The Elf on the Shelf Makes His First Move

Well, I did it.

I finally bought an Elf on the Shelf. My oldest is four-years-old, so I knew she was old enough to appreciate him. Yep, folks. I finally joined the rest of the Elf-loving world.

We named him Cheer E. Lee (pronounced Cheerily), and my daughter hasn't stopped talking to him about her Christmas list, having pretend tea parties with him, and showing him her favorite dance moves. My little guy, just two-years-old, could really care less. But the incentive to act nice seems to have kept them both in check. Of course, this is only Day Two, so we'll see how long it lasts.

Cheer E. Lee came back from the North Pole this morning, only to have photo bombed our living room mirror. If you stand in front of his portrait work, you will be instantly transformed into an elf. Watching my daughter laugh so much at his handiwork, and wave her finger at him as she told him he was sneaky, was the best part of waking up.

"Now you can be an elf like me!"

Recreating this set up in your house is easy. Just attach a marker in your elf's hands with a rubber band and tape him to the top of a mirror. Then draw an elf face with dry erase markers on the mirror. You can make it as simple or as detailed as you like. I originally started with a circle that had eyebrows and a mustache. And since I can't let anything alone, I added as I went along. Then write a little message, and watch your kids laugh when they stand in front of it.

It's as simple as that! I wonder what Cheer E. Lee will be up to tomorrow?

 

Amanda

Handmade Highlights, Month by Month

 

I haven't posted since July, but I've had many ideas swirling around in my head for this blog. You see, I don't like to blog about my daily activities, since I have just as much time in my day as you do. I do like to read other blogs, but forcing myself to sit down and write what is on my mind is what sometimes takes a little effort. So instead, I try to sit down and post about a new project or something I'm really into.

Besides the usual, albeit boring, tasks we do each week, I have had some creative fun here and there. So let me share a few things that I've been up to. I left off in JULY, where we returned from our annual family vacation. My son had just turned one. My daughter then turned 3 at the end of the month.

In AUGUST, we took an unexpected second trip to the coast for my sister-in-law's wedding. It was my first beach wedding experience and it was wonderful spending time with family members we didn't see the first visit.

In SEPTEMBER, Olivia started preschool, which she absolutely loves. Here she is on her first day of school. I made her a little dress and headband to match.

She's also holding two apple pins for her teachers. We spent a lot of time at the library this summer, where I found the sweetest little book, Heart-Felt Holidays: 40 Festive Felt Projects to Celebrate the Seasons. I attached brooch pins to the back, embroidered "From Olivia 2013" to the back, and also embroidered each teacher's name on the front. They were adorable.

A matching backpack was the last thing I made for her. You can find the backpack tutorial I followed here, though it is slightly altered in size. It had to be a little bigger, so that it would hold papers and a folder.

And, of course, it had to have something crocheted on it! You may recognize the eyes and beak from Mamachee's Killian's Owl Hat pattern. She's a sweet friend of mine, that lovely Tara Murray.

In OCTOBER, I designed the Witchy Hat Table Centerpiece crochet pattern...

and the Witchy Hat in 6 Sizes crochet pattern.

Then I made Halloween costumes for the kids. Here they are as Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. (Clicking on the photo will show a much larger, clearer view).

This photo was taken by Timeless Reflection Photography & Studio. So cute with my little man giving a GROWL!

 

In NOVEMBER I designed the Frostbite Mittens crochet pattern, which are available in all of my shops (Etsy, Craftsy & Ravelry) as a 2 for 1 combo, along with...

the new Despicable Me Minion (Inspired) Mittons crochet pattern.

 

It has been a busy and fun several months. And as the Farmer's Almanac claims, we could be looking at a nasty winter. So I look forward to designing so many more patterns to share with you, since we're certain to be snowed in for a while. In the meantime, Happy Crocheting!

There's No Place Like Home

Wow! What a vacation! 15 days, 2,750 miles, several get-together's, a 1st birthday party and a beach view was what our little family just experienced. The most important part of the trip? We celebrated this little guy's first ever birthday and it was so great.

Needless to say, I think we need a vacation from our vacation. As Dorothy says, "There's no place like home." Our little travelers did so well over 4 full days of riding in the car, during different parts of the trip. At each new location, they also took to their new sleeping places well. It's a lot to ask of a one-year-old and a nearly three-year-old, but they did it, and with little complaints.

 

I love these moments and can only hope to be blessed with a long life filled with many more. Now, I look forward to putting pen to paper and sharing all of my new ideas and patterns with you. We'll talk soon!

Sleeping with the Fairies

In just 12 days, we'll be leaving for a two week vacation. We try once a year to visit my husband's side of the family. The drive is about 12 hours to our first destination. Halfway through our trip, we go North, another 6 hours. And finally, our trip home is 16-18 hours.

Needless to say, I've been working frantically at finding things to keep my nearly 1 and nearly 3 year old kiddos entertained during the trip.

I had just enough fabric to make my daughter a Tinkerbell pillow case. She and her brother were Tinkerbell and Peter Pan, last Halloween. She just started using it and she loves it. And so when we leave, she'll have a little piece of home with her. You may recognize this fabric, if you saw my Waterproof Snack Bags tutorial.

And since I can't leave well-enough alone, I added a pretty crochet edging to it last night. I finally got a chance to try out my Sharp Crochet Hook.

This was my first attempt at a pillow case, and I was literally shocked at how easy it was. And when I held it up to the pillow case I patterned it after, it was exactly the same size in every way. Maybe I'll do a pillow case tutorial next?