Fruits and Vegetables

I spent last weekend creating felt fruits and vegetables for school. I created farm stand visuals this summer but when I was gathering my materials to bring to school realized I needed more fruits and vegetables for my farm stand.  Play fruits and veggies can be expensive so I found some felt food tutorials and went to work creating. I created pears, apples, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, corn and pumpkins. It took me a long time but I was so happy with the results. I brought my finished felt foods and farm stand visuals to school on Wednesday. My paraprofessionals helped me build our farm stand. I was so pleased, it turned out just like I envisioned. The best part was the reaction from the students, they loved it! One of my three year olds exclaimed, "This is amazing!" That totally made the hours of sewing, turning and stuffing worth it. The farm stand visuals are in my TPT shop here.

Crafty Freaks Project #6 Flying Squirrel

I finished project # 6 for Crafty Freaks(#52weeksforcraftyfreaks).  I made a flying squirrel using this tutorial I found over at The Wild Olive.  Abby Glassenberg is the pattern designer. The tutorial is easy to follow and the squirrel they made turned out really cute. I wanted to create a flying squirrel to go with the kit I made for the story Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watts. I read this book to my preschoolers in October so when I saw this free pattern the other day, I knew I wanted to try making it. Scaredy squirrel is brown so I used a fuzzy tan fleece I had on hand. This type of fleece was a lot stretchier than I expected so it was a bit hard to work with. In the end I think his head ended up a bit too small but that was my fault, since the fabric wasn't cooperating with me.  I have some regular gray fleece that would probably work better. I also messed up his feet a bit, but again my fault because I was taking shortcuts. I added a toothy smile too but since I've been in zombie mode I may have made it a little to toothy so he looks a bit more like a scary squirrel not Scaredy Squirrel. I think he'd make a great dog toy, but since Chunky had to have an expensive surgery after eating a stuffed aardvark last spring he no longer gets fabric toys. I did mysteriously lose two felt squirrel feet after I cut them out. I'm not pointing fingers but Chunky does sit under my chair while I sew, so he may have had a quick little fabric snack.

Actually this little squirrel is growing on me. He is compact enough to fit into my Scaredy Squirrel kit.  I guess I need to attach him to the parachute in the kit to see if he looks scary parachuting down to the floor. My daughter has already claimed him if I decide he's too scary to for my preschoolers. Note: With my daughter's help we just tested it out I don't think he'll scare my preschoolers. After further testing we believe he won't even need a parachute because he really does fly.

A few years back I covered an old first aid kit with white duck tape to create Scaredy Squirrel's emergency kit. I included some of the props from the book in the emergency kit.

Here's the inside of the kit which includes Scaredy Squirrel's top secret emergency plan, a can of sardines, a net, rubber gloves, antibacterial soap, a band aid, bug repellent, calamine for poison ivy and an emergency parachute.

Since I decided to keep my little flying squirrel, my daughter decided she needed to create one too. She cut out the pattern pieces herself and together we sewed everything together to create this little blue squirrel. As we were making it, I kept thinking about turning it into a bat. After we finished the blue squirrel I modified the pattern and attempted to create a flying bat.  This is the prototype, the pictures are a little dark but I think you get the idea. I tried to make the arms look a bit more like wings. Like the squirrel, he will fly across the room and would be great for a Halloween game or just some batty fun around the house. My daughter pointed out that if it was made in brown, it could even be used for the story Stellaluna. Can you tell she's a teacher's kid? 

With Halloween just around the corner we may need to whip up a few more of these to give to the nieces and nephews for Halloween. We have another one cut out for my daughter to sew, afterall every blue flying squirrel needs a flying bat friend!

Wool, Doodles and a Gift

I've already started creating this summer.  One of the things I love about summertime is that I have lots of time to craft and create. My first project this summer was to create a birthday gift for my friend Kerry. Kerry has a soft spot for elephants so I couldn't resist making one from recycled wool.  I created this little elephant using this pattern I found on Pinterest.  He was hand stitched with love.

I also zentangled a mini bird house and a photo box to serve as a gift box. The gnomes are little pot hangers. I couldn't resist them, they are so cute. Kerry has a little fairy garden so I knew she could use a few gnomes to decorate it.

After shipping Kerry's elephant I decided to try making another one. I wanted it to be smaller and to have it's trunk up.  I drew a new pattern to create a little elephant. This was the final result; I think he's very cute. Since I regularly craft in jags I have a hankering to make a few more wool softies. Maybe I'll even make a whole herd of wool elephants. Of course what will I do with them all, my bookshelves are quickly filling with little wool creations.

Zombie Sheep

I love sheep and I love zombies so why not create a zombie sheep? Well I did, in fact I created two. I'm participating in a swap over a Yarnigras' Swapper Spot. The theme is zombies in the nursery so I created a black sheep and rewrote the nursery rhyme Baa, Baa Black Sheep, zombie style.

Baa, Baa Zombie Sheep

Baa, baa black sheep covered in bites and wool,

Zombies came to feast upon him until they were full.

Awaking as a member of the unliving dead,

He craves the delicious treat that’s enclosed inside your head.

Now baad, baad zombie sheep is prowling through the night

Feasting on brains and entrails, what a scary sight!

I'm not great with writing poetry, but I did enjoy making the black sheep for my partner, Chris. I tried a different method for making these zombie wounds. I layered felted wool under the top piece then cut away the top to create wounds in their skin. I created a short little zombie wound tutorial that you can see here.  You never know when the desire to create a zombie wound might strike you.  :)

After I finished the zombie sheep for Chris I decided to experiment some more with wound making. I did get a little carried away creating wounds on my white zombie sheep. He's got a lot of wounds but I was having such a good time experimenting that I couldn't stop myself. This is hilarious to me since, in my real life I can't stand anything that cuts flesh.  I scream when I get a paper cut and can't watch violent movies. Instead to relax I create zombie dolls with flesh wounds, very ironic!

May the Force Be With You

Over spring vacation my husband and my daughter watched all six Star Wars movies together.  My daughter loved them, so she decided to craft up a bit of Star Wars fun.  She gathered up some fabric scraps, polyfil, paint and sharpies and set to work.  Honestly, sometimes I'm amazed at how creative she can be! I had a mom that would sew and do crafts with me but I know I wasn't that creative when I was her age.  I've been crafting with her for years but now at the age of ten she's able to create things mostly on her own. She has a vision and the know how to do it. For this project the only thing I did was assist with the sewing machine, she did the rest.

She created a collection of Star Wars characters by sewing fabric then painting it with acrylic paint.  She did a fabulous job!  Here's the rubble during the creation process.

This is Yoda.

This is one of General Grievous' droids and c3po.

Here's the whole Star Wars gang together. May the force be with you!

A Creation and a Zombie

I've been on a softie/plushie making kick.  I always loved stuffed animals as a kid. I guess I still do, only now I like to make my own. After making the elephant for my sister's shower I decided to make another one for someone at work who just had their first grandchild. This time I used fleece for the body. Note to self don't use fleece next time it's too stretchy, cotton fabrics work much better. 

After I finished the elephant I decided to make a zombie.  When I make a zombie, I usually have some kind of plan in mind that I sketch out. This time I decided to try something different, I had no vision of what I was going to create, I just built it as I went along.  I made this zombie using pieces of two recycled sweaters and pieces of two wool coats. I stitched on his wounds, then painted his wounds with acrylic paint to make him look bloodier.  I added mismatched button eyes and even added yarn hair this time.  I actually crocheted his intestines, which is impressive since I'm not very good with a crochet hook. He's sitting on the bookshelf next to the other zombies awaiting the arrival of a new zombie in the coming months. I've been anxiously awaiting the opening of signs ups for a zombie doll swap over at Yarnigras Swapper Spot.  The theme is zombies in the nursery. You know it's going to be good!

Speaking of zombies last week was the 10th anniversary of the release of Shaun of the Dead. Even ten years later it's one of my favorites!  Watching Shaun of the Dead all those years ago  is what actually sparked my love of zombies. I still love funny zombie movies that aren't super scary. Below is a list of my favorite zombie movies.

1. Shaun of the Dead
2. Zombieland
3. Warm Bodies
4. Cockneys vs. Zombies
5. I am Legend ( I consider this a zombie movie - warning: it is a little scary.)

If you're a zombie fan and haven't seen one of these go immediately and watch it now. You'll thank me later.

Baby Gifts

This weekend we had a baby shower for my sister and her husband who are expecting a baby in May. We are very excited to add a tenth child on my side of the family.  My daughter is surrounded by cousins and we're thrilled that we'll have a new baby boy to add to the mix.

I wanted to make something for the baby.  The baby's room is gray so I created this sweet little elephant as a decoration for his room.

Here he is in the basket of goodies I had collected for the baby. I fell in love with this metal basket and decided to forgo a gift bag, instead creating a gift basket of baby goodies.

 My other sister and I planned the shower with some help from family and friends.  We wanted simple decorations that could be used after the shower to decorate the baby's room.  My sister sent me a pin and asked me if I could make this giraffe. I thought it was cute but knew I wanted to change a few things. Of course I could have purchased a pattern for the giraffe in the pin, but where is the fun in actually knowing how to make it?  :)  Call me crazy, but I think the fun is the challenge of figuring it out and creating your own. I decided I could do it, so I took some old newspaper and drew out a pattern then preceded to create this little guy.  I named him Stu, because by the time I finished him it was two in the morning and I kept saying "Stupid giraffe." My pattern worked out but the challenge was attaching his legs in a way that he could stand up on his own. I tore one leg off three times. To be honest I still think there must be a better way to attach the legs but I haven't done any research to figure it out. Of course I'm not sure I'll ever need to make another one. At this point Stu is purely for decorative purposes, as I'm sure he wouldn't stand up to a wild ride with a child on his back.

This is my brother-in -law and my sister with Stu.

Giving Bunnies & Art

Warning the photo quality isn't great, but I had to share a few bits of art I discovered mixed in with my daughter's school work. I love her drawings!

One of the spelling words this week was tiny, so this is Tiny a wee little dog.  He's so cute!

This is Mary as the title explains.  What I love about this piece of art is the sweet little bunny in the background.  He's a Giving Bunny.  My daughter wanted to make a stuffed bunny a few weeks back. I showed her a pattern for the Giving Bunny and off she went to create a family of Giving Bunnies.  

Here are the fruits of her labor or in this case bunnies.  Baby Bunny, Grandma Bunny and Mama Bunny. There was a fourth bunny but it was given to her friend in the spirit of the Giving Bunny Project.

A Pick Up & A Toy Drop

We went to NY this weekend to pick up Nature Girl. Despite the fact that she didn't want to talk on the phone to us while she was gone I think she actually missed us. We tried to wake her up when we arrived at 11:30 pm on Friday, as she had requested we do, but she was zonked out and didn't even open an eye. When she woke up Saturday morning I was treated to lots of hugs, kisses, chats and snuggles. She stuck by my side for at least the first hour, so I think even though she had a great time she did miss us just like we missed her!

On the way home from NY we decided to do a toy drop. Meet Deloris, Amy, Arnold and Aurthur. This little hedgehog family was stitched and sewn by me then stuffed by Nature Girl and three of her cousins. Here they are riding with us on a deary rainy day. We left them on a bench inside a rest stop on the VT/NH border. We didn't stick around to see if they were picked up but we hope they found a good home.

Another Toy Drop

We did another drop for The Toy Society. It's so much fun trying to think of locations, then sneaking around to leave the toys. This time we dropped while visiting my mom in VT. Ironically the drop site was a store that I visited when I was a kid about the same age as Nature Girl.

I made 4 dinosaur finger puppets out of felt. We left them on a community bulletin board out side of a store in VT. Nature Girl picked the spot and help put the tacks through the bag.

We dropped them off around 6pm on Sunday. When we drove by again on Monday afternoon they were gone. We hope whoever found them will have lots of fun playing with them. Now we need to think of another toy to make for our next drop.