For The Kids: Homemade Gnomes

Look who we found living on our back steps!

Four little fall gnomes apparently moved in and set up house.

We decided to make a few gnome dolls today after school. What you need is simple:

1. Felt
2. People shaped wood turnings. You can find these in the unfinished wood section of craft stores. Or here.
3. Thread
4. Needle
   

You will need to cut your felt in a triangle shape for the hat. Just make the bottom of the triangle big enough to go around the head. I cut out a trapezoid shape for the cape and curved out the top a little to fit around the neck.

We sewed our decorative designs on the felt first. Then I did a few stitches to secure the cape. For the hat I sewed the opposite sides of the triangle together, leaving the bottom open. That's it. VERY easy-in fact my almost 6 year old did the decorative sewing on hers (the yellow one).

You could glue the hat to the head if you wish.

All the kids need to add is their imagination and bits and pieces from nature. A great way to spend a fall day!

If you're curious about the houses: here's a link to where I purchased them
Gnome Sweet Home

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Another Edible Ipod

I've gotten a few requests for my ipod template in the last week...and it reminded me of where the inspiration for ours came from...

Sorry for the lack of posting...both of our computers decided to stop working for us at the same time! Our laptop officially cannot be repaired and our desktop needed to be completely emptied and restarted from scratch. It's almost 10 years old, so it's not the fastest thing out there. It eventually will be solely for the kids use, once we buy a new laptop. My camera software was on the laptop...so that's why no pics to share. Thanks for you patience and for sticking around!

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Feed The Children...

{Update: you can download the ipod template. Click here.}

Two completely unrelated facts that led up to this project:
1. My oldest daughter is responsible for classroom snacks this week.
2. She wants an ipod pretty bad...she's come home from school a few times with a piece of construction paper with string that has balls of paper attached which she declares is her ipod. The real ipod isn't happening anytime soon...

But, I thought we could have fun with snacks and make an ipod snack for everyone. Here's how we made it happen:
(a sneak peak of the finished product)

We searched for an "ipod shaped" snack...we ended up with these crackers and "cheese". I think another good option would have been granola bars.

We also found "headphones" which are Hershey Kisses.

Other supplies: paper, tape, string and printed ipod wheel and screen.

I took a half sheet of paper and wrapped it up like a present (using clear tape).

I cut a long piece of string, folded it in half and taped it to the back of the ipod. I then taped the 2 ends of the string to the bottom of the kisses.

I cut out the wheel and screen and glued onto each ipod. I allowed to dry overnight! I then put each one into it's own sandwich bag so the strings didn't get all twisted up.

There you go...the finished product!

This is a project my oldest could have helped a great deal with...we were going to work on it after supper, but got distracted with a dance party and a phone call from Grandma!

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It's Been Awhile...

I hope you have chalked my absence up to being too busy and hopefully not neglect. My days are filled with painting...painting an entire house takes a LONG time I have realized. Thankfully my husband-whom I have nicknamed "The One Coat Wonder" has taught me his ways! My husband used to paint as a job through high school and early college...so he knows how to do a good job quickly. Here's his best piece of advice for a one coat coverage: one roll in the paint=one roll/pass on the wall. Put it on thick...but not so thick it's dripping. I have finished the first floor and get to move up to the bedrooms tomorrow! The first floor is all different shades off of the same color card from Sherwin Williams. It's a very open plan. I used Vintage White in the Powder Room...Believable Buff in the Mudroom, Kitchen, Dining and Hallway...Whole Wheat in the Great Room...Baguette in the Den. My trim throughout the house is Alabaster. We're still a little ways off of being done, but seeing paint going up is making it feel more like home...plus while I'm painting a certain room I think about how I'll decorate it, where I'll put a Christmas tree...fun stuff like that! Here's a little sneak peak for you:

Because I'm busy with new house stuff, I haven't been working on extra little projects. I did have to lead a Daisy Scout meeting tonight and one of the activities we did was make these flip flops for each girl.
I bought the gingham from Wal-Mart's $1.50 pile...I only needed an 8-inch wide piece. The flip flops come from Hobby Lobby...50% off this week! That made each pair .75 (probably around $1.00 when factoring in the fabric). I cut the fabric with my pinking shears to deter fraying as much as possible. You can cut the fabric as narrow as you want, but I wouldn't make it any thicker than 1-inch. The girls then proceded to tie each piece of fabric onto the flip flop in a knot. Push the tied fabric close together for a fuller look. Use the shears to cut off any long pieces that might drag and get dirty...there you go...now go make a pair...or four!

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The Coffee Table...

One of the hardest things about having kids...decorating wise...is the lack of cute coffee table decor. Gone are the candles and choking hazards...and replaced by....nothing...emptiness...nada. Until one day I had the realization that I could have coffee table "pretties"...they just needed to be kid friendly...really kid friendly! Oh and don't forget cute...always cute. That's when I replaced the traditional coffee table books with kids books. I change them out monthly and always try to have "seasonal" ones. So this month I dug out our Leprachaun books. Another item on the coffee table this month is this memory/matching game I made.


I found the Irish themed memory game at the Toy Makers site. I printed out 2 copies of the game. I used some green gingham paper and some wood rectangles from the craft shop. Modge Podged it all together to make this cute memory game. My girls love memory games...and since it's only put out for less than one month a year, they don't get bored with it. All that's left is to find a pretty box or tin to put the pieces in.

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A Memory/Matching Game

I helped Ella make this matching-memory game for Sophia for Christmas...it's as simple as buying some wood circles at the craft store (I've found mine at Hobby Lobby and Michael's), placing some cute stickers in the middle (make sure there's 2 of each) and applying a coat or 2 of Modge Podge. Voila...you're done! Sophia who's 1 1/2 matches the animals where Ella who's 4 plays memory with this. This idea can be adapted in so many different ways...different stickers, holidays, seasons or even colorful paper! The possibilities are endless! I even have some mermaid and fish stickers waiting to be put on sea shells! Get creative!

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A Good Book and A Fun Activity...

My most favorite book from my childhood is "Miss Twiggley's Tree" by Dorothea Fox

"funny Miss Twiggley lived in a tree

with a dog named Puss and a color TV.

she did what she liked and she liked what she did

but when company came, Miss Twiggley hid."

but the rains come, and it doesn't stop and the towns people need to get someplace warm and dry...where else but Miss Twiggley's treehouse. See how Miss Twiggley gets over her shyness and the towns people get past their "ideas" of Miss Twiggley! Such a great story!

Here's a great project to go with that story...(Swiss Family Robinson is another classic treehouse story)

From a company called Calafant...here's where you can find one for yourself...they also have castles, fortresses, pirate ships and on and on! So much fun!

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