Make your own Doudou
How darling is this little soft toy (or doudou as we call them over here)? I just have decovered the French webshop Sardine which sells little kits to make soft toys, mobiles and garlands. I love the fact that they are so easy to make and that the end product is something you actually want to keep, which is not always the case with my creative experiments!
The kits comes with all the swatches of fabric and the yarn, so all you need is a rainy day and a bit of time…
- Emilie
Kidsonroof cooker
Cardboard toys are such a genius idea! When I was a kid, I coloured all over my wooden toys and got told off…. but had the toys been cardboard, I actually would have been encouraged to continue! I think this little cooker is particularly sweet — it is so well designed and thought out. I love the fact that if it doesn’t get played with for a while it can be folded away. Big bonus for us city types living in small apartments.
- Emilie
Teaching basic math skills
I recently sat down with my son’s school teacher and she gave me a very brief suggestion for how to teach basic math skills to a six-year-old. She explained that they’re trying to get kids to think and count not just by ones, but also by fives and tens. She explained that they will take a number (say 38) and ask the kids how many tens go into this number, how many fives, and how many ones. I suppose it’s really division/multiplication without the kids knowing or really grasping that idea yet. The funny thing is, if you talk to kids in a certain causal way, they can actually sometimes do difficult math without knowing it. Even my 4-year-old surprises me with his ability to ‘get’ fractions.
This weekend we cut out a bunch of paper circles in three different sizes, and then labeled the circles with tens, fives and ones. Then we played with the numbers, adding them up and subtracting them to reach certain numbers. It’s such an easy project, and once you’ve made the numbers, you can keep them around for future math lessons. We brought out these numbers several times over the weekend to ‘play maths’, and the kids had no idea how much they were learning.
-Courtney
DIY Pop-up flower garden cards
These pop-up flower garden cards or so super easy to make! You just need some thin cardboard (or thick paper), coloured paper, glue and scissors. The photos above pretty much say it all. One thing to notice — don’t make the flowers too long, or they will stick out of the card once folded! Sara (6) made the coloured flowers, and Pim (4), who’s still quite clumsy at using his scissors, created the abstract tulip garden for his sick grandpa. Cute!
xxx Esther
Ketiketa Stamps
We Continental Europeans don’t have the greeting card culture of the Anglo world. No one really sends birthday cards, we don’t have card shops, and in fact, it is really difficult to find a nice pack of greeting cards. It is 100% due to Courtney’s influence that I have been made aware of this — she is a note and card writing virtuoso! (I remember when I heard that her newborn already had his own headed stationary, I choked on my coffee! But I now realise that this is totally normal in the US).
So I have started to jump on the bandwagon and have started sending cards. I have actually found that I really enjoy it: it is really nice thanking someone with a handwritten note, personally delivered to a post box. Who knew? I have also started making my own, with some stamps I found via Smallable and Annaka Bazaar. I set my girls to work and I think the results are quite cute, no?
Next stop: my own headed letter paper!
Make Do
I was snooping around my little neighbourhood toy shop, La Cachette à Malice, yesterday and fell upon an Australian toy company I had never heard of: Make Do. Have you heard of them? I am obsessed. It is just such a simple idea. Make Do are reusable connectors, with which you can build anything you want out of boxes, paper, egg cartons or anything else you have in your recycle box. You can either get kits with only the connectors in them or kits to help you build a doll house or a car. Seriously, why did no one think of this before?
You can check out the Make Do video here.
-Emilie
Cardboard painting
This cute craft project is super easy and perfect for a weekend morning spent in pyjamas! The only things you need are some coloured paper, little pieces of thin cardboard (just cut an empty food box in pieces — make sure you have one straight edge!) and paint. For the crazy flies we used our fingers for the eyes and a black pen for the legs, but it’s also fun and easy to ‘paint’ cars this way, or robots, or crocodiles… Both my 4-year-old and my 6-year-old enjoyed this project, which is based on an activity I saw in Usborne’s Monster Things to Make and Do (available through Amazon UK
Enjoy your weekend!!
xxx Esther
DIY summer necklaces
Last week on the beach, my kids and I spent quite a while looking for shells (I don’t know who enjoyed it more, the kids or I — it’s just so relaxing!!). And yesterday we made some fun, summery necklaces out of them. Look for the shells with a little hole in them, and use whatever you have around the house (wooden beads look good I find). A double knot after each shell keeps them tightly in place!
xxx Esther
Pillowcase Wings
I just discovered these pillow case wings on Sisters Guild via Bambino Goodies and just had to write a post about them, they are so super cute. I know it is not Halloween nor Carnival, but there is never a bad time to play dress up, is there? Apparently all you need is fabric, fabric glue and then do a bit of stiching. Perfect for using up little bits of stray fabric.
I will try and make some in the next couple of weeks and let you know how it goes!
-Emilie
Colour your own fire engine
Emilie from Mum et Moi just sent me a link to a blog post she recently published on her shop’s blog about the cool Colour-Your-Own Cardboard Fire Engine she sells in her shop. What a great thing to take on a plane to keep your kids busy! The little kit comes flat-packed with a set of 6 non-toxic markers ready to colour. Perfect for travelling! And how cute is the little coloured fire engine her sons made? I love it!
xo Courtney
Beautiful art kits from KicoKids
My daughter Sara is an avid art lover — she loves to build, create, draw, and paint. From the moment she could hold a pencil in her hands she’s been drawing, and I think her baby sister takes after her — Ava also likes to hold a pen and draw already. Our 4-year-old son Pim however, is just now at a level where his sister was when she was barely three (remember this craft project?). He’s slowly gaining an interest in drawing. It’s funny how differently children do develop!
Anyway, with our upcoming camping trip in mind, I’ve given Pim and Sara each one of the cool Art Kits pictured above. These art kits are great — the canvas cover is bright and strong, the pencils are soft to draw with, there’s a sharpener attached and there’s a notebook with thick, coloured paper. KicoKids makes them, do check out their shop — such wonderful, creative products and fun concepts, and I can tell you — the quality of it all is great.
xxx Esther
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Yes, you’ve come to the right place!• Bibaloo for fabulous French finds
• Original Sprout Hair Care for Kids
How to draw a penguin – by Oliver Jeffers
Oliver Jeffers must be one of my favourite illustrators, so I got a little bit excited about this tutorial (via the Guardian) on how to draw a penguin. It is so simple, so funny and so charming that it even makes me want to start getting out the crayons!
I know nothing about drawing, so I love the breakdown of all the different shapes which, once you put them all together, make a lovely little penguin. Hope your kids enjoy this one as much as mine did. Happy drawing!
-Emilie
Paper Necklaces
After two months of beautiful, sunny weather here in London, it started to pour down rain yesterday and it’s still pretty wet today. Boo hoo! Thankfully I found this sweet, and seemingly simple, craft project on the Sisters Guild blog. What a great idea and with such a pretty result. Even I would wear that necklace, wouldn’t you?! I’m definitely doing this with my kids. You can find detailed instructions in the blog post, and other cool craft projects on their blog here.
-Courtney
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Win! The white Freedom dress from Belle & Boo!• Cute vintage magnet set
Tin Can Telephones by Made by Joel
I am a big, big fan of the blog Made by Joel. Firstly because it is really nice to see a dad in the world of parenting blogs and also because I love the projects Joel comes up with. They are always well thought out and the description are so well written that the projects are actually do-able even for a ludite like me.
Take the Tin Can Project: such a simple idea. I remember making one with my brother but that I had totally forgotten about it. I am sure Coco and Vivi are going to go crazy for this project. As Joel says: “It is never too early for a science lesson”.
-Emilie
Olive Loves Alfie — a new website and discount offer
Olive Loves Alfie is one of my favourite children’s boutiques in London. I always know I can pick up a unique birthday gift, a great new children’s book, or something cute for the home whenever I stop in. Ashlyn, the owner, has such a great eye for design… and every time I leave her shop I feel full of design inspiration!
Olive Loves Alfie has now launched a new, spruced-up website and it is gorgeous — just as inspiring as the shop itself! And to celebrate the launch of their new site, Olive Loves Alfie is now offering our readers a 10% discount. Just enter code: MOLIVELOVES at check-out (offer good until 31st of May). I have my eyes on that cool miffy light. What about you?
-Courtney
Easter craft — Bunny Masks
Inspired by the craft project I spotted on The Happy Home blog, I sat down with my boys this week to make Easter bunny masks. It was pretty easy… and once we created a mask template, the boys were able to cut them out and stick the cotton wool on all by themselves. They were very proud of their masks. And aren’t they so cute?! Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:
- heavy card stock paper (white)
- pink craft paper
- cotton wool (or ‘cotton balls’ if you’re in America)
- elasticated string (or even normal string will probably do) for the back
- cute paper, cut into strips, for the whiskers
Funny Face Sticker Book
I have spent the whole day filing away a pile of papers that was approximately as tall as I am. It is something I loathe doing, hence I let the papers pile up. It does feel great though once the papers have dissapeared into their respective binders and order has been restored. To make the task slightly more pleasant, I popped over to Muji for some nice nutural binders and, of course, left the place with about 30 other things I had never planned to buy!
One of my new purchases is the brilliant coulouring and sticker book called Funny Face Sticker Book, which Courtney had introduced me to. This book can be a source of entertainment for literally hours. Lots of stickers, and shape faces, just waiting to be coloured in. I am stockpiling it for our next train trip.
-Emilie
Knitting set
I have been trawling the internet for presents as we have a ton of birthday parties coming up. I’ve decided I’m going to stock up on nice presents to avoid a rushed, last-minute trip to a random supermarket which always results in buying something cheap and nasty. During my research I came across this lovely knitting set by Moulin Roty for little girls, and have been completely seduced by it. It is so cute and old-fashioned. I wonder if girls (and boys) are still learning how to knit, crochet and sew? I remember making wonky little sweaters and dresses for my dolls when I was young– I was no Coco Chanel, but it was a great way of keeping me occupied for hours.
Found on the lovely french site Madame La Marchande, and I also found it here in the UK.
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Top things to do in Melbourne (part 1)• Free downloadable colour sheets from Made By Joel
Visit the zoo… from home!
Inspired by the rainy day project I saw on the Tokketok blog (via A Cup of Jo), I sat down with the kids this week to create a zoo scene! It was such a fun way to incorporate so many of their toys and interests. We used their Schleich animals
-Courtney
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Perfect pyjamas from PJ Basics• Camping: The good, the bad and the ugly
Made by Joel it ain’t…
I absolutely adore those fantastic blogs that share such inspirational ideas of great things to craft with or for your kids (think ‘Made by Joel‘, ‘Inchmark‘, ‘Hip Hip Hooray‘). In fact I’d go as far to say I have a slight addiction to said blogs. I gaze at their beauty, gawp at their good ideas and sigh at the pretty photography. All the time thinking how I must try harder to be perfect.
The sad reality is though that I’m not perfect (is this therapy?). And when it comes to crafting with my kids I’m anything but. I’ve always wanted to be good at arts and crafts and since having kids I can hardly pass a craft shop without popping in for some googly eyes or transparent paper for our bulging craft cupboard. So the enthusiasm is there and the desire is there, so how come my shoe-box aquarium (above) looks nothing like Joel Henriques’? (more…)
