Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty List and Giveaway

As you know Christmas is fast approaching and being a Waldorf mom, I love all natural toys. As much as I love to support the handmade crafters, financially I cannot always. So I turn to companies like Melissa & Doug. I love their wooden toys and often are getting them for Hazel. They are so creative and build the imagination and are well made. So when I heard about this opportunity, I jumped at it.

Melissa & Doug are giving away a toy each day on their Facebook page. They started on Tuesday. Go over and enter to win something each day!!

Now since Hazel cannot read I can tell you that Santa is bringing her Melissa & Doug's Castle Blocks. I am going to sew a back side to Hazel's zoo playmat to be a castle play mat and that will be her main present from us. Then she and Steve will have a wonderful time building and playing with her castle. She is so into princesses now. Steve still has his Lego castle from when he was young and she loves to look/play with it, but it comes apart easily.

Now for the exciting part!! Melissa & Doug have offered to send me one of their Terrific Twenty Holiday Gifts for 2012 and one to one of my followers!

It was hard to choose what to get and giveaway, but I have decided on the Big Rig Building Truck Wooden Play Set, because Hazel loves to play with her tools and build/fix things and I would love for her to have some wooden tools as well as something they actually work on. Right now she has plastic ones and just pretends with them. This will actually build some fine motor skills as well as her imagination. So if you have a little one or a big one who would love to play with this and live in the U.S.A. (sorry to my international followers), please enter below. We will be following my Giveaway Rules. Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also there are other blogs giving away Melissa & Doug toys. Make sure you go enter for these great ones:

Living Life Intentionally   -  Glittering Muffins  -   Let Children Play   -  
 Royal Baloo  -  Reading Confetti  - This Reading Mama   -   Putti's World  -  KC Edventures   -  Creative Learning Fun - True Aim Education   - 
Hey, Mommy, Chocolate Milk   - No Twiddle Twaddle   -  In Lieu of Preschool  - Coffee Cups & Crayons  -  School Time Snippets  -  Toddler Approved  -  Preschool Powol Packets  - Home Learning Journey  - The Enchanted Tree  -

 

More Holiday Fair Crafts

Today I thank God for my faith because I know with it all things are possible!

So there have been several emails about the shortage of things for the Holiday Fair at Hazel's school. Even though I have done more than what was asked of me for donations, I figured I would keep working until the fair next week. I made a felt bird similar to the one I made last year with the pattern from Living Crafts Magazine. I didn't take a picture of it. Sorry! I'll have to find the one I made last year for Hazel and get a picture at some point.

Then I made a felt duck. I used the free pattern Lucky Ducky from Nosey Nest Pattern Shop. Hazel of course loves this duck and wants it. I promised her I would make her one after the fair.

Next I made for the Pocket Lady a small felt bunny. This was so easy and quick. I will probably make some more of these and maybe put some on barrettes for the Wee Folk Shoppe. I got the idea from Artemis Moon. I just drew a quick pattern for myself.

Then I made a baby penguin with the tutorial on Holloughby. I printed the picture of the shapes pinned on the felt full size and used that as my pattern. I sewed everywhere and did not use glue.

I have a feeling I will be making another one of these as well after the fair. Anyway, I chose to do some hand sewing since I can do it in front of the television without disturbing Steve as well as while Hazel plays. I figure I will keep making things until the 17th. If I do one or two a day, at least it will get them closer to their goals.

ThanksgivingTurkeys and Mayflower Crafts

Today and yesterday I thank God for my mother-in-law who let me sleep to feel better from a cold and for my life with which I am very happy.

Yesterday I started to fight a bit of a cold, so I took it easy. This morning Hazel and I did some Thanksgiving crafts. We took two of them from Crafts for Thanksgiving by Kathy Ross. We started by making a Mayflower puppet out of construction paper, paper towel roll, yarn and glue. You can pull the yarn to make the Mayflower go back and forth and hit Plymouth Rock. My only complaint about this craft is the masts are really not strong enough and I should have used cardstock or something stronger for them.

Hazel made the Plymouth Rock herself and cut it out. I wrote Plymouth Rock for her and she then "copied" it.

Then we made a handprint and footprint turkey. In the book it looked like this:

I gave Hazel free reign however. I traced and cut out her handprints and footprints but she glued them where she wanted.

So ours came out like this:

Then ages ago, I saw a cute idea of making a turkey from a gourd. I bought two gourds at the time for this craft, but one of them rotted. I can't remember where I saw it or what the tail was made of, so we used extra handprints.  (To be honest I haven't gone back to look where I saw the craft.)

We glued handprints to a small paper circle and then glued it on to the gourd and added eyes, beak, etc.

We are waiting for the glue to dry before we stand him up.

Today we have lunch with friends and a couple of errands to run but for the most part we will be resting and of course waiting for the next big storm to hit. Steve was suppose to have the day off, but has to work because of the predicted storm. Hazel keeps telling him she cannot wait until Saturday when he is home again.

Happy Family Times--In the Garden

Have you done something fun with your family this week? Kelly at Happy Whimsical Hearts and I would love to hear about it. Each week we collect great family activities to inspire us all to have more quality time with our families.

One bag of daffodil bulbs

This week we had a lot of Mommy and Hazel time while Daddy was working overtime for the power company. So when the weekend came and Daddy was finally home, we took advantage of some family time. One thing that has been on our to do list was to dig up the dahlia and gladiola bulbs and to plant some daffodil bulbs my father gave us. Since they are predicting a possible snow storm this week, we figured we better get moving on it. So Saturday afternoon we went outside and started digging. Steve removed most of the gladiola bulbs and I got the dahlia bulbs in the back. 

Then Steve went to dig up the ones in the front while Hazel and I started to plant some daffodils. I had apparently forgotten that my father gave me some daffodil bulbs in the spring and accepted more from him in the fall so we had two bags to plant. Hazel went off and started planting in what was her sunflower garden.

Then we joined Daddy in the front and planted more daffodils. I cannot wait until the spring to see all of our pretty flowers!

After doing our yard work, we went for a bike ride/walk. Hazel rode her bike while Steve and I walked. Then of course part of the way Hazel decided to walk so Steve brought her bike home for her.

Now it is your turn to share how your family has spent some quality time lately.

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Ok, now for our PARTY!! Please share your FUN Family Times!!

Korean Doll & Nature Turkeys

Today I thank God for my extended family and keeping all of us save through the hurricane and for the amazing cats we have been allowed to adopt and have part of our family.

I finally made our poor Korean doll some clothes. I made this doll a few months ago from the Joan Russell pattern for her world dolls. I bought the materials to make all the dolls in the series. Now to find the time. Hazel has been playing with her naked.

This book also has a series of Native American dolls which if I have time I would love to make. Hopefully I can make some this month since it is Native American Heritage Month.

When Hazel saw her clothes, she looked at me and said what should we name her. I explained to her the pattern calls her Soh Ni, but we decided to name her Kongi after the Korean Cinderella. We have been reading different versions of Cinderella which I will post about on another Monday. Hazel has loved them!

Now unrelated, I would like to share some of our nature turkeys we have made. Mine are on the right and Hazel's are on the left.