Blue alien in an orange spaceship

Last summer, I made a bunch of these little felties for wee friends.
One little boy has been patiently waiting for the spaceship to go with it. Last week, i got down to business and made one.

I left the opening at the top for the alien to get in. It has to be fairly wide to fit his head in.

Since I didn't have an alien to judge the size of spaceship, I had to make a new alien. Ol' bluey.

Now they will have to go in the mail. I forgot to bring the gift with me. Boo Hiss.


have a good one,
Amanda

baby blocks set

While in Nova Scotia, I made my annual visit to Atlantic Fabrics. It has such cool cotton prints and I always find something interesting in the wood section. More on that later.
This time, I couldn't resist the Urban Zoology line of prints. I bought some fat quarters, even though I had no plans for them.
Enter: the baby block and taggie blanket.

Those animals are so cute.

For the cotton blocks, I used an iron on interfacing to help make it stiffer. For the fleece blocks, I used a non sew, stiff interfacing and sewed it to the squares by making the shapes.

One for a girl.....

One for a boy...

Don't forget to put a bit of crinkle ( chip bag) in the taggie blanket and some sort of sound maker in the block. I bought a cat toy with an enclosed bell.
have a great one...
Amanda

little felties

On this vacation, I only took my felt with me, thinking of making gnomes and some hair clips. While out shopping with my mom, (how nice was that!) I found the book "Felties" by Nelly Pailloux. I had taken this book from the library once, but wasn't in the frame of mind to make wee things. Well, when you only have felt and restless kids, you give them the book and promise to make whatever their heart desires from it.
My friend's son chose the green alien. I made a red one for his brother. You can see it in the final photo.

My son chose the Panda as his 1st request. there is a long list.

My daughter about fell out of the seat when she saw this mouse, so she had to have it.

And another little girl wanted a red lion with blue hair. I like her "thinking out of the box"

These were easy and fun to make. I'm sure I'll be making more to round out their collection. I put lavender in the mouse. It smells so great. I heard them all playing with their softie friends in some other realm, pandas in space and the lion coming to save them all. It was fun to listen to and they were all so proud. When I presented each finished piece to the owner (and they would wait close to me, watching their creation come to life) I would say the following:
"I have made this especially for you to your colours and animal choices. Will you love it? Will you be careful with it? Will you respect it? Will you think of me when you play with it? Will you cry when you lose it?" Of course, all the answers in a row were yes, then the last question always made them stop to think about it! It was funny.

If you get a chance to look at the book, it will make you smile!
Cheers,
Amanda

Mushroom Match Up!

Here's a matching game I made up? Altered? Embellished? Expanded?

Mushroom Match Up! It has 2 levels. One for the 2 year old who is learning colours. The top of the small mushroom matches the dots and stem of the big mushroom.

As the child grows and begins to count and learn numbers, they can match the numeral and the dots, but still use the matching colours to confirm their answer.

And they look so nice and shiny.

Tomorrow, I will show you the pouch that i made to carry them in. All games need a pouch.

Have a good one,
Amanda

spin top

I saw a tutorial on how to make a spin top from wooden wheels a while back, but I can't remember who did it. If you know, could you please let me know so I can give proper credit?

EDIT TO ADD:
"There are a number of places that this seems to have come from but Kleas seems to be the originator.
http://kleas.typepad.com/kleas/2011/02/simple-wooden-tops.html
Both of these credit Kleas so I would assume that is where the idea came from.
http://webloomhere.blogspot.com/2011/03/tip-top.html
http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2011/02/make-your-own-wooden-tops.html "
Thanks to my reader Mhairi for giving such a comprehensive list of sources!


These are fun to make. And pretty easy. I think next time, i will paint the stick instead of the wheel.

3 reasons: 1) It's easier to paint the stick. 2) when the top gets played with and knocked around, I'm thinking that the paint will get chipped a few times on the wheel. 3) it's easier to paint the stick. yes, it's worth saying twice!

I bought 1/4 inch dowels, but they were too big to fit in the holes, so I drilled out the holes with a 1/4 inch bit. (DH has a drill press and it's fun to use)
I cut them into 2 inch pieces and sanded one end. (not pictured) Then i sharpened the other end with a regular pencil sharpener and sanded the point flat.


The spinning is a thing of beauty.

have a good one,
Amanda

monkey cubed

Sorry for the onslaught of monkeys readers, but someone in this house that is taller and hairyer than me thinks this is funny!

Luckily, I do too!


Have a great weekend!
Amanda

hear the lion's roar... ahem

After putting my lion in a bag for a week, I finally finished him. Sometimes, I just get stuck. It was 3 days before I tried the arms. When i did it was so easy. then another 5 days to try the eyes. I didn't want to use buttons, so the shape of the eye, should I use a different colour, felt, embroider??
I was due to meet the owner today, so I HAD to do it. At 11pm last night.


I'm ok with it. I added subtle eyebrows and a nose. Here's another look at the tail...


his arms move so he can ask for a hug.. ahh...


he's quite at home in the jungle...


And likes to pose for modeling gigs. What a charmer. I put a felt heart on him. I think this will be my signature. I did it
here for Bella's friend, Lily.


The pattern comes from the book "Sew me, Love me"

Thanks for looking, Off to finish my BIG turtle!
Amanda

Eco-Family Holiday Sale is almost here!

Post Number 2 today, scroll down for the crafty one.

This time of year is all about getting together, enjoying each others company and yes, even a bit of gift giving. Little Footprints is hoping to make your gift giving easier and greener this year by co-hosting The Eco Family Holiday Sale with our friends Toronto e-tailers Kai Kids.

Little Footprints, as you already know, is Canada's online eco toy store dedicated to fun and games for kids of all ages; Kai Kids specializes in ethically-made and earth-friendly clothing and accessories for babies to preschoolers and pregnant and nursing moms. Together they will be offering an opportunity to browse and shop a unique selection of sustainable, non-toxic and planet-friendly products for everyone in the family. There will be lots of special sales, toys for the kids to try out, and Amanda Pedro of Musica Music school will be on hand from 10:30 to 2:30 every hour on the half hour to keep the kids entertained while you shop!

Event Details Snapshot:
The Eco Family Holiday Sale
Saturday - November 21st
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
1390 Danforth Avenue (East of Greenwood)

If you're in the area, come and have a gander. if you're not from here, check out the 2 companies online.
Little Footprints Toys
Kai Kids
great service and great products. tell them I sent ya.

Thanks for looking,
Amanda

Eco-friendly toys

Ever need a special gift for a wee one? Want to make it more that the plastic, run of the mill toys at the big department stores?
Check this out Little Footprints Toys
My friend has an online, eco-friendly toy store. While it is an online store, she will be making her toys available to the public on 2 occasions.
Children's Trunk Show in the Distillery District and
Eco Family Holiday Sale on the Danforth. I will be at the Danforth location to give some entertainment with the Music Pups Program that I currently teach.

There is a great selection of toys for all ages and even something for us crafters
100% wool felt kits!
These are so yummy in real life. Go have a look? And so well priced!

Check her site often leading up to the Holiday season, as she regularly gets new things in.

thanks for looking,
Amanda