Boys can craft, too!!!

I had a conversation with another mom the other day, about teaching our kids how to sew, embroider, and just be crafty in general. This other mom was a bit afraid that teaching these things to her young son would somehow make him less boyish. It's mostly the sewing, I think, that had her scared. She wondered what other kids would think of him if they knew he sewed, and if they would make fun of him for it. I started talking to her about a project Kade just started on, and she thought it was actually really cute!

Personally, I think that if a guy can sew, that's awesome!! Kudos to him. It definitely doesn't make a guy (or a little boy) more girly. I mean, it's the same deal with girls that can build things like bunk beds and kitchen tables. Why should one type of art be looked upon as something only guys do, or only girls do?

I'd like to let Kade express himself however he wants to, whether it be shooting hoops, scoring goals, painting, singing, anything... whatever makes him happy! Right now, he REALLY wants to take swimming lessons. He's so proud that he knows how to hold his breath under water, and wants to learn more. He's also interested in martial arts, and we might put him in some classes at some point. We read an article in Family Fun magazine about building tiny tree houses, and he is so looking forward to doing that as a project this summer.

Another thing he is excited about doing right now is sewing! And boy, there is probably not a more boyish project than this. He decided himself that he wanted to make a Batman plush. He drew the design all by himself.


I enlarged the pattern a bit. Then he cut it out and pinned it to the felt.


I was super impressed by the pinning- what perfect placement! One in each limb, and look at the eyeballs...


After cutting out the felt (I helped around the corners), we'll do another one, pin them together, and he'll hand sew around the outside with embroidery thread. Then he can stuff it and sew the opening closed. Final touches will be adding the belt, eyes, and mouth. We haven't gotten that far yet, but I'll post pictures when it's done.



I think it's adorable, and I'm happy he's learning something that I love to do. It's great for exercising his fine motor skills, and his creativity. It's going to be such a sweet keepsake to look back on some day in the future. Even if he grows out of his sewing interests, it sure is fun for now!



*Oh, as soon as I upload all the new pictures from my camera, I have to show you the amazing Star Wars cake my mom made for Jer this year!! Check back for photos... =c)

Kade and the Sock Monkey Factory

I have been super busy the past couple weeks in my one-person sock monkey factory. It is a happy, magical place, mostly, except when something (i.e. tripping over remote controlled R2D2) unexpected happens and arms, tails, ears, and bodies go flying everywhere. Luckily no important body parts (are there any unimportant ones??) were lost, and all the sock monkeys were able to be put together without any missing pieces. Here are a few of them:





Those were all custom orders! I am almost done with two more, that I haven't taken photos of yet- one for my nephew's baby shower this weekend, and one to (finally!) put in the shop. Besides that, there are quite a few more in the beginning stages, waiting to be stuffed and sewn!

Sock monkeys take a lot of work to make, at least the way I make them (I am very focused on little details, and somewhat of a perfectionist...). It's been a little non-stop over here for a while, and I began to realize that when Kade started giving me advice the other day...

Kade- "Lets buy that wooden mailbox toy with all the letters, the same one that my teacher has!"

Me- "Sorry honey, we don't have any extra money in the budget right now for toys."

Kade- "Hmm. Well, maybe you just need to make more sock monkeys then, huh!"

then yesterday:

Me- "Holy cow, that fifteen minute doctor appointment cost five hundred and seventy five dollars!!!"

Kade- "Just make some more sock monkeys, mom! Sheesh! Learn your lesson yet?"

Apparently, sock monkeys are the answer to all my problems. Who knew?! We have been talking to Kade a lot recently about how mommy and daddy have to work so that we can have a place to live, have a car, have food to eat, etc. and it suddenly clicked with Kade that you need money to buy things. Now he isn't quite as upset that daddy can't get home until close to bedtime, because he understands that daddy is working so hard every day for our benefit.

Kade is trying to think of ways to earn money himself, so he can buy that toy he wants. Yesterday when I was using hand sanitizer + magic eraser (hey, it works!) to get rid of dry erase marker stains on the whiteboard, Kade said, "hey... I bet Grandma doesn't know that trick. I bet I can sell it to her!" and then he wiggled his eyebrows and tapped his fingertips together with a very sly giggle. He wants to sell cleaning tips! So funny.

He also made me a video. It's one of his favorite things to do lately. You can tell by watching this that our house really has been a sock monkey factory, at least in his eyes. (Oh, and I don't know why the video looks so strange... I think he was using the Eiffel Tower background effect, which doesn't work too well unless you are in front of a plain wall or sheet or something.)

Anyways, here is a prime example of Kade sweetness:





Now, it's back to the factory for me! I can't wait! :)

Love for Haiti

Since the earthquake that devastated Haiti, so many people have been looking for ways to help in some way. Whether it be a donation to the Red Cross, gathering supplies and necessities to send down to Haiti, or fervent prayers, the people of the world are reaching out. I wanted to let you know of two other ways that you can make a difference:

Craft Hope for Haiti

All items have been generously donated by the crafting community. In just one week, over $20,000 have been raised and over 1000 items sold!! That is astounding. Right now, you can visit Craft Hope and buy something, and all proceeds will benefit Doctors Without Borders in Haiti. If you are a crafter, you can also donate an item to Craft Hope. They are taking a short break from accepting donations, due to the overwhelming amount of items they have sold, but check back in a couple weeks and they may be taking donations again. But, there are still many items left to purchase! You can also visit the Craft Hope Blog.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Haiti By Hand

Haiti By Hand is a shop showcasing handcrafted pieces created by a group of artisans in Despinos and Croix de Bouquet, Haiti. HOWEVER, in light of the earthquakes on January 12, 2010, this site will host a wide community of artisans who have donated their work to be sold with all sales going directly to Haiti By Hand. If you are an artist or crafter and would like to donate items to be featured, they have an email address listed.

Also, if you visit this post on the blog for Haiti By Hand, you can learn how you can make Bella and Beau bunnies for the children of Haiti! This is copied from that post:

"When I was visiting the hospitals and orphanages in Port-au-Prince I ached to have something soft and sweet and cuddly to give the children and babies. Something just kept tapping at my heart that these little ones needed something to hug and love.

So I am putting a call out to all my fellow seamstresses. Let's start our machines humming and make some cuddly bunnies for the children of Haiti. The patterns will be available for purchase in the Haiti by Hand etsy shop by Friday. If you do make these bunnies please email us for our shipping address. I will personally make sure they are delivered directly into the hands of these precious children. (Please note that the bunnies are baby-safe, so no buttons or other items that could harm a little one. And the softer the fabrics the better. Oh! and make sure you make boy bunnies too.)"

I will definitely be making some bunnies to send! I'd love it if you could join in as well! Every little thing we can do to help in some way will make a difference. =c)