Places to Buy Frugal VBS Supplies

Places to Buy Frugal VBS Supplies

We are very budget conscious and are always trying to be mindful of responsible spending when preparing for bible school… but we also want to give our kids the most memorable experience possible. Over the years, I’ve found lots of businesses to purchase frugal VBS supplies. This post contains affiliate links, where I may earn a small percentage of any purchase you make.  My recommendations are not based on this at all! Oriental Trading Of course, we all know and love the ever-faithful Oriental Trading Company.  Oriental Trading has really stepped up their…Read more …
Pregnancy Journal Update: 5 Weeks

Pregnancy Journal Update: 5 Weeks

Date: 3/28/16 *1st trimester* 5 weeks, 5 days Weight: 119 lbs. I've made it 5 weeks!  Most days, my energy level is somewhere between “normal” {pre-pregnancy/I have energy} and zombie {I’m falling asleep sitting up}. I’m having more crampy feeling… my buddy Google has informed me that this is from the stretching that’s going on inside me…. Lovely. I’ve had really bad headaches two different days this week, so that’s a bummer. I’m trying to figure out if there’s something I can eliminate from my diet to avoid more of these headaches. SYMPTOMS:…Read more …
Pregnancy Update Journal: 4 Weeks

Pregnancy Update Journal: 4 Weeks

Date: 3/21/16 *1st trimester* 4 weeks, 5 days Weight: 118 lbs. This was written just after we found out we’re pregnant… but we saved it to post online after we told close friends & family. This is our first weekly pregnancy journal! {Fair warning: there’s probably going to be TMI in just about every one of these. Like, 5 seconds ago when I told you my weight.  I guess my warning was a tad late there.} I’ll share my current feelings with you each week and answer the same list of questions. My…Read more …
I am {finally} PREGNANT!

I am {finally} PREGNANT!

We are pregnant {or I am pregnant... I never really know what to say}! This was written just after we found out we’re pregnant… but we saved it to post online after we told close friends & family. Last fall, I shared that I had some BIG NEWS with y’all and many of you said you thought we were pregnant before you read the article. {Spoiler alert: We weren’t. We bought a house.} We actually, really, for-real are now pregnant and are so excited to share the exciting news with you all! No,…Read more …
All the Pregnancy Updates

All the Pregnancy Updates

We are so excited to finally share our pregnancy with you {except the fatigue - I don't want to share that!}.  I wanted to create one page with all of our pregnancy updates so that you can easily read all about our precious baby!  Our baby is due around Thanksgiving 2016 {depending on which calculator is used, it's either the day before Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving day}.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and we have SO MUCH more to be thankful for this year!  We were married and trying to conceive for about a…Read more …
Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Lightning Bug Catching Jar

Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Lightning Bug Catching Jar

Welcome back to another of my Frugal Cave Quest VBS Craft Ideas!  Make sure to check out the other ideas here.  I'm from Indiana, so we LOVE catching lightning bugs!  Growing up, we would use a baby food jar and dad would stab some holes in the lid with a knife so we had a lightning bug catching jar.  I wanted to use that idea for a VBS craft, so we're going to make it slightly safer by removing the "stab some holes with a knife" step and instead let our kiddos use…Read more …
Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Tic Tac Toe Game

Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Tic Tac Toe Game

Welcome back to another of my Frugal Cave Quest VBS Craft Ideas!  Make sure to check out the other ideas here.  This craft was inspired by BalancingHome.com.  You can see the original tutorial here.  I love her burlap bag and tic tac toe idea, but she just has x and o on her rocks {you know, like a normal game of tic tac toe}... I thought it'd be more fun to spice it up and paint fun designs on the rocks {you obviously still need to have only 2 different patterns so the…Read more …
Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Custom Tote Bags

Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Custom Tote Bags

Welcome back to another of my Frugal Cave Quest VBS Craft Ideas!  Make sure to check out the other ideas here.  Before purchasing any of the craft supplies for VBS, I like to check the supply closet and see what we have.  Sometimes we have lots of glue, while other times we may only have a few bottles.  This helps me gauge how much I need to purchase.  We also have some SUPER SWEET and crafty ladies who will sometimes purchase Kids Ministry/VBS supplies for us. When I went to check out our…Read more …
DIY Stained Glass Cross Craft

DIY Stained Glass Cross Craft

Welcome back to another of my frugal VBS craft ideas!  Make sure to check out the other ideas here.  The super official name of this is the stained glass art thingy.  I found a photo for inspiration on Pinterest, but it was a discontinued item at Concordia.  This craft would be fun and easy with any VBS, so I've come up with instructions. This post may contain affiliate links.  Thank you for helping to support Borrowed Blessings! Supplies: -Black construction paper circles -Silver permanent markers -Contact paper -Tissue paper squares -Hole punch -Ribbon…Read more …
Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Glow Bracelets

Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Glow Bracelets

This is a sponsored post and may contain affiliate links.  All opinions shared are completely my own. Welcome back to another of my Frugal Cave Quest VBS Craft Ideas!  Make sure to check out the other ideas here.  All great spelunkers need to be able to see while inside the cave!  These glow bracelets are easy and cheap to make {pennies per child}.   This craft is one that could be a great filler if you have extra time in between activities!   These were inspired by Not Consumed. Supplies: Glow in the dark bracelets {only…Read more …
Cave Quest VBS – Frugal Craft Ideas

Cave Quest VBS – Frugal Craft Ideas

  In the past few years, Group Publishing has transitioned from crafts over to “science-y gizmos”.  According to a blurb in this year’s curriculum, it was a move to cut down on the little junk that kids took home and eventually trashed.  My issues with this are that (a) their science-y gizmos are just junk that kids take home and trash…. and (b) we like crafts, doggonit!  The suggestions from group are pricey and not impressive {in my opinion}.  I recently shared the things I love & don’t love about Group’s curriculum and…Read more …
Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Spelunker Helmet

Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Spelunker Helmet

Welcome back to another of my Frugal Cave Quest VBS Craft Ideas! Make sure to check out the other ideas. All great spelunkers need their caving gear! This cute helmet is super easy and VERY cheap to make {pennies per child}. Supplies: Blank helmets Black construction paper Aluminum foil Round jar lids Scissors Glue and/or double stick tape Permanent markers Foam stickers, regular stickers, feathers, sequins, other crafty items for embellishments {optional} Okay, so the beauty of this craft lies in the fact that I found these helmets for $.60 per dozen {yes,…Read more …
Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Bible Verse Activity Sheets

Cave Quest VBS Frugal Crafts: Bible Verse Activity Sheets

I’m not really sure whether these should be called bible verse activity sheets or coloring sheets or puzzles… they can be anything you want them to be! I designed activity sheets with each night’s bible verse on it. There are 4 options for each night – coloring book font 9 piece puzzle, bold font 9 piece puzzle, coloring book font 20 piece puzzle and bold font 20 piece puzzle. The blank puzzle templates were from here and the daily bible buddies from Group are featured in the background of each day’s activity sheet.…Read more …