Sand Crafts: Part 2

When we finished our sand castle craft, I had a messy table and bowlful of glittery sand...

I recognised it as an opportunity for an unplanned, spontaneous, and especially QUICK craft! If you have multiple children, you know the challenge of finding a craft that works for everyone...not too hard for the littles, not too boring for the elders! This craft fits the bill.

You will need:

• blue watercolour paint
• watercolour paper
• glue, slightly thinned with water, OR Mod Podge
• brushes
• sand, sifted, with glitter added in for fun (optional!)
• craft paint, various colours

Paint a whole sheet of watercolour paper with blue watercolour paint.

Using the watered-down glue from the sandcastle craft, paint the bottom part of the paper.

Using a finer brush, paint a sandcastle shape.

Sprinkle it all with sand, then gently shake off.

We did the whole thing on wet paper...the sand stuck to everything, but once it all dried, the sand was easily brushed off. All that was left was the sand on the gluey parts!

Add a jaunty flag or two to the top of the sandcastle.

Enjoy!

Simple Bank Tutorial!

I still do my banking at our little village bank where I opened my first account about 30 years ago. I know...small towns rock.

My children are beginning to show an interest in money. We've never done allowances, or money bribes (say, to get them to practice reading or make their beds); with the pervasive use of chip cards, they haven't had much experience with spending money. Jude has started pocketing spare change he finds scattered around the house. I take back the loonies and "toonies" (for you non-Canadian readers, we have a one-dollar coin in Canada with a picture of a loon on it (hence, loonie); our two-dollar coin has a polar bear on it, and is called a toonie...quaint, isn't it?) but leave him the rest.

When the two older children received cash from their aunt and uncle for their birthdays, I knew it was time to start teaching them about money. Although I realised it would be loads of fun for them to go to the nearest Walmart and blow it on some crappy toy, I also want them to see that saving money, or at least a portion of their "income", will allow their money to "grow"...into a larger, better-quality toy, for instance, or possibly a new pet!

All they needed was a place to save their money and to watch it grow...

A large mason jar makes a perfect "bank"...the growing stash of money is clearly visible, and some can be removed without smashing the whole container!

I used a knife to punch a slot into the top of the lid. You may want to cover the underside of the lid with felt, to cover any sharp edges. Or you may think of a better way to make a slot. But there has to be a slot! Dropping money into a bank and hearing it "plink!" is part of the fun.

You can personalise your bank with a stitched label, if you're so inclined. This was a spontaneous, quickie kind of craft, so I used letter stamps and acrylic paint to make my labels on scraps of cotton.

Using Aleene's Original Tacky Glue, I wrapped a band of colourful fabric around each jar (Jude's fabric is from one of his toddler shirts!) Use the Tacky Glue to stick the label on.

Voila! Done! I love a craft that is this cute, makes little mess, AND is done in about 10 minutes!

The kids are delighted to watch their money grow. Teaching your child about money is as important as teaching them to grow a garden (in my opinion!)...managing it, keeping track of it, planning on how to spend it, making it grow.

It's not about becoming millionaires.

It's about wanting my children to have a sense of the value of their money. It's about wanting them to learn to spend it wisely (rather than blow it on poor-quality, momentary pleasures). It's also about having a bit of fun now and then (by, say, spending 50 cents on nickel candies (I remember when they were called penny candies...)).

What lessons do you hope to teach your child about money? And how do you do it?

Quick Posie Hat Tutorial

I wish I was one of those mothers who would make a sunhat by hand...then sew busily away until I had enough to sell on etsy. I'm not one of those. My girls needed sunhats, so I bought two of the same hat at our local hat and shoe store. They were cheap, pink, and cotton...that is to say, they were almost perfect.

I didn't like the little tied-in-a-knot bows adorning them, nor did I like the idea of the girls having hats that are EXACTLY the same. So, I personalised them, in about 10 minutes.

Trace a circle onto a piece of cotton of your choice, and cut out.

With needle and thread, do a running stitch (in, out, in, out) all around the outer edge of the circle.

Gently pull the thread to cinch the circle closed...

...and pull tight. Secure with a few stitches.

Remove the ugly bow, then choose a pretty button!

Sew the button to the centre of the flower, passing thread through the hat several times to secure the whole thing.

You might just get carried away and decide to add a whole garden! I am now thinking I may have to do an entire hat band of little posies. Try embellishing a jean jackets, barrettes, a brooch, or a sweater. They can also be stitched together to create a table runner, or if you're really ambitious, a whole quilt!

The bucket hat: an essential piece of summer clothing, personalised and created (almost) entirely by hand!

A Mother's Day Tutorial

This Mother's Day, we gathered at the homestead for an al fresco brunch: quiche, sausage, bacon, strawberry-and-mixed-greens salad, fruit salad, and homemade cinnamon buns. And coffee, of course! The sun shone on our little celebration, mingling with the still-cool breeze.

We made a few simple orange-juice-toasts, to the mothers present: my sister, mother, friend, and me. We toasted those not present, and the mothers who have gone before (namely, my parents' mothers, as well as the mother of my brother-in-law). We also raised our glasses to the stepmothers who raised him, and my husband, through their teens. I felt a slight squeeze in my heart at the thought of my recently departed grandmother; this was our first Mother's Day without her, and I had to keep reminding myself this morning that she would not be making her teetering way up our front path.

I spent Saturday away (that's another blogpost), so my husband had the day to prepare something sweet for the mothers present. Knowing that I photograph every craft we do, he gamely grabbed the camera and took a snap of each step! So, thanks to him, I can share this sweet tutorial with you.

You'll need:

• wool felt, various colours
• needle and thread
• scissors
• a button
• a pin or barrette

Cut a piece of felt in half lengthwise. Cut another larger piece the same way.

Fold the strip in half (lengthwise), and sew a running stitch along the open edge.

Draw chalklines about one inch apart along the folded edge, then snip!

Older children can do this on their own!

Pull that running stitch tight, creating a pretty posey!

Place the smaller rosette on top of the larger one, and either hot glue, or secure with a few stitches.

Choose a pretty button.

Add a circle of felt to the centre of the flower, with the button secured on top (either sew or glue these pieces on).

Glue another felt circle on the back of the flower, then either stitch on a barrette, or a pin.

Wear with pride, and big smile!
Knowing that my husband took the time to try a new craft with the kids, photograph it, AND present it to me as a handmade gift made my Mother's Day more than any box of chocolates ever could!
Wishing all of you mamas out there a restful, blessed day to bask in the love of your children.

The Moodie Flip Doll: A Tutorial (Kinda)

My sweet niece turned 7 today! She is unique in many ways, and therefore it is often a challenge to find a gift for her. I just couldn't settle on anything, either store-bought or handmade, until this morning...4 hours before we hit the road for her birthday party!

Meredith's nickname is "Moodie"; I'm not sure where it originated, but it's what we all call her. When I woke up, it came to me that I had to create a Moodie Doll for her.

I started out with a pattern for Emily Martin's Black Apple Doll, times two, and minus the legs (complex mathematics)! I freehanded the faces, one happy and one sad. For the eyes, I used satin stitch, then small back-stitches around the iris.

Close-up of satin stitch (basically, filling in an area with long stitches)

Tiny backstitches  define the filled-in area and tidy up the edges.

The completed faces, with hair laid on!

I used backstitch for the eyebrows, lips, and around the eyes as well. Follow Emily's instructions for sewing the hair onto the face, then the head, arms and bodies. At this point, I had two Black Apple Dolls with no legs.

She is very sad, wondering where her legs went.

For the skirt, I cut a length of fabric about three times the width of the doll's body, and long enough to cover the doll from head to waist. Choose a print that doesn't have a "wrong" side. I ironed up a hem, and sewed some rickrack onto the turned-up side to cover the hem.

I sewed a seam to connect the two short ends of this rectangle, creating a tube. I did my own version of a French seam along this side seam to make it look finished on both sides. I then added a loose gathering stitch along the top of the skirt, and gathered it until it fit onto the doll's waist.

I sewed this onto the "happy" doll, the way you would a skirt to a top (right sides together). This is how it looked at this point, with the doll's body stuffed:

I then took the "sad" doll, and ironed a hem up into her waist. I stuffed this half of the doll, flipped the other half upside down, and hand-stitched the sad half onto the happy half. This covered the rough edge where the skirt joined the upper half.

Please be reminded that I called this a "Tutorial (Kinda)"...I was making this up as I went along, with a clingy child leaning on my arm as I worked. Email me if you seriously want to attempt to follow my half-assed instructions and still have questions (I can't imagine how you would...!)...I call this kind of rudderless creating "organic"...it evolves as I work, and I just trust that as problems arise, I'll deal with them. I do like the fail-proofness of following a formula, recipe, or pattern. But honestly, this project gave me so much satisfaction, to bring a seed of a plan into fruition! What have you got to lose, besides time and a bit of fabric?

 

Here is what she looks like in mid-flip.

I made the sad doll's torso a bit too long. I also sewed her hands together in front (as if clasped in shame!) because they were causing the skirt to stick out too much when flipped.

Curiosity got the better of Miss Violet and she had to check out what was going on under that skirt!

While I did learn to sew from patterns, "winging it" is much more my style. I love how this doll turned out, and love how her name is so fitting for our sweet Moodie. She fit perfectly inside one of those skinny wine-bottle gift bags which made me giggle. Let me know what you think, and if I ever make another I'll take more pictures to give clearer instructions! For now, just go for it...winging it just might bring a little thrill to your life.

Little Quilts

While the Handmade Holidays movement is appealing to me in terms of resisting consumerism, teaching my children the "real" meaning of Christmas, and showing off my crafty self, I'll admit that this year I'm handcrafting my children's gifts because I'm flat broke. There is really nothing left at the end of the month, with mortgage and childcare payments, and part-time pay. Often there's nothing left in the middle of the month, either. Things are about as bad, financially, as they've ever been. It's time to put snow-tires on the van but there's no money for that. Each month we wonder if we can hang on a bit longer (till I go back to full-time work) or if we should think about selling the homestead.

I don't think I would be alone in acknowledging the fact that choosing to live simply is based in large part on our income. It would be much easier to just go out and buy gifts, pyjamas, etc. for my kids for Christmas. And I know that a day might come where the little handmades I offer don't seem like "enough". But my mom mentioned the other day how lucky I am that my kids don't watch TV the way we did when we were kids. They really have no idea what's out there in terms of toys. When I asked them what they'd like Santa to bring, they were kind of stumped. So, anything new-to-them that's wrapped and under the tree will bring as big a thrill as some shinily-packaged, plastic-wrapped, store-bought gift.

I'm trying to kick the Facebook habit that has begun to absorb much of my "spare" time. Last night, instead of sitting there like a crackhead, chatting with friends and looking at other people's photos, I sat at the kitchen table and sewed these two quilt tops. We plan to repaint a small bunkbed, crib, and rocking chair for the girls, and present them with a little doll nursery, complete with colourful little quilts. The nine-patch is one of the easiest of quilt patterns: just cut out five squares of one colour, and four of another, and sew them together to create a checkerboard. Lots of these blocks will use up your scrap stash, and could turn into a quilt of any size you wish!

You can find a tutorial for log-cabin blocks here.

Every year I plan to send Christmas cards. "Plan" is the operative word, here. As a schoolteacher, December is particularly busy for me: with the normal decorating/baking/gift-making/etc. that goes into preparing my home, I also create gifts for my students, plan and rehearse our Christmas concert performance, transform the dramatic play centre into a Toy Shop, and so on. But with my rediscovered, Facebook-free time last night, I stitched this little patch, which I will glue onto cardstock. To keep things within reason, I've decided to send cards only to friends and family I see/talk to regularly, instead of to everyone in my address book. I know the ease with which I get overwhelmed. I love the word "peace"...and dream of really feeling it in my heart this holiday season.

Handmade Holiday: Wee Things

In anticipation of Advent, several friends and I create handmades to share: 5 friends, 5 items times 5. We all end up with 25 unique gifts for our children to open, one at a time, on each day leading up to Christmas. Tomorrow evening we will gather, wrap our offerings in brightly coloured tissue paper, and attach them to a big stick. I don't know why we tie them to a stick, but it's what we do. We call them Advent sticks!

A month ago when I started thinking about what to make, I actually thought I'd back out this year. Too busy, too tired, too stretched. But then I got into the spirit with a loving nudge from a friend, and here's what I came up with.

A pretty button sewn onto a circle of wool felt, then layered over graduatingly-larger circles makes a lovely (and thrifty!)  ornament

with a message stitched onto the back!

A flock of crocheted snowflakes, each one unique,

silvery,

and intricate.

And last, and possibly sweetest, a tiny bit of fairy work.

Here are the simple directions for this quick gift:

Using 0-2 mm needles, cast on 10 stitches using a fingering weight yarn.

Knit as many rows as you like; I like it to look a bit longer than a square. That would be a rectangle! Break off yarn, leaving a long enough tail to wind into a tiny ball.

Slip the stitches on to a toothpick, and push another toothpick carefully through the work.

To finish, weave in cast on end, glue small beads onto the ends of the "needles", and glue the little ball of yarn onto the front of the work.

You can attach a magnet or a pin or a hanging string, depending on how you want to use this. You can also glue it to the front of a card for your favourite knitter, OR mount it in a tiny frame!

I love wee things, don't you?

Craft Classes: Tree Blocks!

With the simplest of raw materials (wood, beeswax, olive oil, and cotton) you can create a set of tree blocks that are sure to outlast any toy you pick up at the nearest big-box store.

Just saw wood of varying diameters into rounds, and sand the ends and edges, as well as any loose/rough bark.

Slather with a generous coat of beeswax polish, and let sit for at least a few hours.

Buff to a sheen, then store in a lovely drawstring bag. You can personalise it with fabric paint and a potato stamp!

Imagine the delight of small hands opening this beautiful gift...and how clever you'll feel at your creativity, thrift, and eco-friendliness!

Visit http://www.twigandtoadstool.blogspot.com/ for more details!

Felt+Friends=Handmade Fun!

The fruits of my labour (ahem), plus a wee knitted pear I made last week.

My dear friend Maureen and I launched our first series of craft classes yesterday at our local art gallery! A group of 9 wonderful women gathered to learn to make fabulous felt fruits and vegetables. The group represented a wide range of sewing abilities, but all went home with a start to their own collection of felt food. The excitement and pride everyone felt at creating handmade gifts for their children was palpable, and Maureen and I are very much looking forward to our next three sessions: felt crowns and barrettes, tree blocks, and a gnome/nativity set. Space is limited; for full details, more photos and links, or to sign up for future classes, visit Maureen at Twig and Toadstool!

We needle-felted green roving to fill this pod with peas!

I'm rather fond of this pear creation.

Can you spot the handmades? They're hard to distinguish from fresh!

Now is the time to start thinking about handmade gifts for Christmas. Some gifts we're planning to create here at the Homestead include this treehouse for Violet, and this marvellous set of Star Wars figures for Jude.We'll also be buying some handmades from other craftspeople, but I've declared this a no-Walmart-craptastic-present Christmas! Our kids are still at an age where just waking up to find a full stocking is enough to send them into near-paroxysms of delight, so we know whatever we pull off either with our own hands, or by supporting someone else's will thrill them.

We're not too strict with our families when it comes to the gifts they buy for our kids, but we do love when people ask us what they would like! Additions to our wooden train set, new books, costumes, art supplies, and outdoor activity-type gifts are always high on the list! Get creative when shopping for the little ones in your life this Christmas; don't resign yourself to buying cheap, easily-broken-and-hard-on-the-earth gifts just because you're not crafty. One of our favourite places to shop for beautiful gifts that will last a lifetime and beyond is Natural Pod, located in British Columbia. We also love the handmade wooden toys at The Wood Garden, located in Southern Ontario. As we work our way towards Christmas, I'll continue to post links to my favourite places!

Tell me, do you have any plans for handmade Christmas gifts this year?

Guest Post: In Memory of Marjorie

Today I welcome my sister, Julie, as a guest blogger!

Since my blog, The Letter Writing Revolution, was not a suitable forum for the post I wanted to write, Stephanie graciously offered The Knitty Gritty Homestead as a space for the following post.


When I first met my husband, I was 12 years old and he was 13. We met in a hockey rink in rural Quebec and it was love at first sight. I recall seeing his mom at the rink and as the story goes, she saw me, too, and told Tim that she thought I was "cute as a button."

Fast forward 12 years..........
I met up with the man who would be my husband once again while home visiting from Whistler, BC. We dated for a few weeks and then I returned to BC. Soon after, I received a call that he was quitting his jobs, selling his belongings and moving to BC as well. We married three years later and celebrated our 11th anniversary this past June. And, as they say, the rest is history.

Very sadly, when I saw my husband's mom at the hockey rink back in 1984 what I didn't know was that she was fighting breast cancer. She passed away a year and two months later in March of 1985 when she was only 39 years old (the age I am now). When my husband and I started dating and were living in BC, we started an annual tradition of participating in the CIBC Run for the Cure.......a run/walk with all proceeds going to breast cancer research. Each year we would do the run and eventually after getting our hands on some of his mother's recipes, we started the annual tradition of making her cinnamon buns from scratch in memory and celebration of her life.

October is breast cancer awareness month and so in memory of my mother-in-law, Marjorie Graham, whom I never had a chance to meet or know, I want to share a step-by-step recipe of making her amazing (and easy!) cinnamon buns. Enjoy!

Marjorie Graham's Cinnamon Buns

You will need:
The Dough:
3 cups of white all-purpose flour (and then another 3cups or so)
2 Tbsp. quick rising yeast (if you buy the three packets that are attached, use all three)
3 cups warm water
8 Tbsp. white sugar
6 Tbsp. Crisco oil (I used light tasting olive oil)
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
The Topping
1 lb. butter
1 kg. bag brown sugar
1/3 cup cinnamon

Creating the Buns:
1. Put water, sugar and oil in a large bowl.

2. Mix the flour and yeast together in a separate bowl and then add to the oil/water/sugar mixture, combining with a fork or spoon.

3. Add beaten egg and salt.

4. You will need to take your rings off as it's going to get messy!

4. Add at least 3 cups more of flour until you have consistency and dough doesn't stick to your hands.

5. Oil another large bowl and place dough in it. Cover with a tea towel and place in oven. No heat but turn the oven light on for 20 minutes.

6. After 20 minutes, remove from oven and knead the dough. Place back in oven, covered with tea towel, (no heat) for 20-25 minutes. Oven light remains on.

7. When you remove it after the 25 minutes, it should look like this:

8. Prepare a large surface (counter works well) with flour and dump the dough onto the surface. You will now roll out your dough into a rectangle  about 1/4 -1/2 inch thick.

My husband's grandmother's rolling pin which was probably her mother's rolling pin.

9. Now, her recipe states: "Butter well. Add lots of brown sugar and lots of cinnamon." From ten years of experimenting, my husband and I think we have found the magic balance of these three key ingredients. I use a pound of soft butter (I didn't say these were healthy!!) spread evenly over the dough rectangle. Then, sprinkle with 1 kg of golden brown sugar and I probably used about a 1/3 cup of cinnamon sprinkled over the entire piece of dough. Now, you might need an extra set of hands for this part as you are now going to roll the dough like a jelly roll.

10. Slice your roll into pieces that are about an inch and a half thick and place into greased glass pans. Pie plates work, too.Let rise in oven uncovered and no heat (oven light on, though) for 45 minutes. They should come out looking like this:

11. Remove and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Return to oven for 25-30 minutes. They are best eaten on the day they're baked and it's perfectly fine to add more butter when you eat them. I also recommend a hot pot of tea and friends and family to enjoy them with.

The finished product!

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to post them here and I will happily guide you. These are by far the best cinnamon buns I have ever eaten. Enjoy!