This is my new favorite gift for babies - a travel/play mat that's customized with baby's name, birth date, weight, height and whatever else you want to include. It's a great keepsake and is actually useful. Plus, it looks fancy but is truly a beginner level sewing project. Be careful though, designing your own fabric can be addicting! If you haven't heard of it, Spoonflower is a great little website that lets anyone become a textile designer. I used it to design … [Read more...]
Build Fine Motor Skills with a Toddler Friendly Sewing Basket
All photos via Childhood 101 Tomorrow is the day I finally share my Celebrate the Boy post and I'm bouncy off the walls here! To celebrate I give you this Toddler Friendly Sewing Basket from Childhood 101. This is hands down one of the coolest kid activities I've spotted in a while and it's even sewing related (almost like I was saving it for some sewing-inclined readers who might be stopping by tomorrow).I've been on the lookout for creative lacing activities to build C's … [Read more...]
Playtime Activities and Projects for Boys (and Girls).
Hickory Nut Sail Boats at Crow Roosters Crow. This Friday afternoon is my big post for Celebrate the Boy (you can tell I'm excited because I can't stop myself from repeatedly mentioning it in my posts). And while I already put up this boy-centric post last week, I've still got boys on the brain. This time I'm focusing on playtime. There's just one little problem... Every time I write the term "activity for boys" my gut clenches a little and I think, "S would like this … [Read more...]
Embroidery Projects and Decor for Kids and Kid Spaces
photo via Oh Hi (spotted at Prudent Baby). I've been stumbling upon lots of kid-friendly embroidery projects lately. And since this Friday afternoon is my big post over at sewing-blog-extraordinaire MADE, I thought now would be the perfect time to share them. All of these projects would look great in a kids' space - I'm especially digging the reverse embroidered name art above.photo via plumpudding. What's even better, most entail kids participation … [Read more...]
“Build a Fort Kit” – Another Terrific Handmade Gift Idea for Kids
If you saw this recent post, then you know I'm a big fan of forts. As such, I've been wanting to share these brilliant Build A Fort Kits with you ever since I spied them over at Salt Water Kids. We're only a week away from my turn to post for Celebrate the Boy (make sure you come back to check that out next Friday afternoon!) so I thought today would be the perfect time. Not only is this a sewing related project (like most of those at MADE), but Salt Water Kids is also a fellow contributor … [Read more...]
How To Reap the Many Benefits of Play Dough
photo via LPF Designs. I've been meaning to do a post on the benefits of play dough for a while now. I don't know about you, but I loved the stuff as a kid. Maybe it's the nostalgia factor, but even now there's something almost cathartic about playing with it. As it turns out, it's great for the little ones too. You may remember I featured Jennifer Hallissy's book The Write Start: A Guide to Nurturing Writing at Every Stage, from Scribbling to Forming Letters and Writing … [Read more...]
Honoring Kids’ Artwork: Part 5 – Transform It
For the conclusion of this series, I've got one last way to keep kids' art over the long term - by turning it into something else. There are a ton of options out there for doing this, ranging from homemade crafty to high tech and professional. Above is a beautiful example of a blog header made from a finger painting. photos via lilla aAnd here is lilla a's transformation of a child's drawing into a cuddly doll. If you'd like to try this but aren't sure where to start, check … [Read more...]
Dolls for Boys in Honor of Celebrate the Boy!
I'm really excited to share some big news with you today. I've been selected to contribute to Celebrate the Boy over at MADE. If you haven't stopped by MADE you gotta check it out, it's chock-full of inspiring projects and gorgeous photography... seriously, go now - I'll wait. Ok, now that you're back you know that they're once again doing a whole month of projects dedicated to boys. The fun starts today and lasts until March 15th - isn't that a great idea? Zubels … [Read more...]
Lovable Robots
My New Robot at Fall Down Tree (via Cove Street)When I was a kid robots were freaky, not cute. Case in point, ever see Return to Oz (the much darker sequel to The Wizard of Oz)? Remember the wheelies? I had nightmares about them for years. Actually, I'm not sure if the wheelies were technically robots... the point being that robots these days are of the much more lovable "Wall-E" persuasion. And, since it's Valentine's day, I thought we should celebrate their newfound sweetness. Popping … [Read more...]
Candy-Free Valentine Inspiration
Magnifying Glass Valentine at dandee. I know everyone is doing the Valentine round up post but I just couldn't resist. I was so excited to have Design Mom, Ucreate with kids, Kidzlist.com, and The Crafty Crow share my Valentine that I had to pay it forward. Plus, there are so many inspired ideas out there, especially of the candy-free variety which I'm loving as a mom of a toddler. (Side note: there are 3 from dandee alone - which is why it's officially my new favorite site, check … [Read more...]
Family Dinner Conversation Starters
I recently posted about some clever placemats that help get kids talking about their day. If you'd like to foster even more communication at the dinner table, be sure to check out these Family Dinner Questions over at HowDoesShe? They've compiled an impressive list of topics to cover while you're chowing down. Themes are varied and are sure to generate answers ranging from surprising and silly to sweet and insightful. … [Read more...]
Honoring Kids’ Artwork: Part 4 – Put It Behind Glass
This is C's very first piece of art, created at his toddler group at age 1. It sits proudly on the mantle in our playroom. Part 4 of this series is all about showing that your little ones' creations are worthy of being protected. Putting the pieces behind glass does just that and floating frames like these are ideal because they work well with art that's not square or rectangular. The above photo is from my living room and is one of the first things that visitors see … [Read more...]
Design Trend: Neutral Walls with Pops of Bold Color
photo via skona hem Last week I did a guest post over at Cove Street on this beautiful grey and pink nursery. (Side note: I met Cove Street's author Katie through the fabulous Jenna, who designed both of our blogs. Katie is also just starting out in the blogging world and has quite the knack for sourcing high end looks at budget prices - definitely go check her out).That post got me thinking about how much I love pops of bright color against muted grey or even white … [Read more...]
Handmade Hideaways
Flickr find at Wallflower. Whether you buy them, sew them, or throw them together on a whim - kids love forts. They're great for imaginary play with friends or quiet time alone with a good book. And they're perfect for those times when you're stuck at home for one reason or another (say, for example, you live in the Midwest). To get you inspired, I've collected some of the best examples and DIYs from around the web. (Also, you won't want to miss these amazing "Build a Fort" … [Read more...]