Custodians of Beauty

Noticing that there was a lack of vegetable variety in our play food reserve, I thought it would be a good time to create a few more food items. Potatoes, chicken, and apple slices. Sounds like a good meal. The spuds were made from an old pair of stockings. There was also a lack of meat in our supply, ergo the felted chicken legs. They were super easy to make using the template on the blog, Art Threads.   From this day on, we can serve bacon AND chicken to Oma and Opa when they visit.  My little spud holding a big spud Those dimples - looks like a genuine russet potato!  Chicken legs are not a typical meal for us, so I had to explain to the girls what these were and how to pretend-eat them. Apple slices to accompany the other felted fruits And lastly, the felt apple slices. The girls routinely have apple slices for lunch (sometimes with peanut butter spread on top). It's a favorite in this household. I pred...

To accompany my felted state ornaments , I also created these vintage fabric trivets for Christmas gifts. Making use of the doily template from Stash Happy Felt , I cut out the felt pieces and choose coordinating floral fabrics. I'm devoted to my floral prints, they're just lovely. A simple running stitch outlines the edges of the petals while securing the fabric to the intricate lace top design. I kept the blue one for myself, but the others were gifted to exceptional mothers in my life. They also work great as coasters, too! The trivets bear a resemblance to stained glass windows.

These dull, gray and cold days of winter seem long and unending. Fortunately, our family was able to escape the dreariness and celebrate a birthday this month. For our daughter's second birthday we hosted a moose party themed after the cherished book,  If You Give a Moose a Muffin , by Laura Numeroff. My siblings and I grew up reading this funny story and listening to the book on tape. The silly tale is about a hungry moose who follows the smell of fresh muffins. He enters the house and asks the boy for a muffin, but this is just the beginning of many comical requests. The amusing complications that ensue will entertain youngsters (and adults).  Since I had such a hoot planning last year's caterpillar party , I was eager to start collecting/creating the decor for the moose party. The book was acquired (for free!) when I posted an "ISO" in the local Facebook sale page.  I'm hoping to do another post featuring this book with photos of the illustrations....

Teatime is a must for our household-- play tea, that is. The girls have been using the retro plastic tea set I found for them at a garage sale. They are far from sheepish when it comes to making sound effects for pouring and slurping their tea. It brings this mama, much joy to see them play contently together. You know the morning is going well when you can sit down, sip your coffee (while it's still warm) and watch your little ones play together in peace. I loved the idea of felted tea bags, and had it pinned for quite some time. This morning, I whipped out my sewing machine and cranked a few out, while the girls played at my feet jumping on pillows and tumbling onto piles of blankets (yes, I sew amidst this craziness. Sometimes it is the ONLY time I have to make fun stuff.)    First, I sewed around the outside of the teabag and left the top open to fill with rice. My three year old was baffled as to why I would be putting rice in a tea bag. "Mama, why you put ...

For my crafty gift this year, I made five state ornaments: Arkansas, Minnesota, Michigan, Georgia and Wisconsin. It was fun to customize the individual ornaments by placing a heart over the area where each person is currently living. The ornaments were made with a combination of hand sewing and machine sewing. After cutting out the states, I used the sewing machine to sew right near the edge of the shape. The small hearts were also sewn on by machine. Added some stuffin' and finished them off with a blanket stitch edge which gave them a homey look. I was pleased to find a use for my red and white sting (gotta love the dollar section at Target.) Minneapolis, MN and Saginaw, MI Madison, WI and Savannah, GA My MIL loved her Michigan ornament. She commented that it would be great to have the year sewn onto the backside. Doh! I always forget to do that.  I was so busy getting these finished and wrapped up, that I forgot to make a extra WI or...

Fall is my favorite. Leaf piles, sweater weather, apple cider, crunchy leaves underfoot, pumpkins, and pies!  This is our first autumn in the new house and it's SO exciting! The maple trees in our backyard have turned from vibrant green to fiery yellow, and deep red-orange. Each leaf that falls to the ground looks like a piece of artwork. I want to save each one and put it in a frame. God's creation is majestic and wondrous! I'm rediscovering nature's beauty through the eyes of my children. Often I find them captivated, listening to the rustling of the leaves as the wind sweeps through the trees. We have several pines that run along two sides of our yard. The girls will wander the yard in search of pinecones to fill their toy shopping cart. It's just as fun as an easter egg hunt! (Plus, I don't have to "hide" anything, mother nature is in charge of that. ;) Haven't done any sewing lately, but I did create a wreath to embellish our f...

Added to my felt food collection are: snow peas and oranges! I wasn't able to get any in-progress photos of my felt foods, but here they are in finished form.  The orange slices took some thought. I had to figure out how to make them look realistic/recognizable yet keep the design simple. I traced a pattern on paper first to get the right proportions (that's the trick) then cut out the felt pieces.   Snow peas turned out so cute! I sewed dried kidney beans into the fabric to make a few bumps. I think next time I'll sew in pony beads for a more bumpy look/feel. It would be fun to sew more felt veggies and fruits so that my girls could play "farmers market". I could collect small woven baskets for them to "shop" with. They could use play money (from old monopoly game from Vinney's perhaps?) and dress ups. Gotta do that! They would have such fun!  Next up:  potatoes, french baguette, apples, carrots, apple pie...any oth...