Curly Birds

I've Moved...to Typepad

2010-10-19T21:32:00.000-05:00

Hello my friends. I have moved to Typepad. Check out my new digs!

Please, please update your links and your e-mail or blog reader subscription.

New Projects

2010-10-06T10:46:00.000-05:00

Focusing on what I love to do. Look out - Etsy here I come!

Hanging a Swing

2010-10-01T10:19:00.002-05:00

Given to the girls over a year ago

Hung by someone not afraid of heights

I savor these carefree days

Happy Days

2010-09-10T08:14:00.000-05:00

Handmade Gifts #1 - Money Pocket

2010-09-09T07:32:00.001-05:00

My sweet neice, Maggie, turned 6 today. I made her a little drawstring bag and embroidered her age on it. I put 6 dollar coins in the bag to make a perfectly lovely gift. I hope she likes it!

Simple Skirts

2010-09-08T15:29:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I made Nola this skirt for school.

One of my earliest memories is staying with my nanny in Cambridge, England and her making me a quick skirt while my mum was out. It was a simple cotton skirt - very flowery as was her way.

I was so excited and completely amazed that she could make a piece of clothing so quickly and without a pattern.

School Bags

2010-09-01T21:26:00.000-05:00

This project was a definite collaboration between the girls and I. The girls drew self portraits in chalk and then I embroidered their pictures and made the bags. I am really pleased how the bags came out and the girls are very proud of them. And the best thing is that their first school bags are so meaningful, so personalized and so them.

Photo Exhibition

2010-09-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

Nola and Kira documented their everyday lives for a photo exhibition over at lilla a.

A Sweet Daisy Party

2010-08-27T08:28:00.000-05:00

The girls arrived home from their first week in the Daisy class at our Waldorf pre-school to a celebration fit for new daisies...

For Kai...

2010-08-26T12:51:00.001-05:00

I do believe this is my girls' first love letter...to their dear friend Kai who was sick on Wednesday and missed class. Nola and Kira directed their photo shoot, chose their favourite picture and have instructed me to put it on their blog. My goodness, how times have changed.

Hi Kai, I love you Kai. I want to play with you all the time Kai. These flowers will help you feel better soon. I love you Kai. See you on Monday. From Nola and Kira xx

Kids Photo Exhibition at lilla a

2010-08-25T18:27:00.000-05:00

Check out lilla a - she is hosting a kids photo exhibition. It is so much fun to collaborate with other kids from all over the world to create a masterpiece. I know my girls will have so much fun taking pictures for this project. I hope you will consider joining in too.

Kids Art Work Preserved

2010-08-25T11:54:00.001-05:00

A project in the works...

School Slippers

2010-08-24T10:13:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated the girls' first day of Waldorf pre-school. The girls did great, but Eric and I were a nervous wreck.

I'm not sure if I made these slippers (here is the pattern) for the girls or for a mummy who needed to send her babes off surrounded by the comforts of home. I'm not sure if my story (that each little hand-stitch was a mummy hug) was for them or me.

I watched these sweet girls of mine, with slippers in tow, dance off into class and not look back. And I picked up hot, tired and very happy girls - who felt their mummy hugs all morning long.

Yes, it was good day at school.

3-Year-Old Fashion

2010-08-20T07:06:00.002-05:00

Crafty Birds - Kid-made baby gift

2010-08-19T10:44:00.002-05:00

Using fabric markers on plain burp cloths, the girls and boys made sweet gifts for baby Molly.

This is Nola's gift - a mummy with a baby inside.

Party Hats for Molly

2010-08-17T08:39:00.002-05:00

To celebrate the birth of baby Molly, Willie and JT and Nola and Kira all decided weeks ago that she needed a birthday party. These 4 friends (all 3 years old) created the perfect celebration for their new little sister and friend.

Of course, I was delighted to sew felt party hats. The kids made cards and decorated burp cloths. We ate tiny cupcakes and sang happy birthday.

Welcome Molly!

Nola and Kira's Playhouse

2010-08-16T07:06:00.001-05:00

Farm Life

2010-08-14T09:51:00.001-05:00

Good Morning Deer

2010-08-13T21:11:00.047-05:00

It's a brand-new day

....to Grammy and Grandad's house

2010-08-12T20:58:00.001-05:00

We're Off...

2010-07-30T23:51:00.000-05:00

With Love From Grandma

2010-07-23T12:19:00.003-05:00

Last week my girls received very special gifts… Quilts that my mum has spent her last 4 years of evenings and weekends hand sewing - she has made one for each of her 4 granddaughters. That is 8 years of Sunbonnet Sue, birds and flowers.

While Eric tells the girls their bedtime stories, I like to gaze at the quilts and look at the perfect little stitches, uniform French knots and the uniqueness of each pretty flower.

Most of all I am reminded of all the beautiful unseen things that my mum wove into these quilts – her patience, wisdom, warmth and love.

Farmers Market Finds

2010-07-19T21:50:00.000-05:00

Oh the joys of summer - our farmer's market is a lovely way to begin the weekend. It fills our basket with bountiful food, relaxes our minds, and makes the rest of the weekend yummy and good.

2010-07-19T08:16:00.004-05:00

Birthday Celebrations

2010-07-18T20:03:00.002-05:00

We had a birthday party last week - really an entire week of birthday party especially for me.

I was surrounded by all of my very favourite people - my girls, my hubby, and my folks. It was filled with a spectacular cake, special nature finds, hand-made cards and a fancy new camera.

I feel thoroughly celebrated!

A Childrens' Sewing Project: Snuggle Cushion

2010-07-14T13:55:00.001-05:00

The girls and I have begun to sew together. We have done a lot of embroidery together, but this was our first real sewing project. We were going to make pincushions, but the project quickly became something very different and a lot more personal...

The girls made snuggle cushions... an extra special cushion on which they drew a picture of Mummy and Daddy to feel our cuddles all night long. We are all enjoying the snuggle cushion as they have slept very well since making them!

Sciencey Saturday

2010-07-10T23:08:00.001-05:00

Crafty Birds - Making Cat and Rabbit Masks (and Tails)

2010-07-08T13:34:00.003-05:00

The girls are into playing dress-up these days. They especially like being animals - cats and rabbits are favorites in our house.

Materials:

Cardboard

Felt

Scrap material

Elastic

Pen

Scissors

Glue and brush

Needle and thread

Step 1: Draw and cut animal shapes out of cardboard. To make the masks their own, let your child draw their own animal - Kira made a cat and Nola made a rabbit.

Step 2: Hold the mask up to your child and mark the eye holes. Cut out the eye holes.

Step 3: Paint the glue onto the cardboard mask and attach it to the felt.

Step 4: Cut the felt around the outside of the cardboard.

Step 5: Decorate with scrap material.

Step 6: Hold the mask up to your child so they can see through the eye holes. Mark where the elastic should fit. Make two slits in the cardboard and thread the elastic through the slits.

Step 7: Make sure the elastic is comfortable around your child's head and finish off the elastic by stitching a little cross.

To Make the Tails...

For the cat: cut out and sew a tail shape from scrap material, stuff and attach to ribbon.

For the rabbit: Make a large pom pom, tie a piece of ribbon around the middle of the pom pom that is long enough to tie around your child...

Hi Ohdeedoh!

2010-07-06T20:27:00.002-05:00

I am so thrilled that my posts - Preserving Childhood Vacation Memories (found here and here) - were featured on Ohdeedoh today.

Yea!

Cat and Rabbit Masks (and tails...)

2010-07-06T19:43:00.009-05:00

Our days are filled with drawing, cutting, gluing, and sparkling.

Most days we draw and cut and glue and sparkle and move onto playing.

Some days everything comes together - Kira’s vision, Nola’s flare, and my enthusiasm – and a whole new game is born.

Yesterday we had one of those days...

(Here are the instructions for your very own mask and tail)

Red, White and Purple

2010-07-03T21:25:00.001-05:00

We cut, glued, scrunched, and wrapped, and headed off to the parade...

Zoo Exhibition

2010-07-02T08:56:00.001-05:00

The girls and I made these snakes as part of lilla a's zoo exhibition. The invitation was to make a zoo animal out of a toilet paper roll. I cut the roll into 2 snake shapes for each girl to decorate.

I am always fascinated by how the girls' personalities are reflected in their artwork. Nola decorates casually with every medium available. Kira has a monotone idea in her head and she is very focused until she achieves it.

You can see the entire exhibition here.

Flotsam

2010-06-30T21:45:00.004-05:00

When my sister first gave Flotsam to Kira, I knew that it would become a family favorite. Flotsam by David Wiesner is a wordless picture book that tells a fantastical story of underwater adventures.

With every reading of this beautiful book, you notice a new detail and the story changes slightly.

My girls can spend an amazing amount of time telling their own versions of the story to each other – what can be better than that?

Thank you Aunty Hannah!

Life-Sized Drawings

2010-06-29T21:39:00.001-05:00

Today we had a very fun art play date with our friend Wynn. We made life-sized drawings of the girls and then they colored themselves in. I have done this project several times before, but it never gets old. Each time we repeat, I have a perfect record of their size and ability. It also makes a great gift for out-of-town family members.

Welcome Summer

2010-06-26T12:43:00.000-05:00

We love your delicious pleasures, afternoon storms, and lazy days at a snail’s pace.

Preserving Childhood Vacation Memories - Part II

2010-06-25T17:52:00.002-05:00

The girls each made a special photograph album that is just for them. I printed out a selection of photographs from our trip and they each chose their favorites. Next, they stuck the pictures in the album using photo mount squares. They then decorated the pictures with pretty beach stickers. Each girl dictated their memories of the beach and we attached the page into the books.

Preserving Childhood Vacation Memories - Part I

2010-06-23T22:33:00.008-05:00

We recently made oil pastel and water color pictures of our trip to the beach. The girls were able to take their fondest memories from the trip and make gorgeous pictures of their experiences.

Kira :: Swimming with Daddy

Kira :: Dolphin and Sand Dollar

Nola :: Shells on the Beach

I framed the pictures and displayed them in our living room for the girls to visit often.

Preserving Childhood Vacation Memories - Part II

Felt Strawberry Garden

2010-06-18T21:01:00.005-05:00

The girls loved my fruit and vegetables so much, that I modified patterns from the same Japanese book to make a strawberry garden. The set includes a felt watering can, seed packet, strawberries and garden.

We have been planting, watering and eating all day.

Yum!

Ballet Bags

2010-06-17T21:28:00.006-05:00

Oh my, these sweet little Curly Birds are growing up into tapping, twirling, dancing girls.

To make the girls' first ballet class extra special, I made them their very own bags to keep their ballet and tap shoes in. I modified the Funny Animals Children's Tote pattern in Meg McElwee's Sew Liberated book.

Shoe Box Exhibition

2010-06-01T16:49:00.002-05:00

lilla a had the ingenious idea of making a shoe box room and inviting her readers to par-take. I loved making a project with the girls and it becoming apart of a larger project within our blogging community.

Not only did the girls enjoy making their room (which they dedicated to our cats, Maximus and Dave), but they were thrilled to see their room as part of the larger house.

Hello

2010-05-31T22:03:00.001-05:00

Hello - it is so good to be back!

Thank you so much to all the bloggers who have featured Curly Birds crafts and posts in the last month - it is such a thrill to see our scavenger hunt so enjoyed.

And check out the Curly Birds' Day of Play on little. lovely.

We have so many holiday pictures and crafts to share with you - check back soon.

Playing - Spencer Combs Photography

2010-05-31T13:58:00.000-05:00

Right before our family trip, Alex and Spencer came to stay. Here are some of the beautiful pictures that Spencer took.

See You Soon

2010-04-26T07:13:00.002-05:00

I will be on a blogging holiday for family visiting until June.

Please check back in a few weeks,

Helen

This Moment

2010-04-23T08:18:00.000-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. SouleMama

Summer Baking

2010-04-21T22:29:00.002-05:00

We had a busy day of baking cakes today.

Crafty Birds - Making a Bug Viewer

2010-04-19T16:55:00.004-05:00

This craft couldn't be simpler... Grab an old jam jar (one with a canning lid), cut a piece of material to fit and you have yourself a fancy bug viewer.

Crafty Birds - Making Flying Fairies

2010-04-18T20:32:00.003-05:00

Holley of Girlish Whimsy and the girls made these adorable fairies last Thursday. They have been flying all around our house and have even been to the park. We are on a bit of a fairy kick lately (see our fairy house). Enjoy...

Materials:

Box

Lollypop stick

Ribbon

Feathers

Pipe cleaner

Blue painters tape

Paint

Brush

Black Sharpie

Scissors

Diorama

Step 1: Cut the front off the box and make a slit in the top of the box.

Step 2: Paint the box with grass, sky and stars.

Fairy

Step 1: Draw a face on the lollypop stick.

Step 2: With painters tape, attach several feathers on the bottom half of the lollypop stick for a skirt. Attach one feather on the top of the stick for hair.

Step 3: Wrap pipe cleaners around the middle of the lollypop stick for arms.

Step 4: To make the fairy fly... make a loop with the ribbon - attach one end of the ribbon to the back of the fairy and the other end to an additional lollypop stick.

Step 5: Hang the fairy in the diorama by sliding the top stick through the box slit.

Play, play, play!

Holley, by the way, is a very talented artist, musician, and graphic designer. She basically creates whatever pops into my mind including my blog header and all of our birthday party invitations (see our ice cream social and pond party.) And lucky for you, she can design whatever you may fancy too!

{This Moment}

2010-04-16T08:45:00.000-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. SouleMama

Picture by Anri Nichols

Felt Fun: Watering Can

2010-04-15T07:43:00.001-05:00

I made this little watering can for the girls. It is part of a larger series of felt gardening tools that I am working on.

Not Your Grandma's Caravan

2010-04-14T16:19:00.001-05:00

Over at Eat Drink Chick I found twee little Constance - not your Grandma's caravan. Actually, she is... but all dressed up and ready for martinis. I might be able to get into camping if it was this stylish.

And how about taking these super-cool cardboard suitcases along for the ride?

Made by Ikat (found via Crafty Crow).

Happy Dancing People

2010-04-12T14:11:00.000-05:00

My beautiful flower girl

photo by Collin Hughes

Purple's Make-Over

2010-04-11T20:30:00.001-05:00

Today we gave Purple (Kira's new name for our scarecrow) a bit of a spruce up.

Little Purple looks so happy and ready for a good season of growing.

A Day of Play

2010-04-08T21:51:00.001-05:00

little. lovely. is one of my very favorite blogs and I visit it almost every day. The blog is beautifully put together and full of wonderful crafts, fashion and stylish products for little people.

You can imagine my joy when Khali of little. lovely. invited me to collaborate on a new feature that will appear regularly on her blog...

A Day of Play is a photo journal documenting a day-in-the-life of our little lovelies. Typical or extra special, this day shares the cultural subtleties of our blogging community as it exists around the globe.

The idea came when I was on a picnic with a Japanese friend. My daughters and I were eating our sandwiches and strawberries with plates and napkins. Our friends opened their bento boxes filled with perfectly cut delights - I was fascinated!

I hope you enjoy our Day of Play.

If you would like to be featured on A Day of Play, please e-mail me for more details.

Pretty Finds

2010-04-08T09:35:00.002-05:00

Have you seen this gorgeous felt chandelier from Giddy Giddy? It is perfect for a little girl's room (or maybe two little girls with curly hair.)

And while we're on the subject of felt... Little Bean Shop has a sweet bag with a really cool felt ball strap. Actually, I love the whole outfit.

Wooden Garden Totes (and Easter baskets)

2010-04-07T09:41:00.002-05:00

For Easter Eric made the girls wooden gardening totes.

The gardening section included seeds and a trowel.

With digging comes bugs. I made a bug viewer from a jam jar and a piece of linen. The section also included a magnifying glass for close up observation.

For drawing bugs and plants, I made linen pencil holders and a little notebook. And, of course, I had to make some rabbits for Easter (thank you Purl Bee).

Easter

2010-04-04T23:39:00.000-05:00

{This Moment}

2010-04-02T08:03:00.001-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. SouleMama

Spring has Sprung

2010-03-31T08:58:00.001-05:00

Kira and Nola's Garden

2010-03-30T15:44:00.001-05:00

I can't help but smile - they (the pictures and my girls) are so fresh and delicate.

Taken by Holley Maher on her lomography camera.

Felted Wool Cards

2010-03-28T22:28:00.002-05:00

I've been making cards with some felted wool left over from the girls' Valentine's kitties. I love how quick and easy it is to make whatever sweet thing that pops into my head.

It all started with my niece's birthday...

And then there was my Mum's birthday...

And some designs that are just waiting for a celebration...

{This Moment}

2010-03-26T15:26:00.001-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. SouleMama

Crafty Birds - Scavanger Hunt

2010-03-24T21:42:00.008-05:00

During our scavenger hunt on St. Patrick's day, I couldn't help but think that there was a better way. The hunt was written in small text with about 30 things to find. While the girls had fun, they couldn't fully participate.

As we were running around hunting, I thought of a better way with pictures instead of words and stickers instead of 3 year olds trying to cross off little lines of text...

I drew 9 simple nature finds and laminated the pictures on card stock. Next, I stuck 9 dot stickers to the laminate so the girls could document their finds.

The girls LOVED it!

And they found almost everything on the hunt.

You can download my scavenger hunt here.

Bunny

2010-03-23T19:52:00.001-05:00

This cute little bunny is for Nola. But don't worry, tomorrow I will make a purple one for Kira.

The tutorial is from the Purl Bee. It is really hard waiting for Easter to see the girls play.

{This Moment}

2010-03-19T07:04:00.005-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Soulemama

Green (in so many ways)

2010-03-17T15:06:00.001-05:00

We had a very green St. Patrick's day with a nature scavenger hunt at the park. We found animal tracks, mole tunnels, water critters and a very little pot of gold.

A Greener Me: Cleaning Products

2010-03-17T08:12:00.004-05:00

Subtle changes to reduce my waste, expose my children to less chemicals, and live a healthier life.

A Green Me: Cleaning Products
I have replaced all of our expensive, full-of-scary-chemicals-I-can't pronounce cleaning products with non-toxic cleaners made from common ingredients that I mix myself. Since changing, I can't imagine using a product on our kitchen countertops that I am not comfortable letting my girls touch. Now, the girls help me clean and I am spending way less money on supplies - just a huge tub of vinegar, baking soda and lemon essential oil.

Resources
Clean House, Clean Planet turned me to the green side. This book is full of information and recipes and is generally awesome.

Women's Voices for the Earth has some great recipes (I use the all-purpose cleaner on everything). And, I really want to host a green cleaning party.

Crafty Birds - Making a Fairy House

2010-03-16T20:59:00.005-05:00

Today was one of those perfect days when I re-lived my childhood through my girls. We spent the morning making a fariy house - complete with beds and a play area.

We made the house by finding the perfect spot under the tree. We transplanted moss, flowers and pinecones for the floor and walls. We made a little path out of small stones.

To make the beds we used a hot glue gun to attach 4 sticks (cut the same length) to the bottom of a piece of wood. Of course, we needed two beds. Petals and a large leaf were put on the beds for pillows and blankets.

Even I live in hope that a couple of little faries will move in. Golly, these tree-hugging girls of mine are swell.

Lovingly-Made Party Hats

2010-03-16T07:48:00.003-05:00

We all know my love of home-made party hats...

I have been lovingly making my girls' party hats for the last three years in my own little crafty bubble. Naively, I had no idea that there was a whole world of parents making pretty party hats. I feel so understood!

So many ideas, so few birthday parties a year...

Shades of Purple

2010-03-15T09:18:00.001-05:00

There is a new project in the works and here is my sweet, purple girl picking out her very favorite shade of purple.

More Toilet Roll Fun - Chutes

2010-03-13T21:55:00.002-06:00

Today we made a ball chute from toilet paper rolls and removable adhesive putty. It was one of those perfect Saturday afternoons of family fun.

The idea came from this month's Mothering Magazine in an article all about making an indoor playground.

Feeding the Ducks?

2010-03-13T21:10:00.000-06:00

{This Moment}

2010-03-12T09:43:00.000-06:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. SouleMama

Teapots on The Crafty Crow

2010-03-11T20:24:00.002-06:00

I am so excited that our teapot craft was featured on The Crafty Crow today - yea!! Check it out - today's theme was England.

I'm A Little Teapot

2010-03-03T10:55:00.003-06:00

I'm a little teapot - short and stout

Here's my handle, here's my spout

When you hear the water boil hear me shout

Pick me up and pour me out!

(the audience applauds!!)

how to make your very own teapot

Crafty Birds - Making Cardboard Teapots

2010-03-02T10:14:00.006-06:00

Last week The Crafty Crow posted a call for celebrating crafts from around the world. As I'm from England, and the girls have recently learned to sing "I'm a Little Teapot," I thought it would be awfully fun to make teapots...

Materials:
Great, big piece of cardboard - we used foam board, but you could also use a large box
Paint and brush
Ribbon
Colored paper
Glue
Tape
Pen
Exacto knife or scissors

Step 1: Draw teapot on cardboard

Step 2: Paint

Step 3: Cut out teapot

Step 4: Cut out decorations for teapot (the girls asked for circles and flowers)

Step 5: When the teapot paint is dry, glue decorations

Step 6: With heavy tape (we used white duct tae) measure and attach ribbon to back

Step 7: Sing "I'm a Little Teapot"

Spring

2010-03-01T20:16:00.001-06:00

Spring has officially begun in our house with the long anticipated opening of Bobbie's Dairy Dip. Today was the big day. Nola announced this morning, "Bobbie's is open, so it is warm."

We put on our warm jackets and shivered a bit through our ice cream.

It was fab.

Our celebration was completed with a trip to Eric's office to deliver his ice cream.

Nature Words

2010-02-28T22:46:00.002-06:00

This is a simple craft for a pretty day.

As a family we collected leaves, stones, dead flowers, sand, and sticks. It was really fun to find creative ways to use the nature finds to write the girls' names. Nola and Kira loved seeing their names in a new way - all day Kira said "My name is beautiful!"

This Moment

2010-02-26T20:17:00.001-06:00

Part of SouleMama's "moment" post.

Yum

2010-02-25T22:54:00.002-06:00

Every piece of fruit I make turns out cuter than the last, and I just can't stop.

The patterns are from this Japanese craft book that I borrowed from a friend.

I can't understand a thing, but the illustrations are so good that it doesn't matter.

I have lots and lots more things to make...stay tuned for progress reports.

Features

2010-02-24T21:01:00.001-06:00

After taking a few months off from blogging, I felt so welcomed back by Birthday Girl featuring our pond party.

But wait there's more... Forskollararen and One Pretty Thing both featured our snowman craft.

Thank you!

Sharing Projects

2010-02-24T14:01:00.002-06:00

I am always looking for new ways to preserve, display and share the girls' artwork. I can't wait to try this creative idea by guest blogger Suann at Design Sponge and make a collage of the girls' craft projects to turn into greeting cards.

Spiffy New Banner

2010-02-23T22:56:00.000-06:00

Check out my new banner! Thank you Holley Maher - you rock and make me a spiffier blogger.

I'd love to know what you think...

Crafty Birds - Making a Pine Cone Bird Feeder

2010-02-22T15:25:00.004-06:00

Materials:

Pine Cones

Peanut butter

Bird seed

String

Knife

Step 1: Wrap a 12 inch piece of string around the top of the pine cone.

Step 2: Slather pine cone with peanut butter.

Step 3: Sprinkle bird seed over peanut butter.

Step 4: Hang pine cone - we hung two on our feeder and one in a tree.

As the girls were patiently waiting for birds to come to the feeder...

A squirrel ate the pine cone in the tree!

Weekend Fun

2010-02-21T19:48:00.001-06:00

Picnicing (the first of 2010)

Cake Making

Car Washing

Dreaming of Crafts

2010-02-19T12:56:00.004-06:00

When I checked on the girls last night before I went to bed, Kira rolled over and shouted "I want to make it." My sweet little Kira was dreaming about crafts!

Crafty Birds - Making Snowmen/girls out of Cotton Wool

2010-02-15T23:28:00.002-06:00

Last week the girls were so sad that their real snowman melted. Today we decided to make snowmen that would always be here...

Materials:

Plastic juice bottles

Large cotton wool balls

Felt (we used left-over felted wool sweaters)

Glue

Scissors

Paint brush

A kid or two

Step 1: Fill bottle with an inch of dry rice and replace cap.

Step 2: Paint bottle with a generous amount of glue.

Step 3: Unroll cotton balls and cover bottle.

Step 4: Cut out a scarf, a carrot, 2 hats, and 7 stones (per snowman).

Step 5: Glue hat together.

Step 6: Glue hat, scarf, eyes, nose and mouth onto snowman.

I think they look like an old married couple, but the girls insist that they are twin snowgirls. So sweet.

My Happy Girls

2010-02-15T10:06:00.001-06:00

Recycled Sweaters = Valentine's Kitties

2010-02-15T09:46:00.003-06:00

For Valentine's I made kitties out of felted wool sweaters. To see the girls' happy little faces and joyful squeals made every stitch worth it. They took off running down the hallway with their kitty tucked under their arm - it was a precious moment.

K is for Kira

N is for Nola

For more embroidered fun I made hearts using a tutorial from Woolnest.

Tucked inside the pouch was a scroll that Eric made of special words for each girl...

Nutty

Observant

Loveable

Artistic

Kooky

Inquizative

Rambunctious

Affectionate

The Big 3: A Pond Birthday Party

2010-02-10T20:25:00.005-06:00

For their third birthday party Nola and Kira asked for purple fish, butterflies and a frog... a pond birthday party was in order.

I kept the cake simple with cut-outs of the girls from the invitation.

I made party hats with Holley's cute paper characters.

There were many copies...

Attached to the light fixture was a pink pom-pom extravaganza complete with fluttering butterflies.

The kids decorated butterfly wings with crayons and sparkly paper.

A pond party has to have a pond. Eric and I made this one out of 3 yards of felt - it covered the entire room and the kids loved it!

At the end of the party all the kids 'fished' for their party favor...

Purple fish - I lovingly hand-sewed 20. Phew.

The guests put their fish in little to-go boxes...Thanks for Coming!

And a huge thank you to Russ Loyd for many beautiful pictures.

Happy butterflies - my favorite! xxx

The Big 3: An Invitation to a Pond Birthday Party

2010-02-10T15:53:00.005-06:00

How do you combine your daughters' very specific requests for a birthday party with purple fish, butterflies, and a frog? We had a pond party!!

The girls' super cute invitation was desiged by the uber-talented Holley Maher.

Holley also created our sundae party invitations, which I'm told still grace many Nashville fridges.

Hello Again

2010-02-08T14:30:00.001-06:00

Family illness, the passing of my dear Aunty Jean, birthdays/holidays, as well as some general crafty fun has made my time off from blogging longer and longer. But, after many complaints (I didn’t know you all cared so much!) I’m back!

The Kind of Girls who Jump in Puddles...

2009-10-23T22:22:00.000-05:00

When I found out that I was pregnant, I really wanted girls. I hoped they would have curly hair. And I imagined the kind of girls who would play in the mud and jump in puddles. Well, here they are...

These girls can spend hours inspecting leaves, collecting stones, watching the birds, and talking to the ants.

How did I get so lucky?

Crafty Birds - Making Trees out of Toilet Rolls

2009-10-22T21:20:00.004-05:00

We made these sweet autum trees out of toilet paper rolls, burlap, and dried leaves.

Materials

Toilet paper rolls

Dried leaves

Card stock

Burlap

Elmer's Glue

Paint brush

Sharpie

Step 1: Draw the tree top on green card stock.

Step 2: With Elmer's Glue attach leaves - let dry

Step 3: Cut burlap to fit the toilet paper roll and attach with Elmer's Glue

Step 4: Let dry and have lunch

Step 5: Cut 2 slits in the burlap-covered toilet paper roll and attach tree top to trunk

Step 6: Cut out tree animals on card stock (we used squirrels and hedgehog)

Step 7: Glue animals on tree

Step 8: Play!

Welcome Autumn

2009-10-16T10:50:00.002-05:00

Why is autumn my favorite season?
Cooler days
Dropping leaves
Wearing lots of layers
Drinking apple cider
Planning birthday parties

Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop...

2009-10-15T10:08:00.002-05:00

I have taken a little break from blogging because we had visitors. The house is trashed, the girls are spoilt, and I ate chocolate for dinner last night. We miss you already Grandma and Grandpop. xx

I heart Mrs. Bero

2009-10-04T22:09:00.003-05:00

My favorite biscuits (cookies) are from my favorite cookbook, and my favorite cookbook is on a shelf in my mum's kitchen. We refer to the cookbook as Mrs. Bero and only recently (just a few minutes ago) did I notice that Bero is the name of the flour advertised throughout the book and isn't an actual person. Mrs. Bero - you will always be my goddess of domestication.

I heart Mrs. Bero

the perfect biscuit with pot of tea

I must blame Multiples and More for demoting my childhood hero into an imaginary friend (but thank you for caring about my cookie preferences.)

Weekend Fun

2009-10-04T21:05:00.002-05:00

More scarecrows

More fountains

More projects (more to come...)

Tortoise Love

2009-10-02T06:43:00.019-05:00

My dear Nola and Kira,

Your love of tortoise is an inherited trait passed down from generations of curly-haired people.

These tortoise were hatched by your Great Grandfather.

And now cared for by your grandfather.

And someday they will be for you.

They are 200 years of family fun!

Houses

2009-09-29T06:49:00.001-05:00

Nola's dream house includes a sewing room and an airplane. Kira has lots of purple, a monkey and a very large toilet...

Crafty Birds - Making a Scarecrow out of Repurposed Materials

2009-09-25T21:30:00.005-05:00

As soon as we saw the scarecrows at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, both the girls and I knew we had to make our own...

Materials - all repurposed
Wooden stake and stick
Burlap rice bag
Old clothes - trousers and top
Wing
Hat (with elastic to keep wig on)
Plastic bags (I'm not proud that I have these, but somethimes I forget to take my cloth ones)
String
Permanent markers

Step 1: Use a wooden stake for the vertical support and tie and small stick on horizontally for the arms.

Step 2: For the head - turn a burlap rice bag inside out, cut off zipper, and fill with plastic grocery bags.

Step 3: Dress scarecrow with shirt and attach stuffed rice-bag head with string.

Step 4: To hold trousers up - make suspenders by attaching string to belt loops.

Step 5: Stuff trousers with plastic bags and tie the ankles with string.

Step 6: Add wing, hat and draw a face.

Step 7: Drive scarecrow into the ground and decorate with flowers.

This is by far our favorite project yet!