Great Day St. Louis: Valentine's Day Doily Crafts

Tomorrow morning I will be back on Great Day St. Louis (and if you are visiting from Great Day, "Welcome!") sharing doily crafts for Valentine's Day--"these are not your Grandmother's doilies!".  I'm sharing several fun ideas including this, this and this.  

 

 

 

Great Day St. Louis: Paint Chip Wreaths and Sweater Bottle Cozies

Tomorrow morning I will be back on Great Day St. Louis (and if you are visiting from Great Day, "Welcome!") sharing the "how-to" for making this paint chip wreath and these wine bottle sweater covers.  These two crafts are quick, easy, cute and virtually free! They're perfect for Valentine's Day decor or for anytime of the year! 

If you're local, tune in to KMOV at 10am or check it out online! 

P.S. Tomorrow is my official 1-year anniversary on Great Day!!! Thanks to all the wonderful people at GDSTL for keeping as a regular guest and making my segments something I look forward to each month!

Paper Trees on Great Day St. Louis

 Tomorrow morning I will be back on Great Day St. Louis (and if you are visiting from Great Day, "Welcome!") sharing the "how-to" for making book page Christmas trees.  The display will include all my book page crafts from this season and I'm really looking forward to sharing each of them with you.  

 If you'd like the tutorial for making this tree read on below after the jump or head over to Young and Crafty to check out the tutorial that I shared last week.  

"Crafting a Healthy Lunch" on Great Day St. Louis

Tomorrow morning I will be back on Great Day St. Louis (and if you are visiting from Great Day, "Welcome!") to share ideas for "Crafting a Healthy Lunch" using items including cookie cutters, sandwich cutters, veggie slicers, food markers, as well as two "bento" lunch boxes from EasyLunchBoxes.com and Laptop Lunches.  

 EasyLunchBoxes.com

 Laptop Lunches

You may ask...what is bento?  The definition from lunchinabox.net (an excellent bento resource!):

"A bento lunch is a compact, balanced, visually appealing meal packed in a box. Historically, it’s a Japanese box lunch, similar in concept to the Indian tiffin, the Korean dosirak, or the Filipino baon lunch. In Japanese, “bento” or “obento” refers to the packed meal, and “bento-bako” refers to the bento box itself."

 For more bento info, click here. 

For me, the concept of bento is a starting place when thinking about making lunches for my son when he goes to preschool and for my family when we need a packed meal.  Visually appealing food is clearly more appetizing and that idea goes a long way with children who may or may not be picky (my son is the picky type).  Putting just a little more time into lunch can make a big difference in terms of taste, health, and appeal.  

Compartmentalized lunch boxes like EasyLunchBoxes.com and Laptop Lunches reduce waste, keep food fresh and together, and inspire diverse meals.  

Here are a few lunches that I have packed for my 2-year-old son this school year using the Laptop Lunches System.  I've been really pleased with this product; I purchased it looking for a complete lunch box for my son to take to preschool.  The containers wash well in the dishwasher, the insulated carrying bag keeps the lunch cool and fresh, and the cute "alien" design has kept my toddler happy and excited about his lunch box. 

Also, I'm looking forward to trying out the EasyLunchBoxes.com system as well and you can too because they are giving a way a set of 4 containers and a cooler bag right here at the30girl. Click here for more information and to enter! 

Waste-Free Lunch Box Giveaway from Easylunchboxes.com!

Hello loyal readers and KMOV Channel 4 Great Day St. Louis viewers; I'm excited to announce that EasyLunchboxes.com is giving away a set of 4 containers and one insulated lunch bag here on the30girl! 

I'm thrilled about this giveaway because I really am passionate about creating waste-free, healthy, and appealing lunches!  I received my EasyLunchboxes last week and I can definitely say that they are EASY to use and their ease of use has inspired me to pack lunches for my husband, which I NEVER DO.  The fact that these are two pieces--the container and the lid--makes clean up quick, storage easy, and packing lunch a cinch!  I'm looking forward to packing our dinner in these for our trip this week to Boo at the Zoo!

Here is are some key points from Kelly Lester, the owner, creater and mom behind EasyLunchboxes.com!  

Born out of my response to unhealthy school lunch programs, EasyLunchboxes.com started from the desire to send my 3 kids to school with a nutritious meal, using little to no wasteful packaging. But the EasyLunchbox System is not just for kids. Adult size meals fit perfectly too.

The EasyLunchbox System 's design, functionality, and low price has quickly made it a top choice among green lunch box solutions since it came on the market in December, 2009. Named a 'top 5 Eco-Friendly Mommy Must Have" by Parents Ask, the EasyLunchbox System has been rated TOP CHOICE by many independent reviewers.

Supporting the waste-free lunch movement, EasyLunchboxes.com offers a reusable, superior solution at a much lower price than other companies. 

Great for large families and those on a limited budget. 

FDA approved. No BPA, phthalates, lead, vinyl, or PVC. Safe for dishwasher, freezer, and microwave.

The simple chic design and bright colors of our Cooler Bags can even be customized! 

We have included a sturdy grommet in the carrying handle so you can easily attach a pretty key ring, dietary restrictions warning tag, or your choice of any type of handcrafted or store bought “flair.” Examples HERE  

Our Cooler Bags are made of the highest quality 300D Polyester for premium durability and toughness. 

Vinyl free (PVC free) & lead free, with an FDA compliant PEVA lining.

The Giveaway

1 set of 4 lunch containers 

and 

1 cooler bag (in the color of the winner's choice)

To Win

1. Comment on this post with your favorite Neat Idea from EasyLunchBoxes.com.

2. For one extra entry, become a follower of the30girl. 

3. For one extra entry, become a fan of EasyLunchBoxes on facebook. 

This giveaway is open until Wednesday, November 3th at 11:59pm CST.  The winner will be selected using random.org and I will announce her/him on the30girl on Thursday, November 4th.  I will contact the winner via email.  Thanks for entering a giveaway on the30girl! Good luck and have fun! 

Also, this giveaway is offered to US and Canadian residents only.  Please do not enter if you have won or received free product from EasyLunchboxes within the past 3 months.

DIY Dry Erase Boards on Great Day St. Louis

Tomorrow morning I will be back on Great Day St. Louis (and if you are visiting from Great Day, "Welcome!") to showcase a variety of ways you can turn an average picture frame into a creative DIY dry erase board.  One DIY dry erase board I will be sharing is this menu.  Tune in to KMOV, Channel 4 if you are in the St. Louis area or online at 10am CST.  These ideas are great for organizing your weekly meals, lists, chores and fun activities for your kids. 

Activities/Favors for Kiddo Parties on Great Day St. Louis

This morning I will be back on Great Day St. Louis (and if you are visiting from Great Day, "Welcome!") to showcase a variety of fun and thrifty favors/activities for kiddo parties including recycled broken crayons and party pinwheels.  If you've got a kiddo or are planning a party for one, check out these simple, thrifty and cute ideas at 10am CST on KMOV Channel 4 or online.

If you would like the printables for the color-me fans from this morning's show, read on after the jump.

Recycled T-Shirt Yarn Tutorial on Great Day St. Louis

 

This morning I had the pleasure of showing St. Louis how to make recycled t-shirt yarn as well as the opportunity to showcase some of the necklaces that I make with it.  You've seen some of those necklaces (here and here) and you've also seen my affinity for recycled t-shirt yarn from Eclectic Notions (here).  

If you have some old t-shirts lying around, grab some scissors and make some yarn! You'll be addicted to this stuff! It's great for jewelry, potholders, coasters, bathmats, dishcloths, place mats, etc.

This week I will post a step-by-step tutorial as well as some photos of my latest t-shirt yarn necklaces with twisted fabric rosettes.  If you can't wait until then, check out this video!

Parties I'm Linking To Today: 

Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog 

Baby Food Jar Crafts

 

 If you are visiting from Great Day St. Louis, thanks and welcome!  I had a great time sharing these crafts this morning and I want to give you the full tutorials as well as links to where some of these great ideas started.

Seedling Jars

Click here for this "how-to" post on making seedling jars.

Tealight Holders

 The idea for making these baby food jar tea lights came from the wonderfully lovely blog, www.prudentbaby.com.  I used the same concept, but I secure and seal the fabric with mod podge. 

Tea Light Holders
Baby Food Jars
Fabric Strips
Ribbon/Twine/Contrasting Fabric/Embellishments/Etc
Pinking Sheers
Mod Podge
Tea lights

1. Cut strips of fabric to cover the flat part of each baby food jar using pinking sheers.
2. Using matte mod podge, adhere the fabric strips to the surface, let each jar dry, and then seal them with more podge.
3. After completely dry, place your tea light and enjoy!
 

4. For a hanging tea light, use strong, yet flexible wire, and wrap around the jar lid lip.  Then, wrap another piece of wire around the top of the jar to create a hanging loop. 

Memory Game 

This is my favorite idea! After using the jars for projects, I had a large stack of lids that I've been giving my kiddo to play with.  Then, it dawned put some pictures in there--not a genius idea, but fun nevertheless! I love the fact that you can interchange the pictures to suit your child's interests, I love that it is cheap and easy, and I love that it is transportable!

Memory Game with Baby Food Jar Lids
At least 10 Baby Food Jar Lids
A set of shapes, icons, etc. that are toddler-friendly
Scissors
Glue or Tape

1. Using clip art or photoshop, create pairs of shapes easily identifiable by toddlers
or use mine.

2. Cut out each circle inside the black line (you may have to do a little extra trimming) and glue to the underside of your baby food jar lids.
3. After drying, have fun playing! This game is compact and travels well and as your child tires of the same pictures you can replace them with new ones!

Pin Cushion

How adorable right?

You can also find this idea at Prudent Baby, but I used the method from My Nifty Needle to make mine. 

Pin Cushion
One Baby Food Jar and Lid
Ribbon
Poly-Fil
Hot Glue Gun/Glue
Fabric (cut into a 7in diameter circle)
Needle/Thread

1. Using a basic running stitch, stitch around the circle approximately .5-.75 inch from the edge.
2. Pull your threads to create a little sack then push in a small amount of filling to create a little cushion.  Pull the threads tight to create a ball and tie off the ends.  Push to flatten the edges so that the bottom of the puff can be hot glued to the top of the lid.

3. Using your hot glue gun, apply a generous amount of glue to the top of the lid and hold your cushion down until glue is dry.
4. Using your ribbon, glue it around the edge of the lid to hid the cushion bottom and lid edges.
5. Put your miscellaneous pins in the jar and a few on top for a functional pin cushion!

Well, now you have four great crafty reasons to save your baby food jars and re-purpose them into something fun and functional!

*Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway from the Book Bound Bindery!*

Today I'm Linking up at Strut Your Stuff at Somewhat Simple

Baby Food Jar Crafts on Great Day St. Louis

This morning I will be back on Great Day St. Louis to showcase a variety of fun and useful crafts ( to re-purpose baby food jars (including this one).  It seems that many moms have a hard time tossing or recycling these cute tiny jars; so, we always have a few around the house.  If that description fits you or even if you just save your empty jelly jars, check me out at 10am CST on KMOV Channel 4 or online for some functional and simple projects.

Also, check back later today for details, photos and links on each baby food jar project. 

Fabric Flower Tutorial on Great Day St. Louis!

 This morning I was very fortunate to be invited back to Great Day St. Louis to give a brief tutorial on making fabric flowers, particularly the ones you can find here and here. 

If you are so inclined, you can check me out here.

Thanks for watching and have a great day!