Author Archives: Stephanie

Forest Quiet Book Page

Here’s the next quiet book page for Jax’s book! I knew I wanted to do a tree and owl page, but it wasn’t going to be the next one I made. When Amazon happened to suggest this Skip Hop Treetop Friends Soft Activity Book, I was inspired! The tree and leaf style is based on that book. The owl is made from a free pattern found on Juicy Bits. I shrunk the pattern a little so I’d have an owl just under 2″ wide and 3″ high (I shrunk the page from 8.5″ wide to 7″ wide before printing), and I attached a 8″ ribbon into the bottom instead of making an ornament loop.

The page features a stuffed owl who lives in the tree trunk pocket. He is attached by ribbon so he doesn’t get lost. In the tree under a flap, lives a little bluebird in a nest.

This page was 100% hand-sewn. You could use a sewing machine. It is easier for me to hand-sew while watching and playing with Jax. I also didn’t want to buy spools of thread in all those colors. I already had matching embroidery floss. Here is my material list: a 9″ square of light blue felt, felt in lime green, green, light brown, dark brown, orange, red, yellow,aqua, purple and white, batting/stuffing and green ribbon. (The owl was done in felt: olive, natural, purple and aqua. His feathers are light aqua ric-rac. I used googly eyes instead of felt for the eyes.)

     

I started with a light blue 9″ square. If your page is a different size, you’ll need to adjust the lime treetop and the green grass – both go to the edges of the page. I stitched down the grass and the treetop first. Then I layered the tree trunk over the dark brown (stitching the other end of the owl’s ribbon down) and stitched all around the whole trunk. For the hole, I only stitched down the upper 1/3.

     

I sewed down the toadstool stems next. The polka dots were stitched onto the caps, then the caps sewn down with some batting for dimension. The little bird’s wing was only sewn on where it attaches to his body. His eye is a French knot and his beak was satin stitched. I sewed down the nest with helter skelter straight stitches then sewed the bird into his new home.

The leaves were all attached by doing a running stitch down the center for about 1/3 – 1/2 of the length so they stick off the page a bit. On the tree flap, I sewed the two leaves to the front piece, then sewed front to back with a loop of ribbon. The final step was to sew the flap on. I didn’t sew around the edges of the page because it will be machine-sewn to the fabric book page eventually.

For more free quiet book patterns, go here! If you use this pattern, please add a comment or link to me. I really would love to see your version!

Loving It – Vintage Schoolhouse

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Today is the first day that feels cool and crisp like fall here. Children are back in school and I’ve been inspired by a recent trend in nursery decor with a vintage/retro schoolhouse feel.

Wooden School Bus toy. Mini ABC Flashcards. Richard Scarry’s Great Big Schoolhouse (come by Sunday for more about Richard Scarry.) Tidy Ruler Retro Wooden Ruler with Pencil and Sharpener. Vintage magnetic chalkboard. 4 function ruler pen. Lowercase alphabet poster.

This afternoon I’ll be posting my next quiet book page and pattern – a sweet forest scene! Happy Friday!

Jax’s 19 Month Canvas Painting

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We were delayed in doing Jax’s monthly painting. First there was a hurricane which soaked the ground, then flooding in the area from heavy rains. We had a tiny window of one afternoon where the ground was finally dry (my knees actually still got wet!) before more storms rolled through.

Jax seemed to understand that we were going to paint when I told him he was going to “dip dip and paint!” When I handed him the paintbrush he dunked it in the paint right away and started putting it on the canvas. I let him choose the paint bottles, but I vetoed the burnt umber. I have to keep the colors similar because he blobs them on so thick and smears it around. Brown would just turn it all into a big mess.

When he was all done, he accidentally stuck his hand in a paint plate and laughed. I showed him he could finger paint, so he added a bit more color that way. Once I paint the edges, we’ll add it to his gallery. I need to create a second section and fill all the frames with some of the pictures he’s been coloring lately.

I know we are going to cherish all these canvas paintings as he grows up. Do you have any childhood artwork you cherish?

Link-o-rama!

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How is your week going? It feels like it should be later in the week than Wednesday by now! Besides work and toddler-wrangling, I am starting another quiet book page.

Here are some links that caught my eye…

  • Someone built the house from “Up!” (A movie that made me CRY!)
  • I didn’t try to hit up Target for the Missoni collection yesterday. Alas, not in the budget. Anyone want to make Jax a small blanket inspired by their bright zigzag pattern? I crochet, but too slowly!
  • I heart all things chalkboard paint, so I’m all for this board book makeover!
  • This onesie bunting from Tradewind Tiaras couldn’t be more perfect for a baby shower! I bet you could use scrapbook paper as well.
  • I’m up to my eyeballs in felt lately, so this sweet leaf garland caught my eye.
  • What do you get when you combine my two recent addictions: spray paint and thrift store shopping? Check it out!

Autumn Fun List

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You may have seen the Summer Fun Lists that have been around for a while. But, I’m way more into autumn! When September rolls around, I start to get excited about all the fun fall activities we can do. It’s going to be extra fun now that Jax is getting old enough to participate too!

   

So, Jax and I created our first Autumn Fun List! Hopefully we’ll make it through everything on our list (and more!) before winter arrives. I borrowed Jax’s chalkboard to write up the list, but I know it won’t last up there. I took pictures so we can check things off in Photoshop, heh.

What are you excited about this autumn? We may add some more ideas to our list…

Jax’s Book Nook

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Jax now has a reading corner in his playroom! My husband hung the two Ikea picture rails we recently bought. There is plenty of room to add a couple more above for even more storage later on. Jax can either have his P’Kolino Little Reader Chair (currently on sale) in there, or some floor pillows to stretch out on. He’s still getting the hang of sitting still in his chair, so I opted for a long pillow for now. Because of the novelty, he is all about clearing the bottom shelf of books at every opportunity. We went through that when we got his playroom shelves. It wears off!

I really love how the books look forward-facing on the wall! He loves to pick out his favorites and bring them to us to read. He says “Buh! Ree!” *signing please* Awww!

Starbucks Quiet Book Page

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What’s a quiet book? It’s a (generally handmade) fabric book full of learning activities. It’s meant to be played with in situations that require children to be still and quiet, like plane rides, church, waiting rooms, etc… They take a lot of time, love and effort to make, but the end result is a cherished family heirloom!

Page 5 in Jax’s quiet book is in honor of our love for Starbucks. Being a work-from-home mom, I only talk to my coworkers by phone and IM. If I have no errands to run, I can go days without seeing an adult besides my husband. So our local Starbucks became a place to take a break and interact with others. It became a beloved routine for baby and I, and he loves all of his “girlfriend” baristas and sharing (or not sharing!) pumpkin bread with me.

   

This page has features the numbers 1 – 3, as Jax has started counting along with me. Three is his favorite number to say. It also practices manual dexterity. For number 1, you can pull the one tea bag out of the cup and unsnap it from the page. For number 2, you can lift the cup sleeve to find the two coffee beans. For number 3, you can pull down the whipped cream to find 3 strawberries and pull them off the velcro.

My materials were: a brown felt square background, felt (white, green, pink, light brown, brown, cream and red), matching embroidery floss (plus mustard yellow for strawberry seeds), white machine thread, clear vinyl, white double ruffle ribbon, green satin ribbon, batting, a snap and red velcro.

To make the strawberries, I stitched tiny yellow seeds on each piece. I took 4″ of green ribbon and folded it into 4 loops. I made a stitch at the bottom then fanned it out. That got layered with batting into the two sides of each strawberry (one side with velcro) that I stitched together with a blanket stitch.

I stitched the stars on to the green circles, then stitched circle 1 on to the first cup, circle two onto a sleeve piece and circle three onto the pink frapaccino piece. To finish cup 1, I stitched the lid on then machine-sewed three sides down onto the background, leaving the top open to make a pocket. For cup 2, I blanket stitched the two sides of the sleeve together with a little loop of green ribbon to help Jax spot the flap. I stitched the two coffee beans down onto the cup. I machine-sewed the lid on then the cup down onto the background and the top of the sleeve flap in place. For cup 3, I machine sewed the pink cup and clear vinyl down onto the background. I folded the double ruffle ribbon lengthwise as I hand stitched it in swirls to one of the whipped cream felt pieces. When that was done, I stitched the backing on and added a ribbon loop straw. I sewed the bottom of the whipped cream on to the cup with the machine.

 

The tea bag was hand-stitched with a slightly smaller piece of batting and a piece of white satin cord layered in. On the other end of the cord I sewed the two halves of the tag, one side with a snap. The other part of the snap went on the page above the first cup. I finished up by putting red velcro down under the whipped cream to hold the strawberries. I’ll be adding some brown string to the strawberries so they don’t get lost on the plane.

I’m pretty much in love with this page, and Jax is too. He adores the tiny strawberries and wants to clutch them in his little hands. he lifts the flaps and says “boo!” I think he’ll enjoy playing with it when the book it all sewn together.

For more free quiet book patterns, go here! If you use this pattern, please add a comment or link to me. I really would love to see your version!

Sunday Souvenir – 9/11

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Has it really been 10 years? It doesn’t seem that long ago that we woke up to phone calls from worried family. We lived very close to Dulles airport and watched the tv in horror as the towers fell and helicopters and fighter jets flew overhead. Dan’s brother was in DC and had to walk out. I spent the week glued to the news in tears, and had nightmares every night.

That morning I wrote in my blog, “we were just woken up by phone calls from family members.. what the hell is going on? bombs? ack. mark needs to leave dc. ack. shit. who is doing this? i am torn between sitting here with my mouth hanging open and crying.“

“what a terrible day. i didn’t work – i couldn’t think. i am struggling now to do some site work. danny is on the phone with his brother (who eventually got out of dc by walking to clarenden) talking about it all. in the afternoon i had to get away from it all so i took dia on a walk around the neighborhood. at first i couldn’t escape the news – cars passing by and contractors out working on new houses were all blaring the coverage. i kept walking into a neighboring townhouse complex and stopped to chat with a lady i have met there and her sweet dog. in the evening i needed a nap – not sure why… i have to go to bed on time tonight because the dogs need to be at the vet at 8am.

while i was washing the dinner dishes they showed a clip of people falling from the wtc after jumping. how horrifying. i can’t stop thinking about how awful things must have been in there to make people choose the certain death of falling 90 stories.

i am still stunned. love and kind thoughts to everyone involved.“

My thoughts and heart are with all those who lost loved ones or were affected by what happened 10 years ago.

Where were you on 9/11/01?

Leave a comment if write a Sunday Souvenir and you’d like your link to be added!

Cookie Shapes & Colors Quiet Book Page

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The next set of pages for Jax’s quiet book is done! This cookie-themed layout helps practice shapes, colors and buttoning. One side has the dough where you can match the cookie shapes. There is a spatula you can put cookies on. It’s attached by Velcro and a ribbon so it can’t get lost. The facing page has a cookie sheet where you can match the cookie frosting to the button colors. There is also a glass of milk to “dunk” them in.

   

The supplies I used were: two sheets of turquoise felt cut to 9″ squares for the background, felt (in white, light gray, dark gray, black glitter, tan, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, light blue and purple), clear vinyl, ribbon, Velcro, a gray button, 2 buttons for each rainbow color, batting, and matching embroidery floss/sewing thread. You could swap your buttons on the shape side with shape buttons if you had them. I was trying to save money.

I hand-sewed everything on the cookies: the frosting to the top, top to the bottom, then homemade buttonholes. You could machine-sew, but I already had the thread colors as embroidery floss. Took me about 30 minutes per cookie by hand. I cut a rectangle of grey with rounded corners for the cookie sheet. I machine-sewed it twice around the edge to give it dimension. The milk glass was done on the machine except for some stem stitch to show the surface of the milk. The vinyl was left open at the top to make a pocket.

The cookie dough was machine-sewed on and all the buttons sewn on by hand. I made sure one end of my 8″ ribbon was under the dough when I sewed it, then the other end was in the spatula handle. The spatula was all hand-sewn with a layer of batting. The piece making up the main “metal” piece went down into the handle for stability. I also stitched some lines into it for both looks and sturdiness. The button was one from my stash that came as a spare with some item of clothing. I just picked a dark gray one that was the same size as the others. There is a square of black Velcro on the back of the spatula and the other half, in tan, on the dough.

So far, Jax loves to dunk his cookies (“Dip! Dip!”) but can’t undo the buttons on his own. This will help him learn. I created a free pattern for your personal use as I went along. Let me know what you think of it! Please share photos or a link if you create your own version. Jax and I would love to see!

I’ll be starting the next page tomorrow – Starbucks inspired! I’ve already cut out most of the felt. If you missed them, here are the space pages I finished with free patterns.

Making (Wooden) Fruit Salad

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So Jax adores his play kitchen… He asks to go “cook” by saying “Num! Num! Num!” – which is also the sound he makes when he “taste-tests” his culinary creations. I only want to fill his kitchen with sturdy, wooden food (I’m not a fan of plastic and felt would just be covered in dog hair) that will last. Two great brands for wooden food are Melissa & Doug and Plan Toys (The breakfast set is so cute!) Both are a little pricy (Plan more so than M & D). The craft stores around here carry a limited (but changing) selection of Melissa & Doug and when combined with a 50% off coupon, I can get a crazy deal!

        

Our second set of wooden food is the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Cutting Fruit Crate. This set helps with manual dexterity as you are able to chop up the fruit with a play knife. It is pre-cut and held together with Velcro. Jax will learn to match the fruit pieces together and recognize the insides and outsides of fruits. Later, it will help introduce the basic concept of fractions.

It was love at first sight with this set for Jax. It comes in a large, shallow crate which he brought over to his table, sat in his chair and started examining all the fruit. I showed him how to “chop”, which he loved. The velcro makes a nice “Crunch!” sound when you cut through it. More often than not he tried to cut with the handle of the knife, so he’ll have to practice that a bit.

The melon and banana are in multiple pieces that don’t stick together quite as well (because there are more parts), but Jax likes those because they are easy to pull apart with his hands.

He has already made me several fruit salads, so I think this set is a hit!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review and purchased the item myself. I just wanted to share what we thought of it!

Another Take on Toddler Nursing

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A while back I wrote about nursing Jax now that he is over a year old and in toddlerhood. Mayim Bialik recently posted on Kveller.com about her experiences nursing her son now that he is 3 years old.

She wrote, “Fred nursed for a solid 12 months with no supplements, no solid foods, and not even a sip of water. He got the hang of eating solids around 18 months, but continued to nurse all day (with bottles of pumped breastmilk when I was at work), and on demand all night. A typical night involved no less than four wake-ups and sometimes six (every 2 hours on the clock for 12 hours of bed time was not unusual). This went on for almost 3 years.“

When you are committed to child-led weening, what do you do when your child is still nursing past when you expected you’d stop?

Mayim shared, “I never ever believed that I would be nursing a child over the age of 3. But now that I am, I believe when he is done, he will be done. I believe that he will not need to nurse before he walks down the aisle to greet his bride under the chuppah, and I believe that nursing is natural and beautiful and wonderful. I believe in being conscious of where I nurse my toddler and I also believe that there is nothing wrong with nursing Fred.“

Read her full post here.