Showing posts with label boys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boys. Show all posts

Monday, May 29, 2017

Stair Step Quilt - Cuddle Quilt-in-a-Day - Men's Quilt - Teen Quilt

It's about time I shared a men's quilt.  This is the perfect fast quilt to whip up in time for a Father's Day quilt or as a graduation quilt for the favorite teen boy in your life.  Big thanks to Fairfield World for providing me with product and compensating me for this post as well as to Shannon Fabrics for providing me with the fabric.  This pattern was designed using EQ7.  All opinions, ideas, an enthusiasm are 100% my own.  This post may contain affiliate links to help support my blog and bring you more fun projects.

Of course this pattern can work just as well for girls and women if you choose fabrics to their interest and taste.


Dad's appreciate soft snuggly blankets as much as the rest of us even if they're a bit too manly to let us know.  My husband's favorite use for blankets is to keep warm on chilly nights out star-gazing.  (He has as many telescopes as I have sewing machines...and this one is his smallest by far.)  He's even been known to fall asleep in the yard on occasion while watching the stars. (You'll have to forgive us for the daytime shot...night-time pics just can't show off the quilt well.)  Even summer nights can get chilly.


And the Vintage Automobile Cuddle from Shannon Fabrics is the perfect print to include fort he car enthusiast.

Friday, August 19, 2016

DIY Weighted Vests for Anxiety, ADHD, Autism, Sensory Issues & More


With Back-to-School, that means many of us are looking for new ways to help our kids deal with challenges brought on by anxiety, ADHD, autism, sensory issues and more.  In our family, we have one child with a severe form of social anxiety called selective mutism and another child with ADHD.  As we've been working with professionals over the last year to help each of them, I've been struck by how many strategies can help both of them.

First of all, though, a few disclaimers.  Please don't take anything I say as medical advice.  If your child is struggling with any of these issues, please make sure you're working with a professional(s) and check with them before starting new therapies.  Fairfield World providing me with Poly-Pellets and compensated me for writing this post, but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own.  This post contains affiliate links that help support my blog and keep bringing you new ideas.


My 7-year-old struggles a lot with social anxiety at school.  Last year, there were quite a few days when she insisted on wearing her winter jacket through her whole school day.  It would get hot and the sleeves were bulky and could get in the way, but it helped her feel safe.  I wanted to find a way to help her get the same feeling without all the bulk.  I've been considering trying weighted vests for my kiddos for a while, and this month when Fairfield asked us to use their weighted Poly-Pellets in a challenge project, I decided it was time to make them a reality...and they're surprisingly easy to make.


Saturday, February 7, 2015

I Love You to the Moon and Back Pillow Tutorial - Valentine's for Boys

Valentine's gifts and decorations can be tricky for boys.  Even  though I know several self-assured boys who LOVE pink and hearts, lots of boys shy away from them.

And honestly, my favorite Valentine's gifts are ones that can last all year.  (If you agree, you might want to check out some of these other off-beat Valentine's projects I've done through the years.)

It's important for our boys to feel loved too and be told we love them...And what better way than with an "I Love You to the Moon and Back" Pillow.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Hiking Cake: Tips and Tricks

It was Seth's birthday last week.  This was such a fun cake to make.  Seth loves being outdoors, and the outdoors love him.  He especially likes being out in the woods and having a path to follow where he can imagine he's the first person to explore it.

And of course when you're camping in the woods,  you have to have a campfire.  The "real" campfire on the cake was everybody's favorite feature.  And I have to say it was nice to have the candles really add to the charm of the cake, rather than being stuck in at the last minute because they don't really belong.

We decided a while ago that we will only "do birthday parties" at certain ages for the kids (kindergarten year, 8, 12, 16, etc).  The other years, I still make them a cake though.  I like to come up with some idea with them that represents something they're interested in...and is also in the do-able range.  

We went through several ideas for Seth's birthday cake, before settling on this one.  It turned out that Seth's birthmom Liz was able to come up for a visit just before Seth's birthday.  She happened to arrive the night that Eric had already scheduled with his brothers to take the cousins on an overnight hike.  (It's a year tradition that the school-aged kids go on an overnight hike sometime during the summer.)  Liz was getting in too late to go on the campout, but we didn't want her to miss out on time with Seth.  We decided that I'd drive her up first thing in the morning, so she could spend the day with Seth in the woods and hike back out with everyone.  (It's a mark of how happy Seth was to see Liz that he smiled so well for the picture.)

I thought that Eric had said it was an easy 1/2 mile hike...so I figured that since Seth LOVES the woods, and since Liz and the cousins were going to be there, then why not bring his birthday cake up....and so the hiking cake was concieved.  

It turned out that the hike was a 1 AND 1/2 miles, most of it uphill.  (There are three separate legs that are each 1/2 mile, so that must be where the communication broke down.)  Liz was a rock star, though, and carried Seth's cake all the way in.

Anyway, I didn't take step-by-step pictures for a tutorial, but I will give some tips, so you can make one yourself.  

Supplies Needed:  Frosting (I made a double batch to be safe, but single probably would be enough.), food coloring, Chocolate Rocks, Chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreas), Graham Crackers, Melting chocolate, ziploc baggies, parchment or wax paper, birthday candles

Optional Supplies: Piping bags and tips, leaf tip, bake even strips.
 

I baked the cake in an 8 by 3-inch pan {affiliate link} using bake even strips to keep the middle from doming too much.  Then I cut it in half, and added some filling.

Directions: 

Friday, May 16, 2014

Super Hero Quilt (with the Avengers and Superman)

My nephew LOVES super heros...thanks to his dad (my brother) passing on his love.  Heck...my brother named his name is Ender, so that kind of gives you an idea.  (Yeah, I know Ender is not a super hero, but he's pretty close.)  Anyway, Ender needed a quilt fit for a super hero...something with plenty of POW!

His younger sister Avalon has a unicorn theme going...you might remember the quilt we made her here.  They're a very literary family.  If you like science fiction, you should check out my brother David's blog here where he's sharing chapters for the book he's writingChapter 1 starts here.

Anyway, I digress...back to the quilt.  This has been a long time coming.  I was supposed to have it finished a month ago for the What's Your Super Hero Blog Hop over at Quilt'n Queen.  So my apologies to them for not getting this up on time.

http://quiltnqueen.blogspot.com/search/label/Superpower%20blog%20hop

As I've said before, I'm not a huge fan of licensed fabric...at least my artistic sense is not...but kids LOVE the licensed stuff.  So when Joann's had the Marvel prints on sale, my mom picked some up for me to make a quilt for my nephew.  (Of all the prints, this one was my favorite.)

I'd also seen some fun super hero prints at Quilt Sandwich Fabrics and fell in love with this Superman Print...love the black and white and texty look to it all.
http://quiltsandwichfabrics.com/collections/miscellaneous-fun/products/superman-news-in-black-and-white

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Monster Treats and Crafts - Weekly Block Party

Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's out there...and a particular Mother's Day wish to all you "other mothers" out there. We're especially thinking of my kids' birth moms today.

Tons of great DIY Monster party foods, crafts and kid activities - Rae Gun Ramblings
BlockParty
Block Party Link Party
Happy Mother's Day It’s Marissa from Rae Gun Ramblings! I'm so excited to be hosting the block party today.
Rae Gun guest posting picture
If you follow me on Instagram you know I'm still getting used to new mommy-hood. Seriously I am in awe of you guys with multiple kids, just one is hard! If you have a chance I'd love you to check out what I've been up to. Here are just a few of my favorites:
And for today's features I've compiled a great list of my favorite Monster related projects that you all have shared over past link parties. Tons of great DIY Monster party foods, crafts and kid activities - Rae Gun Ramblings Monster Rocks | Monster Pom Poms | Creature Stock Stuffies | Monster Pencil Toppers | Crochet Monster Hat | Monster Juice Boxes | Monster Cheese Balls | Monster Towels | Eye of Newt Pretzel Sticks | Purple People Eater Cake | Monster Cupcakes | Cyclopes Cupcake | Monster Toilet Roll Activity | Monster's Inc Cookies | Monster Gift Card Holder Now it’s time to link up. Let's see what you've been up to!
  1. We’d love it if you pinned one of the two images from above! :)
  2. Link to a specific post, not your home page.
  3. Don’t add links to promote giveaways, other link parties or your shops.
  4. Visit and comment on at least 2 other links in the party.
  5. Don’t link posts you’ve linked before.
  6. This party starts Sunday @ 9pm EST and ends Friday @ midnight.
  7. By entering a link, you give us permission to feature an image on our blogs. Proper credit and links will always be given.
  8. Please use our button to tell people you joined our little block party!
http://www.raegunramblings.com/

If the linky isn't showing up, use the link HERE.
 

What We Wore, Read, and Made Wednesdays


(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Connect with me on...



Pin It

Monday, September 23, 2013

Modern Rocket Boys Triangle Quilt

This quilt is currently for sale in my shop here.
This is one of my favorite quilts that I've done in a while.  I just love the Rocket Launch Club prints in Sarah Jane's Children at Play line.  They're getting hard to find, but you can still find a lot of the collection on Amazon or Etsy if you look around.

I love the little boys playing around doing brainy things.


Friday, August 9, 2013

All-Boy Art Birthday Party



  Note: If you're looking for the You Keep Me in Stitches Giveaway click here.



I can't believe my boy turned 6 this week!
Seth is in LOVE with art lately.  He and Becca go in his room and "do art" for hours at a little table we have in there.  I can't remember who suggested it, but when an art party came up as a theme for his party, he jumped at it. 

And I was super happy to have a theme with so many creative possibilities and that it was something we want to encourage him in.   We've told our kids they just get parties on certain birthdays (6, 8, 12, etc).  They get a cake and little family celebration (as in dessert right after dinner) every year, but not a lot.  So it's fun to put some extra effort into the parties we do have.

Overall the kids loved it.  And despite the title of the post, we did have girls at the party and they enjoyed the projects too, we just especially found projects that would appeal to boys.  It took a little planning ahead to make sure we had the art supplies on hand, but other than buying the supplies we really did pretty much everything for the party the day before.  (And remember I have my husband home during the summers, so I had him to help out getting ready and helping during the party.)

I'm really not a fan of party favors...at least not the kind where you buy cheap toys so the guests go home with something.  I am a big fan of party favors that serve as entertainment and/or props to the party itself, so the kids got to take home some fun art projects.  I wanted to do some kinds of art projects that used materials and techniques they might not learn at school (where they pretty much stick to paper, crayons, and occasionally tempera paint).

Here's what we did:

Monday, October 8, 2012

Monster Patch for Jeans - KCWC Day 1

I know I said the next post would be about Monster Cut-Out Cupcakes...but then I realized that it's Kids Clothes Week Challenge (KCWC) this week...so I changed my plans a bit.  I promise the Monster Cupcakes will be coming soon...but perhaps not until next week.  I'll also be honest that I did not actually make these pants this week...but I'm always a week or so behind posting projects as I wait to get pictures and things...but I have made 3 pairs of kids pant, two new shirts for Anson, and a tie for dad in the last couple days, and as soon as I get off the computer, Katie and I are going to make a shirt for her.  You'll get to see all that soon too.

I saw these Monster Patches last year on Mimi and the Boy.  Those adorable patches were made for Seth's half-brother, and I filed the idea away for Seth.  I finally got around to making Seth some of his own.

He loves them.  (And note we're making headway on our mudroom...)

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Jigsaw Puzzle Baby Quilt (Free Pattern Included)

I was looking for something fun, easy, and a little bit different for Anson's baby blanket.  I happened across this quilt, and decided to use some applique to make it easier to piece together and make it look more like a jigsaw puzzle.

I put it together in burst of creative energy I had in the last few weeks before Anson was born.

It's hard to believe that not only is he old enough to do this on it...
He can sit right up and look at me.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Easy Construction Cake


Seth had his birthday last month.  He turned 5 just in time to start kindergarten this year.