on my front porch

heralding spring...

book review at happy whimsical hearts

photo credit :: happy whimsical hearts

Today, I am pleased to share with you that Kelly, of the blog Happy Whimsical Hearts is featuring my second book, Making Peg Dolls and More.  Most of you are already familiar with my books and so might not feel the need to read Kelly's review; however, you may want to click over just to pay Kelly a visit.

photo credit :: happy whimsical hearts

There is much to enjoy on Kelly's blog, but my favorite posts are ones where Kelly discusses parenting (this post, for example). Kelly's approach is full of gentleness and sensitivity, and I can feel how her clear intention would bring a sense of peace to a home filled with the energetic young children.

Additionally, if you are as fond of wombats as I am, Kelly's tutorial for stitching up a little wombat is perfect.

photo credit :: happy whimsical hearts

Thank you, dear Kelly, for sharing peg-doll-love and inviting your sweet Ruby to present my book on your blog!

(a note for Australian readers: if you click over to Kelly's post at Happy Whimsical Hearts, you will find information about a discount on copies of my books at Honeybee Toys!)

beach

 

 

For many schools in the U.S., children have a break during the third week of February which is designated President's week in honor of the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  This school break is also referred to as Ski-Week, which is a bit of a joke for families who have neither funds nor inclination.

So, we spent a day at the beach racing waves & collecting sea-glass; and it cost exactly one gallon of gasoline (plus the price of a hot coffee and 2 hot cocoas from a cafe to fortify us for the 25 minute drive home).

Rain is forecast for the rest of the week, so today was the day... and it was a perfect day.  I even saw two spouts from migrating grey whales -- the sort of thing you look out for, but the moment you glimpse it, it's so fleeting, that you are not quite sure you really saw it at all.  Akin to seeing a shooting star. And then there are the sea lions, swimming along 30 feet off-shore, gazing at us with curious intensity.  I swear there are selkies among them...

doll making

A dear friend will be having a baby soon.  When I asked whether there was anything she wanted for her baby, she requested a soft doll.

And so I made the softest, sweetest doll imaginable.

My 5 year old hugged her close before she was gently wrapped, packed in a box and sent across the country.  He was very sad to see her go, but the best consolation is knowing how much she will be loved in her new home.

note: I used this velour fabric from A Child's Dream for the doll's body. It is the softest, most wonderful fabric ever.

spreading kindness :: the rainbow rock project

photo credit :: the rainbow rock project

Alia, the 7 year old daughter of Agnes Hsu (of the craft blog hello, Wonderful) recently undertook an ambitious and heartfelt venture titled The Rainbow Rock Project.

photo credit :: the rainbow rock project

In her own words, these are Alia's goals for the project:

My mission is to spread kindness and make people smile. I want to do that by selling my rainbow rocks for $1 each and donating all proceeds to a cause I believe in. When we are driving around, I sometimes see homelesss people on the street. I always ask my mom or dad to stop and give them money. I feel bad that there are so many homeless people out in the cold without food or a warm bed.

For each rock I sell, I will place it out in the "universe" for someone to find and bring a smile to their face! I leave them in places we visit - on the beach, park benches, on hiking trails, even the Golden Gate Bridge!

My goal is to sell 500 rocks in 2016 and donate ALL proceeds to my local homeless shelter, Bay Area Rescue Mission.

Each rock has a bright rainbow I paint myself and is sealed so the rain won't wash away the rainbow! On the back is a quote I came up with myself: "Here's a rock from me to you that grants wishes and happiness too!"

photo credit :: the rainbow rock project

If you would like to find out more about Alia's project or make a donation, you can visit her website HERE.

photo credit :: the rainbow rock project

a creative valentine

photo credit :: deborah way of ink & glue

This found-object Valentine project is created with things from around the house -- a sort of scavenger hunt, art/craft mash-up.  I love it and thought you might enjoy it, too.

photo credit :: deborah way of ink & glue

Fun instructions can be found  
HERE at Ink & Glue.

tutorial :: valentine heart stamps

This is a redux of a tutorial from late last summer -- but this craft is so perfect for creating peg doll gifts and Valentine cards for your favorite sweethearts, that I thought it would be a good time to bring it back again.

SUPPLIES FOR MAKING A PEG DOLL STAMP

-- 1 sheet of craft-foam (this stuff)

-- Larger size peg dolls, at least
    2 3/8 in tall (6 cm) like these

-- water color paint

-- beeswax polish (tutorial HERE)

-- Scissors & glue

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING A PEG DOLL STAMP

STEP 1 :: Cut a shape from craft foam.  The shape you cut should be smaller than the diameter of the peg doll base.

STEP 2 :: Glue your foam shape to the bottom of the peg doll and allow the glue to dry for at least an hour or two.

STEP 3 :: Have fun using your stamp!

Note: If you use water soluble glue, be careful washing your stamp.  I find it's best to clean these stamps by dampening a paper towel and gently wiping off ink residue.

SUPPLIES FOR MAKING A STAMPED CARD

-- 1 peg doll stamp (see instructions above)

--  Colorful ink pads & a black ink pen

-- Card stock paper

-- Scissors or a paper-cutter

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING A STAMPED CARD

STEP 1 :: Cut your card stock paper to desired size. My card stock was 2 in (5 cm) by 3 1/2 in (9 cm). After cutting paper to size, fold it in half.

STEP 2 ::  Use ink pad to apply ink and then stamp your card(s).

STEP 3 ::  Use a black pen to write little messages on your card(s).

 

Happy February!

making tiny fairy cakes :: a re-post

 

Two weeks ago I re-posted a tutorial on making a recycled cardboard doll house, and then last week re-posted tutorials for making tiny beds & little doll tables. Today it's a post on creating something festive for your dolls to bring to the table (originally posted July 29th, 2015).

I was introduced to this tiny cake recipe by none other than the inimitable Anna Branford.  You can click here to see the original post where Anna's cakes first made their appearance.  Anna surely rubs elbows with members of the fairy community in order for her to know how to create such delicacies as these.

INGREDIENTS, ETC...

-- Wool felt in flavors to suit your taste:
    chocolate, vanilla custard, lemon curd,
    banana cream, strawberry swirl, sugared
    violet, etc...

-- Glass beads in complementary flavors
    (might I suggest sweet cherry cordial or
    essence of rose?)

-- A very fine embroidery needle & floss 

-- Scissors

STEP 1 ::  Cut 5-7 circles of wool felt per cake.  For smaller cakes, the circles should be approx. 1/2 in. (12 mm) diameter. For larger cakes, the circles are 1 in. (2.5 cm) diameter each.

STEP 2 ::  If you would like to stitch a platter, cut a circle from felt 3/4 in. (2 cm wide) in a contrasting color.  For a decorative touch, you can use blanket stitch to trim the edge.  Note: I only made platters for the smaller cakes.  I find that large buttons make suitable platters for the larger cakes.

STEP 3 ::  Arrange your cake layers and choose pleasing decor for the top.  If you don't have beads, you can make nice decorations by sewing tiny french knots with embroidery floss (see photos of Anna's cakes here).

STEP 4 ::  Hide your knot between the bottom 2 layers of cake (or between the bottom layer and the platter).  Then sew down through the bottom layer/platter, take a tiny stitch, and come up again through the center of your cake.

STEP 5 :: Put your needle through a bead, and then draw the needle & thread back down through the center of the cake.  If you would like to add more beads, bring the needle back up through the cake to the spot where you would like to add another bead and repeat process.  Note: I found that, to keep the cake a nice shape, it worked best if I did not pull the stitches tight when adding beads.

When you are done adding beads or french knots, bring your needle and thread up between the bottom two layers and knot discreetly (out of sight) between the layers.

Now it's time for cake!

Be sure to invite all your friends.
They like cake, too.

making peg doll furniture :: a re-post

Last Monday I re-posted a tutorial for making a peg doll house.  Last Thursday I re-posted a tutorial for making peg doll beds, and today, here is a tutorial on creating dining room furniture for your peg doll house (originally posted July 27th, 2015).

As with the peg doll house and beds, I used only items I had in my cupboards and did not buy any special materials for these projects.  I also made the furniture designs as simple as possible so that even a small child could have success creating these items.

SUPPLIES 

(note: the supplies listed are suggestions and you do not need all the supplies to create just one table. Pick and choose from the supply list according to what you have on hand.)

-- Cardboard

-- Small cardboard gift/jewelry box,
       2 1/4 in x 3 1/4 in (5 1/2 cm x 8 cm)

-- Decorative paper or card-stock (optional)

-- Paint & paint brushes (optional)

-- A spool of thread

-- Buttons

-- Scissors

-- PVA/white craft glue

STEP 1 :: For an oval shaped table, cut an oval out of cardboard (my oval is 3 1/4 in/8 cm at it's widest point).  For a rectangular table, cut a rectangle from a piece of cardboard (my rectangle is approx. 3 in x 4 in/8 cm x 10 cm).  

STEP 2 :: Paint your table-top, or cover the top of your table with paper. (I covered my rectangular table-top with blue paper and painted the oval.)

STEP 3 :: A small spool of thread or lid from a jewelry gift box would make an excellent base for a table.  Use PVA/white craft glue to secure your table-top to whatever sort of table-base you choose.  

Once your table is created, you might consider whether your peg dolls would like to sit on some cushions or chairs.  My peg dolls enjoy using colorful buttons as chairs.

"Hello. Please come in and join me at the table. I've prepared a nice supper for us!"

You can find tiny wooden bowls available for purchase here.  And please come back next week for another tutorial.  If it escaped your notice when I originally posted it last July, you will be utterly delighted.  I promise.

making peg doll beds :: a re-post

On Monday I re-posted a tutorial on creating a little house for peg dolls (of course other sorts of dolls are invited to use it, too!).  However, little doll houses need little furniture, so today here is a re-post (originally posted July 22nd, 2015) for creating tiny doll beds.  Next week there will be a tutorial on dining room furnishings, and after that, there will be another secret surprise tutorial.

The furniture I've created for my little doll house is utterly simple.  I used only scraps -- bits & pieces I already had in my cupboards (i.e. I did not buy anything special or fancy for this project). I also kept the furniture designs simple enough that a child around age 5 could have success completing much of the project on his own.  I'm enjoying the fact that my own 5 year old is moving toward doing more product focused craft (as opposed to process focused art), so it's fun to figure out projects he can do with little assistance.

SUPPLIES
-- Small cardboard jewelry/gift boxes.
    My smaller box measures 2 1/4 in x 3 1/4 in
    (5 1/2 cm x 8 cm). My larger box measures
    3 5/8 in square (9 cm square)

-- Decorative card-stock  or plain cardboard
    (which can be painted or embellished)

-- Fabric scraps (I used wool felt, but cotton
   flannel makes nice doll bedding, too.)

-- Scissors and (optional) pinking shears

-- Needle and thread

-- PVA/white craft glue

-- A pencil and ruler

STEP 1 :: Measure the height and width of your little jewelry box. Cut a piece of decorative card-stock (or cardboard) which is the same width and twice the height of the edge of the box.  Trim the top edge of the headboard into a decorative shape.  Your headboard could be topped with a simple curve or it could have corner bedposts -- whatever you wish.

After you have designed the head board, repeat the process for the footboard. Note: the footboard is generally not quite as tall as the headboard, but it's your little bed, so you get to design it to your own preferences!

STEP 2 :: Use PVA/white glue to affix the headboard and foot board to opposite sides of your box (see photos).

STEP 3 :: To create mattresses, I cut strips of felt which were the same width of the boxes, rolled the felt so that I had approximately 5 layers, and then sewed my layers together using a simple running stitch. You could achieve the same effect by cutting 5 pieces of felt to fit the interior of the box and stitching the layers together.  Just for fun, I added a stitch in the center of each mattress.

STEP 4 :: Cut small squares of fabric for "pillows" and larger rectangles for blankets. I like the effect of cutting the edges of the blankets with pinking shears but plain edges are fine, too.  I have also knit tiny blankets for dollhouse beds which look very cute.

STEP 5 :: Tuck your wee dollies beneath the blanket and sing a lullaby.

I hope you will join me again soon for a tutorial on making tiny tables.