Woah baby!

I love making things for babies. Lucky for me, three of my friends have buns in the oven- that satisfies my uncontrollable need to craft for a while.

First up is my good friend Lisa. Lisa is having a little girl. I should say, another little girl. Yep, Lisa, come the end of March will be the proud mum of 3 little girls (all under 3). I know right?.... all under 3!!!! She's a saint. And a diaper changing machine. Not to mention, a wonderful, fun and patient mum. I have so much admiration for her work ethic and skills, it's remarkable really. She's so patient. I really admire that, because, patience is something in diametrical opposition to my personality.

Now as you can well imagine, Lisa has very little need for your typical baby gifts. I have two boys, 2 and a half years apart, and I'm drowning in mountains of out-grown clothes. I can only presume that as a mum of girls, Lisa also has tons. So I wasn't too keen to do what I usually do when friends are having girls- live vicariously through them by buying and knitting sweet little things that as a mother of boys I cannot indulge in myself.  I controlled that urge when thinking of what to do for Lisa.

See, when I was pregnant with Matteo I was sure I was having a girl. Positive. You have to understand, I'm a very girlie girl. I am not interested in sports, I played Barbies, had lots of dolls, loved to craft, sing etc. When we were in the delivery room, and Matteo made his grand entrance, the doctor told Ethan to tell me what it was "It's a boy!". My response: "Are you sure??". Ethan: "Uh- yeah. Quite sure- that is most definitely a boy". There is more to this conversation that is too crass for mixed company, but suffice it to say, as much as I did, and do, love my son, I was bummed about the shopping end of things. I made sure during my second pregnancy to find out the baby's gender, so as to avoid that same awkward conversation again. And also, I have to admit, we've come a long way from boys clothes of the 1980's that I remember so well: sweat pants, and jammers with hideous cartoon characters all over them. Those still exist for sure, but luckily there are some pretty styling options for boys too now. What was I writing about? Right. Sewing.

Around Matteo's birthday, Lisa had commented on a "Happy Birthday" pennant banner that my mum had made for my kids.

I had first seen these on Etsy, and quickly decided that I could do it myself. Then, I quickly decided that my mum had more time and patience than I do, not to mention skill. I admit it, I pawned the project off on her. And she came through in spades! She showed up to Elio's 1st birthday pattern with the exact banner I had in my head. I love it so much.  Being the sewing rockstar that she is, she even made separate name pennants that we just pin on for the appropriate celebration.


I thought about it and decided that although, kind of a weird gift, this could be a fun thing to receive. At the very least, it wouldn't be anything that she'd get two of. So I went fabric shopping. The banner was actually super easy, completed during the course of two naps and one evening. (Just like I now tell time in Sesame Streets and Batmans, longer durations of work are calculated by naps now.) Here's how this went:

I cut out 26 triangles.

I sewed said triangles together, then turned them right side out and ironed them.

Using double fold bias tape, I sewed the babies together. I left a little space between where the Y of "happy" will go and the B of "birthday". My mum didn't use bias tape. She was making the banner out of a sheet, so she had a nice long stretch of fabric and used that. I didn't want to have to buy yards of fabric for the sake of a long skinny ribbon, in all honesty, I'm far too lazy to piece shorter lengths together for the same result. Bias tape worked nicely, but you are limited in colour choices.

Here's what the thing looked like. If I was smart, I would have sewed the letters on before sewing this sucker together. But sometimes, I'm a couple sandwiches short of the proverbial picnic. It wasn't a big deal, but it was a bit awkward to manoeuvre the whole thing through my machine given its length.








Next, I cut the letters out of felt. The sky is the limit on this. Pick your favourite font. I ended up using 325 pt. font.

Voila.

A close up.

I had lots of fabric left, and since I was making this as a gift, I thought I'd make a little draw string bag for the banner. This way it would store neatly without coming unfolded. I cut 4 rectangles out of the fabric

Next I sewed them up (two together) on three sides. On one of the sewed up pairs I left a three inch opening- I'm pointing to it. I don't have a serger. I would LOVE a serger. But until then, I have to be creative as to how not to have ugly raw edges showing. So I lined this bag (that's why I used 4 rectangles not 2). Are you grasping the extent of my type A personality? I know. It is a bag for a happy birthday banner. No one will see the inside, and it will surface about 5 time a year. The stupidity of this attention to detail is not lost on me. But I can't help myself.

I then turned the bag without the 3 inch opening right side out, and stuffed it inside the bag with the opening, right sides together.

Next I sewed up the top edge (the edge of the bag opening.

I pulled the whole thing right side out through the three inch opening. I hand sewed the opening, and pushed that bag through the bag that didn't have an opening. Wow... could that be any wordier?

Next, using single fold bias tape, I made a casing on the inside of the bag. I braided some cord and threaded it through.

The finished product

I hope that Lisa and her girls enjoy this. It was a fun one to make. I really like this project as there are so many possibilities. How about a name banner to tie on the outside of a crib? I'm thinking of making a banner for the mantel at Christmas time. My mum had a great idea when we chatted on the phone this morning- why not make it double sided- one side with girly fabric, and one side with fabric for a boy- she's very clever. 

Happy trails!

Eat the rainbow

I'm fairly sure that when they say that, they are not referring to Fruit Loops. That being said, there is a large bag of Fruit Loops on my kitchen counter. But in my defence, they were purchased for crafting purposes. I would be lying however, if I said Elio didn't love them. I would be lying also if I said Ethan didn't love them. Matteo won't touch them with a 10 ft pole. He is undiscriminating in his disdain of any form of fruit- real or loop. Sigh.

But what better material for the second (and likely last) instalment of the St. Patty's day craft series? Fruit loop rainbows it is! This craft was so perfect for Matteo's just-5 capabilities. He did every part of this one, which was very cool. This one offered many opportunities for practicing those fine motor skills, which really aren't his bag. And he felt pretty proud of himself.

 We began by sorting the colours. This would have been a great task for Elio, and his 2 year old abilities. Except for one thing. He kept eating the craft supplies. So we gave him a bowl of his own to eat. "CHEEEEEEEESE!". By the by, the bandaid situation on his face is not as spectacular as it looks.

 Next I drew out a rainbow in pencil on construction paper. I feel the need to vent about how construction paper is not what it once was. it is wimpy in colour, and really flimsy. We had to mount it on scrap booking paper to ensure it would stand up to the saturation of white glue.

Next, a popsicle stick and school glue, and away we went, pasting the fruit loops on the line to make a rainbow. I was amazed when I asked Matteo if he knew what order the rainbow colours went in, and he promptly spouted out "Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet". Apparently Sid the Science Kid does sink in.

 I was also thrilled that we seem to be developing.... an attention span! This is so cool. Matteo lasted the whole length of the craft, and it took him a good half hour. There is light at the end of the tunnel!

 Elio, on the other hand, enjoyed two bowls of dry fruit loops while watching me make a fruit loop rainbow. Once in a while he'd hold the popsicle stick, dip it in glue and drip it across the floor.

We added cotton ball clouds and .... Ta-DAH!!!!! A very proud 5 year old indeed!

Hope you are finding fun things to keep you busy.

Happy trails!

I wish I were Irish...

Well, not really. But kind of- I like potatoes, my favourite colour is green, I love Celtic music, and who doesn't want to Billy Elliot or Riverdance?! Plus, the accent is adorable.

So it is no surprise that St. Patrick's day is a holiday I can really get behind. As soon as March rolls around, my classroom is decked out with leprechauns and shamrocks and pots of gold- not to mention cheesy, stereotypical sayings like "Top O' the Mornin' To You!". It's such fun, and the kids love it. I remember adds for McDonald's Shamrock Shakes on TV. The town I grew up in didn't have a McDonald's so I was pretty disappointed in university when I discovered that Shamrock Shakes are, indeed, disgusting. It was in university that I also discovered green beer is not as delectable as it sounds. But still- green and fun nonetheless.

Turns out the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Matteo loves the Cheiftans. He regularly requests "Irish drinkin' songs" in the car. His favourite song is Whiskey in the Jar. The kid could sing it at 2 and a half. In fact, one day, at church, he sat leafing through the hymnal, when he exclaimed with glee and reckless abandon, "Mum!!! I found Whiskey in the Jar!!" Another proud moment for the Shoemakers. Apparently the old Glory and Praise has come a long way. I will most certainly have explaining to do when he arrives in Kindergarten in September. (He also knows all the words to the Mermaid song by Great Big Sea- if you don't know that one, look it up it is a gooder). And the parent of the year award goes to... Sigh. Parenting at its finest indeed.

I happened upon this website which has great ideas for crafts to do with kids:
http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/

There is quite an array of thematic craft and activity ideas for any season. I was thrilled to find a couple with very appropriate preschool skills involved. Tonight we had fun, and remarkable success with their Tissue Paper Stained Glass Shamrock Craft (http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/st-patricks-day/tissue-paper-shamrock.asp). I got really excited when I saw it because yes, I have a major love for Mac Tac. You know, Mac Tac- clear contact paper? I discovered this when I was running the summer reading program at my local library. Seriously, best summer job ever. We did day camps more or less, for children ages 4-10 all summer long- read books, played games, did crafts. Super fun. I had a couple awesome partners in crime, but it was my buddy Stephanie and I that mac-tacked EVERYTHING. And I wish I were joking. If it stood still long enough, it was covered in mac-tac. Turns out true love lasts a life time. I still love mac-tac. So this craft was good fun. Plus it was neat and tidy. Check out the link- but here's the Reader's Digest Version:
1) Don your best leprechaun attire (because to craft in anything else would just be silly).


2) Cut out the outline of a shamrock from construction or scrap-booking paper (do two at once as you need frames for both sides)









3) Cut out squares of green and yellow tissue paper (this was a good one for practicing scissor skills- kept Matteo busy and quiet for a while).

4) Cut out a piece of contact paper large enough to cover the shamrock with a border around it. Smooth one of the shamrock outlines on it flat.

5) Place the tissue paper squares on in over-lapping way- try keep it smooth. Or, if you are 2 years old, by all means grab handfuls of the squares and throw them in the air and all over the floor for your mum to clean while yelling "Fly!!!"

6) Once you're covered, glue the second outline on top of the first to finish the thing. Then place it on a second piece of contact paper to kind of laminate the thing. And cut out!

We did this in the evening, so taking pics of the final product wasn't really possible. At any rate, the kids thought they looked really cool when held up in the light. Easy peasey lemon squeezy... and they actually look good!

Let it be said, I won't get into politics, but if you are a teacher in BC, please know that you are supported. Doing one measly craft with two wee children is enough to make me go bonkers, so those of you faced with classrooms full of the darlings, many with special needs and behavioural issues have my respect and full support. Mush on!!
Happy Trails!