December 09, 2020

Make a Recycled Cardboard Menorah this Hanukkah!

December 09, 2020/ jodi levine

Cardboard is one of my favorite craft materials, especially in the form of a tube! I came up with the idea for this menorah as a kid, I thought it would be fun to have something to put our gifts around. A few years ago I (finally) made it, for our book, Paper Goods Projects! A sturdy tube like the kind found inside a roll of aluminum foil or wrapping paper is ideal for this project, though a paper towel tube works fine too!

January 28, 2018

Easy Cupcake Paper Valentines to Make with Your Kids

January 28, 2018/ jodi levine

Cupcake papers, which come in fun colors and patterns, make for a fun collage material. These little Valentines, party invites, and tags take advantage of their ruffled texture. After baking, I always seem to have a few stray cupcake papers left over from various packs, and this is a nice use for them!

December 16, 2017

Fun Gingerbread House Kit Hack Videos!

December 16, 2017/ jodi levine

I recently worked with Bed, Bath & Beyond to make a series of gingerbread house kit hacks. We had so much fun coming up with different themes using the candy decorations from the kit and some easy-to-find extras like candy canes, pretzel rods, and marshmallows. I will update this post soon with the third video, a snowy palace!

December 09, 2017

10 Holiday Gift Combo Ideas for Your Creative and Crafty Kid!

December 09, 2017/ jodi levine

I've compiled a list of gift ideas for the creative kids on your holiday shopping list. The ideas may seem basic, but when paired with one or two other things, become a simple (but fun!) craft or activity kit!

December 06, 2017

How to Make a TinkerToy Kid's Christmas Tree

December 06, 2017/ jodi levine

I love to have a little side Christmas tree for my kids to decorate with their own ornaments...the ones that don't really match with what I had in mind for our big tree. :) Sometimes they'll keep it in their room or we'll have it on a side table in the living room. This little Tinker Toy tree is easy and fun to make, never drops needles, and turns back into a toy after the holiday!

November 29, 2017

Easy Activity Advent Calendar For The Most Fun Holiday Ever!

November 29, 2017/ jodi levine

Christmas is quickly approaching! What a better way to celebrate each day of Advent than with a fun handmade countdown. These paper bags double as cute decor and a functional Advent calendar. You could fill them with treats, small toys, or slips of paper with quotes, or fun family activity ideas!

January 15, 2017

More Wintry Candy Crafts To Try With Your Kids!

January 15, 2017/ jodi levine

This little seal is a favorite from our book, Candy Aisle Crafts. That sweet face! In this shot, he is sliding around on some (aluminum foil) ice surrounded by sugar "snow". You can see him here atop a delicious chocolate cake along with some other arctic friends, along with the penguins below.

December 02, 2016

Easiest Coffee Filter and Cupcake Paper Paper Snowflakes

December 02, 2016/ jodi levine

We LOVE making paper snowflakes, lots and lots of them. Thin square paper, like origami paper, works best for folding and snipping but I don't like using up my stash. Printer paper is great, but I don't like having to precut the paper into squares. Coffee filters and cupcake papers, inexpensive, thin and easy to cut, are the perfect material for this fun craft!

June 11, 2016

5 Summer Crafts for Your Little Entrepreneur

June 11, 2016/ jodi levine

Check out this month's issue of Parent's magazine for my story about easy and sell-able crafts that your kids can make for a summer business. My kids inspired the idea because they love to come up with ways to make money over the summer. Over the years they've sold everything from lemonade to painted shells to decorated tote bags to home-grown basil. Details are here for the personalized bead portraits key chains (pictured above).

July 17, 2015

DIY Lollipop Ideas...for Celebrating National Lollipop Day!

July 17, 2015/ jodi levine

This Monday, July 20th, is National Lollipop Day! Yeah! To celebrate, we are sharing a roundup of our easy-to-make lollipops. They all involve melting store-bought candy which means they are easier than "from-scratch" candy-making.

July 16, 2015

Our New Book!

July 16, 2015/ jodi levine

Amy and I are thrilled to announce that our second book, Paper Goods Projects, is coming out on August 11th and is available right now for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Indiebound! We are honored that our foreword was written by the brilliant Jordan Ferney, founder of the gorgeous blog Oh Happy Day and her fantastic party shop!

May 08, 2015

Last-Minute Mother's Day Crafts on the Today Show!

May 08, 2015/ jodi levine

This morning I shared some easy last-minute Mother's Day craft ideas on The Today Show along with Savannah Guthrie and some adorable kids. You can watch the video and see how-to's for the crafts here

April 15, 2015

Sweet Kid-Made Gifts for Moms and Dads!

April 15, 2015/ jodi levine

A few years ago on Mother's Day, my husband and kids gave me what is perhaps my all-time favorite gift, a storybook they made in which I was "Superhero Mommy". This personalized story bookwould make an equally fantastic Father's Day gift or a gift for a grandparent or special friend!

January 03, 2015

Crafts to Prevent the Winter Blues on the Today Show!

January 03, 2015/ jodi levine

This morning I shared some kid-friendly craft and treat ideas to prevent cabin fever this winter on the Today Show. The ideas utilize a lot of leftover holiday stuff that you may already have around the house, like candy, empty boxes, and holiday cards. As always it is a lot of fun and everyone over at Today is super nice! Click here for the video and a how-to for one of the crafts.

August 28, 2014

Cookie Faces on 100 Layer Cakelet

August 28, 2014/ jodi levine

Our Cookie Faces are featured on the lovely blog100 Layer Cakelet!! Click on over for a fun after school snack and activity....and a chance to win our book, Candy Aisle Crafts! (And click here for their post about our Planet Cookies)

July 08, 2014

Marshmallow Birds

July 08, 2014/ jodi levine

These marshmallow birds are one of the projects in the marshmallow chapter in our book. I had created many marshmallow crafts over the years and when I started on the marshmallow chapter I was afraid I had already made everything there was to be made out of marshmallows. After I started playing I realized that the possibilities were endless. I would have been happy to do a whole book of marshmallow crafts!

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