FORREST TOWN ...

Once again it's been a while. All of my good intentions just seem to fall by the wayside at the moment.

I'm sure nobody needs reminding, that Christmas is just around the corner .... Closer than we even imagine !!! Today I finished up the Christmas gifts for my niece and nephew. Come Monday, they'll be wrapped and stamped, and on their way.

Now if you have a little man in your life, that you want to make something for, here is a sweet idea. It really didn't take me too long to put together either.
I found these little wooden cars in the Dollar Spot of Target about a year and a half ago. At the time my nephew was little more than a newborn, but I loved them, and knew that he'd eventually be big enough to enjoy them. Wow, how time flies, as that time has now arrived ...



I browsed the wonderful world of Google ..... Yes, and Pinterest too, for some ideas, as to what I could put with them. I came upon town after town of toy car playmats ...... Perfect !!!! I had most of what I needed on hand ... felt, and more felt. I did decide to use green wool felt (as opposed to acrylic craft felt) for my backing mat. I just preferred that it's more durable. After a spot of town planning, Forrest Town was born.

It has most of what you'd need in a town ... the have to haves and a spot for recreation. I elected to sew the pieces down, and not just glue them, as was suggested on some of the posts I read. I want this mat to be able to stand up to the antics of a nearly 3 year old "real" boy :-)

I figured he'd need a "garage" to keep all of his cars in, so I made a little drawstring bag. That way, tidy up time should be quick.

Good old duck cloth ..... tough and durable. A piece I had left over from another project.
To finish the mat off, I backed it with the same duck cloth, and bound all of the edges.

My sister and her family are soooo lucky - they're going home to spend Christmas with my folks and all of our family (yes, it is the green glow of jealousy you can see .... It'll just be the 4 of us, on our own again :-(  Hopefully this gift, will get lots of use. It's small and portable enough to be packed in a bag and pulled out when the little people want to play.

Time now, to pull out my knitting needles, and put the finishing touches to another one of the Christmas gifts I'm making.
Hoping you're Christmas Gift making is bumbling along at a steady pace ,,,,,, Remember, Christmas will be here before you know it :-)

FEEDING OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS ....

We love birds ..... back home, Hubby and I belonged to the local Bird Club. We have a Life List that doesn't look too shabby either. Moving countries ...... growing kids ...... Well, we just don't have much time to do it anymore. Perhaps when we retire one day, we'll be able to spend more time with our feathered friends.
We do have numerous birdbaths and bird feeders in our garden though, which the birds (and squirrels) frequent. We have them placed, so that when we're busy in the kitchen or study, we can see the comings and goings at these feeding stations.
Over the years, I've seen tutorials for seed rings pop up, but I've never ever tried them myself. 2 weeks ago, I decided to give it a try ..... I pulled out the donut pan from the Goodwill pile (Sorry Goodwill, I'll be keeping that pan), and got to it. I used  THIS tutorial.

Success !!!
They were really easy to make. I doubled the "recipe", and manged to make 6 of this size seed ring. Be warned ..... they do take a while to dry out properly. We have had some very wet weather here recently, so that probably didn't help. When I make my next batch, I'm going to hang them in the garage to dry out completely.
The best part is, the birds LOVE them !!! This is the scene outside one of our windows at the moment ....

With winter fast approaching, food will be more scarce for the birds ..... even more reason to make sure you have some treats scattered around your garden for them.
I'll definately be making some more of these ....... in fact, I want to make some, and package them in a pretty box, as Christmas gifts for some of our bird loving friends ..... The gift that will keep on giving !!!!

CANVAS TOTE BAGS ....

Shewww .... time is passing by so fast !!! Nearly 2 weeks, since I posted anything. I'm back now though, with some canvas tote bags to show you.

The Elementary School that my kiddos went to, is holding a Boots & BBQ fundraiser this Thursday. One of the attractions they're having is an Old Country Store (think Cracker Barrel). They asked me if I'd be able to donate anything. This little school is very near and dear to my heart. My kids had THE best elementary school experience, full of memories (and jam packed scrapbooks .... we took A LOT of pictures through those years), that they'll take with them through life, so I was more than happy to pitch in, and give a little something back.

Here's what I came up with ..... Yes, it's that freezer paper again !!! You REALLY should give it a try :-)

 I made sure they all had 3 things ...... paint, embroidery, and bling !!!
They are all lined with a coordinating (but fun) lining.
I hope that they make a little money for the school.

This is the the little Care Card I made to go with each one. The reverse just has the washing, drying and ironing instructions on it.

Thanks for popping in to visit .... I really do appreciate it.