Star Wars Birthday Party When my son turned 5, I was super excited to re-use the Halloween costumes from that year for his Star Wars Party. That Halloween he was R2D2 and little brother was BB8. So naturally these two droids now had to be the center of the party decorations. I did the ussual … Continue reading Star Wars Birthday
This year make your own needle felt poppies to wear on Remembrance Day. We had fun with this one talking about what the day means and explaining to the kids what sacrifices service men and women have over the year. First gather a foam pad, your felting needles, red felt, and black wool or felt. … Continue reading DIY Remembrance Day Poppies
It’s not easy with the newest round of lock downs and restrictions as some parts of the world continue to struggle with COVID. As we grow weary of doing more remotely here is the list of some great ideas for any scout troop, team, or group to help them get through the latest rounds of … Continue reading 20 Ideas for Remote Learning and Kid Activities
I love Gingerbread and making Gingerbread Houses for the holidays. But this year I wanted to add to the tradition and make something that will last multiple seasons: Clay Gingerbread House inspired Luminary. Here is the step by step on how we made these Gingerbread inspired luminaries. Supplies: Oven hard clay - we used natural … Continue reading Dutch “Gingerbread House” Clay Luminary
With the Holiday break right around the corner and many winter camps still being impacted by COVID here is a great game for the entire family.... a criminal family! Create Criminal Profile First you need to create the criminal profiles, complete with finger prints. For your profile get dressed up in a disguise and take … Continue reading DYI: Family Mystery Game Criminal Mastermind
Halloween is around the corner and if you are still scrambling for a costume idea why not consider yourself royalty this year? Here are the instructions to a 3 step royal crown fit for a King, Queen, Prince or Princess! Supplies: - perforated aluminum (This can be purchased from local hardware store in different patterns … Continue reading Easy Last Minute Costume: DIY Royal Crown
We always have jars around the house; from pickles, or pasta sauce in all different sizes. There is also spare change hiding in the couch cushions or the junk drawer. So here is a quick craft with the kids to put that jar to good use and find the spare change a home. Supply list: … Continue reading Easy Mason Jar Piggy Bank
This summer all of the local summer camps are closed. Here is our plan for having an amazing summer regardless! Make a Plan. Set some goals. Get rewards. The kiddos picked 3 to 5 things they wanted to work on this summer. Owen picked archery, art, music, outdoor exploring while Michael picked music, art and … Continue reading At Home Summer Camps
This one was a challenge. I asked Owen what he wanted to be for Halloween. His typical kid response was a vampire. I told him, why don’t you pick something a bit more original that would be fun to make. We decided to look through the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for … Continue reading How to Make a Hippogriff Costume
For some reason we’ve gotten into making Gnome houses. We’ve made so many, we now have a village! Here are our top 5 fairy or gnome houses for your garden this spring/summer. 1. The Tree Stump A neighbor was trimming trees and a few branches were quite thick. So we took a stump. With just … Continue reading Easy DIY Gnome Village
Quarantine and communication skills with a 3.5 and 7 year old can be a challenge. Not only are we more or less stuck indoors, we are now also the teacher, coach and their only companions for going on 8 weeks. It’s no surprise that we start to wear on each other. I was starting to … Continue reading How 2 mason jars helped save my sanity!
One thing that I have not done in years is have a beauty routine. Other than occasional make up; washing my face with soap and water, and applying sunblock has been the extent of it for most of my 20's and now into my 30s. Naturally, the abuse I put my sensitive skin through is … Continue reading Natural Journey – Skin Care
As the world continues to come to grips with COVID19 and the impact it has had on our lives the world is becoming more and more restless stuck in quarantine. I'm lucky in so many way as we have not fallen victim to the virus nor have we had to become a hero during it. … Continue reading Ways to stay connected during COVID19
We run a small manufacturing business from home, and want to share our adventures with you.
If you are the parent of a little boy, odds are I don't have to explain what is Ninjago. The toddlers have that covered. For the rest of us, it is a new LEGO set of characters and movies centered around Ninjas, super powers and other fun stories, comics we've come to love from LEGO. … Continue reading LEGO Ninjago Birthday Party DIY – 3 Keys for Success
I have to hand it to Sash, she is the queen of handmade gifts for our boys. This year there are a few last minute ideas she came up with that are sure to be a hit. If you're struggling with what to get your toddler, here are our favorites. Play Pretend Garden - Fruit … Continue reading Last Minute Toddler Gifts
When my boys turned 1 I bought each of them "Oh the Places You'll Go". Their 1st birthdays were small parties, family only. And I had this idea, each family member picked a page and wrote a note to them, now at 1 year old, and when they turn 18 or on their High School … Continue reading One Fish – Two Fish First Birthday Party
Sometimes the prettiest Easter eggs are the ones that nature makes. There is nothing more Easter then a little Robin egg nest. This year we went to our local farmers market and were able to buy a variety of eggs; goose, chicken, and quail. We talked about how different types of birds make different size, … Continue reading Robin Egg Easter Basket – Natural Easter Egg Decorations
Spring time is coming and so is Easter. I love this holiday, for it's meaning and the family time we spend together. One year, we decided to have a big brunch with the entire family. Here is what we did to make it extra special for the little ones. First, we (of course) had the … Continue reading Easy and Fun Easter Brunch for the Entire Family
We love to 3D print in multiple colors. It’s a great way to brighten up any project. But we no longer have our dual extruder printer. To make multicolor prints we use pause points. Meaning, there is a script of code we add to the g-code after we slice the model, that pauses the print … Continue reading Pause points…switching filaments mid-print and 3D printing with style.
This is the easiest DIY gift but it is also one of the most meaningful. I made this for my husband for Valentines after being new parents. The first year having gone by in a blur we now had a one year old and it was Valentines Day. One hand the supplies I had: Acrylic … Continue reading Valentines Day Gift DIY
You need technical hobbies regardless of age. Not just for entertainment value but for the mental health benefits. Here, I’m using “technical hobbies” as a broad term. Sports, crafts, and cooking are all just as much technical hobbies as learning a computer code. It’s up to you to pick a hobby, or hobbies, that you … Continue reading Your Brain Needs A Hobby
According to Forbes the millennial generation is the most educated in our history with 33% holding 4-year degrees and 90% having graduated high school. Meanwhile, from that same population, one out three can’t boil an egg and seven out of ten can’t sew on a button! With the emphasis on college prep, standardized tests, … Continue reading Quick, change your Parenting, before you stifle your child’s curiosity.
I love Alice in the Wonderland! Some of my favorite memories are watching the movie with my mom while having our own tea party. Naturally when my sister asked for help in decorating for my niece's Alice in the Wonderland themed Birthday party I was all in! So here it is Birthday or Valentines Day … Continue reading Valentine’s Day: Alice in Wonderland Party Ideas
This is a super easy and tons of fun DIY. Its great for a rainy day or to hep use up some of that candy left over from Halloween. This is a Jolly Rancher Melt. We plan on using these to decorate our Gingerbread House and we wanted some fun toys and shapes. All you … Continue reading Easy DIY – Fun Shaped Hard Candy
We've all seen the wood slice ornaments with chalk paint or a snowman face. Those are some of my favorite crafts. But there are so many more designs and ideas for using tree rounds, or wood slices, to make your own ornaments. Last few years I have saved the truck of our Christmas trees for … Continue reading 5 Unique DIY Wood Slice Ornaments
I love fall! I love everything about it: the leaves, the wind, and most importantly - the turkey! I LOVE Thanksgiving. I love this holiday because it reminds us to slow down and be thankful. And did I mention...it's Turkey time! With that, let me introduce you to our newest Thanksgiving tradition: the DIY wood-sliced … Continue reading Thanksgiving DIY Decor
We love being able to share our passion for engineering with our kids and in the process getting our hand dirty! There is no better way then with concrete! Concrete Luminaries are one of our favorites! Supply List: Quickcrete Sand topping mix - cement mix Water Gloves Bucket Stick or small hand shovel for mixing … Continue reading DIY Concrete Luminary
There is nothing more I like to do then MAKE STUFF and Halloween costumes are some of the most fun items to make! This year Owen wanted to be a Star Wars character, since he is to little to have seen the movie the only one he really knows is R2-D2 and BB-8. Because they … Continue reading DIY – Two Star Wars Costumes for Under $100
I know, I know. Just what the internet needed: another review talking about how great the Creality CR-10 is. Well we’ve had it for a week, and so far it is great. So after only a week let’s consider this more of a “first impressions” post, and I’ll continue to update it as I get … Continue reading Creality CR-10 Review and First Impressions
As originally publised on Maroon Oak. Thank you very much for letting us contribute to your community. When we know what success means to us, we find ways to create the balance! I was invited to this community to discuss balancing family life and a full-time career while starting a business. This was honestly hard … Continue reading How I Balance Motherhood, Career and a Creative Bussiness
Anyone who has experience with 3D printing knows of the annoying fumes that results from it. During the printing process, filament is heated up and melted so that it can be extruded through the nozzle. As a result of bringing plastic to its melting point, toxic fumes are released into the air. These fumes are … Continue reading Safer, Cleaner 3D Printing with the Zimpure Air Filter
In a few posts now I’ve raved about how much I love the Zebra Plate build surface and the Craftbot Plus 3D printer. However, the Craftbot comes with its own build plate, so I had to make a few (very) minor modifications to get the Craftbot to work with the Zebra Plate. But I wanted … Continue reading 3D Printing 101: Using the Zebra Plate with a Craftbot
We are so very excited, our application was accepted as a vendor at Houston's Maker's Faire. With that we now need to build it! Lets get started with the supplies: Qty 2 Shelves 6 foot 10" X 1" Qty 5 copper tube 1/2' OD 10 ft in length Qty 10- T fittings 1/2" Qty 8 … Continue reading Part 2: The Vendor Booth Build
This is a big step for us. We've never been to the Maker's Faire but recently heard that the Houston Makers Faire is currently accepting applications. The local "maker spaces" are holding multiple open houses as part of a "maker crawl" ahead of the Faire. This was hugely informative, and very motivating. After a … Continue reading Part 1: First Time Maker’s Faire Vendors- Our Journey
When we decided to start an Etsy shop there was a lot we learned. Here are the 5 biggest points we learned. 1. Have a business account set up before opening your shop. For us that meant an LLC with a tax ID number along with a separate business bank account. We did this for … Continue reading Five Things We Wish We Knew When Starting an Etsy Shop
We’ve used a variety of build plates and surfaces with our Craftbot and Raise3D N2 printers including: Buildtak on glass, the FLEKS3D build plate, and the Zebra Plate by PrintinZ. As mentioned before, we primarily use PLA, so keep that in mind when reading this post. Our friend and fellow blogger Michael has experience with … Continue reading 3D Printing 101: Build Plates and Other Build Surfaces
Hi everyone! We’re super excited to get out this first post in this series about things we love to make. These are products that we sell on our Etsy shops, and of course you’re welcome to purchase them from there ;). However, if you’re reading this blog you’re probably a maker like us, and we want … Continue reading An Overview of All the Things We Love to Make! Musical Toys!
This project came about when a friend of mine was searching for the special item for their new home! Not only was it her birthday but it was also a house warming present. The request was a "magnetic scrabble game". What we created was just that but with a chalk board for keeping score and … Continue reading DIY Magnetic Scrabble Board Game
As I mentioned in our first “3D Printing 101” blog post, our 3D printer of choice is the Craftbot Plus. Simply put, this printer allows us to focus on designing our ideas and brining them to reality, as opposed to constantly fighting with a printer that just won’t work. We only have a few hours … Continue reading 3D Printing 101: Craftbot Plus 3D Printer Review
We spend a lot of time outside. Our back yard is our sanctuary and our chaos. We live in a very hot climate and its easy to want to stay inside. But we've been able to make a creative space that despite the heat, calls us to come out and play. One of those things … Continue reading Kid’s Potting Table
There is nothing I like more than getting to play in the dirt with my son! We started when he was 2 with "poking holes" and doing seedlings. On a rainy day I brought in a bucket of dirt, he got to pick the seeds and then poked holes to make sure we got one … Continue reading Gardening with a Toddler
Creating a baby room is exciting. What a joy to welcome a little one. Since our oldest son's room was rocket themed lil' brother's had to be air planes. I started with making the changing table feel more industrial with a peg board background. These easy steps to make this : 1. Supplies : spray … Continue reading Airplane Nursery for Baby Boy
While I hope even experienced makers and designers will find useful information here and in our subsequent 3D printing posts - this particular post is for those of you who are new to 3D printing, and don’t know where to begin. This is the first in a series of five posts which will describe our … Continue reading 3D Printing 101: Our Recipe for Success
Our first 3D printer was the Raise 3D N2 model. We backed this company on kick starter and got a top of the line machine including a splurge on the duel extrude nozzles. Key considerations when looking at 3D printers: 1. Decide your build volume needs - bigger is not always better. We found that … Continue reading Considerations when Purchasing a 3D Printer
OK as a busy mom I have a few hours to knock out the meals for the week. (Yes I work, yes I blog, yes we try to do as much as possible homemade and yes we are trying to run an Etsy business, so busy sometimes seems like an understatement). I make everything on … Continue reading Homemade Baby Food in 2 Hours
One thing that is most important with an online business is product photography. If you start of with bad pictures you will turn off potential customers early on and they might not come back, so how do you get it right with out breaking the bank? Here is my journey as an amateur photographer. First … Continue reading DIY Light Box Product Photography
We have a great connection to our local library in that my mother in law is a librarian. With that comes certain privileges and expectations. When they need cute kids for summer reading program posters, of course we help out. And when the children's chairs get broken and need spare parts (which don't exist) we do … Continue reading Custom Parts with 3D Printing
Three great gift ideas, all made from scrap wood. So in my household Mother's day is now behind us. So what does that mean? Time for me to brain storm an awesome DIY Fathers day gift to do with the boys. Thinking about gifts from the past I thought I would share a few of my favorites so far. All of these items were made mostly of scrap wood, and took less then a few hours to make.
Here we installed two large dry erase boards for less then $50 and in under 2 hours! We have talked about getting giant dry erase boards to cover the walls of our office. We never seem to have enough space on our little board to write down all of the to do list as well as our ideas and sketches. So after having talked about for a good 6 months we finally just did it!
Backyard DIY Pallet Weekend Projects!
So Pallets... more then just signs and wood to use for scrap.
