Looking for a fun party idea that would work for any celebration? You have to see this cute Gumball Party by Kara’s Party Ideas!

The gumball machine in the center of the dessert table is a cake! How awesome is that?

I also love love love these gumball machines that Kara made out of terracotta flower pots! Yes, look closely and you’ll see the red bottom is an upside down pot with a glass container on top. Super cute.

Visit Kara’s Party Ideas for all of the details:

• Gumball Party Ideas
• How to make your own gumball machines.

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Okay, so this is why I love Pinterest so much. I find things like these owls made out of toilet paper rolls! Can you believe it?

This fun idea came from Decoideas a blog based out of Spain. My kids are going to think I’m so weird when I start doodling on toilet paper rolls! ha.

Come follow me on Pinterest and see what other cool ideas I’ve found.

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Also, be sure to check out Printables by Amy! Find easy and affordable digital files to download and print at home or at your local quick print shop. Each product is custom designed by Amy, a professional graphic designer. Amy makes do-it-yourself projects a breeze!

If you have a small child or grandchild, take time to do something CUTE with photos. Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to take out that camera and get creative.

I know I wish I had done more of that when my son was little, because now there is NO WAY I can get him to do my cute poses anymore or wear something adorable. Boo!

For example, you could set up a silly kissing booth as a photo booth. Of course moms are doing all of the kissing right??

Nancy from A to Zebra Celebrations came up with this fun idea for a photo booth for a Valentine’s Day Party. We’ll show you the all of the amazing party details on Monday, but here is a sneak peek at the photo booth.

Photos © 2012 by Beba Photography.

Really, just wearing some lipstick and kissing your child’s cheek makes an adorable photo! That’s if they’ll let you do it:-)

We rounded up some awesome photo ideas for kids on I Heart Faces. 

Here is a fun idea from our round-up. Craftomaniac incorporated Snickers into her valentines. How cute are these!

Be sure to check out all of the fun ideas for great Valentine’s Day photos on I Heart Faces.

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Also, be sure to check out Printables by Amy! Find easy and affordable digital files to download and print at home or at your local quick print shop. Each product is custom designed by Amy, a professional graphic designer. Amy makes do-it-yourself projects a breeze!

Do you have an extra closet, room or space under your stairs? You might be inspired to turn them into a hiding place with these fantastic secret rooms for kids!

My friend, Andrea Riley and her husband, created not just one secret play room, but four for their kids!  I think they get the parents of the year award.

You have to see all four of the hidden rooms! Andrea’s daughter’s pink room (featured above) is the coolest! You’d never know there was a room behind the wall at all. So much so that her babysitter couldn’t find the kids when they forgot to fill her in on the secret rooms! ha!

Maybe you don’t want to cut holes in your walls for a hidden room? How about cutting through an armoire, CS Lewis style!

Apartment Therapy featured this great idea by Maple Seed Renovation.

What a fun teen room! This family created a secret study room for their daughter. Image via nytimes.com

I say forget the kids… I want a secret room now! How about you?

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Valentine’s Day is a fun time to express your love and appreciation for others. I don’t go crazy with decorations around my house, but I do enjoy making my kid’s rooms a little festive for each holiday.

This year for my daughter’s room on Valentine’s Day, I got crafty and  wrote a simple message on a chalkboard with a heart garland made from my stash of paper straws.

This craft took me about 10 minutes to make and has made my daughter happy each day since putting it in her room! It was so easy that I’ll be making a longer garland for our mantel.

How to make Heart Paper Straw Garland

What you need:

• Paper Straws (2 for a small heart, 3 for a large heart)
• Twine/String
• Ribbon
• Glue or Glue dots (optional)

Bend the paper straw until it curves easily for you to shape like a heart. I didn’t use glue at all, just squeezed and pushed one end of a straw into another one. I did use a glue dot in the point at the top of the large hearts to keep their shape.

Tie a string to hold them together or use a glue gun.

I found some red tulle for the end of my garland and used glue dots to stick it to my daughter’s chalk board.

Just think of all of the cute things you could do with paper straw hearts?

Dangle them from a wreath, use on gifts, make a centerpiece, decorate your classroom… all kinds of crafty things!

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Also, be sure to check out Printables by Amy! Find easy and affordable digital files to download and print at home or at your local quick print shop. Each product is custom designed by Amy, a professional graphic designer. Amy makes do-it-yourself projects a breeze!