Create Play Travel Pacific Northwest family lifestyle and creative ideas
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Our Story

Welcome to Create. Play. Travel.

Hello, I’m Katie! I started Create. Play. Travel. to share our creative projects and family adventures. I’m a wife, mom to 4 kids, and content creator. I’m an entrepreneur too! My background includes working as a web designer in Seattle, developing a children’s brand from the ground up, and lending my skills to various creative ventures.

Since 2012, I’ve partnered with many inspiring brands on sponsored content, product reviews, and gift guides. I’ve also hosted our Top Product awards, highlighting the best in family and lifestyle products.

Create. Play. Travel. is truly a family effort! Our kids are often featured in our content and videos. My husband Andy, who works remotely as a digital nomad, helps plan our frequent travels to Mexico and Europe. We homeschool our kids and rent our home in the Pacific Northwest as a nightly vacation rental to help fund our adventures.

Our goal is to create fun, authentic, and professional content within the creative family lifestyle space. We share everything from DIY projects and kids activities to family travel, beauty, and inspiring everyday moments.

Want to chat? Shoot me an email at: hello(at)createplaytravel.com

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Content Highlights

DIY Projects: If you love saving money and doing creative projects, you’re probably a DIY fan like me! I enjoy making home accents, party decorations, accessories, and even homemade beauty products. See our latest DIY ideas here!

Kids Activities: We’re all about hands-on fun and learning! From playdough volcanoes and sensory slime to colorful paper crafts, our DIY tutorials are designed to keep kids curious and creative. Discover our favorite activities for kids of all ages!

Family Adventures: We’re always excited about our next adventure! Whether exploring parts of the United States or abroad, we love discovering new places with our kids. So far, we’ve visited Mexico, Costa Rica, France, Italy, England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Follow along on our latest family adventures!

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About Our Family

Welcome! We’re the Wallace family. We have four kids and live in beautiful North Idaho in the Pacific Northwest. When not going on adventures, we enjoy using our skills and experiences to encourage others. We homeschool, work remotely, and feel so blessed to be able to live a flexible, creative family life!

Katie Wallace enjoys using her creative ideas to make life colorful. She received her BA in Business Administration from The Master’s University in California. She’s worked as a newspaper staff writer in Los Angeles, web designer in Seattle, online food magazine editor and kids product designer. After becoming a mom, she created Create. Play. Travel. as a creative family resource. Katie has collaborated with hundreds of mainstream brands to produce personalized family lifestyle features. She loves photography, DIY projects, homeschooling, being a stay-at-home mom.

Andy Wallace enjoys planning family trips, RV camping, hiking and riding motorcycles and ATVS. He received his BS in Computer Science from The Master’s University and MS in Information Systems Management from Seattle Pacific University. Andy worked in Seattle’s Aerospace Industry for more than 5 years. In 2014, the Wallace family moved to North Idaho. Andy loves raising kids in the Pacific Northwest with close access to many off-road trails, camping areas and outdoor destinations.

Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Katie Wallace family pacific northwest Create Play Travel


Past Collaborations

We love highlighting our favorite brands to share products we already love. Alternately, our collabs often introduce us to awesome new brands! Here are some of our best lifestyle features.

American Girl of the Year Kira Bailey product reviewCollaboration with American Girl. Meet 2021 American Girl of the Year Kira Bailey. She has wavy blond hair and green eyes, loves baby animals and is an adventurer at heart. Our girls, Kiera and Sylvie unboxed the doll and her comfy camping tent in this detailed product review. See the full feature »
January Parka from Harper Coats product reviewProduct review for Harper Coats. The January Parka from Harper Coats has ribbed storm cuffs and fleece-lined pockets. The oversized hood is lined with faux fur trim that’s just as soft as the real thing! This coat is so warm, it’s perfect for playing with kids in the snow or going out on a date. See the full feature »
TinkerActive workbooks learning through play product reviewCollaboration with TinkerActive. TinkerActive workbooks are filled with interactive exercises that cover essential math, science and problem-solving skills. Kids are inspired to learn through play as they interact with curriculum-based exercises. See the full feature »
DIY dispensers from Vendees product reviewVendees unboxing. These surprise DIY dispensers from Vendees are an easy way for girls to make their own bath and beauty products. Kiera and Sylvie really enjoyed unboxing and demonstrating how these mystery DIY kits work! See the full feature »
How To Use Technology to Encourage Family Time sponsored postCollaboration with Duracell. Our favorite family adventures include playing outdoors, camping and going on hikes. We often use technology everywhere we go. Duracell Optimum batteries deliver extra life and power for a wide range of devices. See the full feature »
Umbra wall decor sponsored postCollaboration with Umbra. A single painted wall can provide color to a room without overwhelming the space. These tips can help you can choose an accent wall color that best coordinates with your home design and decor. See the full feature »
Hape wooden fire station sponsored postCollaboration with Hape Toys. Our family enjoys collecting classic play sets including wooden toys that inspire imaginative play! Here are 5 reasons why purchasing high quality wooden toys is a good investment for your kids. See the full feature »
Questions? Please reach out at hello(at)createplaytravel.com.

Hello

Wallace Family 2024 create play travel

Hi, I'm Katie and we are the Wallace family! We homeschool, go on adventures, and travel internationally with our four kids. I hope you enjoy our creative ideas on Create. Play. Travel.

Do it Yourself

do it yourself watermelon fruit bowl See our creative projects, kids activities, & party ideas »

Homeschool Ideas

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createplaytravel

Travel with kids tips & inspo 🌍🌺 Creative family ideas 🌟 Saved by grace ➡️ Follow our adventures!

The struggle is real when charging our family’s de The struggle is real when charging our family’s devices! 😀 We try to balance screen time with learning and adventures while traveling. 

Phones & tablets can be helpful for language learning and some games/entertainment. 📱

Our watches double as GPS tracking for our kids, and the drone is fun for capturing unique video content!

💬 Which devices do you bring when traveling with your kids? 

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschool family, worldschooling, exploring with kids
The struggle is real when charging our family’s de The struggle is real when charging our family’s devices! 😀

We try to balance screen time with learning and adventures while traveling with our kids. But phones & tablets can be helpful for language learning and some games/entertainment. 📱Our watches double as GPS tracking for our kids, and the drone is fun for capturing unique video content!

💬 Which devices do you bring when traveling with your kids? 

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschool family, worldschooling, exploring with kids
Girls spa day! 😊🌸 We got pedicures at a nail studi Girls spa day! 😊🌸 We got pedicures at a nail studio near our house, and it was such a fun way to spend time together. 💕🇲🇽 @teenglowtravel @just.sylvie.xo 

💬 What activities do you enjoy doing with your daughter? Comment below👇

One thing we love about living in Mérida, MX is how affordable beauty treatments can be. It’s easy to enjoy a little pampering without breaking the budget!

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschooling, exploring Mexico, worldschooling
The house search is on! 🏠🌴 We’re looking for a lon The house search is on! 🏠🌴 We’re looking for a long-term rental house in Mérida, Mexico. Our wish list includes:

 • 4 bedrooms
 • spacious family room
 • workspace / homeschool room
 • pool to cool off from the heat
 • space for hosting! 

Do you think we’ll find our dream home in Mérida? 😁☀️🌴 We still have one more house to look at!

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschooling, exploring Mexico, worldschooling
Cerrado los lunes! 😟☀️ We showed up at the zoo onl Cerrado los lunes! 😟☀️ We showed up at the zoo only to discover it was closed on Mondays. 

Thankfully, our family has gotten pretty good at pivoting when plans change. Instead of heading home, we set off on a mile-long walk to Centro Histórico Mérida and turned an unexpected detour into an adventure.

We explored local markets, enjoyed tacos and sopa de lima for lunch, and let the kids burn off energy at a park. The Mérida heat definitely called for a treat, so we stopped for fruit bars that cost just 40 pesos (about $2.50) each. We made it home just in time for Juliet’s nap!

Next time, we’ll check the zoo schedule before we go. But honestly, this unexpected change of plans turned into a pretty great day!

✨ Takeaways:

• Travel helps build resilient kids. When plans change, they learn to adapt, stay positive, and enjoy the adventure anyway.

• Some of our best experiences happen when things don’t go as planned. The zoo will still be there another day! 🦓🐊🦛

• We’re growing in Spanish every day. The kids are becoming more confident with pronunciation, casual phrases, and new vocabulary as we navigate life in Mexico.

💬 What do you want to know about our life in Mexico?

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring! 
➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures 🌎🩵

homeschool family, travel with kids, adventure family, worldschooling, kids who travel, merida mexico, family travel
Hola from Mérida! 🇲🇽☀️ Our first week has been cha Hola from Mérida! 🇲🇽☀️ Our first week has been challenging and rewarding as we settle into life in Mexico with our 4 kids!

• We’re finding our new normal, discovering favorite stores, trying grocery delivery, getting used to air-drying clothes and doing dishes (no clothes dryer or dishwasher). 

 • We’ve almost finished all steps for receiving our family’s permanent residency cards. Praying for successful completion!

 • Also experiencing frequent tropical afternoon downpours, magnificent and soaking! 🌴

 • Being without city water for 20 hours, which impacted washing dishes and taking showers. We used our rooftop water tank sparingly. 

 • House hunting & touring several long term rental houses; we hope to find a good fit for our stay-at-home lifestyle and hosting too!

I keep reminding myself that we moved here! We’re not just visiting for a few weeks. 🤯😄

Overall, we’re grateful. ☀️🙂 It’s been a good first week, and we’re excited to continue settling in and discovering what life in Mérida has in store for our family!

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschooling, exploring Mexico, worldschooling, Mérida Mexico
I can’t believe in 2 days, we head to Merida, Mexi I can’t believe in 2 days, we head to Merida, Mexico to live there for two years! 🇲🇽 Our goal is to gain dual citizenship, work on learning Spanish, and get to know the local culture. We also look forward to welcoming baby # 5 in October, another GIRL! 🩷🦩🥰

North Idaho has been so good to us, and we will miss our friends and family! 

Thanks for praying for our family on our journey! 🩵🌎

Hi! We’re the Wallace family 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschooling, exploring Mexico, worldschooling
So many fun squishies, NeeDohs, and dumplings! 🥹🍕💧 So many fun squishies, NeeDohs, and dumplings! 🥹🍕💧 @needohofficial @hallmark
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