Family Fun - Beaded Buddies!

I love FamilyFun Magazine for many reasons: the travel ideas, the book suggestions, the funny essays and definitely all the cute crafts for kids. Just recently, my kids made the Beaded Buddies on page 112h of the June/July 2013 issue.

 My daughter said hers was a monster. My son said his was a lizard. Of course.

The necklaces are so stinkin' cute. They were super easy to make and even my 3-year-old could do it. See those sticky fingers?

 By this point, my son was like, enough pictures, ok? Let's go play.

I somehow coerced him into one more. Just you and the lizard, ok? OK, mom.

Dinosaur Tooth Brush holders

**I am re-publishing this post because my letter to Family Fun made it into the latest issue. Hello Family Fun readers! Thanks for visiting my blog!

My son is a HUGE (as in Argentinasaurus-sized) dinosaur fan! So when Family Fun magazine's August 2012 issue arrived and I found  this idea, I got right to it.

I bought two plastic, hollow dinosaurs at the dollar store. (My kids would need their own. I couldn't imagine sharing something this cool.) Then I used a kitchen knife to carve a hold in the top and one on the bottom (for the icky stuff to drip out).

It really was quite easy to do. And the pay-off was big.

Both my son and daughter were THRILLED with their new toothbrush holders.

One month later, they are still eager brushers. Yay!

Pigeon T-Shirt, Inspired by Mo Willems

The other day, I was out with my son while he was wearing this t-shirt and someone actually stopped me and said, "I love the Pigeon shirt! Where did you get it?"

I was so tickled to say, "I made it!"

And that's when I realized I hadn't posted anything on this shirt before.

You do know the book Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, right? It's by Mo Willems and it's a Caldecott Honor Book (in case you'd like to check it out). My son was really into Mo Willems's books last summer so I made this shirt with him.

We got the shirt from a craft store, along with some fabric markers. Then I practiced the drawings once or twice on a piece of paper before drawing on the shirt.

He really likes wearing it and I'm glad it has fit for a second summer in a row.

Fabric markers are just so much fun! Maybe we'll tackle another t-shirt in the coming months. Hmmm...wonder what'll go on it... :)

Linking here today:

My Creative Space...A Needed Facelift

I had this mirror that I didn't know what to do with. I liked the idea of another mirror in the house, especially one with useful hooks. However, I didn't like the cheap, wooden finish and one of the useful hooks was broken.

Enter: Neptune Blue paint and a screwdriver.

Problem solved. Now I need to figure out where to put it.

I'm linking up here.

Ah -The Much Anticipated

Right.

So here is the fruit of nap time.

I pulled apart the flowers above, took out the stems, and glued the layers back together. Then I glued on some gems and put them on some alligator clips that I lined with ribbon.

 The yellow crochet flower above is so sweet! My mom crocheted the two flowers and I sewed them together, along with the button. I may put this on a hair clip or maybe make it into a button. Or maybe put it elsewhere, like on a pillow???

I love these appliques. Can you guess which ones I bought and which I did myself?!? Oh, but I very skillfully glued them all to my homemade ribbon-lined alligator clips.

 These are simple and pretty. Yes, we're Wildcat fans here.

 Again, the heart that is so clearly homemade. And the purchased applique (available on Etsy).

 Some of the first hair clips -- I made them around Christmas time. These were all done by yours truly (except for the wooden dude on the end, which of course, I did not cut or paint, but purchased).

And there you have it. Another way to widdle away nap time!

Lovebirds and Hearts

Ack. I really have to get better at photographing my stuff. Really, this looks much better in person (is that what they all say?) 

Anyway, I was inspired by this Valentine's lovebird collage in the most recent issue of Better Homes and Gardens. So I spent the good part of the afternoon working on this thing while my son made Valentine's cards (and I assisted with, namely, the cutting). I like my collage -- its decor. Not sure how long it'll stick around or where it'll eventually end up. (All available wall space is currently dedicated to photographs of the kids.) But right now it's perched (ha ha) on my kitchen counter. I do like looking at it. I'm proud of my cutting skills.

And when my husband came home from work, my son said, "Look, Daddy! Mama's bird picture!" Hehe, what a good PR man.

The Wonderful World of Hair Clippies

Lately, I've been into hair clippies. I bought some on Etsy and then decided I should try to make my own.

 

 I have a newfound appreciation for some of the artists who design fabulous clippies on Etsy, like Robin at Robin's Craft Tree. Her work is soooo good. She's so detailed and I WISH I could make clips like hers. Maybe with a little more practice... Until then, I probably will keep visiting her store.

The clips above were fun to do and I was happy to give them to friends!

Thanksgiving Projects

I had some extra energy today (my son, who was sick with a fever, napped and though I was worried about him, it gave me some extra time to get crafty).

I made these two turkey pins based on an article in the latest Family Fun issue. They are made from cereal boxes. I just hot glued some small pins on the back.

Then I got an email this morning from All Free Sewing featuring a pattern for Thanksgiving Day kiddie placemats from Punkin Patterns. I thought the one on Punkin' Patterns looked so cute that I wanted some for our family. I ended up going gung-ho, making one for my son, one for my daughter, and one for their cousin, whom we'll be seeing on Thursday! The placemats took me longer than I anticipated, but it might've been because I had to do a little bit here and a little bit there as my kids were never asleep in their rooms at the same time. ;) Anyway, it was fun to do, and I'm so glad I came across Punkin Patterns -- I'll definitely be checking this fun blog again!

Sewing Machine Cozy!

On a recent afternoon, I was feeling crafty and my son wanted to sew (ie, play with the pins. Yes, I know this sounds kind of dangerous, but he knows to be careful and I enjoy hearing about the pins' trips and the imaginary places they go -- on the fabric! ha!) Anyway, I wanted something quick to make so I thought this might be fun - a sewing machine cozy! I used the book Sew Darn Cute for instructions on how to make one and decided to use the vintage sheet my mom gave me (see how I used this fabric for a baby girl dress on an earlier post!).

I used some trim that I had in my stash to finish it off. And I like how it looks. Much better than the red scrap of flannel I've been tossing over it for the past two years!

This is my sewing desk and all-purpose craft corner. The desk was my Gramma D.'s and has its own history and various stories that go with it. But I will say that many letters have been written at this desk. Many children have hidden underneath it (including my mother!) and I'm sure many items have been sewn here as well, long before I began.