Upcycled jeans: Quiet Art Book

In my last post, I blogged about making a quiet art book for Adam to take to church.  I decided to give the project another try and make one for Sadie using a pair of old jeans.  I loved it so much, I remade the one for Adam using jeans.  (I have 2 big boxes of old jeans in my basement waiting for me to make a quilt or other project.)  Here's how I did it...

1.  Cut all the pockets and belt loops off the jeans.  Then iron the jeans and cut the pieces for the outside of the art book.  I cut:

• 3 pieces measuring 6 1/2 x 9
• 1 piece measuring 3 1/2 x 9

2.  Using a half yard of fabric, I cut the pieces for the inside of the art book.  I cut:

• 3 pieces measuring 6 1/2 x 9 (main pieces)
• 1 piece measuring 3 1/2 x 9 (crayon flap)
• 2 pieces measuring 3 1/4 x 9 (crayon pocket)
• 2 pieces measuring 8 x 6 1/2 (notebook pocket)
• 2 pieces measuring 5 1/2 x 6 1/2 (pencil pocket)

3.  I proceeded to follow the tutorial on http://www.u-createcrafts.com/search/label/toys-quiet%20books with a few exceptions.  I did not use interfacing.  The jeans I used gave enough stability that interfacing wasn't necessary.  Plus, it made the project faster.  I used 1/4 inch seams for everything instead of 1/2 inch seams.  In my previous attempt, I found the 1/2 inch seams to be too tight for everything to fit inside nicely.  Then, instead of the elastic/button closure, I tried two other methods.  With Sadie's I sewed a ribbon in to tie it shut, and with Adam's I sewed some velcro to a piece of the jean.  Last, but not least, I did not use the chalkboard fabric.  My kids always make such a mess when they use chalk, and since I made these primarily for church, I eliminated the chalk portion to keep everything and everyone clean.

4.  I used my hot glue gun to attach pockets, belt loops, and other embellishments.  Then, I filled the book with paper, coloring books, crayons, and pencils.

Ta-da!

Good enough for a 5-year-old

I recently saw a project on Pinterest that I really wanted to try.  The only problem is that it required sewing.  My sewing skills are not the greatest.  In fact, they are close to being non-existant.  I decided I would give it a try, however.  So, I dusted off my sewing machine and set to work making a quiet art book for Adam to take to church.

The instructions can be found at: http://www.u-createcrafts.com/2011/07/quiet-art-packet-tutorial-you-asked.html.  Here is my finished product:

Impressed?  Well, don't look too closely.  It is good enough for a 5-year-old, but I didn't want to embarrass myself by taking a close-up.  :)  I'm thinking about making one for Miss Sadie, though, before I put the sewing machine away.  Maybe I would do a better job the second try.

Looks like it will be a few weeks before Adam will be able to try out his art book.  I have a head cold and don't want to fight the kids at Stake Conference today, and next Sunday we don't have regular meetings due to the Brigham City Temple dedication.

My Life is Full of "P" Words

I know I haven't posted any updates in the past week.  Life has just been busy.  Let's just say I have been consumed with peaches, potty training, pull-ups, panties, and lots of other "P" words.

Let's start with Peaches.  All the peaches from my yard have now been harvested.  I have a few left in my fridge for eating fresh, but all the others have been canned or given to neighbors.  That's right...I gave a few dozen away.  You see, my neighbors have an awesome apple tree, and since Miss Sadie picked all my baby apples earlier in the season, my neighbors agreed to trade my peaches for their apples.  Now that my peaches are taken care of, I will be ready to tackle the apples when they arrive.  My kids love dehydrated apples.

Now on to potty training...  For weeks now, I have tried to get Sadie to sit on the potty every morning if she woke up dry.  She was willing to sit so long as I read to her or shared a snack, but she wasn't consistently having success even if I offered her a reward.  That all changed this week.  (Side note:  Is it bad to give your kids Tootsie Rolls at 7:00 a.m.?) 

When potty training Adam, I tried everything I could think of:  treats, money, the promise of his own Nintendo, etc.  One thing that finally worked was potty marbles.  I took 6 flat marbles from the craft store, modge podged scrapbook paper to the back, and attached a magnet.  The marbles were stuck on the fridge, and he could earn one every time he went potty.  (He also got a penny or a small treat.)  After earning all 6 marbles, he got a trip to the bowling alley.  He seemed to like that, so I decided to try it with Sadie.  One morning after a successful trip to the potty, I gave her a potty marble and explained how it would work.  She was excited, and since then she has been telling me every morning when she is ready to go potty without being prompted.  Now we just need to work on staying dry the rest of the day.  :)  In the meantime, she has earned all 6 potty marbles and is ready for a trip to the bowling alley.  We have to wait until Cory gets home, though.  There is NO WAY I will tackle a bowling alley on my own with three small kids.  That is a disaster waiting to happen.

FHE Makeover

Family Home Evenings at our house typically consists of an opening prayer, a 30-second abbreviated scripture story, and a game of Mickey Mouse UNO.  Since I have three small children, that's all their attention spans will allow.  That's fine, but week after week of the same scripture story with the same pictures gets a little dull for me.  I've been feeling for awhile that I needed to do something different.  Here's what I did...

1.  I made a flannel board by covering an old white board I had kicking around the house with blue flannel (on sale at JoAnn's) and my glue gun.  A little red-neck, maybe, but it turned out just fine.

2.  I printed out a few flannel board stories, complete with pictures, from http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/2007/11/flannel-board-stories.html.  The stories came with colored pictures, which I printed on cardstock.  After cutting out the pictures, I laminated them and attached sticky back velcro (the hook side) to the back of the pictures.

The kids were watching with great interest this morning as I finished up the project.  They are excited for something new.  Now the trick will be getting little Tyler to leave the pictures on the board while I tell the story.  Between these new flannel board stories and an old set of Book of Mormon illustrated scripture books I just got from Mom and Dad, I should be in business for awhile.  :)