Pillow Pets?

Here is another project that I wanted to do for Ryan for Christmas.  I stumbled upon it on a blog called Filth Wizardy where there are some great ideas for children's projects.  It seemed super simple and then, as chance had it, I stumbled upon the same unicorn head that she used (from the Dollarama none-the-less).  I also just happend to have the perfect piece of fleece left over.  Thankfully, the sewing portion was not overly challenging - I'm a lot rusty!

A little bit of sewing later and Ryan had her very own unicorn pillow pet!  I know she likes it because she gets a little preturbed when Lucy tries to share!  We're still working on sharing....

I used ribbon instead of velcro or snaps.  It seemed like the easiest at the time and I was facing a little bit of a Christmas time crunch!

Here it is in its pillow form.  I like it better tied - her nose points south a little too much in this format.

Thanks for looking!

You've got mail!

I discovered a blog before Christmas called Twelve Crafts Til Christmas which had an awesome tutorial to make your own play Pretend and Play Mail Carrier Kit.  I decided that this just had to under the tree for little Miss Ryan.  She had previously spent a lot of time hiding things and checking the mail.  I thought she might relate....  Well, a couple of late nights, and Christmas morning came.  Ryan opend her kit and exclaimed, 'Mail - this is just what I wanted for Christmas'.  You can't ask for a better reaction than that can you?

I grew up with dolls and toys that my mom made me.  I mostly loved them but I really love doing the same for Ryan.  This project was really fun to do and I would highly reccomend it.  I can't wait to try more from Elizabeth at Twelve Crafts.  She really does have some great ideas!

Here is the complete set;

And a personalized letter from Nana (as written by Mama);

 

The mailbox with a button top closure.  The flag goes up and down and is held in place by a jumbo brad;

 

You've got mail!

And the mail bag in case you want to deliver it yourself.  I just winged the dimensions on this one;

She is her own person.

I can't say that enough. I remember as a child that my mom was all about ribbons and bows.... and I was not. I grew up into a very straight edged (wardrobe) kinda girl; perhaps a rebellion from all of the frilly frou frou that was my lot as a child. But sometimes, since Ryan has graced us with her presence, I feel a little bit of my mom creeping in and I see a little of myself in Ryan.

We decided to have a girls week-end, Ryan and I, and went to Bathurst to visit my mom (Nana) and my Nanny (big Nanny). Motivated by my friend Pam, I brought home all the supplies to make a pretty little pillowcase dress for Ryan. I thought the timing was perfect because I could call on the sewing expertise of the generations. Well we finished the little masterpiece late at night and I presented it to Ryan the next morning. She promptly told me to hang it in the closet. I had a feeling this would be the result but I still wanted to try. I have to say I admire her tenacity. The whole week-end that dress was not going to touch her.

However, since the weather was so beautiful we decided to spend some time at the beach. This was more her scene. The flatfish were biting off the point and there was no lack of fisherman looking for their share. Ryan was among them.

So I guess I am learning from Ryan everyday that it is OK to have dreams and desires for your child. But she has a mind of her own and a voice to let her desires be known! Who am I to quash that?