Monthly Archives: April 2012

Ribbon Dress

13 Friday Apr 2012

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I got this dress at American Apparel with plans to decorate it for Ada.  I was going to make little flowers out of vintage ribbons down the front of the dress.  When I asked Ada to help me pick out the ribbon she said she wanted all of them.  Then she told me they needed to go down the back and not be sewn down into petal shapes.  I was annoyed at her for not listening to directions.  I finally asked what the heck she was going to do with the ribbons hanging off the back of her dress.  “Spin and Dance, Mama.”  Duh.

To make a similar dress you will need:

*Plain Dress

*Assorted Ribbons and Buttons

*Needle and Thread

1. Wash and dry dress to account for shrinkage.

2. Let your designer direct placement.

3. Sew down buttons and ribbon.

4. Put dress on child and let the spinning begin.

Baby Food Cap Beads

12 Thursday Apr 2012

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I always feel conflicted about buying baby food in pouches instead of glass jars.  The pouches are amazingly convenient and organic and kids can feed themselves…but the packaging is not recyclable.  (I don’t understand why someone hasn’t come up with responsible packaging amidst all of that amazing design).  I realized that the colorful caps would make great beads and keep some plastic out of the trash.  Ada made this for Josie yesterday and it is her new favorite toy.  The colors are bright, it makes noise and it is super fun to take on and off over your head if you are a toddler.  You will need:

*Baby Food Pouch Caps

*Leather Cord or Cotton Shoelace (Nylon will snag on the caps)

1. Wash caps.

2. String caps onto cord through holes.

3. Tie at the ends.

4. Show off to your friends (or your sister).

*The pouches would also make great little ice packs for the summer: Rinse thoroughly, fill 2/3 of the way with water, twist on cap and freeze.*

Sculpture

11 Wednesday Apr 2012

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Ada brought this down for me the other day.  She made it out of modeling clay and Wikki Stix and paper and a toothpick and I think I see some of my hair wound in there.  It reminded me why we are so lucky to live here.  There is art everywhere in New York.  I don’t do enough museums lately with the double stroller, but I am counting the days until we can get back to it.  (Yes, I was one of those crazy people who dragged my two-year-old to the Alexander McQueen show).  I love that our kids are so close to art here – and music, and dance, and food, and people…I Love NY!

Mobile

10 Tuesday Apr 2012

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The corner of Ada’s room.  A vintage kitchen cabinet stores the kids’ clothes and a basket keeps blankets above.  We got this Flensted fish mobile before Ada was born and it came with us from the old house.  The fish are always slowly swimming up there.  I remember staring up at it when I was very pregnant and wondering what was to come.

April Showers Card (A Two-Part Mailing)

09 Monday Apr 2012

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We designed this card for my sister’s April baby shower, but it is also a fun spring card for kids to make and send.  Ada liked discovering what colors could be made by overlapping the raindrops.  You will need:

*Tissue Paper in various blues and greens

*Scissors

*Card Stock or blank card

*Gluestick

*Vellum Envelope to fit card

1. Fold tissue paper into width of eight layers.  (You can do more or less depending on the sharpness of your scissors).

2. Cut out raindrop shape through all layers.

3. Repeat until all raindrops are cut and then separate individual drops.

4. Cover front of card with glue.

5. Stick down raindrops one at a time and then let glue dry.

6. Print this message inside card:  “April Showers Bring…”

7. Place card inside envelope and drop it in the mail.

8. Keep checking the blog.  The next step in the two-part mailing will be posted soon!

Play Mat

05 Thursday Apr 2012

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We are so excited to welcome a new cousin into our family soon!  I have been wanting to make this project for a little someone and it is finished just in time for the shower this weekend.  The pattern is from Joelle Hoverson’s More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts.  I wish I’d discovered the pattern when my own kids were tiny, because I am in love with the finished project and there are so many color possibilities.

I used Malabrigo Worsted Merino 210 yards, 3.5 oz. which comes in amazing colors and is super soft.  (Purple Mystery and Lettuce are two of the colors and my kids seem to have hidden the other tags somewhere – sorry).  The needle is a 60″ (150 cm) long circular in 10.5 (6.5mm).  I’d never used such a long circular before, but it was fun once I got the hang of it.  Hooray for a new baby!

Easter Egg Surprise Ball

04 Wednesday Apr 2012

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I have been wanting to make a surprise ball since I spotted one at Kiosk a few years ago.  And then this week our friends brought us an amazing swan version from Tail of the Yak in Berkeley.  (More on that beautiful surprise ball in a later post).   Ada had so much fun unwrapping the swan that I decided to make her an Easter version for her basket.  This is an easy project that can be customized for any recipient.  You will need:

*Crepe Paper Streamers (at least 3 colors)

*Tiny Goodies (We wrapped: a vintage bracelet, stickers, vintage buttons, temporary tattoos, a dollar coin, a tiny rubber stamp, a bag of glitter, tin bird pins)

*Felt (or stickers or rubber stamps to decorate)

*Glue stick

*Scotch Tape

*Pinking Shears or Scissors

1. Wrap crepe paper around the first treasure and form a rough egg shape.  Remember this will be the last to be unwrapped so make it a good one!

2. Continue wrapping until first object is completely covered.

3. Cut crepe paper with pinking shears and use masking tape to attach a new color.

4. Insert the next goody and continue to wrap.  Be sure to gently pull the crepe paper taught as you go.

5. Repeat, changing the streamer color with every new object.  Position objects to create a rounded egg shape.

6. Once all objects are inside, use the glue stick to stick down streamer end and apply felt circles or stickers for decoration.

7. Let the fun begin!

Collage Eggs

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

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We made these eggs for our friends last year.  They are simple for kids to decorate and a good way to use up some scraps from past projects.  You will need:

*Card stock

*Scissors

*Glue

*Collage Materials (We used scrap yarn, fabric, cupcake liners, glitter, sequins, googly eyes, doilies, watercolors and crayons).

1.  Draw large egg shape on card stock and cut out.  Our eggs are 4″x 3″.

2.  Trace this egg pattern onto the other card stock pieces and cut out.

3.  Hand over the glue and let the kids decorate away.

4.  Wait for glue to dry and place in vellum envelopes.  These make great Easter cards or basket treats for the grandparents.

Easter Peeps Garland

02 Monday Apr 2012

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I love the look of Easter Peeps.  They are the iconic Easter basket filler, and I would miss them if they were not around for the season.  But personally I do not like to eat them.  So, we came up with this bunny garland.  You will need:

*Bunny Peeps (We used 4 packages of 16 for the length of our mantel)

*Embroidery Floss in two contrasting colors

*Needle for Floss

1. Lay out lines of peeps, four at a time.  Do not break bonds between the four bunnies.  Allow peeps to sit out for a day and get slightly stale. This makes the bunnies a bit more durable.

2. Thread embroidery needle with floss and weave the first color over and under bunny ears as shown above.  Carefully adjust spaces between bunnies as you go.  Pull gently so thread will not cut off any ears.

3. Repeat weaving with second color of floss, this time going over when you first went under the rabbit ears.

4. Gently break bonds at the bottom of rabbit bodies, leaving ears attached.  This gives the garland a more rounded shape.

5. Hang garland and let the Peeps dry.

Happy Easter!