A Personalized Thank You

The girls and I (with a little help from Man) made these super cute thank you notes for our family and friends for the Easter gifts they bestowed upon us.  Sometimes I have my act together and can get something like this done.  Sometimes I don't.  This is one of the times I did.  

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When we got back from our trip to Meme and Popi's for Easter I was feeling a little crafty.  I had Man home for an extra day, a few blank cards burning a whole in my mind, and a few extra minutes on this particular day.  I really wanted to send thank you notes to everyone who sent the girls Easter goodies, visited with us, etc. so here is what I came up with. 

And yes, even Allye made some too.  Don't be afraid to craft with babies.  Just have help waiting in the wings!

We painted the palm of their hand brown and two of their fingers pink like this.

Then we helped them keep their hand spread appropriately when placing it on the card.  

Once the cards dried I set out the alphabet stamps and ink pad and let them stamp "Thank You" on each card.  Then I took a very fine brush and created the outline around the ears, the eyes, the nose, and the whiskers.

A great, quick, and memorable thank you note for family and friends...

and it wasn't even nap time.

--The Crafty Mama

Christmas in March

Since I seem to just be catching my breath from the whirlwind of a handmade Christmas, I sat down and gathered up the photos that I took to show you.  It was such a fulfilling experience to give these gifts, even if it was something I bought that was handmade.  I must confess that I still have two remaining, very time consuming, gifts in my possession.  They belong to my two sets of parents.  I have just had to beg forgiveness and offer many promises of something on  the way.  Let's just say it was a well laid plan that when terribly awry when we decided to move six months early.  Details.  

It started with my first quilt.  My mom has been so sweet to sew the bedding for my first two girls, but this time was different.  I really wanted to make everything I could for Allye.  While I completed the crib skirt and curtains in Texas, I simply could not get this done.  I was so very proud of myself for stepping out of my sewing comfort zone.  I believed I could do this when I found Amy Smart at Diary of a Quilter.  She did a step-by-step tutorial that made it as easy as pie.  Confession:  It is March and I still have not let her use it.

Then there was our very special Hanukkah gift for Nate's grandmother.  We made and used these as we learned about Hanukkah as part of our school lessons, and then we shipped them to her to enjoy for the years to come.  This was such a wonderful learning experience for our entire family.

Both girls had Secret Santa gifts to give at their dance studio.  This is what I made for Addison's little friend.  I also made matching ones for our new friends down the street.  Every girl needs an apron, right?

Here was another first.  I have made little skirts for our American Girls but never matching outfits.  I made this set for my one of my step-sister's daughters.  She is very into fashion and has the cutest personality you have ever seen.  She only wear dresses and can readily give an opinion.  I was very nervous to pass her test.

She has a little sister.  I made her a dress too.  I was getting ahead here.  Great to wear anytime, but especially at Valentine's.

The ornaments.   Oh my.  After really getting into these I momentarily wondered what I had gotten myself into.  But, with all of the loving comments we received after all of the kids got them in the mail, it was worth the effort!  We saved a few for our tree too!  What a special memory of this time and place.

I have made many of these clipboards over the last few years and they are always a hit.  This one was made for Addison's preschool teacher and Addison loves seeing it on the desk outside of their classroom each morning. 

I have many friends and family that have little boys.  Making things for them is not always easy.  Especially as they get older.  But, when I picked up the Make It Yourself magazine before the holidays and saw these in it, I knew I had to make them.  So I bought the magazine and had most of the supplies needed already in my stash.  The only problem?  We all got sick for two weeks straight before the holidays.  Thankfully this is one of my very best friends so I fessed up, "Hey, I swear I have gifts for the boys, but I am making them and they are not done and they won't be done in time and I promise you it is worth the wait."  And wait she did, until the second week of January.  I think it was worth it.  She did too!

Isn't it the cutest thing ever?  I have no boys but my Addison played for hours on the finished one while I was making the second one.  She will have one of these very soon.  Load it up and I am pretty sure they could be occupied for quite some time!

Last but not least, I made the bedding for the bunk beds we had made from an Etsy seller.  These beds are  sized for our American Girls and I couldn't resist making the bedding to coordinate with Addison's room.  I just wish I had order the mattresses or made some.  Maybe I'll just add that to the list.

So there you have it.  A handmade Christmas Mama style.  I will definitely do this again and hope you have found some inspiration to give the gift of your time to those you love.  That, my friends, is priceless. 

---The Very Tired Mama

Red, White, and Pink!

Hello, hello!  We are getting in the spirit of Valentine's around here...finally.  I can say finally since I had Man bring down the box of decorations when he put the Christmas decor in the attic...the first week of January.  Details. 

The girls and I put on Charlie Brown's Valentine episode and instead of putting all the decor out and then tearing it down in four days...we used some tree "tinsel" I made a couple of years ago and decorated the fireplace.

Made with fishing string, foam hearts, pearl beads, and LOVE!

I love decorating for holidays but I have two little hands in my house that love to tear it up faster then I can put it back together...every 5 minutes.  So, I focused my efforts in crafting, "treats," and sewing.

Here is what we have been up to...and if you still don't have your Valentine cards done yet...there is hope!  These are easy!

FOR THE TEACHERS...

because we love our teachers and I don't recognize our extracurricular teachers at big holidays, usually due to budget constraints.  So, I try to give at another time during the year.

This year we are giving them hand sanitizers that I first saw here.  I picked these up at the Dollar Store because I wanted clear sanitizer and a white cap.  This was not so easy to find when I was trying to pay more than $1.  Go figure.

The girls peeled off the front and back labels...fighting over who would do number 5.  How in the world I didn't remember to buy 6 so my world of "fair" would be peaceful I do not know.  

Nice and pretty.

I purchased two sheets of heart stickers and put the girls to work.

Next we traced their hands and I added the little "germ" saying and they signed their names.

We stuck them on the back and voila!  An inexpensive, thoughtful gift, that might keep me out of the doctor's office for two weeks straight.

This year I decided to spread out the Valentine card making so as not to lose all of my patience in one day.  Then I went one step further and decided to just print all of Addison's.  She forgave me.

Super cute and first seen at The Mother Huddle.

BUT, Addison did make the Valentine that meant the most...and there is only ONE of these.  

It is in the mail.  To her cowboy.  In Texas.  She wrote their names way too many times on the inside and put a heart sticker in there.  She didn't want me to look, but I did anyway.  Just like I will when she is 10 and 15...ok, forever.

Then there is Olivia.  Where do I begin?  I showed her my idea.  Another great send it through the printer idea, with a portion handmade.  NOPE.  She was making it from scratch.  So, this is what I originally found at vixen Made.

Here is what we did.  We took a heart shaped cookie cutter and traced it like a bazillion times.

Then I found letter stamps for $1 (score!) and she stamped out "You've Marked My Heart."  We did this for three of them.  She doesn't have a light touch with this technique yet and was frustrated so we switched and she hand wrote them all.  And, of course, we twisted and bent lots of pipe cleaners to have cutie bookmarks.

The food festivities began yesterday with strawberry filled, heart shaped pies, followed by chocolate dipped Oreos tonight!

You need your choice of Oreo flavor, Almond Bark or equivalent, and some sprinkles.

Following the directions on the Almond Bark package to melt the chocolate.  (2 squares yields about 15 dipped Oreos).  Gently dip the Oreo into the chocolate and very quickly apply the sprinkles.

Pop them in the fridge for a few to let them set slightly or eat them right away.

You won't be sorry.

I promise.

** To color Almond Bark you do not use food coloring.  It will harden the chocolate.  You must use color made for candy, often found at local arts and crafts stores.  Mine are all made by Wilton**

I am knee deep in three Valentine dresses, three pair of Valentine sleep pants, and three coordinating Valentine sleep shirts.  I might see you by Friday.  Until then I will leave you with the image I came "home" to tonight once the lights were out and I returned to my office/sewing room/crafting space/school room.  Compliments of my sweet Addison.  I turned the corner and this was sitting in the doorway.  I love her.

XOXO,

The Mama

My Favorite Gift and A Big Bang

So I told you about my handmade Christmas.  I showed you lots of things I found for other people to make for my girls.  But what I was dying to show you was in a million (ok, maybe 70 or so) pieces in the best room in my house....the crafting room.  My intentions were to make this before my sweet Allye was born.  That was not happening in any world that I was living in at the time.  I can not tell you how proud of myself I was the night I finished this.  I am sure it is not perfect and a true quilter might d.i.e. but I think it is perfect and I love it more then anything I have ever made.  So here it is.  Allye's quilt.

I was so excited to finally get some pictures of it!  Of course I wanted the recipient herself to pose with her new quilt.  This is the thanks I get.

Yep.  More hours of hard labor and lost sleep then I care to count ripped to the dirt covered ground while her silly sisters do n.o.t.h.i.n.g.  I am glad this was documented.  For all time.  I am over it now.  It is beautifully hanging on her bed rail.  I am still admiring it.  I might let her sleep with it next year.  Might.  As in maybe.  As in I am going to have a hard time letting her touch it.  Ever.

Anyway...I will gather up the rest of the pictures of what I made as part of my handmade Christmas and get them uploaded soon.  It was truly a wonderful experience that Man as decided I must start to work on now because let me just say it was CRAZY around here in the last weeks leading up to Christmas.  That just might be one of the things he loves about me though.  Determination...not crazy.  :)

Having nothing to do with my handmade Christmas but something really cool, was New Year's Eve.  By then I was beyond tired.  I wasn't even lifting a pinky at this point.  I was still counting the number of hours  of sleep I didn't get after December 1st and before December 24th.  But my awesome neighbors picked up my slack when they invited us out for fireworks in the cul-de-sac.  Sparklers for the girls...

And, how shall we put this...a small finale that translated to, "This is a really awesome idea if we all walk away unharmed."  We did.  So it was awesome.

So, we lit a menorah...and we aren't Jewish

 What do you do when your daughter wants to know what Hanukkah is?  And you aren't Jewish.  This happened to me...the mom and the teacher of my seven year old daughter and student.  When I was just a mom I would give her some answer that was completely inadequate for these types of questions thinking she didn't need to know, it didn't pertain to us.  I know.  Self-absorbed.  Thoughtless.  Impatient.  But, as her teacher I have taken on a different attitude.  One of exploration, adventure, and learning.  So, when she asked me what Hanukkah was two weeks prior to Thanksgiving I gave her a simple explanation (the best I had) and told her we would study it and learn everything we could.  She was game and so was I.  This is probably my favorite part of home-school.  The part where we learn together.

Where does a home-school mom begin research on such a topic?  Google, of course.  The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Hanukkah is the menorah.  So, I Googled "How to make a menorah."  We love a good art project.  Guess who had the perfect answer for me?  Martha Stewart.  Of course.  I began clicking through all of her links to purchase the products needed (the plus of a ten hour car ride with Man driving) only to discover that there was no way I was paying some of those prices and shipping costs.  There would be another way and I moved forward into book selections calling in my order to my local library so they could have them waiting when I returned from Thanksgiving.  Love my library folks!

So I have to tell you, this has probably been my favorite study so far.  I constantly feel inadequate teaching religion to my daughters.  I am not well versed in every aspect of the Bible, but I am always willing to find out the answers to their questions.  So, moving into a religion that was not my own was quite the stretch for me.  But, this was fascinating and eye-opening.  Man even got interested and we had many late night discussions about Hanukkah and its meaning.  We even had to bring in our expert religion teacher, my step-dad.  He is an expert 1. because his father was a Baptist minister 2. he knows everything about religion...and  a whole lot of other stuff too.  I would highly recommend to all of my Christian friends to teach their children about the Jewish faith and Hanukkah.   It's good to know stuff!

Anyway, I gathered up all my converted "parts" for Martha's menorah and we got to work.  I found a 1.5" x 30" at Lowes.  Man cut them into 19 squares at 1.5" x 1.5".  Then he sanded them.  We didn't want little fingers catching a splinter.  Martha calls for a fancy gouache paint that is waaaaay too expensive for the smallest tube of paint I have ever seen, so I bought similar colors in acrylic (something I knew we could re-use) and watered it down.  Worked like a charm.  Keep in mind that the third topper for the middle "helper" candle will be even lighter.  I just watered the white down further once the others were done.

He pre-drilled the top pieces, preparing them for the candle holders.  Here was the tricky part.  I couldn't figure out why she didn't have a link to the candles they used since they needed to fit in the specific cake tip she used.  Shame on you Martha.  But then I realized why.  Impossible to find.  After an unsuccessful trip to Hobby Lobby (an hour away) and whining to Man for a few days he says, "Order the menorah candles and then we will find the cake tips they fit in."  He is so smart...sometimes.  So, I ordered the candles.  They were here in no time flat.  I loaded them up, went to Jo-Anns and fit them in the best tip I could find.  

Now.  We thought we were brilliant until we put the candles in.  I didn't account for the screw, and the candles aren't flat on the bottom.  So, they wouldn't stand up straight unassisted.  When I was about to shed major tears, well, because this had been the hardest thing to accomplish in like forever.  Man says, "No worries.  I will melt the bottom and it will stick."  And it did.  If you can figure a way around this I suggest you do so.  It is an ok temporary fix, but it gets old doing it every night with eager, impatient hands ready to light the candles.  Alas we were done, and just in time.  Our girls were so excited to participate in the Festival of Lights, with a true understanding of what the celebration was all about.

WAIT****DON'T STOP READING***WAIT

I have tiny little fingers in my house that really don't need to mess with fire yet.  Check out what we made for her!

ADDISON'S MENORAH

1. Gather 8 empty toilet rolls and 1 paper towel roll.  First rule of home-school: never throw any kind of "roll" away.  Then let the kids cut little squares of tissue paper.

2. Cut the top of each roll, at an angle, with scissors.

 3.  Using a glue stick, rub the glue on and gently lay the tissue paper onto the glue.

4.  Place a battery operated tea light under each "candle" and watch them glow!  Addison actually kept hers in her room and they were beautiful.  And she was thrilled.

---The Homeschooling Mama

The Not So Plastic Christmas

I can't really say what has come over me lately.  A lot probably.  But we will just start here.  Christmas.  Am I the only one who is so over it?  I don't mean the reason for it, but the hoopla that surrounds it.  Anyway, I began my mission for downsizing last year.  It was hard I must admit.  I am as bad as a kid sometimes.  Don't we all do it?  We get in the store and the child in us just comes out.  It really is awful and then Man just looks at me like, "Is that for you or them?"  

So, to add to my downsizing efforts, this year I am on a different kind of mission.  A homemade kind of mission.  This is how it works...mostly.  I am on a mission to hand make or buy from someone who did make it, most of our Christmas gifts, especially for the girls.  I am so over the plastic and lights and batteries and noise and plastic.  Is anybody with me?  So now I am on a mission to support as many people, Mommas, Daddies, Grandmas, and Grandpas who are making things and sharing their talent with all of us.  There is nothing, for me, that says love more then something homemade.  I have a cousin, through marriage, who has never given my kids anything store bought and I have a 7, 4, and 1 year old.  I look forward to her gifts for them more then anything.  Her gifts scream love, detail, and the gift of her time.  

The sad reality is that I am one person.  I cannot possibly make everything for my kids, nor do I have the skill to do so.  So, for me, the next best thing is to support those who can.  I would encourage you to do the same.  These people take so much pride in what they do and they actually want you to love it!  Isn't that awesome?  Now on to the fun part.  I have made a few purchases toward my goal already and I can't wait to share them with you.  Here we go!

When my baby seven year old announced the whole ear piercing thing to me, and then once I knew it was going to be a "go", I went straight to Etsy.  My "go to" place for all things handmade.  I wanted something unique and fun for her tiny little ears...once the six weeks is up, of course.  I had success.  I found these.

You must see her shop!  AL Joyeria has cool stuff for everyone.  I might be going back for myself ;)

We have a slight love for American Girl in this house.  Man's wallet is not part of the love, however.  The girls circled every.single.item in the catalog when it came so how was I to know?  Besides, Santa doesn't get the catalog.  ;)  Now, this was fun...because let me tell you...there is some serious talent out there and I spent hours looking through this stuff.  Here is just a bit of what I found.

Auntie Jans specializes in the clothing department of American Girls or similar sized dolls.  Best part?  Everything is ready to ship.  Guess who's Bitty Baby will have some styling diapers?

Are you squealing like I did?  Addison is going to be in heaven...until Olivia decides her Bitty Baby is cool again and needs these too.

If you have one of these dolls then you can appreciate the way my eyeballs pop out of my head when a simple bed is $200....or more.  Then I got to thinking.  Sometimes I have time for this...at midnight.  That is how I found A Crafter's Nook.  They make so much more then these cute little beds.  You must go see them.  Here is what I chose and I got to select the cutouts.  WOOHOO!

These beds can bunk, or not, and I am so totally over the moon (no pun intended) about painting them and making the bedding!  Love, love, love this!  Here is one more thing in their shop that I really want...I may have to go back!

The tiny hands in my house would love this!

Then there was this.

 Oh my word.  I couldn't help myself.  And then, the next morning I got the sweetest message from the shop owner.  How excited she was to make this for me and to contact her anytime.  You can find Christine at Lavenderlore.  Let me just say that this little number is the tip of the iceberg.  Without a self-imposed dollar restriction I would have gone crazy in her store...for a doll...yes.

For my sweet little Allye I have the cutest thing ever being handcrafted on a working ranch in San Antonio, TX.  I saw this on a blog I frequent and bought it immediately.  It is called a Sweet Seat.  It gets the little ones up above the table for easier eating while making them feel "big" without the nasty straps and constraints. 

 They even come in mini sets...one for the big girl and one for her "baby".  To.die.for!  Click in to Sweet Seasons Farm and see all the goodness they are cooking up over there! 

Well, I have started shopping now.  Have you?  Better yet...I am supporting folks who are working hard to support their families doing something they love...are you?  I hope this encourages you to try and buy some homemade items this holiday season.  More to come.  The shopping is not done!  

I will give you some glimpses, along the way, of what I am contributing to this homemade Christmas too!

---The So Over the Plastic Mama

P.S.   The UPS man and I had a talk the other day.  He appreciates my effort towards his job security.  :)