I wanted a fun (and useful!) DIY Valentine gift for all the teachers in my son’s Parents Day Out program. This simple Valentine’s gift candy basket for teachers also works as a desk pencil holder once all the candy is gone! With most of the supplies coming from the dollar store, they only cost $3 per teacher gift basket to make.

If you’re the parent of a 2-year-old boy like I am, chances are your friends & family will ask what you recommend they buy for your son’s birthday, Christmas, or other special occasion. If you happen to be a grandparent or friend of the family, then you’re probably wondering which gifts for little boys are most needed at this stage. Here’s a first-time mom’s list of the best gifts for 2-year-old-boys.

After a trip to Hobby Lobby, I realized that I could easily replicate some of their hanging basket ideas using real greenery from my own backyard without having to spend a dime! These outdoor hanging baskets take less than 10 minutes to make. See the steps I used to make these super simple outdoor Christmas arrangements.

I love the concept of a window Christmas tree. So much that I have a DIY Christmas tree in 2 different windows! For our kitchen window, I made a tree out of PVC pipes. For our front window, I wanted a really bright silhouette of a Christmas tree – so I made this lighted window tree. See how I did it…

I came across this fun idea for a Christmas tree made out of PVC pipe from one of Martha Stewart’s projects. My PVC Christmas tree fits perfectly in the window in our dining room. And who doesn’t love a window Christmas tree??? I even added colorful lights shining from the outside in — to add more color to the PVC tree at night.

I came across this fun idea for a Christmas tree made out of PVC pipe from one of Martha Stewart’s projects. My PVC Christmas tree fits perfectly in the window in our dining room. And who doesn’t love a window Christmas tree??? I even added colorful lights shining from the outside in — to add more color to the PVC tree at night.

I thought I would get a jumpstart on some fun handmade gifts and make pine cone fire starters this year. For my first batch, I used a large red cinnamon-scented candle and a spool of candle wick. Next, I’m excited to experiment with different colors and different scents of wax — it will be a good way for me to get rid of all my candles and Scentsy wax which I no longer use, since I’ve become a fan of diffusing essential oils.

Campfire Cones are the perfect sweet treat for kids of all ages — a great alternative to traditional Campfire Smores. Here’s my favorite Campfire Cones recipe and tasty Smores ideas that work well inside waffle cones. These can be made at home in the oven, on the grill, or on a campfire!