Easy Batiking!

Don't you love batik? There's an easy way of creating fun, colorful batiks with your kids that doesn't involve hot wax. I found the method on That Artist Woman and tried it out for myself. Here's how we created this fun Batik Pillow.

You'll need:

• 2 pieces of same-sized fabric
• gel glue (I'll explain later)
• acrylic paint
• paint brushes, water

1. Trace or draw your design lightly on the fabric with pencil.
I googled "elephant coloring page" and found a design I liked for my panel. For E's panel, I simply traced over one of her recent paintings. If you wanted, you could simply have your child skip this step and draw straight with glue.

2. Trace over the pencil with the glue.
Gale @ That Artist Woman used Elmers galatic glue. I couldn't find it or her other recommendation: Elmers washable school gel glue at Walmart. (I wasn't about to make a special trip.) What I did find was Clear Gel Tacky Glue. I think what's important is that the glue is not for fabric and is in gel form. I tried using good ol' school glue, but it spreads once it's on the fabric, so stick with gel glues.

3. Allow to dry overnight. 

4. Mix acrylic paint with water to make a very runny paint.

5. Paint!
The glue will not repel the paint, but don't worry, it'll wash out later.

6. Allow to dry. Again. 
This should only take a few hours.

7. Soak in the bathtub in very warm (almost hot) water for around 20 minutes.

8. Remove the glue.
At this point the glue will have softened up. Rub the fabric to loosen the paint over the glue. It will come off in flakes into the water. Then you can take a nail brush and scrub off the remaining glue.

9. Wring out and dry (in the dryer, if you'd like).

10. Sew into a pillow!

E keeps trying to convince me that we need to send the pillow to our Compassion child Aom in Thailand. I love the sentiment, but I think I'll pass on the international shipping!


An Elephant in the Backyard by Richard Sobol

I don't choose non-fiction very often, but this one is definitely worth a look. It tells the story of the elephants of Tha Klang, Thailand. The people in this village have been raising and training elephants for hundreds of years. The book introduces one special baby elephant, Wan Pen, and explains how the elephant lives with her human family and is trained.

Although written for older children, E sat through the entire reading and really enjoyed the pictures of Wan Pen with the Thai children. Even A seemed to like the full-color photography of elephants and daily life in the village.

Afterward, I got to share a few pictures of my own elephant trekking experience in Thailand! Who knows? Maybe these were elephants from Tha Klang!

I'm linking up with:
- Show Off Your Stuff @ Fireflies & Jellybeans
- stART @ A Mommy's Adventures

Christmas Favorites! A Little Angel

We continue our week of my favorite Christmas stories... and a few great craft and project ideas, too!

The Craft - A Poinsettia Angel


I got this idea from my sister who did something similar with a silk magnolia blossom. When I went to Michaels (oh, you lucky, lucky ladies who live near a Hobby Lobby!) to buy a magnolia it was over $10! I found this poinsettia for half the price and decided I could make it work. Here's how I did it:

1. Gather your materials: a wired silk flower, a wooden ball for the head, a hot glue gun, and moss for the hair.
   
   
   
2. Twist the stem to create a base. I found wrapping it around something works best. I used a turkey baster... at least it's being used for something!
   
   
   
3. Fold the flowers down to create the angel's dress. Two smaller petals will form her arms and you'll need one in the back to fold over the wings.
   
   
   
4. Glue on the head. At this point you can add moss for hair. Attempting to save some money I bought spanish moss instead of reindeer moss. Big mistake. She looked like a clown, no matter how hard I tried to rearrange it. In the end I left her bald.
   
   
   
5. If you are using a magnolia blossom, remove the leaves and attach them behind the head, either with hot glue or by twisting them around a petal. Then fold down the third small petal to cover them. If you are using a poinsettia, please forgo this step or your angel will look like she is part dragon, and nothing says Christmas like a fire-breathing angel!
   
   
   
   
6. Use gold string or wire to create a halo for your lovely little angel. If the leaves don't work as wings for you, just fluff up two likely-looking petals and make them into wings. Now set her where she'll bring holiday cheer to all who come near!
   
   
   
7. And if your four-year-old breaks down in hysterics because the angel doesn't have a face, go ahead and give her some eyes. :)
   
   

The Book - The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell

I hesitated listing this story, and to tell you the truth I have never read it to E. In the past she has been too little to sit through such a long story, but this year I'm refraining because the theology is horrible. People do not become angels when they die, Heaven is not a place of golden clouds, and we will not play harps or wear halos. I believe Heaven is a real place and I don't wish my impressionable preschooler to get images of choirs in robes stuck in her head when we talk about it.

That being said, I personally love this book. If you can get past the make-believe world Tazewell creates, the story beautifully demonstrates the transforming power of God's love. When Jesus is born into the world, the Littlest Angel - a screw up in so many ways - presents his most valued treasure to the Lord. Inside a simple box are items the Littlest Angel loves: a butterfly wing, two small stones, a robin's egg. When the Littlest Angel sees all the beautiful and costly gifts the other angels have given, he longs to take back his humble gift. Yet God sees the gift for what it was, a sacrifice of love, and honors it by turning it into the star of Bethlehem.

I cry every time.

I love parties, so I'm linking up with:
- Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage
- DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land
- Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog

Thanksgiving! Turkey Placemats

Thanksgiving is next week! Don't forget to start defrosting your turkey soon. How soon? I have no idea - I've never cooked a turkey. Speaking of turkeys...

The Book - An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott

Mrs. Bassett is starting to prepare the thanksgiving turkey when someone arrives to tell her that her mother is ill. Mr. and Mrs. Bassett rush off, leaving Tilly, their oldest of six children, in charge. She decides to go ahead with the thanksgiving preparations to surprise her parents when they return. With the help of her sisters, Tilly creates a memorable meal!

Although it is probably too long for younger children, this is a sweet story girls will love. The illustrations by James Bernardin are beautiful and nostalgic, full of candle and firelight. The characters are Little House-esque (or maybe Little Women-esque) and will capture the imagination of the little girl in your life. On the last page of the book is a recipe for Louisa May Alcott's Apple Slump.

The Craft - Turkey Placemats


Isn't he cute? I've been seeing some hand print turkey appliques on the blogosphere and thought they would make great Thanksgiving placemats. Never mind that I have no clue how to applique anything; I've conquered my fear of the sewing machine! So I bought four green placemats from Walmart for less than $2 each, traced my family members' hands, and sat down to work.

First I cut out a square of fabric (leftover from my pumpkins) around my handprint. Then I stitch-witched to the placemat the part of the fabric that would lay over the palm.


Next, I pinned the handprint to the the square and placemat. Doesn't it look painful?


Setting my sewing machine on the slowest setting - because maybe I haven't entirely gotten over my sewingmachineophobia - I stitched around the fingers.


Ta-da! Unpin the hand and you've got... a hand.


Carefully trim off the excess fabric. Using the machine, stitch two little legs. Then handsew a button for the eye and a piece of felt for the waddle. And suddenly that hand is now a turkey, ready to make your Thanksgiving table extra special!

I only had time to make my placemat, so I have three more of these gobblers to create. I'll probably handstitch the girls', because their hands are so small. Just think how fun it will be next November when we pull these out and see how much their hands have grown!

Turkey Day! Apple Turkeys

I went to the mall yesterday, and it looked like Christmas had puked all over the place. For those of you who love to see the holiday season begin the day after Halloween, you'll have to forgive me. I refuse to deck the halls until after Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. It's probably the least commercialized of the major holidays and focuses on gratitude, family, and food. How great is that? So expect the next two weeks to be full of turkeys, thankfulness, and lots of yummy recipes as we gear up for my favorite holiday!

The Book - 10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston

There will be serious, moral, and educational books about Thanksgiving to come, so I thought I'd start off with a completely silly, nonsensical story. 10 turkeys take turns showing off their stuff (rollerskating, dancing, vine-swinging...) and each fall off of the fence on which they are sitting. The rhymes are cute and tongue-twisty, the illustrations adorable, and the turkey-antics sure to please the toddler or preschooler in your life!

The Craft/Snack - Turkey Apples


Surprise your kids with a healthy - and adorable - snack, or have them create their own. I've seen these pop up on the web, most recently from Marie at Makes and Takes - how on earth was she able to thread popcorn on the toothpicks? - and knew we had to make our own. So I scoured our cupboards and poured likely toppings into bowls.


Little Page adorned her toothpicks with cheerios, craisins, raisins, and marshmallows. That left one empty toothpick. She insisted on my finding a fifth topping and when popcorn didn't work, we turned to goldfish. Having filled all five tail "feathers", I cut a toothpick in half and added mini marshmallows and raisin pieces for eyes. Then I stuck toothpicks in the front and one in the back to stabilize the turkey. Finally I could use at least a couple pieces of that batch of popcorn!

I thought we were finished, but Little Page said a turkey needs a beak and a "waddle". (Did you know it was called a waddle? Clearly they've been learning about turkeys in school.) A goldfish worked for the nose and a craisin filled in for the waddle.


After I put the girls down for a nap, I looked at my turkey and decided Little Page was right. It at least needed a beak. I think the candy corn works better, don't you?

Gobble, gobble! Gulp!

Adventure - Introducing Letterboxing

Nearly nine years ago, my husband asked me to start an adventure with him. Marrying him and then raising children together has been a fabulous, frightening, wild ride. Neither of us are "thrill seekers" but we enjoy passing on a love for fun and adventure to our children. Our newest hobby takes us to new places, allows us to "meet" new people, and is absolutely free! I can't wait to share it with you. But first...

The Books - I Spy

I love these books from Scholastic! Each book contains page after page of crowded images. On each page, children see if they can spy certain items in each picture. We received an I Spy board book from the doctor at Littlest Page's last appointment, and I was impressed that she could point to different items when I asked. Little Page reads some of the older I Spy books which include word puzzles great for early literacy. These books are fabulous for long rainy afternoons, road trips, or any other time you need a little adventure without leaving the house.

The Activity - Letterboxing

Letterboxing is a hobby enjoyed by people around the world. It involves finding hidden boxes based on clues posted on a website and then stamping a "passport" to show you were there. So simple and so much fun.

1. First, you'll want to go to a website to see what boxes are in your area. Atlasquest.com and Letterboxing.org are two of the main websites for North America. Both sites allow you to search for clues to boxes in your city. (Tip: Take note if the box is considered "active" and when it was last found. You'll have better luck finding a box that was recently discovered.)
   
   
2. Pack up a stamp (see tutorial below), a pad of paper or notebook, an ink pad, and your family!
   
   
3. Follow the directions in the clue. We chose a box at a local park. The directions were simple enough for Little Page to follow. We started at an old caboose located in the park, passed a couple posts, looked for an electrical box with a #16 on it, then walked several yards into the woods where the box was hidden at the base of a large oak.
   
   This box took only a few minutes to find, and Little Page led the way. She was so excited to look for each new landmark and finally uncover the box!
   
   
4. Find the stamp in the box. Most of these stamps are beautiful, hand-carved works of art. This one was created by "Dulcimer Dave" and is a replica of the caboose in the park.
   
   
   
5. Stamp your notebook with the box's stamp and write the date and location. Instead of a notepad, I used a 4x6 index card which I then placed in a small photo album.
   
   
   
6. Now stamp your stamp in the notepad provided inside the box. You can write a message to the owner of the box if you'd like. We really enjoyed seeing all of the elaborate and beautiful stamps others had added to the book as well as reading their messages.
   
   That's it! There are boxes all over the states, so we plan on working letterboxing into future family vacations and road trips. You can even create boxes of your own for others to find. But first you'll need a stamp...
   

The Craft - MYO Stamp

Part of the fun of letterboxing is making a personal stamp. The stamps range from incredibly elaborate to fairly simple, but your kids can make their own stamp with just a few steps!

1. Gather a jar lid and foam stickers.
   
   
   
2. Let your child arrange the stickers on the lid.
   
   
   
3. Stamp!
   
   
   
4. For more detail, use a pencil to indent the foam. If you write a word, don't forget to write the letters backwards!
   
   

Our letterboxing stamp:


For more information on letterboxing, visit www.letterboxing.org. It's a great family-friendly activity I encourage you to try!