Toy Story Birthday Card

It seems like only yesterday I was writing to announce that my daughter was expecting her miracle baby.  That precious boy just turned three.  

Yes, time flies.  I think when we are raising our own children we're so busy that we don't realize just how quickly the years are passing, until one day we look up and our babies are grown.  But with grandchildren, especially those who live too far away, we are reminded with every photograph or visit that the years are indeed slipping by.  That's exactly how I felt when I realized my first grandson was turning three.

Three.  That's a big number.  Especially when you realize he's speaking in real sentences.  Wears big-boy pants.  And doesn't just walk, but runs all over the place.  He's still adorable.  But by no means is he a baby any more.

I love when a child has favorite toys and characters, especially when I have a Cricut cartridge to match.  My grandson just recently developed a love for the "Toy Story" movies, so his birthday card was easy to plan.  I used the Cricut cartridge "Toy Story" for the Woody character, and with my Cricut Explore I utilized the print-then-cut feature (which is so much easier than cutting all those teeny-tiny pieces, then trying to layer them).  I also printed and cut a balloon image, then layered the number "3" on top.  I cut some twine for the balloon strings and let Woody hold them.  

The first thing my grandson said upon opening the card was, "Where's Buzz Lightyear?"  Kids don't miss anything.

Of course this granny was right on top of that.  Just wait until he sees his valentine.

Fun With Elmo Toddler Book

I don't see my youngest grandchildren nearly often enough.  Before my most recent visit, I decided to make a small bribe gift for each of them so they might remember me fondly (the other two granddaughters live with me, so they already don't like me).

My two-year-old grandson loves Elmo, and since I have the Cricut cartridges "Sesame Street Friends" and "Sesame Street Seasons" I thought a small book would be fun to make for him.  I decided to include very simple words to help him learn to read (and also to keep the project easy for me; yeah, I'm a tired grandmother--see note above mentioning the two who live with me).

I kept the backgrounds simple since I wanted to laminate the pages, and as you can see from the photos, multiple layers don't laminate well.  (Also, I'm a little lazy.) After laminating the pages and trimming the excess, I put it together using my Bind-it-All.  My favorite page is "Run, Elmo, run!" because I thought I was actually clever for once.  (If you aren't impressed, neither was anybody else.)

Overall, it was a fun, easy project.  And I got to make something for one of my favorite people!

Teepee

***This post was written a long, long time ago and I never got around to publishing it.  But the facts remain the same.  And as far as I know, the teepee is still standing.***


Honestly, I can't remember the conversation I had with my daughter because it was months ago, but at some point she had mentioned that her son would love to have a teepee for his second birthday (or maybe she just said she would love for him to have one).  "I can make that!", I foolishly said.

The pressure was on.  When I realized I wouldn't be able to make the 400-mile trip for his party, I knew I had a little extra time (until my next visit) since there was no way I was paying to ship 6-foot poles and a big, heavy tarp.  If I was willing to pay for that, I might as well pay the $150+ going rate for a ready-made teepee.

And oh, how I now wish I had.

I had several months to figure out my plan of action.  I researched DIY tutorials (and by "researched" I mean occasionally I'd start an internet search, glance at a few, and get back to Facebook).

There are a myriad of methods for creating a teepee, and decision-making isn't my thing.  I simply couldn't choose one.  So to begin I just set about looking for 6-foot poles.

I couldn't find any.  At least not any that would keep my project from venturing into the $150 budget range.  Again, I might as well buy a teepee.  I settled on 4-foot bamboo poles thinking I could make that work.

I'm not a magician.  I couldn't.

My husband insisted we already had a brand-spanking-new giant canvas drop cloth, which is the fabric of choice for the budget-minded DIYer.  And budget-minded I am.  Eventually I asked him to prove it, and he dragged a canvas cloth out of the basement.  I washed and dried it and left it sitting around a while.  You know...for inspiration.

I researched some more on how to make a teepee.  I learned a lot about what my family and friends were doing on Facebook.

And finally, it was less than a week until I would be making the trip to visit my grandson, two months after his birthday.  I needed to find poles.  I needed a plan.  I needed a big glass of wine.

I pulled out my giant Mason Jar tumbler and filled it with a couple of bottles.

I knew I would never even get started until I sent my perfectionism on a much-needed vacation.  Once that was out of the way, I started to give this project a serious look...after I caught up with what everyone was doing, or said they were doing, according to Facebook.

Now, all the DIYers I found on the internet who made teepees seem to have magical places where they do their shopping.  They were all talking about the 8-foot poles they got for 37 cents each, and the cheapest wood I could find were some 8-foot pieces of lumber that were so warped I couldn't think of a use for them other than firewood, and they were nearly $1.50 each..  I ended up finding slightly better quality 6-foot 1x2s for around $2.50, but I could tell splinters were going to be a big problem.

My teepee style was pretty much dictated by the fact that my wood poles weren't smooth.  To protect my precious grandchildren, I would need to make triangular panels with channels to slip the poles into.  I also figured this would make the teepee a little more sturdy.

And I finally took a good look at my canvas drop cloth.  Not only wasn't it big enough, but it had been used.  But I was desperate enough not to care one bit about a few paint spatters.   I laid out the canvas to be sure it was large enough, which it was, but there was a seam down the middle and I needed the extra inch or so of fabric contained within that seam.  With no other choice, I started ripping out the seam.  It wasn't any old seam--it was a french seam with two rows of stitching down a 150" length of heavy, plastic-backed canvas.  But I kept at it until my fingers bled.  Suddenly, a few subtle paint splotches seemed like nothing compared to bright red blood stains.

I measured not once, not twice, but many, MANY times before I made the first cut.  Still, somewhere along the way my math was wrong.  My channels weren't quite wide enough.  Back to the drawing board sewing machine.  I knew this would affect my overall dimensions, but I soldiered on.

Finally, with my perfectionism still on a break, I got the canvas cover finished and ready to install.

It didn't quite fit.

I figured out a way to tweak it a little and maybe make it work and before I had time to agonize too much, I ran with it.  And once I got the cover in place, I couldn't get the poles to criss-cross in any way that would work.  Just before throwing the entire thing in the fireplace, I enlisted my husband to help.  He was able to get everything lined up just the way it needed to be.  By then my perfectionism was banging at the door, so I spent a few more hours trying to get everything perfect.  That never happened, but I did have a functional teepee.

Then my teenage granddaughter came into the room and asked if that wouldn't be a dangerous thing for a two-year-old to play with.  She had the nerve to suggest it might fall on him or his baby sister, and began to kick the poles to see if she could make it fall.  This is why I don't keep weapons in the house.

The whole process was a nightmare.

I briefly toyed with the idea of writing an actual tutorial, and took pictures along the way.  After making multiple changes over the course of a few days, it became evident that I neither had the talent to tell anyone else how to do something nor a finished product that anyone would want to re-create.

If you're still with me, here's a picture of the finished teepee:

As usual, the best I can offer in the form of advice is what not to do.

Don't use 1x2s for the poles.  Use something round, like a dowel or bamboo.  And if you must use some other type of lumber, go for a small, square shape.  Just be sure it is sturdy enough to support the cover material you choose.

If you are using a pieced cover rather than a circular one-piece, don't try to get the top edge of your cover all the way up to where the poles cross each other (if you don't know what I'm talking about, get off Facebook and do your research!)

Don't wait to get started until a few days before you need the finished product.  It will always take more time and money than you ever imagined.

And finally, find a well-written tutorial from someone who knows what they're talking about, not a blog post written by someone who clearly has no idea how to build a teepee because she wasted far too much time on social media and drinks too much.

Looking at the picture of my teepee, it looks like I did a pretty decent job.  But really, it's just a whole lot of smoke-and-mirrors.

Maybe I'm a magician after all.

Logan's First Birthday



My favorite grandson celebrated his first birthday last month.  I was thrilled when my daughter asked me to make the banner for his airplane-themed party.  She knew exactly what style banner she wanted, which definitely made it easier for me.  I'm more of a worker bee than a creative type. 

My daughter preferred that I not make an age-specific banner so that she could use it again another year.  Since I knew I needed a space between "happy" and "birthday" I designed a couple of different options, one being the star that says "1st" (what can I say?  I'm a rebel).   Because the pieces of the banner are joined with individual lengths of ribbon, it will be easy to remove the star and replace it with another piece if she decides to use it again.  

 

The airplanes are from the Cricut Lite cartridge B is for Boy.  Using the Cricut Craft Room design program, I took the letters from the cartridge Martha Stewart Elegant Cake Art  and stretched them to the proportions I needed to fill the rectangular flags I had cut with my paper trimmer.  The stars I used are free shapes from Cricut Craft Room Basics.

                                            

 

The night before the party we stayed up late cutting mats for about ten thousand photos showcasing Logan's first year.  Yes, I exaggerate, but not by much ;-)  My granddaughters and I worked hard assembling all the pictures.  My daughter spent most of the day and night cooking the most amazing food, which looked as beautiful as it tasted.  And finally, sometime well after midnight, we finished our tasks and went to bed.
 

The day of the party we woke up to snow.

My two granddaughters were excited to see the white stuff.  They were the only ones.  I was heartsick for my daughter.  I knew she had been looking forward to this day for so long, and she had worked so hard to get everything ready. We weren't sure what would happen.  How much more snow would accumulate?  Would anyone come?  As for me, I was disappointed that my sisters, who live a few hours away, might not be able to make the trip.

 

We set about decorating the neighborhood clubhouse anyway, uncertain what the day would bring and not willing to be unprepared should the weather improve before afternoon. 

 

Then the sun came out.  The snow melted.  The guests started to arrive.  And my sisters were able to get across the mountains safely and spend a couple of hours with us.  It was a wonderful day.

Don't be fooled; there were tons more photos of Logan on the walls. 

The excited guest of honor.

He thoughtfully opened each and every gift. 
At least that's how it appeared to this adoring grandmother.

Grandson's 1st birthday card

 

My grandson recently celebrated his first birthday.  Since his daddy calls him "little monkey", he's inundated with monkey-themed papercrafts from me.   (Yes, I'm creatively challenged.  Give me a theme and I'll work it to death.)





I started with the monkey from the Cricut cartridge Birthday Bash (page 36 in my handbook).  Since he looks like he's either swinging at a pinata or about to get some street justice with his baseball bat, I decided alterations were in order. 

The monkey base before alteration



After removal of his weapon



I carefully cut the bat away and replaced it with heart-shaped balloons from the same cartridge (Kangaroo, layer 2, page 49 in my handbook).  I ditched the blindfold/facemask, too.  No longer wielding his weapon, it seemed out of place.  (BTW--Who decided it was a good idea to put a group of eager children in a circle around another blindfolded child who's swinging a big stick at a box of candy???)

 

Sorry for the hazy photo

The sentiment "Happy Birthday little Guy" and the number "1" are also from Birthday Bash (page 61, Squirrel key).




This is definitely one of my favorite cartridges.  Thanks for looking!



Grandson's First Halloween Card

I'm pretty much a one-trick pony.  At bedtime my children (and grandchildren) heard countless renditions of "Jesus Loves Me" sung off-key.  Playtime usually consisted of endless rounds of "Peek-a-Boo".  It must have been a big bore for them all.

For a couple of weeks in October my newest grandson was subjected to more of the same.  The singing didn't go over very well.  Peek-a-Boo?  Now that was a hit.

I wanted to make his first Halloween card as soon as I returned home.  I always struggle to come up with crafty designs.  But this one designed itself (or at least that's where I'm laying the blame):

 

The pumpkin is from the Cricut cartridge Create a Critter.  The rectangular frame was designed using Cricut Craft Room Basics.

 

The ghost is from the Cricut cartridge 3 Birds on Parade.  "Peek-a" was cut from the Cricut Lite cartridge B is for Boy, and the three dots following were cut using the Martha Stewart Screw Punch.

 

I also used an EK Success punch for the spider and web.  The ghost border inside was cut using a Martha Stewart border punch.

 

Yes, the card requires an explanation and a well-placed hint on the pumpkin "door", but I was pretty pleased with myself.  Not so much for the card itself, but because I mailed it before Halloween.





Two Weeks of Fun

I'm away from home for a couple of weeks.  I miss my husband and the girls terribly.  I can't spend time in my craft room with all my cool toys.  But here's what I get to play with while I'm here:

 

Yes, life is good.

A Special Giraffe Card for Teresa

One of the reasons my daughter went into nursing was because she was heartbroken that her Aunt Teresa suffered unnecessary post-surgical complications that left her in a vegetative state.   By being the best nurse she could be, she hoped someday she might prevent another family from suffering a similar tragedy.  When my daughter found a cute giraffe outfit for her own baby boy, she wanted Teresa (who collected giraffe figurines for many years) to see her son wearing it.  Unable to travel to visit Teresa at the time, she took a photo and asked me to make a card incorporating the picture.

The giraffe cut is from the Cricut cartridge Sugar and Spice. The papers are from somewhere within my massive stash.  The envelope was made using the Martha Stewart Scoring Board.  But none of that matters.  The picture is the real treasure.

Always happy to show off my favorite grandson

Stamped sentiment

Sugar and Spice giraffe



Thanks for looking!

Another Shameless Post

I made this card a few months ago to congratulate my daughter and son-in-law on the birth of their son (who is now almost five months old--yes, I'm behind).  I really just wanted to show off the adorable photo of my newborn grandson, which I printed on vellum and added to the inside.

Average Card

Adorable Baby

Monkey Card for My New Grandson

I'm posting this in an attempt to get a jump on next Valentine's Day.  Okay, okay...I'm late posting for 2012.

Wanting to stake my claim as the favorite grandmother, or at least to make him think I have some redeeming value (unlike the opinion of the two granddaughters who live with me), I made this Valentine card for my brand new grandson. 

Once I learned my daughter would be having a boy, it seemed like the perfect excuse to buy the Cricut Lite cartridge B is for Boy.  The sock monkey alone is worth the price!  I also used it as an excuse to buy the Sugar and Spice cartridge and a few other unrelated items.  Don't judge me...

I used the Cuttlebug embossing folder Heart Blocks for the white background.  I cut the Love image from B is for Boy, then added glitter to the letters.  I added flocking to the monkey's body and hat.  Then I decided he needed googly eyes.  (Twelve-day-old babies really notice the details.)

I'm not sure my grandson even knows I'm alive, but my daughter said she and her husband really enjoyed the card.

February Memories

For the past five years, February has been a month filled with sadness for me.  On February 1st, 2007, my mother suffered a brain hemorrhage which took her life two weeks later.  Those were two of the longest, most difficult weeks of my life spent waiting and praying, and ultimately accepting that my world would never be the same.

February 1st, 2012, was another day filled with anxiety and waiting.  But this time I had reason to expect a happy outcome.  My daughter was admitted to the hospital to give birth to her first child, my first grandson.

February 2nd was delivery day.  Or so we hoped.  Because the baby was overdue by nearly two weeks, labor was to be induced at midnight.  The waiting began.

With two school-aged children and an undomesticated husband dependent upon me for their sustenance (and clean clothes),  I was forced to remain 400 miles away from the big event.  There's nothing worse than being so far away from your hospitalized child and not knowing what's going on.  Except, of course, if you are a world-class worrier and you happen to see all the complications unfold right before your eyes.  Luckily, I wasn't there to witness all the medical drama.  I simply sat by the phone waiting and worrying, and with each passing moment I played out terrible scenarios in my mind.   And since my husband seemed to be holding it together quite well, I decided to share these with him.  No reason to suffer alone.

Finally, just about the time my husband seemed poised to go to bed and leave me alone to face my fears, the phone call came. Baby Logan had arrived weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and measuring 20 inches long.  He wasn't the record-setting large baby we were expecting based on the size of my poor daughter's belly and the length of time she spent growing him there.  But he still couldn't make it out the non-surgical way we had hoped.  My daughter gave it her all, but after 20 hours of labor and 2 1/2 hours of pushing with all her might, it was obvious the little guy was demanding a more dramatic entrance.

My daughter had been determined to have a natural birth, but even with all her planning and preparation, that wasn't to be.  Such is life. But mother and baby are doing well, and today they're heading home with the proud father, ready to start this new, exciting chapter in their lives.

February will always hold sad memories for me, but as I look at the sweet face of my new grandson, and hear the pride and love in the voices of his parents, I know it will now be the month that gives me renewed hope and happiness.  I feel certain my mother is watching from Heaven and enjoying the beauty of it all.

My newest obsession.

Isn't he precious?

Past Due

I've lost all credibility with my youngest daughter.  I promised her she would deliver her baby before the due date.  "There's no way you'll make it until January 27th", I predicted.  She's just a tiny little thing.  I was certain her growing baby would get tired of the cramped quarters and work his way out a little bit early.

January 27th has come and gone.  My daughter had so wanted to work up until the day she gave birth, but last week that proved impossible.  Being a nurse who's on her feet through twelve-hour shifts, and with an entire human being resting on her pelvis, she simply couldn't continue to carry both of them around the hospital all day.  So now she's at home and bored out of her mind (she just washed all the baby's clothes for at least the second time, and he's never worn any of them). 

I'm longing to meet my grandson, and I know my daughter and her husband are anxious to hold him in their arms.  I want my daughter to move around comfortably again, and to be spending this time at home getting to know her new son, not doing laundry and watching bad tv just to pass the time.  But more than anything I want to know the delivery went smoothly, everybody's happy and healthy, and that my daughter once again believes everything I say.

My Favorite Vacation Photos

I had a wonderful time at Disneyworld with my husband and two granddaughters recently, and I have tons of pictures to prove it.  But a couple of my favorite photos came from a detour we took on our way home.

We decided to "stop in" and visit with our youngest daughter and her husband.  It actually added about nine hours to our drive, but it was worth the effort.  Thanks to modern technology, I got my first glimpse of my first grandson:

I can't wait to meet the little guy.  Maybe you can't see it, but I can tell he's adorable!