FREE Holiday Prints for Christmas Movie Lovers (Elf, It's a Wonderful Life, The Polar Express, and The Santa Clause)

Last week, I shared a fun, FREE "Elf Movie" print, and so many people loved it that I decided to design a few more to share. I love that these are large pieces of artwork that you can print at a local copy store for about $1. Then, you can use dollar store frames... or frames you already have in your home. It doesn't get more budget-friendly than these FREE holiday prints for Christmas movie lovers!

Here's the one for "It's a Wonderful Life":

Here's the one for "Elf":

Here's one for "The Polar Express": 

And here's one for "The Santa Claus":

Aren't these great? I have all of my in dollar store frames, and my plan is to hang three on my wall, and change out the frames with new prints with the change of holidays / seasons.

To download your 11x14" prints FOR FREE: click on the photo you want (below), right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular photo.

What's your favourite Christmas movie? 

I just love budget-friendly holiday decor, don't you?

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the Christmas DIYs here.

Summer Checklist 2022 🌞 50 Fun Activites for Families

I love summer, and one of my favourite summer traditions is creating a summer checklist with my boys. We make a list of 50 fantastic summer activities, we print out a copy of the list, and we use it as a blueprint for summer fun! Today, I'm sharing my 2022 summer checklist... including a FREE copy you can print for your own family. Fun, right?!?

Here are the items we have on this year's list:

1) Celebrate Canada Day

2) Watch fireworks or play with sparklers

3) Have an outdoor picnic or BBQ

4) Swim in a pool, at a lake, or in the ocean

5) Buy a meal from a food truck or local restaurant

6) Paint a rock and leave it on a trail for someone to find

7) Read a book outside

8) Have a water fight or NERF gun battle

9) Have a movie night outside or go to a drive in

10) Play a boardgame outside

11) Eat donuts from a string (with no hands)

12) Have a “one on one” date with mom (kid’s choice… under $20 & less than 2 hours)

13) Have a “one on one” date with dad (kid’s choice… under $20 & less than 2 hours)

14) Make a craft (design a t-shirt, personalize a water bottle or have a "paint night")

15) Learn a new dance move

16) Get ice cream in PJs (drive throughs are OK)

17) Play catch, basketball, tennis and street hockey

18) Make a homemade ice cream cake or milkshakes

19) Go for a bike ride

20) Decorate a cake or bake cookies

21) Spend time at a cottage, beach or park

22) Do a science experiment

23) Sing around a campfire

24) Go geo-caching

25) Have a "kids pick the meals" day

26) Play chocolate bar BINGO (like regular BINGO, but with chocolate bar prizes)

27) Play golf or mini golf

28) Do a “trick shot” or learn a magic trick

29) Try a new food or a new recipe

30) Have a theme day ("spend our gift cards" day is a fun one)

31) Camp at a campground, in the backyard or in the living room

32) Spend an afternoon in PJs, eating snacks, and watching a movie

33) Build a large puzzle

34) Make a video and post it on YouTube or Tik Tok

35) Fly a kite

36) Have a dance party or sing karaoke

37) Go on a scavenger hunt

38) Organize a drawer, closet or room

39) Play with water balloons

40) Do a good deed or raise money for charity

41) Go on a road trip to another city or town

42) Go on a hike or a short walk in the rain

43) Roast marshmallows, make s'mores or cook a different campfire treat

44) Write and mail a letter or postcard

45) Visit at least 5 different ice cream stands

46) Go stargazing

47) Celebrate Owen and Jack's birthdays

48) Go to PEI

49) Go to Toronto

50) HAVE ICE CREAM FOR SUPPER! 

To download a copy of the list for your family: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8x10 photo

I also have a blank one you can print and add your own activities.

We put our summer checklist in a dollar store frame, and check off the items as we complete them.

Do you have a summer checklist / summer bucket list in your home? I hope our list inspires you to add a couple new things to your "to do" list this summer.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

2021 New Year's Eve Celebration with Kids... including 2022 FREE printable tags, activities, and photo props

When it comes to celebrating New Year's Eve, I love making the evening feel special and fun... without spending a lot of money. I always make use of dollar store finds, and simple items I can print myself. Below, I am sharing my favourite New Year's Eve family celebration ideas, and some FREE New Year's Eve printables you can use.

I always put together activity bags that my kids can open every hour as we count down to the new year. It's one of my favourite traditions, and it's a great way to keep the whole evening fun. 

Here are examples of what you can put in the bags:

5pm - Year in Review - Year in review questionnaires provide a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the past year and look forward to the year ahead. 

To download the questionnaire I designed: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8x10 photo.

***NOTE: Grab the 2022 version here.***

6pm - Candy Rings - 6pm bags could contain candy rings with punny tags that say, "Ring in the new year!" To download your own tags for free: click on the picture of the tags below, right click, save it to your computer, and print like a regular 4x6 photo.

7pm - Midnight Kisses - 7pm bags could contain hershey kisses with punny "midnight kisses" tags. To download your own tags for free: click on the picture of the tags below, right click, save it to your computer, and print like a regular 4x6 photo.

8pm - Popcorn and Karaoke - The 8pm bag could contain popcorn and in invite to sing some karaoke. Playing a board game or having a dance party would be fun too.

9pm - Cookies and Milk - The 9pm bag could contain "milk and cookies" toast to the new year. How cute are these wine glasses (rimmed with sprinkles) and filled with milk? Add your favourite homemade chocolate chip cookies, and you are good to go. Sparkling lemonade and store bought cookies would be good too!

10pm - Sparklers - The 10pm bag can be filled with sparklers with "Bringing some sparkle to 2021" tags. I designed the tags, cut some slits with an x-acto knife, and inserted sparklers. To download your own tags for free: click on the picture of the tags below, right click, save it to your computer, and print like a regular 4x6 photo.

11pm - Photo Booth with Horns and Hats - The 11pm bag could be filled with items needed to set up a photo booth. It can contain lots of horns and hats for welcoming the new year. 

To download the photo props I designed (for free): click on the picture you are interested in printing (below), right click, save it to your computer, and print like a regular 8x10 photo.

12am - Breakfast for Tomorrow Party Favours - Every party needs a favour, so the 12am bag could contain "Breakfast for tomorrow" party favours. I like using pop tarts, but small boxes of cereal work well too. To download your own tags for free: click on the picture of the tags below, right click, save it to your computer, and print like a regular 4x6 photo.

Check out how fun it is to fill a table with activity bags and party favours. There are no rules. Fill your bags with whatever you like!

How will you be celebrating New Year's this year? I hope you use some of my ideas and free printable tags and photo props.

Happy New Year!!!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

2021 New Year's Eve Questionnaire

***Update: Grab the 2022 version here.***

New Year's Eve is a time for reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the new one -- not just for adults, but for kids too. With this in mind, each year I put together a Year in Review Questionnaire for my boys to fill out on New Year's Eve. Here is the 2021 version.

It is a pretty simple questionnaire, and you can download the free printable by: right-clicking on the picture (above), saving it to your computer, and printing it like a regular 8X10 photo. I usually print mine at my local office supply store where colour copies are $0.49 each.

I love seeing what my boys come up with each year. Maybe someday I will make a book for each of my boys using all the questionnaires they have filled out over the years.

Happy New Year!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

2019 Year in Review... and FREE printable photo booth props

***Updated 2021 version here.***

New Year's Eve is a time for reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the new one -- not just for adults, but for kids too. With this in mind, each year I put together a Year in Review Questionnaire for my boys and their friends to fill out on New Year's Eve. We always include the questionnaires in our New Year's Eve countdown activity bags. Here is the 2019 version I designed (that you can download for free). 

To print the "2019 Year in Review": click on the 8 1/2 x 11" photo above, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it. (I sent mine to my local copy store and printed them, and they look fantastic!)

I also have some fun photo props you can print, cut out, and attach sticks to. To print the props below: click on the 8 1/2 x 11" photos below, right-click, save them to your computer, and print them.

I love seeing what my boys come up with each year. Maybe someday I will make a book for each of my boys using all the questionnaires they have filled out over the years.

Happy New Year, everybody!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Check out more New Year's Eve activities and ideas here.

FREE First Day of School Chalkboard Sign

I have had a couple of people ask if I have a chalkboard sign for the first day of school that they can download. I never used these with my boys, but I thought I would design one for my lovely readers, and you can download it for free below.

To download and print the sign: click on the photo above, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8x10 photo.

You can use a photo editing software to the add the info before you print it, or you can use a Sharpie to write directly onto the picture. Just make sure you let the marker dry completely to avoid "smearing".

You could also place the photo in a frame and use a dry erase maker to write on the glass. This would allow you to reuse the photo prop each year. Clever, right?

Happy first day of school! I hope you like this free first day of school chalkboard sign.

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

"WHEELIE" Cute CAR Valentine for Kids

My boys have always loved giving out Valentines to their friends on February 14th, but they don't like handing out anything that says "love" on it. They always want to share treats with their classmates, but because of allergies and their school's nutrition policy, we prefer to come up with fun and unique candy free Valentine options. This year I found adorable plastic cars at Walmart, and I turned them into even more adorable Valentines. Keep reading to download my "WHEELIE" cute class Valentine. 

I designed a card that says, "I'm WHEELIE happy to have a friend like you!". Then, I cut slits in the cards with an X-Acto knife, and I used pieces of red yarn to tie toy cars to the cards. Cute, right?

To print the glittery Valentines I designed: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

I love how they turned out. They really are a wonderful "non-candy" Valentine's Day treat option.

I made 30 for my 9 year old's classmates, and he is super-excited to pass them out to his friends.

Do you love sharing non-traditional Valentines on Valentine's Day? I hope you are inspired to get creative and hand out something a little different this year. Happy Valentine's Day!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

2018 Year in Review... free printable

***Updated 2021 version here.***

New Year's Eve is a time for reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the new one -- not just for adults, but for kids too. With this in mind, each year I put together a Year in Review Questionnaire for my boys and their friends to fill out on New Year's Eve. We always include the questionnaires in our New Year's Eve countdown activity bags. Here is our 2018 version (that you can download for free).

It is a pretty simple questionnaire, and you can download the free printable by: clicking on the photo above, right-clicking, saving it to your computer, and printing it like a regular 8X10 photo. I usually print mine at my local office supply store.

I love seeing what my boys come up with each year. Maybe someday I will make a book for each of my boys using all the questionnaires they have filled out over the years.
Happy New Year, everybody!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Check out more New Year's Eve activities and ideas here.

WARM WISHES Yarn Hat Ornaments... with free printable gift tags

My boys are getting older... and a little "mature" for the types crafts we did together when they were little. So, this year, I wanted to make a craft with my boys that was great for older kids. I've seen a bunch of versions of these yarn hats on Pinterest, and I have been wanting to make them for many years. They are the perfect Christmas craft for tweens and teens... and adults will love making them too. Today, I am sharing the step-by-step instructions for yarn hat ornaments, and some FREE printable gift tags that make them the perfect DIY gift for holiday giving.

To make these adorable yarn hat ornaments, you'll need: a ruler, yarn in your desired hat color, stuffing or cotton balls, old paper towel rolls and scissors.

To make the yarn hat ornaments:

1) Cut a paper towel roll into 1/2" strips.
2) Cut 10" strips of yarn... about 40-50... depending on the weight of the yarn.
3) Fold yarn in half, make a loop and insert it into the strip of cardboard tube.
4) Take the two ends of the yarn, and pull them through the loop. Pull tight.
5) Continue this process until the entire cardboard ring is covered.
6) Push the yarn through the ring to create a "hat brim".
7) Use a long piece of yarn (approx. 12") to tie the top of the hat.

8) Stuff some filling or cotton balls into the hat.

9) Trim the pom pom on the top of the hat.

10) Use the string you used to tie the top of the hat to create an "ornament hanger".

You can use one colour of yarn, or you can alternate colours. I love doing two pieces of one colour and then two pieces of another colour. You can also play with the width of the piece of paper towel roll, the weight of the yarn and the lengths of the pieces of yarn.

Aren't these yarn hat ornaments totally adorable? I can't wait to hang them on my tree.

And... these yarn hat ornaments make fun DIY Christmas gifts. Just add these adorable "warm wishes" tags. Click on the photo below, right-click, save it to your computer and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

Isn't this a sweet little homemade holiday gift?

Do you like making crafts with your older children? What have you made? Now that my boys are getting older, I can use all the ideas I can get. 😀

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (You can find MORE ideas for easy and inexpensive Christmas family fun here.)