Hi, I’m Rebecca. I write books and I write here at This Joyful Mess to inspire everyone to find JOY in the everyday messes of life. Here you’ll find inspiration, educational resources, and so much more. Please explore and connect—I’d love to hear from you!

10 Best Halloween Monster Crafts! Perfect to Go With New Book, Halloween Good Night

10 Best Halloween Monster Crafts! Perfect to Go With New Book, Halloween Good Night

What's more fun than dressing up on October 31st and filling a bag with treats? Slime! Piñatas! Crafts! Fun! From all around the web, I've curated my favorite Halloween crafts for preschoolers to early elementary, each to go along with the picture book, Halloween Good Night. Without further introduction, let's get some BOO! on!

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Halloween DIY: Globster Plush Stuffed Toy!
Printables & More, Crafts & DIY Rebecca Grabill Printables & More, Crafts & DIY Rebecca Grabill

Halloween DIY: Globster Plush Stuffed Toy!

What, you may ask, is a Globster? Well, one might say it's a mythical sea monster, a relative of the classic horror beast, The Blob. Or, if you're familiar with the amazing picture book Halloween Good Night, you'll learn that a Globster is: epically cute, squishably cuddly, not the slightest big frightening, and every preschooler's new must-have bedtime friend! 

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How Not to Build a Farm Table: A Craigslist Story
Crafts & DIY Rebecca Grabill Crafts & DIY Rebecca Grabill

How Not to Build a Farm Table: A Craigslist Story

We have a gorgeous, absolutely beautiful custom made farm table in our dining area. Beautiful at first glance. Sit down at it however, and try to eat and you’ll discover a few not so lovable details. Like glasses will tip over if placed in just the wrong spot. Your clothing will catch on splinters in the chairs or the edge of the table. Some of the plugs look suspiciously like wood filler. And if you look closely, the gaps between boards just might be packed with yesterday’s (last week’s?) noodles, rice, etc.

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Why I'm Not going to Write Dollhouse Tutorials (and Links to all the Best on the Web)
Crafts & DIY Rebecca Grabill Crafts & DIY Rebecca Grabill

Why I'm Not going to Write Dollhouse Tutorials (and Links to all the Best on the Web)

For the past year and a bit Mud Pie and I have been working on the Epic Victoria's Farmhouse dollhouse. At the outset I thought, "Oooh, fun I can write up tutorials! Like how to run electricity, how to ..." I don't know, build a dollhouse.

And I could write those tutorials. Because we're building the dollhouse inch by inch and learning a heap. But I'm not going to write tutorials. Why? Well, take a look and see...

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