Scrap Packs

It's so good to let children be free and creative with their artwork, and the only things they really need are time and some basic supplies. I tend to be a minimalist, so we don't have a ton of craft supplies at our house, but some of my best purchases have been scrap packs, or remnant packs. These are just packages of things like card stock, ribbons, or buttons, usually with a wide variety of colors, shapes, and textures. I've found this is a very easy, cost-effective way to supply my kids with a variety of crafting materials.

You can find these sorts of things at craft stores, and also the big-box chains. I got a large bag of assorted ribbons a while back at Hobby Lobby in their fabric section (which have been used for countless projects and games), and I found this pack of card stock for just a couple of dollars in the scrapbooking section at Wal-Mart.


This way the kids can craft to their heart's content, and I don't have to feel like we are spending a fortune supplying them with paper. I should mention that I do think quality art supplies are important for young children, but sometimes the crafting happens fast and furious with little ones, and you just need some basic materials!

It seems Millie was inspired by the uniform-sized squares in the scrap pack to create her own paper patchwork quilt. It's these sorts of projects - when she comes up with the idea on her own - that really capture her excitement.

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Frugal Friday

Christmas Card Garland

This garland is so simple to make, and what a great way to recycle Christmas cards. Just cut a circle around the main image on the card, then punch a couple of holes near the top of the circle. We used yarn to string the cards; crochet thread works nicely too.

A few years ago I bought several boxes of Christmas cards at after-Christmas sales, for something like 10 cents per box. And I've found that those Christmas cards have been such fun craft materials. In addition to the garland, we've used them to make bookmarks, and have also used them as materials for making homemade Christmas cards.

This post is linked to:
Frugal Friday
The Shabby Nest

Southwestern Tamale Pie

This recipe is actually a combination of three different recipes, and I think it turned out pretty great. A keeper, in fact. A friend gave me a recipe for Southwestern Shepherd's Pie, which was something like shepherd's pie, but instead of potatoes on top, it called for sweet potatoes, and the meatless filling had black beans, corn, tomatoes, and the addition of cinnamon. I loved that recipe, but Tom didn't. He didn't like the cinnamon, specifically. So I'd been wanting to tweak that dish a bit, and then recently I saw a black bean sweet potato dish that looked good. So I was thinking of these two recipes and how to combine them. Then this week Tom requested tamale pie, which I have made only once before, and I'm not even sure what recipe I used. Which is a very long way of explaining that this is a rather unique combination, but oh, so good.

Southwestern Tamale Pie

1 large onion, diced
1 large bell pepper (any color), diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 cup corn
2 cups cooked black beans
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (if you like cilantro, be sure to include it!)
3 cups peeled, cubed, cooked sweet potatoes (I peeled and diced the sweet potatoes, then roasted them in the oven)

Your favorite cornbread recipe, prepared (I used a Betty Crocker recipe and added some corn to it; you can use a mix. Whatever you like.)

Heat a bit of water in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and spices; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes; simmer until liquid reduces, 15 minutes. Add corn, beans, cilantro and sweet potatoes. Mix together, then spoon into a 9X13 dish. Spread prepared cornbread over the bean/sweet potato mixture. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

This post is linked to:
Frugal Friday
Foodie Friday