for daddy, from the little guys

for the mommies, from the little guys

springtime, if we're lucky

it's spring in most parts of the country right now. and while i've tried to embrace our lengthy bitter winter i'm just not willing to endure it any longer. There is a different sort of chill in the air that hints of life. The sun has a kinder edge to its light in recent days, and there have been reports of robin sightings right in my backyard. So, we are keeping our hopes up that winter really is on it's way out and spring is really on it's way in. Staving off the last of winter's grouchiness by making our own wearable rainbows. We made an extra one for daddy to wear on St. Patrick's day lest he be pinched.

valentine craftiness: take 2

with the proper tools, we found success with our little valentine project. together we broke the crayons and chopped the crayons (piglet felt very important helping with that part) then sorted them. Piglet mixed the bits up into our heart shaped pan and happily watched the magic happen through the oven window. I hope he'll be happy to deliver these to his little classmates.

sending loves

for far away grandmas and grandpas, a valentine made by the little ones.

a single project suitable for both boys: multi-sensory finger painting, with white chocolate pudding and a little food coloring. paint a little, taste a little, paint a little, taste a little. and our littlest one is so pleased. several times a day he points to the displayed artwork and says "I made a heart! I made a heart!"

embracing winter::number 3

so many days spent entirely indoors means priming the pump of creativity. I'm grateful for the tiniest morsel of inspiration to occupy little minds and hands. the latest: mixed media snowmen.

little Nanuk was happy to swirl the glue and pat down the "snowballs" with a little guidance,  and Piglet was especially fond of dabbing (not so lightly!)  the glitter gel. Mommy knotted the scarves and the little ones glued.

valentine craftiness: take 1

In anticipation of Valentine celebrations with the wee ones, we did a trial run of these cute crayons. Apparently my heart shaped silicone mold (previously used for ice cubes) is not oven friendly. I managed to salvage the test crayons; the future of my mold is as yet undetermined. But it doesn't look good.

[image]

Which reminds me of a dear one who once tried to make mexican fried ice cream in a deep fryer that had recently been used to fry seafood. She then used a plastic colander to remove said ice cream from the boiling hot oil. I suppose I won't laugh quite so hard at that memory now. But I probably will.

scherenschnitte

I think it is German for "paper cutting," loosely translated. I stumbled upon this site while browsing ideas for an upcoming birthday. Such stunning images here, I couldn't stop looking.                                                                  

  

My biggest little guy and I had a recent, very fun date to the movies to see Tangled, which may be why this image charmed me. How cool that she offers so many free downloads for those brave enough, and steady enough, to try their hand at scherenschnitte. Gezundheit! 

all aboard!

Today's advent activity: Polar Express play date.  Not an elaborate party, just a few special activities with a couple of little playmates from the neighborhood. A nod to Piglet's undying devotion to all things Polar and Express.

Wooden trains to play with, a perfect story to read, a special art project, and hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars. Even candies with nougat centers. Happy little boys indeed! 

...candy canes and silver lanes aglow...

Today's advent activity: christmas ornaments, like last year. Positively simple, a reproduction of an ornament my mother hung on our family Christmas tree all through my childhood. It was always a favorite of mine. I like that they look old fashioned and shiny.

white pipe cleaners, cut in half

red tri-beads

clear tri-beads

scissors

This was really easy for my little guy to do on his own, and a fun lesson in patterns and fine motor skills. Not to mention visually fun to look at, all those shiny beads. 

The original, far left, and our reproductions

traditions?

this was my first attempt at the tradition of building gingerbread houses with Mr. J and the little ones. Now I know why I've never done it before. And why I probably will skip this tradition for the rest of my lfe.

festive

this could be a fun project on a restless winter day. multi colored, monochromatic, or perhaps in gold and white?  instructions on lisa's lovely blog

PS: she's offering a discount on her lovely jewelry, too!

advent

we haven't done an advent calendar in decembers past, but I think this might be the year to start. I am considering making one myself, hence the early holiday post. I really like this one, but not the price tag. Anybody care to help me come up with a knock off?

gettin' our crafty on

the weather has a distinctive autumn-with-a-hint-of-winter vibe to it, so our time indoors has been filled (sometimes desperately) with little autumn-y and halloween-y craft projects. if it's do-able for a pre-schooler, it's probably do-able for me, too. i know my limits.

clockwise, from left:
paper & felt tree--felt doo-dads from the craft store.  little footprint ghosts to send to grandma and grandpa--these look especially cute in a black frame with a white mat, not shown here. paper mosaic leaf--we did this together. diy trick-or-treat bags--even my littlest got in on this action with foam stickers.
magnetic mr. scary bones--thanks, ashlynn for the link.

sweet tote

aren't these candy corn bags cute? what fun for trick-or-treating

halloween party

our fancy friends planned a sure-to-be-great halloween party for couples only, but a family tragedy meant canceling. thought i'd share the fabulous invitation with you nonetheless, as it is both clever and classy. great idea to require guests to bring the sack full of their favorite candy as their ticket into the party.

coby and ashlynn: we are thinking of you and sending good thoughts.

inspiration

I'm feeling a little inspired by this and think a version might need to reside on my back patio...

look what I made!

Mr. J took Piglet on a quick trip to the hardware store last weekend. While strolling the aisles he could hear little tap-tap-tapping noises and little voices which could mean only one thing: kid's workshop day. So, he detoured and took our own little guy over to the project hub where he received an official work apron and built a butterfly house--hammers and nails and everything. He was delighted, and so proud to show mommy when he came home.

After a coat of paint, it's ready for residents; we've staked out a special spot in the backyard to house the little house for butterflies.

for the birds

a brief day of sunshine and toasty 50 degree temps inspired a little activity for the piglet and me. and for the birdies that we hope will soon return from their southern sabbatical. pine cones. peanut butter and shortening, bird seed, twine/jute/ribbon and ta da! bon appetit, feathered friends.

and another one

Today's lesson learned: the seam ripper is my friend. this little undertaking for a bouncing new baby boy I can't wait to meet. I'm diggin' those polka dots.