Category Archives: Kids

Lego Miniman!

Posted in Holiday, Kids, Stuff to make by

Oh yeah, we did. We spent a Saturday making Lego miniman heads for our annual neighborhood Halloween party. Those are hours we will never retrieve.

But of course it was worth it. We bought concrete form tubes (also called Sonotubes) at the hardware store: 10″ diameter for larger grown-up noggins, 8″ inch diameter for kid craniums. We sawed the tube into individual helmets, then traced cardboard circles for the tops. We used sponge for the “connectors.” And spray-painted the whole deal bright Lego yellow.

We skipped the rest of the costume because, even though we made an effort, we weren’t going to go overboard on effort. (Here is a link to some folks who went above and beyond in making Lego costumes.) The Lego miniman smirk was the best part of the helmet, I think. The worst parts: no peripheral vision and gradual, but undeniable, aphyxiation. Happy Halloween!

Doll’s sleeping bag

Posted in Kids, Sewing, Stuff to make by

At my house we spend quite a lot of time studying the American Girl catalog. A certain member of my household–who has been saving her allowance since January–was verging on the obsessive. So, I thought making something for the girls would be a welcome distraction. These sleeping bags were perfect. They capture the mini-perfection of the real thing. My daughter picked out the fabric, and even did a little of the machine sewing–thrilling! To make your very own AG sleeping bag click here: Doll’s sleeping bag. If you can sew a zipper and do some very basic quilting then you can make one of these in an hour or two. (I made matching pillows from the leftover fabric–two rectangles sewn together and filled with fluff.)

So cozy!

Tooth Fairy Chest of Drawers

Posted in Kids, Paper, Recycled materials, Stuff to make by

After some not-so-patient waiting, my almost-seven-year-old lost his first tooth. To celebrate, I made him this Tooth Fairy chest. The Tooth Fairy was tired of all those sweet little pillows! She wanted furniture. 

 a drawer for the tooth

 a drawer for the note to the Tooth Fairy

 self-explanatory!

If you are an extremely attentive reader of this blog, you may have noticed that I’ve made this matchbox chest of drawers before. But hey, I repurposed it so it counts. The how-to is here. Also, if you are looking for some excellent Tooth Fairy literature, check out April and Esme, by Bob Graham–the best of its genre, I promise.

Dollhouse renovations, part 1

Posted in Home Design, Kids, Stuff to make by

Here is my old dollhouse, shipped over from England when we moved in 1977, in the early stages of renovation. I love how the glue remnants on the wall make it look like a condemned crack house. I am giving my daughter free rein to update the interior,  so we had a great day scraping off layers of wallpaper and ripping up felt carpeting–seriously dusty and gross. This house was a major part of my childhood, and truth be told my early teenage years. It will be a test to see how “free” I can really let her be. I have landmarked the exterior, since my dad is still very proud of his handiwork. (He worked through the night to have the house painted for my birthday morning.) We have plans to make a hot pink sectional sofa, and some pendant lamps. So, expect more dollhouse posts in coming weeks!

Minor Renovations

Posted in Kids, Stuff to make by

House renovations on the large scale take time, money, and decision-making skills. But renovations in the miniature don’t really involve a lot of commitment on any level.

Zeke & I have been sprucing up the ole dollhouse–repainting, wallpapering (with scrapbook paper), and yes, we “caned” these chairs using thin ribbon and Original Tacky Glue (great stuff). Zeke says we’re going to do this every year but I think this may actually be the last (bittersweet) time.