Advent Activity Calendar

I really like the idea of Advent--the idea of building excitement for Christmas.  Growing up, we had the simple cardboard advent calendars... just the plain cardboard with picture windows.  I was envious of friends who had the sort with little chocolates already packaged in the calendar.  Sure, I knew it really was lame chocolate that tasted like wax, but that wasn't the point. 
I was further green not with holiday spirit, but true envy when I saw that my best friend had an advent elf holding 25 little boxes. Her mother lovingly selected some candies, toys and other cute little trinkets to fill 25 little gift boxes. I was sure I wanted something like this for my kids.
I searched high and low, and never really found the advent elf of my dreams (for the price I was willing to pay).  I decided I would make my own.

Initially, I saw a pinterest post using envelopes--that could be cute, but I'd have to remake each year.  Next, I saw these cute little magnetic tins--but there would be expense in 25 little favor tins, magnets, etc.  Next, I was going to use holiday fabric scraps and sew 25 little dated pouches for treats. But the more I thought about 25 little treats, the more I realized that my son didn't need extra sugar each night when I was attempting to put him to bed.   Based on the clutter in his room, he doesn't need 25 small toy trinkets that won't be played with that much either.  But I still LOVE advent calendars.  If the idea of Advent is to prepare for Christmas, then why not make a calendar of activities we do to get ready.

My solution, which as you can probably guess, went through several phases of development.  The finished calendar is a line of twine tied across the double doors in in our kitchen eating area.  My son and I decorated enough clothes pins.  We've added numbered "Countdown" tags.  Using lots of fonts, I made various colored circle shapes in Word, each containing a different Christmas prep activity.  I used a craft punch to cut out the circles--though I was a little disappointed in how this turned out---with the large circles you have to be close enough to get the whole circle punched, but if you cut away too much excess before punching, the cut doesn't come out clean.  I backed my computer prints with another circle from patterned scrapbook paper to add a little stiffness, but you could likely start with card stock in the first place and skip this step. The very crafty could probably do stickers and all sorts of embellishments to make this idea super cute. I even thought we could set up a second smaller tree and add the tags to the tree each day.  As the tree filled up, we would be closer and closer to Christmas.

Each day, we do one Christmas prep activity, then hang that circle on our line.  Some activities are more involved--like decorate the Christmas tree, make various holiday treats, etc.  Others I intentionally kept simple--like color a Christmas picture, or sing a Christmas Carol, so on busy days we can "do" something, even when the day is already pretty full.  I also have tried to get "giving" in the mind of my 4 year old, which really has not been the easiest task--but I keep trying and maybe some day it will register. 

The activity circles are premade and waiting in a basket.  They are in a random order, so we will do what we can when we can--I didn't want to "lock in" the order by hanging them up in advance (with our family, sometimes you just have to do what you can, when you can). I made plenty of extra blank circles so I could write in random activities that fit the bill, but weren't planned.  I also made more than we needed so we always had some options.

We've just recently started, but I find that the calendar is helping me pace myself a little.  We don't have to do every Christmas thing at once, but we can space it out and enjoy the holiday season.

If you'd like to make your own DIY Advent Activity Calendar, here are some of the activities I used.

Visit Santa

Write a letter to Santa

set up Christmas tree

Play in the snow

Take a walk (drive) to look at Christmas lights

Family movie night

Make cookies

Go Sledding

Decorate sugar cookies

Wrap presents

pick out a present for someone else

PJ day

String popcorn (to decorate the tree outside)

Make paper chains

Sing Christmas carols

Listen to Christmas music

Read Christmas books

Set up the Nativity

Watch Christmas specials

Have hot cocoa

Travel to grandma's house

Decorate the tree

Hang up the stockings

Make a Christmas ornament  (I made several tags of this, because I have a few ideas stashed away)

Give money to Salvation Army bell ringer

Snuggle by the fireplace

Make Marshmallows

Read The Polar Express, then watch the Movie

 

Give away one of your toys

Make chocolate covered pretzels (you can substitute with your standard holiday fare)

Make truffles

Make cherry cordials

Make peanut butter balls

Make toffee 

Color Christmas pictures

make roasted pecans

Make popcorn balls

Make snowflakes

Make felt ornaments

Make candy cane ornaments

Put up a wreath

Make something with jingle bells

Make a Christmas wish

Go skating

Call someone to wish them Merry Christmas

Record yourself singing a Christmas song.

Go to Sawmill Creek to see lights

Go to the Zoo to see the lights

Go to a Christmas festival

Go to Bronners

My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software Review and #Giveaway

Kat's Adventure Book the blog earned it's title from my own personal scrapbook that I've nicknamed my adventure book.  I started it around my senior year of high school.  It's an old school scrapbook from my grandmother.  You know, solid black construction like paper, funny long rectangle shape, very retro-green marble covers.  Tied together with what might pass for a shoe string.
Despite it's outward hideousness, I love my adventure book.  Within it's pages I have documented all of the amazing places I've been.  There are pictures from studying abroad in France and pictures from our family vacation in Yellowstone.  There are tons of pictures from fishing in Canada, or trips to the U.P.
I took tons of photos while we lived in Savannah, but since I left my scrapbook gear at home--I had planned to work on it when we moved back. Except now we have another adventure--Peanut.  Scrapbooking is so time consuming it is probably the lowest of the low on my priority list. Another challenge is the organizational space factor.  Our Red Room once was my personal craft room--this was ideal since I could leave a work in progress spread across the floor of the room, close the door and it would be fine.
Now with Peanut I sometimes feel that resentment an older sibling feels toward the younger sibling.  I used to have my own craft room.  Now I share it with the baby since the guest bed in that room has become his downstairs changing table.  That means extra organization in the craft room and definitely no leaving anything out--ever.  Please don't misunderstand me--I love my son.  I only miss my personal craft space.

I think that's why I am most excited about My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software.  They contacted me to download and review a copy of their My Memories Suite Version 2.0,  I admit, I was apprehensive at first.  I wasn't sure exactly what digital scrapbooking was, how this package would work or even if I'd have time for it.  To my delight, I have been completely amazed and impressed.  I far surpassed my expectations and I definitely can find time.

No more pulling out those drawers of papers, special scissors, trimmers, sorting photos, spending hundreds on embellishments, making a complete mess of your craft room..... This software comes with everything you need.You will never "run out" of your favorite paper or find yourself one button shy of perfection. The step by step instructions make it super easy to use.

My Memories makes it easy to be as creative as you want--everything is fully customizable. Enlarge or shrink an embellishment to fit.  Change photo shapes or mats with a click.  For those with time constraints, preloaded album pages can help you finish an album in minutes--
These are some of my pages I literally created in just a few minutes.

I've used scrapbook like software online from companies like Shutterfly to create my photo books, but I found the My Memories suite far more intuitive. I also like that I own my pages and can print them out any time I like.  Oh, and if you don't find what you want in the basic package, you can add on extra paper and embellishment kits to give you even more creative flexibility.

My Memories Suite Version 2.0  has applications beyond scrapbooks.  I'm thinking of making my family calender and Christmas cards using this software. I've also updated my button--check it out.  I'm working on a new cute banner too. Like I said--infinite possibilities.  If you are super amazing with technology--you can even add audio and video clips too.

Want to get your own copy of the My Memories Suite Version 2.0?
You can buy it online from My Memories for 39.99


OR
You could be the winner of my giveaway.  Just use the Rafflecopter form below.  Contest ends at 12:01 AM on November 29th.  Enter now! (You may need to select the "read more" link to view rafflecopter form)

So much to do....

Oh so little time...

You may or may not recall, I had a four day holiday weekend at the beginning of this month. I was agitated for most of it because I didn't have many projects to work on. After a trip to Jo Ann's I was restocked with ideas and sewing supplies. Since then, however, I just haven't had the time.

I started to work on making quilted crib bumpers. They look super easy, but because I'm quilting them, they are taking forever. Coupled with the fact that I am dead tired when I get home in the evening again, I haven't felt like sewing except on the weekends--while I'm trying to catch up on the cleaning I've been neglecting because, oh that's right, I'm exhausted in the evenings.

The other problem keeping me from getting crafty projects done is my ability to keep thinking of more projects I want to do. I started a list. These are in no particular order, but my plan is to prioritize the list and knock off the things that will be most useful.

Finish crib bumpers: not the most useful, but I would rather complete it than leave the pieces scattered about the apartment.
Froggie crib quilt: So I bought this super cute froggie fabric at a local quilt shop intending to whip out a cute simple quilt I could lay on the floor. The baby already has two crib quilts I made, but neither go with the "theme." Non-essential, but if you saw the fabric, you'd want a froggie crib quilt too.
"heirloom" blanket: We have a piece of fabric from our childhood we'd love to see turned into a crib size blanket. The more detail I take with this the better it will turn out, but the more time I take, the less I have for other ideas.
Hanging Wet Bag/ travel wet bag: This is an essential for my plans to cloth diaper. Ever since I discovered that Jo Anns now carries PUL in store, I figure I could make one or two of these to keep my initial cloth diapering expenses to a minimum. Shouldn't take too much effort, just time and yes, another Jo Ann's trip.
Paci holder: definitely non essential, but it's one of those frills that parents with frills seem to have in their diaper bag repertoire. Super easy project that will probably be a good use for scraps, but when time is of the essence, this project is not.
Travel changing pad: A receiving blanket would work just fine, but as above, those with frills can't live without this. I probably have most of the supplies laying around, just lacking the energy.
More wall storage (pails/shelves/pocket hanging): Storage is definitely at a premium around our converted dining room turned nursery. I'm thinking of either adding a craft shelf with pegs or create a new wall hanging filled with plenty of storage pockets (similar to the crib caddy). I'm thinking of hanging decoupaged pails from the shelf pegs. While storage is necessary, I'm not sure I'm gaining enough space justify the effort.
Bibs: We don't have many and this will be useful... probably higher on the priority list than some other ideas.
Burp cloths: I have made some already, but not sure just how many I'll need. Not exactly the most glamorous project.
Bib strap: Essentially, two mitten clasps on opposite ends of a wide ribbon. Turn napkins, burp cloths and washcloths into instant bibs. I'm waiting for notions to go on sale for this one.
Shopping cart cover: This has been on the list for a long time because I received a pattern for one with a package of patterns I bought long before we even knew Johnny was on his way. They look cute, but I'm not sure I'm germaphobic enough to remember to haul this to the grocery store with me each time. Also, Johnny probably not going to be riding in the shopping cart for several months yet.
Car seat cover: Essentially a fitted sheet/blanket that fits over a car seat with slots for the harness straps to go through. In the event of baby projectiles and bodily fluids coming into contact with the seat, this cover could easily be changed and washed. I think the car seat cushions are technically washable, but I think this would clean and dry a lot quicker.

In short, the next 8 weeks will go very quickly and the carpal tunnel will likely get worse before it gets any better. I'll post pictures if I ever get any of this done.

Nursery: Nearly Done

Oh how I love tacky glue

And now for the latest installment of pictures of crafty goodness used to enhance the former dining room of a one behttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifdroom apartment in our efforts to create an economically chic nursery. This week's topic: Wall Art.
Since we aren't supposed to pain the walls, and I'm not too keen on having to paint them back on the off chance the opportunity to move on presents itself, we've found less permanent ways to decorate.

Exhibit A: trendy fabric modern art display.
I used scraps of material used in other parts of the nursery, stretched over a a series of various sized embroidery hoops. Add thumbtacks on the wall, and voila. If I was ubber crafty, I probably could have covered the hoops with paint or ribbon, but I think they are fine as is. The hoops cost an average of fifty cents to $1.49 and are available at most craft stores (except the Jo-Ann's in town). The do make more colorful plastic ones, but I prefer the wooden ones anyway--not that I embroider or know the difference.

Exhibit B: Johnny's Fishing pond.

Rich's fear when I first explained the "grand plan" for the themed nursery was there would be too much green and not enough blue for a little boy's room. My compromise solution was to create fish for the wall behind the crib. Though I feel we certainly have enough blue, I do like the fish accents.
There are essentially 3 species of fish on these walls. Fish type A were made from cotton fabric. Two fish outlines were cut, sewn right sides together, flipped, stuffed and mounted with thumbtacks for eyes. Since I used scraps, I winged the outlines "on the fly" to best use the amount of scrap I had.
Fish type B were similarly created from felt. Since felt won't fray, I was able to sew right sides out, and provide more detail in the tails/fins. I also used some decorative stitching to create gills. The fabric for these fish was also scrap from another project, so my selection in color/size was limited.
Fish type C make up the majority of the school. They are only fabric on the outside. I started with fish "patterns" from online coloring sheets. I traced the outlines onto card stock (mostly display packaging material from the many shower gifts). I then cut a piece of fabric roughly a bit bigger than the cardboard fish. It needs to be big enough to cover the cardboard fish, but not too much bigger, since bulky fabric makes it difficult to tuck around details like fins. I then glued the fabric to the back of the cardboard, trimming excess as I went. These fish were stuffed with tiny fabric scraps and tissue paper before sealing the final section. The slight stuffing gives the fish a little more dimensionality than they would otherwise have. Rather than using thumbtack eyes, they are mounted to the wall with packaging tape. In the future, I may add ribbon details or button eyes, but for now, they are fish silhouettes that rise off of the wall.

Exhibit C: memo boards.


For these memo boards, I purchased 4 frameless cork boards. Originally, I was going to buy a pack of 4 cork tiles. However, I got a great deal on these frameless boards at Michael's (1.49 each I think) and they are thicker and more sturdy than the tiles appeared to be. I used leftover batting from the glider "reupholstery" project cut just slightly larger than the boards. I covered the batting and board with cute fabric. I would have rather had a staple gun or hot glue gun, but settle for craft glue to hold the fabric in place since it was what I had on hand. I used thumb tacks to hold the fabric snug until the glue dried. I added ribbons to the front, as well as more upholstery tacks at the intersection. Ribbons were secured with tacks and or glue at the back.
The memo boards currently feature cut outs of classic picture book characters. I found the images with google images and used a color printer. In the future, the boards will also feature pictures of Johnny, his family, and important reminders like feeding schedules.

Exhibit D: The pond mirror.
This is by far my favorite nursery addition. I wanted a mirror for the nursery, because every baby I have know (okay, probably older than newborn) has loved making faces at him/herself in the mirror. I liked the idea of tying the mirror into the pond theme, but didn't know how well it would turn out. Rich picked up a very economical mirror from Target for under $5.00. After some debate, we planned on taping the book character cutouts around the frame, and calling it a day. That is, until I decided to experiment.
Armed with my trusty gingher scissors and some solid cotton fabric, I began to cut reeds and cattails. Initially, I planned to sew, flip and slightly stuff the reeds. This seemed to be too much work for the effect I was attempting to accomplish. However, having planned on sewing, I ended up with two of each cattail, which allowed me to create a nice framing effect. I had to careful position the reeds so they weren't too obviously the same.
Now a more thorough crafter probably would have opted for double stick tape. However, since this was such an economical mirror, I didn't feel too bad breaking out the tacky glue and sticking the fabric pieces directly to the mirror and frame. My stroke of true genius came in the form of two green "hills" (aka scraps from cutting the reeds), which cleverly disguise what otherwise would be a messy looking knot at the bottom of the "pond."

Exhibit E: Window treatment
Nothing fancy here--more scraps put to good use. I created a pennant shape from paper then transferred to a more sturdy cardstock. I traced the shape on fabric and cut. The top tab was folded over ribbon, ironed to make the fold more likely to stay, then adhered with tacky glue. Ideally, I would have loved to have cut the edges with pinking sheers--though this project showed exactly how dull my current pair is.

Exhibit F: Burp cloths
Not exactly nursery decor, but fairly practical. I created 1/2 dozen burp cloths as they seem like a practical invention. My creations will hopefully prove both sturdy and absorbent. Side A features a soft but durable cream terry cloth, purchased for 1/2 price from the remnant bin at JoAnns. Side B features and even softer piece of flannel--mostly from scraps from previous projects, like the receiving blankets. They vary in size--due in part to the scrap nature of the flannel, or the remnant shape of the terry cloth--allowing me to get the most from the materials on hand. Ideally, I shot for 16x10, but some are longer/shorter on one or both dimension.

Exhibit G: changing table
Not one of our personal crafts, but still a semi-essential part of the nursery. Sure we didn't "need" one, but I am awful grateful to have received one as a shower gift. Considering the dinning room has no current storage, I like having the changing table to store many of our baby necessities. It's packed to the gills. We could definitely use more storage, but the debate as to how best to meet that need is still open for discussion.

Weekends of Crafty Goodness

What does one do on a rainy holiday weekend? Craft projects for the nursery, of course. The dining room of our one bedroom apartment now comes close to resembling a nursery thanks to some crafty and creative additions.

For Christmas, I finished the "hockey quilt," for Rich. It's a standard Crib size with an Ohio Star pattern. I used flannel for both the front and back, and a cotton batting. A large portion of the quilt is machine quilted (in the ditch. Hopefully the machine quilting will help it hold up better through many washes. The white squares are hand quilted in a "net" diagonal checkerboard pattern and the star centers feature a hand quilted redwings logo outline. I made the pattern for the logo by tracing the shoulder patch from the Winter Classic jersey. The border features blue and red prairie points. This quilt doesn't really go with the nursery theme, but we think Johnny will like it just the same.

Several weeks ago, I created about 4 receiving blankets out of flannel. They are simply 2 1yard cuts sewn right sides together, then turned out and finished. For two of the blankets, I cut the 45" down to 36" so the resulting blanket is square and easier to use for swaddling. Very simple, but Jo Ann's has so many cute flannel patterns and they look very nice. The double layer of flannel should prove to be pretty warm too.

I also created a dust ruffle--yet another layer in my shabby chic decorating. The fabric for the dust ruffle was easy to obtain. We had an old blue and green striped fabric shower curtain we weren't using. The fabric was cut to fit the crib length. Remnant pieces were added at the headboard and foot board to complete the look at no cost to us.



This weekend I created a "crib caddy"-- a fabric creation with pockets designed to hang from a crib and keep necessities handy. We're actually tying it on to the changing table, as that's where we need more storage anyway. Besides, it's a small space, so everything is within arms reach of everything else. I used grosgrain ribbon instead of the prescribed bias tape, which seams fairly sturdy. I followed a simplicity pattern, which made it seem more complicated than it was. Having made it once, a second one should go together easier, but it's not on my priority list.

Since the cost of a new glider was not in the budget, we've decided to recover our old glider. Structurally, there is nothing wrong with the old one, other than the fact that the cushions were old, a little worn and not very comfortable. I wrapped the old cushions in 2 layers of high loft batting and a layer of fleece. For this project, I used a full size pre-packaged batting, which was enough for the cushions, and ottoman, with enough left over for the memory boards. I very quickly tacked the batting/fleece in place with some loose hand stitching. Tacking things down was a good idea; I could tell it would have been a nightmare trying to stuff the cushions into the covers otherwise. I chose to cover the cushions in a blue and white gingham.With the cushions on the fabric, I cut out two pieces with roughly 1 inch extra all the way around. I stitched together three sides, leaving the "bottom" open to insert the cushion. Once the cushion was inside, I hand stitched the opening with some ribbon tabs to tie the cushions to the chair.


So we have this "pond" theme for our nursery, and above Johnny's crib is his own lily pond. We made lily pads from green fabric. I used coloring book images to create a rough pattern and enlarged the pattern to various sizes. Two pieces of fabric were stitched together, turned right side out and filled with a little bit of scrap fabric or fiber fill. To create "veins" I used a variety of machine stitching patterns. Some of the lily pads were sewn to the blue tulle "pond" canopy. The canopy is attached to the ceiling in a random draping fashion using thumbtacks. Rich did most of the ceiling work as I directed from the ground. Next, we added extra lily pads suspended from fishing line, as well as tissue paper "lilies." Sparkling blue butterflies from Hobby Lobby's summer decor finish off the ceiling masterpiece. We were careful to keep the canopy far enough from the ceiling fan, but close enough that when the fan is on, the hanging pieces have some movement.

On the wall behind the crib we painted pre-cut wooden letters. You can find these letters at just about any craft store--ours happen to come from Walmart, where they were marked down. Rich gave the letters two base coats of white. I added green and blue accents and voila, for much less than $16 a letter we have a cute wall decoration.
Under his name, we added a frog. It's actually a kid's summer placemat from Jo Ann's for $1. We may add accent fish to the sides yet.


On the to do list yet... Finish the memo boards, create a window treatment and more wall art. I might make a "pond" mirror--but that's not a priority.

Holly Jolly Crafty Goodness

Since our tree is in Toledo, but our ornaments are in Savannah, I've been attempting to fill a very large tree rather creatively. These are my latest crafty efforts--premade plaster ornaments from JoAnns that I painted

Crafty Goodness

I've been pretty swamped with course work, regular work, job hunting.... I haven't had much time to quilt, but I have had a little weekend time to get some sewing in. Lately I've been making stuffed toys. My first effort was the bunny. I used a simplicity pattern that was easy to follow and some yellow and white striped flannel. The button eyes came from a shirt we were getting rid off. The nose is embroidered, though you can tell that I've never embroidered. The accent ribbons were leftover from the flower girl baskets. I think the next time I make one, I want to use chenille.



I also made this geometric toy. Essentially it's three oval cuts of fabric stitched to form a single piece. Each is turned out, stuffed, and hand stitched close. Four units are stitch together to make a ring. Three rings combine to make the toy. I was glad to have had heavy duty thread on hand--I had used it to repair Rich's hockey gloves earlier in the summer. The stronger thread was harder to work with, but should hold the toy together well.

Hockey in Savannah

Do you have any idea how hard it is to learn hockey while living in Savannah? I took up hockey a few months ago--just as something to do. Something I knew I could get Rich outdoors for. (It's hard to find motivation to leave the air conditioning during a 110% humidity Savannah Summer.) It started innocently enough--we just passed a hockey ball back and forth and tried to avoid Roz. I used Rich's regular stick, while he used the sacred stick he used to score his goal while playing on real ice. When we realized that, unlike Rich, I am not a right handed hockey player who can use a left-handed stick, we decided it was time to upgrade.

Finding a hockey stick in Savannah is a trick. About the only place with any is Play it Again Sports. There located in the back corner. There isn't much selection, so you've got to be lucky to find what you need. Rich must be lucky, because he found a basic street hockey stick (no frills plastic blade and all) for a right-handed player about my height. Truth be told--he didn't know my exact height and just bought the shortest stick they had. It fits perfectly.

We'd practice shots after work and I started getting respectable. However, just because I could clear the tennis court net did not mean I could aim. Rich decided we needed a net. Do you know how hard it is to find a hockey net in Savannah? Sure you can get a regulation size (4 x 6 foot) net meant for soccer, but they are flimsy and the holes in the net are too large for a hockey ball.
Rich decided to construct the frame from PVC pipe bought at the Home Depot.

Finding the net itself was another challenge. Apparently netting is harder to come by than you'd think, especially in Savannah. We searched high and low for an adequate material and finally settled on mesh laundry bags--you know, the sort that are on sale everywhere in August for the college bound.

The top tier of the net is one bag cut open on both the left and right side. The bottom tier consists of three bags, each split open on one side and the bottom. They are sewed side by side, with the aid of some extra-wide bias tape that was on clearance. The two layers were then stitched together, again using extra wide bias tape. My basic Singer sewing machine was not pleased with this project; it took an hour before I started my next project to return settings to normal cotton sewing mode.As you've guessed it, the net is attached to the frame with my own version of duct tape--cable ties.

The down side of our masterpiece? We can no longer play hockey on the tennis court. The management of our apartment has decried the court strictly for tennis. All other forms of recreation are strictly prohibited. Not that many people in the appartment complex actually play tennis. Guess they have to keep one thing about the place look nice and not outdated.