Levi's Quiet Book

Levi's Quiet Book

I've been wanting to make a quiet book for a while for my grandson.  I'd look at blogs, Pinterest, Etsy, etc... and then finally got up the courage to tackle the project.  I went to Hobby Lobby and gathered a bunch of felt, rather willy nilly, without any prior thought to what I wanted to do.

So, my first suggestion is to plan out your pages.  Each piece of felt is a page.  You can either use one

piece of felt or splice the felt to make pages with grass and sky, etc.

I got one large piece of felt for the cover, which is a little longer than two pages wide and a little bit bigger all the way around to cover the pages.  I used those connecting clips you can buy at any Office Depot.  I put the holes at the same place the average notebook paper page would be, so that if I ever wanted to put the pages into a regular notebook, I could.

The letters, numbers and balls that I used were already put cut and had were already sticky (just pull off the paper to stick).  On the pages where I used them to pick up and place again, I glued hot glue on the backs and let it dry.  Dried hot glue sticks very well to itself, but releases well, too, so it's great to use.

Before I start, here are my main suggestions:

1.  Plan your pages so that you know exactly what colors of felt you want to buy. 

2.  Don't use velcro.  Instead, use hot glue on the surfaces you want to stick and replace.  Just let the hot glue dry completely and then it will stick pretty well to another dry hot glue surface.

3.  Don't spend a lot of time sewing. This is going to be played with by a little one who doesn't care that it was sewn together or hot glued.

I love this page.  The Shoe Tie page.  I hot glued everything on the page, hot glued each turn of the shoe string and then tied the rest of the string.  My little grandson isn't quite ready to learn how to tie his shoe strings, but one day he'll be ready.

Feed the Alligator!  I found a 5-inch long, big teethed zipper. I would have preferred a white zipper, but, alas, I couldn't find one, so black it was.  I figured alligators don't go to the dentist all that often, so black teeth are probably okay.  I made fun little fishies to feed to the gator and squiggled hot glue on the top of the page to save the fishies.  

Gone Fishin'!   I put the blue felt long ways and cut a fishing hole in it, then gathered it up and glued it to the main page.  I put magnets on the little fishies' mouths and a larger, more powerful magnet onto the fishing pole.  I found the fishing pole in the miniature section of Hobby Lobby where the doll houses are.  I applied some velcro on the top of the page to store the fishing pole.  

Dress yourself up!  On one page you have the little boy, and on the facing page you have different outfits you can put on him.  You can have a stormy day, complete with rain cloud, raindrops and umbrella, or a sunny day with a kite. And, of course, balls.

What is a quiet book without an alphabet?  I was lucky enough to find pre-cut letters.  They had paper on the back so that you could stick them permanently anywhere you wanted them.  Since I wanted my grandson to be able to pull them off and replace them in their spots, I outlined the letters and squiggled hot glue on the back on the papered letters and some on the page.  After the hot glue dries, it sticks to itself pretty well and releases well, too.

Numbers and counting!  On the counting page, I used pieces of shoe strings that I singed with a flame so that they wouldn't ravel.  I put the beads on and then sewed each end really well so that they won't come undone and the beads won't present a choking hazard.

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed!  My grandson loves this nursery rhyme.  The page I found that someone else had done was so beautiful!  Each monkey was individually sewn and embroidered.  I hot glued mine.  It is, after all, for a two-year-old.  I don't think he'll mind much.  The yellow comforter on the bed is only hot glued on the sides and bottom, so that you can tuck the monkeys into their bed after a long, hard day of jumping up and down... and going to the doctor!

Shapes and colors.  This is one of two pages that I individually sewed  the shapes.  Really not worth the time and trouble.  Plus, I used velcro to connect them and while they stick very well, they don't release well, so I'm not sure this page will last long.

Snowman!  The snowman has a little basket with a different hat and matching mittens to change.  Not much to do with this page, but who doesn't love snowmen?

A pix of the clips used to connect the pages and cover.  My suggestion is to mark where you need each hole, button hole it with your machine, and then hot glues the pages together.  I hot glued the pages together first and the dry hot glue gunked up my sewing machine needle.

I'm really  hoping my grandson enjoys his quiet book.  He might not be so quiet with it, but that's okay , too.  <SMILE>

Wonderful Easter Sunday School Craft

Wonderful Easter Sunday School Craft

I found this wonderful Easter craft on this site:

http://catholicicing.com/religious-easter-craft-for-kids-make/

All the directions are there, along with the printable pdf pages of all the components of the craft.  I'm going to try to include them, plus a few helpful hints.

Isn't this a great craft?  It includes a little story that can be read as a play and the children can use the characters to play along as the play is read.

Number One Helpful Hint!!!!!     The site tells you to print off the people on regular copy paper and then glue them onto toilet paper rolls.  Well, I didn't have toilet paper rolls saved up, so I ended up rolling pieces of poster paper to make my own... very laborious.  Instead, get a package of CARD STOCK.  You can get a pack of 150 pages of card stock at Wal-Mart for around $5.  Print off the pages of people on the card stock, cut them out and them hot glue the edges together.  This will save a step and save you a lot of time. Plus, the people will be sturdier and hold up longer.

For the  cross and Jesus, I laminated them and put dots of velcro on the back of Jesus and the front of the cross, so that the child could put Jesus on the cross and then take Him down to place in the tomb.  I used some corrugated cardboard from a cut-up box, covered it with construction paper and attached the cross to it to make it sturdier and make it stand out more in the display.

Above is the back of the cross.  I added a rolled-up piece of cardboard to make it more stable. Then, below is how I placed the pieces of velcro.

Above you see the tomb and the rock that you can actually roll away.  How cool is that!!!

Beneath that is a picture of how I made the tomb.  I used old oatmeal boxes that I had saved.  I cut them in two, cut out the hole for the rock to fit over, and also hot-glued it all to a corrugated cardboard base.  I placed some construction paper on the top to make it look nicer. I laminated the tomb and the rock.  Attach the rock to the tomb with a brass tack fastener.  Attach the tack before hot-gluing the tomb onto the oatmeal box.  I did it the other way and wished I hadn't.

On the website, you'll see where the creator of this wonderful craft also made the shroud to be placed within to see when you roll away the cross, but I think it's more trouble than it's worth.  You roll away the cross and see that the tomb is empty.  I think that's enough.

Below are the links to the pdf printouts for everything in this craft.  I hope you enjoy it and hope the children learn a lot about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Mary and John     http://catholicicing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Easter-Printable-2.pdf

Tomb and Rock to be rolled away    http://catholicicing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Easter-Printable-3.pdf

Two Angels   http://catholicicing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Easter-Printable-6.pdf

Risen Jesus and Mary Magdalene   http://catholicicing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Easter-Printable-4.pdf

Jesus and the Cross   http://catholicicing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Easter-Printable-7.pdf

Two Roman Guards   http://catholicicing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Easter-Printable-5.pdf

Here's the Resurrection Story you can read while the children act out the play:

Jesus died on the cross for our sins, so that we can one day go to live with Him in Heaven.

The Roman soldiers placed Jesus on the cross. Near the cross stood Jesus' mother Mary, Mary Magdalene and His disciple John.

Knowing that He had done what was needed to save the world from sin, Jesus said, "It is finished."  With that, He bowed His head and gave up His Spirit.  Jesus' disciples took Him down and put Him in the tomb.

After the Sabbath, early Sunday morning, as the sun was coming up, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb where Jesus buried.  Suddenly, there was a great earthquake!  An angel of the Lord came down from Heaven, and rolled away the stone from the tomb.  His appearance was like lightening, and his clothes were white as snow!  The guards shook from fear and became as dead men.  The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid.  I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here, for He has been raised!  Look, there is the place they laid Him."  When they went in, they did not find the body.

So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy! 

Later, Mary Magdalene stood outside the tomb, crying.  The she saw 2 angels.  They said, "Woman, why are you weeping?"  She said, "They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they laid Him."  After she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there!  She did not recognize Him at first, but then He said, "Mary!  Go and tell my brothers!"  So, Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!"

Circus Theme Birthday Party

My daughter-in-law planned a Circus Theme Birthday Party for our grandson's 1st birthday.    Almost everything in the party was from Pinterest.  So, I thought I'd share it and give a few hints on how to make some of the things better.

                                                              The Canopy

This is an easy and great decoration for a circus party.  I bought a hula hoop and 10 packages of plastic tablecloths at a dollar store.  Using my hot glue gun, making sure to not touch the tip to the plastic tablecloth (oops!... plastic melts), I would string a little bit of the hot glue and close the sheeting over the hula hoop to form a casing, as you would if you were sewing.  I made a casing that was approximately 3 inches deep so it would be easy to pull the sheeting and gather it together.  I did this all the way around, alternating the colors of the tablecloth material.  We used red and white, but you could use any color you wanted.

We were lucky in that the ceiling already had a hook in it, so I used clear fishing line to string up the hula hoop after each tablecloth and gathered them all together and made a big loop to hang in the hook.  It was a drop ceiling with that boarding that looks like a cork board, so I was able to  attach the other end of the canopy to the ceiling using push pins.

Word to the wise:  I thought I could just go around from one panel to the next, but it created a huge gap at the end.  You can see some of the gap from the picture above.  Thankfully, the fuller part of the canopy was facing the door where people came in, so we left it the way it was, but if you want the panels to  be more symmetrical, then attach one panel, then go to the opposite side and attach the panel 180 degrees from the first one.  Do this all the way and then there will be little gaps between each panel, but it will look more symmetrical.  I used a push pin at each end and one in the middle.  Then, attaching balloons in the center makes it more festive and also hides the fishing line and hook on the ceiling.

The Banners

Below is a banner indicating our grandson's first year with the pictures of each month on the mantel. What a great idea my daughter-in-law had!

For the banner, you'll need 12 x 12 sheets of paper as the backing.  In the picture above, you'll see that we used a red polka dot design.  The diagram above shows how you cut the paper from the 12 x 12 sheets.  This doesn't need to be card stock.  It will be cheaper if you just get the plain paper for this and use the card stock for the middle.

I downloaded the "circus" font, which I was able to find very easily on the Internet.  Then I got a pack of card stock, which is pretty inexpensive, and printed the letters on the middle of the page.  Then, I made  a template to cut each pennant just about  a half-inch smaller than the backing.  Use a glue stick to glue the card stock onto the complimentary backing sheet.  Make sure that you keep the letters in the same spot on the card stock, so that they line up when cut.  

For the top edge, I cut pieces of construction paper the length of the top and about 1 inch in width.  Fold those strips of paper in half lengthwise and place on the top of the pennant, gluing with your glue stick.  Finish with glitter glue in the center of the letter.  I also glittered a line of glitter where the card stock met the background sheet.  Very pretty effect.

I used a badge hole punch to punch on the top edges of the pennant through which to string the ribbon.  Makes a very pretty banner and great for the circus theme.

The Cake

My daughter-in-law's friend made the cupcake cake.  Isn't it great?  Perfect for a circus theme birthday party.  Everyone loved it.

Odds and Ends

So many wonderful things you can do for a circus party.  Clown noses were a big hit.  Napkins with ties and mustaches.  And, the mustaches on a straw were especially  FUN!  We took pictures of everyone with their mustache.    The food matched the event, too.  Popcorn... apples with caramel sauce... Pigs in a blanket... So much fun.  So, hope this helps you create your own circus theme party.  Have fun!

My favorite kids' Christmas school project

Things you'll need for this project:

• Soda cans
• White matte spray paint
• Different colors of acrylic paint for the body
• Different flesh tone for the face
• Googly eyes
• Little cork noses are nice, but not necessary
• Red acrylic paint for cheeks, using a new pencil eraser to place them
• Ribbon or raffia for the wings
• A loop of ribbon to use to attach it to the tree
• A little loop of gold craft beads for a halo
• Something for the angel's hair... I used Spanish moss on the one in the picture
• Little pieces of sheet music cut and folded for the angels to sing from ( the angel in the picture lost her sheet music several Christmases ago) 
• Hot glue/ gun
• Little plates to put the paint on
• I cut up sponges into fourths for the kids to use to paint their angels (wet)
• A styrofoam plate on which to set each angel to let it dry

1.  First, crimp the can a little bit.  Make sure you've washed all the soda out of the can, so it won't be    sticky.

2.  I put some newspaper down outside and spray paint all the cans with a matte white spray paint.

3.  Have the paints you'll need for the project:

     different shades for the body:  lavender, blue, pink, purple, etc

     different flesh shades and red for the cheeks

4.  I make up little ziploc baggies with the things each angel needs:  googly eyes, hair, halo, ribbon for the wings (already folded and secured with something like a twist tie).

5.  Have "centers" set up for each portion of the angel:

     * the body painting center

     * face painting center

     * several moms with their handy glue guns ready to attach the wings, eyes, etc.

This is a great project for a Christmas party, especially is there are other projects to be done.  That way, the kids can paint the body and let it dry.... go eat their snacks... paint the face and let it dry... go do another craft... and then go to the mom with the hot glue gun to attach all the finishing touches.

The kids love this craft.  The year I did it with my daughter's third grade class ( the angel in the pix... she's now 22-years-old), the kids loved making the decisions about which body color to paint and flesh.  

The classroom had a Christmas tree and each child's angel was on the tree. It was great!

Christmas Stockings with Totem-pole Names

I love Christmas and I love these Christmas Stockings I made for my family.  My mom did something similar when I was a kid.  

  
I got sparkly felt in red and white for the stockings.

      To make the names, cut out a piece of paper (I use freezer paper) and fold it in half.  Make sure the height is small enough to fit in the stocking.
      Write the name in cursive and fill it out so that the letters have width to them.

Go ahead and adhere the white felt to the wonder-under interfacing by ironing per the instructions. And then pin the name onto the felt and cut it out.

Pull off the other side of the transfer web and iron the totem-pole name onto the red felt stocking you've cut out.  I made my stockings pretty large because I wanted the name to show well.  You can make your stocking any size you want.  Just remember to make sure the name fits inside the stocking.

You'll need to sew the white cuff top onto the stocking to the "wrong" sides, so that when you sew it up, you'll be able to fold the white down.  Also, insert the tag for hanging onto the back side of the stocking when you sew the top white part.

Be sure to make the white cuff top a little larger than the stocking so that it will fold over well.  Once the stocking is sewn, be sure to clip the curves.

Turn your stocking to the outside, iron lightly over it and then trace the name with gold paint.

After the paint dries, hang it on your mantel and enjoy!

Nicholas Evans' books

I have just finished the fourth of five Nicholas Evans' books and love them.  He is
called the "master of intense and complex relationships" and I believe it.  With every
book, it's like he lassos my heart and twirls it around for a while.  I care deeply about each of
his characters and when the book is finished, I'm sad I'm through.  Enjoy!

Funky Frame Earring/Necklace Holder

  

                  Funky Earring/ Necklace Holder

                   My daughter and I made this funky earring holder for her room.  

First, buy a funky frame you like.

What else you'll need:

     *  screening material

     *  wire clippers

     *  big staple gun

     *  hangers for your frame (if not included)

     * maybe some small blocks of wood to lift the frame from the wall for easy placement of jewelry

     *  small cup holders

     * hammer and nails

First, using a little nail to start the hole, make some holes in the top part of the frame so that you can insert and screw in the cup holders.

Then, turn over the frame and lay the screening material onto the frame.  It will take two people, one to hold the screen and one to staple it into place.

You may want to add little blocks of wood on the back of the frame to hold it a little away from the wall to make it easier to add the earrings.  We didn't do this and my daughter thought it worked okay.

Hang your masterpiece and enjoy!