Start Here: My Favorite Posts to Explore, Create, and Simplify
👋 Welcome!
Hi, I’m Kyra... and I’m so glad you’re here.
This blog has evolved over the years. What started as a place to share sewing tutorials, sensory play ideas, and kitchen experiments has gradually grown into something a little more structured: a home for creative tools, calming systems, and tech that actually helps.
If you’re here for parenting ideas, tech tutorials, cozy projects, or just a bit of inspiration you’re in the right place!
To make it easier, I’ve gathered some of my favorite posts (and reader favorites) so you can jump in wherever feels right.
🧵 Sewing, Costumes & Crafting Fun
Sewing started as a creative escape when my kids were small and quickly turned into a way to personalize gifts, costumes, and clothing. Whether you’re just getting started or diving deep into technique these posts highlight some of my favorite projects.
I started with simple things, jumped into a peekaboo quilt, and explored techniques using the justification of quiet books for the kids.
Peek-a-Boo Television Characters Quilt - Part One of Two
I used a peek-a-boo quilt pattern I found in a library book to create a characters quilt. Love that it contains Doctor Who for me and shows that the kids will discover as they grow older.
Kyra
Since then I grew in skill using the community found in the 52 week sewing challenge, a pattern brand ambassador program, and the want to increase the life of my favorite items like these!
Learn How I Created a Captain Marvel-Inspired Emblem for a Skirt
A while ago I converted my daughter’s grown out peppermint swirl dress into a fun twirly skirt. During the process I needed to cover up a slit at the top of the skirt and was inspired by Captain Marvel’s logo.
Kyra
A Cozy Repair: Mending My Soul Seat with Wool Roving
After years of daily use my wool-upholstered Soul Seat started showing wear. Rather than replacing it or hiding it with a slipcover I instead found a simple and creative way to repair it using wool roving and needle felting. Here’s how it went... and what I learned along the way!
Kyra
Fix Your Holey Flats and Make Them Beautiful With Embroidery Floss!
A couple months ago I looked down at my favorite flats and realized they had small holes. Since then I couldn’t not see the holes and knew I needed to do something. One thing led to another and I now present my embroidery floss patched flats!
Kyra
These posts include some of my favorite projects from play materials and swirly dresses to Halloween costumes and handmade gifts. Many posts have tips, photos, and linked patterns I’ve loved using along the way.
Bubblegum Dresses and My First Attempt at Color Blocking
Are you looking for a simple wrap dress pattern? I love the bubblegum dress from Candy Castle Patterns. I color blocked one of the dresses to feature a road for fun playing.
Kyra
Even More Peppermint Swirl Dresses
Are you looking to sew an easy pattern? Are you looking for a dress that wows? Whether you want to make a skirt or a dress this Peppermint Swirl pattern from Candy Castle patterns blows you away with the gorgeousness and twirliness. Have fun sewing it up.
Kyra
🍭 The Candy Castle patterns, linked in the posts above, include affiliate links that are still active... if you purchase through them thank you for supporting my site!
My Go-To DIY Nightgown After 18+ Makes... and How You Can Make It Too!
I’ve wanted to update our favorite nightgown dress pattern for awhile now and the time is now! To make it I combined an elasticized woven top pattern with a six paneled skirt so if you already have similar patterns you can jump right in!
Kyra
Check Out Zoey’s Epic “Princess Skateboarder” Halloween Costume
This year for Halloween Zoey chose to be Princess Skateboarder to save the town! As she’s loved the video of Princess Skateboarder for several years I knew I needed to make it happen. Here’s the last post showing the entire costume with links to how each part was made.
Kyra
Our Amazing Halloween Costumes: Zoey’s Black Cat
Last year when I asked the kids what they wanted to be for Halloween Zoey thought about it for a second and then immediately told me a black cat. I’m so glad she did as I absolutely adored how her costume turned out! Check it out here.
Kyra
Our Amazing Halloween Costumes: Ada’s Carmen Sandiego
Last year Ada knew early on that she wanted to be Carmen Sandiego for Halloween and she didn’t waver so when I decided to tackle costumes I knew that I needed to make it happen. Here’s what I did to turn her into Carmen!
Kyra
Kids’ Play Kitchen
Do you have a small table you’re looking to upcycle? Are you wishing you had a kitchen set for your kids? Why not make your own? Here’s what I did to make my kids their play kitchen.
Kyra
Outfits For LEGOLAND®
Are you heading to LEGOLAND® anytime soon? Do you sew? We recently went on a trip and I wanted my kids to wear something special for their first visit. These are the sewing patterns I made.
Kyra
Halloween Costume - Chuggington Onesie
Are you looking for a matching costume for your baby? Why not grab a onesie and fabric markers to create your own costume. Simple and comfortable!
Kyra
Custom Pop Snap Bead Unicorn Pendants
Does your child love pop snap beads? Do they love something that’s hard to find in jewelry? Why not make your own custom pop snap beads using fabric markers, fabric, and a glue gun? Easily customizable to whatever your child loves right now.
Kyra
An Upgrade on My Girls’ Home Sewn Swimsuits
I sewed up some new swimming suits for my girls this summer and in doing so tried out a new way to attach the neckband.
Kyra
Felt Farfalle (Bow-Tie) Pasta and Diced Tomatoes
Does your child have a kitchen set where they love to make pretend food? Why not make them bow-tie pasta and ‘canned tomatoes’ so they can make their favorite meal whenever they want.
Kyra
🏠 Parenting & Play Systems
When life with little ones got overwhelming I leaned into sensory play and simple systems. These ideas helped us stay sane, sparked joy, and often repurposed what we already had on hand. From oobleck to DIY play kitchens I hope these posts spark something fun for your family too.
Oobleck
Oobleck is a non-newtonian fluid made with cornstarch and water that is super cool... and can potentially be simpler to clean up compared to other things as you just need to dilute it and wipe it up... or garbage anything solid-like.
Oobleck - A Simple Two Ingredient Sensory Material
Oobleck... a simple material that is so confounding. Is it a liquid, a solid, or both? It’s a non-Newtonian fluid that everyone needs to check out at least once.
Kyra
Expand the oobleck by:
- Freezing it!
- Adding colors (and frozen)
- Or, if hot out, further the play with drying it out and rehydrating.
Playdough
Our favorite playdouhg recipe uses boiling water. I often had the kids mix the dry then I took over once we added the water. Plus you can easily dilute the dye by adding it to the water before mixing it up. Here's our favorite recipe:
Make Your Own Playdough
My absolute favorite play dough recipe!
Kyra
Again expand the playdough fun with:
- Different colors (including using paints) or flavor extracts for scents
- Don't dye it and color it with markers
- Add toys (like dinosaurs) for an activity bin
- Have problems? Troubleshoot it here!
- Or here's some more ideas:
Simple Ways to Easily Change up Your Playdough Time
Are you looking to change up your playdough fun? Here are ways we’ve changed or added to our play.
Kyra
And More!
From live animal cams to sittervising-friendly activities here are some simple ideas to keep the kids engaged.
Quick and Simple Sensory Stations You May Already Have
Here are some simple and quick sensory stations you may already have laying around that you can pull together quickly.
Kyra
Streaming Animal Cameras
Is your child interested in learning about animals? I’ve found a bunch of free resources you can stream online to watch penguins, stingrays, jellyfish, the ocean, sea otters, sharks, and more.
Kyra
Simple Water Play
Are you looking for easy ways to entertain your kids? Why not use simple water? My girls love playing with water sensory bins as they grew. And you can keep it novel by changing out the toys, adding bubbles, or dying the water. For such a crazy time water play is a simple solution.
Kyra
Ideas For When It’s Hot Outside
Are you worried about what you can do with your kids when it gets hot out? Are you looking for cool snacks and drinks? Are you currently experiencing a heat wave? Why not check out my ideas for when it gets hot outside?
Kyra
Easily Dye Pantry Staples for Fun and Simple Sensory Materials
Are you looking for a fun sensory material for your kids to play with? If you have extra pasta, rice, or beans you could dye them. Here’s how my experiment went.
Kyra
My Quick and Simple Towel Technique for Kitchen Sink Sensory Play
Does your child love playing in the sink and you hate the mess? Does water always seem to pool within your under-sink cupboard? Why not add a simple towel? Here’s how I’ve gained peace of mind with sink play.
Kyra
Incredibly Simple Play Bandages with Masking Tape
Are you looking for something to keep your child(ren) entertained? Do you have masking tape on hand? Why not have them decorate strips of it and turn it into pretend play bandages. Maybe their toys are sick and need to be fixed? So many options!
Kyra
Slime Station at Our Birthday Party
For Zoey’s 8th birthday party last year she wanted to do slime and we made it happen! Here’s how!
Kyra
Anything posted pre 2020 are gathered up in this post:
Ideas For When You’re Home With Kids
An umbrella post containing all the fun kid activities listed on my blog up to March 2020. I’ve also included some external resources available over March and April and maybe beyond.
Kyra
Homemade Cards
Want some simple-ish toddler card ideas... here's three!
Simple Toddler Started Christmas Tree Cards
Does your child enjoy stamps or do they smear instead of lift? Did you attempt to make Christmas cards and aren’t sure how to continue? Why not turn your child’s smears into something more deliberate by turning their art into a Christmas tree?
Kyra
Toddler Scribble Cards
Is your child in a scribble phase? Are you looking at getting them involved making cards? Why not use tape to create a defined white space in their scribbles?
Kyra
Shaving Cream Marbling
Are you looking at making a unique birthday card? Looking to get your kids involved with making Christmas cards? Want to do an art activity that makes super cool paper? Why not use shaving cream and watercolors to marble paper?
Kyra
Playtime
It's always awesome to add a little bit more wonder, creativity, and calm to everyday life!
Cardboard Kitchen From an Old End Table
Do you have a nightstand or small table you aren’t using? Why not convert it to a kitchen set for your child?
Kyra
Create a Simple Cardboard Changing Pad for Dolly
Does your child love dolls? Do they love crafts? Are you looking for another doll accessory? Why not make a simple dolly changing pad? This can be as simple as a plain piece of cardboard or it can be thoroughly decorated. Here’s what we made!
Kyra
Create Cardboard Shelving For Your Kitchen Set
Create a quick and custom shelving using cardboard boxes for your kids play area. This shelf was the perfect extension to our kitchen set that lasted for quite awhile.
Kyra
Easy Cardboard Kitchen Set
Are you debating getting your child a kitchen set but don’t know if they’ll enjoy it? Do you have an extra box laying around? Why not make a temporary kitchen set and see how they like it. Full directions here!
Kyra
Randomness
Check out all the craftiness posts here! That said here's some fixes, adorable surprises, and more activities!
Our Simple and Adorable Kitchen Snowperson
Last Christmas I decorated our fridge for the holiday season and absolutely adored it! The snow person part ended up staying until late Spring and made me smile so many times.
Kyra
Quick and Easy Christmas Tree Ornaments
Are you looking for more Christmas tree ornaments? Do you want to get your kids involved? Why not use plastic ornaments and fill them with simple objects like pompoms and pipe cleaners. So easy and the kids will have a blast!
Kyra
Simple Quick Dresser Drawer Fix
Is the bottom falling out in your dresser drawer? Are you wondering how to fix it? Debating what you may have to run out to buy? Do you have a glue gun? Why not fix you dresser drawer the easy way with hot glue? So simple and holds up well.
Kyra
Protecting Your Outside Artwork From The Weather
Do you have painted art hanging outside? Are you debating how to protect it? Why not use mod podge. This is what I did to protect the kids hand and footprints hanging outside my home.
Kyra
Dinosaur Themed Crazy Hair Day
Are you looking for ideas for a crazy hair day? Did your child ask you to put their beloved toy on their head? Are you looking for props to make the hairstyle different? Why not try something like this? Click to find out how I did it!
Kyra
Dressing “Ginger” For Valentine’s Day
With “Ginger” created it was time to replace her Christmas outfit with something a bit more seasonally appropriate. And so this outfit was made! Come check out how I made it here.
Kyra
Location Based Play
And side note but if you want some fun playgrounds and find yourself in the Bay Area:
Our Favorite Bay Area Playgrounds... and How We Found Them
After moving away from the Bay Area I realized just how much I missed all of the playgrounds we left behind and I realized I should share them with you whether you’re passing through the area or here to stay.
Kyra
🍽 Easy Meals and Fun Desserts
I’m not a food blogger, but I love documenting the real-life meals that work for us... especially the ones that feel special with almost no extra effort. This section includes go-to dinners, leftover hacks, seasonal breakfasts, and a few sweet treats (plus a couple cookbook reviews for fun).
The Simplest
Pasta, Tomato, and Cheese
My childhood favorite meal is now my kids. Pasta, canned tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. You can keep it simple or add some extras.
Kyra
Eggy (Ramen and Egg Chicken) Soup - Kids’ Top Five Meal and Gluten Free
Grab some rice noodles the next time you see them in the store and make a healthy egg and cheese ramen soup. So quick and delicious!
Kyra
My Simple Pressure Cooker Sausage and Pasta Meal
Check out my quick and easy pressure cooker pasta dish. So simple to make and my kids LOVE it!
Kyra
Easy Baked Chicken with La Terra Fina Dip
Create an easy to make chicken dish with La Terra Fina dip. So yummy and a great way to use excess dip.
Kyra
Customizable
Simple Lasagna-ish From Leftovers
Do you want to combine supper with lasagna making? With cooking a bit more pasta and meat sauce and a bit more effort with the leftovers you get an awesome supper and a lasagna for later. Win win!
Kyra
Tacos! Three Simple Meals in One
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Want something that works for you and everyone else in you family? Why not make tacos.... something for everyone and I include what you could make with the leftovers that has me making extra each time. Check it out.
Kyra
Perfect Leftovers
How I Changed up My Sheet Pan Pancakes to Make Them More Exciting
Have you ever tried making pancakes in the oven? It’s life-changing! Especially as it doesn’t set off the smoke detector like when I make pancakes on the stove. Whether you’ve already made oven pancakes or not I figured I’d share how I change up my go to recipe to keep it exciting for my girls!
Kyra
Themed Meals
Easy Saint Patrick’s Day Themed Shamrock Sheet Pan Pancakes
Are you debating what you can do to celebrate the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day? Why not make simple shamrock shaped pancakes?
Kyra
Quick and Easy Valentine’s Day Themed Breakfast Idea
If you’re looking for a quick and simple Valentine’s themed breakfast I have you covered. All you need are frozen waffles, cream cheese, red food dye, and sprinkles.
Kyra
Use Sprinkles to Create a Fun Easter Themed Breakfast... And Some Other Ideas
Last year the girls wanted a themed Easter breakfast and I delivered quickly with themed sprinkles! So last minute and the kids were thrilled. Check it out here!
Kyra
And Others
Have yogurt... now what? What I Make with Yogurt
Do you have plain yogurt sitting in your fridge and no idea how you should use it? Are you planning on getting into making your own yogurt? Here are some yummy ways I’ve used plain yogurt.
Kyra
Leftover Mashed Potato Casserole - Tastes Like Perogies!
Are you craving perogies and can’t find them anywhere? Are you putting off figuring out how to make your own? Why not use some leftover mashed potatoes and satisfy that perogy feeling with a casserole. So delicious!
Kyra
My Favorite Pizza Crust... Including My Go To Tomato Sauce and Dessert Pizza
Create your own pizza including the dough! It’s so easy. I’ve included the pizza dough, tomato sauce, and possible toppings... including a dessert pizza.
Kyra
Desserts
Desserts are always a hit in our house. Here are my favorites to get you going.
How I Made a Simple Grocery Store Cheesecake Look Supreme
This year for Ada’s birthday I bought a simple grocery store cheesecake and made it amazing by customizing each piece with homemade chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, and brownie bits.
Kyra
Check Out Some Really Delicious Canadian Desserts Just In Time For Christmas
Back in October I decided to make some Canadian treats we hadn’t had in quite a while. They turned out amazing and I realized I should share the recipe links with you just in case you’re looking for something special to make too.
Kyra
Our Simply Delicious Brownie Angel Food Cupcakes
This year we chose to combine the girls’ birthday party together which led to this extremely simple and novel brownie and angel food cupcake combo. Come check it out!
Kyra
Cookbook Reviews
If you want to expand beyond I've also reviewed three cookbooks based on how me, my husband, our daughters enjoyed it.
“The Secret Ingredient Cookbook” Review
Are you looking at changing up your meals? I tried this new cookbook that just came out and enjoyed so many of the recipes. Check out what I made and see if you like it too!
Kyra
‘Healthy One Pan Dinners’ Cookbook Review
Are you looking at changing up your meals? I tried this new cookbook and enjoyed all fourteen of the recipes I tried in it. Check out what I made and see if you like it too!
Kyra
“The No-Fuss Family Cookbook” Review
Are you looking to change up your meals? I tried this new cookbook that recently came out and enjoyed so many of the recipes. Check out what I made and see if you like it too!
Kyra
🧘♀️ Movement, Wellness & Real-Life Rhythms
Between online workouts and playful movement goals, I’ve been rediscovering what helps me feel grounded and strong. These posts include free workout finds, my favorite online Pilates classes (including a referral discount below), and reflections on routines that actually work for real life.
Free At Home Workouts To De-Stress
Are you looking for a way to let off steam but you’re stuck inside? Are you feeling antsy. Why not look into one of these free online workouts?
Kyra
💡 Lindywell Referral: I’m a proud member of Lindywell, a beautiful online Pilates platform that centers breath and strength. If you decide to try it, we both get a discount! No pressure... just something I genuinely love and recommend.
Pilates: My Favorite Thing!
I’ve been wanting to update my Pilates’ post and figured now was the time! Here I share an awesome online membership (with referral code) that you can attend from anywhere anytime!
Kyra
Aya Pilates: Classes, Community & More
New to Aya Pilates in Sammamish? I took 350+ classes in a year—here’s what to expect, from class types to tips. They’re opening in Seattle too!
Kyra
I've also gathered some of the bigger hikes I've gone on here if you want a fun virtual scenic trip. Cascade Pass looked the most colorful!
Cascade Pass Trail in the North Cascades National Park
A photo collage of my hike back in September on the Cascade Pass Trail within the North Cascades National Park. Click here to check it out!
Kyra
💻 Tutorials, Tech & App Building
As my creative energy shifted from sewing to software, I began building Apple-first apps to simplify everyday life. These posts offer a peek behind the curtain—whether you’re customizing your reMarkable tablet, coding in Swift, or just curious about how my apps come together.
reMarkable
You can find all the reMarkable related posts here but the main ones are:
Frequently Asked Questions I’ve Seen Around About the reMarkable
Over the last year or I’ve seen several reMarkable template related questions popup on Facebook user groups and each time I debate creating a post that answers all those questions. I finally decided to just make it and here’s the result!
Kyra
Watch How I Upload Custom Templates to My reMarkable
I’ve had some question about my template process so I recently spent some time creating a video walkthrough, thus combining my blog posts together, to show you how I upload my custom templates. Here’s the embedded YouTube video and its transcript. Hope it helps!
Kyra
Learn How to Access Your reMarkable Paper Pro Through the Command Line
With the new reMarkable Paper Pro out I realized I needed to update my How To Connect post... here it is!
Kyra
Swift
Many of the coding examples are based in Swift with my favorites being:
Create a Super Simple Shared SwiftUI Alert System
Do you want a simple shared alert system in your SwiftUI app that works in both iOS and macOS from, mostly, one location? No more moving it up and down a view spot seeing if it will work now!
Kyra
SwiftData: Solving Filtering by an Entity in the Predicate
I’ve been coding my own app and when SwiftData was announced I realized that now, before it enters the App Store, is the best time to convert my data over. That said, it wasn’t without its issues and I found filtering by an entity relationship was, for me, one of the biggest blockers. Come check out how I solved it!
Kyra
Update to “My Custom Picker With Multi-Selection in SwiftUI” - Now With Images!
I’ve upgraded my custom multi-selection picker, in SwiftUI, to now be customizable using a struct rather than string array. This means it works for images... and whatever else you want to add.
Kyra
App Store
If you're looking at getting an app in the Apple App Store I shared this after my first:
Steps My App Needed To Get into the Apple App Store
With my first app officially in the App Store I wanted to share what I now know in case it can help you too!
Kyra
General
Between blogging and working with the reMarkable I have several PDF, bash, and image processing posts like:
How to Quickly Combine PDF Files on Your Mac
Have you ever wanted to combine two PDF files together on your Mac computer? I have. And here’s how I did it using the Preview app that you should already have!
Kyra
How to Run a Bash Script From Anywhere on Your Apple Computer
Over the years I’ve created several Bash scripts that I realized would be far easier to use if I could run them from several different places on my machine without moving the script itself. After learning how to do that for myself I had to share process with you!
Kyra
Quickly Create App Icons by Resizing Your Main Image With a Bash Script
While resizing an image I chose to use for my app icon I quickly recognized how onerous the entire process was. This lead to me creating a Bash script which dramatically sped up my workflow and may help yours too. Check it out here!
Kyra
Use a Simple Bash Script to Resize Your Images Quickly and Easily
Are you looking for a quick way to resize and compress your images all at once? Why not create a bash script to do it? Here’s what I did and I explain it all so you can use mine or make your own!
Kyra
Easily Resize Multiple Images Quickly Through the Terminal on Your Mac
Are you having issues resizing and/or compressing images on your computer? Have you checked out ImageMagick®? Here’s how I’ve started compressing my blog images if you’re also interested.
Kyra
🔍 Looking for My Apps?
I design apps that bring clarity and calm to daily life. Here’s what I’ve built so far:
- Simply Remember It: Track recurring tasks and optional measurements so you don’t have to remember it all yourself. → More Info
- Simply Customize It: Personalize your reMarkable with ease—no command line required. → More Info
- Simply Match It: A fast-paced matching game to challenge friends (or yourself). → More Info
- Simply Uncover It: A clean, calming puzzle game inspired by the logic of minesweeper. → More Info
💌 Want to Stay in the Loop
I occasionally send updates about new posts, apps, and helpful tools... no spam, just real-life insights.
Or just keep exploring. I’m so glad you’re here and hope what you find here makes your day a little lighter.