Crafts

Thankful Tree

Thankful Tree! Write down what you are thankful for on a leaf and add it to the thankful tree

I am jumping on the bandwagon and making a Thankful tree! I have an abundance of fall leaves so why not! I was tempted to take all of my fall leaves, put them in a pile and jump in it. The fake ones are as close as I get to falling leaves since I live in Arizona. There is still time I might still make a pile of leaves ;).

Any way to show thanks is good and I like the idea of using it for decoration as well. Earlier this week I made thankful balloons that were a lot of fun, you can see them here: https://simplecraftyfun.com/2015/11/thankful-balloons/ I am using both the tree and balloons for Thanksgiving. We are adding leaves to the thankful tree throughout the month that we are thankful for to keep up the grateful spirit. I have a lot to be thankful for and some of them are silly things like pizza but sometimes it’s good to acknowledge the little things too! read more

About Valerie Jackson

Hi I'm Val! I love making simple crafts with my kids using free printable templates. Come craft with us!

Spider Web Candy Craft

Spider Web Candy Craft- make candy spider webs for a fun Halloween craft you can eat too! - Val Event Gal

We are officially in October, which means Halloween all day every day! Yes, I have been getting ready for the past month but now it is socially acceptable. My daughter doesn’t always like to hang up the decorations. She has a very specific idea of what she wants to do with everything. Usually the places she chooses to put things are in the middile of the room or right in the way of where we walk or in the bathroom. I have different ideas so we have a bit of a power struggle. Strong willed 4 year olds definitely let their opinion known but I find a way to win in the end. I thought we needed a Halloween craft that she could do whatever she wanted with and put it anywhere. That way she isn’t interested in my decorations. We made this spider web candy craft and it was an easy activity she loved. The great thing is there are so many ways to make a spider web. You can also eat it too! read more

About Valerie Jackson

Hi I'm Val! I love making simple crafts with my kids using free printable templates. Come craft with us!

Watercolor Tissue Paper Flowers

Watercolor Tissue Paper Flowers. - Val Event Gal

Lately I have been really into watercolors. I still have no skills when it comes to watercolor but I love them. My daughter loves them too and she is honestly probably better than I am. I am not afraid to admit it. I love painting but am not the best painter ever. When it comes to art I would say my cartoon and colored pencil skills are probably the best. When I was a kid for a while I wanted to be a cartoonist. Somewhere in between the time I wanted to be a princess and veterinarian. It is important to be well rounded with your interests! I am well rounded or indecisive, but I’m also a glass half full kind of gal so I will go with well rounded. Anyways back to watercolors. Even if you don’t have a lot of skill to make anything, like me, they still look so pretty!. Although some people can take it to the next level with watercolor for the watercolor tissue paper flowers you don’t need skills. I love making things with tissue paper and these tissue paper flowers are so really easy to make and so pretty. You can hang them up or use them as table centerpieces. You could also group them together for a dessert table backdrop. Go crazy and get creative! read more

About Valerie Jackson

Hi I'm Val! I love making simple crafts with my kids using free printable templates. Come craft with us!

Mermaid Party Backdrop

Mermaid Party Backdrop for dessert tables or pictures -Val Event GalMy love of mermaids runs deep and that has not changed since I was five, maybe younger. Of course as a mom I introduced my daughter to The Little Mermaid. I watched it a million times when I was a kid and now I watch it a million times with my daughter. Does life get any better than that?! Seriously it brings me so much joy to see her get as excited about the same movie I loved as a kid. Now I have to be the sea witch instead of Ariel but still I love it! Luckily when I’m planning parties I get to act like a kid and use my imagination. Adults do not get to do this enough. I made this beautiful mermaid party backdrop for a candy table. It could also work for a photo backdrop or wall decoration. The materials are cheap but it is a bit time consuming to make. Definitely worth the effort on this one! You could also make this fan backdrop for different themes with different colors. I think it is perfect for a mermaid, under the sea or beach theme since the fans resemble shells. read more

About Valerie Jackson

Hi I'm Val! I love making simple crafts with my kids using free printable templates. Come craft with us!

Mermaid Party Favors with free printable tags

Mermaid Party Favors with free printable gift tags perfect for a mermaid party! - Val Event Gal

When I was a kid I basically thought I was a mermaid. I loved to swim and would put a ring around my feet to keep them together like a mermaid tail. Anyone else do this? When you live in Arizona as a kid you are basically a mermaid living in the water half the year. It is disappointing when you grow up and realize you will never actually be a mermaid. Thanks mom and dad, you told me I could grow up to be anything I wanted to be! While I have come to terms with the fact that I will never be a mermaid I have not given up on sparkles and mermaid party fun! This weeks theme is mermaids! I am bringing the mermaid party fun starting with these adorable underwater mermaid party favors with printable gift tags. I am a little late starting this week since my daughter just started school again and I am getting back in a routine. School seems to start earlier every year. I promise I will get better in the coming weeks, I have some fun things planned! Yes, I am a creative type and sticking to a schedule is tricky when you are on mermaid time(I’m guessing mermaids are on a relaxed schedule). These mermaid magic jars are so easy to make and are a perfect mermaid party favor! Kind of like a snow globe but with glitter and under the sea creatures. read more

About Valerie Jackson

Hi I'm Val! I love making simple crafts with my kids using free printable templates. Come craft with us!

Pineapple Centerpieces

pineapple centerpieces, flowers in pineapple, glitter pineapple, pink pineapple, pineapple party

A while ago I saw a centerpiece with flowers in a pineapple. Since then I have wanted to try that out. It is trouble when I am having people over and I see pineapples on sale. I bought like five pineapples! I didn’t use fancy flowers just some flowers I thought looked pretty from the grocery store. At first I was going to do painted pineapples with flowers in them. I still think that would be fun with bright color combinations, maybe next time ;). Instead I did painted pineapples and pineapples with flowers in them separately for variety. read more

About Valerie Jackson

Hi I'm Val! I love making simple crafts with my kids using free printable templates. Come craft with us!

Firecracker Toppers with Sprinkles Inside!

firecracker cupcake toppers, 4th of July cupcake toppers, cupcake topper with candy inside, star candy, firework cupcake topper

4th of July is all about the fireworks and firecrackers! Also it’s about the food, there will be so many BBQs going on this weekend it is the best time! So I decided to put those two wonderful things together in a fun topper. These firecracker cupcake toppers with star sprinkles inside turned out so cute! I used them for cupcakes but they would be perfect for a cake or even on some fruit. Sometimes my watermelon needs some sprinkles to make it extra appealing.

I live in Arizona and they are selling firecrackers and fireworks all over the place. Call me crazy but I personally don’t want to be setting off fireworks in the desert when it’s dry and 110 degrees. I like watching fireworks but I will stick with the professional show. Actually with a 4 year old I think we probably wont be up late enough for any kind of fireworks. We will just have to settle for all the food and pretend firecrackers. That’s more my style anyways. read more

About Valerie Jackson

Hi I'm Val! I love making simple crafts with my kids using free printable templates. Come craft with us!

Fireworks Craft

firework craft, pipe cleaner fireworks, 4th of July craft, fireworks for kids, diy firework craft

I just cannot believe it is already going to be the 4th of July this week! It really snuck up on me. I might say that too much because a lot of holidays somehow sneak up on me. Besides Christmas since they start putting out decorations in July, you can’t miss that one. I wanted to make a little craft with Keira but I was trying to avoid a mess. What says 4th of July more than fireworks?! It seems like all of our crafts are messy and as much as I love making a huge mess I don’t always like to clean up. This fireworks craft was so easy to make and can also work as a decoration for the 4th. All you need are pipe cleaners in any colors you want (I went with red, silver and blue) and scissors. read more

About Valerie Jackson

Hi I'm Val! I love making simple crafts with my kids using free printable templates. Come craft with us!

Silly Bunny Boxes with Free Printables!

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We are in full on Easter prep this week! My daughter Keira is on spring break so we have some extra time for activities. Besides going out on fun adventures, I planned a few Easter crafts to get us ready for the Easter bunny. I wanted to make silly bunnies because well we are silly and appreciate some silliness(is that a word?). I was thinking of making sock bunnies or bags but I happened to have these cake boxes so I made bunny boxes. If you don’t have boxes you could use paper bags, which would look adorable! I might make some bunny bags before Easter. read more

About Valerie Jackson

Hi I'm Val! I love making simple crafts with my kids using free printable templates. Come craft with us!

Grow a Rainbow

rainbow

In my house we are getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day! Since my daughter and I are big arts and crafts fans I plan a few crafty activities to go with every holiday. I decide it would be fun to “grow” a rainbow. Keira and I planted the “seed” before she went to school and when she came back the rainbow had grown. She was really so excited to see that her rainbow had grown. A few times we have tried to grow little flowers and plants in pots but never successfully. I always forget to water the plants and Keira expects them to grow in a day. I can’t even keep a cactus alive, I know its pathetic. I love flowers but I can’t be trusted with them. So I will stick to “growing” rainbows and fake plants. read more

About Valerie Jackson

Hi I'm Val! I love making simple crafts with my kids using free printable templates. Come craft with us!

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