12-18 month old craft idea:Infant/Toddler Alphabet Craft

Hey Crafters!

So, this is going to be the first Learning post. Yay, for not procrastinating the post!

As a first time mom, I find that I am constantly looking to see what other momma's have done at home with their little ones. This, I'm sure, is not going to change any time soon. But, there are some things that I know from being a preschool/daycare teacher and I just have to find a way to make them work for Imani.

I am always looking for ways to let Imani explore art materials. (I mean, duh, I'm a crafter, so of course, right) We've done a lot of crafts/art activities, and now I'm thinking that I need to share them with the world because, if there's any other momma's out there like me, you're always on the lookout for something new.

As a preschool teacher, I always found myself in the process versus product debate. As a new momma, I want something that I can keep as a memento of the fun we have! When I was in the classroom, I tried to blend the process art with the product driven crafts, and that is what this craft is: a blend of process and product. Enjoy!

Alphabet Craft

Materials:

Computer (optional)

Printer (optional)

26 Pieces of Colored and 26 Pieces of White or Black Cardstock

Art Materials (crayons, markers, washable paint dotters, torn tissue paper, finger paint, shaving cream)

Scissors

Sharpie 

Directions:

1. If using a computer, create an outline of all of the letters of the alphabet and Print onto colored cardstock. I used Microsoft Word, and the Word Art, and selected a font I liked. You want to go more basic, and less fancy with your font.
1. If not using a computer, draw the outline of all the letters of the alphabet onto your colored card stock. (cumbersome, but doable, just thinking of the non-computer folks)
2. For each letter of the alphabet select an art material, and allow the child to decorate.
1. We do one letter each week. I also recommend getting books from the library to go along with each letter. Ex. "A" read a book about Alligators.  
2. We repeated the various art materials on other letters, really it was just whatever she was willing to work with on any given day.
3. Once your letter is dry, cut it out, and paste onto your (white or black) cardstock. 
4. Hang as is, or laminate and then hang.
1. We haven't finished our alphabet yet, but here's a bit of what we have done so far.

The Letter C was created by gluing torn pieces of tissue paper to the printed letter C, then once dry cutting it out. Imani did NOT like the sticky feeling of the glue, so be prepared for that!
The Letter G, Imani added stickers, then I cut it out. Tip: if your little one is like Imani, peel the sticker back a little to give some help.
The Letter A, was finger painting.

 The Letter D was done by dipping a toilet paper tube into various colors of paint and using it as a stamp/paintbrush.
Lastly, the Letter E was done using some Washable Glitter Paint Dotters. (Not sure where I got them from, sorry!)

I think they are all coming out so cute! The finished alphabet can be laminated, and bound into a book, or put into picture frames and hung on the wall in their room.

What do you think Crafters? Does this craft straddle the Product vs. Process gap? I think so!

Side NOTE! I'm also in the process of writing an ebook with TONS of fun craft and learning activities that I have tried with Imani. Let me know in the comments below if this is something you'd be interested in! 

Well, that's it for now Crafters!

DIY Truck/Car Batman Seat Covers

Hey there, Crafters!
I'm always making something for the Hubby, and this post is to show one of the things I've made recently.

My wonderful husband loves Batman. (DC, and Marvel but mainly Batman) He recently found the deal of a lifetime one two car seat covers at a local auto supplies store: $4.99 each.

The covers were plain black, and he wanted me to Jazzy them up a bit. Here, they are!

This is what they look like on his truck seats. The one on the left is the passenger seat and the one on the right is the driver's seat.

Materials
Gold Machine Embroidery Thread
Red Machine Embroidery Thread
Brother PE-500 Machine & Hoop
Scissors
Tear-away backing

Step 1: Fight your machine for 45 minutes to get tension and threading done to your liking. LOL

But seriously, it was pretty simple, just choose your design, and add embroidery to your heart's content.

For my design, I purchase the Batman logo from a shop on ETSY.com. I knew that I wanted the text on the top and middle. Then, I tried and failed to align the letters to make his name larger. To try and disguise my flaws I made the Batman symbols surround the words at varying angles.

I'm still a newbie when it comes to embroidery, so it isn't by any means a professional job, but it's cool! I think I need a bigger embroidery machine.  One that I can complete large-scale projects without having to re-hoop a million times since I suck at realigning the fabric. Hey, if you have some pointers, please share in the comments below! Well, that's it for now Crafter's!

Just Put the Pictures on The Paper

So, in my previous post, I mentioned how I have been in kind of a crafter's rut. To get myself out of the rut I have gone with a "just do it already" attitude. I'm not sure about the rest of the crafting world, but I know that I spend way too much time looking for inspiration and ideas or researching different techniques. These past few days I've been challenging myself to get something done (that is for myself).

Which leads me to the scrapbook pages you are about to see. The idea here is that I taped the pictures that I wanted, in the layout that I want them to be in. So, you have to kind of organize your pictures, by the layout/page you have in mind. So I separated all the pictures of Imani during her first year and placed them in order by months. (Cumbersome, yes, but also fun to reminisce.)

Then, I selected the papers that I wanted. And after that, it was time to tape down the images.
I also put the month stickers on because those were my main inspiration. Also, to keep track of the dates, I wrote the dates on the back of the pictures with a sharpie.

I love the faces in the photos from when Imani was 3 months old. So funny! She's had a fun personality from, literally the second she was born. My husband told me that when she was born, (via C-Section) she literally came out looking around the room at everyone. He said all the doctors were laughing because she was so alert to be second old.

So again, I'll embellish the page later, but I wanted to be sure to "get something done" so I placed the pictures where I wanted them to go. I didn't use photo mats for this one, but I might go back and add them. Eh. We'll see.

So this was Easter, and I didn't feel the need to use an "Easter" scrapbook paper because the pictures were so obviously Easter. 

This one, I'm not sure where I'm going, as far as embellishments go, but I know I like the weird angles.

Well, I think I succeeded in getting something done! Now on to the rest of the pictures, and who knows I may actually finish Imani's 1st-year scrapbook. LOL Hey, she's only 15 months, I'm not too far behind!

Alright, Crafters! 'Tis the end of this post. 

Bye For Now!

It's ALIVEEEEEE!!!!!

What's up crafty people!

So I know its been a LOOOOOOONG time since I've posted anything, but change is coming!

So much has changed since I last posted. I've become a mommy, a stay-at-home-mommy to be more specific.

So, it got me to thinking about my crafty side.  Muah ha ha! I really fell into a bit of a crafting rut, doing just what needed to be done for like holidays and things, but none of my usual explorations.

What are the changes that are coming, you say?

1. Frequent card making posts. (Since it seems to be a crowd favorite)
2. Store will be opening soon!!! (Mid June-to July)
3. Occasional "my life" posts, so that you can see how the crafty half lives.
4. Tutorial videos and ebooks on a very regular basis.

Stay tuned crafty peeps, it's going to be a great change!

And because she's so darn cute...

Imani, 14 months old at the Cleveland Children's Museum.

Brought out the old yudu

So I pulled the yudu out to make my husband and the other coaches shirts and hoodies.

Applique attempts and more embroidery stuffs.

So I used my extra day off to attempt done new things with my embroidery machine.  Here's the results...

Now I know the importance of lining up fabric before placing on the hoop. Hopefully I'll do better next time.

Cutting fabric with the Cricut

So after several attempts at cutting fabric with my Cricut expression, I finally got it right.  What to know?

●New blade
●New mat (that I now have marked exclusive to fabric)
●heat and bond ultra

Don't give up if it doesn't work at first. There are so many YouTube videos which show you the steps but those are the key things that allowed me to do it with no issues.  Also, you'll want to do simple images or cuts because anything with too much detail didn't really work for me.

Well that is all.  Happy crafting.