Two Great Gift Ideas for Toddlers

Since Mia's birth I have literally taken 1000's of photos of her. I've done a few digital scrapbook pages and collages using these photos, made calendars for family and friends but am always looking for more ways to use the photos.

I recently found the Instructables site and whiled away quite a few hours there. This site is filled with ideas to make anything from a jumping toy with paper clips to more intricate science projects like how to isolate sucralose, the active ingredient in Splenda sweetener. You can watch video presentations or step by step instructions and even download pdf. files for certain crafts.

I particularly liked the instructions to Make-a-Custom-Lift-the-Flap-Book-for-a-Toddler. This one will take some time to make, but it is a great way to use photos not only of people, but also animals and nature photos. Mia loves reading and she will really enjoy one of these books.

Curly-Corker-Hair-Bows is another lovely gift for little girls. I have often seen these bows in shops but could never figure out how they are made.

Mia will definitely find these two gifts in her Christmas stocking this year.

Christmas Trees and Angels

Mia has been in day care centre since September. She really needed other children to play with, a great grandmother of 78 and a grandmother who is trying to make a living by running a business from home, are just no substitute for the energy and age-related interests of a toddler.

Two weeks ago they had their Christmas tree/concert at the school and she was an angel, or rather, she played the role of an angel together with most of the other little girls. They were all adorable onstage but obviously she was the cutest one...lol

With just two weeks to go until Christmas, I want to share this cute Christmas tree angel with you. She is also adorable and the kids will enjoy helping you to make her.


Doilie Angel

You will need:

large paper doilies in silver
small paper doilies in gold
(if unavailabe, spry paint white ones)
large clothes peg
long silver pipe cleaners
polystyrene ball
pearlescent paint in pale gold
gold pot scourer
double-sided tape
red and black fineliners

Fold the pipe cleaner two thirds of the way down. Make two circles at the long end, a horizontal one for the halo and a verticle one as a loop to hang on the tree.

Grip the folded pipe cleaner with the peg. Insert the sharp, short end into the base of the polystyrene ball. Paint the ball and when dry, draw face markings on with a fineliner.

Cut a small hole in the centre of both small and large paper doilie. Insert the pipe cleaner through both. Gather the larger doilie in at the waist and secure with an elastic band to make a skirt.

Use a small piece of pot scourer to make hair. Attach to the head with double-sided tape. For the wings, cut two quarters from a small doilie. Tape them together at the point and stick onto the back. Position them back to front so the white sides shows.

Salt Dough Angels:


These two salt dough angels have been firm favourites of mine for many years. You can download the full A4 image file from my Squidoo lens as well as a step by step photo tutorial on how to make a nativity scene from salt dough

The nativity scene instructions was the second post on my ezi-gifts-galore blog way back in 2006. You will find a lot of salt dough ideas to keep the kids busy during the Christmas holidays.

Mia's Winter Tale

Winter is still in full force here in South Africa. The days are quite sunny and warm at present but evenings and nights can still be really cold. Thankfully the bitter marrow-freezing cold of two weeks ago is over but we are not overly optimistic - the weather has changed so much during the past few years and maybe we should not put away all the coats, scarves and other warm clothes yet.

Luckily Mia has quite a few things to help her fight the cold days and nights of winter in South Africa. Her great grandmother is the creator of the blanket, bed socks and poncho. Since my father passed away two years ago, mom has kept herself busy with knitting and crochet and this year the end results are really so beautiful. Mia often visits her in her rooms and the two of them enjoy breakfast, eleven o'clock tea and biscuits and a brisk walk everyday.

The bed socks are very easy to knit and can be adapted to fit any size feet. Basically you cast on a number of stitches for the ribbing, knit a few rows ribbing, increase the stitches, knit garter or stocking stitch for 30-40 rows, decrease and ribbing again. Sew the edges together as far as you want to and decorate with flowers, simple cross stitch, tassels or whatever takes your fancy. You can also twist or crochet a cord and thread it through the top part.

Mia's bed socks: (Take into account that Mia already wears a size 7 shoe at her tender age. Tall girl, this one... lol
Mom used size 3,75mm (9) knitting needles for the ribbing, 5mm (6) needles for the "body" of the bed socks. Double knitting wool of choice. Cast on 40 stitches, knit two, purl two for 6 rows, increase into every 2nd stitch - 60 stitches. Knit 44 rows in garter stitch, decrease every 2nd stitch to have 40 stitches again, change to 3,75mm needles and ribbing again for 6 rows. Cast off and sew edges together.

Adult Bed socks: Needles and wool as for Mia's bed socks. Cast on 40 stitches; -ribbing 6 rows, increase into every stitch 80 stitches, knit about 60 - 70 rows, decrease every stitch, change to 3,75mm and 6 rows ribbing again.

This is the kind of pattern I like, easy and suitable for all ages. Many years ago I knitted the bed socks on my knitting machine and could easily make 5 pairs a day in between all my other chores.

The bed socks are good sellers at fêtes, perfect for other fund-raising projects and to just give at childcare centers, shelters or old-age homes during winter time.

Ok, the poncho.... if you are a crochet fan, this is also an easy project for a toddler or young girl. There's a link at the bottom of this post for instructions - As with the bed socks, there is not really a set pattern, it again depends on the thickness of the wool, correct needle for the tension and the age of the child.

Poncho Pattern

While you are making these items, take some time to think about all the homeless people who have to brave the cold and be thankful that you have a roof over your head, warm clothes, blankets and food.

Decorative Hairslides to Tame Wild Manes

For the past few days, Mia has had "bad hair" days. Every morning it is a struggle to brush and fasten her hair and even when I do manage to make a ponytail or keep it in place with hair slides, she usually takes everything out after a few hours (sometimes even minutes).

In an attempt to make the daily struggle a little easier and fun, I decorated a few of her hair slides today. It turned out so well (the hair slides, unfortunately not the hair... yet) that I took a few photos to give you a step by step tutorial on how to do it.

You will need hair slides and ribbon of choice, beads, buttons, small fabric roses or flowers or any other small odds and ends you can use for decoration.

The small pineapple is a button, I threaded the ribbon through the little eye at the back and tied a knot around the pin of the slide before I started the actual weaving. I also found that the narrow ribbon gives a neater finish than the wider ones.

Here is how you do it:

Cut a length of ribbon - about 30 cm in length, open the hair slide and slide the ribbon through. Measure the ribbon so that the sides are of equal length. Start weaving by folding the ribbon over and under.

Do the same from the other side and repeat until the whole slide is covered. Push the ribbon back every now and then to cover the slide neatly, try to keep the ribbon flat.

Turn the slide over and tie the ribbon into a tight knot, decorate further as you wish.

Credit for the cute little bows: I love it when I find good craft tutorials on the Internet! This is exactly what happened last night when I followed a link in an e-mail from Google Alerts. The name of the blog says it all: Happybird's Crafting Haven.... Indeed a happy blog with lots of wonderful things. Thanks so much for this very clear tutorial on bow making.

For now, the slides are something new, but this grandma wonders how long it will stay in the hair? Maybe she will feel the love woven into the ribbons and wear them for
for a few hours....

When God Created Fathers

When the good Lord was creating fathers, He started with a tall frame. And a female angel nearby said, "What kind of father is that? If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping."

And God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him child size, who would children have to look up to?"

And when God made a father's hands, they were large and sinewy.

And the angel shook her head sadly and said, "Do You know what You're doing? Large hands are clumsy. They can't manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails or even remove splinters caused by baseball bats."

God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets at the end of a day... yet small enough to cup a child's face."

Then God molded long, slim legs and broad shoulders.

The angel nearly had a heart attack. "Boy, this is the end of the week, all right," she clucked. "Do You realize You just made a father without a lap? How is he going to pull a child close to him without the kid falling between his legs?"

God smiled and said, "A mother needs a lap. A father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, balance a boy on a bicycle or hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."

God was in the middle of creating two of the largest feet anyone had ever seen when the angel could contain herself no longer. "That's not fair. Do You honestly think those large boats are going to dig out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries? Or walk through a small birthday party without crushing at least three of the guests?"

And God smiled and said, "They'll work. You'll see. They'll support a small child who wants to "ride a horse to Banbury Cross" or scare off mice at the summer cabin, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill."

God worked throughout the night, giving the father few words, but a firm authoritative voice; eyes that see everything, but remain calm and tolerant.

Finally, almost as an afterthought, He added tears. Then He turned to the angel and said, "Now are you satisfied that he can love as much as a mother?"

And the angel shutteth up!
- Erma Bombeck

The importance of milk teeth

Those small teeth that can cause so much pain when they first start to come out, are really important and it is just as important to clean them from a very early age as it is cleaning your own teeth everyday.

Milk teeth have a very important spacing function. If they are lost too early, the position of the permanent teeth may be affected.

Here are a few tips from the experts:

• Let them "play" with their tootbrush even before the first tooth arrives, but DO not let them run around with it once they start to walk or run.
• Make teeth-cleaning a fun activity for the whole family, or take turns to brush each other's teeth.
• A mirror in the bathroom at the child's height, will enable them to see themselves while brushing their teeth.
• Buy toothpaste in their favourite flavour and colour, they will be more willing to brush their teeth if they like the taste of the toothpaste.
  
• A toothbrush with their favourite character(s) will also make them more willing to brush their teeth.
• Replace a toddler's toothbrush often and ensure that the toothbrush's bristles are soft enough not to hurt those tender gums.
  
• Ideally the toothbrush must have a small angled brush head to clean all those hard to reach places and a large handle so that they can easily hold it.
  
• Place only a pea-size blob of toothpaste on their brush. Let the toddler brush first and then you can re-brush to clean thoroughly. Start on the top surface of the teeth, then move onto the outer and inner sides.
• The most important reason for tooth decay even amongst toddlers is sugary foods, so go easy on candy and biscuits. Apples and other fruit are so much healthier. Fizzy drinks should be substituted by diluted fruit juice (for toddlers) and there is nothing wrong to give them water to drink when they are thirsty.

Ok, I am off to |give Mia some fruit juice and see if she wants an orange or naartjie today.

Father's Day Gifts - How young should they start?

Mia and her Dad on her 2nd birthday. In a few days it will be Father's Day and although she is still to small to really understand the meaning of this day, I often wonder if it is really necessary that she should give a present to her dad and granddad.

On the other hand, she is also at an age where she enjoys drawing or painting a picture and giving it to somebody and the eagerness in the little face awaiting the expressions of awe and wonder and then the joy that lights up her face when she hears that she has done something good, should leave no doubt in my mind that she can make a gift for them at this young age.

With a little help from me or Adri, she can be taught new skills and she also learns the joy of giving. At this age she will tell you that she is drawing a sun, tree or flowers (although you have to look pretty hard sometimes to "see" it), but she uses her coloured pencils quite a lot, she knows most of the colours and she loves painting with water colours.

Tip: Turn the drawings or paintings of toddlers into bookmarks or paste it onto a clipboard that Dad can use to keep his documents together. It can even be used to cover a small notebook or diary. Take the drawings to your nearest copy shop and let them laminate it . Use it as placemats and see the pride on the little face when you tell family or friends that it was done by him/her.