Scarf Models

Today was one of those days that instead of cleaning up after breakfast, making beds and doing laundry, I grabbed a pair of scissors and turned the leftovers of my new "sweat cutoffs" into a child size scarf for Penny. After forcing Penny to put it on--it only seemed right to match it up with a messy up-do. It was at that point the only appropriate thing left to do was a photo shoot. It was like I was caught in my own version of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" except mine would be titled, "If You Give a Bored Mom a Pair of Scissors."

So after about 10 minutes of trying to get Penny to "work it" infront of the camera... 

...we quickly came to the realization that modeling is not the career path for her.  This was how she really felt about the whole thing.

Turns out, Penny didn't even really like the scarf. Apparently, she's not as fashion-foward as her mom when it comes to making sweat scraps into accessories. I had to bribe her with an episode of Diego to get her to keep it on long enough for me to take some photos.

BUT WAIT!!

Lest we forget....Penny is not the only pretty girl in this house. Sheesh! Let alone a much more willing participant.

And even though she couldn't tell me...I'm quite certain Hazel loved what is now her new scarf. Even if it's just to chew on. Hey! Stylish scarf-like bibs for teethers! Ya know--something to soak up all that drool... it was my idea...you read it here first. Anyhow, back to model #2...

 Isn't she just a natural?

And finally, for all you men out there. A touch of masculinity. (I needed something to do with the other leg.) These, I'm sure, will be appearing soon in a store near you. But for those of you who can't wait that long, just remember, find a pair of old sweat pants. Cut them off at the knee and shove the remains over your sons head. Bada-bing-bada-boom.

Baton Wands

So awhile back friend of mine asked if I would be willing to help teach the Activity Day Girls* how to lead music...{pausing to wait for the laughing to die down}. Apparently, being the primary chorister** I've fooled a couple people into thinking I might actually know something about music. Okay, maybe I do have a graceful little conducting style going on... but more importantly, they are a group of darling girls, so I really had no choice but to say yes. 

And what does one do when they have to give a lesson about something they really don't know a whole lot about?

Make up for it with a fun handout! Candy always works, but it was going to have to be my saving grace, so it better be good.

Now I don't know if it was pure inspiration or my secret desire to always have one of my very own, but somehow I got the crazy idea to make everyone a baton (including myself, of course). So with a prayer in my heart, off to Michael's I went! (You think I'm kidding about the praying part). And after looking for a few minutes, I found sitting next to each other in that random wooden trinkets isle

this...

and this...

stick them together like this...

add a little wood glue, tape and paint,  and what do you get?

Aqua Batons!

 As it turns out, I'm not the only girl who thought it would be fun to use one. And my dream of being able to tap my music stand when they got chatty came true as well. All in all it was a success.

Now, all the while making these I couldn't shake the feeling (something proved later to me by my kids) what I had really made, in fact, was nothing but a Harry Potter wand.

Doesn't she make a cute litte Hermione?

So whether you find yourself wanting to throw a Harry Potter themed birthday party or feeling a desire to  gracefully wave a stick around to some music, you are good to go.



*8-12 year old girls in our church
**music time leader for the children in our church each Sunday

THE PERFECT BIB

I actually made some bibs awhile ago for this little (and many times messy) face. Because you see, when it comes to toddlers eating habits, bibs are one of the few but necessary tools needed to aid making a large sized mess into a medium size mess. However, after Penny rips it off and throws it on the floor for the zillionth time they have become the bane of my existence (along with sippy cups--but that's another story).

However, this summer, I noticed my friend Claire had these cute homemade bibs for her daughter. I found out her mom had made them and after commenting on how much I liked it, her mom made one for me! I later found out that it was the perfect bib. It latched with a button so Penelope couldn't take it off, it was wide enough to cover everything and she had made them with a microfiber cloth to make for easy cleanup. I knew I had to have more! So I used the one Claire's mom made me as a pattern.

They were quite fun and easy to make. If you want the pattern, I'll make you one (you could probably make one yourself just by looking at it too). You just take some fun fabric (a great project for scraps) and purchase some microfiber cloths at the dollar store and there you go!

"You think I'm messy?!?"

GIRLY BEAN BAGS

So here is the other little project I was working on in December for Penelope's birthday. I had some scraps leftover from her bedroom and around that same time I saw a talented friend of mine make these for her little Penelope :)

And just like any other smart person would do, I copied her :)

Here is the link to the ones she did.

And here is the link to the tutorial I used to get the measurements and instructions for the actual bean bag part (although, I think mine are about an inch bigger).

I had so much fun making these. Perhaps a little more fun making them than Penny has had playing with them, but really, what do ya do?


Also--I am sorry for any picture-heavy posts. You all get to follow me in my experimentation with my new camera and sometimes I have a tendency to get carried away. Like now...
(Oh and any comments or tips are so welcome.)

Okay, so he's kinda cute.

TOY TEE PEE

So about once I year I get one good hair-brained idea for a project. Two or three years ago it was this and last year it was this. The thing they all have in common: inexpensive, but a lot of work. But they don't start out that way. They start out by sounding totally awesome. This year's occurred when I was trying to get my gift for everyone figured out, a fellow MBA spouse posted a link on the MBASA Google Group (yes, there is one) about how to make your own Tee Pee. For any and all interested, it can be found here.

I thought they looked totally fun,  and better yet, incredibly inexpensive to make. (Around $12-$15 per tee pee). Nephew & niece gifts--done and done. I thought I'd make one for my brother's kids and my sister's and of course, my own, which equaled 3 total.

Now, if you were to sit down and just make one, at my sewing level, it wouldn't be so bad, some would even say easy peasy... but three may have been a tad overwhelming. Luckily, they all seemed to be pretty well received, which made my day.

• The most entertaining part of the whole experience was pushing my monster utility cart down the isle of Lowe's with my 15 pieces of 6' long PVC pipe.
• Funnest part: drilling the holes :) And the sewing...not cutting.
• Hardest part: getting the pipes in the pockets. Don't ask. But if you do decide to make one, they are very serious about the measurements.