I am one of those moms who absolutely loves birthday keepsakes for kids (you don’t even want to know how many “keepsake boxes” I have stacked in both of my kids’ closets).  And every birthday my babies celebrate, I let myself indulge in being extra sentimental by creating a handful of adorable birthday keepsakes to commemorate their special day.

Framed Birthday Picture with Personal Messages

Each year, I buy I large matted picture frame (with plenty of room for writing) and pick a recent picture of my birthday kid.  I decorate the matte with a few stickers from their party theme (so we can always remember what they loved at that age).  Then, I have each party guest write a little birthday message on the matte…once complete, I hang it in my munchkin’s room all year…so they will always know how loved they are.

Birthday Books

My daughter looks forward to this every year and now that she’s five, she’s really into it. I take all of their birthday party pictures and make a scrapbook…including the invitation, stickers, any important party “flair,” and of course, lots of pictures!  I have always made traditional scrapbooks, but I just recently made one on Shutterfly, and it turned out beautifully!

Both kids love looking at it all year-long, and know it’s one of their presents from mama.

More Cute Birthday Keepsakes I Want To Try

–  A hardback children’s book (of your choice) that your party guests can write in…little messages to the birthday kid.  Very practical and adorable!  One of my friends did this for her one-year-old’s birthday party, and I loved it.

–  A letter journal – buy a cute little (blank) journal for your child.  Each year, write them a letter – talk about their year, what they accomplished, favorite trips, cool memories, etc.  You can read your letter to your kiddo, or just quietly tuck it away.  Then, give it to them on their 18^th birthday – tear!

–  “A year-in-the-life” – pick a handful of your favorite pictures from the year…preferably from holidays you celebrated, first/last days of school, vacations, and so forth.  Pictures that show how much they’ve grown.  I usually jump onto Costco or Shutterfly (but you could choose ANY online picture company!) and make a picture collage of your child, including their age…frame it and hang it!

–  One of my friends spends hours every year making a beautiful picture slideshow of her kiddo’s year, complete with music.  The videos are always absolutely precious!  I have yet to do this for my babies, but really am going to make an effort to do so this year.

I’m always on the lookout for great birthday keepsakes for kids. Please join the conversation in the comments below and let me know about
your traditions and favorite keepsakes!

I love fun finds like this. Please let me introduce you to Makit ~ a company that takes your child’s beloved artwork and turns it into a plate or other fun products.

These would make amazing, thoughtful gifts from kids. Make sure to read below to hear the special offer they are giving Tiny Oranges readers!

Make a Plate

Makit has been in business for over 40 years and was created based on their flagship product, the Make a Plate.

The Prepaid Art Plate Kit includes a set of paper templates and special markers to create your plate. Once you have completed the artwork, you will mail in the finished drawings and receive your personalized plate in 15 days.

The plates are made of durable melamine and are non-breakable, nontoxic and BPA free. They are also dishwasher safe.

The plate kit is only $17.99 and includes one plate; however you will receive 25 templates and can order additional plates if you would like at reduced pricing.

Wouldn’t this make such a fun birthday party or Girl Scout activity?

SPECIAL PRICE for Tiny Oranges readers!

Click this link and receive a -> discounted price of $12.99 if you order between now and 4/21/13.

Personalized Photo Plates 

Makit also has the cutest line of photo plates that would make the most adorable gifts for your child, a parent, teacher or a best friend.

Have any Disney lovers in your household? Turn your daughter’s picture into her very own Cinderella plate or your let your son defend the galaxy with Buzz Lightyear and mealtime is sure to be a blast! You can see their complete line of Disney products here.

 Make Mom Happy!

You can upload your favorite photo and personalize a coffee mug or travel tumbler for mom to celebrate Mother’s Day, or have them create a special plate just for mom or grandma.

Make sure to order your plate kit by Monday, in order to be able to return your art for your Photo Plate by April 19th for Mother’s Day delivery.

There are so many opportunities for your kids to explore their creativity, and make a treasured keepsake at the same time.  Have a great weekend everyone!

www.makit.com

[Disclosure: This is a sponsored post; one that I am thrilled to share as I love these darling products!]

I threw a birthday party for a lamb. Lamby-lamb to be exact, my five-year-old’s well-loved stuffed lamb given to her as a baby.  Take note mamas – this was a FUN three hour stay-at-home activity for both kiddos – and a great (sneaky!) way to get some educational lessons in.

Now, this wasn’t just any stuffed animal’s pretend birthday party.  The celebration included a real cake and candles, a wrapped present for Lamby-lamb (what’s a birthday without a present?) and decorations.

I am a mama on the go.  My babies and I are always out and about, doing something. But, sometimes rainy days, sick munchkins, or even just overtired kids (or mamas!) require a day at home.

I found myself staring down one of these days, wondering how to entertain my two very active little ones.

My little girl had mentioned that Lamby-lamb had recently turned four (she loves imaginative play and is always making up stories for her animals and dolls), so I suggested we throw a real party.  The kids were beyond thrilled (probably because I mentioned birthday cake).

Party Planning

This is what we did – you can vary to cater to whatever you need (or already have at home):

1. Make a small, one-stop outing for supplies

First we raided the kids’ piggy banks and they each clutched two dollars. Teaching moment: have them count out their money.

Then we went to the Dollar Tree, but you could find the same products at the Target dollar spot…or your local store of choice.

They each had two dollars…and they each got to choose one card and one present…not for themselves, but for their friend Lamby-lamb.

My oldest actually counted all of the money to the cashier.  They took this step very seriously.  (What would a lamb like, anyways?  They each had ideas.) Teaching moment: how to shop on a budget.

Mommy’s present to Lamby-lamb was cake mix and frosting – for the birthday cake, of course!

2. Make a birthday card

Next came coloring at home in their birthday cards – I asked my older one to practice writing her name and a personal message.

Crayons, stickers, and a good 20 minutes of fun. Teaching moment: coloring works on fine motor skills, plus letter recognition and practice.

3. Time to bake! 

Each put on an apron, got their little step stools and we started cooking together. Teaching moment: read the instructions together, have them measure, stir and talk about setting the timer for the correct amount of time.

4. Wrap your presents

While your treat is baking, wrap your presents! 

Teaching moment: practicing with safety scissors, working on fine motor skills and learning how much tape to use.

5. It’s time to decorate!

We have a birthday box in the garage with leftover or recyclable birthday decorations – get as crazy as you want!

We always include hats, plates, napkins and banners. Teaching moment: talk about the colors on the decorations, where to place them and count out the correct number of hats/plates/etc.

6. Get on your party clothes

I always frost the cake myself (it just gets so messy and crazy with two kids trying to do this with me) – so while I was frosting, they went to get dressed up for the party.

Teaching moment: pick their outfit and use their imagination! My little girl actually dressed up Lamby-lamb, too!

7. Celebrate

PARTY TIME!!!  Light candles, sing happy birthday, have a treat, let their friend “open” their presents, read them their cards…and take LOTS of pictures!

Happy party planning!

This was our first year given the school assignment to build a leprechaun trap and was a project where the whole family got involved.

We came up with the idea to make it into a restaurant called the Rainbow Restaurant, serving all you can eat Lucky Charms. What leprechaun could resist that kind of a joint, right?!

We made it out of materials we already had around the house, the only thing we had to buy was a box of Lucky Charms. Bonus!

Inside, there is a table with a big bowl of cereal. The mini spoon in the bowl has a a string on it rigged to the roof and a paper cup, so when the little leprechaun takes his first bite and raises the spoon, the cup drops down on him.

My husband thought of that one. He’s a smart one, I tell you.

I have to say I was sort of not looking forward to this project, but it actually made for a really fun Saturday project where even little sister could be involved.

On Sunday night, my daughter, said, “Mom, I love my leprechaun trap so much I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Cute how it’s the little things that are so fun at this age. And it makes a project that took the better part of a Saturday all worth it!

Did any of you out there make leprechaun traps this year? Any ideas to share?

Gotta thank Pinterest again for this sweet “You Deserve a Hand” teacher valentine idea.  I swear, what did I ever DO before Pinterest?! If you are a Pinterest-lover like me, please follow Tiny Oranges, would love to share pins with you. So my daughter and I made this sweet homemade Valentine for teachers.  I know Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, but it is so easy you can pull it off today!

Basically, you just cut out your little one’s handprints and you can either stick to the sides of a hand lotion bottle, or you can stick in a clear favor bag like I did, and staple the hands to the top.

On the hand, have your child write, “Mrs., You deserve a hand! Happy Valentine’s Day!” Isn’t that cute?  And incidentally I think teachers deserve a standing ovation every day, which is why I loved this one so much.

What do you guys do for Valentines for your kid’s teachers? Please share!