These cheap and easy to create party poppers will be a big hit with my daughter’s classmates. All you need to do is gather your materials and get started!
You will need:
– toilet paper rolls
– candy and small toys/trinkets
– tape
– scissors
– wrapping paper (as thin as you can get; don’t get the expensive stuff)
– ribbon
​First, you cut each toilet paper roll in half.

Third, tape the roll together (very little tape; you want it to be easy to pop open) and wrap it with your paper.​

I am always frustrated when it comes to finding things to do with my toddler. I save a ton of things to Pinterest but when I go to find an activity inevitably I don’t have what I need or it takes too long just to figure out and find all of the appropriate materials. So, I don’t get to even half of the fun things that I have pinned. So I came up with the idea for “The FUN Jar”. By spending a little extra time (ok not a little…it took me a couple of weeks) compiling all of the activities that I liked and creating a printable document with directions and materials lists I will be able to access all of the fun activities in a matter of seconds. You can also jump in on the fun by printing my FREE “FUN Jar” printable!!
How does it work?
First you have to print out the packet. Then, inside the packet are directions for 29 activity bags that you prepare ahead of time. I know that sounds like a lot but most of it is done for you. By creating these bags ahead of time for some of the more in-depth activities you can get started with your impatient little toddler more quickly and clean up is also fast. Keep in mind there are over 90 activities and you only have to prep for 29 of them. As long as you have purchased everything else that is on the materials list you will have everything you need to do each activity.
Once you have prepared all of the activity bags and have printed everything out you just need to cut up the different “activity cards”, fold them and place them in some sort of jar or container. I haven’t made mine yet but I would suggest making it really decorative and fun looking so your child will be eager to help you select an activity.
Now you are ready to select your first activity. You can use the color coded activities to make sure your child doesn’t draw an outdoor activity when it is raining. Let your child draw a piece of paper and then you can simply walk over to your box of activity bags and supplies and get the appropriate bag/supplies. Some of the activities don’t even require you to use anything special but are things we sometimes forget to do with our kids.
The goal of “The FUN Jar” is to make your life easier and to enrich your child’s life. Let me know what you think! I’ll be posting updates as I begin to use my own “FUN Jar”.
You can access the free printable here.

This project was inspired by all of the bookcase revamps you see on Pinterest and other home decor sites. However, I don’t want to spend a million hours precision cutting paper to fit my bookcase and I also don’t want to permanently change my bookcase with paint. So, I came up with this idea. I figured if I didn’t work then I had only wasted $3 on a roll of wrapping paper.
Well, it was not a failure! It worked perfectly. So, here’s what I did.
1. Remove all of the books as well as the shelves.

2. Tape the starting point of the roll to the center of the bookcase and let the remaining paper roll to the bottom of the bookcase. The roll of paper did not fit perfectly so I just centered it on the bookcase. This left a small space on each side that was not covered in paper. But, since I kept it even it looks intentional and works well. (I taped it by rolling the tape and placing it behind the paper so you couldn’t see the actual tape.)
3. Continue to tape at various points down the paper then cut the paper at the bottom so that it ends with the bottom shelf.
4. Replace the shelves and books and you’re done!
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I really wanted to bring a pop of color to these bookcases and this did just that. It didn’t take me long at all and I can easily change it when the mood strikes.