“Mama, I ready to go?  I ready!!”

“No, I no need pants either!”

String Art – Where you cut different sizes of string and dip it in paint and then on your paper.  Or, face.

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This was a baby shower I threw for a great friend recently.  Do you see the “jar” on the table by the flowers?  It has little paper fortune cookies in it.  –Those were the “favors.”  I used heavy papers that coordinated nicely with the baby’s room decor and on a slip of paper inside each of them, printed:

“A gift from heaven is on it’s way”  (front)   “Eden Rosemarie (Lastname)” (back)

First, you will need to cut out circles between 2-3 inches in diameter on thick scrapbooking paper.  I used a candle to make my template.

Fold the circle in half.  Do NOT crease it.

Using two fingers, hold the edges down to keep the circle folded in half.  With the other hand, grasp the edges of folded over circle, using a third finger to slowly “bend” the center of the circle while pulling the edges forward.

While keeping the back of the “cookie” closed, continue to bring the sides together with your opposite hand.

Ta-Da!  You are almost finished!  Now, you need to secure your cookie.  You can use HEAVY DUTY double sided tape or you can use glue.  I used Elmer’s School Glue because I had an insane amount on hand.  If you use glue, you’ll want to put the glue between the two edges (the ones you just pulled together…you could also call them “legs”) and then use a paperclip to secure it.  I let mine sit overnight and then removed the paperclip.

You can make these for virtually any party and the keep well    Also, they’re even more fun if you add a “fortune” inside before you begin folding.

I saw this

and love it.

Simple sweet carnations paired with some bittersweet in an old fashioned glass milk jug (the mouth of the jug keeps them bunched together) and voila!

Sometimes simple can be SO beautiful.

Cost: About $4

Stockings were needed, so I made these…from Goodwill sweaters.  I wish a couple of these had been in my size AND in good shape, because I would’ve probably worn them, but they’ll make good stockings.

A wreath for Lorelei from leftover sweater pieces.

Our tree.  It’s three feet tall and our decorations here are wee-little oranges.  We’ve eaten most of them now….  The star on top is made from scrapbooking cardstock paper I had.

This past week, we’ve been finishing up tons of small projects – one of which I had bought the materials for MONTHS ago!  So, this WFMW is an idea for displaying your child’s artwork!

I found these 4 frames (just the frames) in the middle of an aisle at walmart.  I’m guessing they got busted or something, since I’ve not seen them there regularly.  I originally had picked them up to make dressing frames to help Lorelei learn how to dress herself, but then decided I’d just paint them white (with turquoise along the inner edge) and display her art.  I’m planning to either attach a little clip or a magnet to the wall, so we can have a moveable art gallery.  This way, I can display any 4 of her art pieces and change them out as she grows (same with A).  The items taken down from the “gallery” will either be professionally framed or put into sleeves in a binder so we’ll have them!  Obviously, I don’t mean EVERY crayon drawing or every time she sneaks off with a permanent marker…but her better stuff, you know?

(PS – Thanks Nis for the heads up!)

I just finished uploading a photo and ordering a box of 6 Valentines. Usually…we don’t really send these out, but I couldn’t help myself. These are cute!
And, they’re free. Like, REAL free. Even the shipping is covered.

Check it out:  https://stories.scrapbooksetc.com/shop/cards/valentines/

Use the coupon code (at checkout): VALENTINE

This probably won’t last long so HURRY!

Here’s the challenge for this week:

January 11-17: Theme – “Tiny” – The only real guideline really would be the theme word itself..TINY. So, just make it tiny.

If you plan on doing it or have any questions, please be sure to leave a comment – and please feel free to play and accept the challenge! The more the merrier – these can be crafts you do solo or with your kids or WHATEVER, and you can use any supplies or mediums you want, pretty much.

Once you have your entry posted on your website or blog, just come back here and leave it in the mr. linky by using the exact html that will lead directly to it! —And, you can do this any day between the 11th and 17 (or 18th, if you need an extra day!)

Here’s my submission for the contest:

Here’s an idea for a neat little book made out of ENVELOPES!

I used a bunch of random envelopes I had of varied designs and sizes and then cut them down so they were smaller but still made a pocket.  Some were sealed and some weren’t, and for the sealed ones, I just cut along the left side and took the mail out, then scaled it down.

Gather your envelopes together and poke your holes and thread any sort of ribbon or string or jute.  And…ta-da!

Extra artwork by Lorelei.

PS – Add tabs, pockets and ribbons for more decoration.

These are great to hold little notes or receipts or coupons – whatever you can think of!  Keep small pieces of paper inside by using colorful (or not) paperclips

This is the felt board I made for Lorelei for Christmas – it’s great for children beginning at approximately 18 months up to almost any age (the older the child, the more complex pieces they’ll like for their board).

To make your own, all you’ll need is :

-scissors
-a framed corkboard from the store (or used)
-a butter knife
-enough felt to cover the board and the frame
-extra felt for pieces

To make the board, simply cut out enough felt to cover your board and slightly less so that it cover about half of the frame.  I cut one side at a time, as I went so I wouldn’t end up with too little.  Next, using a butter knife,  wedge the felt between the board and the frame, being sure to pull the rest of the felt so wrinkles don’t appear.  If your frame is loose, you may need to secure it with some glue or adhesive but mine worked fine.

For your felt pieces, your imagination (or someone else’s) is the limit.  You can make random shapes, people and clothes, or characters in a storybook…

Some ideas:

-Cars and trucks
-People and clothing
-Scenes: farm, zoo, city, etc.
-animals
-letters and numbers
-shapes that can be put together to make other objects (you could also include googly eyes with felt backing for strange creatures)
-seasonal shapes like snowflakes, ice skates, autumn leaves, jack o lanterns, etc
-story book (or Bible) characters and accessories to play out stories

*For much older kids, you could easily entertwine history lessons or science or art or WHATEVER to help the children re-play to you what they’ve learned…or, as a simple way of showing visually what you’re teaching.

Total Cost: Free to $10, depending on if you have the materials already or if you buy an expensive cork board.