Happy Holidays!

The holiday have crept up on me this year. With this being Ella's first, I have obsessed over making everything absolutely perfect. My side projects had to take a backseat, which is why my only Christmas craft that I posted was a count down. Thankfully, they are over and Mommy can breathe again. I do have to say that all the trouble was worth it and my sweet girl had a blast and has been enjoying her presents greatly. The crafts will start back up as soon as the little one starts feeling better. Daycare had a nasty virus run through and we have been taking care of that. I am happy to say that she is doing better and will be back to her happy little self soon.

my little elf enjoying the best 

seat in the house

Christmas Countdown

One of the best things about the beginning of December is pulling out the decorations and getting ready for the holidays. Advent calendars are a fun way to keep track of the days you have left until Christmas. I remember, as a kid, moving the little star from day to day and getting more and more excited as it got closer to the 24^th and 25^th.  

                The one that I have created her takes the form of the Nordic Christmas Calendar and starts counting on December 1^st and ends with Christmas day. The materials used will depend on how you want your calendar to look. They can be made of painted wood, fabric, paper, and more. As always there is no wrong answer. Here I have chosen to go the fabric route and make good use out of my random scraps of trim and batting. If you are not comfortable with a sewing machine, you can use a fabric glue. I do not recommend letting the little ones construct this one. They will enjoy supervising and decorating the little tree though, I am sure.

You will need:

¾ yard green felt

¼ yard white felt cut into 2’’ by 2’’ squares

Various colored scraps

Trim scraps

Puffy fabric paint

Ribbon

Pipe cleaners in red and white

The process I used:

1.       Draw your tree pattern and cut it out of your green felt. I folded my felt in half to make sure both sides are the same when cutting. Sewing them together around the edge with extra batting left over from a quilt I’m working on giving it some stability as well as a little depth with some simple quilting.

2.       You will want to write the numbers from 1 to 25 on the 2’’ squares with the puffy paint and allow to dry completely.

3.       Cutting ornament shapes from smaller scraps of felt, we placed them on the tree and topstitched them down. Again, you can glue them in place if you do not want to sew.  Less is more at this point since you will be adding the date pockets on top of these guys. once the numbers are dry, you can place them on the tree to test your layout.

4.       Attach your trim. I used hot glue for this since I used sequins and wanted them to lay on top and not press into the tree.

5.       Finalize position of the date pocket and attach them to the tree at the sides and bottom. I top stitched them but glue can be used here as well.

6.       Twist together red and white pipe cleaners, fold in half and twist again. Bend into candy cane shape.

7.       Attach ribbon to the top of the tree and to the candy cane. The ribbon needs to be long enough to reach all pockets easily. Add a loop of ribbon to top as a hanger.

8.       Tuck candy cane into the pocket to mark the days and enjoy for years to come.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving. We had a great time visiting with family and eating way too much. This being my little bug’s first holiday season, it is a pretty big deal to me. I want to make all her first memorable and special. Handmade keepsakes, for me, complement photos. I made a blanket, and her little costume, for her first Halloween that she could use for her first trip to Boo at the Zoo.

I have loved hand turkeys forever. There is just something about this Thanksgiving classic that is just the cutest thing to me. That is why I chose this as her Thanksgiving keepsake.

Salt Dough Hand Turkeys

Supplies:

·         Salt dough

·         Your little one’s hand

·         Paint

·         Clay tools (these can vary depending on what embellishments you want to do)

·         Oven

1.       Start out with mixing up your salt dough. Combine 1 cup salt with 2 cups all-purpose flour. Kneed in a cup of warm water and work until dough is smooth.

2.       Flatten dough to be about half an inch thick and help your little one press their hand into desired spot. You can also use tools that would normally be used with polymer or air dry clay to embellish your piece. Here I have used letter stamps to add the wording.

3.       Bake your piece for 45 minutes at 325F. For thicker pieces, more time may be needed. You will want to check your turkey every little bit to make sure that it is not warping. Let it cool completely. 

4.       Decorate your turkey and enjoy.

Pine Cone Turkeys!

Holiday Crafting Time!

This time of year is so fun for our little ones. No matter what your family believes there are exciting things taking place whether it is a fun holiday or a snow day. With Thanksgiving coming up, I wanted to take a look at fun turkey crafts you can make with your little pilgrims. I hope you enjoy creating this little guy and remember that there is no wrong way in arts and crafts. 

Pine cone Turkey

You will need:

Good sized pine cone

Construction paper in brown, orange,red, and yellow

Googly eyes

Glue

1.      Lay your pine cone on its side. It is helpful to choose a pine cone that will stay put when laying down. 

2.       Cut construction paper in to feather shapes and a head for your turkey. The shape that I used is close to a stretched rain drop with the tip cut off. 

3.       Glue feathers into the wide end of the pine cone and the head into the narrow end. The type of glue depends on personal preference, however, I do not recommend a glue stick for anything but the face. 

4.       Add the eyes and waddle to his little turkey face and glue into the front of your pine cone. 

5.       Have fun with it! 

You can use smaller pine cones to make smaller turkeys to add into wreaths or a big one and use as a cute center piece. Your kids will have a blast helping to make the decor and even more fun showing them off to family. 

Hello Internet!

It has been a super huge year for my family. As they say, we grew by 2 little feet and we bought our first home. No more apartment living! Starting this new chapter of life as parents, I figured I would start this fun little blog and finally get my store going.

I found out that I was pregnant last year right before Christmas and things haven't slowed down since. To keep my mind from turning on me and coming up with scary things that could be wrong with me or my baby, I scoured Pinterest for all the little projects I could find. How would I decorate the nursery? What toys or clothes could I make? Toys are my favorites to make yet blankies have been handier. My little one has a tendency to be cold just like her mommy.

My family has always been crafty. It is basically tradition. My great grandmother started teaching me to sew when I was very young and my interest has only grown from there. Handmade items are a big deal for us whether sewn, quilted, knit, or whatever other skill you may have. Crafting for kids is really a ton of fun and, with this blog, I would love to share what I know and have found with all of you so you can craft for your own little wild child. Now I have been told so many times, now that my little bug is here, that I have to do things for myself as well. That being said, I have some fun things for Mommy as well. 

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.