06 Monday Feb 2012
My latest favorite way to wrap gifts is with Japanese Washi Tape and brown craft paper. We used the tape here to label the card as well. Happy Birthday Asher!
There are so many beautiful tape options…I could spend days looking. Here are some great Washi tape choices from Etsy. (Oh Etsy, how I love you!)
03 Friday Feb 2012
Posted in Likes, Organizing, Projects
Tags
crayon hearts, hearts, Martha Stewart, melted crayon, Valentine, washable crayons, wax paper, windows
We made these wax paper and melted crayon hearts last year and have been waiting to hang them back up. The original project is Martha Stewart’s, (Oh Martha how I love you). Ours came out a bit differently because we only had washable crayons at the time and Ada insisted on working the crayon sharpener. They packed away beautifully and we were happy to see them brighten the windows of our new house!
02 Thursday Feb 2012
Tags
blanket stitch, embroidery floss, Envelopemall.com, felt, fridge magnet, heart, Tiny Mighties, Valentine, vellum envelopes, wool felt, Woolfeltcentral.com
These wool felt hearts are really reversible magnets for the fridge. They are flat enough to put through the mail and make perfect valentines or invitations to a Valentine’s Day party. You will need:
*Felt. We used two colors of wool felt from Woolfeltcentral.com
*Embroidery Floss in contrasting color
*Stuffing
*Two small, strong Magnets. (You only need one if you don’t want the heart to be reversible). We used Tiny Mighties
*Glue
*Cardstock, or paper to make the pattern
1. Fold cardstock in half, draw half a heart along the fold. Unfold and you will have an even pattern. Trace onto felt and cut.
2. Glue magnets on inside top of each heart cutout. You don’t need much glue because the magnets will end up safely inside of the heart and won’t fall off.
3. Place a little stuffing on one side of the heart. You can adjust stuffing position as you sew, and the stuffing will help prevent the strong magnets from sticking to each other.
4. Blanket stitch the hearts together. Stuffing and magnets will be inside. Push any stray stuffing inside as you sew.
5. Allow glue to dry. If you are putting the heart through the mail you may want to fold it inside a note before putting it in the envelope. We used vellum envelopes from Envelopemall.com
XOXOX!
01 Wednesday Feb 2012
Tags
Chinese New Year, egg carton, egg carton caterpillar, egg carton dragon, glitter glue, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, school art project
We spotted this egg carton dragon idea walking around the halls of Ada’s school. Good school art projects are really important to me, and helped us decide to send her there. The school dragons were made for Chinese New Year. Ada suggested we also make a caterpillar version. You will need:
*Egg carton
*Paint
*Glue
*Googly eyes
*Feathers, sparkles, pom poms, popsicle sticks, glitter glue, etc.
*Pipe Cleaners (for legs and antennae)
*Ribbon (for the tail)
1. Paint the egg carton and let it dry
2. Glue on eyes and decoration
3. Push pipe cleaners into carton at desired locations. Use scissors or a sharp pencil to make holes and squirt in some glue to keep them in place.
30 Monday Jan 2012
Posted in Likes, Organizing, Projects, Shop, Vintage
Tags
Acorn Toys, animal scarf, HIgh Country Knitwear, Organizing, Pat Feeley, Pyrex bowl, scarf pattern, vintage bowl
A bowl near the front door helps keep mittens, hats and scarves organized. The kids can help take care of their own things when they come in from outside, and you will always know where mittens are on your rush out the door.
We found this vintage Pyrex bowl at a stoop sale, but they abound on Ebay. The scarf pattern is adapted from one by Pat Feeley for High Country Knit Wear. You can also find super cute animal scarves at Acorn Toys in Brooklyn if you are more of a shopper than a DIYer.
26 Thursday Jan 2012
Tags
beads, fine motor skills, hole punch, kid project, Marni, necklace, shoelaces, wool felt, Wool Felt Central
One of my favorite inside projects for kids is making strands of beads. We started doing them when Ada was about two. She needed a lot of help at first, but now she asks to do them on her own. The stringing requires some intense concentration from the child, it is good for their fine motor skills, and I get about an hour of quiet time. You will need:
*Shoelaces, leather cord or yarn. If using yarn, put some scotch tape around the end to make the threading easier.
*Beads of various sizes and colors. It is lovely to see the patterns the kids come up with.
*Dried pasta, felt shapes, etc. I save scraps of wool felt from other projects and use a hole punch so they can be strung. I love the variety felt bundles from Wool Felt Central
It is helpful to tie a knot at one end so the beads don’t slip off while the necklace is being made.
I am not sure Marni has done better…
24 Tuesday Jan 2012
Posted in Projects
23 Monday Jan 2012
Posted in Likes, Organizing, Projects
Tags
Ada’s barrettes were taking over the closet, so we lined them up on a piece of ribbon and pinned it inside the door. Smaller bobby pins and hair ties are stored in a bowl on the closet shelf. Now we can see all the choices and pick out a pair for the morning. I love that Goody still makes the same barrettes I had when I was three.
20 Friday Jan 2012
We found these awesome wooden cat masks at Ben Franklin Crafts in Raymond, NH of all places…I find that towns with high 4-H participation and winters that keep people inside are the best crafting supply troves. You can also find the masks here on Ebay: Cat Mask. Oh Ebay how I love you.
Ada seems to have confused ‘nine lives’ with ‘nine eyes’. Oh well.
18 Wednesday Jan 2012
Posted in Likes, Organizing, Projects
This drawing was Ada’s first family portrait, (which of course made me cry). I wanted to save it and was pretty sure the ripped newsprint it was made on was not archival. So, we scanned the drawing and sent the jpeg out to Cafe Press to be made into an ornament. Any of the photo sites can reproduce jpegs, and there are a lot of finished product options- from t-shirts to playing cards. Cafe Press got these back to us in under a week, and Ada was very proud to give them as gifts for the holiday.
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