toys

DIY Chalkboards {Summertime Fun!}

Posted by Nat on May 9, 2012 | 5 comments

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I want this summer of 2012 to be one my kids remember.  I want it to be fun.  I also want to be able to say to them, “Go Play Outside!” as often as possible.  I have lots of memories of being sent outside to play when I was growing up.  There’s just nothing like summer when you’re a kid.

For a long time this area of our house has been off limits.  It was full of mud, gopher holes, and sharp, dangerous tools.  This fall we’ll have been here three years.  And thankfully, this is the first summer where I think we really NEED this space for our family, and it’s ready!  I’ll be showing you more later, but for now, we’ll stick to these home-made chalkboards I made for the kids.  They’ve been a big hit, and were very straightforward to make.  I saw this idea on several blogs a few years ago, and of course now I can’t remember any of them.  I knew I could buy a chalkboard somewhere, but I wanted them to be small so the kids or I could move them easily, and I didn’t want to feel bad if they get banged up, as I’m sure they will.

I went to Home Depot one day to get something completely unrelated and came home with all the fixings to make these.  I grabbed three square pieces of wood (I could wander in the lumber part of Home Depot all day just to smell the wood).  I believe they are 2 ft. x 2 ft. I also grabbed 2 cans of this primer by Rustoleum:

And 2 cans of this Chalk Board Paint, also by Rustoleum.

Making these was very simple, but a bit time-consuming in order to let the primer and paint dry.  I just followed the directions on the can.  I’d throw on my painting clothes in the morning and slap a coat on.  Then in the afternoon I’d do another.

I did three coats of primer and three coats of chalkboard paint.  I think it took 3-4 days to complete.

The thing that was most helpful was using extra pavers to elevate the boards.  See this picture below?  This is how I started; do not start this way.  Find something thick and even that you don’t care about and stick it under the boards so you can’t see it.  Then you can paint the entire surface of the board AND the edges, and it is easy peasy.

We already had quite a collection of sidewalk chalk.  I was thinking about buying regular chalk until I saw how much sidewalk chalk we have.  We can wait.

I bought this handy carrying case at Target.  The bottom compartment still needs something- haven’t decided what we’ll put in there.

We use some planters I got in the dangerous dollar section at Target to hold water for dunking our chalk.  It makes the colors so vibrant.

The day we started using these, Anna was in heaven.  I drew a picture on the middle board to show her how to do the water, and she was ready to go.  This little girl is a creative type, just like her mommy. 🙂

Jack just has fun making a mess and asking me to draw things for him.  Helicopters are the most popular.

What fun things do your kids like to do outside?

And by the way- do my pictures not look SO much better?!  Hooray for new cameras!

Operation Organization: Pouches for Toys

Posted by Nat on Mar 21, 2012 | 2 comments

I fit some sewing in a few weeks ago and am so happy with what I ended up with.  My kids had a few toys that needed to be contained.  Some blocks that needed a better/cuter home than a Ziploc bag, and Connectagons from my mom at Christmas time.

I knew just where to go for what I needed.  My friend Kari’s blog, Handmade Mommy, has a lovely tutorial on fishing reel drawstring bags.  I thought they’d be perfect for the kids because they are easy to open and shut, and you can make them whatever size you need.  Here’s my final product:

Aren’t they cute?  I lined the inside with white flannel just to keep them a bit thicker and sturdy.

These blocks look so much better in a cute bag, don’t you think?

Thanks so much for the tutorial, Kari!

Toys Every Boy Should Have

Posted by Nat on Oct 25, 2011 | 3 comments

I grew up with all girls.  I have two older sisters, and four cousins- all girls.  My only male relatives growing up were my dad, my two grandpas, and my two uncles. Lots of double-x chromosomes running around.  Therefore I am clueless as to what to get my little boy as he grows up.  I know, I know- it’ll come to me, but still- I’m a list person.

Some disclaimers:

• I am NOT getting paid for this list.  I’m doing it for fun.  Like I said, I like lists.
• I am NOT saying that you *should* have any of these toys, or that if you don’t you are totally lame.  These are just ideas.  To each his or her own.   If you don’t want your boy to have guns as toys, totally fine.  I’m still figuring that one out.
• I also think it’s possible and totally fine for boys and girls to cross the gender-line in terms of toys, and vice versa.  We let Jack put on Anna’s costumes.  He can have a pink cup to drink his milk if he wants.   Anna can play with trucks and stuff.  So please don’t take this as a “manly-man toy list and if you disagree you must be a pansy” post.

So I went to my Facebook friends and family and asked them:  “What are the toys every boy should have?”  Jackpot! I got so many great answers, and I wrote them all down (some of them were hilarious).  Thanks, FB friends!  Then I broke their responses into categories.  I’ve listed them below and provided links where necessary.   I hope this is helpful to you, dear friends.  And please– if I left anything out, leave a comment and add to the fun- make the list even better!

The Basics

Miscellaneous things included:

• duct tape
• crayons & paper
• cardboard boxes
• balls
• sticks
• dinosaurs
• wooden blocks
• flashlights
• handheld video games
• keys
• art kits
• sewing kits (fine motor skill development)
• baby doll & stroller (especially if new siblings are on the horizon)
• t-ball set
• golf set
• magnifying glass
• tool bench & tools
• old bikes to take apart and put back together

Things that go:

• cars
• trucks
• trains/wooden train set
• matchbox cars
• fire trucks
• police cars
• ramps & tracks for all things that go

Weapons:

• bows ‘n’ arrows
• fire (this made me laugh!)
• guns
• “any weapon” (direct quote- ha!)

Brand Specific Toys

(These are in no particular order. Some of these I had not heard of, and you’ll be able to tell because I’ll talk about them in case you haven’t either.)

Automoblox

These look uber-cool.  They are also not uber-cheap, so they will have to be gifts for our kids- but MAN they are cool!  Apparently you can mix and match different parts, so if you have 2 or 3, you really have endless possibilities.  There’s also a Parts Department so you can order extra wheels, etc.  Cool!

Legos

Duh.  Legos rock.

Tinker Toys

Anna plays with these already- we need to either sneak them into Jack’s room or just get him his own set.  I’m curious to see if Jack gets any of my husband’s amazing technical brain- Anna has made some pretty amazing things with Tinker Toys.

Imaginext

Fisher Price brands these as the toys to get when your kid is “Pre-Cool”- you don’t want them shooting stuff yet, but they want to feel like they have a really cool toy.  They seem to be just that, but we also don’t have any.  Would love to hear what people think of these!

Hot Wheels

 Of course we’re talking about the cars, but I also have to mention… When I was at BlogHer I got to see a preview of the Hot Wheels Wall Tracks  and they are awesome.  I sort of want Jack to get some so I can play with them…

Anything Star Wars

(I could post a bazillion links for anything Star Wars but then this post would go on forever…)

Transformers

I’m not sure how I feel about these.  I remember them from my childhood and the commercials gave me the heebie-jeebies.  They kind of freak me out.  Thoughts?

Bruder Toys

(Someone actually said “Bruder trucks” in my FB post, but after looking at the website- anything here screams “boy!!!”) These are also not cheap, so for us they will have to come as gifts.  They are extremely authentic looking, and have great reviews on Amazon.

Geo Trax

Made by Fisher-Price, this is sort of a new train track collection, but they have incorporated lots of characters from movies, like Toy Story and Cars. These look pretty cool.  I’d love to hear from anyone who has these, as I’ve been debating about whether it’s really worth it to get a train set like this.

Lincoln Logs

So, there you have it.  Did I miss something?  Is your son’s favorite toy left off of this list- please leave a comment and add it to improve the list!  Or if you have any experience with any of these toys, please post a comment!

Props to the crafting ladies

Posted by missmusic1976 on Jul 1, 2010 | 1 comment

I am in awe of some of my friends who craft so well.  One of the reasons I started this blog is because I was honestly a bit jealous of the abilities of some wonderful women I know, and some women I don’t know but who I stalk on a regular basis via their blogs.

A few months ago my friend Kari, who sews the most beautiful things, posted about making gifts for children.  I saw these crayon rolls and just had to try them.  I have now made four, and I know that I will be making more.  There is something so satisfying about choosing two fun fabrics, getting a few supplies together and having your end product be so cute AND usable.  I can’t give Kari all the recognition, though, because Kari actually got the idea from Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy and now I am hooked on yet another blog!

So thanks, Kari!  Thanks, Lindsey!

Below are my attempts at making the crayon rolls.  And Lindsey is right- the best part is sliding the crayons in when you’re almost done.  (Here’s a link to Lindsey’s tutorial in case you want to make them for yourself.)

I made two with a “girly” theme.  I love, love, love this button- I want to get more of it.

Note my tags that I ordered, too- I got them from Lisa at MommieMadeIt on etsy.com.  Love them!  I also love the two “boyish” ones, too.  Hopefully you can’t tell in these photos, but I actually didn’t get the crayon pockets perfect on either of these two.  Something about the dark fabric made it hard.  I had to use tailor’s chalk to mark the lines so that it would show on the black.  I was probably rushing through it.  But the crayons still fit, and I know that the 2 recipients of these will not care.  For the next set I will be more careful!  Scout’s honor.

Anna’s Doll Bedding: First Project

Posted by missmusic1976 on Jun 30, 2010 | Comments Off on Anna’s Doll Bedding: First Project

My first project with my new sewing machine needed to be something that wasn’t going to “matter” in terms of looking like something expected or patterned.  I didn’t want that pressure when I really haven’t had much sewing experience since middle school.  My mom sent out my old doll bed from when I was growing up- isn’t it cute?  It’s brass and very sturdy.  However, the bedding was looking a little… well… a bit like bedding from the early 80s should.  It had lots of cats on it- and since my childhood days I have become extremely, horrendously, completely allergic to cats.  (I think I’d probably sneeze while sitting next to a hairless cat, truth be told.  But I wouldn’t sit next to a hairless cat because they freak me out.) So, the cats and the color combo just weren’t doing it for me.  On a date day, Michael and I happened upon a little fabric store in North Park- wish I could remember the name.  They had this adorable ladybug flannel.  I found some trim, pulled out leftover muslin from Anna’s room, and I was ready to sew.

*note*  These are horrible pictures.  My apologies!

First I made the fitted sheet and the bed skirt (left).  Then I simply cut a piece of muslin to size and made a “sheet” (center).   Then I made a “quilt” and I guess what one might call a bolster pillow (?) that runs along the back of the bed, since it’s sort of a day bed (right).

Finally I whipped up some pillows.  These were fun!  I think the only one I don’t really care for is the round one because I was short on trim and ended up hacking it (reference my header- clearly don’t know what I’m doing yet) to pieces.  Oh well.  Anna loves it.  She didn’t love the whole thing at first- in fact she immediately asked for the cat bedding back.  Ah, to be 3 again. Thanks, sweetie.