Esme's Quiet Book

I'm a week late, but happy with the result.  Little bit fun, little bit educational.

Decorate snowman, easter egg, and pumpkin with cutouts from pocket.
Looks like I need a carrot nose and coal eyes.  Expanded idea from here.

Cat and dog share a house, but not food. Thank you craft store for the cat/dog
cutouts.

Mini fishing game, super-strong magnets make it a little too easy.

Eyelets help the hands move and hopefully make it harder for them to get ripped off.

My favorite page.  Mama sits in a chair, 

reads baby a story, and puts her to bed.  Mama/baby copied from here.

Button flowers (I've still never sewn a button hole on the sewing machine).

Match shapes and snap on/off. 

Whoooo-Whooooo

Eli wants an owl for Christmas and has been into the bird/egg/nest idea. So I copied another idea from someone on Etsy. It was just too perfect. I added the little bark texture and a couple of wooden eggs. Brian says I should make these things to sell. Only problem...it took me so long I'd want to sell it for like $50. The lady on Etsy, only $30. A steal. Now I know.

Puppets!

So a couple of days ago my friend Wendy invited us to her girls' (twins) birthday party today. For gifts I like to ask what the birthday kids are into so my hard work is more likely appreciated. Even better, Wendy said she was making the girls a puppet theater for Christmas and that puppets would be good, so the girls get a present and mom can check a couple of things off her to-do list. I went to my favorite craft blog roundup and entered in "puppet" and found the best tutorial, stopped looking as soon as I found it.  The amazingly talented/creative lady at Just Another Day In Paradise put an Old McDonald Puppet tutorial for a competition. I love all the detail, even the back of the animals are fun.

Okay, gotta get ready for the party.

HeartFELT Christmas

Doubling my felt stash recently has got me downright giddy. The possibilities are endless. I'm trying to make most of my Christmas gifts and there are so many things to do with felt, I can't even pick which ornaments or colors for a garland.

Christmas preparation is in full swing around here, and I haven't even considered the Thanksgiving menu. I can't blame it on the music in the stores because it started before that.  The longer I'm a mom, the more I realize I must plan ahead. Start packing up an hour before I actually want to leave, brainstorm holiday projects months in advance. Or maybe it's just the cold weather. Whatever the cause, I've started, and the cute, easy things that can be done with felt are only fueling my early crafting. It doesn't take sewing skills or even a machine. Some needle, thread, inexpensive felt and I can work while Brian watches a movie. It still counts as husband time even if I'm sewing, right?

Well, here are my plans so far.

 For the visiting teachees (all 5 of them!) I'm thinking of making a poinsettia clip like this one that can decorate their hair, a shirt, or a gift.

Brian and I are both wishing he had an i-pad/book/phone/pod, me so I could whip up a cover for it. Better buy one so I can make a cool cover.  Nah. I'll just make a picture frame like this.

The kids will be the most work. Since Esme's favorite task at church is to empty all purses within her reach, I thought I'd sew her a little bag filled with purse-y things- keys, make-up mirror (obviously not in my bag, but), phone, and wallet complete with credit cards. I'm up for more ideas if anyone has any.  I guess the wallet will be the only felt thing inside since kids prefer real things, like an actual cell phones to a toy phone.
I love how the other moms are happy to let her dig through their bags and the ladies without kids guard their purses like she's going to steal/break everything inside. Hopefully her "first purse" will set them at ease.

Eli's list is long.  Well, it wasn't too long until he decided his toys wanted toys for Christmas. He was only going to require a toy owl (which I will copy this beautiful idea since he's obsessed with the bird, nest, egg idea), but then he came in with his stuffed mouse, then cat, then dog and asked each one what they want for Christmas. Luckily he translated for them and told me they each want a baby.  To add to the owl and mouse/dog/cat babies I'm including something I want him to have.

A mini baking set. I bought a several miniature baking supplies- bundt pan, tart pan, and 6 super-tiny ones for cupcakes and even a little wooden kitchenaid mixer. My first project, which I'm in the middle of is to make a little tart, cake, cookies and cupcakes for him to bake. So far the felt pear tart and sugar cookies are done.


Now for a lemon bundt cake.  Better get working. Precious double nap time is burning.  

Oh, and if anyone else wants to start a felt addiction, here's a good place to look:  Felt-o-rama.

Chore Chart

I still haven't figured out if Eli is lucky or not. This is his hand-made present from mom for his birthday coming up Sunday. I thought of a chore chart many months ago in an attempt to teach the little guy about time (days of the week), work, money, tithing, independence, patience, etc. I looked around online and couldn't find anything good to copy- my preferred method of brainstorming. I wanted something visual, making it a little more fun, easier for a non-reader, and versatile. Dishes could be, setting the table or helping put dishes away. Clothes couuld be folding, sorting, or putting away. Anyway, I hit a snag and the pieces have been laying on my desk for months. Today I finally finished it.

The magnetic strip my sister gave me years ago has come in handy again. So hot glue holds the felt figures together and the magnets on, which hold them to the magnetic strip. The chores to be done will be on a small bottom strip and each day, he does a chore and moves its felt representation up under the day of the week.  Don't worry, he's not working too hard.  Sunday is church/rest and Saturday is Pay Day.

Squeek, Squeek!

munch....munch

We were excited this year when we realized Eli finally understands Halloween, picking out a costume, building up to the day, not just the immediate gratification of trick-or-treating. I showed him some Martha costumes and he came up with his own. He loves mice, has lost 3 of his 4 stuffed rodents because he takes them everywhere. A couple of days ago I sewed up some ears, nose, and a tail with felt. I couldn't find any tutorials, so this is what I came up with. What do you think, does it need something more? Maybe a round of felt on the belly? Is the nose piece too big? His cheese sack is my favorite part of the whole thing.  I feel like a genius when I see it. Haha.

Fish

You'd think we lived by the ocean and fishing was our livelihood by how the boys always talk about their next fishing trip. Eli's got it down. Dad will catch a big one, he'll catch a small one, and then they'll come home and cook them. And I just finished making another fishing game.

I decided to simplify and realized I like the minimalist look better anyway. It was hard to say good-bye to this project, but Emi's totally worth it. Hopefully it buys her parents a couple minutes of peace with this crazy girl on their long flight to Japan.