Friday Find: Handmade Preschool Supplies

Huck, my three year-old, is not in preschool. I fretted about it for awhile before I finally decided that he didn't really need it. He gets plenty of opportunities to socialize with other kids his age, and he is an independent soul who has no problem leaving his momma's side. My main reason for sending him would've been to give myself a break (which is a totally valid reason to send your kid to preschool) but it would have put a big strain on our finances for something I don't think is necessary for his educational or emotional development. So I made the decision to homeschool until kindergarten, when I will happily send him off to free school!
I have been digging through lots of books and websites to come up with fun, structured projects for us to do. This week's Friday Find features some cool handmade preschool supplies. If there's a preschooler in your life, even a non-homeschooled one, I think a lot of these would make great Christmas gifts (hint, hint).

Modelling Beeswax - Rainbow (120g total) $14.20 (shipping $6-$8) by Twinkle of my Eye

Modelling Beeswax! It warms in your hands as you play and the colors don't mix. It doesn't dry out or go bad the way clay can. This seller offers a beautiful range of colors.


Sandpaper Numbers 0-10 mounted on birch $13.20 (shipping $7.80) by Polliwog Learning Products

The numbers on these birch flash cards are made out of laser cut sandpaper. Both of my boys love touchy-feely books, and I imagine they wold enjoy tracing these bumpy numbers with their fingers. Each number has a starting point to help the child recognize where to begin tracing the number with their fingers. A great learning tool and beautiful enough to leave up on display.


small alphabet flash cards - printable pdf $8.00 (shipping $0, print-at-home) by A Little Hut

This item is actually a printable pdf file, so you could use the cute, simple line illustrations as flash cards, coloring pages, framed art, or whatever your creative little head can come up with. Cool thing about buying printable files is that if you lose one, or your toddler tries to eat one, you can always reprint it!


Montessori Transferring Counting Sorting Pouring Manipulative SEA ANIMALS Activity FREE GIFT $19.99 (shipping approx. $8-$15) by Fun Cards

This looks like hours of good times to me. I'm just going to go straight from the seller's description for this one:

Picking up small items and placing them into a small holder improves hand-eye coordination and prepares the hand for writing.
The beads can be counted as they are placed into the holders, they can also be sorted according to colors.
Using the dropper to fill the small cups with water (use food coloring for even more fun!) once again works on hand-eye coordination, as well as learning to clean up!
The beads can be strung into a necklace, a floor snake or anything else your child's imagination allows for!

Individual kits are also available for $9.99


Bears Picnic - Learning Color and Size $20 (shipping $5.75 - $12.35) by Play to Learn

It is hard to find board games for preschoolers. We play Memory and put together puzzles, but Huck is definitely interested in playing games with a distinct set of rules where you do fun things like roll dice. This beautiful little matching game teaches about color and size.

Scrap Buster Tutorial Contest Poll - Vote for Me!

Go vote for my Scrap Buster Tutorial on Sew, Mama, Sew right now!
It is "Making a Yo-Yo Necklace" in the FIRST poll box (Group 1). The easiest way to find it is to use your browser to Search or Find on Page (Ctrl + F) the words "Making a Yo-Yo Necklac" (they forgot the "e" on Necklace). Be sure to hit the "Vote" button for the FIRST poll box. Thanks!

GO VOTE!

The Great Pumpkin

I love having a good weekend! Sometimes we make plans that seem like they will be fun, but end up being kind of boring and crappy. This weekend we had lots of Halloween themed fun times. On Saturday, we went to our playgroup's Halloween party. On Sunday, we went to The Heritage Museum of Orange County for their annual pumpkin weighing contest.


Huck wanted to be a ghost this year. At first I thought that that would be too common, but when I thought about it, I don't think I've ever actually seen a kid in a white sheet-style ghost costume except in cartoons. It took some messing around to figure out a ghost costume with a removable head piece that still looked classic, and I'm not sure if it was fully successful, but it was definitely cute. Still, he only wore it for about five minutes. I've figured out that I will need to cut armholes in the bottom piece (and he can wear a long-sleeved white t-shirt) so that his arms feel free. The head piece also kept slipping, so I think I need to attach it to a headband so that the eye holes don't keep moving around and he can see.
Milo is Dracula mostly because I needed a costume that wouldn't cover his head. I made him a simple cape and ended up sewing it to his shirt so that it wouldn't strangle him. I used Huck's matador pants from last year, made a quick amulet from ribbon and painted wood and rhinestones, and it ended up being a pretty simple costume to put together. He also wasn't interested in the heavy black shoes, so he's a SoCal Dracula in sandals.
I need to dress them up again and do a little photo shoot, but we still have Halloween day do that.




The next day we went to the The Heritage Museum of Orange County's annual Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off. The whole event was really, really great. It was tucked away in an industrial part of town, and obviously not very many people knew about it. There were continuous western gunfights and audience participation-type shows being put on in the streets by by Boothill Productions. Very cute, and the kids loved it. They also featured a restored old fairground organ that was very loud and could be heard throughout the grounds. They also had cheap-o stuff for sale that people had donated and I picked up some awesome vintage children's books for 10 cents a piece. My plan is to figure out how to rebind them into blank journals, perhaps keeping a few of the original illustrations tucked away in the pages. Will it actually happen? Who knows! My brother-in-law has done a fair amount of book binding, so maybe I'll corner him this Christmas and shove beeswax and twine in his face and see if he can help me. I also picked up an old Chinese Checkers game for a quarter that I plan on hanging on the wall somewhere. Huck had his face painted for the first time (we've always painted his arm, not his face) which he thought was just fantastic. The grounds themselves were very pretty to walk around, and there is a real functioning blacksmith shop on site, nature walks, and someone even brought a horse and was giving kids free pony rides!
The main event was the pumpkin weigh-off. There were some serious pumpkins there! Most had to be picked up with a forklift to move them. This year's prize winning pumpkin was 903 lbs! It made me want to grow some kind of giant, mutant, prize-winning vegetable.

Friday Find: Tutorials To-Do!

I'm always on the look out for cute projects to do and my Bookmarks are full of tutorials and ideas that I come across and think, "Ahhhh. Yessss. Someday!" Then I promptly forget about said fantastic idea and re-discover it months later. Here are a few goodies that I've found. Maybe one of you will be better than me and actually make some of this great stuff!



"Kid Flick" Girl's Purse Tutorial from The Object Project

I need a little black evening purse. Just enough to hold a wallet, keys, cell phone and lipstick. So I searched and searched for a simple tutorial and I found this one that is so cute and easy! She uses a DVD sleeve as a pattern. Brilliant! I think this could easily be adapted to be a very sophisticated woman's purse. Maybe patent leather. . . I have to think about it! The tute looks simple enough that I could have a whole range of little purses like these. (Lots of other innovative tutorials on this blog, as well.)



Handprint Turkey Softie and Tutorial from Bella Dia

My nieces and nephews are visiting us over Thanksgiving, and I have been digging around for some cute crafts to make with them. I LOVE this handprint turkey softie! It's on the list! This is another great craft blog, by the way, so you should check out her other stuff. There are so many beautiful crafty blogs out there. . .




Hand rolled felt beads from Home Made Simple (via simplimama)

Simplimama left a comment on this blog awhile back with a link to this project. This is another arts & crafts project I plan on doing when my family comes to town. I finally ordered some wool roving (Merino Wooly Cupcakes from The Wool Peddler) so that we'll be ready for felting fun times when the kiddos get here.

You're Welcome!

Sending a handwritten thank you note is a nice way to show off your good breeding, but if you really want to impress someone with your impeccable social graces, a you're welcome card is just the thing.
I designed these simple little lovely you're welcome notes and they are free for you to download here: You're Welcome Cards PDF
There are four colors that fold into 3.5" x 5" cards. I recommend printing onto cardstock. Envelopes in this size are sometimes hard to find in the big box office supply stores. I order mine from Paper and More or from Envelope Mall. Envelope Mall has better prices, but you have to order a minimum of 100 envelopes. Paper and More has packs of 50 and allows you to buy single envelopes if you just want a few. You want size 4 Bar, 3 5/8" x 5 1/8".
And a little disclaimer: Of course, these are for personal use only and may NOT be sold or distributed commercially in any way. Please play nice.

I hope you enjoy them. You're welcome!

Friday Find: Craftivism for Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I hate breast cancer. I mean I really hate breast cancer. Breast cancer killed my mom, and it can suck butt, as far as I'm concerned. There are a lot of sellers on Etsy participating in Pinktober who are donating partial or all of their proceeds to the Susan G Komen Foundation or other worthy breast cancer related causes. This Friday Find is near and dear, so I'm featuring ten items (make that eleven--I'm throwing in one of my creations) instead of my usual five. Hope you enjoy them, and find something cute to help save the ta-ta's! And remember that the holidays are coming up fast--buy a gift that does some extra good!

Booby Benefit Bot $14 by Bolts & Bots
50% of this purchase goes to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation



bubblegum pink chunky hand-knit cowl $30 by Hey Jen Renee
100% of this purchase goes to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation


Shirley-Grace Relief Pillow for Individuals Suffering from Breast Cancer $25.99 by Amazing Grace Designs Company
"The Grace Relief Pillow has been especially designed for people who are suffering from uncomfortable pain due to mastectomies and removal of lympnodes. It works to keep the arm off of the point of surgery and can be used long after the scar has healed."
Even though this item doesn't donate any proceeds to a foundation, I'm including it because I think it would be a wonderful, stylish gift for someone recovering from a mastectomy.

Save the Ta-tas - 108 yards Merino handspun yarn $25 by Springtree Road
100% of the proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Foundation


Less Pink, More Geek $28 by Daogreer Earth Works
"Sure, supporting cancer research is great - but does it have to be so... pink?"
$10 of this purchase goes to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, donation may be made in a specific person's name (convo seller)


Think Pink... Kelly Green and Hot Pink Bracelet Purse $75 by Megan Leone
50% of this purchase goes to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation



Dove of Hope Tutorial $8 by Mossy Creek Designs
"A good friend's aunt was just diagnosed with breast cancer but her insurance will not cover her chemotherapy. Without this treatment she has little hope of being there for her two children.
A lot of purchases made in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness go towards research - 100% of the price for THIS tutorial will go towards buying the life saving medication needed for this young mother."
(Please note that this is a Tutorial, not an actual bead. You may purchase a ready-made bead here, and 50% of the proceeds will go to the same cause.)



Boy Bra Turtle $30 by Fluffy Flowers of Plush Team
"Because Men get breast cancer too."
Made for the Plush Team's Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser 2009 where 80% of every purchase goes to the Susan G. Komen Institute


And I don't want to leave out our four-legged friends who want to contribute to the cause! For them, I found these two great items:
Paws for a Cause - Breast Cancer Awareness Custom Dog Collar $24 by Pecan Pie Puppies
20% of this purchase goes to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation


Who Dosn't Love A Boobie? $15 by 99 Lollipop
"Boobies can also be stuffed with organic lavender instead of polyfill! We can also stuff boobies with catnip and make a super fun toy for your kitty!"
10% of this purchase goes to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation


Miniature Portrait of Babs $25 by Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky!
And I'm putting my money where my mouth is: if my mini portrait of Babs sells in October, I'll donate 100% of her proceeds to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation! I'll even pay the shipping. C'mon. You know you want her.

Fall!

It's fall! It's fall! Living in Southern California, it sometimes feels like the only season is summer, and it goes on and on forever. I know it is totally bratty to say this, but all that sunshine and warm weather can get a little boring. I drove down Pacific Coast Highway today to get to Tanaka Farms' Pumpkin Patch, and the sky was gray and cloudy and amazing over the ocean. It drizzled for most of the drive and Huck kept saying, "Hey! What is going on here?" And then his little friend Kat would point out puddles and tell her mom that "somebody spilled something" because SoCal kids don't know what RAIN is. We enjoyed the pumpkin patch in spite of the wet weather, but we'll have to go back so that we can try out the hay rides and get some U-Pick veggies.
We didn't get to pick our own pumpkin off of the vine, but we did get some pumpkins and squash to decorate our table. I also picked up a little succulent plant at Trader Joe's and added him in to the mix. His name is Huckleberry 4. We have another plant that Huck wanted to name Huckleberry, so I suggested we call him Huckleberry 2, to which Huck said, "Yes! This is Huckleberry 2 and I am Huckleberry 3!" (because he is three years-old). So now we have Huckleberry 2 and Huckleberry 4 and my sweet potato plant, Belinda. I'm getting a little freaked out with all of the plants because, generally speaking, I am a horrible plant killer. And now I've gone and named them all. Never get personally involved!

Here are a couple shots of my boys at Tanaka Farms:

Friday Find: Odosketch

A late Friday Find today, but a fun one.
Odosketch is one of the best online sketchpads I've come across. The one below is a collaborative effort between Huck and myself (he started it and I added "Daddy" upon his request.

Tutorial: Making a Yo-Yo Necklace

If you complete a project based on this tutorial, I would love to see it posted it to my Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1309748@N20/



I recently was hooked up by Totally Tutorials with Ruby Jane's Retro Fabrics to create a tutorial using Deb Strain's Fresh fabrics for Moda.
When I was a kid, my maternal grandmother lived with us. Grandma was a Home Economics teacher and was a very, very crafty lady. We would have sewing lessons and cooking lessons and we did all sorts of arts and crafts projects. One of the early sewing projects she did with me was making a yo-yo quilt. Yo-yo quilts were very popular during Depression times because it was a way to use up your little scraps of fabric and create something really beautiful. As a seven or eight year old kid, I loved being able to do such a simple project and help Grandma work on one of her projects. As an adult, I find making the yo-yos to be a very satisfying, zen-like experience akin to knitting. Once you make your first one or two and get into the groove of it, you can quickly produce lots of pretty little yo-yos.
I wanted to do something different with my yo-yos, so I decided to piece them together to make a cool necklace. This tutorial will show you how to make the one pictured above. (Find out how to win it at the end of this post!) (winner was announced on October 5th. Stay tuned for more giveaways!)

Let's get started!

You will need:
fabric scraps or small quilting squares
fabric scissors
needle and thread
circle template*
fabric pen, pencil or chalk
embroidery thread
jewelry design board
metal chain
open jump rings
needle nose pliers for jewelry making
wire cutters
lobster claw or desired fastener


*You may print out my circle templates here: jpeg or download as a pdf I recommend printing onto cardstock to make tracing easier


Use your fabric marker (or pencil or chalk) to trace a circle onto the wrong side of your fabric. The diameter of your finished yo-yo will be slightly less than half of size of this circle.


Cut out your circle. For this necklace you will need to trace and cut out seven 2" circles and two 3" circles (which will result in seven 1" yo-yos and two 1.5" yo-yos).


Thread your needle and tie a knot in the end. With the wrong side of your circle facing you, fold down the edge of the fabric about 1/8" and push the needle through from wrong side to right side. Straight stitch all the way around your circle, folding a bit and adding a stitch all the way around the edge until you have stitched all the way around the circle and created a small hem. Do not backstitch or do anything fancy. You need a simple straight stitch because you will be ruffling your fabric.


It should look something like this, with your final stitch coming up from the right side to the wrong side, and ending up next to your first stitch. Don't worry about it being perfect--imperfections will be lost in the ruffles and will actually create a more interesting final yo-yo.


Carefully and gently ruffle the edge by pulling on the thread ends.


It should look like a pouch, with the right side visble and the wrong side inside the pouch. Tie a knot firmly, but gently enough so as not to break the thread. Tie several knots (three or four) and snip off the extra thread.


Flatten the pouch into a circle and Viola! you've made your first yo-yo!


Make enough yo-yos for your necklace and lay them out in your design. I liked the back of some of my yo-yos and thought it was nice to have a difference of texture in my design, so I flipped over a few of my yo-yos. I also wanted an asymmetrical design so I placed my two larger yo-yos to the left of the center. Play with it until it looks just the way you like, and add more or take away some yo-yos if you need to in order to make a design that works for you.

There are several ways that you can join your yo-yos together. You could place the right sides of two yo-yos together and do a simple whip stitch to join them, or you could push a metal jump ring through two yo-yos to join them. For this necklace I used embroidery thread and knotted the yo-yos. To do that:

Cut a length of embroidery thread long enough to weave through your entire design. Thread your needle and tie a knot in the end. Going through the center of your first yo-yo (in this case I started with my top left yo-yo) sew through from the inside to the outside and pull until the thread stops and the knot is flush against the inside of the fabric.


Tie a knot in your thread and before it is completely tightened, use the tip of your needle to move the knot as close to the fabric as you can.




Tighten and slide the knot up until it is flush against your yo-yo. Remove the needle and finish tightening the knot.


Sew through your next yo-yo as though it was a bead, going in one end and coming out the other. You will not necessarily go straight in one side and out the other! Look at your design--you want to poke holes at the points where the yo-yos touch. If it makes it easier, use your fabric marker to make a tiny mark where you should sew the thread through.
Take care not to poke through your fabric somewhere in the middle. If you "puff" up your yo-yo a bit to make threading it easier, make sure that you flatten the yo-yo as much as you can before tying your next knot. You want the knots flush up against each side of a yo-yo without bunching the fabric or leaving any gaps.


You can also add beads to the center of some of your yo-yos. Simply go in one end with your needle, then thread through your bead and then out the other side. Settle the bead neatly in the center of the yo-yo, tighten your thread, and make a knot.


When you have placed all of your knots and stitched together all of your yo-yos, finish off by going in through your last yo-yo and instead of going all the way through to the other side, make a tiny stitch just inside one of the center ruffles. Tie a knot and tuck it into the yo-yo. Depending on your design, you may have to tie off the thread at several points and then start again with a new thread. For this piece, I first threaded together all of the top row of yo-yos (the top six yo-os), then I threaded together the bottom three yo-yos and attached them to the top row.


It is important that your yo-yos are anchored together at at least two points. Yo-yos that only have one piece of thread running through them will flip around. You can either add more knots, or you can whip stitch a second anchor point on the yo-yos that only have one knot attaching them to another yo-yo. To do this, fold your yo-yos with the right sides facing each other and make a small stitch very close to the top and next to the existing knot. Tie a double knot and snip off the excess thread.



Your finished piece is ready to be attached to a chain!


Center your piece on a bead design board. For a 16" necklace, lay out your chain from the edge of your piece to the 8" mark and cut with wire cutters. Remember to always turn your head away and shut your eyes when you cut chain because little sharp metal bits will go flying! Cut a second piece of chain for th opposite side.


Attach your chain to your yo-yo piece using an open metal jump ring. Please review instruction on how to properly open a jump ring here: click!
Push your jump ring through the yo-yo, then attach your chain and close the jump ring. Do the same on the other side of your yo-yo piece.


Attach a lobster claw to the other end of one chain and a large jump ring to the other chain.



You're all done! Put the necklace on and be admired by frends and strangers who will gasp when you say, "Oh, I made it myself! It was nothing, really!"
Remember to check out Ruby Jane's for this line and other lines of beautiful fabrics to make your own yo-yo necklace. One of Moda's Charm Packs would be perfect for this project. And, hey, if you don't want to make it yourself, I've decided to make this necklace my next giveaway! I recently hit the 100-fan mark on Facebook (just need 900 more to reach my goal!) Only Facebook Fans will be eligible for this giveaway, so if you haven't done it yet, join my Fan Page for a chance to win this necklace.(winner was announced on October 5th. Stay tuned for more giveaways!)

Entered in the Sew, Mama, Sew! October Scrap Buster's Contest


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