Growth and Hope

Two amaryllis bulbs + two pots + expanding soil = two curious kids eager to track the growth of their chosen bulbs. Cuckoo Grandma brought these fun gifts for the kids; Sara chose pink and white while William picked the bright red one. Little did he know that the red variety blooms later than the other… at least we hoped that was what was going on as we witnessed her bulb shooting up quickly (sometimes an inch a day) while his quietly stood by.

We measured Sara’s bulb a few times and recorded our findings but our little scientific experiment was overshadowed by William’s disappointment. I explained that this was part of the process and sometimes bulbs and seeds sprout at different times and sometimes they won’t even grow at all but to not give up on his bulb yet. When glorious blush-colored flowers as big as Sara’s head proudly started opening, I knew it was time to take action.

Upon closer inspection (ie. yanking the non-performing bulb out of the soil) we found considerable root rot. After plucking off all the soft brown bits we left behind 4 or 5 nice fresh white roots, said some encouraging words to the red amaryllis bulb, buried it again, and hoped. Two days later we were still hoping but on the third day we saw a glimmer of life! One of the sprouting leaves looked slightly taller and a new green tip was also starting to show. I am so happy to report that in one day William’s bulb grew at least a half inch and has continued at a remarkable rate. It is now a promising 7 inches tall and we’re still enjoying the gorgeous pink flowers of Sara’s plant. Now William explains to everyone (as I have been saying in an encouraging tone this whole past month since planting), that once Sara’s is all done, we’ll have pretty red flowers to look at so it’s cool that his was slower. Phew! Close call.

A Lesson Learned

Handmade gifts are the only way to go. Beyond thrilled with their homemade costumes (Princess Accessories and a SWAT Team Vest), Sara and William have been telling anyone who will listen about their “fancy clip clop princess shoes” and “cool police gear” their Momma made for them. It’s the first thing they mention when asked about what they received for Christmas. Yes, I am aglow with joy every time this happens and next year I’ll give myself way more time to craft and create for my children.

The C.S.I. hat from an evidence collection kit (a gift I had forgotten about) turned out to be perfect with his vest

Furiously writing us all "tickets" (even though there were still a bunch of gifts to open)

"Now I can get out da window like Punzel!" (The long ribbons dangling from the back of her crown reminded her of Rapunzel's super long hair)

"I can wear these outside, Mom?"

I’m not sure why it took me so long to figure this out, perhaps insecurity about my own design talents (or lack thereof) but the joy with which my handmades were received will forever erase my hesitation. Curiosity about how I put it all together was another benefit – the kids wanted to know what materials I used and how I put everything together. Once they heard how things were made, they were inspired to make magic wands for a couple of friends…. and this was on Christmas day when they were surrounded by new toys to play with! Yes, another aglow with happiness moment.

A whole other level of handmade beauty also came my way this holiday. My incredibly talented artist friend, Michelle Willows (watch for her in the future, people!), surprised me with these exceptional hand drawn portraits of my kids.

What a personal, thoughtful, brilliant gift. I will be forver grateful. I'm not sure I can ever return the favor at the same caliber but thankfully this beloved friend is a fan of glittery pinecones, homemade granola, and paper stars. Thank you, dear girlfriend, we love you!

Last Minute Costume Gift Making

Feeling guilty that there wasn’t a handmade gift under the tree for my boy, I went commando craft-o while Daddy took the kids out today.  Since last Halloween, William has wanted a S.W.A.T. team costume that he saw at our friends’ house (and has borrowed a couple times since). I decided to make him one of his own.

S.W.A.T Vest
The store bought costumes aren’t all that elaborate, just a black vest with SWAT written on it and usually some pockets and fasteners. Once again my strange abundance of crafting supplies came in handy. I used a large sheet of firm black felt for the front of the vest and a rectangle of soft black felt for the back (now it looks bulletproof from the front but it’ll still be soft and comfortable to wear). Trusty glue gun in hand, I turned it into an over-the-head vest with two strips of felt across the shoulders, attached a couple of felt pockets, some old badge clips, and modified an old black pocketbook that was just collecting dust in my closet. The change purse and interior slots for credit cards and a checkbook will be a great place for him to store a pen and pad of paper in case he needs to write someone a ticket. Old wires and broken chargers from cameras and cell phones were a nice touch too. I put one toward the top so he can pretend it’s some kind of headphone and clipped another one lower, to use like a radio. The finishing touch was a big S.W.A.T. painted across the top front. I used acrylic paint because that’s what I had on hand but fabric paint would have been better (letter stencils would have helped too but my boy won’t care that the letters aren’t perfect).

S.W.A.T Helmet
Grammy might recognize this when William opens it on Christmas morning… it’s actually from a set of plastic Kitchen Aid bowls she gave me a few years back. It’s so lightweight that it was never great for mixing but it does make a superb helmet. The smooth surface was a little harder to paint and I’m not thrilled with how it turned out but it’ll be a fun addition to the costume. Glue gunning on a weird plastic doodad from some kind of a container made a nice breathing mask in case the little pretender encounters any poison gases.

Bad-Guy Catching Cuffs (not pictured)
When searching for a box, I came across the lightweight cardboard “sleeve” supports that came with his last pair of Bogs boots and remembered with him playing with them when the boots were new. Starting with those as a frame, I wrote SWAT on each one and glue gunned on some black tech-y looking items left behind from broken toys, an old buckle from a car seat (the red button will look like something important, most likely some kind of weapon), and some weird bits we accumulated the last time we went to Creation Station up in Lynwood (more about that place on another day, it’s a great destination for inventive kids).

Follow up Note:  Click here to see how it all turned out Christmas Morning.

Accessories Fit for a Fairy Princess

Discouraged by high prices for cheaply made princess paraphernalia and the insanely long line at the toy store, I decided to make some last minute handmade Christmas gifts for my girl. I’m no seamstress but I do have plenty of sparkly craft supplies on hand and I know how to wield a glue gun!

Crown
Digging in my various craft boxes, I was able to find supplies for a flower crown with flowing ribbons. Using two chenille pipe cleaners as a base, I connected them to one another, tied a long ribbon to one end (having previously measured it to leave long strips of ribbon at each end)then wrapped it around and around until it came to the other end at which I made another tie. Next came a string of pearl beads and I used the same technique, tying it at one end, wrapping it around and around then tying it off at the end. That actually looked pretty good but the perfect finishing touch was 5 little red ribbon roses. I glue-gunned those on and also used spots of glue to better secure the pearls. I will wait until Christmas morning to fit it perfectly to her head but it should be as easy as twisting ends together to make a custom Princess headpiece!

Shoes
Do you have shoes in your closet that your kids always play with but you never wear? For me, it’s a few “clip clop shoes” with low heels that my kids love to thump thump thump around in. I’ve always worried that if I bought my daughter some of those little slightly high-heeled dress-up princess shoes, she’d want to wear them all the time. However, if my ridiculously-too-large-for-her clip clop shoes are her dress up shoes, it’s likely that she’ll only wear them for dress up… at least that’s what I’m hoping. I glue gunned on some faceted acrylic jewels and used glitter glue to make some one-of-a-kind fancy shoes.

Magic Wand
Glue-gunned onto a broken old wand, one of my handmade paper stars became a perfect topper for a elaborate new wand. Final touches included more strategically placed “jewels” and glitter glue.

Follow up note: Click here to see how it all turned out!

Handmade Holiday Gifts

Spoiler Alert! Grammy and Cuckoo Grandma (my two most faithful readers), stop reading right now if you want to be surprised on Christmas Morning! Your grand-elves and I have been busy crafting this past week.

Handmade often just ends up looking “homemade” or a kind person might say “quaint” when it comes from us. Thank goodness it’s the thought that counts… however, we did find a few things this year that turned out looking pretty darn nice if I do say so myself.

Glittery Pinecones: Loose glitter is something I've been avoiding for years. It always looks so fun and pretty when the kids have used it at preschool but the mess and knowing how glitter sticks to everything had me scared. Well, this is a simple and fun activity and they do turn out sparkly and luminous but at the risk of sounding Grinch-like, I have to say that my fear of glitter was justified. I'm still finding it everywhere. Next time I'll use large grain salt instead -- it looks frosty and pretty and the finished pinecones are not just decorative but also useful as fire starters in a wood stove or fireplace. 

Painted Picture Frames:  Michaels was selling these wonderfully simple unfinished wood frames for $1 each. I bought a dozen for us to use for holiday gifts and another dozen+ for William’s Kindergarten class to decorate on an upcoming art day (maybe we’ll make a Valentine’s Day gift using them). Providing a limited 3-color palette of acrylic paint colors to the kids and letting them loose on the frames resulted in some really fun gifts and they had a great time doing it.

Oil Pastel Artwork:  I could have put photos in the frames but since both lovely Grandmothers already have their homes wallpapered in pictures of the kids, we decided to make art. Oil Pastels were perfect since the frames have no glass and Pastels don’t need them. William had winter in mind with his Icicle image then ended up with an Orca whale on another one (I think he just draws then decides what it is at the end sometimes), and finally he drew a “really tough helicopter that doesn’t even need a person to fly it.” Sara copied the icicle idea in her mind for a couple Pastel pieces then I used a self-portrait that she did earlier this month for her last frame. I can’t get enough of her pictures of herself with wonderfully wild curls atop her head.

Homemade Granola:  One of our advent calendar activities was to make something for the kids’ teachers and bus drivers. Cookies are nice but while mine tend to taste great, they rarely look pretty enough for gift giving. This seemed like a more forgiving recipe to try and what doesn’t look cute in a fun little gingerbread bag? We made a vegan variation of Cynthia Lair’s Maple Butter Nut Granola using coconut oil instead of butter and omitting almonds (better to be safe than sorry with potential allergies). You’ll find her recipe and an accompanying video on her great website. By the way, another gift idea that I highly recommend for anyone interested in kid-friendly healthy whole food cuisine is Cynthia’s cookbook “Feeding the Whole Family.”  Darn, I should have thought of that sooner to give along with the granola. Oh well… maybe next year.

Paper Stars:  Best paper craft yet. I can’t stop making these. The finished product is so beautifully satisfying. Starting with pretty paper helps a lot (even better if it’s already cut into perfect squares for you to work with). I am a little embarrassed to admit how much scrapbooking paper I have in my closet. No, I’m not a scrapbook maker, I’m just a sucker whenever I find it at TJ Maxx for a super good price and I love pretty paper. Finally, now I have something to do with it! I found this idea over at Maya Made but must also give credit to this lovely website for posting such helpful instructions (please read both posts if you decide to do this craft, the tips in Maya’s post such as when to use glue stick versus Elmer’s glue are really helpful). My kindergarten boy was able to do the folding but got a bit frustrated when it came to the cutting and gluing part. My three year old had a harder time with folding but did great with the cutting and glue. These would make gorgeous gifts but sorry, the kids are hoarding them all in their rooms and want to keep them forever.

Costumes:  At the last minute, I got inspired to make Princess Accessories for my girl and a S.W.A.T. Team vest for my boy. They turned out to be the most beloved gifts of the holiday... Sara actually took her fairy wand to preschool this morning. Joy!

Birthday Grammy

"When I count my blessings, I count you twice."

                                              ~Irish Proverb

If you have Mother-In-Law “issues” then stop reading right now. You will be so horribly annoyed by what an amazing Mom-In-Law I scored when I married Rob that you’ll hate me for gushing about her.

She is reliable, eager to help, never pushy, and exceptionally respectful of my and Rob’s parenting. Ever since the kids were bottle trained, she has kept a weekly morning “date” with the kids at her place to forge a wonderful bond with each of them. And she is always so incredibly kind, telling me what a great job I’m doing with the kids, reminding me that motherhood isn’t an easy job so it’s no wonder I get tired, and more compassionate feedback that moms rarely get since performance reviews aren’t part of the job description.

Tomorrow is her birthday and to you dear Ellen, dear Grammy, dear friend, I say THANK YOU for all the love and support you give to our family. We love you.

The kids and I are taking her out for a little birthday breakfast tomorrow morning and naturally, all of the plans for homemade cards and gifts didn’t come to fruition.  However, in a fleeting moment of creative clarity, I thought of photographing “Kid Letters” to spell "WE LOVE YOU xoxoxo."  My 5-year-old William actually got really excited about it. Some letters were easier than others but with a little trimming and faith that Grammy will love anything involving her grandkids, it should turn out fine. Here is what we have so far (thank you, pool noodles, not just for people with pools):

My brilliant boy thought of this banner idea--perfect since I didn't have any nice papger large enough for the letters!



After our breakfast with Grammy.
Guess I'm extra lucky that we got some smiling photos of William since his preference is now to just be silly!



My Super Boy's 5th Birthday

When William said he wanted to invite all of his preschool and neighborhood friends to his birthday party, I figured no problem.  How often do 95% of guests RSVP Yes? Well… apparently often because our guest list quickly grew to 26 kids!

Dressing up is one of his favorite pastimes and he requested a Superhero party so we decided that costumes would be the activity (decorating capes, belts, wrist cuffs and masks) and the party favors all in one.

Capes:  I found a polyester blend that was inexpensive, silky and flowing (but not too slippery), came in bright colors, and didn’t fray at the edges. No sewing required! Using an existing store bought cape, I made a pattern from newspaper. Then, with multiple folds and tolerance of some ragged edges, was able to cut four capes out at a time. Securing them in the front proved more challenging (snaps or little hooks work great but there is too much stitching involved, sticky Velcro won’t stay stuck, a glue gun would secure string but it might also create a rough surface against kids’ necks…. Hmmm. Finally, I remembered that snaps can be “installed” if you have the right tools and the Dritz Snap-A-Plier did the trick!)

Masks:  Stiffened felt is a godsend! All I did was make a little pattern then start folding and cutting. I was originally going to sew elastic on each one but when the headcount exceeded 25, I had to think of something easier. The same tool I used for installing snaps also punches holes in fabric so I could tie elastic cord on each side.

Superhero Cuffs:  Stick-on Velcro is my friend. I used rolls of 100% acetate firm ribbon, cut strips on a diagonal, and then used that sticky Velcro to make them stay put.

Belts:  Much to my surprise, the scraps left behind from the cape-cutting were just right for tie-on belts!

At the party, sticky felt (another good friend of mine) shapes gave the kids all kinds of ways to decorate their super-outfits however they liked! Stars, butterflies, smiley faces, and peace symbols were available pre-cut and I cut lightning bolts out myself from sheets of the sticky felt.

Big pictures of the Joker and the Riddler provided the perfect villans for "Blast the Bad Guy!"

We offered tattoos and face painting but the favorite activity was “Blast the Bad Guy!” The big refrigerator box we’ve been playing with for months became a target for bean bags thrown by super-kids. I had a couple coloring book pages enlarged then glued them to the cardboard and cut around them so they’d fall down when hit by a bean bag. The kids loved it and they got creative about shooting stomp rockets into it as well.  Stomp rocket play got a little crazy but as I look up, I keep telling myself, the bright green rocket sitting up on the skylight is proof that the party was a hit!

My Mom's dog (appropriately named Happy) was given lots of love at the party. The face painting almost turned to body painting but we managed to put it away before anyone got beyond their arms.