Happy Valentine's Day!

These lovely paper hearts finally made their way to my sewing machine after I finished the white quilt that was starting to haunt me.

I love to use up some of the old thread my mother gave me when it comes to temporary projects such as this. The thread is so old that you can break it with a few strong tugs. So if I'm making something that Whirlwind will inevitably break, I might as well use thread that I can't use for anything else.

Whirlwind will use this darling little garland as a jungle gym for her many stuffed animals. They are particularly rambunctious toys.

Happy Valentines Day to you all. I hope you're feeling the love!

Valentine Mobile

I love sitting down and helping my daughter paint, draw, create...But I already have limited room in the house as it is, so keeping all of her creations is not always feasible. Yet somethings I can't let pass without trying to craft with first!

So when I had this mostly red finger painting sitting around for awhile I decided it wouldn't hurt to try and make another hanging mobile for Valentine's Day like we did last year. But this time I was going to smarten up and sew hearts together, no glue! It was so quick and easy, it made me love this project even more!

And just for full disclosure, this is what my kitchen really looked like when I took this photo:

I won't show you all the other nooks and crannies where I am stashing things. I need a bigger kitchen.

Mommy Monday

The "Monday" part of Mommy Mondays is slightly relative. Let's just say this all took place on a day that's more along the lines of "Sunday."

But this is how Whirlwind and I passed some time before going to church on Sunday morning. Please note the tutu dress and wings. This is standard operating procedure most days. It's that or naked. I'll take what I can get.

But Whirlwind really does enjoy her watercolor paints. She'll even repeat the mantra I've drilled into her head: Water...Paint...then Paper! I'm so OCD.

I tried to take more pictures to capture the concentrated look on her face, but shortly thereafter she said "No Mommy, put that (camera) away." I have no idea where she gets these control issues from.

Later in the afternoon we moved along to a craft more for me. I lugged my box of paper supplies from the basement to the kitchen and made a few Valentine Day cards. I can't let this craft-tastic holiday get away without making something!

Whirlwind occupied her time with using random objects as stand ins for the characters on her favorite movie. I love to listen to her in the background repeating the key and sometimes random phrases she's memorized after watching a movie upteem times. (Don't worry, the cap on the glue bottle is closed.)

But I had all this pretty paper and not enough cards to make, so I couldn't stop there. I cut out quite a few hearts and I'll be turning these into a project soon enough. Right now the pile of paper hearts are sitting on our stairs and I'm just waiting for my handsome husband to get fed up with my multiplying piles!

I also used the last of the paper to cover this hot chocolate can (courtesy of modge podge). I covered the two containers on the left earlier this year, but I don't know what to do with them yet. I wish I had finally hunkered down to try these projects before Christmas, actually made Christmas cookies, and then delivered said cookies to friends and family in these containers. Oh well. There's always next year, when I'll have two kids trying to destroy the Christmas tree.

Christmas Garland Complete

I was pacing around one morning before work. My daughter was lollygagging around while eating her breakfast and I had nothing to do while I waited for her to finish. Trying to apease my cranky listless self I sat down and turned these little paper discs into a garland!

I hung it up over her "little table" and then got both her and I ready to leave the house. It was quick and satisfying. Now if only I could say it kept me from losing my temper that morning.

I do think it is cute, but I'd like to try making one with more solid and vibrant colors. The details in the old Christmas cards get a little lost when they're all cut up.

Printing with Finger Paints!

Do you remember the dried flowers I found during a family walk this fall?

Well I finally made a date with them to do a little printing!

Does it count that this date was a double date with my daugther and her finger paints? I cut up some brown paper bags for her to paint on and I decided I had waited procrastinated long enough. I jumped up and cut off a few blooms from the stems and stamped away with the flowers and finger paint on my own piece of paper. I loved it. The photo above shows you the detail that came out in some of the stamping. The photos below show you the overall effect.

And then guess what I decided to do for Christmas cards this year?

I guess I just hadn't had enough yet.

And this time my handsome husband even joined in the fun. His prints came out even better than mine. I'm blaming it on the flowers I chose to print with. But we're both going to blame give credit for the blurred prints to our daughter (who was asleep at the time of this activity). Shhhhhh....don't tell anyone.

Christmas Garland

Now this is a Christmas project I have wanted to do since I first saw paper garlands.

I kept putting it off because I don't have a circle punch, but I finally sat down and took a pair of sissors to all the old Christmas cards I have been saving. My sissor dented hands are now begging for a circle punch, but at least I finished! I hope to find the time to push these little discs through the sewing machine and create my own Christmas garland.

One Last Valentine Post

I know you were just dying to know what happened to all the left over hearts I cut out for our Valentine Day cards...

Well if you must know, we hung some up and the rest we cooked!

I love finding handmade ways to entertain a toddler. It warms my heart so much more to see her play with paper hearts than anything you could ever buy in a toy store.