MY FIRST GIVEAWAY

Hello to my lovely readers. I just wanted to take a minute out of my crazy busy week to tell you that I'm doing my first giveaway. It's exclusively for my FACEBOOK fans so if you want to get in on the action click here.  Im going to be giving away one of my crayon cozys to one lucky lady. It will be custom made in the colours you choose with your childs name on it as well. So if you would like to enter simply leave me a comment under my facebook post on my facebook page. You have until Sunday to do so. I'll pick the winner using a random generator tool online. Thanks girls and good luck!!

Digi Scrapbooking Made Easy

I had to share this gem of a website with you called

How Fast Time Flies 

It's a digital scrapbook site that is so darn easy to use you will be banging off amazing scrapbook pages in no time. They actually call it home of the 7 minute scrapbook page. I don't know about you ladies but it takes me a long time to complete one scrapbook page when doing it with paper. And by the time I develop my pics and start my page, I'm already bored and broke. This is just pick your template, drag and drop your pics and write a small journal entry if you please. Also if you join their facebook page they often have discount codes for up to 25% off your order.

Here are some pics from their gallery

Easy Framed Silhouettes

I've seen sillouettes made all over bloggy world so I decided to make two for myself. One of my little girl and one of my fur baby, Derby. They are super easy to make, they look awesome and would be a wonderful gift for Grandma for Mother's Day next month. Both of Ashtyn's Grandma's received a sillouette for Valentines Day and they loved them.

Here is what you will need

A side profile picture of your subject

A frame...I bought mine at the dollar store

A piece of black cardstock paper

A piece of scrapbook paper of your choice.

Glue or double sided tape

Scissors or scalpal

Here is What you Do

1. Take a side profile picture of you subject(s) and print it in black and white on your computer in the size to fit your frame.

2. Cut out your printed silhouette using scissors or a scapal. I myself preferred using my scissors since they gave me a more accurate cut.

3. Once your silhouette is cut out use it to cut out another one onto black cardstock. This will be your good piece.

4. Now that the hard part is done all you have to do now is adhere your silhouette to a piece of scrapbook paper cut down to your frame insert size.

5. And you're done. Don't forget to put the subjects age somewhere on the frame whether it be the front or the back is up to you. Here's how mine turned out.

TIPS FOR TOTS TUESDAY - Park Scavenger Hunt

Now that Spring is officially here, we're all looking for new and exciting ways to enjoy the outdoors with our children. Every year while teaching preschool I would take my class (accompanied with a parent) to our local park for a Scanvenger Hunt. It was free and fun and taught the children that there is more to a park then just the slides and swings. This activity is best done with children 3 and older, however, I've seen younger siblings on the field trips tag a long just fine.  

Here's What You Do

 Create a list of things to look for or activities to carry out at the park. Don't forget to include play time on the play equipment or else this activity will fail. Think of it like walking into a coffee shop only to smell the aroma but not being able to buy a yummy drink.

 Now your list will depend on the park you visit. The next time you visit the park look around for things you can add to your list.

Here are some examples we used on our fieldtrip. We stapled our list to a brown paper bag and gave a bag to each child. If you would prefer to leave the objects at the park then just scrap the bag and bring a list and crayon to mark your progress.

Find a smooth rock

Find a rough rock

Go down the red slide three times

Find a leaf bigger than your hand

Find 3 pinecones

Count all the swings in the park

Count the baby ducks

Find a twig on the ground, where do twigs come from?

Find a flower, what colour is the flower?

Look for a bug of any kind, what is that bug doing?

Not only does this activity teach a child that a park is a home to many animals and birds, it also promotes language and conversation between you and your child. Be sure to ask them questions and describe as much as they can understand as you go along.

Don't worry if you only get through half your list. This is meant to be fun and non stressful for you and your child. You can always finish your list another day. 

EXTRAS
* Bring along a camera and take pictures as you go. You and your child can then make a nature book together at home using the pictures from the park.

* Provide your child with a magnifying glass to take a closer look at their findings from the park at home.

HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE....

....That Crafty Chic Mommy is now on FACEBOOK. I would love for you to join my group. I'm going to be doing my first giveaway soon...one of my crayon cozy's custom designed for you.... and it's exclusively for my facebook fans!!

Thanks for all your support!

TIPS FOR TOTS TUESDAY - Crayon Cozy Tutorial

Last weekend our family went out for breakfast. Gone are the days of relaxing conversation over a fresh cup of coffee and eggs benny.....we have a toddler people. Basically we're chugging our coffee to keep it from being spilt and gobbling our food as fast as we can to get the heck out of the place. 

Life must go on and we still want to enjoy the odd dining out so I decided to make Ashtyn a crayon cozy to help keep her entertained.

Since I have so much felt left over from my felt play house I decided to use that for the material. Really in the end it was a better choice for me since I didn't have to worry about finishing the edges.

What you'll need


Two pieces of felt
Ribbon
Pinking Shears
Crayons
Pad of paper

1.  Cut out two pieces of felt. When deciding what size make sure to factor in how many crayons you want your cozy to hold and how big your pad of paper is. My cozy is 5 inches by 9 inches in size.

2. Next cut out a piece of felt to hold your crayons. I wanted my cozy to hold four crayons so I cut it 4 iches by 3 inches.

3. Sew a piece of ribbon along the top to prevent the felt from stretching when the crayons are put in and out of their pockets. Take your pinking shears and pink down the sides for a nice decorative touch. Note: I figured doing this would prevent my ribbon from fraying but this wasnt so, in the end I ended up using a match to seal the ribbon ends a bit.

4.  Next sew your crayon pocket onto the felt backing. I started by sewing a straight line down the middle (backstitching for reinforcement) and then working my way to the sides to make the pockets for the crayons. I left a 1 inch space between each line to hold the crayons comfortably. I used a piece of tape to show me where I needed to sew.

5. Sew around the sides and the bottom of the felt pocket to secure it to the big piece of felt.

6. Cut another piece of felt that will snuggly hold a small pad of paper. I found some cute little pads of paper at Michaels with the cardboard backs on them to easily slide behind the felt pocket.

Sew down both sides of the felt leaving the bottom and top open.

7.  I decided to put my logo on this project using this printer friendly cotton that I purchased at Michaels. The cotton has a hard removable backing on it to allow it to be used like normal paper in a printer.

8. Now that the note and crayon pockets are sewn on it's time to sew the front and back pieces of felt together. Pink around the edges first then slip a piece of ribbon at the edge of each side to allow the cozy to tie together.

9. Thats it...your done. Now fill it with crayons, paper and a few stickers and pop it into your purse for the next visit to the doctors office or breakfast rendevous.

I'm linking this to

Thursdays Treasures @ Treasures for Tots

FELT PLAY HOUSE

I'm so happy to announce that Ashtyn's felt play house is FINISHED. Welcome to the little blue house on 1116 Cutieville Lane. Shall we take a tour?

Ding dong, is anyone home? The porch light is on....a special delivery for Ashtyn....could it be a letter from Grandma?

 Usually the front door is open because friends are always welcome....and mommy's and daddy's too.

Lets head on around to the side of the house where a fresh spring breeze dries some clothing  hanging out on the clothes line. Once the clothes are dry put them into the laundry basket.

Wait a minute, I hear some sniffing on the other side of the house....who could it be? It's Ashtyn's beloved Boston Terrier, Derby, smelling the spring flowers.

Now lets head to Ashtyn's garden in the backyard. I think I smell the sweet aroma of red juicy apples.

Once we're done picking apples, lets harvest some fresh veggies like lettuce, carrots and pumpkins.

The pumpkins are looking great. They will make perfect Jack-o-lanterns come October.

Thanks for visiting Ashtyn's cozy little house. Please visit again soon.

I had so much fun making this charming little house for Ashtyn. It took many hours of hard work but I'm happy to say it turned out exactly how I had envisioned it. It's all sewn...no glue used. As you can see in the pics, I used velcro to allow the fruit to become removable. We didn't have a suitable table for this playhouse so we built the frame from PVC pipe. In the end I like how it makes the playhouse transportable and easily stored away. Although I think that will be easier said than done.

A big thanks to Fawnda over at Fireflies and Jellybeans for doing her five week Felt House Along. She got me motivated to tackle a large yet very rewarding craft project.

I'm linking this to

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage

Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Design

Thursdays Treasures @ Treasures for Tots

Made by You Monday @ Skip to My Lou
I Made it Without My Hubby @ shanty2chic