Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

  • Home
    • About
    • FAQs
  • Recipes
    • Bread and Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dairy
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes and Snacks
    • Desserts
    • Gluten Free
    • Instant Pot
    • Crock Pot
    • Heavenly Homemaker’s Weekly Menus
  • Homemaking
    • Real Food Sources
  • Store
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Simple Meals
  • Club Members!

Summer Family Fun ~ Less Than $1.00

May 25, 2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Today’s “less than $1.00” theme includes ideas for fun you can have with your family during the summertime. I am so excited to be soaking up the sunshine (free) enjoying food off the grill (yum) and taking a break from formal school work with the kids (summer break rocks). Here are a few ideas for ya:

Free kids activity book

Many of you have this eBook already, but for those who don’t – you can get it free. It contains 101 fun pre-school project ideas – and many of them are great for summertime fun! These ideas all came from you, my readers. We put it together several years ago and it’s a fun one! Since this book is FREE, and many of the activities listed inside are inexpensive to do, this definitely qualifies for our “less than $1.00” theme!

101 Preschool Projects Free Download

Grab this FREE 101 Pre-School Projects book when you sign up to be a part of our Heavenly Homemaker’s Learning Zone!

Homemade Bubble Bath

This Homemade Bubble Bath idea has been on my site since my 14-year old turned 6. Needless to say, this 5’11” teenager with a deep voice doesn’t take bubble baths anymore. But he sure did enjoy this when I made it for him for his birthday 9 years ago. (I wish his birthday gifts were still this inexpensive!)

Homemade Bubble Bath for Pennies

Cook with your kids

Summer can be a great time to teach your kids more cooking skills. Here are a couple of Malachi’s favorite recipes: Homemade Real Food Tootsie Rolls and Easy Crustless Pizza Pie. You can also sign up for a free video series (open through June 6 only) that teaches your kids some basic skills, including how to use knives safely.

Homemade Real Food Tootsie Roll Candy

DIY Bracelets

These Easy Fabric Bracelets are really fun to make (even I can do it!). They cost about 8¢ each. If you have girls in your life, making these bracelets might be fun to craft some hot afternoon.

Quick and Easy Fabric Bracelets

Summer Blessings Printable Cards

You can grab the download for these printable cards here, then print them off to use this summer as you need them.

Summer Blessings Printables

See our other “less than $1.00” ideas that have been shared this week here, here, and here.

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Simple {Practical} Homemade Gift Ideas for Teachers, Co-Workers, Ministry Staff, Neighbors, and Friends (For Less Than $2 Each)

November 29, 2015 by Laura 9 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Simple and practical homemade gifts…the only kind I can handle!

lavender tea bags11

My mom was a super crafter. She had entire “craft room” with big shelves of totes filled with fabric, plus two of every craft supply found at Hobby Lobby. I loved looking through all her supplies, and I loved admiring all the detailed crafts she was making for people. She made everything from hand-pieced quilts to elaborate counted cross-stitch. Everything she made was gorgeous.

You’d think I would have the same crafty genes as my talented mother. You’d think. 

Laura only got the cooking genes. These are also good genes to have, but they don’t have the patience or the skill to turn out beautiful crafts. I’ve come to terms with it. I will forever admire the handiwork of others while I set out plates of homemade muffins. It’s a win-win.

Still. Every single Thanksgiving I get an intense hankering to craft something. I absolutely know that this hankering comes from the tradition ingrained in me from all my Thanksgivings with my mom when I was younger. We’d make it through the holiday feast, then she’d pull out the latest craft she had in mind for us to make for Christmas. She did all the tedious parts. I did all the no-brainer parts. (Laura: Place pine-cones in a basket. Mom: Make the pine-cone basket look like it came out of a magazine.)

Once again, this year I found myself needing to make crafts during Thanksgiving break. I even thought ahead and ordered supplies. The ideas I’m about to share truly are “if I can do it, anyone can” crafts. They are so easy, I actually had fun and didn’t want to scream, pout, or throw something while I was making them. (I might have crafting-anger issues. It stems from trying to follow counted cross-stitch patterns. I can’t talk about it.)

So my friends, here are three of the easiest crafts on the planet. As an added bonus, these crafts make great gifts, they all cost less than $2, and they are all practical and fun. Sorry. I just can’t not be practical. (I mean fun. I can’t not be fun. I am always so much fun. Except for when I’m following a counted cross-stitch pattern. Please, let’s not talk about it.)

3 Simple and Practical Homemade Gifts

3 Easy Homemade Gifts for $1.75 or Less

First I made the most adorable Lavender Oatmeal Bath Tea Bags (adapted from The Humbled Homemaker). This craft consists of mixing three simple ingredients, funneling the mixture into tea bags, ironing the tea bags closed, and then tying a ribbon around a few bags for a gift.

Do not the let ironing step throw you off!! This is actually the step I loved the most, and I hate ironing. It’s just that ironing the tea bag closed made me feel like an actual crafter. Plus it was fun to see that the little flap on the tea bag sealed when ironed for 8 seconds. I am now a professional tea bag ironer! I want to make more of these just so I can iron tea bags.

Lavender Oatmeal Bath

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup Lavender (use the code HOME for a 20% discount)
1/2 cup Epsom salts (purchased at Wal-Mart)

Pulse ingredients together in a blender until they are well combined and in small pieces. Use a funnel to transfer 1- 1 1/2 Tablespoon mixture to small tea bags. Fold down tea-bag flap and press to seal with a hot iron (like a boss). Tie a few tea bags together along with the free printable gift tag below.

This recipe makes about 20 Lavender Oatmeal Bath Bags, which is enough for 5 groups of 4 tea bags. I realize you could have done the math on that yourself, but it is holiday time. We all have enough to think about right now. Today I shall make crafts and do short division. I am on fire!

Make Lavender Oatmeal Bath Gift Packs for Less Than $1.00 Per Gift

Download FREE Lavender Oatmeal Bath Tags Here.

lavender gift tags

After my bath pouches were complete, I spent about five minutes pretending that putting cranberries and oranges into cellophane bags is actually a craft. The “star anise” in this recipe is optional (for those who think anise smells like a jelly bean gone wrong). But if you ask me, the anise stars triple the cuteness value of these pouches.

Christmas Potpourri Pouch

1/2 cup cranberries
1 small orange
3 Cinnamon Sticks (use the code “HOME” for a 20% discount!)
1 Tablespoon Mulling Spice (use the code “HOME” for a 20% discount!)
2 Tablespoons Star Anise

Place all ingredients in a bag. (I used these Clear Cellophane Bags.) Tie up with a ribbon and a free printable gift tag below.

Make a Christmas Potpourri Pouch for $1.75 Per Gift
Download FREE Christmas Potpourri Pouch Gift Tags Here.

Christmas Potpourri Gift Tags

Finally, I found a way to iron more tea bags (be very happy for me). I had a lovely pack of Chai Tea from Olive Nation. I researched how to make the awesome Chai Tea Drink people rave about, then put together some Chai Tea Kits. Total cost per gift set: 98¢. Getting to once again experience the ironing of the tea bags: Priceless.

Chai Tea Kit

Funnel 1 -1 1/2 Tablespoons Chai Tea into a tea bag. Iron flap down to seal(!!!). Place a few prepared tea bags along with 3-4 Cinnamon Sticks (<—use the code HOME for a 20% discount) into a small gift bag. Tie with a ribbon and a free printable gift tag below.

Make Chai Tea Gift Kits for Less Than $1.00

Download FREE Chai Tea Kit Gift Tags Here.
Chai Tea Kit Gift Tags

Supplies List for these Gifts

I had plenty of ribbon on hand, as well as a big bag of Epsom Salt from Walmart. I got most of the remaining (really cool) supplies for these crafts through Amazon or Olive Nation.

From Amazon:

  • Pack of 100 Disposable Tea Bags
  • Pack of 100 Clear Cellophane Bags

From Olive Nation:

  • Cinnamon Sticks
  • Star Anise
  • Mulling Spice
  • Chai Tea Spice Mix
  • Culinary Lavender (1 ounce = about 1 cup)

As an extra special treat, Olive Nation is giving us all 10% off any size order! Use the code CINNAMONGIFTS for the discount. Plus, if your order reaches $50, you’ll receive free shipping. AND!!! Your order of $50 or more entitles you to a free gift at check-out!! You can choose from any that they offer, but you should know that for this special promotion, they put together an extra big package of free cinnamon sticks – just for us! (It’s a pack of 10!) For all the fun gift-making purposes mentioned in this post, I’d pick that freebie if I were you.

I shall now continue to find more excuses to iron tea bags. I got Oolong Orange Blossom Tea in my Olive Nation order last week, so I’ll probably need to play with that. Beyond tea and tea bags, I made homemade Apple Cider in the Crock Pot last week with my cinnamon sticks and will be sharing the recipe soon. This time of year smells so good!!!

Are you making gifts this year? Are you a crafter?

This post contains affiliate links.

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Heavenly Homemakers Guide to Holiday Hospitality for Kids Ebook

July 8, 2009 by Laura Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Heavenly HomeMaker’s Guide to Holiday Hospitality…for Kids! is an ebook written to kids…for kids.

You’ll find page after page of craft ideas, games, activities and recipes that kids can make and do on their own or with a little help from you.

The craft ideas are either printed projects right out of the ebook…or ideas that use simple inexpensive items you are likely to have around the house. The recipes are simple…super fun…and tasty. The games and activities are fun for all ages and encourage family time together as well as service to others.

More importantly, this 34 page ebook will encourage your kids to think about the needs of others and to focus on giving and sharing. And with these ideas…giving and sharing will be fun!

 

$6.95

Add to Cart

 Receive an additional discount by purchasing this ebook alongside Heavenly Homemakers Guide to Holiday Hospitality (for grown ups!). You can get BOTH ebooks for a total of $12.00 by clicking here!!

 

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Fun, Fabulous and (mostly) Free Preschool Projects Ebook (FREE!)

July 8, 2009 by Laura 16 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Help yourself to this FREE e-book with over 100 fun pre-school ideas submitted by the readers of HeavenlyHomemakers.com. In this e-book you’ll find these categories:

Fun with Food
Seasonal Fun
Hands-On Fun
Fun with Arts and Crafts
Fun with Role Play and Make Believe
Fun with Music
Online Fun
All Kinds of Fun

Enjoy making sweet memories with your kids using the great ideas in this e-book!

101 Preschool Projects Free Download

Grab this FREE 101 Pre-School Projects book here!

I’m excited to share that signing up for these freebies will connect you to our new Heavenly Homemaker’s Learning Zone. It’s free, of course. You can unsubscribe at any time, your info will never be shared or sold, and being on this list means that you’ll be the first to know of the other fun (yes, FUN!) educational tools we’re putting together!

Heavenly Homemaker's Club Members: Access your homepage and all your fantastic resources here! Not a member yet? Please join us!

Join Our Community!

 Facebook Twitter RSS E-mail Instagram Pinterest

Popular Posts

~ Will All of the Real Moms Please Stand Up?
~ Easy! Stir-and-Pour Whole Wheat Bread
~ How to Make Gatorade
~ 31 Real Food Breakfast Ideas
~ Dear Teenage Girls...
~ When Mom Takes a Step Back
~ The Inexpensive Health Insurance We Love!
~ Let's Talk Real Food Grocery Budgets

Check out our latest posts!

  • What to Make When It’s Too Hot to Make Dinner
  • How God Used My Cheesecake
  • Big Family Food and Fun: Meals and Photos from Last Week (May 17-27, 2023)
  • The Coppinger Castle
  • How Our Youngest Became Oldest of 9
Home  ~  Simple Meals  ~  Club Membership  ~  Shop  ~  Privacy Policy  ~  Disclosure  ~ Contact

Copyright © 2023 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in