a happy wanderer

exploring with marbles...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:33:00 +0000

our days...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:30:00 +0000

our days have changed...

and so will this space.

nothing drastic... but just a little... enough to reflect the days we now have.

gone are the days when i would create projects and spend hours preparing... the days of collecting materials from all over to construct an activity... the days when my brain was working overtime to plan...

and welcome the days we've been having. where our days unfold to find the beauty in our backyard. the magic in a road trip. the simplicity in a walk around the block. the meaningfulness in a new book from the library. the wonder in a moment of quiet... while we're each in our own world of creativity.

some projects still arise... and when the urge strikes, we'll prepare an activity.

what i'm noticing, though, is all the things we do... each and every day... they're full of learning. full of wonder. and are worth sharing.

and that's what i'll do.

bunny money...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 18:04:00 +0000

to print out your own bunny money click here.

kiwi crate arrives...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:14:00 +0000

we got a kiwi crate in the mail!!!

and all i can say is...

awesome.

absolutely.

awesome.

how many times do i browse pinterest... or think of an idea... and am so excited to do it... and have to go get the materials... gather them... prepare what i need... by then leo is completely over it... and so am i.

in comes kiwi crate...

kiwi crate is this awesome company that makes these awesome boxes full of goodness...

to be more specific...

boxes full of completely complete arts & crafts projects geared towards children 3-8. everything is included. everything. all you have to do is open it up and it's ready to go.

exactly why these pictures are as crummy as they are... the minute leo saw it, he dug in. i didn't even have time to grab my good camera.

see what i mean?

the box that we received was themed "farmer's market". it had two projects in it... one lacing up fruits and vegetables, and another decorating an apron with fabric crayons (how cool is it that now we have a brand new set of fabric crayons that we can use for other projects, too?!).

both activities lead to a great pretend play scenario of setting up a farmer's market, and selling fruits and vegetables. they even included pretend money!

now, i have to say, leo has never really been a huge fan of doing a lot of craft projects. they keep his interest for a little while, and then he moves on. this, however... totally different. i don't know what it was about it... the fact that all the materials were right there in front of him? the neatly packaged box, with everything in easily accessible packets? or (what i think it was) the fact that he knew he was working up to the end idea of setting up a little scenario with all the things he created.

i was so excited to get the crate, and wasn't disappointed in the slightest. we immediately ordered a year's worth of monthly crates.

how great to have fully stocked projects, completely ready to go that aren't just fun to do... but are also educational... in this one crate we worked on fine motor skills (lacing, drawing on the apron), counting (pretend money), color identification (fruits and vegetable colors), pretend play (farmer's market setup), and more.

kiwi crate does an annual subscription, monthly subscriptions, and now they even do individual crates if you just want to try it out, or want to have something on hand for a rainy day. what's great about the individual crates, is that you can choose from a bunch of fun themes they have to suit your child... things like fairy fun, space hero, robot rally, making music... or a bunch more.

head on over to kiwi crate to check them out. be careful, the site is a little addicting... aside from the crates they offer, there's a ton of ideas to do at home... all organized by theme or even by age...

don't say you weren't warned :)

and if you head over there by april 1st and use the code 40KFANS, you can get 40% off your first month!

full disclosure... i received the farmer's market kiwi crate as a free sample from kiwi crate. in no way did that sway my opinion of how AWESOME it was!

easter baskets...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:00:00 +0000

a quick, easy tutorial...

from craftystylish...

with a little adjustment, led me to make these baskets...

i love how they turned out... and can't stop thinking about how many more ways i can use the idea!

check out the tutorial here.

bubble gift...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:54:00 +0000

this wonderful idea, from learn create love...

she shares a simple tutorial to make homemade bubble wands...

packaged together with some homemade bubble solution...

makes for a sweet little gift.

head over there for the tutorial...

sidewalk fingerpainting...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:00:00 +0000

our sidewalk chalk spent some time sitting in water for awhile.

mostly because of the dirt + water + sidewalk chalk + one spoon experiment that took place.

it all sat there for a few days, hanging out in a 5 gallon water jug.

when we got the chalks out to use days later, they were soaked through.

we've used sidewalk chalk dipped in water before... which makes them really vibrant and thick.

but these were so soaked, that as we used them, they were so soft that they were almost the same consistency as fingerpaints. they sort of melted onto the ground, and we smushed them with our fingers... or with rocks... until all that was left was a sidewalk full of color.

give it a go. let your sidewalk chalks sit in water at least over night. then paint away!

soulfill...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 17:56:00 +0000

just as i mentally promised myself i'd spend more time here, i haven't been able to keep my mind of a new adventure i'm taking...

now that i got it going, not only am i so excited to work on it, i'm relieved that i can get working over here, as well.

head over to www.soulfill.com to find some goodness...

little slotted box and a whole lotta love...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:00:00 +0000

sweet little girl with lots of spunk...

takes a brief break from running around with her bike helmet on...

to put some cut up pieces of cardboard through little cut out slots.

fishes them out... or dumps them... (through a bigger hole on the side)...

and starts all over again.

love. her.

it's been awhile...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:47:00 +0000

and i'm looking forward to being in this space again...

see you tomorrow...

t-shirt bib...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000

grab an old child-size t-shirt...

cut it into a long rectangle, with the neck hole more towards the back...

and you've got a stay-put, un-pull-off-able, throw in your bag-able, easy to put on bib!

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000

for a little tactile fun...

grab an old shoe box...

cut a hole out on one side...

cut out two pieces of fabric, large enough to cover the hole...

cover the hole, from the inside, with the fabric... glue the pieces on the edges, overlapping them in the middle...

and you've got yourself a mystery box.

now, gather some items to put in there...

and guess, just by feeling, what's inside!

you can do it one by one and play a guessing game...

or throw a whole bunch in there and try to find a certain one...

and let the mysteries begin.

a little thanks...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000

a generous friend of mine gifted this super-awesome cookie mold to us...

it's cast iron, and probably weighs as much as my 3 year old.

and it's awesome!

as a thank you to her, we made some crayons with it...

gathered some old crayons, peeled off the paper...and broke them into pieces (i used my hands... leo?... he liked the hammer method...)

searched for the letters we needed...

and sorted the crayons by color...

set the oven at about 250 degrees, and let all the wax melt (about 10 minutes), and then turned the oven off and let it cool before moving them.

i was hoping they'd just pop out, but they didn't. so we turned the mold over and used a heat gun to warm them up enough to wiggle them out with an exacto knife.

and that was that...

building a rainbow... again...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 06:55:00 +0000

things have been a bit quiet over here...

with st. patrick's day coming up, i thought i'd repost a rainbow activity we did awhile back...

enjoy!

water beads...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

i've been wanting to try these out for so long now...

we finally got our hands on some water beads...

a score at the 99 cent store...

they're pretty awesome.

water beads are made for floral arrangements... they start as little pellets, then you soak them in water for about 8 hours, and they absorb all that water... they grow to about the size of marbles, but they're sort of soft and gelatinous. so much fun to play with!

one thing i learned from using them... since they're just sitting there in their own moisture, with nothing really to absorb the water (as they're intended), be careful how you store them. ours got moldy and we had to throw them out. if left out in the sun or something like that, they can shrink back up again and be used over and over. also, wash your hands before using them to keep them nice and clean.

have fun!

wanders...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

inspired by amanda blake soule's {this moment}s...

sweet hearts...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:34:00 +0000

start with some toilet paper rolls...

add a little paint...

and a little more...

let them dry...

slice each roll into four even rings...

pinch one end of each ring into a teardrop shape, then hot glue two of them together...

gather them all up...

add some string...

and hang them up...

for some sweet heart decorations :)

cloud dough...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:36:00 +0000

one part oil to eight parts flour...

makes cloud dough!

thank you to flights of whimsy for the recipe!

wanders...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:30:00 +0000

inspired by amanda blake soule's {this moment}s...

a puppet theater...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0000

this was a tough one to give away...

so i'm sure there will be another one being made soon.

after getting inspiration from here...

i thought my three little nieces would get a kick out of having a puppet theater of their own...

so i used a thrifted sheet for the main part, a t-shirt for the curtain, and some on hand fabric for the border of the window. a curtain rod keeps it in place, and a dowel in the bottom of the window frame keeps the opening from sagging.

and here's what they got...

along with some sock puppets.

leo tried it all out, just to make sure all functioned properly :)

and then off to nj it all went!

upcycled notebook...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0000

the holiday crafting has begun...

not as feverishly as last year, considering we have a little bundle to think about...

but it's still going on...

starting with this...

i used an old t-shirt and some fabric scraps to cover up a composition notebook...

and added a little crayon holder on the back...

covered the insides with scraps, as well, to hide the fabric edges...

a portable drawing kit!

liz scott jelly roll winner...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 17:59:00 +0000

and the winner is...

melissa @ sew bittersweet designs!

congratulations, melissa!!!

thank you, everyone, for commenting...

and thank you, liz, for your generous giveaway!

liz scott... tutorial & giveaway!!! (closed)

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0000

as you can see, i haven't been writing much lately.

over here, we've been working out the kinks of life...

in the meantime, i'm so excited to introduce someone...

meet liz scott!

awhile back, while searching for some cool fabrics, i came across her blog... and, to my surprise, and luck!, she lives just a few towns over from me! what a small world!

liz was kind enough to package up bags and bags of scraps of the super cool fabrics that she designs, and give them a new home, right here, in my own fabric stash. since then, i've used them in lots of my projects... like here... and here... and here... and i LOVE them!

now, aside from her fabrics, liz has some pretty awesome taste... check out her finds when she goes thrifting. i've GOT to tag along with her one of these days. now that i say that publicly, don't you HAVE to let me, liz??? pleeeaaase???!!!???

and lastly, in addition to all that creative talent liz has, she's such a sweet person... and a lovely mama, too. since that meeting liz's wonderful home... we've kept in touch. i'm so glad our paths have crossed!

and now, she has been kind enough to spread some of her creativity this way. with my first guest post... and my first giveaway! thank you, so much, liz!

Hi, my name is Liz Scott and I am doing a guest post here today on A Happy Wanderer. Isn't it awesome when online friends become real life pals? That is how it happened with Heather and I. I am a fabric designer and Heather found my website and blog one day and contacted me about purchasing a few bags of my fabric scraps. Turns out we both live in Los Angeles and she was able to pick up the scraps in person rather than have them shipped. I knew from the moment she pulled up in her blue Prius that we were going to be friends. We have stayed in contact ever since, sharing play dates and birthday parties. Heather's grace and presence in parenting is downright inspiring and it does my heart good to see such a lovely family grow from three to four.

So, while Heather is busy with her little ones, lets talk fabric, shall we? I am a graphic designer by trade and love to sew and craft morning, noon and night. Somewhere around 3 years ago, I decided to switch my focus from paper products to fabric. I started designing, uploading and printing fabric with a service called Spoonflower and selling it in my Etsy shop. I was encouraged by the positive response that I received and realized I could get my designs out there to a larger audience if I licensed them to a fabric manufacturer. I contacted several of the bigger companies and Moda licensed my first line Sugar Pop! That was pretty amazing! And my second line Domestic Bliss is shipping to stores this month. Look for it in your favorite online fabric shops including Fabric Worm and Fat Quarter Shop.

Here is a peek:

Would you like to win some? Awesome! Heather and I are doing a little giveaway. Leave a comment on this post (with your email address) and we will select one winner via random number generator to receive a Jelly Roll from the Domestic Bliss Line. We will close the comments on Friday the 16th at 5 pm PST and announce the winner on Saturday the 17th. Be sure to check back to see if you have won!

I also want to share with you a simple craft project that I have been doing a lot lately. These felt greeting cards are great to do with little ones and a snap to whip up. A few afternoons ago, I turned on the Christmas tree lights, brewed a cup of tea, and put on some jingle-y tunes and tried some holiday themed cards. Here is how you can make some too:

Felt Holiday Cards

You will need:

Felt in assorted colors. Wool felt is easier to work with, but I used a mix of both wool and synthetic here for the most color variety.
8.5 x 11 card stock in different colors
Scissors for paper
ruler
Aleene's Original Tacky Glue
Micron marker
PDF pattern printout (or design your own)

Nice to have but not totally necessary:

Cutting mat
X acto knife
Embroidery scissors for cutting felt

1.Cut card stock in half widthwise so you have two pieces measuring 8.5 x 5.5.

2. Fold each piece in half to make the card.

3. Print pattern pieces on a sheet of paper and cut them out.

4. Place pattern pieces right side down and trace pattern pieces onto felt using the Micron marker. Cut designs from the felt and turn over (this way you don't have to worry about any lingering marks from your marker) I like Micron markers because they have a superfine tip and offer better control when drawing on something as soft as felt. I use embroidery scissors to cut the designs from the felt because they have a small pointy tip and again, offer better control. Arrange your felt pieces on the card stock.

5. Dab glue on the back of the pieces of felt and apply to the card. No worries if you get a little messy with the glue, Aleene's dries clear. I love the stuff.

6. Allow your cards to dry overnight or at least for a few hours.

Enjoy! Try some of your own designs, too - gingerbread people, snowflakes, bells, ornaments, stars, etc.

I truly wish you and yours a season filled with love, magic, joy, peace, warmth and blessings.

thank you, so much liz, for your generosity! and for sharing such an adorable idea!

don't forget to leave a comment with your email address... and check back on saturday to see who the lucky winner is!

(comments closed)

something special...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0000

things have been pretty quiet over here...

while we've been getting to know our little nory, the holidays started to creep up on us...

but tomorrow...

i've got something exciting for you...

here's a little hint...

and one more...

see you tomorrow!!!

wanders...

noreply@blogger.com (heather) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0000

inspired by amanda blake soule's {this moment}s...