Oops and Daisies

Connection & inspiration for people who want to create

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • About
    • Contact
    • Disclosure
  • Family & Lifestyle
    • Life With Kids
    • Parenting
    • More than Mama
    • Personal Development
    • Self Care
    • Travel
  • Work From Home
    • WAHM Life
    • Interviews with Creative Moms
    • Inspiration
  • Writing, Books, & Resources
    • Book Reviews
    • My Stories and Books
    • Path to Publication
    • Quotes
  • Shop
  • Work With Me

5 Gift Ideas to Encourage Creativity in Kids

November 28, 2025 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

5 Gift Ideas to Encourage Creativity in Kids

One corner of our house is bursting with art supplies, the drawers full of colored pencils, markers, beads, pipe cleaners, construction paper, and oh so many odds and ends. The kids use all of our random art supplies when they just want to explore and experiment. That alone can be an incredible way to encourage creativity in kids.  But sometimes kids just want a project to play with, or to test … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: art set, arts and crafts, Christmas, creativity, drawing, gift guide, gift ideas, life with kids, sensory kits, stem kits

Gift Guide: Educational Gift Ideas (Or Presents that Keep on Giving)

November 24, 2020 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

With learning at home continuing for the foreseeable future, I've been focused on finding activities that not only engage my kids but also teach them a thing or two. In other words: this holiday season, their list includes fun educational gift ideas. After all, learning should be fun... and I'd rather buy them something that they'll use again and again. This list of educational gift ideas … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family & Lifestyle, Writing, Books, & Resources Tagged With: educational gifts, encourage reading, gift guide, gift ideas, holiday gift guide, math toys, science gift ideas

Gift Guide: Encourage Creativity and Imagination with these Gifts for Kids

December 2, 2019 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

gift guide: gift ideas that encourage creativity

"Look mom!" my two-year-old declared. "Paw patrol tower!" He pointed to his latest creation: a very tall stack of duplos, complete with what he said was a "slide" at the top. It was not, in fact, a slide, but more Duplos. (Affiliate links included). His creativity astounded me and almost convinced me that he didn't need a Paw Patrol tower for Christmas (but his obsession has been so long … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family & Lifestyle, Life With Kids, Parenting Tagged With: creative gifts, creativity, experience gifts, gift guide, gifts, gifts for kids, imagination

Holiday Gift Guide: Gift Ideas for Mom

November 18, 2019 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

Holiday Gift Guide

After I became a mom — or maybe it’s just a part of “growing up” — when someone asked me what I wanted for my birthday or the holidays, I had a standard gift list. I typically asked for things I tended to need, like clothes, socks, underwear -- and last year even curtains -- rather than things I wanted. If you’re looking for something a bit more, shall we say, creative and thoughtful when … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family & Lifestyle, More than Mama, Self Care, Self Care & Beauty Tagged With: gift guide, gift ideas, holiday gift ideas, holiday shopping, self care

7 Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for the Busy Moms in Your Life

February 1, 2018 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

I’ll admit it. I like Valentine’s Day. I love that it’s a day dedicated to letting loved ones know that we care about them, and why. I’ll also be the first to admit that one of the top things I'd want as a gift would be to sleep in. But, in addition to sleeping in, what would the busy mom in your life value this year?  If you’re still looking for a few Valentine’s Day gift ideas, here are a few: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family & Lifestyle, More than Mama, Parenting, Work From Home Tagged With: busy moms, gift guide, gift ideas, me time, self care, valentine's day, valentine's day gifts

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Recent Posts

  • Oops, Daisies, and Dreams: Interview with Author J.P. Lee February 19, 2026
  • Stop the Mean Girl Voice in Our Heads: How to Do Affirmations February 11, 2026
  • Oops, Daisies, and Dreams: Kathy Osgood of Little Bear Photography February 4, 2026
  • My 10 Favorite Books From the 59 I Read in 2025 January 1, 2026
  • Oops, Daisies, and Dreams: Interview with Author J.M. Guilfoyle December 3, 2025

Categories

Newsletter

oopsanddaisies

Let’s get that story out of your head and onto the page | Editor, Creative Writer, Author, & Coach

What can I say except… I have BIG news! 🎉💖 What can I say except… I have BIG news! 🎉💖#WritingLife #DreamComeTrue
No day is ever the same for @erinkuhnkrueger, and No day is ever the same for @erinkuhnkrueger, and the same can be said of her “creative time.” But rather than lament it, she’s embraced it, because she enjoys the process… whether she’s writing in dribs and drabs between calls and time with her kids, or in the sweet quiet of the night when everyone else is asleep.“When I’m writing, I’m a different person,” Erin told me on my latest #CreativityChat.Writing has always been important to Erin, but it wasn’t until after launching her blog and her work in writing took off that she fully owned herself as a writer.Erin and I chatted about why it can be hard to claim your creativity and writing… after all, our stories are important. Our stories are valuable. They help us connect and relate to other people, but owning that fact can be hard.That said, Erin doesn’t shy away from honesty and vulnerability in her writing. And I’d dare to say that her mantra when it comes to writing boils down to something she told me about herself and why she writes, “If I can help one person, I’m doing good.”Thanks, Erin, for holding space for your creativity and taking the time to think deeply about what works for you and what doesn’t.*** My chat with Erin was #CreativityChat number three, and I’m on a mission to have 100 Creativity Chats this year. I truly believe we all have stories to share, and I love discovering the different ways people fit creativity into their busy days — whether it’s at work or as a hobby (because no matter how we fit it into our lives, it all matters). I want to talk to people from all walks of life about what creativity means to them.Want to share more about how you fit creativity into your life? Let’s chat!#CreativeLife
“Why’d you get picture books? They’re for yo “Why’d you get picture books? They’re for your class right?” - my 9 year old after our visit to the library 🤣Yup, my kids are done with picture books… but I’m not!! Buster (aka Pizza Blackhole Machine, my son’s chosen online nickname) only wanted Plants versus Zombies books 🤷‍♀️#KidLit #LibraryHaul
I’ll never get tired of writing “the end” wi I’ll never get tired of writing “the end” with every draft I finish. Draft number two of my New Adult contemporary done! Now to get these pages into the hands of some writing partners… because this is just one another step toward getting this book into the world.#AmEditing #WritingLife
National Book Day seems like a good day to remind National Book Day seems like a good day to remind you that I wrote a picture book! Etta Betta and the Beast is about a girl who thinks her parents brought home a beast for a pet. He sits on her puzzles, slobbers, and his farts? They’re the absolute WORST. But the Beast is determined to prove he’s not so stinky - and rather silly - in this tale about the eventual friendship between a girl and her bulldog.#BookDay #KidLit #MomLife
My 6-week in-person picture book workshop launched My 6-week in-person picture book workshop launched last night! My students are all starting with a seed of an idea and building it from the ground up. For most, it’s the first time they’ll ever workshop their writing, and I know how intimidating it can be, so we’re spending the first half of the class pre-writing and getting to know our stories (and each other) before we start providing feedback in week 4.I can’t wait to dive in with this fabulous group of writers and see what stories emerge!#WritingWorkshop #PictureBook #AmWriting #MomLife
Let’s talk about waiting. (This is for the peopl Let’s talk about waiting. (This is for the people who hit refresh on their email inbox countless times a day).So much of life is waiting. As Dr. Seuss once wrote, “Waiting for the fish to bite or the wind to fly a kite… or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.”And when it comes to the publishing industry, whether you’re looking to publish in a literary magazine or with a book publisher, you hit send… and wait.And wait.And wait.And wait. x100There is no promise of a yes. No promise of even a ‘no’ to be honest. (Sometimes, it’s just silence).Waiting is something to get used to. So what can we do? Keep writing. Keep creating. Recognize that waiting is just a part of this game called life.And then, one day, you open up your email, and you’re hit with a… “Congratulations! Is this story still available for publishing?” And it makes the waiting all worth it.So, if you’re in the trenches, I see you. If you’re putting yourself out there and feel like you’re shouting into the void, I see you.But I encourage you to keep writing and keep hitting send… because you never know when you’ll get that yes.#DontGiveUp #WritingLife #AmWriting
I feel like every time I start a new journal, I’ I feel like every time I start a new journal, I’m starting a new chapter in the “book of Liz.” And it feels really appropriate starting this journal on 3/3, a time of a lunar eclipse, signaling new beginnings. #Journal #NewChapters #MomLife
February weather was all over the place — one da February weather was all over the place — one day, my kids are having a water-balloon war with their friends in the yard, the next, I’m insisting they bundle up in their winter gear. It kind of felt that way with my work, too, a combination of super busy weeks brimming with client work, and slower weeks, which I’m OK with, because it gives me some flexibility to work on my creative writing and some other projects I have in the works.So, without further ado, here’s what I’ve been up to work-wise, including my creative projects, which, I promise you, will see the light of day:🌸 Wrapped up teaching a six-week in-person journaling/creative writing workshop (and making plans to do it all over again!)🌸 Ghostwriting projects for my clients, including writing about community-health centers and access to mental health care.🌸 Started submitting my poetry to literary magazines and kept pitching some essays to a wide variety of publications🌸 Held my Creative Writing Accountability Club every Thursday morning (it’s free! If you want in, let me know)🌸 Shared four new posts on my Substack, Where Daisies Grow - on everything from journaling methods to creative cross-pollination🌸 Posted three blogs to Oops and Daisies, including two interviews with some incredibly creative moms🌸 Nearly finished my next draft of my New Adult contemporary and started to get feedback from some trusted writing/critique partners🌸 Learned how to use Adobe Illustrator (and I can’t wait to tell you why… but you’ll have to wait to find out!)🌸 Released a new short story in the latest Writing Journey anthology, Awakening… and seriously. The things I have in the works? They’re still growing “underground,” if you will. But I promise you this: I have some things I CAN’T wait to share!#MyCreativeLife #AmEditing #MomLife
Follow on Instagram
Follow on Instagram

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2026 · Delightful theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2026 · Delightful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in