Valentine Velocity: A Tutorial in Photo

A salad spinner + a construction paper heart +kid chosen paint globs on top + SPIN and count to 10 + drying + washing = Velocity Valentines!

With love,

Ash

Our Winter Easel

Dear friends,

Yesterday we had a few friends over to play and I noticed something the favorite toys, were of course the kitchen and the easel–the kids just kept coming back and back for more.  So, this morning when McGilly started painting as soon as breakfast was over I thought I should share this popular activity at our house.  It all began as the weather got too cold to paint outside, McGilly’s paintbrushes were still in the easel tray but she just pushed around the chalk powder with them.  Then silly me I realized–I could give her water to paint with.  This is her usual routine-she draws on the board as in the picture above, then the next time she visits…

she adds some water painting and once the water is on there…

 

she has learned that if she dips her chalk in the water bowl the chalk works better, so she then draws on the water.  This can almost turn into a chalk finger paint and sometimes that board is covered from top to bottom with it.  Periodically I will wipe it off with a baby wipe and she starts again.  She loves it, her friends love it and it’s easy to clean up–I even like playing with it sometimes, it’s quite relaxing.  It gets used so much we are almost through our second box of chalk in 3 months.

Here are our supplies:

1 IKEA easel

1 box of colored chalk

1 holder of different sized paintbrushes

1 bowl of water

 

So easy and so much fun!

xo Ash

 

Okay I am still me.

Hello there.

I am back and I am still me.

The last two posts were from a new blog project called Fit 3 Ways.  Two of my friends and I are beginning a journey to fitness in three different ways, hence the name.

I am looking forward to sharing some of the last 2 months with you and so much more…I am so glad to be back and so glad you are still here:)

Ash

Boolicious!

Dear friend,

I told myself no posting this week-it is a little hectic around here.  Between halloween parties and costumes, lessons at church, new calling, new way of eating, and fun with the fam I didn’t want to feel obligated to the blog but I can’t resist.  Just quick…I wanted to post pics of my first ever non-flat cake.  This took me way longer than it should have,  I had made a disaster in my kitchen when I was done, and it looks nothing like the craziness I had planned but I still think it is cute.  I am quite proud of it.  It went to the Scouting Cake Auction in my ward, I think it fetched 50.00, so task accomplished.  McGilly loved the frosting and I think is now creme filled but we had fun.  At the cake auction my favorite was an icake.  A cake that looked exactly like an edible iPad, genius!

Oh yes, and my favorite part.  McGilly was standing on a stool coloring on her notepad and all the sudden she said, “Ash, your turn.”  Then when I turned not believing my ears she had her arm outstretched handing me her crayon.  What?  So, still in disbelief I took the crayon drew a heart and handed it back to her.  What do you think I heard about 60 seconds later.  This time I hesitated to see if she would keep saying it to get my attention, and yes she did.  “Ash, Ash, it’s your turn…..Ash, Ash.”  I don’t know what to think, but I do know that is what her daddy calls me so…what a little stinker!  The cutest thing is that the /sh/ is emphasized and so darn adorable.

I am such a lucky mom!

If I don’t post again before Halloween-have a safe and happy holiday!

xo Asssshhhh

First Haircut @ 18 months

before

after

Dear friend,

Last week on McGilly’s 18 month milestone she received her first haircut.  What did she think of it-you ask?  She absolutely and unequivocally hated it!   Why I wonder do they throw such a fit?  At one point I had to hold her just like I do at the doctor during temperature taking, it was crazy.  All in all she survived it and even made amends with the lovely hair stylist when she let McGilly play with her bright orange phone.  McGilly called her husband and her friend Hilary before it was over but just like a proverbial peace pipe they parted friends.  I was thinking an a-line bob, McGilly was thinking a fly by trim with tears-guess who won?

How did your little ones first haircut go?

xo Ash

Crafty Shmafty Playgroup DIY

Dear friend,

On Monday was the first meeting of the Crafty Shmafty Playgroup.  Organized by the lovely Andrea, we invited all of the ladies in our area who had children in Nursery to join us for a Craft/ Playgroup.  We will meet regularly to let our little ones play and to create Busy Bags for the kiddies.  I found these Busy Bags through my cousin Tiff’s Pinterest Board and we knew they were perfect.

So for this post I am going to share with you all you need to throw your own Crafty Shmafty playgroup.  Or you can participate in our long distance and just use the tutorials to make your own Busy Bags.  First I am going to show you the Busy Bags we created and then some I put together with gathered items from around the house.  Last I will share with you the invite and supply list for your first crafty shmafty playgroup and some resources for finding more busy bag ideas.

These are McGilly’s Busy Bags all piled into our take a long bag, so colorful!

This is Busy Bag 1 from our first Playgroup called Warm Fuzzy play & sort.

The Warm Fuzzy game came with sorting cards.  It is really quite easy to put togther-

Supplies: 

1 canister with a plastic lid {I used a baking soda container}

Pom Poms

Contact paper

These downloads {Pattern paper}  {Sorting Cards A}   {Sorting Cards B}  {Tags}

How to:

1. Cut the piece of patterned paper lengthwise to the size of your canister so that it can wrap around it.
2. Cut out a label.
3. Cut our a piece of contact paper that is just longer lengthwise and the same hiegth as your pattern paper.
4. lay your contact paper down sticky side up and position the label face down in the center, next carefully lay the pattern paper over the label.
5. You should have a piece of contact paper hanging over the edge so, wrap the label around the canister and secure with the extra contact paper.
6. Cut shapes in the lid, cut and laminate your cards, add pom poms and you have a fun game that can increase in difficulty as your child is ready.

This is the best part, for a young child just learning how to use their fine motor skills it is great and then as they begin recognizing color add in two sorting cards and just use the two colors of pom poms, next as they are ready add another sorting card and so on and so on until they can sort with all eight.  Also, the cards are great for color flashcards, color word spelling, or for playing Slap Yellow or Slap Red with two sets of cards {just like slap jack but choose a color wild card-for bonus learning make sure kiddos say the color as they lay it down}, really the possibilities are endless.

 This is the Busy Bag 2: Snapshot Puzzles-   Check out this tutorial, the only difference for us was that we used modge podge for the glue.  And Kathryn found out that if you pull the sticks up after they dry and bend the creased, the exacto knife cuts alot better.

Next I have some busy bags made of fun stuff from around the house, no craftiness, just throw it in and go.  Sidenote: I was shooting these with McGilly’s help and it took a lot longer than it should of because as soon as I pulled the trinkets out of one of the bags she wanted to be right in the middle of it.  I can tell already we are going to get a lot of miles out of these.

 This bag has McGilly’s crayon pouch, notebook, and a handful of stickers.  I want to get some stencil to add to it too and perhaps some colored pencils.

 For this one I put in some pipe cleaners and a soap holder full of beads.  This bag is open ended-the kiddies could shape things out of the pipe cleaners, string beads, or like McGilly today just play with the bead box-she rolled the beads down the driveway and then went and picked them up.

 This is a simple one that I have just added small books to.  Most of the books are little dime readers and those books that came on the Cherrios boxes for a while.

  This one is full of pint-size puppets about half are missing because what you can’t see is McGilly off to the left with a parrot and a monkey on her fingers and a handful in her lap.  These little guys are from Ikea and the feelings faces are just laminated circles with velcro on them and a simple puppet made from felt.

 This is a mini magna doodle and some magnetic numbers.  The magnet numbers leave their shape when pressed on the magnadoodle.

 This bag is full of containers to open and little trinkets to play with-the paperclips can be sorted or just to improve fine motor skills.  McGilly loves this one too especially putting the paperclips in the little hole in the clear container.  The clear container was $1 at Wal-mart and the soap holder was less than that.

 This bag has texture forms you can buy at a teacher supply, rubbing crayons, and post its.  The post its are nice because it is still hard for McGilly to hold the paper and rub at the same time.  If you don’t want to buy forms {I had these from teaching Kindergarten} use a piece of sandpaper cut into small shapes glued to another piece of sandpaper or use Elmer’s glue and make designs on a cardboard square-let dry-and voila you have texture forms.

And of course tucked in my bag is a good old bottle of bubbles.  I love them, McGilly loves them, it’s a win win.

Resources: {Google result for Busy Bags}  {Rigneys} Note: Rigney blog explains a busy bag swap which would be a speedy version of our playgroup.

Last, I wanted to share the invite- if you are so inspire- you can start a crafty shmafty playgroup.  If you want to do the same two we did {the warm fuzzy canister and the snapshot puzzles}  here is the supply list too.  Just click on the supply list and print the JPEG.

Invite {download here}

Sweet little invite.

Fall Checklist

Dear friends,

Here is our fall to do list.  What do you like to do in the fall?

xo Ash

Rock and Roll Rattle Band-A Noisy Tutorial

Dear friend,

This is such a fun toy and bonus it is good for the environment!  So go green and make some awesome noise while you are at it.  I made this set in college and it has lasted through 4 years and 200 kids-so most likely your grandkids will enjoy it….it’s called the Rock and Roll Rattle Band.   Picture 30 kindergarteners all in a line strutting their stuff around the playground making the most awfully wonderful music with this fabulousness.

Supplies:

12 pack of mini water bottles-drank and rinsed

12-8 inch pieces of dowel {depending on your water bottle, just big enough to fit in the opening of the bottle}

Ribbon

12 different noise making materials, I used: beads, nuts, pennies, small rocks, washers, b b’s, smaller beads, or anything you have laying around the house.  I steered away from food items.

Hot glue gun

Container to store rattles in {I used a hat box and made it into a drum}

Glitter for the fabulous factor

 

 

Now the How-to:

1. Pour your noisy items into each water bottle with a couple of tablespoons of glitter
2. Cut your dowels and sand rough edges to 8 inches
3. Heat hot glue gun
4. Place a generous amount of glue in the opening of the water bottle and on the tip of the dowel and shove it in.   Hold in place until it is cooled
5. Add a piece of ribbon around opening and dowel and fix with hot glue
6. Continue until all rattles are glued
7. Next I took the top of the Paper Mache hat box and placed it on the bottom but first I trapped a bunch of left over noisy stuff between the lid and the bottom of the box.  Then hot glue the edges so the lid is permanently attached to the bottom of the hat box.  Add a set of drumsticks and a ribbon to hang it around your neck and your drum is set
8. For extra pizazz add a super special collage or decor to your drum
9. And last but not least make some noise and have a parade!

Have a happy Friday!

AshLee

 

Baby Shower Gifts

Dear friend,

I am feeling a little under the weather this week.  I had intended to share Itzy Bitzy fun but yesterday McGilly and I had a movie day because I was feeling yucky.  SO, I decided to share a couple of posters I created for my cousin and a shower she was attending.  The new babies room is lavendar, will be so cute framed on the wall, don’t you think?

{Download here}

I have joined ishareprintables.com to add my printables too.  Go try it out.

With love, Ash

Itzy Bitzy Spider

Dear friend,

I would like to introduce you to our new renter.  He resides in the corner of our front porch and as per our our renters agreement rids our garden of unwanted pests.  Your skin may crawl when you first set eyes on him but he gave McGilly and I a morning of fun.  McGilly’s favorite song right now is Itzy Bitzy and on Sesame there is a whole section in episode 84 about searching for the Itzy Bitzy that she loves.  So when I showed her our new resident she loved it and we sang that little ditty about 10 times.  I also was inspired to do a little research on the song and come up with some fun things for us to do that I will be sharing next week.  Unlikely inspiration and a defender of our garden…for now {I checked and he’s not poisonous}  Itzy has a home.

 

Have a wonderful Friday and a lovely, lovely weekend.

Thanks for stopping by,

Ash