My two newest books arrived today! We wrote a series of 24 Reader’s Theater scripts based on the Grade 1-2 Common Core State Standards for Language Arts. They’re fun and funny to write AND to read! Plus, I got to write the teacher’s guides for all 24 of these books and the Grade 3-6 scripts as well . . . another fun, creative project. I do love my job! ♥
Related Link: My Books
Last month I told you about my “biggest refashion ever” . . . making a first communion dress from a wedding gown. It’s done! I would never attempt a tutorial, because every gown is different, but here is a summary of the steps that worked for me:
My only advice is to (1) spend quite awhile thinking, planning, and sketching before you start, (2) baste everything (and let your special little girl try it on!) before sewing anything permanently, and (3) keep every little bit of fabric and embellishment, because you might use it. Thank you for joining in my excitement over this once-in-a-lifetime project! P.S. I couldn’t resist using the “Radiance” effect from PicMonkey on the photo below. ♥
So, ever since my Bag O’ Bunnies post, all my sewing buddies have been making bunnies out of their fabric and ribbon scraps! And some of my blogging friends, too, like Something to Ponder About and Sew Much Choice! I’ve been giving them away in small baskets as hostess gifts and have a big basketful of them by the fireplace, but I decided to gift the rest in handmade bags. I’m sure everyone already has a favorite method for making drawstring bags, but just in case, here’s mine:
(1) Cut out fabric in a square or rectangle of the desired size.
(2) Decorate the half that will be on the front with embroidery, applique, painting, or other crafty skills. I love to embroider and needed a road-trip project last weekend, so here is my design.
(3) Fold the bag in half right sides together.
(4) Stitch the side and bottom EXCEPT (and this is important!) for leaving an opening in the seam two or three inches from the top.
(5) Press open the seam, and press under 1/4 inch on the top of the bag.
(6) Turn the top to the inside and stitch it to the bag all the way around, making sure your stitching is below the opening in the seam.
(7) Turn the bag right-side out and press.
(8) Using a safety pin, thread ribbon or cord through the opening and tie the ends. (Click photo below for close-up.)
(9) Stuff bag with bunnies . . . you’re done! ♥
Dave and I collaborated on an indoor/outdoor and foldable/take-apartable/storable play tent for a special birthday boy using a tutorial from Gemma of Gembobs Crafts. Check out her beautiful crocheted version here! The fabric for ours is “Red River II Stripe Blue” from Fabric.com, and two and one-half yards of 45-inch wide fabric was a PERFECT fit. It was easy and fun and we’re ready to make more! Thank you, Gemma! ♥
This beautiful bride, Christin, now has an amazing 8-year-old daughter, Allyson, and I’ll be transforming Christin’s wedding gown into Allyson’s First Communion dress!
Allyson chose Butterick 3350 with sleeves, scalloped neckline, and straight hem.
I’ll admit I’m a tiny bit nervous about working with and on two such important dresses, but I’m excited about it, too!
And I have a cheerleader! My dear friend Faye transformed her daughter-in-law’s wedding dress into the stunning First Communion dress below for her adorable granddaughter, and she’s only a phone call away if I need advice and encouragement.
Watch for the big reveal in April . . . and wish me luck! ♥
I recently bought this fun tote pattern from my blogging friend Michelle of Sew Michelle. I can’t wait to make it! Besides the detailed, photo-filled e-book, Michelle includes a unique feature called a “Sewnopsis” at the end of her patterns—a reference tool that has the supply list, cutting instructions, and important steps all on one super-handy page. 
Michelle has other amazing bag patterns as well and has also been kind enough to make some FREE patterns available to us! Click on the “Tutorials” link to find projects such as this “Owl Sweet Treat Holder”—PERFECT for Valentine’s Day!
“I have taught sewing classes for many years and have learned that including detailed instructions with lots of pictures makes it seem like I am right there with you when working on your project. My mission is to ‘Inspire You to Sew’ and I hope you will go and do just that,” shares Michelle. Please check out Michelle’s patterns at Sew Michelle from this post or anytime from my Shop Love! page above. ♥
. . . for all the kind comments, wishes, and prayers you sent our way after my last post. I keep being amazed at the love and care you so freely share, and I’m determined to pay it forward every chance I get.
We’re home now after spending many treasured hours with our family. So, as Vida would want, I’m ready to go back to “making stuff” and sharing about other people I admire who do the same.
One of my resolutions this year is to learn to crochet, and I was ever more inspired while watching my sweet daughter-in-law Tiffany (who JUST learned how!) finish this adorable scarf for cutie Miranda last night while we were all piled into our hotel room chatting. The Bernat Pipsqueak yarn is about the softest thing I’ve ever felt, and I LOVE how it designed itself as she worked.
Thank you to Tiffany for all the tips and to Miranda for modeling. And please watch for a new series of Shop Love! posts while I travel to attend a conference for a few days and then catch up on some projects of my own! ♥
Yes, I’m about to share ANOTHER amazing daughter-in-law craft! We were so excited to get this beautiful star with photos of our dear little ones for Christmas. Jen was kind enough to send me a tutorial this week . . . and she must have known I’d ask, because she’d even taken a photo of her materials! Thank you, Jen! ♥
(1) Get a wooden or metal star from a craft store, some scrapbook paper, Mod Podge, a paint brush, scissors, and photos. Tip: Photos that are further away from the subject work better than close-ups.
(2) Use a piece of plain paper to cut templates for each side of the star points. Then look at the pictures and decide which ones to put on the star and where they will go based on their sizes and vertical/horizontal positions.
(3) Use your template to cut out the pictures, making sure they are facing the same way as their position will be on the star.
(4) Paint the backs of the photos with Mod Podge and stick them to the star.
(5) Cut scrapbook paper to fit any extra space on each point of the star and Mod Podge it on.
(6) Paint the whole star with Mod Podge and let it dry overnight.
(7) TA-DAH!!!
A couple of years ago I saw a kids’ art jar online and thought it would be the perfect gift for a special little girl’s birthday. It was so colorful and intriguing . . . but when we dumped everything out, I found LOTS of pretty raffia filling and WAY too few actual art supplies. Live and learn, right? So, when my dad was preparing for a recent move and asked if I’d like to have some empty plastic snack containers, I immediately thought, “ART JARS!” I began collecting artsy/crafty items from the dollar bins at Michaels and Target, plus hitting the dollar stores, and soon had a huge bag of fun things to include. These will be under some Christmas trees soon! ♥
A special little girl in our family celebrated her sixth birthday on December 1st. As you know, a December birthday gift must NOT be Christmasy! 
So, since she absolutely loves to bake with her mom, I decided on a cupcake gift. First I made an apron using a remnant from the nursery pillows I sewed last summer that looks like sprinkles. I didn’t have a child-size pattern, so I just cut a rectangle for the front, a long, skinny piece for the waistband and tie, found some rick-rack trim, and stitched it up. Then I folded a piece of paper, sketched half of a cupcake paper and top, cut them out, unfolded the paper, and used these as patterns for some cupcake a-la-mode (two yellow fabrics and sequins for sprinkles) and a scrapbook paper gift tag. Then I bought some cake mix, frosting (with sprinkles!), cupcake papers, and cupcake flags to go with the apron. I was going to make a little totebag to gift it in, but then I spotted this adorable tin for $2.99 in my grocery store’s clearance aisle . . . how lucky is that! Happy birthday, dear Kira! ♥ P.S. Please check out this fun post on Peg’s Gotta Do for more cupcake inspiration!
After making a peppermint wreath and peppermint Christmas tree skirt, I had three little felt peppermints left, so I wrapped a headband in red bias tape and stitched the candies on top to make a festive accessory for a special little girl. This was another free-to-me activity since I already had all the supplies on hand . . . don’t you love it when that happens? There’ll be no more peppermint projects for me this Christmas since I used up all my red felt remnants and have vowed to use up my stash before buying more fabrics (we’ll see how THAT goes!). But several of you have said you’re on it now, so I can’t wait to see what you make! Now . . . on to some Christmas gifts . . . and Christmas pillows . . . and . . . ♥
After the big Thanksgiving dinner at our house, the kids and grown-ups visit, snack, watch football, snack, nap, snack, and . . . make things! (Check out these Play-Doh sculptures from Thanksgivings past! ) This year I’ll still have the usual supplies, but I thought it would also be fun to have a project that the kids can take home and/or guests can make to donate to a local nonprofit for Christmas gifts for children in need. The minute I decided on no-sew fleece pillows, I got an email from Hancock Fabrics with all their fleece for half price PLUS free shipping, so I knew it had to be! To keep it simple, I went ahead and did all the cutting, rolled and tied each matching pillow top and bottom together, and put the right amount of stuffing in individual bags so everyone can just choose a fabric, grab a bag, and find a comfy spot to craft and chat. I’ll try to post a photo of all the kids with the pillows we make after the holiday! ♥
P.S. Since the instructions call for cutting out the corners from each piece, I now I have about a bazillion colorful 4 x 4 inch fleece squares to use for other projects. Any ideas???
P.P.S. Click here for a kids’ Thanksgiving story and lots of wonderful last-minute holiday recipes and crafts from Collectively Creative. Blessings to all!
Welcome to the “THANKFUL” edition of Collectively Creative! Today I have a giveaway for all of our blogging friends . . . one of my children’s stories from Pockets magazine for you to read, share, and/or use to introduce a creative writing activity about holidays. Simply click the first link for a printable word document or the second link for a printable pdf.
Mrs. Hetherington’s Thanksgiving Pageant (word document)
Mrs. Hetherington’s Thanksgiving Pageant (pdf)
I hope some special kids in your life will enjoy meeting Mrs. Hetherington and her Portland Elementary School Drama Club this holiday season! But first, please pour a cup of tea and take a few minutes to savor the rest of this month’s Collectively Creative posts. Each one has something special to enrich our lives. Happy Thanksgiving! ♥
P.S. If you’re a parent, grandparent, children’s book reviewer, librarian, or teacher, please check out the new kids’ Thanksgiving book called Sarah Gives Thanks by one of our fellow WordPressers, Mike Allegra at heylookawriterfellow. I bought a copy, and it’s a keeper!
COLLECTIVELY CREATIVE:
Welcome to the Pillows A-La-Mode contribution to Collectively Creative! For my project, I made two pillows (what a surprise, right? ) for some Halloween-lovin’ sweeties I know. ♥
(1) The large pillow has a jack-o-lantern print on the “Trick . . .” side (a gift from a friend!) and *sparkly* cupcake and candy print from Jo-Ann on the “or treat!” side. The letters are orange felt handstitched with black embroidery floss.
(2) The small pillow has the cupcake/candy print on the front and “BOO” fabric (also a gift from a friend) on the back. For a-la-mode, I marked the center of the front and back (after stitching and stuffing), double-threaded a L-O-N-G needle with orange floss, stacked three buttons, went down through the left buttonholes to the back and up through the right buttonholes, pulled the floss tight to create a valley, and tied. (Click on photo for a larger view).
Oh, and before I go on . . . you MUST click here and here for two more fab Halloween pillows from Punky Purls and here for a fun burlap version from House of 34. I love them all!
NOW . . . DRUM ROLL . . . here are EIGHT . . . yes EIGHT!!! . . . more Collectively Creative posts with amazing Halloween tricks n’ treats for you to try. Please take a moment to visit each one . . . you’ll be glad you did! ♥
My crafty friend Debbie gave me a fun gift. . . a sample of her new Halloween treat bag! Isn’t he cute??? Mine is filled with paper to use as a decoration, and he looks right at home beside my bowl of giant fabric candy corn! I’m going to try my best to make some for our trick-or-treaters this year. Thank you, Debbie! ♥ P.S. If you love owls, remember that you can get a free David Bromstad owl art print by following the link you’ll find here!
Do you have toy dinosaurs in your toy box? I do! Now one of them is holding my bangle bracelets! He’s so cute . . . and a surprise pop of fun in the room. P.S. Check out these dino ring holders on My So Called Crafty Life, too! ♥
On our recent trip to visit Baby Katy, I saw some adorable creations in her nursery! I also discovered the most amazing fabric art at the Philadelphia International Airport—Kay Healy’s “Coming Home” life-sized fabric mural in Terminal E. (Click on photo above for a larger view). I couldn’t stop looking at all the intricate details!
Now for those fun nursery ideas . . .
(1) The top picture is “She Art” lovingly created by Katy’s Aunt Shannon. Visit Christy Tomlinson’s blog (the founder of She Art) to learn more about this art form.
(2) The owl and flower paper collages are by a lovely interior designer and friend of Katy’s mom and dad. Please check out her web site at Ashley Heath Design. (And we loved how the flowers coordinate with Katy’s new mobile!)
(3) Katy’s mommy, author of the delicious cooking blog Consumed: My Culinary Adventure, made this beautiful curtain “gift-wrapped” with ties sewn from a coordinating fabric. I love it! ♥
The minute I saw an adorable mobile on Eco Felt Crafts (who got the idea from It’s the Life, who got the idea from The Handmade Home . . . don’t you love how bloggers share???) I knew I had to make one for a special baby girl. I love the combination of felt, fabric, buttons, and ribbons in greens, pinks, blues, and whites to match her nursery. It was so much fun to make! P.S. Click here and here and here and here and here for five more cute mobiles. And if you’ve made one, please send me a link in a comment and I’ll add it to this post. I’d love to try them all! ♥
Other baby gift posts on Pillows A-la-mode:
Burpies and more burpies and even more burpies (plus a receiving blanket!)
The bit of fabric left over from my latest memo board is now a pillow (surprise! surprise!). I also had a little bag of heart buttons in coordinating colors in my stash, so I stitched them over some of the polka-dots on the front for a-la-mode. I think it will be a nice gift for a little girl whose favorite color keeps changing! ♥
I’m at it again . . . trying to figure out fun ways to repurpose empty mint tins! I’ve already had a chance to try out my mint tin sewing kit, so this time I decided to make one into a game.
(1) Decorate the top with a tic-tac-toe symbol using paint, scrapbook paper, tape, ribbon, or fabric with embroidery (my choice!).
(2) Find five each of two different colors of buttons.
(3) Glue magnets on the buttons.
(4) You’re ready to play . . . perfect for home, the car, or restless little ones at a restaurant or waiting room.
Click the photo for a larger view, here for the super-cute version at Art + Baja that gave me the idea, here for a tic-tac-toe game made of felt, and here for another wonderful mint tin craft by Look What Mommy Made! ♥
Once one of my teen-age sons accompanied me to a teacher supply store. The next thing I knew, he was sitting on a bench outside. When I asked him why he left, he said, “Mom! It looks like a rainbow threw up in there!” So, if you’ve ever felt the same way, it’s probably best to move on to another blog now.
Today’s project is a fabric memo board . . . but for holding girly hair things, like:
Click here for a tutorial (starting with a cardboard box!) and here for a photo of the zebra-print version filled with flower hair clips and pins. I can’t wait to give this one to a special little girl for her birthday! ♥
One of my teacher friends posted this adorable chart-paper poster from the First Grader At Last! blog on Pinterest. I wanted to make one for a teacher in my family, but instead of recopying it on paper I decided to embroider the whole thing! Crazy, I know! But here are the steps:
Here’s my colorful version, taped (a bit wonkily!) to a wall for a photo shoot before heading to a new kindergarten classroom. Happy school year! ♥
When I found girls’ T-shirts on an amazing sale (like the one I used for this dress), I also bought a coral and a gray/white striped version to combine into another dress. The gather in the bodice is simply a skinny piece of elastic threaded between the seam attaching the top and bottom and the topstitching that keeps the seam edges facing down. I love these colors together, and I found some pretty orange buttons in my stash to use on the fabric flower a-la-mode. (Click photo for a larger view.) Plus, since I used the top of one T and the bottom of the other, I have more lovely remnants to use for a future project. I can’t wait to give this to a special little girl! ♥
Here are the nursery pillows we made with fabric from an IKEA veggie print receiving blanket, coordinating fabrics from Jo-Ann, and some fun a-la-mode! ♥
Our brand-newest grandson is here for a visit! Today his mommy and I went to Jo-Ann to find fabric for a few items to round out his nursery decor, which is based on this adorable vegetable print from IKEA. We found a pretty green graphic print to use for the crib skirt, and it was a piece of cake to stitch it up! I got some helpful tips from Ashley at littlewillowtree and used her info to draw a diagram for future use. Oh, and we also got fabric for accent pillows . . . my next project!
P.S. Here’s a photo I added of the skirt on the crib when Joshua arrived back home . . . along with the pillows from the next post. ♥
I found a hot pink girl’s T-shirt on sale at Target and thought it would be lovely with some of my necktie fabrics! To make the skirt, I cut off the wide ends of the neckties, unstitched them, took off all the linings and interfacing, evened them out at the bottom, stitch them together, then stitched them onto the bottom of the T-shirt. I also made a mini fabric/button flower for a little a-la-mode. Here it is! (Click photo for larger view.) Oh, and here are a few other necktie projects to try! ♥
Remember the placemat pouches I made earlier this year? Today I turned one of them into a gift for a new mom by:
(1) making a super thin, soft, washable changing pad from a $1.99 child’s paint apron from Michaels (with enough fabric left over for one more pad and some other projects, too!)
(2) adding a small package of wipes and a diaper, and
(3) composing this poem (click to enlarge) to pin to the clutch.
Super fun, super easy . . . and I think she’ll like it! ♥
A few years ago I found this beautiful lined stretch-lace tank for $5 on a sale rack at JJill! But . . . it turned out that the color made my already-pale skin looked even more washed out . . . and it got several snags from a clothes-eating teacher’s desk . . . so I decided to get out my trusty scissors to rescue it from its lonely existence at the back of the closet. Here’s what I made:
Loved it . . . hated it . . . now love it again! ♥
Do you have little ones in your family who LOVE to play tic-tac-toe? We do! Since I bought plenty of orange, yellow, green, and white felt for my citrus coaster project, I decided to use it to make a birthday gift for one of these sweet little girls with a giant orange slice gameboard and lemon and lime game pieces. And how serendipitous to find an orange slice notepad in the dollar bin at Michaels for keeping score! At first, I was going to make a bag out of my citrus fabric to hold everything, but then I figured out that the gameboard itself could be the bag with the addition of ties. It worked! Now I’m imagining all sorts of other themes . . . a basketball gameboard with different colors of “team” T-shirts for the game pieces . . . a Disney fabric gameboard with Mickey and Goofy game pieces . . . the sky is the limit! You could also make them different sizes and even add velcro to the gameboard and pieces to play it in the car. Other ideas are welcome! ♥
I’ve been making lots of rag-edge burpies lately . . . it was so much fun to shop for all those cute pink and blue flannel prints! This time, though, the parents-to-be had some very specific color requests: black and yellow burpies and a zebra-striped receiving blanket. What fun! You can check out HomemadebyJill for the burpie tutorial, and the receiving blanket is simply two squares of fabric stitched together with rick-rack in the seam (the way my grandmother often used to make them). Put on your sunglasses! ♥
Do you sew or craft while watching watching TV? I do! My latest project was sprucing up an old, plain, silver barrette by wrapping it with embroidery floss and adding a little *fireworks* a-la-mode at the end. It had lots of openings for tucking and winding the floss, so I didn’t even need to use any glue . . . and . . . umm . . . yes, I just made it up as I went along. I’ve now given it to my granddaughter (and my one and only piano student!) Ally as a reward for a GREAT lesson, and it turned out to be a perfect match for her school uniforms, too. Now I want to find some more barrettes to decorate! ♥
We had a little family get-together at our house tonight, and Kira and Allyson had fun making monsters we found from Giggles Galore on Pinterest. Aren’t they cute? And I LOVE the beauty mark on the pink one! ♥
After making necktie onesies, I wanted to make a girly version, but what to put for a-la-mode? Ruffles? Flowers? No, BLING! But sweet bling, like embroidered lockets. These were super easy, too.
(1) Lay a real locket on the onesie and lightly trace around it with a pencil.
(2) Embroider the chain in gold.
(3) Embroider the “Mom” heart in hot pink and the “Dad” heart in teal blue. ♥
I’ve seen the cutest onesies on Pinterest with fabric stitched to the front in the shape of a little necktie a-la-mode for baby boys. Since I now have a bunch of ties from Dave’s closet cleaning project, I thought it would be fun to use those instead. It’s super easy! After you buy a package of onesies and run the neckties through the washer and dryer . . .
(1) Cut six inches from the skinny end of the tie.
(2) Pin the tie just under the neck binding of the onesie, upside down and right sides together, and stitch.
(3) Pin the tie down in place and handstitch to the onesie. (Click on gallery for larger photos.)
I have fun plans for the other parts of these ties, too! ♥
Remember these blue burpies I posted earlier? (Click here for tutorial.) Well, now I’ve been making pink ones as well. That’s right, we have a grandson AND a granddaughter arriving this summer! I’ll admit that I couldn’t choose among all the cute flannels, though, so I ended up getting WAY too much. Flannel baby quilts may follow soon! ♥
A good way to preserve a favorite item of clothing from a child’s preschool years is to upcycle it into a pillow. For example, with just a bit of embroidery, snipping, stuffing, and stitching, this hoodie turned into something new to cuddle and treasure. ♥
Recently I read a post from a fun blogger that included a link to an intriguing craft project I just had to try: bracelet purses for little girls. Aren’t they cute? And they’re easy, too, with the following qualifying remarks . . .
(1) The pdf for the pattern wasn’t quite true to size, so I had to enlarge it a bit.
(2) When shopping for the bangle bracelets, I was excited to find these colorful, floss-wrapped versions in the dollar bin at Michaels. Since they’re thicker than the ones in the tutorial, I added a couple of inches to the top of the pattern.
(3) I had to do a “practice run” to get it right. The first time, I sewed too far up the sides, so by the time I attached the bracelets I could barely open the bag. But the second time around (with a different pink fabric) went off without a hitch. And, after I had to cut off the handles from Attempt #1, I turned the bottom half into a cute basket for some of my vintage buttons, so no worries! ♥
My lovely daughters-in-law never cease to amaze me with their talents and creativity, including birthday party planning. I couldn’t resist posting these candy Legos that Tiffany made. They looked so real that the children at the party studied them, gently licked them, and then finally nibbled the corners before digging in. So cute! ♥
I was wondering aloud what to make for one of our sweet little grandsons for his birthday. “A ring toss game!” piped up Dave. So we put our heads together. He’d make the wooden part from a round tabletop and dowels, and I’d make the rings from embroidery hoops covered in fabric. We even used fat quarters from Grandma Vida, so it was a true family affair. Then, elementary teacher that I am, I made a pad of scoresheets that utilize the concept of tallies and counting by fives to up the challenge when he’s ready. I hope he has as much fun playing with it as we had making it! ♥
For some reason ♥, I can’t resist all the cute baby flannels at the fabric store these days. Thank you to HomemadeByJill for the great pattern and tutorial that helped me learn how to sew these rag-edge burpies. Here are the ones I’ve made so far!
After sharing The Three Questions in my last post, I just had to write about my other favorite children’s book, Pete the Cat. I’ve read it with preschoolers, fifth graders, and grown-ups, and everyone loves its upbeat message. Plus, it’s fun and funny, as shown by these two adorable little “readers.” Enjoy! ♥
After discussing our crazy schedules and hurry-up lives with some friends a few days ago, I pulled out my favorite children’s book, a retelling of a traditional story by Leo Tolstoy, and lamented that I have lately let its message slip. I WILL do better! I won’t divulge the answers to the three questions, but I will say that they can have a huge impact on your life . . . especially if, like me, you sometimes get a wee bit impatient with the unexpected interruptions that come our way. ♥
My first Year of Homemade Gifts project was for a very special little boy about to turn three years old. I was pondering what to make for him one morning and, while spraying my hair, this idea came to me. (I MUST buy more of that hairspray!) He already knows his ABCs and can recognize and name letters, so I thought a fun next step would be to learn how to spell the names of all his family members. Here’s how to make a “My Family” felt letter set:
Supplies:
Directions:
(1) Draw block letters on the felt squares, two for each letter. Be sure to use uppercase for the first letter of the name and lowercase for the other letters . . . a kindergarten teacher will thank you someday!
(2) Stitch the front and back of each letter together using a contrasting color of embroidery floss.
(3) Every few stitches, stop and put in a little stuffing until you make it all the way around.
(4) Cut two large rectangles for the tote bag. (Mine is 18 x 16 inches and holds 19 letters.)
(5) Stitch felt letters spelling “My Family” on the front of one piece of the tote bag fabric.
(6) Put the rectangles together, right sides facing, and stitch the sides and bottom.
(7) Turn down the top and stitch around it, leaving a channel and an opening for the drawstring.
(8) Turn the tote bag right side out and press if needed.
(8) Make a drawstring out of the same fabric, or use ribbon, cording, or bias tape folded and stitched. Fasten a safety pin through one end and thread the drawstring through the channel. Tie ends together.
(9) Put the felt letters into the bag, and give it to a little boy or girl you love! ♥
P.S. Besides spelling the family’s names, children can sort the letters by color, letter, or uppercase/lowercase, spell other small words (my letters also work for Mom, Dad, red, mad, lead, dare, name . . . ), and use them to make up fun new names. How about Myler, Dyan, Rommy, and Taddy?
I’d love to have a dollar for every time someone grinned and said, “You must be a teacher!” when they caught me running errands after school with stickers all over my clothing . . . lovingly applied by my first graders that day and then forgotten. So, I just had to read this post on Colossal Art & Design called This is What Happens When You Give Thousands of Stickers to Thousands of Kids. Click here to see the whole process . . . you’ll love it! ♥
