Sparkle Stories Blog
A home for Sparkle audio stories, crafts, recipes, and kind words!
Storybox: Best Playlist for Embracing the New Year
Our New Year seven-story collection supports positive thinking, using your imagination, and seeing the year ahead as an adventure.
Sparkle Craft: DIY Wooden Buildings
Perhaps you’d like to build a town, like Martin and Sylvia in "Our Own Town." Why not start with some handmade wooden buildings?
9 Last-Minute Gifts You Can Make at Home
If you're in need of a last-minute gift, these nine homemade presents are fun to make and guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone who receives them.
Storybox Playlist: Inspire Creativity
It’s time to create! Let these five stories help get your kids psyched about organizing, exploring, and finding activities that spark their imaginations.
Celebrate Jólabókaflóðið with Modern Mrs. Darcy — plus Martin & Sylvia!
When Martin & Sylvia learn about an Icelandic Christmas tradition that involves books and chocolate, their creativity kicks in. We’ve teamed up with a special guest to bring you more about Jólabókaflóðið and how you may incorporate it into your own holiday festivities.
Celebrating Winter Solstice
Winter solstice is a pretty big deal at Sparkle Stories and we want to share a few of our favorite ways to celebrate it.
Unhook Your Holidays
What can you do to make the holidays feel special for others AND guilt-free for you?
Nature School Project: Mushroom Spore Printing
Enjoy this easy tutorial for a fun mushroom art project! Mushroom spore printing is often done to differentiate between similar-looking species, but can be a very fun and simple nature study to do.
Sparkle Craft: Snowman Mug Buddies
Is there snow where you are? Whether or not you are surrounded by wintry white, these mug buddies are a festive way to celebrate the winter season.
Create Your Very Own Scrap Basket Softies
With a few fabric scraps and a little time at the sewing machine, you can make a whole stuffed menagerie!
Sparkle Kitchen: Blueberry Buccellati
Buccellati are a traditional Christmas cookie from Sicily. A made-from-scratch cousin of Fig Newtons, these cookies are filled with a paste of figs, nuts, and spices, then cut into interesting shapes to expose their jewel-like filling.
Sparkle Craft: Milk and Oatmeal Soap
As far back as Cleopatra in Egypt, people have enjoyed the skin soothing properties of milk. In the recipes below — a milk bath powder and a milk soap — milk is combined with oatmeal for an extra punch of moisturizing goodness.
Sparkle Crafts: Festive Holiday Crafts Round Up
One of my favorite parts of the winter holiday season is making decorations.
Sparkle Kitchen: 4 Get Cozy Winter Recipes
I love all things Scandinavian and that includes the idea of hygge — the art of being cozy. This week I wanted inspire you all to get cozy as we get ready for the Winter Solstice and Christmas.
10 Things to Remember for a Less Stressful Holiday Season
This time of year can easily leave us feeling overextended and overstressed. But remember this: the holidays are for you, too! We've partnered with our friends Maren & Angela of Homeschool Unrefined to offer some practical tips and resources to help you and your family stay grounded. Read on for their suggestions!
Gratitude Momma Lectures
Need some quick, easy ways to help you access gratitude? Here are five great hacks to help you see the beauty in your every day.
Project: The Junkyard Tales Audio Advent Coloring Book!
We've created twenty-five fun printables for each day of the Junkyard Tales Audio Advent calendar!
Storybox Playlist: Thanksgiving Travel Part 2
Offering 5+ hours of adventure stories of family fun, this Thanksgiving playlist will make your next car ride fun for any 3-6-year-old.
A New Thanksgiving Table Setting Tradition
This simple Thanksgiving Day place card craft is fun for kids to make and guests to experience.
Storybox Playlist: Thanksgiving Travels
This year's Sparkle Stories Thanksgiving Travel Playlist is perfect for 3-6-year-olds and guaranteed to keep them entertained for both those long car rides and short trips.
