Sparkle Stories Blog
A home for Sparkle audio stories, crafts, recipes, and kind words!
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.
Ideas for Inspired Advent Celebrations
At the core, Advent is about creating a sense of peace and preparation, and spreading light into the darkness. Focus on a few simple preparations and anchors to help bring the celebration into your family’s days and weeks around holiday time.
Sparkle's Holiday Gift Cards Are HERE!
This holiday season is a great one to introduce a child in your life to stories. We have four lovely gift cards you can print out after purchasing a gift subscription.
Holiday Time at Sparkle! Collections & Stories for December Celebrations
It's time to cozy up under a blanket for some story time, as our holiday stories will bring on the festive feeling like nothing else. We have FIVE audio advent calendars and several wonderful holiday story collections for you to enjoy!
This Is No Norman Rockwell Holiday
Holidays can be hard. We humans are just so messy. There’s got to be a way to make this easier, right? Keep reading for advice on how best to practice self-care through the sometimes rough holiday season.
