Teacher Gifts...

6.25.2009

I like for the girls to either pick out the gifts for their teachers or do part of the making. For christmas the girls drew snowmen on fabric and I sewed them into ornaments. Last year Annie drew a picture on fabric and I turned it into a pillow. Maddie is at that stage when her drawing couldn't be any cuter and that's pretty much what she did all year at preschool. Her box was always full of the most amazing drawings. This was our third year with these teachers so we know them well and I wanted to give them something they could keep. This is what we came up with.
Painted flower pots that Maddie drew special pictures on. Annie also made a big pot for her teacher and a few smaller pots for her music and art teacher. I forgot to take picutres of these.



Maddie picked a different scene for each teacher and wrote the teachers name, her name and the year on each pot.







We bought regular clay pots and painted them with acrylic paint. Maddie opted for stripes and I held back (mostly) and let her do the painting. After the paint dried she used sharpie markers to draw her pictures. I finished it all off with a spray coat of an acrylic varnish. We had made a trip to garden center and I let Maddie pick out all the flowers, a lovely mix a orange, purple, red and pink. She potted them all up and that was it. Not a bad little gift and I think we did all 5 pots for about $25.00. The hardest part is trying to find a good organic potting soil without fertilizer already mixed in.



Okay back to be bed for me. We've all been sick around here for a 5 days.

A few more handmade gifts....

4.25.2008

This one is from a bit back. I am always a bit stumped by the boy gifts and this time I was a bit short on time so it was more hand decorated.



The girls each drew a picture for the 3 year old boy and then I scanned and printed them onto transfer paper. We ironed them onto t-shirts from Target. Pretty quick and the girls were very proud.



The next weekend was a birthday for my 2 year old cutie of a nephew Mikey. I had no gift on Sunday morning but had seen this post via the Crafty Crow. I had about an hour so a felt board seemed perfect. I used a plain black frame, only a couple dollars and self-adhesive felt. It really did take less than an hour. I think I need to make one for the girls.

Cooking with Maddie

4.22.2008

My lovely day on Sunday also included a stop at a garage sale in route to the library. I always start with a tentative walk through, eyeing everything a bit before I really start digging around. Nothing was tagged at this one so I picked up a few items and heard them say "Fill a box for $5.00". I didn't fill a box but picked up a great bunch of stuff including a vintage apron, some cookbooks and a potato mill. I spied the little cart you see above and asked how much- $3.00. I didn't really need the cart nor did I have any idea what to do with it, but you know $3.00.
Silly me for worrying about what to do with it. Maddie was instantly taken with the rolling aspect and woke up Monday morning knowing that the cart was supposed to be a stage for "Maddie's Cooking Show."

Wanna see a bit of the show?



I was having a bit of trouble uploading the video to dropshots and then I forgot my photobucket password and was shut out when I remembered that you can now upload video to flickr. So very convient, all my stuff in one place with one password. Flickr happiness.

Launch.......

4.01.2008

I'm an idea kinda gal. Not many days pass by without me coming up with some grand scheme or two. None of these ideas ever see the light of day. Sometimes my idea is to set-up a little stand like Lucy of the Peanuts with the 5 cents sign and just sell the ideas. Usually the ideas stick around for a few days, I work out the kinks, obsess a bit and then move on to something new.

Well, one idea I had just kept nagging at me for the past year or so. I would start a bit of work on it, get frustrated by my lack of html knowledge or get busy with other stuff and shelve it. I knew that my 2 year blog anniversary was on March 3rd and really wanted to see this idea through for an anniversary launch, no such luck. So here it is April 1st and it's time to get this out there instead of reformatting, tinkering and the like. I am doing a bit of a soft launch, putting it up there for you, my friends that check-in to try out first. I am hoping that all of you catch my mistakes and give some great feedback, as you always do. I know there is a bit of updating to do and I have been working on a trickly little problem with secret codes. (if any of you have a bit of widget and coding knowledge I would love to ask for some help).

www.kidmade.typepad.com

Allright, what are you waiting for go check it out.

I'll be back tomorrow with some more info and hopefully a little catch-up around here. I've been terrible about replying to comments and there are a few memes and awards I need to attend to.

Sewing, a birthday and Chuck E.

3.12.2008

I've been feeling the spring cleaning thing around here. We moved Maddie and Annie in the same room. I love the idea of them sharing a room, the little chats at bedtime and the learning to share. I always shared a room with my sister and I wanted the girls to have those same memories. Ideas are always more peaceful than the reality. Bedtime has been a bit more difficult and two girls in one small room leads to such a bigger mess. Annie was very sweet about the whole thing. "Maddie, this is our room." Very welcoming and gracious. The other bonus was freeing up Maddie's room for a little crafting space for me. We have a small loft upstairs where we keep the computer and I had my sewing in there but it was always a mess and drove Dan crazy and the mess was always there to be seen. Now I can close the door and it's out of sight out of mind. Much better.
Having a nice new space means having to start nice new projects. You know, to mess it all up again. I started on some spring outfits for the girls which I hope to finish this week, maybe by easter. We were invited to a birthday party for a 2 year old and I as I am still trying to go with the handmade gifts when possible I thought I would make someting for the little girl. Her grandma is a friend of mine and grandma loves to cook so I thought a nice little apron would be perfect. Two fat quarters and a few hours later and I had a sweet little present.



At the eleventh hour (or 11:30 p.m.) I decided to make the little recipe card holder. It's a bit wonky but finishes off the set. I didn't use a pattern, just cut and sew. I think I like this type of sewing better. I tend to get caught up in following directions and if I the piece doesn't work I get frustrated. When I make it all up I can only blame myself and always seem happier with the results. The set was a big hit and I can't wait for pictures of the little girl cooking.

The real reward of all the sewing was going to the party-at Chuck E. Cheeses. We had managed to avoid a trip there for all of Annie's almost 6 years but now they are hooked. Not sure how long I can keep them from going back. And really, I love playing skeeball.

Mini Swap makes it to Cinncinati.

2.28.2008

Our Mini Swap package made it to Ohio. We were paired up with a family of 3 little girls Susannah age 6, Grace age 3 and Evelyn 16 months. I wanted the girls to be involved in the making of this swap. We came up with the idea of homemade books with activities packed into little totes. I originally planned to have the girls do some of the tote sewing but, well you know, it was just easier for me to do it. I did get them to do some of the drawing on the books and managed to keep Maddie from defacing most of it.





For Susannaha: A tote filled with origami paper and a little book of origami folding directions. There was also a little art book with inspirations such as: Draw a bird, Draw something that swims. Annie wrote these out.

Inside the book. I found the illustrations online, when I find the link I will post it.

For Grace a handmade "I Spy" Book. The girls put together four vingettes from stuff around the house and we took pictures and then picked a couple to look for. I really enjoyed this project and will keep it in mind for future gifts. I think the execution could have been a bit better. I wanted Annie to do the writing but she was not cooperative at this point.

For the littlest family member, Evelyn we made a clothespin can with painted clothespins and a book of acitivites to do. Some of the activities were from the book The Busy Book for Toddlers.

The little totes also had some giant lollipops, stickers and giant bubble wands. It was fun thinking up ideas and putting it all together. I hadn't sewn much lately and it was nice to get back to the machine. We also tucked in some chocolate for mom and a jar of homemade blueberry jam. Our swap box should be arriving soon and I'll post on what came our way.

A Trio of Gifts

12.31.2007

For some of the little ones in our family. Three different games using the same materials. Each came in a little handmade bag with other treats. I used Bazzil Chips and Labels from here. As with most of my projects the idea was great. I'd be happy to give a little how-to on these later. The girls loved helping make these.

Annie-Mama we're giving gifts from the heart this year, right?
Me-Yes, Why do you think that?
Annie-Because we are making them.

Really, I just so love that child and the way she thinks.



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