Book Buddies

 

Do you remember Maisy? Well she inspired these :)

I made these book buddies to add to books that I gave as Christmas gifts to some special little boys in my life, my nephews! I decided to cut these out free-hand (no pattern) and it surprisingly worked out really nicely. (Perhaps a little bit of luck was involved, 'cause this type of brave cutting can go very wrong sometimes!) I then stitched the felt pieces together, filled the bodies with batting, stitched them up and then glued on the rest.

I won't say much here about The Very Hungry Caterpillar, other than it being a terrific book for a young child (aged 2-5 approx). If you would like to read another post I did about this book, click here.

I do want to tell you a little bit more about Lost and Found, by Oliver Jeffers. But before I do, I need to tell you about another Oliver Jeffer's gem. I was first introduced to this author when a colleague told me about his book How to catch a Star.(Thank you Carey!) Big One and I soon loved this simple, beautifully illustrated story of a little boy who loved stars and very proactively made all sorts of plans to catch a star to be his friend. I think it's a great story about "making a plan" and perseverance when you are faced with a problem.

Lost and Found is about the same little character, who this time tries to help a penguin, who he thinks is lost. In the end, however, he realizes that the penguin is simply lonely and wants a friend. It's another sweet story and a great icebreaker to introduce a conversation about loneliness and friendship. I think that both these books by Oliver Jeffers are great additions to a young child's library (aged 3-6 approx) and are super books to be used in Play Therapy.

Till next time, happy reading!

PS. I am linking this to:

Tot Tuesdays at My Delicious Ambiguity 

Show and Tell at ABC and 123 

Kids Get Crafty at Red Ted's Art Blog

Read.Explore.Learn at JDaniel4's Mom
Feed Me Books Friday @ Little Sprout Books

Happy Birthday Big One!!

Oh dear, where has the time gone? Sorry, I am a little behind in posting, but it's been rather busy around here. Tomorrow it's back to school after an AMAZING 6 week Summer break! So much prep seems to go into this big day...sorting uniforms, organizing stationery, attaching name tags to just about everything! And, to add to the busyness, a rather important person also turned 9 this past weekend!

My little boy is 9...where did the time go?

So, how did we spend this special day? Well with Granny in tow, we went off to Ratanga Junction...Cape Town's very own theme park :). There really is something for everybody and I think it's well worth the admission fee.

  That's Dad and Big One right in front! This rollercoaster (Bushwhacker) was definitely the favourite ride of the day. I think Big One did it about 8 times :)

Little One and Granny. Little One didn't want to get off this one!

The Lady Bugs Ferris Wheel.

We all loved the boat ride.

 Having fun on the Rats and Cats bumper cars.

Big One you are our STAR!! You truly have a beautiful way about you...you make us laugh and you astound us with your creativity and interesting perspective on life. Thank you for being such a blessing. We love you and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

To see and read more about Ratanga, click here.

Painting fun

When Summer arrives in Cape Town it brings along the wind, which can blow rather ferociously at times. It also brings welcome relief from the heat! We are lucky enough to have a small enclosed back garden, which is mostly sheltered from the wind and this means that we can have some beautiful Summer times in our backyard in the evenings. 

In December we had one of those almost windless evenings and I decided to let Little One paint outside. I gave him acrylic paint and sponges (saved from the inside of tablet containers) and attached them to pegs. This is a great way to let a younger child paint, who doesn't yet have adequate control over a brush. Little One decided to use the paint brush anyway :). He also decided to paint with the sand that I used to hold the plastic container down!

Afterwards, he wanted his nappy off...running around the garden naked is just one of his favourite things to do! What fun! I LOVE these pictures :)

Wherever you are and whatever the weather, I hope you are having some holiday fun.

2011 is here!

I have been away with family for a few days in Vermont, Hermanus, and it was wonderful! We are very blessed to have access to a family holiday home and we usually find ourselves there over New Year. This year the weather was strangely a bit miserable, but I actually loved it. (I don't function so well in the very hot weather!) So, in spite of the weather, we had lovely times on the beach, walked around enjoying the amazing natural beauty and, of course, just got to kick back and relax a bit with loved ones. I think the best part about getting away is the fact that you leave all the must-do lists at home and you have no choice but to CHILL!!

I wanted to take this opportunity to not only wish you, but also to thank YOU, my wonderful readers, for joining me so far on this little blogging adventure. When I started this blog in March last year, I had a certain vision for it, but I can honestly say, it got a bit of a life of it's own. I never thought that I would be sharing so many kiddies' crafts and Mommy-made games and toys. This has been so much fun and my children have only benefited. I won't tell you what I have in mind going forward, but I certainly hope to keep you all reading in 2011! 

To those of you who have come back time and time again to leave (very kind) comments or even email me with feedback and encouragement, THANK YOU!! It's your continuous support that really keeps me motivated. I have also been so blessed to make some amazing faraway friends and this has been an added bonus of this blogging journey that I am so thrilled about. I know too that many of my readers are closer to home and are not necessarily bloggers. Thank you so much for subscribing ...I can't express how it makes me feel to know that you choose to receive my posts in your inbox :).

And last, but certainly not least, I would like to wish all of you a very happy New Year! May it be a very special year for you and your families.

Till next time, 

Georgia

Merry Christmas

 

Sock Snowmen

Says one snowman to another: "Do you smell carrots? " :)

Sometime in the 1990's, a local shop here in South Africa sold the terrific American Parents magazine and I use to love buying them. One of my favourite copies was a December issue that had the most amazing Christmas crafts in it. I don't ever part with such great inspiration and ideas, so these have been safely kept in one of my many art-and-craft flip files for all these years! These very sweet snowmen are one of those crafts.

Little One has amused me so, by saying that they are "cool" (which they are:)) and "key-ute"! But, each time I leave him alone with them, he rips off their noses!

Hope you are having a great Christmas week.

PS. I'm linking this to  

Tot Tuesdays @ My Delicious Ambiguity

Show and Tell @ ABC and 123 

                               

Pipe Cleaner Teddy Bear

I found this Teddy Bear tutorial a few years ago at my local craft shop Joh Se Winkel. Now having the blog, I just couldn't resist sharing it. So here is the tutorial and pictures:

Take one pipe cleaner (the thicker, fluffier ones work better) and cut off 6cm. These are the ears. Then cut off 10cm (the arms). You will be left with 14cm (the legs).

Bend each end of the 6cm piece to the middle and then do the same for the 10cm piece and the 14cm piece. After bending the 14cm piece, bend it down into the shape of an upside down "V".

Take the second uncut pipe cleaner and make a tiny loop at the top. (It looks like a long walking stick). Put the ears into the loop and fold the pipe cleaner twice over the middle of the ears. Then continue folding the pipe cleaner over, but once to the side (of the middle) and then to the other side. You have now created the face. If you lift the ears, the little face will show.

Put the arms under the chin and put the legs directly under the arms. Bend the remaining pipe cleaner over the legs and over the one shoulder and then repeat over the other shoulder until the pipe cleaner is finished. Tuck the end of the pipe cleaner in somewhere. Lastly add the eyes and nose carefully (otherwise there is glue all over the face) and dress as you please! :)

I made some teddies today with some eight year old friends and they managed to get it right (with just a little help). So this is a nice fine-motor activity for older kiddos.

I hope you found this easy to follow and will be making some of your own.

PS. I'm linking this to: 

Christmas Link-up Week @ Mummy Crafts 

The Christmas Blog Party @ Holiday Haven 

Christmas Sharing Time @ Raising Memories 

Tot Tuesdays @ My Delicious Ambiguity 

Show and Tell @ ABC and 123 

Christmas Cards Cont.

 Some more Christmas Cards...the children did join in for one or two this time around, but I think I still enjoyed the making of these the most. These were definitely easier to make than the fabric and buttons cards (to see those, click here).

Some more Christmassy crafts coming up this week, so stay tuned!

Christmas Cards

I love making and giving homemade Christmas cards, but I must admit that in the last few years I have resorted to store bought cards. I decided that this year would be different and so made these. I had intended for the children to be involved, but Big One wasn't in the mood and the fabric and buttons were a bit finicky for Little One, so I made them without the kiddos. I like how they turned out.

 

I will share another round of Christmas cards...hopefully kiddos included!

PS. I'm sharing this at
Show and Tell @ ABC and 123

Chocolate Play Dough!

 

I have never much liked store bought play dough. I think it's the smell of it that mainly puts me off. But year after year I have continued to buy it, never considering making any of my own. I have always thought that there would be far too much work involved. How wrong could I be! I first tried a no-cook recipe, as I tend to avoid the stove at all costs, but it wasn't very successful. I then came across this recipe at My Montessori Journey (via Counting Coconuts). What a pleasure to make! And it's just the best playdough to play with! This, pictured here, is my second batch and as you can see I decided to be a little adventurous. I made two batches with different amounts of cocoa added (10ml and 50ml). Little One tried to eat it a few times, but a taste or two of the salty doughy mixture and he spat it out very quickly!

I recently spoke to some girlfriends of mine who have never made play dough either. This one is especially for you ladies. Have fun!

PS. To keep your dough lasting well, store in an airtight container in the fridge.

PPS. I'm linking this to  Show and Tell @ ABC and 123.

{Added at a later date:  A nicer and easier play dough recipe (in my opinion) found here.}