Shamrock Shirts & Leprachaun Traps

I had nearly forgotten the fact that St. Patrick's Day is this weekend when A came home from preschool today buzzing with excitement about leprechauns.

Handmade Christmas: Land of Nod Inspired Floor Cushion

When I saw a tutorial for a Land of Nod inspired cushion, I knew it would make the perfect Christmas gift for my girls. This little beauty cost me less than $20 for materials but more than 3 days of blood, sweat and tears. Now that it's finished, I can say I'm really pleased with the way it turned out and can't wait to place it under the Christmas tree.

I wanted to monogram the cushion, but lacking an embroidery machine I settled for an applique. This font is Cooper Std Black. I loved the idea of having a handle for lugging the pillow around and the piping makes it that much cuter.

And of course I couldn't make just one!

Now my each of my girls have a soft place to rest their bum while they read or watch tv. How long do you think it will take before they use those handles to start swinging these puppies at each other? I'm giving it maybe 30 minutes. :)

When I finished up around 11pm last night, my husband asked how much I would sell these on Etsy. I told him $500. Each. Seriously, I am so impressed at you experienced seamstresses who can confidently whip up anything out of fabric and thread... and I will never again cringe at the prices you charge for your creations!

If you want to attempt a cushion of your own, check out this tutorial by Living with Punks.

Crayon Apron & Book Review: ABC Animal Jamboree

I'm still an inexperienced enough seamstress to want to show off my creations with a "Look what I just made! Yes, me! I did it!" You seamstress-extraordinaire-types will no doubt notice the uneven stitching and loose threads, but I'm quite pleased with the result and hope A will be too. We give three presents to each child on Christmas morning (something you want, something you need, and something to share), and this fulfills A's "something you want." She's currently obsessed with crayons so I think she'll love this and hopefully won't use it to go on a graffiti spree in the house.

If you'd like to try to make a last-minute one for your kiddo (or just want to bookmark it for a later date), you can find Samantha @ Bobaloo Kids' tutorial here.

ABC Animal Jamboree by Giles Andreae

Here's a fun picture book that would make a wonderful gift for your little bibliophile. Large, hardback, and with brightly colored illustrations, the book is a collection of poems about animals starting with Angelfish and ending with Zebra. The rhymes are cute and clever: "It's great to be a monkey,/ Swinging through the trees,/ And if we can't find nuts to eat/ We munch each other's fleas!" The illustrations are just as fun and sure to captivate little ones.

The book isn't necessarily meant to be read cover to cover, but rather read selectively, as your child's attention span allows. In the top corner of each page is an upper and lower case letter. A isn't interested in hearing the poems, but she loves to have me read her the names of each letter and look at the corresponding pictures. On the other hand, E can read the poems to herself. This is why I love good picture books - they're enjoyed by all ages!


Disclaimer: ABC Animal Jamboree was provided to me courtesy of Tiger Tails Books free of charge in exchange for a review. This does not in any way influence my review.

Easy Kids Scarf & Review: The Fox in the Dark

It's getting cold here in Virginia and the days are about to get a lot shorter as we leave daylight saving time this week. I have the perfect book for a dark, chilly evening, and a great little craft to go with!

The Fox in the Dark by Alison Green

A rabbit scurries quickly into his little home, relieved to escape what he's sure was a fox in the dark. Soon, there's a knock at the door: "Rat-a-tat-tat!". It's just duck, hoping he could stay the night because there's a fox in the dark. With another "Rat-a-tat-tat!" both mouse and lamb seek shelter from the fox. Rabbit is weary of his house guests when he answers a final knock at the door, only to discover it's the Fox in the Dark!

The story is told in delicious rhymes that delight with each turn of phrase. "Rabbit grumbles a bit. It's not really his habit/ to share with a duck a bed made for a rabbit." I love the subtle humor throughout the story, revealed in the verse and enhanced in the excellent illustrations. For example, at one point little mouse raises his hand to say "I need to wee," and a page later we see lamb cleaning up mouse's puddle. ("Wee" and "puddle," by the way, are wonderfully satisfactory end-rhymes to their individual verses.)

The fox in the dark ends up being a little baby fox who has lost his mama. When Mama Fox predictably knocks on the door, she proves to be a gentle soul, who offers her furry warmth to all the animals to snuggle for the night.

E, my husband, and myself all thoroughly enjoyed this story, as did E's kindergarten class when I read it aloud to them last week. I even had several children hit me up for an encore during lunch! You can't ask for a better endorsement.


Disclaimer: The Fox in the Dark was provided to me courtesy of Tiger Tails Books free of charge in exchange for a review. This does not in any way influence my review.


Easy Kid's Fleece Scarf

I don't have a warm fox to snuggle up to, but I did have some fleece lying around. Last winter, Target sold small fleece blankets in their dollar spot. I picked one up, thinking I could use it for something, and now I have!

What you'll need:
- strip of fleece about 8-9" wide and 4' long
- sewing machine (if desired)
- pony beads (if desired)

1. Fold your strip of fleece lengthwise and pin. Sew together, leaving the ends open. (If you have a good quality fleece, you can skip this step. Just cut your fleece to desired width and leave.)

2. Turn inside out and iron to press.

3. Sew the ends shut, leaving 3" on each end. I used a fancy stitch since I was too lazy to switch out the thread in my machine.

4. Cut strips to create fringe on the end, leaving up to 1/4" at the top.

5. Thread pony beads onto several of the strips, tying off the ends. E used tweezers to help her thread the beads.

6. Stay warm and stylish all winter long!

I'm linking up to:
- ABC & 123 Show & Tell
- Fireflies & Jellybean's SOYS

Halloween! Little Red Riding Hood

You knew I'd do storybook-themed costumes this year (and every year I can convince my children to do so)! This worked out well as E's school is doing a storybook character costume parade tomorrow. Her outfit came together just in time.

I bought red corduroy and red cotton fabric in the hopes of following this pattern from Martha to sew the cape. Aw, hope springs eternal. Turns out I don't have time to sleep let alone sew while getting the house ready to sell. So, I do what I always do... I called my mother in law! She whipped up this beauty in a couple of hours. (Just FYI, she hated the instructions I printed out for her and adjusted a doll pattern she had on hand to make this gorgeous cape.) The dress was a recent purchase from Crazy 8, and that's my favorite little basket.

Isn't she the cutest? I can't wait to take her trick-or-treating on Sunday, and I'm sure she's going to be a hit at the parade tomorrow.

Little Red Riding Hood by Andrea Wisnewski


This is my absolute favorite version of Little Red Riding Hood. The woodcut illustrations are gorgeous and add a feeling of history to this classic folk tale. The story is a bit more contemporary than traditional Brothers Grimm translations, and I love that it's the father instead of a huntsman who rescues the child. It's an all-around beautiful retelling of the beloved story, so ignore other versions and check out this one first!

Cleaning with Kids: Sock Puppet Dusters

"Hello. I eat dust."

Forcing children to dust the baseboards is a time-honored tradition spanning generations in my family. In the hopes of raising it out of drudgery, we created sock puppet dusters this afternoon. I'm afraid E found making the puppet a lot more interesting than using the puppet, but regardless the base boards are now dust-free.

What you'll need:
- an old sock
- two buttons
- thread, needle, scissors
- yarn

1. Mold the sock around your child's hand to form the puppet. Remove while keeping that shape and sew a few stitches on the sides to help secure it.

2. If she/he is old enough, teach your child to sew on the buttons for eyes.

3. Wrap the yarn around your child's hand several times.

4. Tie off in the middle and snip the ends to create the hair. Sew the mop onto the top of the puppet.

5. Feed that puppet dust... lots and lots of dust!

Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas

I rarely recommend books I myself have not read, but I just couldn't resist this one. The illustrations look so cute and the story sounds perfect for toddlers, but Daggonit! I can't get my hands on a copy. It's not at the library or any of our local Barnes & Nobles, but it got rave reviews by parents on Amazon.

Three little dust bunnies love to rhyme, but the fourth dust bunny just doesn't seem to get it. When the first three list off rhyming words (far! jar! tar!) the fourth yells "look"! This continues throughout the book until the appearance of a vacuum cleaner and broom reveal what the fourth was carrying on about. The bright illustrations are sure to appeal to little ones while the text teaches simple rhymes. If you see this title around town, take a peek and let me know if it's as good as it looks!

I'm linking up to:
- stART @ A Mommy's Adventures

Give the Gift of Fish!

My sister found this post showing the fishing game Christine @ From An Igloo made her children. My sister - being my sister - immediately posted it on my Facebook page. I believe her exact words were "My boys would LOVE to get something like this from their Aunt!" I - being the awesome sister and Aunt that I am - happily obliged.

Being a follower of blog etiquette, I won't recreate Christine's tutorial for you, but here are some ways I made the project extra-special (and in some ways easier):

1. Use coordinating fabrics. I'm the queen of buying the supplies for a sewing project and then never actually sewing the project. This has given me a large collection of coordinating materials, including the selection of 5 green and blue fabrics that looked adorable as fishies. I used each fabric twice to create 10 fish total.

2. Use two fish templates. I created two fish from each fabric, one in each template. I used Christine's template and then google-imaged "fish template" to find another with a smaller tail. With two fish sizes, the kids have more options for playing matching games.

3. Get thee to a hardware store. Other than the fabric and buttons, everything else you need will be at a hardware store: dowels, twine, washers, magnets, glue. I bought one long dowel and had my hubby cut it in half and drill holes through the ends for the twine. If you don't want to drill, you can carve a notch on the end and tie the twine tightly in the groove. Make sure you make at least two fishing rods!

4. Glue the magnet. I'll admit it: I have a fear of power tools. There was no way I was going to drill through a magnet or ask my husband to do so (especially late at night when I was finishing this up). If you have the same irrational fears (or don't own a drill) just glue it. I traced the magnet on some scrap fabric and glued the end of the twine between the magnet and fabric. Worked great.

5. Personalize your bucket. You can find buckets at the dollar store, including some good quality ones with rope handles. I got this tin bucket in Target's dollar spot. To make it extra-special, mod podge the child's initial on the front. I printed out an A in a font I liked, cut it out and traced it onto some scrapbook paper I already had on hand. A little mod-podge magic and we were good to go!

The gift, it seems, was a hit! You've got to feel good about giving simple, homemade gifts kids love.

And if you need a book to give along with the game...

Not Norman: A Goldfish Story by Kelly Bennett

Any book subtitled "A Goldfish Story" has got to be good! There are so many things I love about this little story: I love the flat and vibrant illustrations; I love that the protagonist is African American; I love the straightforward sentences; and I love the message of true friendship.

A little boy wants a pet for his birthday and is bitterly disappointed when he gets a goldfish. But as the two develop a sweet friendship, he realizes he wouldn't want any other pet. Be forewarned: by the end of the story, your child might not want any other pet, either!


I'm linking up to:
- SOYS @ Fireflies & Jellybeans

The Best Birthday Gift Ever

Okay, so that might be a slight exaggeration, but it's certainly the best birthday gift I've ever made. I am a novice seamstress, at best, so I am prodigiously proud of myself for crafting this adorable little travel doll house.

Let's take a tour, shall we? You'll notice the exterior of the house is decorated with extra touches like an arched door and appliqued hearts.

Coordinating buttons and elastic loops keep everything secure until we're ready to head inside...

 ... and meet the current tenants! For years I've been wanting an excuse to buy the girls a Calico Critters set. Now that I have the perfect home for them, they happily took up residence.

So how did I make it? With blood, sweat, tears, and the occasional curse word! I found the tutorial from Dawn @ UK Lass in US via Jeanine @ Serving Pink Lemonade. Both of these extraordinarily talented ladies used the words "easy" and "simple" in their posts. I'm sure it was easy and simple for both of them, but it was two days of sewing warfare for me. While you don't need more than basic sewing skills to make the house, the project is difficult for a newbie like myself.

The structure of the house is formed from plastic canvas wrapped in batting. You quilt together the covering for the canvas pieces and lay it out in a open box pattern. Then it's simply a matter of hand-stitching the one side in place and adding the details. Dawn gives a very detailed tutorial that most of you will probably read and think "wow! That is easy! Christianne must be one spatially-challenged wannabe seamstress!" You'd be right.

So you'll forgive me if I toot my own horn a bit. Not only did the birthday girl love her gift, but we gave it a place of honor in the playroom: it's own spot on the bookshelf!

What else is on that bookshelf? Well, A's other birthday gift...

On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

I've seen this book around, but lumped it with the sentimental "you're special" books that parents cry through and kids yawn during. We have several such books which I love and my kids can't sit still through. I am so glad I gave this one a second chance!

The illustrations are gorgeous and downright magical at times. The story explains how all of nature rejoiced on the night "you" were born. What sets this book apart - besides the phenomenal artwork - are the interactive moments throughout. Your child is encouraged to whisper their name (just as the wind is doing) and wiggle their toes (those "silly, wiggly wonderful toes"). These asides to the reader early in the story grab the child's attention, while the short sentences on each page and brilliant illustrations hold it.

My girls sat enraptured by the story while I read it at bedtime... and yes, I cried at the end. Because truly, my dear A,  

"Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn

on the wonderful, marvelous night you were born."

I'm linking up to:

A Picnic Birthday

My baby turned 2 this week! To celebrate we invited family over for a picnic-themed birthday party. Due to the extreme heatwave buffeting the east coast, we were forced to make it an indoor picnic, but those pesky ants found us anyway!

This cake was fairly simple to make. M&Ms provided the body of the ants, while melted chocolate "piped" with a toothpick formed the legs and antennae. The picnic blanket was a fruit roll-up that I fringed along the edges with scissors. I also cut marshmallows to make the plates. The watermelon are sourpatch watermelon candies from Target which I sliced. The awesome coca-cola bottles and pizza slices were part of a gummy candy set my husband found at Walgreens. Perfect, huh? (They actually tasted like Coke!)

The cake worked as a perfect centerpiece until it was time to light the candles!

While us adults sat in the dining room, the kids enjoyed their dinner in true picnic fashion... on the floor.

I had to change my menu last minute so my husband wouldn't pass out from heat stroke while trying to grill in 103 degree temperatures. So instead of grilling, I tried this Cafe Rio Pork Salad recipe a friend recommended. It was delish, as was my hub's homemade salad and guacamole.

To go along with the picnic theme, I used red plastic tablecloths from Target on the table and floor, and lined my serving table with leftover fabric from my pennant banner:

Pennant banners are so easy to make and super-popular in catalogs like Pottery Barn Kids. To sew your own, simply cut out triangles from coordinating fabrics. (I used this template for my triangle.) I made nine pennants, so that's 18 triangles. Pin the triangles together, right sides facing in, and sew down one side and up the other. Flip right side out and iron flat. Now tuck the non-sewn edge in (so it looks like a seam) and iron flat. Pin the pennants onto a grosgrain ribbon (this one is nine feet) at regular intervals (I did 2 inches apart), making sure to leave plenty of extra ribbon on each end. Sew the pennants to the ribbon. Voila! A beautiful pennant banner, perfect for your next party!

I didn't read any books at the party, but there are numerous good picnic books out there. The Teddy Bears' Picnic is probably my favorite, but we also love McDuff Saves the Day.

What about you? Do you have any good picnic-themed books to share?

I'm linking up to: