DIY Life

It seems every child I know these days is allergic to something. Whether it be dairy, soy, milk, food coloring or preservatives, feeding children is getting tougher by the minute. So how do you come up with a non-allergenic treat to hand out to the kids in your neighborhood? After all, you don't want an angry parent knocking on your door at midnight, waving an E.R. bill in your face.

Don't worry. There are plenty of inedible treat ideas that are sure to make the kiddies smile, whether or not they can ingest them in five seconds flat. In fact, with these goodies, you could be the most popular street on the block! Check out some of my favorite inedible treats from our friends at Holidash:

For ages 2-4:
For the tiny Tiggers that come knocking on your door, why not offer a mini can of Play-Doh? A case of ten is just $4 at Target, and the color selection is endless. Not only will the little tikes be happy, but parents will love your ingenuity when they don't have to fight the sugar rush that evening!

For ages 4-6:
So what's in store for the pre-K Piglets? Try a few glittery, washable tattoos that are sure to put a smile on any child's face. And at just $4 for 75 tattoos, the price will put a smile on yours.

For ages 6-10:
Don't worry -- we haven't forgotten the pre-teen Poohs. Give them a bit of anonymity this year with DIY Halloween masks. You can purchase a set of 24 for just $3 -- the perfect price for a great holiday.

For ages 10-14:
For the "too-cool" Eeyores in your life, why not pass out a few DIY Halloween bookmarks? The kids can create their own, or you can get them started with a few kooky designs yourself. The kit is just $5 for 12 -- the perfect price point for the few almost-teens that are brave enough to set forth on Hallow's Eve.

Proof that a sugar-free Halloween can be just as exciting -- and affordable -- as your candy counterparts.

Halloween's a scream for older kids and adults. Youngsters, however, need protection from scary sights and frights lest they end up afraid to sleep ... and terrified of this fun holiday. The Internet is bursting at the seams with Halloween content right now, but only some of it's appropriate for little ones. Here's my roundup of safe, kid-friendly Halloween links:

Ben & Jerry's Halloween. Totally ghoulish fun that's only a tiny bit scary. A virtual haunted mansion is packed with spooky games. Adults will appreciate the graveyard of discontinued B&J flavors complete with amusing epitaphs.

Halloween with Boowa & Kwala. Colorful graphics, great games, fun songs and nice sound effects. Suitable for very young children.

Friends of mine are (slowly) converting their garage into a playroom for their three kids. I love, love, love the idea of converting an underused space, like a garage or formal dining room, into a playroom.

Just one good reason to do so: corralling toys and books in a room other than your child's bedroom may help your little one settle down easier at night. Also, a playroom can easily be converted into a cool hang-out room for tweens and teens down the road.

Looking to create an inspiring playroom or bedroom play area for your children? Take a look at my slideshow of fabulous and inspiring kids' rooms. Hey, you may not have the budget for the level of fabulous seen in some of these examples (I know I don't) but almost any of the ideas can be reworked in an IKEA price range!

September and October are big birthday months for the children in my husband's side of the family, so I'm starting to plan a few cost-effective gift-wrap embellishments that are both exciting, re-usable and that won't break the bank. This adorable DIY yo-yo is pretty high on my list, and I can't wait to see the smile on the kids' faces!

The tutorial is pretty self-explanatory, so I'll leave you to devour it on your own. I love cute embellishments on childrens' gifts, because their imagination shines through with many uses for the packaging. Of course, you get the ubiquitous bow-on-head gals, but I've also seen many children save their wrapping for paper crafts, fabric fun and felt projects.

If you're not into packaging, however, you can create these yo-yo's for bedding, curtains and/or pillows similar to yesterday's rosette tutorial! They're a beautiful way to add texture and drama to any craft you're working on and the result is always surprising!

School is back in full swing and chances are, your schedule is bursting at the seams. Why not delegate snacktime to your children with these easy, handy-to-make treats for your kiddies?

1. Ants on a Log
Keep a few strands of celery available in the refrigerator. Add peanut butter and raisins to the "log" for a fun and nutritious snack!

2. Crunchy Apples
Store some sliced apples in your fridge, along with some granola and peanut butter. Have your children roll the peanut-butter covered apples in loose granola over wax paper. It tastes delicious!

3. Tortilla Rolls
Roll ham, turkey, cheese and lettuce in tortilla wraps. Add your favorite condiment or sandwich spread to spice it up!

4. Cinnamon Toast*
Place a slice of whole-wheat bread in the toaster, top with butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar sparingly.

5. S'Mores**
You know the drill; graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows make this fun treat. Place in a microwave on medium temperature for ten seconds.

6. Parfait
Add some vanilla yogurt, loose granola (or GrapeNuts cereal) and fresh blueberries or strawberries into a cup or mug. Top with whipped cream for a sweet surprise!

7. English Muffin Pizzas**
Divide an English Muffin into halves and spread tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni (or your favorite toppings!) onto each half. Microwave for twenty seconds and enjoy!

8. Banana Dog
Spread peanut butter onto a hot dog bun and sandwich a banana between each side of the bun. I've never met a kid that didn't love this recipe!

9. Trail Mix
Encourage your child to create their own trail mix by keeping pretzels, peanuts, granola, dried fruit and yogurt chips on hand.

10. Frozen Grapes
This takes some prep time, but teach your child the art of preparation with this handy treat. Place a bag of grapes in the freezer overnight, and by the time they arrive home, frozen snacks will await them!

With these yummy recipes, your kids will stop badgering you about dinner and start helping themselves to nutritious snacks. A win-win situation if you ask me!

*requires use of toaster
**requires use of microwave

1. Cute-shaped hard-boiled eggs. Visit Nature Moms blog and discover how to cook eggs in molds in the shape of cars, bears and bunnies. Irresistible to younger kids.

2. Munchies ... because kids of all ages love to crunch! Try rice cakes, tortilla chips, nuts (such as almonds, cashews, or pecans), breadsticks, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, pita chips, popcorn and pretzels. Check out this recipe for cinnamon popcorn. Mmm.

Straining pasta. Martian helmets. These images spring to mind when I hear the word "colander." But the humble colander has lots of other potential uses ... and why not? The steel version does, after all, sport a super-cool classic design that just begs to be creatively repurposed. Check out these ideas!

Handy Household Uses
1. Grease splatter reducer. Carefully place a colander upside down over frying foods. The heat can get out, but the grease is largely contained.

2. Warm a serving bowl. I love this one: Set your colander inside a pasta serving bowl, then drain boiling pasta as usual. Instead of running down the drain, the hot water will get the bowl warm and ready for your spaghetti and meatballs.

My nephew turns 8 next month and I can't wait to attend his birthday party at the local bowling alley. In lieu of gifts, my nephew is asking for charitable donations [I know, such a philanthropist in his young age], which, if you think about it, is a very green thing to do. Here are a few other tips to make your child's bday earth [and kid!]-friendly:

1. Ask guests to wrap any gifts in homemade paper, including newspaper with food coloring, or perhaps grocery sacks.

2. Avoid giving out party favors. Instead, throw your child's party at a local zoo, kid-friendly restaurant or even park. The event will be an experience guests will remember, and a favor will be less necessary. Besides, does any child really need 14 plastic kazoos?

3. Consider an environmental-friendly theme. Use recyclable paper plates, a globe cake and share fun facts about our Earth during the party.

4. Stack a few recycled-paper coloring books and soy crayons on the picnic table for less active guests.

5. Play "hot potato" with a bouncy globe ball or run relay races with burlap sacks. The kids will be entertained for hours!

Most of all, explain to your child why he/she should consider hosting an environment-friendly party. Chances are, your child will start a neighborhood trend and before you know it, your town will be greener than ever.

Nothing says "summer afternoon" like bubbles. Kids love water play, and bubbles add texture and visual appeal. So what happens when you mix bubble play with art? You get bubble prints -- water color-inspired designs that are both beautiful and and fun to make. Kids just don't get to make bubbles, they get to create multi-colored masterpieces.

Here's what you'll need:

• Bowls -- Preferably different shapes and sizes to add interest. Glass bowls won't be stained by the food coloring. Low bowls -- even flat pans like pie plates -- work best, because you'll use less water and therefore need less food coloring.
• Food coloring (various colors)
• Water
• White art paper
• Dish soap

Either find a safe place to work outside or cover your work space with plenty of newspaper, and let's get started.

Do you ever look through the magazines with envy? How do those houses look so nice? Where do they have all the detritus of life stored? Where are all the fingerprints? And WHERE are the toys?

Well, it turns out that you do not have to sacrifice style just because you have children. Your house does not have to look like a toy store showroom threw up everywhere.

First and foremost, consider how you live-- how you really live, not the way you wish you lived. This means if you live in a house with messy people who spill things (and really doesn't this describe most children?), you will want to step away from the white silk furniture. If you have young children you are going to have different needs than if you have teenagers. Having both, I will tell you that I am not sure who is harder on furniture.

Friendships bracelets are back and more popular than ever, making them a perfect craft for a summer play date. But what do you do when you've got a multi-age group, with some kids too young for braiding thread or stringing tiny bead? Or if your crew is just too tiny or too active to even consider that kind of project?

Easy. Set the big kids up with their materials, then get the little kids started on these simple preschool-sized friendship bracelets. They'll feel like big kids -- since they're doing the same project -- but rather than someone making a bracelet for them, they can actually do this project themselves.

Here's what you'll need:

• toilet paper or paper towel tubes, one for each child
• poster paint -- preferably white
• paintbrushes
• multiple colors of tissue paper, cut into small squares
• paper plate or cardboard
• glue (optional)

Then just follow the easy steps in the gallery below.

It's pouring down rain, the kids are getting restless -- time for a craft to keep everyone busy! The perfect kiddie craft -- in my opinion, anyway -- is one that you can create out of items you've already got laying around your house. And it's also really helpful when you create something that can make your life easier down the road.

Today's craft achieves both those goals. A marker cap pencil holder is made from the caps of used up markers and one lone sock -- things you can rescue from the trashcan. And when it's complete, it'll make an adorable place for your kiddo to keep their pens and pencils organized while they're doing homework this fall.

Difficulty rating: Easy

You'll need:

• a clean, dry tuna can
• several marker caps
• one old sock
• felt
• ribbon
• various embellishments
• glue

Take a look at the gallery below for easy step-by-step directions.

When I was a youngster, I remember days where I was bored beyond measure. I would listen to the click-clack of my Mother's knitting needles as she would tell me stories of her youth in Germany, while I would unravel the ball of yarn for her.

Most kids won't sit long enough to help with mundane tasks, but I bet you could get yours to sit still on a rainy day if you ask them to help you dye yarn with food coloring. Suse of Pea Soup has a tutorial showing off her gorgeous pictures of yarn that she dyed with the help of her 8 year old son.

You'll need a box of food colors, a microwave-safe bowl, the child(ren), wool yarn, and vinegar, which helps set the dye. Adult supervision is needed when handling the hot water, so that the kiddos don't burn themselves.

For more help dyeing wool and other fabric, check out how to dye with fruits and vegetables, and how to dye with Kool-Aid.

[via: Whip Up]

I know, paper cups are bad, and I am bad if I use them. What if I reuse them? Can I redeem myself just a little?

If you've got paper cups kicking around, there are all sorts of ways that they can be re-purposed into cool Kiddie Crafts. Just this afternoon, I went to the pantry for some dried pasta and realized that there was only a very little bit left. I also came across some leftover party cups that I'd stashed away. What do you do with pasta and paper cups? Make maracas of course!

After the break I'll tell you how, share another paper cup craft that we tried, and point you to a few more that I think pass the kiddie craft test (simple, inexpensive, fun, and easily modified for different ages).

Join me each week as I explore the naturally aromatic side of DIY. Helpful recipes for your "scentual" pleasure: from essential oils, herbs, and other botanicals to soap-making, body care products and other useful blends.

I admit it -- Diane's Avant Yard post, 75 tricks to get your kids outdoors, inspired me. It's one thing to enjoy scents, to make scented products, and to use essential oils and herbs in your daily life. But have you shared your love of scents with your children?

Inadvertently, you just may have. I know my three-year-old wanders through my garden with me, picking leaves off the basil plant for nibbling (he knows which plants are the edible ones), admiring the hard-working bees at the lavender plants, and of course, stopping to smell the roses (stereotypical, yet true).

Kids catch on, through your modeling, to the things you love. If you feel like spicing it up a bit, though, how about creating a scent hunt for your kids?