Oh My Aching Fingers...

Jeddy is into The Little Einsteins lately. It's all he ever watches. Try making him watch another cartoon and he will protest, "No [insert cartoon name] ! Watch Einsteins?" No amount of cajoling will work.

*narrow eyes*

I was then toying with the idea of getting some Little Einsteins toys for him. *pun unintended* But couldn't find anything decent. Erm, more like I couldn't find one that fits my budget. The rocket toy with two figurines costs a whopping $150 the last time I checked!

Well, in times like this, I do what I do best. Carve stamps! ;D

So there you have it. 10 hours of carving over 4 days. The entire cast of the Little Einsteins in rubber stamps!

I used a super tough material (PZ Kut) for these stamps so they could weather Jeddy boy's rough handling and my, were they super tough to carve as well! Glad my fingers and neck are still intact upon completion. Let's just say that Jeddy is not getting another set of rubber stamps for a while... :P






































































The things a mummy would do for her kids... *wistful sigh*

;)

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Jeddy Wears...

(1) A DIY-stamped shirt.

Most of you wouldn't know, since I have never blogged about it... that Jeddy LOVES Cars. As in the Pixar film. Not a day goes by without him dragging me by the finger to the study and saying 'Cars?' repeatedly... *sigh* This boy would gladly sit through the entire show if we let him. He could even remember parts of the script!

Thank goodness he's still too young to follow the entire plot. We would mostly play his favourite scenes and then skip right to the ending song, where a satisfied Jeddy Boy would then do a nerdy dance routine to it.

Anyway.

Since I carve stamps for a living (sorta), I figured a Lightning McQueen stamp would be great for Jeddy Boy. Plus he has a couple of home-wear white tees that I can stamp on.

So here is Jeddy Boy and his new old tee! ;)











































Hearing Jeddy Boy go "Lightning!" when he sees the shirt makes the 2 hours of carving worth it. :)

(Side note: A day after carving this stamp, I realized that Jeddy's favourite character on the show is Guido. *faint* Well, looks like Jeddy's getting another rubber stamp soon!)


(2) Glasses!

Plucked out the lenses from a pair of old glasses the other day to try them on the little one. Boy, did we have fun! :)






















The makings of a grouchy Ah Pek.






















(Another side note: Jeddy the fashionista paraded around the house with the glasses perched on his head like he was donning a pair of Gucci shades. *tsk tsk*)

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Bible Cover - A Little Handmade Goodness

Sis requested for a fabric cover for her bible the other day... and I couldn't wait to get started!

I threw together some cotton and linen fabric, pretty cotton lace and one of my handcarved rubber stamps.

Abracadabra!

And here's how it turned out. :)
























The interior


















Sis' bible all cozy and snuggly in its new cover.























That sure was fun!

Yay! :)

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Jeddy Meets Rommy No. 2

My hands were feeling itchy one afternoon. So Rommy No. 2 was born at the dining table while Jeddy boy was napping. It was really easy and fun to make. Plus Rommy's head actually bobs! Ahh... such is the ingenuity of the Japanese.

Jeddy boy went off to a good start with Rommy boy. He was just as amused as I was with the bobbing head. Anyway, I wanted to teach him how to be gentle and handle fragile items with care. He did and gingerly stroke Rommy, carried him around gently with his chubby hands... for a grand total of 20 minutes.

Well, all I can say is that Rommy is now without his head. ;P

So here are the short-lived happy moments of Jeddy and Rommy...

What's this?














































Sitting quietly together with Rommy.


















Rommy: "Don't crush me! Don't crush me!"


















The next Rommy I make is sooo just gonna sit at my desk, far far out of reach of Jeddy boy. ;)

Oh, do try to make a Rommy for yourself too! The link is provided above. Remember to use thick paper and strong glue!

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Craft Therapy

Got tired of carving stamps. Plus, it's wrecking havoc on my eyes....

So, riding on the momentum of Mr Caterpillar, I've decided to sew sew sew!

And these are the results of my nightly craft therapy sessions.

A bright bright tote for a mini grocery trip. The cloth is from Ikea (children's section). It turned out better than I thought and holds its shape well. Took me 4 hours. Feel like making another one already....



















And this is the Mother's Day gift for Mum (obviously ;P). A 2-in-1 case for tissue paper and loose change. Perfect for her daily lunch trips to the canteen. Hope you like it Moo!









































Ahh..... all in two nights' work... I sure don't mind giving up retail therapy for this instead! ;)

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Eww

I seriously do not know what came over me. I fear all things creepy crawly (especially if they are squashed!). The mere thought of them makes the hair on my skin stand.

But I actually made this for Jeddy.

A felt caterpillar. With detachable body parts.

*shudder*

Somehow it didn't look so eww in the pattern and during the stitching up. But when I put the fella together......eeewwwww!!!!

*shudder somemore*

I haven't been making toys for Jeddy since Mr Jellyfish. So here it is, presenting to you the great bonding session of Jeddy with his new green pal. I call it er... Mr Caterpillar!

It's more a Jeddy initiation rite than bonding session actually... all toys go through the fling test, chew test, and of course, the twist test.

Haha! ;D
































































Mr Caterpillar took me 3 nights to finish with all his fancy spots and stripes and velcro bits. I must admit it was pretty fun to make though, and oh so very therapeutic!

At the moment, Jeddy can only fling poor Mr Caterpillar around like a lasso. But I'm actually glad. Cos when he's able to take the critter apart, I won't be hanging around when he plays with it!

Hahahaha! Oh, Hubs thinks I'm nuts. Do you?

;P

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Sunflower, Jellyfish, and the Little Red Indian

An update on what my itchy hands have been up to lately...

I designed my first amigurumi (that's Japanese for crocheted stuffed toys). Ms Sunflower was created for Brannon, an ex-student of mine. He commissioned me to make a sunflower for 'someone' for the upcoming Val's Day. Bet that someone's real special. ;)

I remembered teaching Bran when he was still an angsty little fella. Haha... But my, has he grown into a fine lad now. Totally proud of him. Continue to live life to the fullest Bran! You've got what it takes!

So here she is, measuring 15 cm tall. I feel happy just looking at her. Do you? :)
























And there's something for my boy too! Mr Jellyfish! :D























Noticed that Jeddy loves to pull at strings, ropes, cords, Tiam YiYi's luscious long hair (;D), such and such these days. So the idea of a little softie jellyfish with flowing tentacles struck me.

This is actually quite easy to make. If you don't have a sewing machine, you can use felt. Just cut out two pieces of felt rectangles and some varied lengths of strings/ropes/ribbons (don't make them too long!). Sew along the sides of the rectangle, inserting the ropes as you go along the base of the jellyfish head. Insert polyfill, and a bell too as you continue. Last of all, don't forget that smiley face. :)

When done, dangle Mr Jellyfish in front of your little one (3 months onwards) and watch him go for the tentacles! Knot the end of the strings or ropes so that it's easier for little hands to grab and hold on to.

So what was Jeddy's reaction to his new friend? I'm sure you could guess...

He shot out his hands with lightning speed and grabbed poor Mr Jello by his tentacles before I could even formally introduce them... He then swung the poor little critter around, and bashed him against the floor repeatedly without any mercy. Totally vicious as usual, but super fun to watch....

So report me to SPCA. ;D

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Now I think I might have managed to teach Jeddy his first game!

It's called The Little Red Indian.

Don't know this game? Check out the vid then.



Since then, we've been playing this with him everyday. And we could see him try holding his note longer and longer for us too!

Mighty fun. :)

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New Toys

I must be desperate.

You'd be desperate too if you have to keep coming up with new ways to entertain a 4 month old for 8 hours each day....

So my mind is constantly revolving around developing new toys or new games to play with Jeddy... (besides thinking about how much washing powder to put into my laundry)

Late into the night, the shutters to my 'factory' rolls up... and the hunch back of Pasir Ris strikes again...

Toy #4: Rainbow Balls
Brightly coloured baby-palm-sized crocheted balls each stuffed with polyfill and a bell for Jeddy to practice grabbing and shaking.


















Toy #5: Play Cube (I'm pretty proud of this... ;D)
Soft cube with textured ribbons and tags for Jeddy to hug and fiddle with. A pill bottle filled with beads is stuffed into the cube together with polyfill to create a rattle plus a crinkly piece of plastic sewn into one side of the cube for that extra 'feel'. :)


















Here's lucky Jeddy boy having a new toy to play with first thing in the morning.


















*shutters closing*

Recycle Recycle

I use disposable diapers....

I know I shouldn't, considering the havoc they create for Gaia.....

So!

I've been thinking of ways to recycle trash, rather than go trotting off on a guilt trip.

You even get to save some money on buying new toys for your little one by making them yourself!

IDEA #1: Bottle Poleys

Why throw out your Yakult/Vitagen bottles?

Scoop in some rice or beads or bells(remember to wash and dry the bottles first!), tape two bottles mouth to mouth, stick some colourful felt around them, and what do you get?

This!


















Directions for use:
(1) as rattles (he'll love the sounds made by them)
(2) arrange them around your baby's feet and then watch him kick the bottles down!
(3) stack the bottles up (ala totem pole) and watch him topple them with his hands (or feet). Remember to praise lots when the 'pole' comes crashing down! :)
(4) as bowling pins. Encourage your little one to kick a ball towards the bottles to knock them down! For bigger kids, teach them to roll the ball instead!

Jeddy putting his thunder thighs to good use. ;D


















IDEA #2: Crunchy Chew Cloth

I don't know about your little precious. But mine loves the crinkly sound and texture of plastic foil (is that how we call it?) wrappers. He's always reaching out and grabbing the bag of wet wipes during his diaper change.

He'll then give it a good squash in his hands, try to stuff it into his mouth, and then squash it some more. What can I say? He's smitten.

But this wrapper has sharp edges, so I don't really let him play with it much or let it get near his eyes and face, which is really a shame.... until something struck me.

All you need is a towelette (preferably with cute prints to attract attention), needle and thread, and one of those wet wipes wrapper which you were gonna throw out.

Optional: Fill the wrapper with some big beads or bells and tape the opening close for added security.

Fold towelette around wrapper and sew the edges close. The point is to cover those sharp edges.

Tada! A crinkly chew cloth!


















Direction for use: Just throw it at your baby (I do that. ;P). Watch him grab and squash the cloth, all while relishing the sound it makes. Let him chew to his heart's content! (Note: the beads or bells gives added audio and tactile stimulation!)

This chew cloth works great for me cos it keeps Jeddy occupied when I need to change his diapers...

Well? What are you waiting for? Go make some chew cloth and bottle poleys! ;D

Have other great gaia-loving, money-saving ideas? Do share!

Till then, enjoy!

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