Lamb Party Kit

I just finished a sweet little lamb party kit for a 4-year-old's birthday party. It's soooo cute!

The little birthday girl had looked through my shop and decided that she and her twelve party guests should each make a lamb note holder at her birthday bash. Isn't that the sweetest choice? Can't you just imagine thirteen little cuties proudly running around with their own little lambies?

So I put together adorable little party favor supply bags for each guest:

(I packed the glue and glue supplies separately for the grown-ups to distribute, because who wants free-range glue roaming around at a 4-year-old's party? No one with a 4-year-old. Am I right? Seriously, just thinking about it makes me shudder.)

All filed neatly:

In a cute reusable box:

With a birthday message for the birthday girl that can be used as a table topper or birthday card:

All wrapped up with pretty coordinating ribbon for the birthday girl to open before her party:

You know, to make her feel extra special! How fun!

It's party time made simpler!

Paper Storage Cube

I saw this post over at Family Fun and I knew I had to give it a go. I have so much 12" x 12" paper that needs to be organized. And since I always have extra used shipping boxes, I figured this project would fit within my designated crafting budget of: Practically Free.

I did mine a tad differently than the awesome people over at Family Fun, because I wanted my storage cube a little extra fancy. And even though I love the idea of repurposing used boxes, I didn't want any cardboard to show.

Here's what you'll need for my version:

Scissors

3 used shipping boxes

(I used priority mail medium flat rate boxes)

Packing tape

Wrapping paper

3 pieces of pretty scrapbook paper

2 rolls colored duct tape

(buy them at a craft store so you can use a 40% off coupon!)

2 extra random pieces of cardboard

Open up one of your boxes and cut off one whole front side and two middle flaps so it looks like this (when it's turned sideways):

Start duct taping:

Stick in a piece of your pretty scrapbook paper:

And duct tape it in place. And then duct tape some more. You don't need to duct tape those back side flaps because you won't see them when you fold the box back up. This is what the inside of your box should look like at the end of your duct tape bonanza.

Fold your box back up and tape it:

Disclaimer: Mine looks all new because I retouched the addresses out. I don't want the post office to come after me! I'm a little afraid of The Man.

Repeat with the other two boxes and then stack them all up. Wedge an extra random piece of cardboard between each layer for extra stability.

Seal the boxes together with packing tape.

Cover your new paper storage cube with beautiful wrapping paper:

Line the edges at the front of each box with another strip of duct tape. This will cover the seams between your box layers:

Gaze at the beauty:

Fill it up!

Look how great! I realize it's not as sturdy as a beautiful wood storage cube, but it has way more personality! And, since I had almost everything on hand already, I only had to spend about $5 on the white duct tape (yay for coupons!). You just can't beat $5 for organizational beauty.

Happy Crafting!

Conversation With A 4-year-old At 11:06 p.m.

Ella appears in the living room with two of her favorite stuffed animal puppies and declares, "Ummmm...Mommy, I'm going to stay in here for 5 minutes. "

"What are you doing awake?"

"Umm... I just want to come in because you're the sweetest Mommy ever and I missed you."

"But I saw you all day long and you are supposed to be in your room."

"But if I sleep in my room then I miss you. And if you're in Mommy and Daddy's room and if I'm a little bit far in this house then I miss you."

"I'm not in Mommy and Daddy's room. I'm in the living room. And besides, Mommy and Daddy's room is right across from yours."

"I know. You know what I miss the best? It has a wet nose sometimes and it barks."

"Is it indie?"

"It's a puppy that lives in this house. Mommy, pretend I didn't tell you the joke yet."

"Okay."

"Pretend there's invisible cages in this house for puppies and each puppy has a different name and it's on this side of the living room and it's black and white."

"Is it Indie?"

"Yes!"

"Mommy? Let's watch the show."

"The show is over."

Pretend coughs. "Ehem....If I have a snack I can brush my teeth again."

"I'm not having a snack."

"No, I need something that is tiny. I really need something to eat. I'm not teasing. I'm starrrrrrrving! I really need one."

"What would you like?"

"Something."

"Well, you need to put on your pajama shirt first."

"Mommy, I have a plan! I put on my pajama shirt and you get me a snack."

She pets her little stuffed animal puppy.

"When I pet her, her head is the softest."

She runs to her room and brings out her pajama shirt.

"Did it! I'm so fast! After I put my arms in, I will get a snack. Okay?"

"Okay."

I cut her a piece of oatmeal bar that we made together earlier.

"Mmmmm! I love these. Do you know why? Because it has raisins and I love raisins!"

"They're actually cranberries, not raisins."

"Oh! Okay. I love cranberries, too! What letter makes the 'cran' sound?"

"C."

"What letter makes the 'berry' sound?"

"B."

She finishes her oatmeal bar. I tease her:

"Ella, that's weird, I thought I gave you an oatmeal bar. Where did it go?"

"It's in my tummy, Silly!"

"Okay, it's time for bed."

"Are you going to bed now, too?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it's late and I need to go to bed."

She crawls on the floor like a puppy. "I'm looking for the big crumb. I know it's here somewhere. Mommy! I'm a puppy and I'm

trying to chase my tail and I'm trying to bite my tail." She tries to catch her own bottom.

"Mommy, say, 'Come here and sit.'"

"Puppy, come here and sit."

"When I stand up, you say, 'I didn't know you could stand up, puppy.'"

She stands up.

"Hmmmm... I didn't know you could stand up, puppy."

"That's because I'm a person!"

And she runs to brush her teeth. She's in the bathroom for a good 5 minutes and when I go to check on her I find all the toothbrushes lined up on the counter.

"I organized!"

"Yes, you did, sweetie pie. Let's go to bed. Do you want to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's room?"

"Yes!"

She grabs her pup pups and hurls herself into the bed. We cuddle up and she wraps her sweet little arms around my neck.

"Mommy, you know I love you, right?"

"Yes, you know I love you, right?"

"Yes!"

And I do. I love her so, so much.

Chickie Craft Kit for Kids

Here's my new Chickie Craft Kit for Kids!

So, so sweet. It includes all the materials to create the nest, the chickies, and the nest sign. You and your child can make this craft together and display it as a beautiful springtime decoration year after year.

And Whoo Boy! This craft kit was a long time coming.

Sometimes I decide to try out a craft and it works perfectly and Boom! it's a craft kit. Sometimes I decide to try out a craft and it fails miserably and it never becomes a craft kit. If I find myself cursing at the crafting materials or the crafting process, forget it, no kit. Like this one. Total pain in the butt. I hated that wire.

But sometimes I have a craft that I have to set aside for a while to really figure it all out. I loved this craft from the get-go, but I felt like it was missing something.

This is what happened. A year ago I made this chickie craft with Ella. And, oh, how she loved making those chickies.

She called them "Chickie Chickie Chickie." She loved them and took care of them and kissed them. And she would take them out of their nest and sleep with them. For months and months.

And she still has them. Whenever she comes across a stray chickie (they've long since left their nest) she squeals, "CHICKIE!" and gives it a little snuggle.

Even with all that love, I felt that for this craft to become a Kid Kit, I needed to Martha-Stewart it up a bit. I couldn't figure it out, so I set it aside for a while.

Back to the present. Luckily, my sister-in-law, Ali, is a crafting genius. I go to her with all my crafting questions. We're very good at bouncing ideas off of each other to come up with a solution. She's really quite awesome. Thank you, Ali!

So, I presented her with my Chickie woes and she had the genius idea that the nest needed a cute little sign. And that was all I needed to start the Fancying Up process. It's all about the accessories.

I'm so glad I came back to this craft. Because I LOVE it!

Bling!

When Peyton and Ella saw the new design, they wanted to make some chickies, too. We made the nests and the chickies and the signs. Peyton got a little impatient waiting for his nest to be done (it takes a day or two for the liquid starch to dry). So we used a hairdryer to help it dry faster. Smart thinking, right?

Here's a very small, but very important tip: Even if your son begs to use the hairdryer, and even if the hairdryer is set on low, make sure you watch that kid EVERY SINGLE SECOND. Because, guess what? If you turn your head away for exactly one moment, the boy will forget he is supposed to be drying the nest. And he'll watch his sister make a Lego plane while the hairdryer is still on and then you will have a brand-new, perfectly round burn mark in the middle of your carpet. He's lucky that he's so cute.

Did you know that even fast race car drivers like to make chickies in a nest? And did you know that they like to accessorize their chickies? I assumed that he would want his chickies plain. Nope! But he did insist on all orange flowers for his, because orange is his most favorite color ever in the world. "Mommy, take my picture like this!"

"Peace!" See what I mean? He's adorable. What am I to do?

And apparently, even Tonka truck drivers aren't afraid to show a little affection now and then. Also, they like pink flower accessories on their chickies.

Look at all that stuff:

Let me tell you, it was quite the puzzle trying to fit all those materials into this box.

Luckily, my years of playing Tetris prepared me for such a feat.

Happy Crafting!

Family Memory Game

A few weeks before last Christmas I decided that I absolutely NEEDED to make Family Memory Games for my kids AND the kids in our extended family.

You know how when you are just going along, minding your own business, and all of a sudden an idea hits you and you HAVE to do it? And there's just no getting around it?

That's what happened. I wish this idea had struck me in July, because then I would have been able to complete the project at a leisurely pace. Instead, I was up all hours of the night figuring out all the little details and printing and cutting and gluing and laminating and cutting some more. But I'm so glad I did it. I absolutely love my finished products.

I customized each family's game so that it matched them.

It's like this:

For Peyton and Ella's Family Memory Game I included pictures of us, all their grandparents, all their aunts and uncles, and all their cousins. I tried to have Peyton and Ella in as many pictures as possible - like a picture of Peyton with his cousin Jack instead of just a picture of Jack. To bring it on home, you know?

But then for cousins Noah and Hayden's Family Memory Game, I had their mom, my sister-in-law, email pictures of her side of the family. So she sent me pictures of Noah and Hayden's grandparents and aunt and uncle from her side. And then I combined those with pictures of grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins from our side. Because this game is all about each child's family, not just my side of the family.

And I tried to make sure that each person was equally represented - I didn't want five pictures of Peyton and only one picture of Ella, that sort of thing.

I made 16 pairs of photos for my games. I wasn't thinking about how to make a perfect game square with all the finished laid out cards. So if you want a perfect game square, you will want to make 18 pairs. And the picture below only has 15 pairs because my kids have stolen a couple pictures for their rooms.

Here's what you will need:

18 Sets of double-printed pictures

Pretty scrapbook paper

2 Colors of matching cardstock

Paper cutter

(you can use regular scissors if you want to be a cutting martyr)

Regular scissors

Scalloped-edge scissors

Glue stick

Wine

(what? how did that get in there?)

Acrylic box

(mine is 4" x 4" x 2" from Hobby Lobby)

An extra little photo of each family member

(for the game box lid)

4 Glue dots

The Memory Cards:

Cut with Paper Cutter:

Pretty scrapbook paper to 2.5" x 2.5".

One color of cardstock to 2.5" x 2.5".

The other color of cardstock to 2.25" x 2.25".

Wine:

Drink a glass of wine while you cut your paper. Because you will most likely be cutting for HOURS. (optional)

Glue Stick:

The 2.5" cardstock squares to the back of the scrapbook paper squares. This will make the memory cards sturdier.

The 2.25" cardstock squares onto the 2.5" cardstock squares.

Cut with Scalloped-Edge Scissors:

The photos along the outside edge. You just need to trim enough so that you can see the smaller cardstock underneath when you glue them together.

(I used my iphoto program and printed my pictures to size 2.25" square. If you can't do that, print them as small as possible and cut them into 2.25" squares. As you choose pictures, remember that you'll be cutting them - super big faces won't work - unless you want a memory card with two eyes and part of a nose.)

Glue Stick:

The photos to the small cardstock squares.

Here's the front (large blue cardstock, small green cardstock, picture):

Here's the back (scrapbook paper):

Comparison Shop and Travel:

Find the cheapest laminating service around. I found that the companies that used large laminating machines (at least 3 feet wide) were more inexpensive than the companies that used smaller machines (8.5" x 11" laminated sheets). For all the cards for the multiple families that I had laminated, it cost me about $12. All of these are on a single laminated sheet:

Cut with Regular Scissors:

The laminated memory cards. Laminated corners can be sharp, so I recommend rounding them a little with your scissors.

The Box:

Print from Computer:

Some sort of title. I used "Peyton and Ella's Family Memory Game" for ours.

Cut:

One color cardstock to fit the inside of the lid.

The scrapbook paper a little smaller than the cardstock.

The second color of cardstock a little smaller than the scrapbook paper.

Cut with Scallop-Edged Scissors:

The title a little smaller than the second color of cardstock.

Glue Stick:

It all together.

Wine:

Drink a glass of wine because you are almost done! Yay! (optional)

Cut (A 1-inch circle punch works well, but if you don't have one, just use scissors):

The extra little photo of each family member.

Glue Stick:

The photos to the top of your title.

Glue Dot (Notice how I totally made that into a verb? Awesome):

Stick the glue dots in the corners of the inner part of the lid. Stick the title in.

All done! Time to play and have fun!

Happy Crafting!