Yesterday I wrote about our daughter’s Very Hungry Caterpillar obsession. Today I want to share an in-progress art project that she spearheaded: her Very Own Hungry Caterpillar Board Book.
The blank board book is from Bare Books. The clip art comes from the The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activity Pad
Our daughter began her yoga studies prenatally (when I was around six months pregnant).
She then came with me to Mama and Baby yoga class for around two years:
This past summer she started going to her very own yoga class — by far her favorite structured class activity:
Because she’s grown up with it, she sees David head off to his yoga practice three days a week, because it’s a way of life around here, she’s crazy about yoga.
We knew this game, The Yoga Garden Game
What I love best about this game is that it’s about cooperative play; there are no winners or losers. We have fun doing yoga and working together to plant a flower garden before night falls.
Our daughter loves it.
She has the rules memorized, knows the yoga moves in the game, and plays it every single day.
We picked up a Xyron Create a Sticker Machine
The sticker maker machine is actually incredibly affordable
Here’s how we made our own stickers:
We used plain construction paper, colored pencils and our Winnie the Pooh stamps, also scored from a thrift store. These stamps may look old and well-loved, but I’m thrilled we found them as I have been unable to find similar ones anywhere.
We stamped different Hundred Acre Wood characters onto plain paper, then filled in (over!) the outlines with colored pencils.
After cutting out the stamp shapes, we fed them through the sticker maker, peeled off the front and back of the tape, and voilà! We have a personalized Piglet sticker! Our little girl was thrilled.
We’ve also made butterfly clip art and colored shape stickers cut from construction paper.
The possibilities with this sticker maker are endless!
We used these beautiful handmade stickers on some of the thank you notes from our birthday festivities. A handmade-touch to the cards and a super fun project!
I love the internet. Each and every time I open my feed reader I feel amazed by (and in awe of!) the multitude of artists who share their work on the internet and inspire the masses. (See my shared items for a small sampling of the joy that awaits me each day.)
Quilters, knitters, designers, scrap-bookers, illustrators, sculptors, chefs, artists, photographers — there are so many talented people sharing themselves and their creative endeavors on their blogs. Isn’t the internet such an amazing place? I love it here.
In the same vein, I feel amazed by the numerous high quality free downloads on the internet. Gift tags, paper dolls, coloring pages. The generosity of talented artists and designers sharing their work with us, giving us such a special gift, makes me smile. Especially at this stage in our lives when I cannot afford to buy and support all the artists I follow online. (Someday!) In the meantime, I have bits and pieces of their works here in my home and it fills my heart with joy.
Some fun paper craft downloads we’re enjoying:
+ Build Your Own Cupcake (from Volume Twenty Five) – shown above!
+ Typographic Gift Tags (from Eat Drink Chic)
+ ‘Keep Calm and Carol On’ Printable (from Craftily Ever After)
+ Birdie Ornaments (via Creature Comforts) – hanging on our tree!
+ West Elm DIY Downloads (via How About Orange)
+ Dace Paper Dolls By Dallas Shaw (via Creature Comforts) – shown below!
We’ve been busy getting ready for the holidays, trying to plan ahead with presents and decorations to limit the last minute scrambling that inevitably happens each December. This year instead of our typical Week of Design, we’re talking about holiday gifts, presenting items we love and recommend, as well as items from our wishlists for fun splurge items.
We love children’s books and especially appreciate board books for little ones. The thick pages allow toddlers to turn the pages themselves (how empowering!) and are strong enough to stand up to lots of daily use (kids love repetition!) and drool. Here are some of our most treasured board books, which we’re read over and over and over again. (Yes, we have them all memorized!) Enjoy.
– Baby Love: A Board Book Gift Set/All Fall Down; Clap Hands; Say Goodnight; Tickle, Tickle
– Blue Hat, Green Hat
– Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
– The Carrot Seed
– Chicka Chicka ABC
– Forest Bright, Forest Night
– Global Babies
– Good Dog, Carl
– Good Night, Gorilla
– Goodnight Moon
– Gossie and Friends
– Hands Can
– Harry the Dirty Dog
– I’m as Quick as a Cricket
– Jamberry
– Mama, Do You Love Me?
– Mommy & Daddy Hugs & Kisses
– The Owl and the Pussycat (stunning illustrations by Jan Brett!)
– Planting a Rainbow
– Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
– The Very Hungry Caterpillar
– Won’t You Be My Kissaroo?
