family mailbox
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Family Mailbox Fun! (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hello again! It’s Veronica from Nine A Plenty. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! It’s such a fun time for families, but I always can count on my kids getting stir-crazy. They do much better with routines and things they can count on. Lately, we’ve had a bunch of craziness, so I thought it was time for a fun activity that brought them closer together. Thus, the Family Mailbox has begun!
What is a Family Mailbox? Well, it really can be anything you would like it to be. That’s the best part. For us, we’ve been writing little notes to each other. These can express love, appreciation, something the other person does to make you happy, something you admire in them, etc. I’ve been surprised at how excited they were to do this for each other. Our mailbox has been full and it’s been fun to “deliver” the mail.

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Personalized Name Art – Creating Meaningful Art (she: Amy)

ByAmy Lee

For the past few months, I’ve been in the process of re-decorating Elle’s room. I want to make a place for her growing book collection as well as create some meaningful art to display in her room.

One of the things I really want to display is her new skill of writing her name.

I know children writing their name is such a simple thing but for me it’s a big milestone. It was only the other day I witnessed my girl write her name all by herself for the first time!

We were at a community event and stopped at a booth where kids can paint their own frisbees. The girl operating the booth gave Elle (almost 4 years old) a white frisbee along with a black sharpie and told her to write her name on the back.At the beginning of the school year, her teachers taught her to trace her name written in dotted lines. Her tracing was everywhere and the letters had a life of their own! Then a couple months later her tracing got tighter and neater. Then she was writing straight lines and later her tracing was right on the dots. Up until a few weeks ago, she was able to write her name if she sees a sample of it.

So you could imagine my surprise when I saw her take the Sharpie from the girl and began writing her name. E-l-l-e she wrote, with the 4 letters filling up the width of the frisbee.

I was so proud of my girl! I cheered and we high fived. I commended her for her diligence which lead her to her accomplishment.

And so as I’m decorating her room and filling up a bunch of empty picture frames with meaning art, I want to frame her name written by her at age 3.8.

t-shirt-beach-bag
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T-Shirt Beach Bag DIY… a No-Cost Summer Carryall (she: Anne)

ByAnne

Hey everyone. It’s Anne from Circus Berry here to share a quick DIY that is perfectly suited for your summer.

Can you believe it is July already? We are in the thick of summer which means there are all new things to cart around to summer camp, the beach, the pool, and the park. For my kids, a day at summer camp means they need a towel, bathing suit, sunscreen, hat, shoes, and sunglasses to go back and forth from school/camp to home, everyday. I was thinking of an easy way to get these necessities back and forth everyday–something easy to carry, easy to wash if needed, and cost free. With one visit to my stash of old tees, the solution was easy indeed.

chore chart printable
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Chore Chart Printable for Your Kids (she: Sharon)

Bysharon

Now that summer is here, I’ve decided that it is time to organize my kids’ chores. I was inspired to make this chore chart printable after seeing some fancy ones online. For those ones you had to buy and cut sheet metal, make semi-complicated magnets, buy a frame, and also find a place to hang the frames. So, I thought of a much simpler solution (and you only have to buy one inexpensive thing), and I made THIS free download that you can use on your fridge, or any other magnetic surface.

DIY Watercolor Printable (she: Carmella)
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DIY Watercolor Printable (she: Carmella)

ByCarmella

Hey there! It’s Creative Carmella here again to show you a quick and easy creative project! Today I am going to share my tips and tricks for creating a beautiful, customized, watercolor printable. My kiddos are already out on summer break so it’s only natural that I have been beach dreaming 😉 This watercolor print was very much inspired by that day dreaming!

First, I painted a blend of blues of greens onto watercolor paper. To get the colors to flow and blend together, simply paint a little water on the paper right were the paint will be… this way the blend of colors will flow right into the next.

Patriotic Table Runner Tutorial
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Patriotic Table Runner Tutorial (she: Holly)

ByHolly - Bits of Everything

Hi Everyone, I’m Holly from Bits of Everything and I am a new contributor here on ‘Or so she says’. I love doing all kinds projects. Photography, sewing, recipes, printables, crafts, and more. I like trying new things, so you really do get ‘bits of everything’ from me. My favorite hobby right now is quilting, but it changes after a while. I have an amazing husband and three great kids and we are so ready for summer!
I’m so excited to be here today to show you my new Patriotic Table Runner Tutorial. I have table runners for several other holidays, but not a good one for the 4th of July. It was time to fix that. Let’s get making a table runner!

This is a fun, easy project making a sequin monogram letter. Get the how-to on www.orsoshesays.com #sequin #monogramletter #monogram #personalized #DIY #craft
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Sequin Monogram Letter Tutorial (she: Darleen)

ByDarleen

Hello! This is Darleen from Darling Darleen, and I am sharing another easy letter craft project. If you’ve read some of my other posts, I have a slight obsession with monograms. I just love how they can personalize a space or make a gift more sentimental. This is a fun, easy project making a sequin monogram letter. These sequin letters can be used as a decorative object for your home or office shelf or used for wedding decorations or a bridal shower. Or any party that needs a little bling! I chose gold, but of course you can do it in any other color or metallic.

Glitter Star Cake Topper (she: Anne)
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Glitter Star Cake Topper (she: Anne)

ByAnne

Happy June! It’s Anne from Circus Berry posting today, sharing a fun and spark-tacular DIY glitter star cake topper with you all. It is just what you need for a little bit of glam on top of your dessert and is especially great for the Fourth of July holiday. I, on the other hand, used it to dress up a special, post-dance recital treat for my daughter this past weekend. Anytime there is a good excuse to celebrate in the Circus Berry household, we do it!
I used silver glitter card stock. Change the colors to something more patriotic and you are good to go this Independence Day.

DIY Flower Gifts and Favors in 10 Minutes (she: Mel)
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DIY Flower Gifts and Favors in 10 Minutes (she: Mel)

ByMelissa Sunday

Spring has definitely sprung and the abundance of beautiful flowers in the garden is proof! Appropriately enough, our theme this month is flowers and we’ve got 10 amazing flower theme ideas. There are ways to display your flowers, ways to make flowers, quotes about flowers and more! Get ready to pin away and then continue…

DIY painted family name art
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Family Name Art – Learn This Easy DIY Transfer Trick!

ByCarmella

Hey there! It’s Carmella from the Creative Carmella blog and I am happy to be back here at Or So She Says with another easy craft idea for you! It’s DIY painted family name art, which is so nice to have in your home, or to make for someone else as an inexpensive, custom gift.

Today I am going to teach you a transfer trick that will have you painting these like a pro!

DIY Geometric Wall Art Using Paper Scraps (she: Anne)
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DIY Geometric Wall Art Using Paper Scraps (she: Anne)

ByAnne

Hey everyone, and happy May. It’s Anne here, from Circus Berry, sharing a great DIY home decor idea with you. This geometric wall art is a little bit inspired by the Mid-Century Modern, a little bit by a pure need to use up some scraps of paper. (God forbid I actually just toss them…gasp!).
I have been a fan of the geometric fad for a little while now, using simple shapes to add flair to some home decor, create stationary, and even build an original party around. Also, I love the various types of specimen art out there and have been wanting to give it a go. So, put all of those together and you get a fairly simple, fairly inexpensive DIY project for adding some trendiness to your home decor.

Surprise neighbors with this May Day flower tradition on www.orsoshesays.com #mayday #flowers #neighborgifts
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May Day Flower Tradition (she: Darleen)

ByDarleen

Happy May Day! This is Darleen from Darling Darleen, and I am loving all the spring flower blossoms that I see around my town. My post this month is in celebration of May Day. Traditionally, May Day is celebrated on the 1st of May (which is today!), and it’s about all things spring–planting seeds, new life, dancing around the maypole and wearing flower crowns. My favorite, which most people are familiar with, is the giving of “May baskets” or small baskets of sweets and flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbors’ doorsteps. I have previously posted about the May baskets we do as a family on my blog (free printable included) that we go around and give out to neighbors and friends that need a little cheering up. It’s such a positive experience! And guess what? Shhh…we never do it on the 1st of May. Actually I give myself the entire month of May to deliver my neighbor/friends’ May flower baskets.