Facebook is one of those addicting little tools that allows a mom to be as unproductive as possible. However, every now and then, something pops up that I adore! Not too long ago, I joined a group that links to preschool crafts and activities.

I couldn't resist this one, and can't wait till I have some empty kleenex boxes around the house!

These dinosaur feet shoes are adorable, fun, and SO easy to make! Basically let your kiddo go wild painting the tissue box, glue some sponge (cut into triangles) for the toenails, and once everything is dry, dance like a dinosaur!

Visit House of Baby Piranha for more directions!

If you are like me, you probably have lots of wallet sized photos hanging around gathering dust or wrinkles somewhere in the depths of your purse. Between school pictures, sports, holiday, and daycare portraits, they tend to accumulate rather quickly! Here's a quick and easy way to make a cute brag book using these photos and supplies that you may already have on hand.

My album has a sports theme, but you could run with this concept a number of different ways. Family baby photos. Christmas card pictures through the years. School portraits. And how about as a gift? I bet grandmas would love these.

Get Instructions to make the Scrapbook

I had some lovely lavender stalks leftover from summer that I couldn’t bear to part with, but I also couldn’t figure out what to do with. 

I’m a collector (or “pack rat”, as my husband refers to it), so I have a family-imposed deadline of having to use a craft item within one month of acquisition before it gets trashed.  In my hunt to figure out what to do with the sweet smelling flowers, I realized that they would be perfect to add scent to a homemade microwave heat pack. 

If you haven’t used these before, they are cotton bags stuffed with pliable filler that you pop in the microwave for a couple minutes and mold to your body to soothe aches.  I’ve had a few different varieties, but my favorite is scented.  Even if you don’t need one of these, you can easily make one for a friend or family member for the holidays with just basic sewing skills (if you don’t know how to sew, fill up a clean sock and just tie a knot at its end!). 

Microwave Heat Pack

• •   cotton fabric
• •   organic filler (rice, buckwheat hulls, small beans, oatmeal)
• •   1-2 tablespoons of fragrant filler (dried flowers, ground spices, fragrant herbs)

• Cut fabric into desired shape, making two identical sized pieces or one doubly large piece for folding in half.  (For a rectangle, use no smaller than two 5” x 9” pieces, or one foldable 10” x 9” piece.  For other shapes, cut them to a similar minimum size for length and width.)

• Sew the two pieces together, leaving a little gap for filling.

• Mix filler ingredients together and add into bag, filling 2/3 of the space.

• Sew the gap closed.

Don’t heat for longer than 3 minutes in the microwave, and test it on your hand before using it.  To increase the smell and reduce the risk of smoke, sprinkle some water on the bag before microwaving.  If you’re letting a child use it, only heat it for one minute till it’s just warm.