Critters in my Garden

September 2, 2010

It has been ridiculously hot this week. In the 90s and humid. Yesterday afternoon we went swimming but the other days I've been working to get life in order for the new season. Organizing for the school year and wrapping up my buying club commitments along with my usual daily tasks.

While I've been busy the kids have been busy also. Sewing.

Inspired by some etsy research they each sewed stuffed critters this week. Celine stitched little Clover, a mouse 3 inches tall. An entirely independent project.

Cheerio hangs from my diseased sunflowers

With a bit of help from me Brienne and Laurent made bats with wired wings and feet for hanging upside down. Cheerio is Laurent's creation, inspired by the Latin name for bats Chiroptera. Lavender belongs to Brienne, named of course for her purple eyes.

When life is a tad busy (slowing down though) I am very grateful for my children's creative groove. I'm always amazed at what they can do with a little inspiration, hot glue, fabric and thread.

If you need some creative inspiration the fall publication of Rhythm of the Home has some great handicraft ideas. I am especially eyeing the Making A Playscape project. This is something my kiddos would love.

How about you? Any crafty projects to share?

kate on Sept. 3, 2010, 4:58 a.m.

Oh~ Renee! Hellloooooo!!!!

Love the critters~ so cute. might have to steal this idea to do with Max, who is soon to be studying all the creatures that live in our backyard. I was thinking of making a wool felt playhouse cover for an old card table~ a little post office or something for Lizzie that she could crawl into and sort her mail (a new favorite activity around here).

Hope summer has treated you well my friend!

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- renee on Sept. 3, 2010, 7:56 p.m.
  
  Hello Kate! Long time, no see. Nice to hear from you. Mail sorting, I remember that well. My kids used to love to play that.
  
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- Naomi on Sept. 4, 2010, 4 p.m.
  
  My kids LOVE sorting mail! It's so cute to see them all excited for my "junk" mail. One [mother's] junk is another [child's] treasure!
  
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Katie on Sept. 3, 2010, 11:41 a.m.

I am a homeschooling mom in Texas and found your blog doing a search for homeschoolers in Maine. I have organized a postcard swap as a fun way to learn about the US and we would love to have a family from Maine participate. http://themcdowellfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/all-american-postcard-swap.html

Thanks!

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Granola Girl on Sept. 3, 2010, 7:54 p.m.

Have you seen the book, "Sock Doll Workshop" by Cindy Crandall-Frazier? It's by Lark Books. You could probably find it through inter-library loan. I bet Celine would love it. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. Not only does it give great instructions and pictures, but patterns are included and all different types of socks are used. She could probably use sweater arms, like before with the cool socks she made.

I used it quite a while ago when I was doing story times and needed to make all kinds of puppets. With wire you could turn them into cool puppets, or with a bit of ingenuity (which Celine is awesome at) a puppet you put your hand in.

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- renee on Sept. 3, 2010, 7:57 p.m.
  
  Thank You! We will look into it. I was just thinking it would be nice to have a few more resources for inspiration.
  
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Naomi on Sept. 4, 2010, 3:59 p.m.

Great job on the critters you guys! They're adorable! I have discovering how great an inspiration etsy can be myself. I've been using it to help me think of ideas for home made birthday presents, though I might do further research for directions on how to make parts of them.

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