Regal Crowns from Humble Beginnings

When life hands you empty toilet rolls, make... crowns? This is a cute, simple green craft that will make your kiddo feel like royalty upon completion. Head over to Kids Kubby to learn how to make these regal toppers! Be sure to use nontoxic paint for coloring the crowns. And if you are feeling really inspired, check out these adorable Cat in the Hat headpieces made from toilet paper rolls too!

Image via Kids Kubby

Dogs Made from Recycled Newspaper

How cute are these dogs made from recycled newspaper? We're considering adopting a dog, and I'd love to know if any of you have suggestions as to which breeds are best for families with young children. Did you adopt a puppy or an older dog? Please share in the comments!

Animal Free Circuses

I was never one of those kids who wanted to "run off and join the circus." Frankly, circuses scared me a bit with the dark tents, rings of fire, giant lions, and of course, the clowns.

But as an adult, I have had the amazing opportunity to attend a couple performances of Cirque du Soleil. They offer all of the same, edge of your seat excitement, thrills and laughs, but the shows are done without animals. When I came across the ASPCA's list of animal free circuses, and it included Cirque du Soleil, I wanted to pass the info along to you!

Clearly, animal free circuses are more humane and environmentally friendly than mainstream circuses. They prevent wild animals from being held in captivity and trained to perform 'circus acts.' With spring here and summer on its way, many of us will be considering trips to the circus with the kids. Why not opt for an animal free circus instead?

Here's a worldwide list of animal free circuses, put together by The ASPCA.

Waste-Not Sewing Kits Turn Trash into Treasure

Upcycle that plastic cup you used at the last party you went to, into an adorable hedgehog with eeBoo's Waste-Not Sewing Kit. The kit comes complete with everything you need to turn trash into this sweet little treasure. Also available in a fox variety, for which you need an empty bottle.

Dear Photograph Website Brilliantly Combines the Past & Present

The world gets increasingly complicated and hectic by the day, so when I stumbled upon the amazing site, Dear Photograph, it charmed me to no end -- because it suspends a moment in time and recaptures a memory in a way that seems to make the world stop spinning for a brief but magical second. The site's tagline is: "Take a picture of a picture from the past in the present." And Dear Photograph is full of poignant, delightful and nostalgic images in which people have tangibly harnessed the intangible essence of a cherished moment from yesteryear.

This would be such a fun thing to do with your children -- especially if you visit places you frequented in your youth together -- your first house, a favorite hangout, a park or tree you loved... take an old photo and have your kiddo hold it in the locale all these years later. It's playing with time in the most enchanting way. Visit Dear Photograph to enjoy all of the inspiring submissions.

Take a minute to treat yourself to this slideshow of amazing images from Dear Photograph.

Image via Dear Photograph

Madhava Organic Coconut Sugar is a Sweet Alternative to Pure Cane Sugar

In our ongoing quest to streamline our diet and eliminate processed foods that are contaminated with horrible ingredients and additives, we decided to switch from organic pure cane sugar to unrefined, non-GMO and vegan organic coconut sugar. I learned that sugar is processed using cow's bone char, and that does not jive AT ALL with our vegan diet! Madhava's organic coconut sugar (which we found at Whole Foods) is absolutely delicious, and I can't tell the difference in taste between this sugar and the pure cane sugar we had been using previously. This coconut sugar is sustainably grown and harvested and it includes the added benefits of containing "naturally occurring nutrients including magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, B vitamins, and amino acids."

Additionally, "the coconut palm tree produces 50% to 75% more sugar per acre than cane sugar - and it only uses 20% of the resources."

That's sweet! Make the switch!

Organic Cotton Baby Blankets from Little Hip Squeaks

This photograph makes my heart MELT! How precious are these little babies?! You may have heard the recent news that baby swaddling has been banned in day care centers, but if you have a newborn at home under your constant supervision, swaddling can be extremely beneficial for babies. Miss O and Mr. A couldn't sleep as newborns unless they were swaddled. They were both born in the heat of August, and we opted for lightweight organic muslin swaddling blankets from Aden + Anais.

The blankets modeled above are from Etsy shop Little Hip Squeaks and they're made of 100% organic cotton jersey knit fabric, which would also be a lovely, cozy and cool fabric choice for spring/summer. You can choose what color or pattern you'd like... but hurry and order today because the shop owners announced that "made to order blankets will be discontinued as of April 15th."

Upcycle T-shirts into a Cute Dress for Spring

Miss O is growing like a weed, which means I just cleared out another batch of "too small" clothing from her dresser and closet. I send her sweet apparel off to two of my neighbors with little girls, so I know her threads are going on to have a fun second life... but I really wish I was crafty and could sew because I'd love to make a keepsake dress such as the adorable one seen above. The creative mom at I am Momma Hear Me Roar used stamps to breathe new life into old T-shirts, and then she sewed strips of the T-shirts together to create a cute new dress. I think this would be such a fun way to pay homage to outgrown articles of clothing, extending their life and keeping them in circulation that much longer!

Click here to view the tutorial on how to make an upcycled T-shirt dress.

 image © I am Momma Hear Me Roar

Planet Dog's Orbee Tuff Cosmos Balls Offer Endless Fun for Canines

If you share your life with a ball-obsessed dog like I do, then you know how challenging it can be to find toys and balls that are indestructible and last through countless hours of “fetch” and dog park play. We actually have to put balls in drawers to hide them from our Yellow Lab, Cash, who thinks it’s his sole purpose in life to run around like a maniac chomping, snapping and barking at balls. Thank goodness there’s Planet Dog to satiate Cash’s ball obsession. We’ve been fans of Planet Dogproducts for years, and they always invent new products that are fun and challenging for our pups. Cash’s newest infatuation is the SOL™ ball, one of three awesome Orbee Tuff Cosmos™ balls from the socially responsible, sustainable company.

Recycle Your Egg Cartons into Math & Sorting Tools!

Decorating eggs for Easter? Hold on to your empty egg cartons and recycle them into math and sorting tools! I'm always trying to find ways to reuse household items -- and I love finding ways to play a learning game that both Miss O and Mr. A can enjoy, on different levels. Read on to learn how we made counting and color coding fun by using egg cartons!

How To: Decoupage Flower Pots

New to the medium of decoupage, I ventured out and got my first bottle of Mod Podge to start exploring the art -- now I am officially addicted and want to decoupage EVERYTHING! The warm sunny weather in San Diego this past weekend inspired me to plant some new plants and give the pots I put them in a bit of flair. I decided to decoupage some Terracotta plant holders with materials I had around the house. It was very easy and very fun -- read on to learn how to make your own decoupage flower pots!

Hello Hanna 'Yum Yum Bakery' Eco Sticker Book

My little girl is CRAZY for stickers -- and this sweet Yum Yum Bakery sticker book from Hello Hanna takes the sticky fun factor up a notch by letting kids build and design their own confections. If you're trying to avoid oodles of candy in your tot's Easter Basket, ask the Easter Bunny to deliver this drool-worthy activity instead! And the best part for greenies: it's made with FSC-certified recycled paper.

Earth Hour is this Saturday Night from 8:30pm-9:30pm

Personally, I think every hour of every day should be Earth Hour, in which we globally commemorate the precious planet we've been given. But I'll support any event that urges human beings to pause, even if it's only for 60 minutes, to turn off the lights and tune into what we can do to help save the planet. Here are more than a dozen activities and ideas for how to spend Earth Hour with your family.

And I'd like to urge you to use the time to collectively think of a call to action and support an issue you'd like to change in order to better the world in all of the hours to come.

Organic Cotton Tweet Birds Sing for Spring

Whether you have a spring baby on the way and you want to decorate the nursery in due spirit, or you're looking for a way to mark the change of seasons or the Easter holiday around your home, these sweet little birds are singing your tune. They're designed in Brooklyn and handmade in India using organic cotton -- and they'll surely add some chirp to any perch.

Sweet Paper Chicks from Mibo

These adorable spring and Easter inspired paper crafts are a fun project to enjoy with the kids, and they also make festive home decor or Easter basket fillers! Designed by Madeleine Rogers for Mibo, The Yolk Folk spring to life in minutes -- all you need on hand are scissors, glue, a ruler -- and perhaps some chicken feed once your chicks are milling about!

St. Patrick's Day Craft: Potato Stamps & More Artistic Fun!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, let's make art with potatoes! Your Petite Picassos will love creating masterpieces with potato stamps, sponge stamps and marbles as a special alternative to pulling out crayons or markers for art time. Next time your little one wants to celebrate their abstract side, encourage their talents with these quick and easy, delightfully fun craft projects!

Beautiful, Unique Easter Eggs Decorated with Seeds, Grains & Beans!

Oh, the fond memories of coloring eggs the week before Easter! Remember those colored tablets that would fizz in the cup, and the neon colored dye that would remain on your hands for days to come? While packaged egg dyeing kits are still readily available, there are so many greener, craftier ways to decorate your Easter eggs. This year, I decided to make unconventional, rustic looking eggs by decorating them with various nuts, grains, seeds and beans: raw pumpkin seeds, uncooked rice, lentils, beans, orzo and popcorn! To do the same, all you need is some creativity and a few things you already have in your pantry!

Pura's Kiki Stainless Steel Toddler Bottle is an Ideal Transition to a Sippy Cup

Stainless steel is my favorite choice of material for bottles and sippy cups, and Pura's Kiki 100% plastic-free reusable bottles for babies and kids feature the clever and convenient ability to grow with your child from the infant through the toddler stage with a simple switch of the spout. Since kids get so attached to their bottle, you can transition them with ease from an infant bottle to a toddler bottle, by replacing the silicone nipple with a silicone sip spout.

Beatrix Potter Miniature Tea Set for a Special Easter or Spring Gift

The Easter Bunny really likes to think outside the basket when he visits our house. He knows we're not huge fans of candy and disposable trinkets, so he tends to give Miss O and Mr. A gifts that will be treasured and last long after the Easter holiday has been celebrated.

This miniature Beatrix Potter tea set would make a delightful Easter gift to be cherished for many a spring tea party in your back garden, or at the dining room table when the weather isn't cooperating.

If you have a child who loves having and hosting tea parties, this set would be a remarkable treat. Made in Germany, each porcelain piece is hand-embellished in 22k gold, and fired to be food and dishwasher friendly.

And hop to it, because right now the set is on sale at Nest for just $36.50! 

Also available: a gorgeous Beatrix Potter tea for four set.

Carré jaune Skincare for Children

Carré jaune is a refreshing collection of skincare products designed especially for children by someone who has their best interest in mind: a mother. Sylvie Lafave, mom of two, created the line when she couldn't find nontoxic products she wanted to use on her kids. So she dreamed up and then brought to fruition, carré jaune: chemical free skincare for babies and kids.