DIY
4 Delicious Homemade Frozen Popsicles Recipes
Summer is finally here and that means that the heat is here, too! Grab some fresh fruit at the farmers Market or even score some of the excellent selection of frozen fruit at your local grocer. With just a few other ingredients you will have some tasty refreshing frozen popsicles to help the family stay […]
10 Springtime Home Improvement Projects that Cost Less Than $50
Are you wanting to do some updates to your home without having to take out a loan or strain your budget too much? You may be surprised to learn that there are actually quite a few home improvements that can be made on your home that don’t require a large output of money. In fact, […]
Edible Gardening 101 – How to Start Your Garden
Edible Garden Even if you’re extremely busy or restricted to indoor spaces, you can achieve the benefits of edible gardening. It’s a low-cost, low-impact hobby and you can invest as much or as little effort into it as you’d like. We built a potting bench – a table top with shelving making it easier to […]
How to Contact Paper Books
This post contains affiliate links. Please note that purchases made through links on Smarty Pants Mama help support the site. Thank you. The pile of books are sent home. Your kids place them on the table. You know what that means. You have all the school supplies purchased, which includes a roll or two of […]
DIY Pallet Board Pool Toy Storage
Our backyard pool seems to have noodles, floats and balls scattered everywhere. I knew we needed a remedy to this disaster. I knew we needed to organize our pool toys with some sort of pool toy storage. I got my hands on a pallet board thanks to some construction at the house. I put it […]
Tropical Inspired Art Project for Kids
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.#BringTheTropicsHome #CollectiveBias My morning started buying this: and ended with an art project for kids, inspired by fruit and all® Fresh Tropical Mist™! See my experience on bringing the tropics – scent, taste and colors – into our patio […]
Building a Gardening Potting Bench
Building a potting bench (a hightop table that’s perfect for storing your gardening materials and to use to plant) is a DIY project that’s perfect for your next weekend. This shelf has different uses. Our’s, as you’ll see in the photos below, is used to hold our gardening tools and as a tabletop to plant in […]
How I Spruce Up My Home For Thanksgiving
Autumn is filled with family time and festivities. Not only do we celebrate Thanksgiving Day, but our family celebrates 3 birthdays – one of which is mine. With everyone running in and out of the house, it becomes a bit of a party central. I love it, but it does take a bit of work […]
How to Polish Penny Loafers
Problem: How do I polish penny loafers? Smart Mama Solution: Read my experience and follow the steps I’ve shared. We saved money this back to school season by polishing last year’s penny loafers. Yes, her foot grew over the summer, and yes, her loafers were pretty beat up after last school year. But this family […]
Make a Backyard Scavenger Hunt
We have been playing scavenger hunts since our preschool days. We are given a list of objects to find and then we run around searching for them all. It really is a blast and brings back so many great memories. This summer when you continue to search for fun and creative ways for the kids […]
Organizing the Kids Closet
Go look in their room. What’s the closet like? Be honest. Organizing kids closet could be a nightmare. But it doesn’t have to be. This month on TampicoIsColor.com I share how I got into the girls’ closet and organized it. No, it isn’t perfectly organized. And, yes, it doesn’t always stay as organized as I […]
Creating a Homework Station
The school year is in full swing! Many of you have started your new school year and others will begin soon. Regardless of your start date, it’s crucial to prepare your kiddos for success. Yes, you need the school supplies, early bedtime and uniforms or school clothes. What you also need is a spot that […]
3 Hair Styles for Girls
I like things SIMPLE. I don’t have the time, energy or desire of spending too much time doing my daughter’s hair. I want them to look cute and put together – the look of the knotted crazy hair isn’t what I’m looking for. Keeping their hair out of their face is most important. On top […]
DIY Microwave Popcorn
Make DIY Microwave Popcorn with the kids! It’s delicious and far healthier than the store microwave popcorn bags! There have been reports on the harmful effects of microwave popcorn. The the most harmful effects come from the packaging and the chemicals in the “butter” and seasoning. We still LOVE popcorn in this house and love […]
How to Buy an Outdoor Ceiling Fan
An outdoor ceiling fan brings a breeze and even helps keep away the mosquitoes! When we first moved into our home we were wondering how to buy an outdoor ceiling fan for our patio. We have long covered patio with recessed lighting but with the Florida heat we knew we needed a fan during the hottest […]
Creative Ways to Use Tape with Kids
Enter your local Office Depot store and you’re bound to find a tremendous display of the 3M Expressions Tape. I entered our local store recently with my girls and they were instantly drawn to this display. The colors and patterns were so captivating. They wanted every roll. There are so many ways to use tape with […]
How to Make a Barbie Photo Booth for a Barbie Party
A photo booth for a birthday party is always a hit, even for a Barbie party! It’s time to make a Barbie Photo Booth! Click here for online deals on Barbie gifts, party stuff and more! Using inexpensive materials you can make a photo booth for a Barbie party in relatively little time. Here’s how: […]
PVC Pipe Towel Rack DIY Project OR Purchase
In need of a towel rack to dry and store pool towels. How about a DIY Towel Rack made of PVC pipes? Earlier this week I shared my enthusiasm about the Ballard Designs Medallion Pool Valet (no longer sold.) I just loved the style of it but I was intimidated about the look of the […]
DIY Memory Box, A Simple Tradition for Families
I previously shared how to make a Memory Box. It was a resolution of mine in 2012. I stuck to it, well, most days I stuck to it! Each day of the year, I added a little blurb about what we did. Short simple sentences of accomplishments or basic happenings. The best part of that memory […]
Family Halloween Costume Ideas
Family Halloween costume ideas are a fun way to bring out the creativity and excitement of the season! There is nothing more exciting than seeing the families walk down the block or better yet down Main Street USA in Magic Kingdom for the Mickey’s No-So-Scary Halloween Party. Post Updated: September 2106 Many family Halloween costumes are […]
DIY Family Dinner Menu Board
We all have a handful of recipes that we go to when making that decision. Great recipes, but with this New Year let’s broaden our recipe collection and even more importantly REMEMBER and REUSE the those healthier ones the kids seem to like! Make this DIY family dinner menu board to have variety in your […]
#SmartMamaLUTION #2: DIY an Ornament Box Out of a Shirt Box
To be more organized is a common New Year’s resolution. Organization is a key component to Smart Mama-hood! Let’s take on this #SmartMamaLUTION by creating an inexpensive organizational container for the Christmas ornaments that will inevitably be put away within the next 10 days. This ornament box was inspired by a beautiful ornament box I […]
#SmartMamaLUTION #1: Remember 2012 & Beyond with an Easy, Quick DIY Memory Box
New Year’s #SmartMamaLUTION 1: You will be a Smart Mama by preserving memories with your family. We tend to remember the important days each year, like birthdays, holidays and even the 1st day of school. But do you remember what you did last year on March 3rd? or November 17? or the specific date your […]
Homemade Taco Seasoning – Easy and Cheap
Challenge: I want to make my own homemade taco seasoning! Thankfully, this is an easy and very affordable DIY to do! Solution: Make your own Homemade Taco Seasoning with common spices and a recycled spice container. Using spices that typically occupy our spice racks, a Smart Mama can make her very own taco seasoning. We are […]
Summer Organizing
So the unofficial start of summer 2011 was this past weekend. It’s time to get the summer to-do list organized! What projects do you need to get done? Which ones are more optional but would be awesome to have crossed off the list? Although summertime is typically filled with kiddies home from school, family vacations […]
Smart Home: Cleaning out the Closet and Donating!! Great Ideas!
[ad#Google in Content] Take a look at this! These 6 bags of clothing came out of my closet. They are filled with styles and sizes that are no longer applicable in this house! Now I’m trying to figure out what to do with them. Two things come to mind, donate or sell. Two of the […]