conversation heart inspired wreath
| | |

Conversation Heart Inspired Wreath for Valentine’s Day (she: Aimee)

ByAimee

Hello, hello! My name is Aimee and I blog craft projects for kids, my home, and holidays over at The Elephant of Surprise. I’m super excited to be part of Mariel’s fabulous team this year here at Or So She Says . . .

Valentine’s Day is a favorite holiday of mine, for sure. It’s a bright, fun, and girly holiday, and I think it’s what helps get me through the rest of winter! So today I’m sharing a really easy Valentine wreath to brighten up your door or any corner of your home. This conversation heart inspired wreath is very straightforward and you can even get the kids involved.
Read on to see how to put this together!

a year in review printable
| | | | |

Year In Review Printable – Good for All Ages (she: Sharon)

Bysharon

Hi all! It’s Sharon back again for another fun year with ‘Or so she says…’ I’m looking forward to visiting with you all each month and sharing ideas I hope you’ll be able to put to use in your own home, family and life.

I’ve had this on-going goal of compiling a list of questions and answers from my kids around each of their birthdays so I could remember all the cute little quirks they have. Well now that I have three birthdays to remember…this never happens. So to solve my little problem, I decided that just once a year I would ask them questions, and this way I’m much more likely to remember to do it. So, starting this year, every January I’m going to fill out this year in review printable I created for each of my kids. I tried to make almost all the questions apply to most ages, it works for my 10, 4, and 1 year old twins.

good better best
| | |

Good, Better, Best (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hello my friends!! I’m so happy to be back this year as a contributor for “Or so she says…”. For those who don’t know me yet, I thought I’d briefly introduce myself. My name is Veronica and I’m married to Ricky…AKA Big Daddy, a good ol’ southern boy. I’m the mom of 9 amazing kids. We are literally a “his, hers and ours” family, which is never the ideal situation, but we are proof that it CAN work! I live in the south…which I love! By day, I can ALWAYS be found at my little table making bow ties for my Etsy shop. I’m also over the teenage girls at church, who keep me crazy busy, but I love them! I have many favorite things (my kids being #1), but with 9 kids, my favorite things are simple. Like the fact that Big Daddy was able to fix my 10 year old washing machine this weekend, or how happy I was to sit in a house of sleeping creatures and watch the episode of Downton Abbey that was recorded. Then there’s always the day last week when I found a forgotten hidden stash of chocolate in my t-shirt drawer. Now THOSE are my favorite things…

Anyhoooo…

I’m not your typical blogger. Actually I’m not a blogger at all.

But, I once was.

I knew exactly what I wanted to share this month, and it made me think of my old blog. I really wanted to do the “blog” thing a couple years ago, with the intention of keeping a better record of the little moments in our lives. And I loved it more than I can tell you! I was constantly writing things down, taking pictures, planning what I was going to do for what day, etc. I found myself sitting at my computer more and more. I could easily justify it, because I was being a good mom and recording our lives. Future generations would LOVE me!!!

One day, everything changed. It was a day when I was “BUSY”. Busy with life. Busy with little things…that seemed like big things. Not busy with bad things, just not the best things. I won’t share the whole post, but you can read it here if you would like.

DIY Canvas Art- Turn Kid Art into a Personalized Canvas (she: Carmella)
| | |

DIY Canvas Art- Turn Kid Art into a Personalized Canvas (she: Carmella)

ByCarmella

Hey there, and Happy New Year!! It’s Carmella back again for another year of fun on OSSS. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays too! My kiddos and I have settled into a nice Christmas break routine of lazy, pajama days that have involved lots of crafty projects too. And if you know me, those are my favorite kind of days. 🙂

Our ten year old is our resident artist, she’ rarely ever seen not doodling something. Do you have one of those too??

Today I am sharing how to turn some of those precious doodles into personalized artwork you can hang on your walls… It’s a DIY canvas art project that’s a lot easier than you may think.

Thanksgiving Kids’ Table Idea – Scavenger Hunt (she: Carmella)
| | | | |

Thanksgiving Kids’ Table Idea – Scavenger Hunt (she: Carmella)

ByCarmella

Hey there! It’s Creative Carmella here to share some fun ideas to make the kids’ table at Thanksgiving fun! Send the troops out into the yard on a scavenger hunt, and they will find everything you need to decorate! This Thanksgiving kids’ table idea is nice because it gets the kids involved, but out of the house. So you can focus on getting all the yummy treats ready for your meal without worrying what they littlest guests are up to.

Kids’ Thanksgiving Table Decor – Lots of Printables (she: Brooke)
| | | | |

Kids’ Thanksgiving Table Decor – Lots of Printables (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

Happy gratitude month everyone! It’s Brooke from Blissful Roots. It has been an eventful few weeks here at our house. We welcomed baby boy number four at the end of October, and brought him home to a houseful of the stomach flu. Luckily, it passed him by, but hit everyone else. We’re very grateful to have that long week behind us!
I’ll have more on our newest addition at the end of the post, but for now I have some fun ideas for your kids’ table decor for Thanksgiving. I’ve always been drawn to beautiful table scapes! I love how elegant you can make a Thanksgiving table, but the teacher in me also loves any excuse to decorate for the kids! Here are just a few of my latest favorite ideas for setting up the perfect Thanksgiving table for the little ones:

turkey onesie tutorial
| | |

Turkey Onesie Tutorial (she: Holly)

ByHolly - Bits of Everything

Hi! I’m Holly from Bits of Everything. I’m so excited to share a Thanksgiving project with you today! I know you are already worrying about the food, but do you have something cute for your little ones to wear? This turkey onesie is quick, easy, and fun! Let’s get going.
(You could also make this for any babies you know who make their arrival in the month of November; it doesn’t just have to be for the big Turkey-day!).

A Thankful Jar with Metallic Rock Filler is just the project for this time of year! www.orsoshesays.com
| |

Thankful Jar with Metallic Rocks (she: Anne)

ByAnne

Hello and Happy November everyone…Anne here! Can we even believe it’s November already? And with it comes my favorite holiday…Thanksgiving! So much has happened since last year’s turkey day, and although I love the food more than most things, I am really excited to spend the day with our family at home. We all have so much to be thankful for, and in that spirit of gratitude, this DIY was created! This thankful jar can be a sweet way to get the family in on sharing what they are thankful for too.

Pumpkin Carving Party Ideas {With 3 FREE Printables} (she: Brooke)
| | | | |

Pumpkin Carving Party Ideas {With 3 FREE Printables} (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

Happy October to you all! It’s Brooke from Blissful Roots. This is easily my favorite time of year! And while baby boy number four will be here in a matter of weeks, I’m still trying to squeeze in any Halloween crafting, baking, and partying that I can. We have our other three boys’ birthdays this week, so we’re in full party-mode around our house. I’m just hoping this little guy waits until after the big party to make his arrival. My four-year-old was very cordial five years ago, and waited until the day after my twins’ birthday to make his entrance into the world, so I’m crossing my fingers that will happen again (at LEAST the day after all the birthdays, even a few days later would be better!).
Today I have some fun pumpkin carving party ideas, and FREE printables to share with you. My dad’s side of the family has a fun pumpkin carving party every year, and we’ve only been able to make it a few times. I wish we could make it more often because we have the best time! Since we don’t make it to the family carving parties very often, I’ve decided it’s high time to start our own little jack-o-lantern making party. Here are a few of the ideas I’ve come up with for our party:

Apple Party Favor Pocket… A Free Printable (she: Anne)
| |

Apple Party Favor Pocket… A Free Printable (she: Anne)

ByAnne

Hi everyone–it’s Anne from Circus Berry, back again with another fun printable for you. This one comes to you in celebration of Apple Day, which is on October 21. Once October comes and everything turns all Halloween, pumpkins, turkey, or even Christmas (yee gads!), the almighty Apple sort of gets left behind. So, in honor of the Apple (I mean, lets face it, it is one of the most fabulous fruits out there), I am sharing this Apple Party Favor Pocket Printable project with you today! Here you go–

october visiting teaching message
| |

October Visiting Teaching Message (she: Kiki)

ByKiki Comin

Hi everyone, it’s Kiki here, and I’m so happy to be back this month with the October visiting teaching message. As usual, the printable is free, and would accompany a treat or a visit really well. This month the lesson is The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: The Bread of Life. I’m loving all of these reminders of the different roles of Christ and hope you take a minute to read it.

mason jar jack-o-laterns
| | |

Easy Halloween Craft… Mason Jar Jack-O-Lanterns (she: Maria)

ByMaria

Hello Everyone! This is Maria from Shopgirl again, and I’m excited to share a super easy and fun fall craft idea with you today! It’s hard to believe that it’s October already, and that the holiday season is just around the corner! These mason jar jack-o-lanterns would be a fun craft to do with kids, and they would also make for great little Halloween party favor containers if you filled them with candy (and not with a lit candle, obviously!) You can make the design as simple or as intricate as you like, and you can use clear or colored mason jars. Just a couple of minutes and a few craft supplies and you have a fun little fall decoration to put on your window sill or to give away! Read on to see how to make these…