Egg-cellent Easter Ideas for Families

This long Easter weekend is the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with our kids, and what better way to engage them than by playing and creating?

It’s no secret that Oliver’s Labels staffers love all of the many ingenious, crafty and unique ideas posted by bloggers for everyone to enjoy. So, we’ve scoured the internet for a few of our favorites. We hope you enjoy them… and your precious time this weekend with your families!

Yarn Easter Eggs from Fantastic Fun & Learning – the perfect craft for preschoolers. It’s a fun way to practice fine motor skills and is so cute it would look wonderful hanging in any home!

Image: Fantastic Fun & Learning

Bunny Paper Garland from Mini Eco - this tutorial comes with a downloadable template, but you could always customize your own bunny face depending on the scissor-wielding abilities of your kids. J

2014 Valentine Round-Up

No matter if you’re young or old, there’s something magical about Valentine’s Day. Even if you don’t subscribe to the red-roses-and-chocolates mentality, you can’t deny the sweetness of this holiday, or the fact that kids LOVE it!

So why not surprise your kids with a fun Valentine activity or recipe to make together? Using Pinterest for inspiration, we’ve rounded up some amazing ideas. Many of these are perfect for classroom treats, so spend some quality time having fun and getting crafty with your kids!

Valentines

Image: Pumpkins & Posies

Fun Ideas for Easter and Passover

No matter if you celebrate Passover or Easter, we've got something for you in this week's blog post!

 

For our friends who celebrate Passover...

• Your child can make this Passover goblet for Elijah with a few simple materials (great use of recycled items, too!)
• Try this Passover-friendly Flourless Chocolate Tart for dessert
• If you have any vegan guests, you'll want to serve this Dark Chocolate Coconut Banana Vegan Matzah Brei
• Here's a video tutorial for making your own Afikoman Bag 
• Kids can decorate these Passover coloring pages

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For our friends who celebrate Easter...

• Make your Easter egg hunt a blast with these non-candy ways to fill plastic eggs
• Serve this cute  bunny-cookies-and-milk treat
• Enjoy this easy, healthy Easter egg lunch
• Got peanut allergies? Try these peanut-free Easter candy ideas
• Kids can decorate these Easter coloring pages (they're FREE!)
• Here are a few twists on traditional Easter egg decorating
• Sprinkle eggs
• Crayon shaving eggs

Enjoy your time with family and friends!

Keep the Kids Busy - Spring Break Activities for Every Age

Spring Break is one of those times of the year that kids love and parents fear. Don’t get me wrong - it’s wonderful to spend time with the kids. But if you’re ill prepared, the week can quickly spiral into boredom oblivion, no matter how many toys your kids have.

We’ve compiled some fabulously fun activities from the web to keep kids of all ages entertained and inspired.

And, if you’re lucky enough to be heading somewhere warm for Spring Break (I’m jealous!), some of these will even work as travel activities.

Wordless Wednesday - Valentine Edition

Homemade valentine magnets... made with love!

Valentine’s Day Fun

There are only 10 more sleeps until Valentine’s Day and what better way to enjoy this fun holiday than with great activities to do with your kids?

While there are a lot of do-it-yourself projects out there that are cute, many are also very complex and time-consuming. As a parent, I aim to make Valentine’s Day fun for my kids, and free of chaos for myself! So, in the spirit of simplicity, I’ve found some very do-able ideas for every parent.

Here are a few of my favorites… I hope you enjoy them!

1. Make a Gratitude Tree  
2. Crayon Hearts
3. Valentine Bubbles
4. Color Me Happy Valentines
5. Salt Dough Necklaces and Magnets 

Photo credit: Amazing Mae

Whether you have some big DIY fun on Valentine’s Day, or keep it simple with sweet handwritten cards to friends, be sure to let your kids know they’re YOUR favorite Valentines! :)

We’d love to see your Valentine creations, so feel free to post them on our Facebook wall, share them on Twitter (be sure to tag us @oliverslabels) or add them to our Holiday board on Pinterest leading up to the big day. We’ll be continuing to post fun ideas, and are sure to share yours with our fans!

Halloween Fun on the Cheap

Halloween is such a fun night of the year… adults get to act like kids, kids get to eat a ton of candy and there’s a silly, jovial atmosphere that can’t be beat!

 Halloween is especially fun because of the opportunity to make amazing crafts with your kids. Instead of dropping a bucketful of cash on store-bought decorations and Halloween-themed food, why not get creative, save a bit of cash, and make your own? There are so many amazing ideas to try – especially the creative jack o’lantern stencils to carve the BEST pumpkin on the block!! Check out some awesome ideas listed for you below…

1. Shrunken heads - http://www.marthastewart.com/268080/shrunken-apple-heads

 2. Pickled brains - http://www.marthastewart.com/318853/pickled-brains

3. Creepy old fingers, bones and more - http://inspiringpretty.com/2012/09/20/cute-and-spooky-halloween-foods-for-kids/ 

4. Ghosts, candy corn banner, jack o’lantern masks and more - http://www.bhg.com/halloween/indoor-decorating/easy-halloween-decorations/ 

5. Roasted pumpkin seeds - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-pumpkin-seeds/

6. Jack o’lantern carving stencils
 - http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mpatterns.htm
 - http://www.marthastewart.com/357874/easy-pumpkin-templates
 - http://www.nickjr.com/printables/nickjr-pumpkin-stencils.jhtml?path=/printables/all-shows/seasonal_halloween/all-ages/index.jhtml 
- http://www.celebrating-halloween.com/pumpkincarving/index.shtml

Remember to put safety first - try to wear light colors, or ensure there's reflective tape on dark-colored costumes. And, if you're taking little ones out for the big night, consider using our Safety Wristbands for a little extra peace of mind.

Enjoy your Halloween! And, keep your eyes peeled for a fantastic Halloween promotion starting next week!!

Father's Day DIY

It's almost Dad's big day and if you find yourself scrambling for a great gift, I've got a few crafty - yet memorable - ideas for you for kids of all ages!

Personalized Picasso

When my daughter was two, she made a special Father's Day present for my husband - a painting with her hand print on it that my husband cherishes to this day.  It's such an easy and inexpensive project, yet it's sure to be treasured. Simply purchase a canvas at your local art supply store or dollar store (this is where I get mine... they have amazing canvases for only $1-2!), and set up a tray with assorted washable paint colors for your child to use; consider the use of a smock.  
Tip: a plastic egg carton works great as a paint tray - it's the perfect size.
If you have a very young child doing this project and don't want the colors to end up turning into brown on the canvas, hand your child a clean brush every few minutes and gently instruct them to try a new color. Be sure to personalize their painting even more by adding a hand print to their masterpiece. It will be a great reminder just how small they were when they made this.

Want to make it even more special? Be sure to document the entire experience (photographs, video) and either print off a photo and slide it in the back of the canvas, or give Dad a DVD of the creative process. He's sure to treasure it!

Fimo Fingerprints

Every kid that has tried Fimo simply LOVES it. Know why? Because they get to immortalize their creations forever (via baking/hardening)! No matter the age(s) of your child(ren), you can create an amazing - and practical - gift for Dad using Fimo and a few other supplies found at art supply or dollar stores.

Key Chain 

Supplies: Fimo, leather cord, split ring

Cut a rectangular piece of Fimo - any size you'd like your keychain to be - and make a hole using an awl or a very sharp pencil at one end of it (it must be big enough to accommodate two widths of leather cord). Next, have your child(ren) put their fingerprint(s) in it and bake per the instructions on the Fimo package; let cool. Cut a 6" piece of leather cord and fold in half around the split ring; put cut ends of the cord through the hole that you made in the Fimo; then, with both ends together, tie a simple knot at the end. (Feel free to experiment with other ways to attach the Fimo and split ring; jump rings also work well, in place of leather cord.)

Bookmark

Supplies: Fimo, leather cord

Follow the instructions as noted above (for keychain), only cut the Fimo larger (bookmark size) and finish the top off with a piece of leather cord folded in half, looped end through the hole in the top of the Fimo, and cut ends pulled through loop to form a sort of tassel.

I hope these inexpensive, last-minute, low-stress gift ideas help make this coming Father's Day a great one! And if you have any fabulous DIY gift ideas to share please comment below, post on our Facebook or Google+ pages, pin them on Pinterest (tag us so we can re-pin!), or tweet us. We would love to share your ideas with the rest of our fans!

Spring Has Sprung - Easy Easter Decorations

I love Easter… want to know why? Well, it’s one of those holidays that the kids get really excited about, but I find relatively stress-free. It’s a win-win for all of us! To me it’s a time for having fun with the kids and it signals the coming of spring, which, in and of itself is a wonderful thing!

Since Easter is right around the corner, I thought I’d share some whimsical spring-themed decorations to make with your kids. (And, even if you don’t celebrate, these are sure to brighten up any room!)

Paper Blooms

What you’ll need:

• Various colors of tissue paper (the brighter, the better!)
• Pipe cleaners
• Plastic beads

Optional:

• Small pot with a piece of florist’s foam wedged in it
• Fake moss
• Decorations – i.e. gems with adhesive backings, small butterflies, bugs, etc. from craft store

String a bead onto a pipe cleaner to form the base of your flower. Cut flower shapes out of tissue paper then stack 6-8 cutouts, in alternating colors, on top of each other. Poke the pipe cleaner up through the middle then put another bead on the end of the pipe cleaner that is poking out the top of the paper flowers, sandwiching the paper between the two beads. Next, twist the end of the pipe cleaner around the top bead to secure (this forms the center of the flower). Scrunch the layers of paper to make the flower as full as desired, then “plant” it in the pot (optional). Fill your pot with as many flowers as you like, then cover the base of your flowers (to hide the florist’s foam) with moss. Add any other cute decorations you'd like, such as the butterfly and sparkly gems shown at left.

Sun Catchers

What you’ll need:

• Waxed paper
• Leftover crayon pieces 
• Iron (to be used by adult, or under adult supervision)
• Cloth
• String
• Suction cup hooks (optional)

Start off by grating crayon pieces into shavings, putting each color into a different bowl. Set out a piece of waxed paper in front of each child and have them draw a shape on the paper – an Easter egg, a flower, a race car or train… the possibilities are endless! Then, have them sprinkle the crayon shavings onto the paper (sparingly) within the shape they’ve drawn. Place the second sheet of waxed paper on top of the shavings, and then the cloth (as a protective layer between the waxed paper and the iron). With a warm iron, press down gently to melt the wax between the sheets of paper. Once it’s cool, cut around the outline of the shape and poke a hole and add the string. Decorate your windows by hanging them from suction cup hooks, or hang them like ornaments from large houseplants or indoor trees.

Did you know that another fantastic way to decorate is with our brand new line of Room-eez™ Wall Decals? They’re the decorations you can apply, remove, then re-apply whenever – and wherever – you want… without hurting your walls! And, we’ve designed a limited edition Easter pack of Room-eez wall decals that are available from now until April 8^th for only $5 with any purchase – that’s half-price! To order, hop on over to oliverslabels.com.

School Break Boredom Busters

Kids these days have so much – from toys and technology to art supplies and sports equipment – that there is no shortage of activities to do. So why is it that during school breaks, before the week has barely begun, most children will announce to their parents “I’m bored”?

We all love our kids and enjoy spending time with them – that goes without saying. But, at some point, we have to cut the apron strings and let them learn to occupy themselves, if only for an hour. J

The irony about spring break though (for many of us), is that it’s not really spring – the weather certainly isn’t spring-like! So, what’s a parent to do when junior says he’s bored? I scoured the web for some of the best crafts and came up with the following list. I’m sure there are lots more amazingly creative ideas out there, so if you have one, share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+. You’ll be helping out fellow parents and maybe, just maybe, preventing at least one of them from hearing those two dreaded words (“I’m bored”)!

Have a wonderful school break!

1. Paint Prints – thanks to Amanda, an Oliver’s Labels Agent, for submitting this fun activity. Please check out her blog, Multi-Testing Mommy, for more amazing craft ideas!

Photo credit: Multitestingmommy.com

2. "Owly" Bowling Pins – this craft does double-duty…as a painting project and then as a game!

Photo credit: canadianfamily.ca

3. Popsicle Stick Bracelets – for the budding fashionista in your family!

Photo credit: ctv.ca

4. Homemade Sidewalk Chalk – make it now and look forward to using it when the weather is *actually* nice! ;)

Photo credit: familyeducation.com