, checking off your gift giving list all at once.

Hill House Soapworks Boutique

Hey everyone, I have opened a small Bath & Bodycare Boutique called Hill House Soapworks, on Facebook. I have some fun Halloween items in there, and will add more items as I have time. I plan to eventually carry a full range of Body care items. I would love for you to visit, Like and Follow. I also have a Facebook Group you can join, Hill House Soapworks Group, to hear about new items before they are stocked in the boutique. Thanks for your support!

Pocket Purses

This first posted at my other blog, Family Home and Life.

I call these Pocket Purses and they are easy and fun to make! I made them for my grand daughters but I want one too. They would be perfect for going window shopping as they are the right size to hold the basic necessities, just add a longer handle. Add a different handle to dress them up or make them your own style. 

Dino Quilt

I planned to make a quilt for one of my grand babies and the request was for a Dinosaur theme. Together, said grand baby and I looked through many Dino quilts online. None of them seemed just right. There was one though that was close to what my little imagined. So I used it as a jumping off place for this quilt. 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Game

This first posted at Family Home and Life, my other blog.

This is a home made gift I keep on hand when I need something quick to give to a child. It's called the Peanut Butter and Jelly Game. Super easy to make, of course, it's inexpensive too. (you know me :) Kids from about age 4 to 8 love this game; some 3 yr olds may understand how to play too. The directions here are for enough pieces for 4 players.

Patriotic Wreath

This was first posted at Family Home and Life, my other blog.



You would think that in all my crafting years I would have made several wreaths, but no, this was the first. I really wanted to have something patriotic for the Fourth of July, but I was tired of my same 'ole things. I decide a wreath was what I needed. I choose to not hang it outside but to hang it from an old door I have inside. I like it, it is westerny...yes... but also very 4th of July. 

Prickly Pear Jelly

Prickly Pear tunas are turning ripe this time of year. Tuna are the fruit of the prickly pear cacti that ripen after it flowers. Prickly Pear Jelly has a unique flavor I wouldn't begin to know how to describe, but it's good. My neighbor has a nice crop of tunas this year and I decided to try my hand at making jelly. I searched the web for recipes and tips then got started. 

Easy Bibs from Drop Cloth & Scraps

With a 7 month old, one on the way and three 3 year olds that still use bibs; I needed new bibs. It's super easy enough to make bibs, and I always have lots of scraps to choose from. I could have even used an old sheet, dish towel or shirt. I noticed a drop cloth scrap and I  remembered seeing that someone had drawn stripes on drop cloth to make it look like toweling. I decided to try that out. I choose some quilt scrap prints for the other side. 

Mason Jar Solar Light

First published at Family Home and Life.

I love to use Mason jars in all kinds of ways. I found solar light lids you could buy online to make a solar light out of a Mason jar. I thought that was a great idea but when I wanted to purchase one they were out of them. I went online and found some tutorials on how to make your own but I really didn't like how they looked when finished. They had the solar unit sitting on top of the lid and it looked, well….. it didn't really look like a Mason jar anymore. I wanted a solar lid that still left my Mason jar looking like a Mason jar. So, I explained what I wanted to my husband and he made a solar lid for me that fit inside the jar, no big thing on top of the lid!

DIY Easy Bake Oven Themed Gift

It can be a challenge to keep up with all the kids birthdays that happen around here, especially when I always try to make a hand made gift for each one. Last Christmas, some of the girls received Easy Bake Ovens. I kept hearing about how they wanted to bake with their ovens but were out of mixes. I thought I would pick up some mixes for them until I saw how much they cost! Good grief, I can't believe how much they are! So I decided to see if I could mix up my own versions that would taste good too. 

Hello Kitty Look-a-Like Scarf

Every Christmas I hand make something to give the grand kids as well as a few children of close friends. This year I made 15 scarves. I used a Simplicity pattern #4354 that I have had for a while; it is a pattern for cats and puppy scarfs. They are very cute! I decided to try my hand at making something other than the puppies and cats, I attempted lizards and dinosaurs too. The lizards looked great.....the dinos looked like lizards. Oh well, at least the boys were happy with them. And then I realized as I was looking for the pics to do this post that I do not have one pic of the scarves other than the ones I took of the Hello Kitty look-a-like scarf! Oh my!

Scripture Ornaments

First published at Family Home and Life. 

This is an easy and fast yet lovely Christmas Ornament that you can make with the kids. I call them Scripture Ornaments because I used a page from the Bible about the birth of Jesus as my back ground. But if scripture is not your thing sheet music is nice or make up your own verbiage. These would make great gifts or tweak this version to make gift tags.

Here’s how I made these.

* Growth Chart Boards

I like to make heirloom quality gifts to give my grand kids. Here is a gift that each one received last Christmas, designed with the personality of each child in mind.