Z everyday things: 2010

Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a happy new year...we're making paper plate and toilet paper tube noisemakers. How are you planning to ring in the new year?

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Whip up mini quilts-Book Review!

I follow Whip Up on my RSS feed, and it's one of my favorite crafting blogs. She was hosting some giveaways over the holidays, and I was super excited to find out I had won a copy of the blog owner's own book! Mini quilts-exactly the type of quilt I have the time and patience for.

I haven't made any of them yet (they're at the bottom of my ever growing things to make list) but the first one I plan to make is the skull quilt. The quilts are all versatile, fun, and quirky. The patterns look very easy to follow, and there are "quilt alongs" on the blog.

Have any of you heard of this book or made any of the quilts?

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Cars jumpsuit

There's a seam in the middle of the back-I think it matches up nicely.

Show us the bolt!

I can't believe I forgot to post this project. It's not technically done-I was waiting to get some knit fabric for ribbing at the ankles and wrists. It also still needs snaps on the front. This was from the book "Kwik sew sewing for toddlers", using the jumpsuit pattern. I have a snap press, so instead of a zipper, I'm going to use resin snaps on the front. I attempted to match the pattern, and did a great job on the back; however, on the front, I forgot to account for the fold under area where the snaps go, so it doesn't match like it should. It's the first time I've tried doing that, and while it takes a bit more time (and fabric!), the results can be great. I'll post finished pictures once I get to it (I'm making a dress for Zgirl right now on a custom request from Daddy G)

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Rubber band gun and butterflies

As promised, pictures of the poplar wood projects JoeJoe made for Zboy and Zgirl. I haven't put anything on the gun yet, and I'm not sure if I will. The butterflies were soaked overnight in melted coconut oil. You can see that one is thicker than the other. Zgirl hasn't shown a preference for thickness-she just loves them both!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Wooden teethers

I told Daddy G I wanted a wooden teether or two for Zgirl, and he was happy to oblige. Wood was provided by JoeJoe (my dad, the kids' grandpa). Daddy G traced Zboy's hand in the ASL sign for "I love you". You can see how rough it started out, but with a lot of sanding, and some coconut oil, it's a beautiful teether that will become an heirloom! They aren't necessarily quick-the sanding takes forever, but they are pretty easy.

Daddy G is a novice woodworker (who just got a scroll saw and some fancy woods for Yule, so be prepared for more projects from him!) If anyone is interested, I can have him write up a tutorial for any of his projects.

JoeJoe made a similar one from oak that has a beautiful grain, and was then inspired to make two butterflies from poplar. Pics of those are coming soon, along with rubber band guns made for Zboy.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Happy holidays!

I hope everyone had a happy holiday. We had a wonderful Yule, and shared it with my parents in Ohio, so we weren't around to do any projects-but I have some wonderful things to share with you this week that were made while on vacation.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Toddler scarflette

I made this to match the spiral hat I made Zanthias. It's got a hole you can insert one end into so the scarf stays nice and tight around little necks and doesn't add a lot of bulk. It was a very quick and easy crochet.
My ravelry page with a link to the tutorial I used

Friday, December 17, 2010

Janina pants from BurdaStyle

Not necessarily a kid-related post, but I've been taking sewing classes at the local community college. This last class was a pants fitting class, and wow, I learned so much! I got the pattern online at burdastyle.com. They're the "Janina" pattern. I made one test pair, and this is my "real" pair. I obviously still have a lot to learn-but they fit and they're wearable! I had some issues with the piping on the back pockets. I've never used it before and couldn't get it quite how I imagined it in my head. Overall, this is a pretty easy pattern, but takes some attention to detail (like how the pockets are bulging at the side? I didn't get them quite right obviously) The fabric is also really, really easy to wrinkle (it's some kind of corduroy) and even ironing didn't get out all the wrinkles. I'll have to rewash them and iron as soon as they come out of the dryer. I'm planning to make a pair of pants for Zboy out of the same material.

Ignore all the crap in the picture =) I made my husband take them while holding a baby across the room.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Gnome woman

Here is the companion to the needle felted gnome man. I'm not as happy with how she turned out, for some reason, but they make a cute pair. I need more colors in my arsenal!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Rhythm of the home fiber testing

I was chosen to be a fiber tester for Rhythm of the Home-it's an awesome quarterly magazine full of all kinds of goodies. I made a few adaptations to the pattern, using a smaller hook and 3 strands of worsted weight yarn held together. I also added extra rows of HDC to make it long enough for Zgirl. I think it turned out quite well! This is just an acrylic yarn I got at a thrift store years ago-it's one of the nicest, softest acrylics I've come across.
Here's the link to the pattern.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Needle felting

This is for a handmade exchange I participated in, set up by the owner of the Sewnnatural blog (one of my favorites) In return, I got a needle felted rabbit and butterfly that are very sweet.

This is my first foray into needle felting. I've found it surprisingly easy, but gosh, does it take a long time! It really surprised me how long it took to make anything of substance (I pack mine very tightly to make them sturdier for little kids) The gnome man is for Zboy, and will soon have a gnome woman to go with it. Zboy really loves it-he was making him dance all around when I gave him the gnome =)

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Crocheted hoodie

This is the picture from the pattern.

See the weird hood shape? And how huge it is? (even though Zboy has an admittedly large head)

I used the pattern from the Bernat site (you'll have to register to see the actual pattern) It took me a while to crochet-I have limited time for crafts, and it's always split up among so many projects. Overall, I'm a bit disappointed with the pattern. I made the 2 year size and it ended up being too big. The hood is weirdly shaped as well, and too large for the hoodie, in my opinion. I used Cascade ecological wool yarn, and it was wonderful to work with, especially for the price (around $15 for a HUGE skein-it made 3 large balls of yarn) It's still cute, and was super easy, but I wish the fit was better.

Is anyone else on Ravelry? Feel free to add me-my user name is dahlea.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Watercolors

Painting is always an easy, quick activity. I'm still not sure about watercolors. I think Zboy makes less mess finger painting. He doesn't seem to grasp the put brush in water-then paint-then paper concept. I'm wondering if he's a bit too young for these, but he still has fun, even when he's just painting with water. Paper and paints are probably our most used craft items.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Baking biscuits

We decided to make biscuits today. I was feeling lazy and wanted something quick, so we just used Bisquick box mix. Zboy helped measure and mix.

Then he helped make biscuits (aka making a huge mess with flour and throwing dough on the floor)

You can probably tell which ones he made.

Zboy does not like dirty hands once he is done playing.

The finished product

I took all the dough that Zboy had thrown on the ground and cooked it and gave it to our chickens. They love bread, and it didn't get wasted! Quick and easy rainy day project.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Edible play dough

We made edible playdough today. The ingredients are simple, and yields a tasty dough! I made a half batch.
18 oz. peanut butter
6 T. honey
enough dry milk to make a workable dough (I think mine was too grainy due to the kind it was. I ended up using about 5 oz.)

Helping pour in the milk

Stirring it up

Zboy actually didn't end up playing with it much-he was too interested in eating it, which I don't mind, as it's a pretty healthy treat! I stored the leftovers in the fridge for future use.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Hipstamatic app on Iphone

This is one of my favorites.

Running away from me

The Hipstamatic app on Iphone is amazing. There are different lenses, flashes, even film. There are a multitude of options for making your photos look vintage. They aren't super great quality, as it's still limited by your camera, but I'm in love with it. I don't buy many apps, but I definitely recommend buying this one (extra lenses and such are sold in packages)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Sensory table and basement ideas

Pic from my phone-not so great. You can see the hydroponics behind Zboy. We have to protect them from little boys and cats.

Static is checking out the oatmeal.

Having a great time!

I had never heard of these before having kids. A sensory table (or tub, or any kind of container really) is something that you fill with different things. The possibilities are endless! We started off with oatmeal and unpopped popcorn, and added in some pieces of flat foam, tongue depressors, pom poms and pipe cleaners. Zanthias loves feeling everything, scooping them into cups, pouring them, pushing them around, and of course, throwing it on the ground. The mess is inevitable, so make yours somewhere that is easy to clean up. We are using his sand and water table from this summer.

Our basement still needs fixed up for an indoor playzone for the winter, as you can tell from the mess. We've got boxes of books that are waiting on bookcases, our washer and dryer, and our hydroponics are moved inside under a grow light. We've got basil, peppers, and strawberries. We have new containers that need set up that we are planning to grow more peppers and lettuce in.

He has some ride on toys and a Strider balance bike that he likes to ride downstairs. The floor is concrete, so it's a great riding surface, but we make him wear a helmet (most of the time anyway) because when he falls, it's painful! I have some interlocking foam mats that I'm going to put down, as well as a piece of indoor/outdoor carpet that was on our porch this summer. I'm trying to think of ways to keep it warmer down there. I'm considering just bringing in a small electric heater.