popsicle sticks

If you are ever at a craft store and see popsicle sticks on sale, buy them. Today, I found a bag of Popsicle sticks in a craft bin. I forgot I bought them last year. I have only ever really used them for waxing my eye brows. (Why do they only give you one stick in a container of wax? It makes no sense. Do you wash the stick? Hence an entire 2.99 bag of sticks.) A bunch of little girls and Thor were here, and I was pulling out craft bins, thinking about things I can make with little wooden sticks, besides a miniature Eiffel Tower.

First, I decided to make some Ojos de Dios, or Eyes of GOD! Apparently, they are a craft from the Huicol Tribe of Mexico. I just found that from the astounding powers of Google. They also symbolize the power of seeing and understanding unknown things. To me, they looked like they symbolize the four elements, and the four points on a compass, and they just looked cool, so I glued two popsicle sticks together, then started with an ombre yarn. Basically, you cross the yarn over two side (the 90 degree angle), then go under and over to the next 90 degree angle, then under and over to the next side, etc. etc. etc. It is very easy and they look cool, even if my photography is terrible. Bea made the one of the top left, then we made the red one together, then I made the rest for her and her friends, and then none of them wanted them. I liked the feathers, Bea added them for extra Eye of God mojo. Then she made those two feathered magic wands with yarn, popsicle sticks, glue, feathers and MAGIC!

This is what the back looks like, which looks cool too.

Then, Bea asked me to draw her some animals, and then cut them out, and as I was doing it, I was thinking that popsicle sticks would also become useful for the cut out animals. She colored them all.

We made puppets. The one of the right is named Beatrice. The cat is called Stripe. And the little boy stealing fruit is named Thor, not really, but for this exercise, he is named Thor.

She told me the story of Beatrice and Stripe, and I showed her another way to use her puppets--SHADOW PUPPETS! Flashlight and kids = Hours of Fun! We initially did this in the bathtub. It was awesome. The three of us fully clothed in the bathtub with a flashlight and popsicle stick people.

I think I have other stuff, but I cannot remember. I have been lax on my posting on this blog, so I just have to cut the crafts from all summer and start from here. This summer I have been studying a lot about crystals and metaphysics, so I'm not sure I am going to share that stuff on here, or the cool Magical Sabbatical I am on. 

a dolly for beezus

Beezus has been asking me to make her a rag doll for as long as I can remember, but with my sub par sewing skills and lack of enthusiasm for learning, that didn't really seem like it was going to happen. But finally, on Friday, she wore me down. And I started a little project. She picked this out of a book she received from Danielle called Sewing with Children, though Bea didn't really help, and I didn't do anything close to the pattern, but it gave me a quick pattern for how to make each part.

Anyway, I didn't photograph along the way, but I do have some after shots with my girl.

She had named the rag doll Violet and has been carrying her around incessantly. She claims Violet helped her stay in bed last night. Thank you, Violet.

The trickiest part for me was figuring out all the little quirks of doll making, like how to put on hair, and hide embroidery floss knots since I put the face on after she was sewn together and stuffed. (Next time, all those things clearly should happen before stuffing takes place. Also the body/head section was basically one piece a rectangle with one curved side, then I gathered the neck after she was stuffed. Not exactly the most graceful way to do it, I realize now.

Bea also wanted a new dress for her, and that was a challenge since I really have never made a dress before, so I let her pick out a fat quarter from the fabric store and made this little dress, which was easy. Now, I am going to try to make one of these.

The thing Beezus loves most about her is that she is tall and looks like she could really be her daughter, which is exactly her words.  She is kind of cute. I had to restrain from making a wee little smile on her, so she wouldn't look like the Dolly for Sue from the Island of Misfit Toys. (Incidentally, did you know her misfitness is caused by psychological problems caused by fear of abandonment and grief?) Watching that again, though, is making me think I need to dye her cheeks red. That is so cute.