Ducks 'n a Row

crafts

16 Awesome DIY Cardboard Toys To Make That Your Kids Will Love!

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There are so many fabulous toys on the market but some of the best toys are homemade. Just ask that little toddler who plays for hours with a BOX instead of the toy that came inside… priceless! Here are 16 amazing DIY cardboard toys any kid would love to play with …
Toys made from cardboard boxes are some of the coolest toys around! #DIY
Here are 16 awesome DIY cardboard toys made by parents and kids. Whether it is a recycled cardboard box maze, store, parking lot, drive in theater or dollhouse, hours of fun imaginative play lie ahead for the kids who play with them!
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This blog contains Amazon affiliate links. ❤️
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easy cardboard sandcastle fort

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16 Do-It-Yourself Cardboard Toys

homemade maze made of cardbaord boxes
1. Cardboard Box Maze – The Stir Cafe Mom
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DIY cardboard box car wash toy
2. DIY Car Wash – Non Toy Gifts
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wooden nuts and bolts construction play set
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homemade toys, recycled toys, repurposing, family fun, kids
5. Recycled Box Dollhouse – My Cakies
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Sssh!   Don’t tell her cleaning is work.    She thinks she’s playing!  LOL   
Melissa & Doug toy broom dustpan set
 
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homemade toys, recycled toys, repurposing, family fun, kids
6. Play Dog House – Ikatbag
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Plush toy Noah's Ark set for kids

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homemade toys, recycled toys, repurposing, family fun, kids
7. Fruit Stand – Ikatbag
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homemade toys, recycled toys, repurposing, family fun, kids
8. Indoor Miniature Golf – Princess Pinky Girl
Minecraft building set play fort
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homemade toys, recycled toys, repurposing, family fun, kids
9. Drive In Movie Birthday Party – Party Wagon
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homemade toys, recycled toys, repurposing, family fun, kids
10. DIY Cardboard Box Oven – 2 Little Faces
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homemade toys, recycled toys, repurposing, family fun, kids
11. Parking Garage for Hot Wheels Cars – Frugal Fun 4 Boys
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hot wheels cars
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homemade toys, recycled toys, repurposing, family fun, kids
12. Noah’s Ark w Stuffed Animals – The Craft Train
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homemade toys, recycled toys, repurposing, family fun, kids
14. Toilet Paper Roll Marble Run – Elhadadepapel
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homemade toys, recycled toys, repurposing, family fun, kids
15. Choo Choo Trainville  – Ikatabag
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homemade toys, recycled toys, repurposing, family fun, kids
16. Cardboard Box Washing Machine – Apartment Therapy
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Do your kids love crafts?  This Elmer the Patchwork Elephant craft is fun and relaxing.  It is especially suited for preschoolers and kindergarten but even adults enjoy sitting down and making one of the pictures themselves!
Elmer the Patchwork Elephant

Make a Gingerbread House For Family Fun

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What a fun wintertime family project making gingerbread houses can be! Make one or several, creating a whole festive scene. Just clear out a space where you can leave them for a while and work on it piece by piece!
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TIP: If you are leaving the gingerbread houses unattended, guard them from the family pets!
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This blog contains Amazon affiliate links.❤️

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Blue and yellow Hanukkah gingerbread house
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I wish I could tell you that I had a hand in making this but I was at home, preparing our family holiday dessert party, while my daughter Shannon, granddaughters – Sara, Kenzie, Madalyn, Amelia, Nora – and grand daughters in-law Claire and Nicole were all producing this amazing Gingerbread House Village!
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Shannon has a large homeschool classroom at her house that makes such a perfect workspace.
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holidays
You’ll notice that every edifice is made of baked gingerbread, not graham crackers. This took much time and care. Claire and her family have traditionally made gingerbread houses every year. The one pictured below earned them 2nd place in a big contest!
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family fun
Claire’s award-winning Gingerbread Bakery!
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I love the ingenuity that goes into every design. Nicole added a pretty blue pond made from melted blue Starburst candies (pictured below.) There are so many fun details you can include – just use your imagination!
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crafts, projects, baking

Besides the obvious – gingerbread – craft and decorate your houses with gum drops, colored candies such as Necco wafers (they make great shingles on a roof) and just about any candy that has a reasonably long shelf life.

Royal icing is excellent mortar to hold the walls together and it makes beautiful decorations, as well! There are many recipes for gingerbread houses. Try this one from Food Network, which also includes instructions for making royal icing – GINGERBREAD HOUSE RECIPES and INSTRUCTIONS .

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gingerbread house cookie cutter set

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Here is a video montage of amazing Gingerbread Houses that you will love.
~If you are viewing this by email, just click on the title and come over to my blog to view it.~
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Take a look at this gorgeous blue Gingerbread House for Hanukkah. Isn’t it pretty?
Gingerbread House ideas, family fun
Finally,  let’s take one more look at our family’s holiday village. Next year, I fully intend to be in on the fun!
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Have you ever made a gingerbread house? Got any cute ideas we can try? 
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gingerbread house ornaments
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16 Fabulous Fun DIY Fabric Baskets For You To Make

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You know what it is like to see a picture online that just catches your eye. It is “love at first sight.” You can’t stop looking at it. Well, that is what happened to me when I first saw these gorgeous DIY fabric baskets. I was finding so many of them that I wanted to gather them together to share with you on my blog.

Fabulous DIY Fabric Baskets #sewing #tips

OK folks, this post is growing! Today I have just added basket number 18!!! I know you’ll love it♥

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This blog contains Amazon affiliate links. ❤️

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how to make handbags and totes

If you are itching to get started making your own DIY fabric baskets,  you can get some great ☑️ Sewing Patterns For Accessories– totes, purses, backpacks and more here on Amazon prime!

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I just love baskets for all kinds of uses, like the wicker basket planter that I refurbished last week. So, when I first saw a fabric basket, I went “gaga” over them!

Whether you call them baskets, bins, pods, cubes or containers, fabric storage baskets are so special that I just had to share the best I have found with you. Each one of these projects comes with some kind of instruction on how to they are made. A few even include free patterns that you can use.

So, visit each one, pin them for later and enjoy!

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This is the one that I just added so, it is #17…
Fabric Basket Tutorial – Free Motion By The River [Connie Kresin Campbell]

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And, yes, here is number 18 and it also is from Connie Kresin! !!!
DIY fabric baskets for storage #crafts #baskets
Fat Quarter Fabric Baskets – Connie Kreskin

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Pattern for making tote, baby changing pad and more #ad

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DIY, basket, patterns

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sewing

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16 beautiful craft baskets #DIY #sewing

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collapsible fabric storage baskets

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crafts, sewing, baskets

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Sewing projects come with clean up?   Of course they do!  ad
shark pet fur vacuum

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crafts, projects, patterns
Storage Pods were originally found on a website called Secret Garden Quilting but I have not been able to locate a pattern for making this exact style.  Below is a tutorial on a website called Instructables for a Reverse Hanging Storage Pod.  Again, very similar but not exact.  I will continue to keep my eye out for the actual pattern. …Sinea

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16 beautiful DIY craft baskets
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16 beautiful sewing baskets

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Best Pet Hair Vacuum Ever!

Shark liftaway vacuum for carpets and floors

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Truly.  I mean it.  Read about how I found it and why I love it so much!
These fur babies were part of the quest. Yellow Labs produce more fur than any dogs I have ever had the privilege of knowing! LOL

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Two yellow lab dogs
Big Lexi and little sis Sadie.

 

16 Exquisite Pumpkin Decor Ideas

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Pumpkins are perfect for decorating. Glitter them. Color them. Paint them. Carve them. Drill them. Light them up. Put flowers in them. Pumpkins make elegant decorations. Here are 16 gorgeous examples for you to make!  

 
garden decor, pumpkin decorations, home decorating, holidays, Pinterest

Some of the most beautiful autumn displays weave fall flowers and vegetation with a touch of glitzy glamour. Shimmering gemstones or rustic ribbons – whatever your style – there is something for everybody!

This blog contains affiliate links. ♥

pillow covers

Thankful and Grateful – fall pillow covers for lovely home decor!  #ad


These 16 inspiring examples will give you loads of ideas for centerpieces and displays that you can make yourself.

The links are pins, making it easy for you to file them for future reference. Not on Pinterest? No worries. Just click on the link and there is a button to take you right to the original page where you can learn more about just how they did it!

Lovely Autumn Decor Featuring Pumpkins

Pin and enjoy!
 

 

 

household hint, pumpkins

Household Hints:  How to Keep Your Pumpkins Fresh


Enjoy!

 

 



T is for Turkey – Preschool Thanksgiving Craft

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This craft is so easy for a little preschooler’s hands and it looks so cool when it’s done. 3-D!!! (Well, almost 3-D. Texturized?)

Turkey Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Craft 

You will need: 

This blog contains affiliate links. ♥
Cut the tissue paper and brown paper bag in strips.
Tear pieces off and crinkle them up.
Apply gluestick to the area you are working on and stick the paper in place. Simple, huh?
We twisted the orange paper for the ring around the back of the bird and snood (the flap of skin that hangs over its beak.) 
Apply a googly eye.*
*You will have to explain to your little one why it’s only one eye…or it may just be easier to let him put on two! Especially with 3 year olds, it can be very troubling to them to impair their turkey with only one eye! I love it!! I’ve learned to let them go with the artistic-flow and do it whatever way they feel good about.
pinecone turkey craft kit

Free Turkey Coloring Page from Animals Town

Here is another great Thanksgiving craft for the letter “T”: Tee Pees

 

Enjoy!