child wearing handmade tie-dye tee and reading a book with a floppy sunhat on.

Summer Activity: Tie-dye!

June 23, 2020 // No Comments

I’m always looking for ways to upcycle old clothes, and tie-dye is the perfect way to bring a new, colourful lease of life to an unworn T-shirt. It’s a fun activity to do with kids too, so it’s a great... Continue reading →

Fun Activities at Home with Kids | EvinOK

Kid Crafts, Home Learning, Cleaning Hacks, and Knitting While Cocooning

March 30, 2020 // No Comments

We are on day 19 of being at home with our two sons, Optimus (8) and Bumblebee (3). As a refresher, these are their self-chosen online names for anonymity and privacy. After nearly three weeks at home with the lads,... Continue reading →

Personalized Laundry Bags from Pillowcases

July 18, 2019 // No Comments

For traveling with my kids this summer, I wanted to make sure they didn’t forget all the household responsibilities they are used to at home. For this reason, I created a personalised laundry bag for each boy to have on... Continue reading →

Making a Travel LEGO Set

July 4, 2019 // No Comments

Traveling this summer has inspired quite a few posts for EvinOK, but this was one of my favourites because I love LEGO. Planning I loved the tutorials on Pinterest for metal Altoid tins or lunchbox LEGO sets, but it... Continue reading →

Surviving a Long-Haul Flight with Happy Kids | EvinOK

Keeping My Little Kids Happy on Long-haul Flights

June 27, 2019 // 2 Comments

Years ago, when my first-born LB was very little, I was anticipating a solo trip with LB (he was 20 months old at the time) and concerned about keeping him happy and calm. Up until then, he had been on five... Continue reading →

Mistake-filled by perfectly imperfect Dr. Seuss Quilt for Story Time and Snuggles | EvinOK

Mistake-filled Perfectly Imperfect Dr. Seuss Quilt for Reading Time Snuggles

February 26, 2019 // No Comments

I had a request to knit a blanket for story time. LB thought we needed a blanket for both boys to snuggle under when I read to them. Brilliant request, but I countered with an offer to sew something since... Continue reading →

A Tale of Two Play Kitchens

October 11, 2018 // 1 Comment

We built and refurbished two play kitchens in recent years, but I thought it would be worth an update to share how well they have held up to significant abuse use. I’ll profile each separately since they’re quite different. The... Continue reading →

Sewing a Tooth Fairy Pillow with Pokémon Fabric

July 26, 2018 // No Comments

We are on tooth watch here at home as LB is about to lose his first tooth. It’s all very exciting and to channel his enthusiasm, we decided to design and sew a custom tooth fairy pillow. LB chose Pokémon... Continue reading →

Ballyhoura Baby Blanket

July 19, 2018 // 2 Comments

When I was pregnant with AH, I was contacted by Maria Moynihan about a possible knitting series that focused on baby patterns. I was intrigued, but exhausted and pregnancy complications demanded all my energy. Then one year later, she reached... Continue reading →

Making New Crayons from Broken Bits – Phoenix Crayons

July 10, 2018 // No Comments

I’ve done it before and I’ll keep doing it because making new crayons from broken bits is such an easy recycling project that also is useful. I find my recycled crayons ideal for when we’re out and about or traveling... Continue reading →

Hot Air Balloon Nursery Mobile Kit from Flying Tiger

October 5, 2017 // No Comments

Usually, I shy away from craft kits because I have a very thorough craft supply cupboard and much prefer to find my own way when making something new, but I couldn’t resist making the hot air balloon nursery mobile kit... Continue reading →

Sprucing Up a Play Kitchen…Again

August 22, 2017 // No Comments

A few years ago, I unearthed my old play kitchen cabinet from the basement of my parents’ house. It had some damage to the wood base, but our friend patched it up and I spray painted it for a quick... Continue reading →

Usborne Farm Baby Crib Bumper refashioned into a quiet book | EvinOK.com

Baby Crib Bumper Sewn Into a Quiet Book

June 20, 2017 // No Comments

For my first born, I was given a beautiful Usborne cot book with a farm theme. It was fun to tie to the crib/cot rail for entertainment, but my second born is more grabby than my first and it was coming... Continue reading →

Making a Butterfly with Felt and Pipe Cleaners

September 19, 2016 // No Comments

I love sharing my passion for crafts with my son LB and try to have our projects be approachable enough that he can take the lead with successful results. One such project was making a butterfly with felt and pipe cleaners.... Continue reading →

Make Your Own Harry Potter Potions Kit evinok

Create Your Own Harry Potter Potions Kit

February 12, 2016 // 2 Comments

This is a guest post by Katie, author of Curdled Like Cheese. She and I have known each all our lives (and our parents before us), so I’m so excited to share her post with you. Seriously, this is SO inspiring.... Continue reading →

Let’s Make Paper Snowflakes

December 24, 2015 // No Comments

It’s the holiday season and the entire family is together. No, it’s not a joke or a coffee commercial, it’s my life right now. There are seven adults and three little boys (sorry, they prefer the term “big boys”) under the... Continue reading →

DIY Felt Elephant Clothespin Craft

July 31, 2015 // No Comments

LB and I love to do crafts a few times a week. I often forget to take step-by-step photos as we’re hard at work, but sometimes I do and today’s post is focused on one of the projects when I... Continue reading →

Beauty Boho Glass Bead Necklace handmade in one afternoon

Simple DIY Beachy Beaded Necklace

June 11, 2015 // 2 Comments

On Saturday, my son LB decided he wanted to make mommy a necklace. We were out of penne and macaroni so I asked him where we should get more supplies at the grocery store or the craft store and he... Continue reading →

Popsicle Stick Shapemakers

May 7, 2015 // No Comments

I recently was looking for an inexpensive portable and expendable creative play project for my son. Something that could fit in my purse for playing at restaurants or when we were waiting someplace. Naturally, Pinterest had plenty of ideas, but... Continue reading →

Quick-Sew Panel Quilt That’s Out of This World

February 26, 2015 // No Comments

I recently felt inspired to sew LB a little nap-sized quilt of his very own. He got into the habit of carrying his full single bed duvet around home and it just made more sense for him to have a... Continue reading →