We're Off...

With Love From Grandma

Last week my girls received very special gifts… Quilts that my mum has spent her last 4 years of evenings and weekends hand sewing - she has made one for each of her 4 granddaughters. That is 8 years of Sunbonnet Sue, birds and flowers.

While Eric tells the girls their bedtime stories, I like to gaze at the quilts and look at the perfect little stitches, uniform French knots and the uniqueness of each pretty flower.

Most of all I am reminded of all the beautiful unseen things that my mum wove into these quilts – her patience, wisdom, warmth and love.

Farmers Market Finds

Oh the joys of summer - our farmer's market is a lovely way to begin the weekend. It fills our basket with bountiful food, relaxes our minds, and makes the rest of the weekend yummy and good.

Birthday Celebrations

We had a birthday party last week - really an entire week of birthday party especially for me.

I was surrounded by all of my very favourite people - my girls, my hubby, and my folks. It was filled with a spectacular cake, special nature finds, hand-made cards and a fancy new camera.

I feel thoroughly celebrated! 

A Childrens' Sewing Project: Snuggle Cushion

The girls and I have begun to sew together. We have done a lot of embroidery together, but this was our first real sewing project. We were going to make pincushions, but the project quickly became something very different and a lot more personal...

The girls made snuggle cushions... an extra special cushion on which they drew a picture of Mummy and Daddy to feel our cuddles all night long. We are all enjoying the snuggle cushion as they have slept very well since making them!

Sciencey Saturday

Crafty Birds - Making Cat and Rabbit Masks (and Tails)

The girls are into playing dress-up these days. They especially like being animals - cats and rabbits are favorites in our house.

Materials:

Cardboard

Felt

Scrap material

Elastic

Pen

Scissors

Glue and brush

Needle and thread

Step 1: Draw and cut animal shapes out of cardboard. To make the masks their own, let your child draw their own animal - Kira made a cat and Nola made a rabbit.

Step 2: Hold the mask up to your child and mark the eye holes. Cut out the eye holes.

Step 3: Paint the glue onto the cardboard mask and attach it to the felt.

Step 4: Cut the felt around the outside of the cardboard.

Step 5: Decorate with scrap material.

Step 6: Hold the mask up to your child so they can see through the eye holes. Mark where the elastic should fit. Make two slits in the cardboard and thread the elastic through the slits.

Step 7: Make sure the elastic is comfortable around your child's head and finish off the elastic by stitching a little cross.

To Make the Tails...

For the cat: cut out and sew a tail shape from scrap material, stuff and attach to ribbon.

For the rabbit: Make a large pom pom, tie a piece of ribbon around the middle of the pom pom that is long enough to tie around your child...

Hi Ohdeedoh!

I am so thrilled that my posts - Preserving Childhood Vacation Memories (found here and here) - were featured on Ohdeedoh today.

Yea!

Cat and Rabbit Masks (and tails...)

Our days are filled with drawing, cutting, gluing, and sparkling.

Most days we draw and cut and glue and sparkle and move onto playing.

Some days everything comes together - Kira’s vision, Nola’s flare, and my enthusiasm – and a whole new game is born.

Yesterday we had one of those days...

(Here are the instructions for your very own mask and tail)

Red, White and Purple

We cut, glued, scrunched, and wrapped, and headed off to the parade...

Zoo Exhibition

The girls and I made these snakes as part of lilla a's zoo exhibition. The invitation was to make a zoo animal out of a toilet paper roll. I cut the roll into 2 snake shapes for each girl to decorate.

I am always fascinated by how the girls' personalities are reflected in their artwork. Nola decorates casually with every medium available. Kira has a monotone idea in her head and she is very focused until she achieves it. 

You can see the entire exhibition here.