Pumpkin Day! Crafts, Recipes, Hairbows and Creative Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

As a Mom, I love, love, love, looooove the Family Fun Magazine!

I knew as soon as I saw this picture in our magazine this month, that I would have to post about it.

Since I've dubbed today, "Pumpkin Day", here at Crafty Momma, today seems like the perfect day to share it.

If you too, are looking for fun and creative ways to decorate your pumpkin, check out the rest of the cuuuuuute decorating ideas Family Fun has to share with you.

I'm betting you'll be saying "Awe" and "Oh...that's so easy" and "Why didn't *I* think of that"

If you missed how Pumpkin Day was started, here's a glimpse:

Post by Crafty Momma.

Miss our Facebook chats today?
No problem...Catch a glimpse below for some more Pumpkin-y Fun Ideas!

Pumpkin Spiced Latte Junkies - Need Apply - Get your Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Copycat Recipe here - Smarbucksty "Skinny" Lattes on the CHEAP!

Kids Crafts - Pumpkins for my Punkin'

Mommy Crafts - Pumpkin Hairbows for Girls

Kids Crafts - Glitter and Spidey Pumpkins

Family Crafts - Creative Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

If you have some of your own ideas you'd like to share, I'm all ears...
Fall is on and we need our PUMPKIN fix!

1st Day of Preschool Pictures - What works!

My "baby" girl turned 3 over the summer and I can.not.believe that she is already old enough for preschool! Where did my 'ittle bitty baby go?! *Sniff, Sniff*

Mother and child held it together rather well...

She practically jumped her way to the classroom, and me...?
Well...I waited till I made it to work to cry.
Okay...maybe not all the way to work, but mostly. *Wink*

Which brings us to today.

I wanted to share my idea with you about preschool pictures.
We all love to have those little memento's and I don't know about you, but it can be a chore to get a 3 year old to stand still for pics. Are you with me??

So, instead of spending a gosh awful amount of time on some construction project that may or may not make it into the picture correctly, I thought it'd be a good idea to just use a plain white sheet of paper, cardboard, construction paper...what have you and photo edit the information in.

And guess what?
It worked perfect!

After our pictures were all said and done, all I had to do was load them, type in the information I wanted displayed and Viola!

Now we have a forever memory masterpiece without the headache or near worry of whether she'd remember to turn this way or that'a way so we could all see what her sign said.

Your next question, I'm sure, is how do you "edit".

Let's go through it.

1.                   Go to picmonkey.com
2.            Click “Edit Picture”
3.            To add text to your photo – You’ll have a menu bar on the far left hand side that looks like    this:  

                        

4.           You’ll want to click on the left sided column, 4^th option down “P”

5.           This is where you can pick your font, size, color etc. – 1^st choose your font. (FYI – most     fonts are free, but everything with a crown next to it, is considered a “royal” treatment and     you do have to pay for those.)

6.           Once your font is chosen, select “Add Text” (Up at the very top)

7.           This is what your screen should look like:

8.                   From here, just chose what you want to say, coloring, size, etc.

9.         Once text placement is made, you'll want to arrange.  There is a small circle at the very top that lets you adjust and rotate text.

10.       Now it's time to save.  Pretty self explanatory, but make sure that when saving (if you’re wanting to keep your original picture as well) that you re-name the picture file before saving!

Hope you Momma's (Daddy's, Grandma's and Grandpa's) out there find this beneficial as well.
I don't know about you, but I'm hoping this saved me a few gray hairs - Hehe

Happy Valentine's Day - Share yours with Starbucks!

Happy Valentine's Day!  To start your morning on the right foot, here is a pretty spectacular offer from Starbucks!!

"Share Drinks with Someone You Love"




This offer is valid TODAY ONLY (2/14/2013)
Just print the coupon, present, and you and your sweetheart (or stranger!) can enjoy a Hot Chocolate, Vanilla Spice Latte, or Caffè Mocha.  

SWEET!

JcPenny's FREE Haircuts

JcPenny's FREE Haircuts for kids is back! 

This offer is valid all through the month of November - Sunday's only - for kids grades K-6th.  Nice!!

My advice is to make sure you call ahead for an appointment.  They book up quick(!), but hey...free is free!

Snip, Snip - Hooray!

Menu Tags

Here is a menu I created about a year ago.  The inspiration came from this pin I saw on Pinterest around that time. 

I loved the bright colors of Yellow with the pops of Green and Red, so I was on a mission to make my own.

This menu has been great for our family over the last year, but the menu items were starting to become a hassle.

I had made up and printed out menu tags with a rotation of items we go through on pretty paper, but over time, I realized that sometimes I want to make something that isn't printed, and they weren't laminated, so I always had to be cautious as to where I was sitting my menu tags.

To this day, I still don't have a laminator.  So I took the color of construction paper I wanted and covered it with a page protector and created my menu tags that way.

Today, my menu planning is easy and simple. I just mark the menu tag with my items for the next two weeks, and when the time comes, they easily wipe off with a dry erase pad.

Did you know they even make dry erase markers with erasers and magnets already built in.  Yep!  They're really nice!

So there you have it.  My little tip to make every day life a little simpler.

Do you plan a menu?  Do you do a monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly rotation?  Do you have any helpful tips to share?  As always, I love to hear your feedback.

Happy Planning,

The Artful Year - My Autumn Crafts EBook!

Have you seen or heard of The Artful Parent's - My Autumn Crafts EBook!?! If you haven't you're really missing out on something special this fall. 

I've seen and heard this trickling around a few places now, but it hit me like a ton of bricks when I saw it on Momma Harvey's page where she mentioned it here and here, then today while rummaging through Facebook, I found a wealth of information, but more on that in a sec.

This book is stuffed full of wonderful arts & crafts you can do with your kiddo's.  The bonus? It's all combined into one little place, so it's great to come back to reference for future years to come.  How fantastic! 

You wouldn't think it couldn't possibly get any better than that, right?  Well...you'd be wrong!

Today, through October 22, 2012, Jean Van't Hul, The Artful Parent, is having "A Pay What You Can Sale".  Say Whaaa???  Is she MAD?!?!!  *Shugs Shoulders* Must be! ;)

All I can say, is take full advantage of this sale while it lasts, and  please be truthful about what you can and can't provide.  This ebook is absolutely beautiful, and I promise you when I say "You won't be disappointed" that you won't be! 

To sum things up, take advantage of this fantastic offer.  Otherwise, you'll be regretting it when the kids are coped up, stir crazy, in the house, driving you mad, and all you want is a little peace & quite, and for them to "Turn that TV down!"

Not that I'd know from experience of anything... ;)

SO...what are you waiting for?

FREE - Old Navy Safety Kit

Morning all, and Happy Friday to ya! I'm sure you all have big weekend plans, but be sure to squeeze in an Old Navy stop.  They are giving away FREE Kid Safety Kits, "which includes a child ID Card and safety tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children"

As an added bonus, with a donation to the NCMEC, you will receive 10% off your shopping that day, as well as an activity book, and internet tips for kids.

Having an ID card for your child is an absolute necessity.  It can save a childs life! So make sure to stop by Old Navy between September 13-16 to pick up yours for FREE!!

If you or a loved one would like more information on Old Navy, or the safety kits, please check out their website for further details.

UPDATE!   For those of you who live in my area, please note that Old Navy has re-scheduled the event to 9/29/12.  As I'm learning, it's always helpful to call 1st! :)

Walmart's FREE Back to School Photo!

I saw in the Sunday paper that Wal-Mart is giving away a FREE Back to School Photo print.  All you do is take in your back to school photo, and they'll print you out a FREE 5x7 print!

This is a fantastic deal, and such a great way to preserve those memories!!  So, stop by today and snag your FREE 5x7 before 9/30, as that's when this deal expires. 

*This is available at any Wal-Mart Super Center that has a 1 hour photo center - By the way...No Coupon is Required.  SWEET!!

JcPenny's FREE Back to School Hair Cuts

How do I keep forgetting to post this gem?! JcPenny's is offering FREE back to school haircuts for school grades K-6th.  Don't miss out on this FREE item. It's good August only!

FREE Paint - Ace Hardware

Dont forget to pick up a FREE quart of Clark + Kensington paint, tomorrow, August 4th. Coupons are available in your local paper. If that doesn't apply to you; Here is an online coupon you can print as well. Happy Creating!

Try Sam's Club -FREE!!

This weekend, August 3rd-5th, Sam's Club will be hosting their annual open house. AKA - Shop with all the benefits without paying the yearly membership fee. This is perfect for those of you who only buy in bulk once in a blue moon, or for those that are curious to find/see savings. Remember its THIS weekend only! I hope this information is useful to all you Momma's & Papa's, or just those who don't mind saving a buck or two.