This story starts with my first grader bringing home an assignment for school, due just before Christmas break that involved doing a service project for someone outside of your family. Well, naturally my first inclination was to find something crafty we could donate. I visited the LDS Humanitarian Website for some ideas (a great place for fun, donatable ideas, btw) and came up with the activity book idea to donate for needy children. Sounded super cute and useful for scrap busting. Not to mention that my 6 year old could probably help with many parts of it. But, OHHHH, the hours!!! Now, being that I am into quilting at the moment, you would think this wouldn't bother me in the least. But, OHHHH! I apparently don't have the patience needed for crafting with little ones for more than about 30 minutes at a time. Those kindergarten and first grade teachers must be saints!!! ;0)
Okay, sorry for rambling. On to the show! Here are the ten pages we came up with for our book (keep in mind that my 6 year old was picking out the decorations, etc, thus the gaudiness):
The cover:
No words are allowed for the donation books, so we kept the cover simple- vintage fabric with some vintage lace and trims. I used Pellon Peltex for in between the pages and I used bias tape for binding. Each page has two large eyelets and a ribbon tied through them.
Page 1:
A zippered butterfly with little butterflies inside (I got this idea from this cute tutorial. You will see a few other similarities in later pages.)
Page 2:
Flowers. So fun to make! Any fun fabric, buttons, ribbons, etc. Page 3:
Memory game. I used the Peltex (of course) between the fabric. I only wish I could have come up with a better way to stick them to the page than a piece of velcro smack dab in the middle of the picture.
Shapes and numbers. The shapes all come off with velcro.
Page 5:
The sun! One of my favorites. Again from this tutorial.
Page 6:
The moon and stars, with a few jewels thrown in for added bling!
Page 7:
A cute little tree, with a removable birdie.
Page 8:
I was running out of ideas (and time!) at this point. This is the best I could come up with. . .a jellyfish.
Page 9:
One of my very favorite pages! Five little pockets with different closures (snap, button, velcro, tie and zipper) with a little animal hidden underneath.
Page 10:
A rainbow! With movable beads and fluffy clouds.
And that is it. Whew! We barely got it done in time. . . Oh, and I forgot to mention, we also made a teddy bear. But I can't bring myself to show you this bear (it really looks more like a mouse!). It makes me cry everytime I look at it. The only, ONLY reason I am going to still donate it, is because they won't know it is from me and because my daughters think it is cute. What do you think? Is that terrible? I always feel like if I am going to donate something it should be my best work . . .
23 comments:
That is INSANELY cute!!! Have I reminded you lately how talented you are? Love you!!
--Brooke
I love it!! You've been busy, all the cute cute things!
Wow, so much! It's fantastic, I can't believe you did it all. That would be a nice project for a crafting group, each person does one page. Even one page involves so much detail...
I think my favorite page is the rainbow!! I love it. The entire book is amazing. As for the bear/mouse why can't you say it's a mouse and donate it as a mouse? Do they not want mice? I'm sure it's very cute or you could say it's a baby bear...
Wow! This is really amazing, I LOVE IT!
I want one! It must have taken forever to put together!
x K
Suggestion for the memory game instead of velcro: clear vinyl pockets for the cards. You can sew it in strips across the page. Cut the vinyl 3/4 of the height of your cards so the cards will stay in without falling out on their own. Cute book!
Too cute! I completely agree about the school teachers. And the bear mouse, I say let a child decide. If one child loves it, another one will, so let it be loved.
This is just wonderful! So clever and well done. Great job!
wow ... i love it ... we are about to embark on a long plane trip so I should get on to making one of these for my little treasures - it will definitely keep them busy ... thanks for sharing - now I can have fun trying to copy :)
bronya
haha ... I must have missed that first paragraph the first time I read the post ... now I come back to check it out again and I see the line "not for the faint of heart" ... it is very inspiring to see you put all that effort into a book for someone else as well ... now whether or not I will be copying the idea depends how the first page goes :) ... I'm not the best crafter, I have the will just not the skill :)
bronya
Have I reminded you lately how talented you are? Love you!!
Work from home India
WOW! Very cute, but it sure does look labor-intensive. Good for you!
That book is really awesome!!!! No wonder it took ages... it is so detailed! Any kid would love to receive that!!!
Arabella
Oh my gosh that is so cute! And the wave of memories it brings me has me all choked up. I have a book similar to that. It's zoo animals in it though. My Aunt made it for my 1st birthday. I still have it sealed up in my garage now. That book was played with for YEARS by me. LOVE IT! I can't believe I never thought of making one for any of my kids. SHAME ON ME!
I started with another pattern and modified as I went along, but I totally agree with you, It is NOT for the faint at heart!!!! I think I am about four weeks into this project for my granddaughter!!
The Butler Report ( is a world news summary website site which, in addition to
headline news, publishes US and worldwide events not covered
by mainstream media. He tells the tale of a young boy, a tot, who
was riding a toy car near the railroad crossing. The reliable reviews on business and forecast about products and services.
Also visit my blog post ... rashmirathi.com
It improves blood and oxygen flow to the muscles that are recovering
from the prior hard workout. ' The picture is just as worrying for youngsters - by 2010, it's predicted 22 per cent of girls and 19 per cent
of boys between the ages of two and 15 will be obese, with girls
under 11 at particular risk. Get your heart rate up with a quick burst of fast movement.
Stop by my blog post :: fitness tips at work
They do not insert secret or additional advertising in
our material. One of my favorite ones is where the thanksgiving turkey is hiding
from a guy, who apparently wants to get him
in the oven, by placing a lampshade on his head and standing on
a dresser so he looks like a lamp. Many people prefer the link baiting to
increasing the profit in the online marketing field.
Also visit my web-site funny pictures animals cats
This piece of writing will help the internet users for setting up new website or even a blog from start to end.
Here is my homepage: bio tech
Hi, for all time i used to check blog posts here early in the morning, since i like to
find out more and more.
Also visit my blog post; click through the next site
Very often, these people give up before giving the program a
real chance to work. If you weigh yourself everyday or every other day and see that you've gained weight, your motivation may go down and you'll be likely to give up.
What I tell my clients is that they need to schedule their fitness
time like it's a doctor's appointment.
my web site ... http://heromatch.fiplayground.com/TOBMamie
Laughter is a best solution of fear, anger and
boredom. Well-mannered, handsome men, looking forward
to earn some money, can apply online to Men2hire for. While wasting your time watching
something marginally funny may actually frustrate you, watching truly
hilarious movies and shows is an easy way to get laughter into your life
whenever you need it.
My website weroar.ws
I cannot thank Mr Benjamin service enough and letting people know how grateful I am for all the assistance that you and your team staff have provided and I look forward to recommending friends and family should they need financial advice or assistance @ 1,9% Rate for Business Loan .Via Contact : . 247officedept@gmail.com. WhatsApp...+ 19893943740. Keep up the great work.
Thanks, Busarakham.
Post a Comment