Shipwrecked VBS Deals from Oriental Trading

Shipwrecked VBS Deals from Oriental Trading

This year's VBS theme is Shipwrecked {learn more about the theme here}.  The VBS kits are available now!  All of our VBS resources are designed to be used alongside any of the Group starter kits, although I HIGHLY recommend purchasing the ultimate version with digital. This post may contain affiliate links.  I earn a small percentage of anything you purchase through these links but you don’t pay anything extra.  Thanks for helping to support Borrowed Blessings!  The prices referenced here are current as of publishing, but retailers change pricing often. You can get…Read more …
Shipwrecked VBS Bible Buddies (Free Templates!)

Shipwrecked VBS Bible Buddies (Free Templates!)

Group sells Bible Buddies, but I would rather spend our money elsewhere, so I designed DIY Bible Buddies!  They're cost-effective and super easy to make. This year's VBS theme is Shipwrecked {learn more about the theme here}.  The VBS kits are available now.  All of our VBS resources are designed to be used alongside any of the Group starter kits, although I HIGHLY recommend purchasing the ultimate version with digital. This post may contain affiliate links.  I earn a small percentage of anything you purchase through these links but you don’t pay anything…Read more …
Paper Plate Cutout Gears – Maker Fun Factory

Paper Plate Cutout Gears – Maker Fun Factory

We made A LOT of gears this year... like, a lot.  I felt like Bubba Gump's million kinds of shrimp... we have gears cut out of tablecloths, gear posters, gear toys, gears that look metallic, gears that actually work... One of the types of gears we made were paper plate cutout gears.  These were one of the projects we used during our volunteer work day.  They're a great project to send home with someone, too! This post may contain affiliate links.  Thank you for helping support Borrowed Blessings! Supplies: Paper plates Scissors Permanent marker…Read more …
Blueprint Backdrops – Maker Fun Factory

Blueprint Backdrops – Maker Fun Factory

I am super excited to share this easy (and large) backdrop idea!  Using tarps and white tape, you can quickly make large-scale backdrops.  These would work well on stage or in other areas of your building.  I'm planning to use these on four walls in our foyer (entry) area. This post may contain affiliate links (I earn a small percentage of anything you purchase but you don’t pay anything extra).  Thanks for helping support Borrowed Blessings! Supplies: -Blue tarps (I used 6'x8') -Packing tape -Skinny white artist tape or off-white masking tape Instructions: 1.…Read more …
Giant Gear God Sightings – Maker Fun Factory VBS

Giant Gear God Sightings – Maker Fun Factory VBS

I am not super crazy about the God sighting lights on stage with this year's VBS curriculum, so I came up with a fast, easy and colorful alternative! This post may contain affiliate links (I earn a small percentage of anything you purchase but you don’t pay anything extra).  Thanks for helping support Borrowed Blessings! Supplies Giant Gear Decorations Adhesive Gear Labels Permanent Markers Instructions 1. Make several giant gear decorations (they're about $1 each and super easy to make). 2. Hang the giant gears in your God sighting area.  We're going to…Read more …
Wooden Cross Craft – Vacation Bible School Ideas

Wooden Cross Craft – Vacation Bible School Ideas

Our church typically uses the vacation bible school curriculum created by Group Publishing.  Every Group curriculum, regardless of theme, uses night 4 (Thursday night for us) to tell the story of Jesus' life and death (and offers kids the chance to accept Jesus).  I like doing a cross craft at Imagination Station for the Jesus story.  My goal is always to keep crafts under $1 per child per night, but if I'm going to splurge on a craft I want it to be a keepsake... so I will occasionally spend over $1 if…Read more …
Robot Craft (GUTSY Bear Alternative) – Maker Fun Factory VBS

Robot Craft (GUTSY Bear Alternative) – Maker Fun Factory VBS

The Maker Fun Factory curriculum is my favorite in YEARS.  I think the message speaks to the identity confusion that most (if not all) kids experience at some point or another.  The points shared through this curriculum are ones that we ALL will benefit from hearing and sharing!  I love that the Imagination Station activities reinforce the daily bible points, but I am a strong proponent of more old-school crafts rather than the gimmicky science gizmos that Group suggests using.  This robot craft is a much less expensive alternative to Group's GUTSY Bears, but…Read more …
DIY Xylophone – Maker Fun Factory VBS

DIY Xylophone – Maker Fun Factory VBS

Maker Fun Factory is one of my favorite VBS programs in a long time!  One of the things I love is that decorating for Maker Fun Factory is so interactive.  From life-size marble runs to homemade instruments, the possibilities are endless. This post may contain affiliate links.  I earn a small percentage of anything you purchase through these links but you don’t pay anything extra.  Thanks for helping to support Borrowed Blessings! After hunting Pinterest like it's my job, I had an idea list a mile long for interactive VBS decor.  One of…Read more …
Budget-Friendly VBS T-Shirts: Maker Fun Factory

Budget-Friendly VBS T-Shirts: Maker Fun Factory

We have used the Group iron-ons in the past to make VBS t-shirts, but haven't been very happy with the quality {You know how you can see the white square around the logo?  Yeah, we'd like to not have that.}.  We also like having the freedom to buy different colored shirts for each crew. This year, I decided to delve into custom t-shirts.  I've designed t-shirts for years for various organizations {everything from a band fundraising concert to church ministries to collegiate events}.  I created two t-shirt designs for Maker Fun Factory VBS.…Read more …
Cheap & Easy Robot Building Ideas – Maker Fun Factory VBS

Cheap & Easy Robot Building Ideas – Maker Fun Factory VBS

Since this year's VBS theme, Maker Fun Factory, focuses heavily on robots, we're all going to be professional robot builders by the end of the summer!  I've looked at more robot building ideas than I care to admit, so I thought I'd share some of my favorites.  Thankfully, robots are cheap and fairly easy to put together! This post may contain affiliate links.  I earn a small percentage of anything you purchase through these links but you don’t pay anything extra.  Thanks for helping to support Borrowed Blessings! To build a robot (or…Read more …
Name Tag Templates – Maker Fun Factory VBS

Name Tag Templates – Maker Fun Factory VBS

For the last few years, we've printed our own name tags and put them in ID sleeves attached to lanyards.  These are affordable and have lasted really well!  We've had to throw away a few lanyards, but most of them can be re-used multiple years. This post may contain affiliate links.  I earn a small percentage of anything you purchase through these links but you don’t pay anything extra.  Thanks for helping to support Borrowed Blessings!  The prices referenced here are current as of publishing, but retailers change pricing often. Materials Cardstock Paper…Read more …
How to Make Blueprints for Under $1 – Maker Fun Factory VBS

How to Make Blueprints for Under $1 – Maker Fun Factory VBS

Good afternoon!  I am so excited to share with y'all the cheapest, easiest blueprint-making-method ever!  Carrie A. (who is part of our Maker Fun Factory facebook group) made these phenomenal (and huge) blueprints for pennies.  They are large and will be a quick, easy way to decorate spaces (think hallways, stairwells, on stage, etc). This post may contain affiliate links.  I earn a small percentage of anything you purchase through these links but you don’t pay anything extra.  Thanks for helping to support Borrowed Blessings! Supplies Blue fadeless paper (you can use sky…Read more …
Money Saving VBS Supplies: Maker Fun Factory

Money Saving VBS Supplies: Maker Fun Factory

This post may contain affiliate links.  I earn a small percentage of anything you purchase through these links but you don’t pay anything extra.  Thanks for helping to support Borrowed Blessings! Group has VBS supplies you can order directly from them for everything from advertising to crafts.  However, I've been able to find similar items at half the price (or less) for most of the Group supplies... and if you know me at all, you know few things excite me as much as saving money!  {Can you tell yet that I'm an Amazon…Read more …
DIY Baby Shower Invitations

DIY Baby Shower Invitations

My mom and I are both pretty crafty, so when she offered to host our baby shower I knew we would be in for some fun projects!  One of the simplest projects we've done has been the baby shower invitations.  They were completely frugal and fit our theme perfectly.  I might have a slight obsession with elephants, hence the elephant theme for both the nursery and the baby shower. Supplies: -Card stock paper -Envelopes -Printer -Silhouette Cameo machine -Cricut cutting mat Instructions: Design invitations.  I used the Silhouette design software to make the…Read more …
How to Get Your FREE Amazon Baby Registry Welcome Box

How to Get Your FREE Amazon Baby Registry Welcome Box

As y'all may know, I'm a big fan of deals and free stuff.  This has merged with my obsession... er, love? of all things Amazon.  I've gotten some neat goodies since getting pregnant and one of my favorites has been the Amazon baby registry welcome box!  If you're pregnant and have an Amazon Prime membership, you're going to want to get in on this! Make an Amazon Baby Registry. Click here to start your baby registry.  You need to go through their "Jumpstart" tutorial and add at least one thing from each category…Read more …
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 …
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 …