Category Archives: crafts

I’m bored

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With many schools closed for a few weeks, children will get bored.  I know my grandchildren will be home for an unexpected vacation from schoolwork though some will have access to remote teaching, online classes or whatever the counties/school districts are calling it.  Not all children can think of something constructive to do with their newfound “free time.”

I’ve come up with some ideas for my grands when the “I’m bored” statements happen to escape their mouths.  None of these suggestions include looking at a screen and most of them can be done alone.

This list includes:

1. Paint nails or do nail art on your toes.  Acrylic paint will work for nail art as long as a clear coat of polish covers it.
2. Clean the top of your dresser.
3. Clean under your bed.
4. Make a bracelet.
5. Make your bed.
6. Write a note to someone you haven’t seen for a while.  Friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents.
7. Make a card…birthday, holiday, get well, thinking of you.
8. Practice a new language such as sign language or Spanish.
9. Walk 1,000 steps.
10. Do 30 jumping jacks.
11. Do 30 sit-ups.
12. Write in a dedicated notebook or journal about gratitude.
13. Relax with a cup of tea or hot chocolate.
14. Paint or draw a self-portrait.
15. Color a picture.
16. Write a book report about the last book you read.
17. Ride your bike/scooter.
18. Draw on the driveway with chalk.  Ask Mom or Dad first.
19. Pull weeds from a flower bed or garden plot.
20. Play hopscotch.
21. Jump rope 100 jumps.
22. Make a paper chain to count the days till an upcoming event: party, birthday, special trip, last day of school, vacation.
23. Clean your bathtub or bathroom sink area.
24. Learn how to sew a zipper pouch.
25. Knit a scarf, hat, mitts.
26. Work on a jigsaw puzzle.
27. Play a board game.
28. Build a Lego house or castle.
29. Learn a new origami figure or teach someone how to make one.
30. Measure something: the back porch, your bedroom, or any room or furniture in your house.

I’m sure you can think of other activities as well.  Do you have a game plan for “I’m bored?”

What-not bags

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In my never-ending quest to reduce the junk, I mean stuff in my house, I decided (at the last minute) to make 25-30 small bags to donate to my church for an upcoming fundraising tea and luncheon. These bags can be used for craft projects, cosmetics, pens, pencils, crayons, baby supplies, gift bags….

Box bags are too time-consuming so I’m sewing another bag similar to the ones shown at the bottom of this post.

Using some new as well as vintage fabrics from iPad aunt’s and my M-I-L’s fabric stash along with zippers from my stash, I hope to be finished with this project by the end of the week.

Cutting the outer fabric, lining fabric and fleece interfacing takes a lot longer than one might expect.

I also have the bags broken down by thread color so I can set up an assembly line and whip through them quicker.

So that’s what I’ve been doing lately.  Any last-minute projects taking up your time?

Happy (belated) New Year

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Did you do anything special to ring in the new year?

Mr. Aitch and I had a relaxing evening at home. We toasted in the new year then went to bed shortly after midnight.  We are such party animals.  NOT!

I did finally get a Holiday project finished right in time for the new year… 3-d Moravian stars.

I bought this kit that makes two 20-point stars several years ago and thought it would be a fun thing to do with the grands.  And then decided I would make them myself.

Good thing, too as the limited instructions were very difficult for me to understand without going online for help.

But I soldiered on and finished both stars.

I hung them in the dormer windows in the two front bedrooms Monday evening.

We live on a hill and it’s hard to get a picture of our house from the street but here is a shot of the front.  You might be able to make out the stars in the half-round windows.

I just might leave them there all year.

Christmas Wishes 2018

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It’s that time again for the box of Christmas Wishes!  I had to get these ready now so the recipients can take them home at Thanksgiving (and save me from mailing them later).

I downloaded these tree box templates from PaperBuiltShop.  They are so cute and can hold larger items.  The three tree boxes contain Christmas tree-shaped candy canes similar to these.

Instead of buying paper for the packets, I used some old music paper which I ran through the printer to add some holiday graphics. 

The packets contain a small ornament to hang on a small 2-foot tree.  One ornament per child each day beginning December 1st so by Christmas Eve the tree will be decorated.  This year it’s 69 ornaments as the candy cane tree won’t hang on the tree.  (BTW, my daughter saves most of the ornaments each year and gives them back to me every other year so I don’t have to buy all new ones each year.  And the grandchildren haven’t complained yet!)

Ready to go.

Do you have an Advent tradition?