Autumn 2012 Issue

Autumn 2012

roundup of handmade fashions packing fun lunches decoupage clipboard tutorial

contents

autumn 2012

WELCOME 5 ... letter from the editor

7

WEAR - fashion trends 7... back to school roundup 38....homemade halloween costumes 101

12

CREATE - crafty tutorials 10.... clip to it!

58.... baking pupcakes 78.... create your own shadow puppets 80.... create with touch lights TASTE - cooking fun 12.... it’s time to pack those school lunches 25.... jam sessions MEET - interviews 20.... laurie berkner 46.... karen krug

20

DECORATE - home décor 36.... falling for autumn CELEBRATE - holidays & parties 42.... throwing a spooktacular halloween party

78

INSPIRE - quotes & illustrations 64.... reading GROW - child development 73.... sleep, please!

SHARE - by moms for moms 82.... house rules

Editor in Chief, Layout and Design Shannon Hanley/The Clever Kitty

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Copy Editor & Proof Reader Nicole Passeier Advertising Coordinator Linda Phrakhansa Treasurer Ahmelie Skistad Contributors WEAR..........Marissa Fischer CREATE........Linda Phrakhansa Bonnie Thomas Michelle Vackar TASTE.........Bonnie Thomas Drea Carbone Nicole Passeier DECORATE...Shannon Hanley MEET...........Taci Zahl INSPIRE.......Shannon Hanley CELEBRATE...Tali Burress GROW.........Bonnie Thomas SHARE.........Malinda Linstid CopyrightŠ modern handmade child 2012.

All rights reserved. Reproduction or redistribution in whole or in parts without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

Little Mister Moustache Shirt & Arm Warmers by Mama Runs with Scissors photography by Your Street Photography

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letter from the editor As summer begins winding down and we head into fall, the return to school is on many parents’ minds. This autumn, my eldest daughter will be starting Kindergarten.

Kindergarten! How is that even possible??

You always hear people say that kids grow up fast but, like most tidbits about parenting people may offer you, it’s difficult to truly comprehend it until you have experienced it.

And now that I have witnessed with my own eyes how quickly it really does go – wow!

Now I get why everyone says, “don’t blink – when you open your eyes again they’ll be all grown up!”

Though I’m not a proponent of never closing your eyes – sleep is very important to kids

autumn 2012 and adults alike – I do think it’s important to pause and cherish each moment, each stage, in our children’s lives.

So as you prepare to send your little one’s off to school (either again or for the first time), be sure to not get too caught up in the future, the next stage of their lives, and take some time to focus on the present.

Spend some time together...listen to some music, do a fun project, or read books together. Relish in all that they are now.

Shannon Hanley I love to hear from you!

Send your comments and letters to editor@mhcmag.com.

Shannon Hanley lives on the coast of southern Maine with her husband and two daughters. She works during the day as a floral designer, and from home at night as an artisan dabbling in many mediums, from knitting and felting to jewelry making. Inspired by the vibrant colors and beauty of nature, she loves creating things that are both fun and functional. You can find out more about Shannon and view her work online at www.thecleverkitty.com and www.thecurlykitty.com, and read her blogs at thekittypad.blogspot.com and fromhousetohomemaine.blogspot.com.

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picks by Marissa Fischer of Rae Gun Time to stock up on the apples to give to your favorite teacher and get those first day of school outfits ready.

Spring/Summer 2012 路 MHC 路 7 spotty red apple baby bodysuit by tadpole creations

left to right:

a is for apple shirt by peace love and kids, apple shirt and pants set by room to romp, apple surprise t-shirt by villa hunter, apple a day twirl apron skirt by laken and lila, wool apple hat by my market stall

by Linda Phrakhansa of Though Very Humble Materials:        

Plain clipboard Scrapbook Paper (two sheets) Pencil Scissors Small Foam Brush Mod Podge (glossy) Acrylic Paint (optional) Assorted Ribbon

Directions:

As a kindergarten teacher, I rarely leave the classroom without a clipboard. It holds my daily schedule, notes from parents, and any stray pieces of paper that I might lose.

Clipboards are great tools for moms and older students, too. Learn how to make a fun and cheerful one for a teacher, mom, or student in your life!

10 · MHC · Autumn 2012

1. Lay the clipboard on top of your first sheet of scrapbook paper.

Trace the outline of the clipboard with a pencil. Repeat for your second sheet of paper. I chose two sheets that have a similar co l o r scheme.

2. Carefully cut along your lines. Because

clipboards have a clip at the top and hardware on the back, I trimmed about an inch off the top of the paper to make gluing easier.

3. Using a foam brush and Mod Podge, glue one piece of paper onto the front of the clipboard.

Allow to dry, then glue the other piece of paper on the back side. When both sides are dry, go over them with two coats of Mod Podge to seal the paper and create a glossy look.

4. Paint around the hardware with your choice of acrylic paint. I used pink paint, and then I used orange paint for small dots. When the paint is dry, you can seal it with a coat of Mod Podge.

5. Tie scraps of ribbon along the clip for a cute look.

6. Give the clipboard to someone special or make more for yourself!

Linda Phrakhansa is a kindergarten teacher living in Texas with her future husband Michael and their pug Sophie.

Linda enjoys illustrating people and animals, lettering posters, and sewing girls' hair accessories.

She sells illustrations through her Etsy shop, Though Very Humble.

Autumn 2012 路 MHC 路 11

by Bonnie Thomas and Drea Carbone

I

t sounds like a simple task, but it can actually be quite challenging. Children do not have much time to eat their lunches at school which means your job is to pack a lunch that is not only nutritional, but can be eaten in a timely manner. If your child is a picky eater or has food allergies then packing a lunch that your child will eat is even more of a conundrum.

Let’s look at common complaints from care providers about packing cold lunches.

“My child is a picky eater” “My child has food allergies and/or a particular diet” “My child talks so much at lunchtime that he or she is not eating enough at school” “My child takes medication that makes him or her not hungry during the school day” “My child is too anxious to eat in the cafeteria or at school” All of the above circumstances result in a child who may not be eating much during the school day. There are tricks and interventions to get around this, however. 

Give your child a protein packed breakfast that will last them through the school day if they do not eat anything more until late afternoon. Yogurt and protein smoothies, breakfast meats/vegetarian breakfast proteins, eggs, cheeses, and nuts can be added to breakfast to bolster the longevity of nutrition through the day.



Pack what your child will eat. The children above are not the ones to pack items for that you hope they will eat. Just pack what they will eat. Worry about the veggies and fruits and nutrition packed foods for when they are home.



Make their lunches more interactive and creative—some children are more likely to eat foods they do not feel like eating if the foods are fun to play with. There is a list of ideas at the end of this article.

Autumn 2012 · MHC · 13

On the other end of the spectrum are children who are constantly hungry and wanting to eat. Many children lead busy lives outside of school that include athletics and sports, piano and other instrument lessons, clubs and active play. These particular kids need a lot of extra fuel! Sugary foods in their lunches can make them grouchy and burn out quickly, so it’s important for these (and all) kids to reduce the amount of sugar and corn syrup in their lunches when possible.

Try sticking to wholesome, filling foods that are also fun to eat.



Apple slices, pretzel sticks and animal crackers with “dip”. Some kid-friendly dips are nut butters, yogurt, and flavored applesauce. Fruit salsas are also a great option with multi-grain tortilla chips or pita chips.



Don’t forget the classics — a thermos of soup and a half sandwich makes a great fall and winter lunch. You can also pack other thermos-friendly foods such as macaroni and cheese or leftovers from the night before.

Use cookie and sandwich cutters to create fun-shaped sandwiches

14 · MHC · Autumn 2012



Seasonal fruits and veggies add vitamins and natural sugars. Be careful about buying pre-packaged fruits, as many are sitting in sugary syrups.



Choose any pre-packaged foods wisely, as many of these foods contain a d d i t i v e s , preservatives, artificial food dyes and a lot of sodium.

Do your homework and reduce as many pre-packaged foods that you can.

C ra c ke rs with cheese slices will sustain your child’s appetite further than prepackaged crackers with cheese spread, for example.

You may find that if you eliminate some of the prepackaged foods with healthier premade versions you make yourself, your hungry child will need fewer snacks.

Use toothpicks to create mini people out of fruit and vegetables Autumn 2012 · MHC · 15





Tangram Sandwiches: Cut your child’s sandwich into tangram shapes.

Include a diagram of a tangram picture in their lunch for them to create with sandwich pieces.

Puzzle Sandwiches: Use a puzzle piece cookie cutter for sandwiches, or simply cut the sandwich into different shapes. Your child can put the puzzle together before eating.



Construction Sandwiches: Cut sandwiches into “bricks” and triangles. Your child can create a “brick” wall or house with their sandwich pieces.



Robots, Monsters and Animal Sandwiches: Cut tortillas or other sandwich bread into various shapes. Put chopped veggies, dried fruit and small cheese shapes in a separate container for them to design a certain character, i.e. spinach tortillas are great for c r e a t i n g monsters, frogs and insects.

Silly Faces: Mini rice cakes or bagel chips make perfect mini face shapes.

Pack some nut butter or cream cheese along with a container of small chopped and sliced fruits and veggies for them to create silly faces. 

Mini sandwiches created using whole wheat tortillas and cheese, rolled up and sliced for a snail shell. A grape and almond slivers were used to create snail faces.

16 · MHC · Autumn 2012

Before: Packing a lunch for making faces.

Bagel chips and various slices and chunks of vegetables and fruit can be used to create funny faces. Make sure to pack some nut butter or cream cheese for spreading on the face beforehand.

After: Faces created using bagel chips, cream cheese, raisins and vegetables Autumn 2012 路 MHC 路 17



Create themed lunches on special occasions. Here are some examples: 







Roly Poly lunch—everything in the lunch is rolled up, i.e. tortilla sandwich wraps or rolls, ham and turkey rolls, cheese sticks, and a fruit roll up.

Choose a shape themed lunch, i.e. all heart shapes or star shapes.

Create a color theme and pack everything in the lunch to go with the color. This can be especially fun on team spirit days at school.

Create a Mystery Lunch where all the food items are a clue to something, like a child’s favorite book or movie.



Write notes to your child and leave them in their lunchbox. 

For children who are not reading yet, you can draw a picture instead.



Write a riddle or joke for them to figure out.



List “I Spy” items in their lunches to find, i.e. “I spy something red” or “I spy something that starts with the letter S”.



Ask your child a question on his/her note and include a pencil for them to write back.

You can keep this dialogue going from one lunch to the next.

Here are some haikus about school lunches….because we love haikus.

Writers reflect on hot lunches from another decade: Grey mystery meat, canned spinach with vinegar, white bread. Seventies.

--Tami York

I always asked Mom for a red hot lunch ticket.

She was insulted.

--Chris Adams

Food on little trays, everything had its own spot, but my milk was warm.

--Laura Dolce

My glass thermos broke, Partridge Family embossed.

Fluffernutter drenched.

--Kellie Smith

18 · MHC · Autumn 2012

Fruit Salsa Ingredients: 2 cups of fresh strawberries 1 mango 2 kiwis 1 apple 1 pear 2tbsp apple butter (you can use apple sauce in a pinch) ¼ cup sugar (or less, up to YOU) 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions: Simply chop up all your fruits! Just like regular salsa, you can make this chunky or thin it out with smaller cuts. Mix in your sugar, apple butter, and a splash of lemon juice, and you're good to go!

You can add more fruit ... blueberries, raspberries, grapes, etc. This is the basic "favorite" recipe.

Drea Carbone is a Bonnie Thomas is the nanny in the author of two books Washington, DC focusing on creative self area. She loves to expression with children create art in all and teens: “Creative forms, not just with Coping Skills for Children: food! She has two Drea & Bonnie E m o t i o n a l Support shops on Etsy: BunnyBeads, Through Arts and Crafts featuring her handmade Activities” and “Creative jewelry, and BunnyBaubles.

Expression Activities for Teens: featuring her handmade hair Exploring Identity Through Art, accessories. Drea lives in Craft and Journaling”. She is also Virginia with her dog, Jack, a mom, a child and family and fish, Rutherford. counselor, an artist and a writer.

Autumn 2012 · MHC · 19

interview by Taci Zahl of Pish Posh Style

If you think that children's music singer Laurie B e r k ne r i s t h e m o s t t al ent e d , wond e r f ul , l o v i ng ar t i s t and mother, I can tell you that you are totally right.

She recent ly delighted us wi th a mini Q&A. I have been a fan of Laurie for 6 years and recent ly told my husband that we will have to cont inue having kids un t i l I o u t g r o w h e r. My d au g h t e r an d n i e c e k i n d l y wa i t e d w i t h m e i n l i n e i n 9 0 d e g r e e Fa h r e n h e i t h e a t t o get her autograp h - probably one of my lif e’s highlights. She hugged, kissed and listened to every single child in that line. She loves her fans, really and truly , and brings joy to children and their parents a l i k e . H e r m u s i c h a s m a d e m e a b e tt e r m o m , a n d I know count less other parents who f eel the same.

Taci: Talk to us about handmade living...We know you love to cook! Do you like to create as well?

Laurie: Yes, I do love cooking. I've also really enjoyed exploring other ways of relating to food like canning tomatoes, growing my own herbs and worm composting. I also like to knit and sketch, and I enjoy making pottery (though I'm not very good at it).

Taci: What are some of your favorite sites and/or blogs for learning how to make new things?

22 路 MHC 路 Autumn 2012

Laurie: I don't actually read blogs looking for projects too often, but one site that I like a lot for learning how to make new things is NaturalHomeandGarden.com. They often have really eco-friendly suggestions of ways to be creative.

Taci: Why is creating with kids so important?

Laurie: We are all filled with so much possibility. Encouraging creativity in our kids is a beautiful way for them to express themselves, discover their own interests and

Autumn 2012 路 MHC 路 23

abilities, and stretch their imaginations.

Giving them the freedom to create builds confidence and allows them to watch the ideas that start on the inside become reality.

I have to be careful sometimes because I have a constant battle that goes on around encouraging Lucy's creativity. She is always making up great games, starting an art project, or taking apart one of her toys to use the pieces for another creation. This makes for a fair amount of chaos in our

living areas. I love all of the ideas and projects that she has going, but sometimes I get driven crazy by how many piles of things there are all over. Does anyone else struggle with this? For now I hope she keeps letting her imagination go, and in the meantime, I'll only invite people over who won't judge me.

Taci: What is your favorite parenting quote or philosophy?

Laurie: My philosophy would be: Always take the time to listen to your kids.

Especially when you're feeling impatient with them. I don't think our kids should make decisions for us, but I find it's so easy to misconstrue what they are thinking that it always helps (particularly as I feel my blood pressure rising) to take an extra moment and actually listen to what my daughter is saying – and truly consider it. I'm almost always surprised at what I hear.

And the best advice anyone ever gave me on parenting was, "Never take anyone else's advice." He pointed out that only we know what's best for ourselves and our kids, so we should do what feels right to us, not what someone else thinks is right for us.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Want to know more about Laurie and hear her music? Check out her website, facebook page, and youtube channel!

24 ¡ MHC ¡ Autumn 2012

by Nicole Passeier of Magic Rainbow Dreaminx

“Hello and good day, dear Gentlereaders and Lovers of nature and all things handmade...thank you for joining me. I am Nicole, your Nature Correspondent for MHC, and today, I am coming to you live & exclusively from deep among the Blackberry Thickets in the Berry Wilderness. Only two weeks have passed since I returned from my exciting explorations and adventures into the forests...the forests where I discovered “The Rich Raspberry Trail”. “The Raspberry Trail” pulled me deep into its magic...and by way of it, deep into the forest, too...and for all of two hours, I wandered along, relishing in the peace and quiet around me and the beauty of these fantastic, delicious, sun-filled power balls, picking berries here and there, on and off, watching and observing their surroundings and nourishing myself with a most superb Raspberry Forest Picnic...but I am digressing here. The point is: it is Full Summer, the Year at its Peak and its Best, and nothing...well, hardly anything...stops me now from enjoying the riches Mother Earth provides us with...her nurturing and nourishing...and the sweet and deep, soulful connection that is ever present when I am in this very intimate communication with Nature and

her offerings. It is all there. Out in the open. In the fields, wild orchards or meadows with scattered fruit trees. Abundance for everyone. Everyone who chooses to see it and to appreciate it. Sometimes the offering is ignored (or maybe just unnoticed?), sometimes neglected. Is it for free?

Well, this is something for everyone to find out for themselves. Do I have to invest something? Definitely. For me, it is free of charge only in the way that I am not giving an exchange in the form of money (aka as “paying”). An exchange of energy though, I do give. It is based in the “Universal Law of Give and Receive”. (I stopped using the phrase “give and take” a while ago on purpose, as the “take” factor involves an undertone of lack mindset, of “I want it, so I am taking it.” This phrase simply does not work for me anymore.)

There are many ways of giving back in exchange for the harvest riches I have been blessed with. It is a kind of exchange that has mainly been forgotten in our society. Gratitude, respect, mindfulness, saying a prayer of thanks, leaving a little offering to Mama Earth and the Plant Spirits, time, effort, appreciation, kindness, gentle steps and soft movements to keep the plants and their surroundings as intact as possible and above and beyond all: a loving heart.

Besides, the atmosphere ‘out there’ is so much more nice, more relaxing and nourishing than that of a supermarket. I am granted the sweet, melodic chirping of birds and one or the other cricket concert from among the tall grasses. Berries, fruit, herbs...fresh off the bush, the tree, or the plant...their taste is awe-inspiring and beyond comparison, and if I listen and look closely, with my heart rather than my eyes, I can find a whole Universe of Magic and Abundance and Benevolence and Friendliness and Love in one “tiny” woodland strawberry. Tiny in size, maybe, but grand in the Power within! That is what truly counts.

And with this, I am interrupting this live broadcast from among the Blackberry Thicket for now. I will be back shortly and join you again from the coziness of my home with a few more goodies. Thank you for staying tuned! I am Nicole, your Nature Correspondent for MHC.” harvest basket of the year: full of summer riches and autumn abundance. All we have to do is dive in.

S

oooo, one hour, one kilo, a couple of ‘endearing’ Blackberry Bush Hugs, some thorny scratches (...talk about investment here...ha!), two broken off roses found on the ground, and a heart full of gratitude later, I am now back from today’s full and succulent summer adventure, to share with you some ideas on how to draw upon the riches of summer even more, especially as a family.

Summer Solstice has passed, and at the moment, Nature is in its transition phase from summer at its height to approaching autumn. We are moving out of this summer’s peak into the gentler, calming waters of autumn, which means in this transition phase of the seasonal cycle, we currently get to enjoy the fullest, richest, juiciest, most succulent and most diverse

One of my personal favorites – besides eating the freshly picked fruit and veggies – is to preserve my summer’s findings by making jams. I totally love when my inspirational “jam session muse” kicks in and speaks up and gives me a nudge as to which combination of fruit and herbs might work.

(Think along the lines of: Rhubarb & Rosemary, Apple & Fresh Thyme, Strawberry & Fresh Basil, or Blueberry & Coriander.) But I am not here to provide any specific recipes, this article is more about some basic ideas and, most of all, about how to take the “stressful work” association out of the fruit picking and washing and cutting and preparing and cooking, and how to make “jam sessions” an exciting adventure and loads...or jars...of fun.

Highly crucial to any activity: Make it a fun, relaxed, happy, entertaining, joyful experience for your child. You will very likely benefit from it, too. Maybe even re-discover your own (long-lost) jam making joy anew!

Autumn 2012 · MHC · 27

Fruit Picking

&

harvesting



Grow and pick your own whenever & wherever possible: your or your friends’ or neighbors’ gardens (their permission granted, of course!), wild orchards, meadows with fruit trees, plantations, the forest, etc. Become creative in locating new sources. Take a local map and mark the spots where you have found fruit, e.g. cherry trees, apple trees, elderberry bushes, raspberries, hazelnuts and walnuts on your walks. Use different colors for the different kinds of fruit.

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Choose home-grown and organic over industrially processed, supermarket-bought whenever possible.

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Turn your fruit picking into a happy little photo session: picking, stretching, showing the ripe fruit, their trees or bushes, their leaves...tasting, laughing, playing, grimacing, and smearing your face. Turn your photos into a summer collage to remember this summer jamming throughout the remainder of the year. Use your photos to make Jar Labels & Tags (see page 30).



The “Pick”-Nic: plan a pick-nic together, get your picnic equipment together, and take some extra boxes, crates, buckets, and bags for your harvest. Maybe you’d like to take some Harvest story books with you to read from to your children during the pick-nic. The picnic will be the main focus, the fruit picking being a pleasant side effect.



Organize a fruit hunt: send your children on different missions, i.e. have them each pick different kinds of fruit and/or vegetables, and then, at a specific time, gather again. Each family member will be given time to talk about their personal fruit picking adventure, the details, the challenges, the characteristics of their plant or tree or bush. Collect your harvest in one spot, look at the colors, and the amount – and most of all quality – of what you have found. Revel in all the good & the abundance, Nature & Mama Earth have provided your family with! Enjoy this moment of togetherness and connectedness.

28 · MHC · Autumn 2012

The family tradition 

Create your own traditions. Involve each family member.



Call in a Jam Session on an ancient holiday/festival day on the Wheel of the Year and create seasonal or special occasion jams around events like Summer Solstice, Equinox, Full Moon/New Moon, 1st of the Month, or a special someone's birthday (then the jam could be a gift for Christmas), or simply invent a special event of your own.



Get creative with – and be brave about the outcome of – your or your child's combinations of veggies, fruit, herbs, etc.

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Turn your children into Special Detectives on a Secret Mission: stretched over the summer & autumn (or the whole year if you like), every week, provide them with a question to be answered, a riddle to be solved (which, of course, centers around nature, plants, trees, the seasons and timings). Give this activity an exciting name: Observation Sunday, Fruit Mission Monday, or anything else that meets your and your children’s tastes, and thereby slowly and playfully gets them into a habit of mindfulness, of observing nature, making connections between types of weather, which trees and plants bloom at what time, the sequence of fruit ripening during the summer and fall, etc.

Have them take notes – like a real detective does – of their evidence and findings. Have them record a voice journal using a dictaphone or mp3-player and draw sketches of the clues and traces they find out in the fields, even if they cannot identify them yet...let me correct myself here: especially if they cannot identify them yet. It will all fall into place in its own time. They can research further on these yet unidentified evidences; you can research together, ask family, friends, look in a dictionary, or search the internet. These notes can later be collected in a Special Mission Report (aka Journal of Clues, Evidence, & Notes aka Fruit & Veggie Calendar) which comes in handy in the following year. Then, not only will they know what is about to bloom, to ripen, to be ‘on’ in any given month, they can also double check, verify, and validate their findings and results from this year. Make it fun. Make it playful. Make it gentle.



Choose one fruit, veggie or herb for the whole family, or choose a different fruit, veggie or herb (or flower) for each family member. For a whole month, do some research on it.

Learn everything about this fruit you can possibly find. Become a specialist. Then gather again, and share your findings with the other family members.

Autumn 2012 · MHC · 29

Various ideas for unique, handm



Basic materials: colored paper or cardstock, (garden) magazine pages, pens, pencils & markers, stickers, glue stick, scissors, thread/wool scraps/raffia/satin ribbon, needle or hole punch



Use and cut photos from your “Little Photo Session” (see page 28: Fruit Picking & Harvesting, bullet point #3) for individual and personalized jar tags.



Cut fruit/veggie images from magazines, glue onto cardstock, punch hole, loop thread. If you find large pictures, great! Simply cut into several small pictures, making sure that there is a piece of your fruit(s) in each picture section (see photo above). With a marker, add type of jam and date of making to the tag.

30 · MHC · Autumn 2012

made labels. Kids will love being involved in this! 

Be as sophisticated and elaborate or as rustic as you wish: make tag templates using a ruler or draw tags freestyle, cut specific shapes or simply tear paper or cardstock into random shapes.



Pick a cardstock color that matches the fruit(s) in the jam. For example: 

for Strawberry*Basil, I drew a basil leave onto green cardstock, and a strawberry shape onto deep red cardstock, then I cut out both shapes, wrote the jam name and the date and year of making onto the strawberry shape, and attached both pieces stacked on top of each other to the jar.



For Strawberry*Lavender, I went for random cardstock scraps, turned them into random tag shapes in two colors: red + lavender to represent the two main ingredients.



Draw one fruit or several different types of fruit, scan, multiply spot illustrations as needed. You can either color in on the computer and print onto cardstock, or print onto cardstock and color with markers, colored pencils, crayons, etc. Then glue onto another piece of cardstock for stability, cut around the fruit shape, and glue onto a ribbon wrapped around the jar (see photo below, jar on the left).



Bonus Benefit for Tags: with tags, you save yourself a lot of hassle trying to wash labels off the glass once the jam jar is emptied. You can even repurpose your tags the following season or the next after that – just change the date or glue a blank piece of paper over the old date.

Autumn 2012 · MHC · 31

Special Gifts 

Any jam you make for, or on, a special occasion, deserves a special name. Here are some ideas to get your imagination going:       

Summer Solstice Jam - ‘Strawberry’ Uncle Chester’s Jamming Birthday Blackberry & Pear Composition Uncle Joe’s Berry Jamming Birthday Composition Aunt Jemima’s Celebratory Birthday Jam - Apple & Thyme Radiant/Bright Full Moon ‘Peach & Lemon Balm Leaves’ Moonstruck Peaches & Mangoes (or Peach & Mango Go Moonstruck) Dark Moon Raspberry (or Raspberrying Dark Moon)

Extras for Gift-Giving: Sew some Stuffed Felt Strawberries, Blueberries, Banana Slices, etc.

Pull thread through top or stitch onto ribbon and decorate the jar.

32 · MHC · Autumn 2012

More Special

&Tasty Treats

Use the sun’s power & energy and dry your own fruit.

Peel an apple, cut in thin slices or rings, place a cookie sheet onto a rack, lay out apple slices evenly on the sheet (if you place your fruit directly onto the rack, it has a tendency to get stuck to the rack bars), place rack in a dry, sunny and safe spot. If you find too many insects hovering about, either place an airy cover over the rack or move the rack inside your house. If you keep your fruit outside for drying, be sure to take them inside during the night.

Let dry for a week or two – depends on the kind of fruit, on the thickness of the slices, on the intensity and amount of sun, the humidity, etc. Simply check every now and then – you can feel it. Once dried, store in an air-tight glass jar with a lid.

Once you have tasted your own home-dried apples, you will want more. So even when you think you have cut more than enough apples, you can bet you should make another batch.

Mark my words. A year until the next harvest season can be very long, and the oh-so-veryyummy-and-tasty-sun-dried-apples can be gone so very quickly. I have made dried apple pieces for the past couple of years now, and I am always running out of apples too soon. I have found they are a great snack – and healthy, too – for longer rides in the car. Especially, if I am in the driver’s seat. You can also try pears, peaches, plums, and apricots. Whichever fruit you go for, deseed or pit the fruit.

In case you are lacking summer heat and summer sun, you can always dry your fruit in the oven: at 50°C for 3-5 hours (again, it depends, so you will have to check every now and then.) Leave the oven door cracked open a tiny bit, as there will be quite a bit of water condensation. If you go for this method, just keep in mind: this method is energy intensive! Always opt for the natural sun-drying process if at all possible. Oven-drying is only the second choice, and yet, better still than buying industrially processed dried fruit.

And now, let’s get jamming...

Nicole is a creative and crafting soul from Northern Germany. She has many talents and interests and has dipped her toes into many fields, creativity being the common denominator of them all. Today, she’s happiest with her cat, her love, being close to Mama Earth whenever possible, remembering what’s really important in life...and, of course, letting creativity flow. Enjoy her creations and accessories at MagicRainbowDreaminx.etsy.com.

Autumn 2012 · MHC · 33

Do you love Pinterest? We sure do! We’ve been having a great time pinning all kinds of handmade goodness and crafty fun to our boards. Come check follow us on them out and join us at pinterest.com/mhcmag!

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clockwise from top left: my favourite spo boo, changing color leaves mobile by f canvas growth chart by 123 grow with m toy by rhymes with geek, custom name custom wooden letter block set by the blo 36 路 MHC 路 Autumn 2012

ot in autumn cushion by belle & flutter and twirl, personalized me, wooden squirrel and acorn e wreath by a continual feast, ock shop (suzan kiernicki) Autumn 2012 路 MHC 路 37

T

candy corn dress by lilypotamus 38 路 MHC 路 Autumn 2012

here is something special about a handmade Halloween costume. While there are some great options available on sites like Etsy, today I want to give you some tips if you are considering trying your hand at making your family's co st umes yourself. Every Fall, I make a couple hundred costumes, so you might say that I have s o m e experience.

I have learned a few tricks, and I want to pass them on to you.

by Marissa Fischer of Rae Gun Consider Your Time Know Your Skill Level First, regardless of how involved or simple of If you are not already comfortable with a a costume you want to make, set aside extra sewing machine, keep in mind that you don't time on top of what you think it will take. necessarily have to sew to have homemade You don't want to be stuck with a half costumes. It's one thing if you want to use finished costume the day before Halloween this project as a learning experience, but when the stores have already been picked make sure you select costumes that over. Also, think about how long you need correlate to your skill level. You don't need this to last. If it's just for the night or the to stress yourself out by forcing yourself to weekend, make sure the time and energy sew. You can easily make cute costumes by you invest is proportional. Lots of people try cutting cheap articles of clothing you already to do costumes all out with lining and lots of have on hand or find at a store. For example, time consuming detailing, but most of these Peter Pan or a Pirate can be made by taking an oversized T-shirt, cutting some points out of the bottom and tying it with a sash. And the sash doesn't need to be sewn – a strip of fabric will do the job just fine. Also, fabric glue will do the trick in many instances. If you do want to sew ,make sure you pick a pattern that feels "doable", and also keep in mind that different fabrics can be more difficult to work with than others. When you go shopping remind yourself that you will come across bumps in the process. Try to keep things simple so that you have more time to deal with any unexpected difficulties that may pirate captain costume by polar costume polaire arise.

Autumn 2012 · MHC · 39

costumes are going to be on kiddos in bad lighting moving very fast so the detailing might not even be noticed. And it's a guarantee that the kids won't care a wink over imperfections and shortcuts. Don't kill yourself trying to reach perfection if these are just for a day or two. Unless you plan on the costume being an heirloom, Halloween costumes should be functional.

You Don't Have To Start From Scratch Don't underestimate the power of embellishing premade clothing. Try to use items you already have or can purchase from a store. It's easier, faster and you'll probably get more wear after the trick or treating is done. You can sew or glue fabric or felt to make a contrasting tummy, owl feathers, dinosaur scales or more to a sweatshirt that will probably get more action than a lot of other costumes.

baby sushi costume by the wishing elephant

hedgehog costume by beau miracle 40 路 MHC 路 Autumn 2012

If you've got girls, consider taking advantage of the tutu costume trend. Tutus are super easy, cheap and quick to make. Throw on some cat ears for a cute kitty, or make her a princess with a crown and scepter. Pretty much any girly costume can be made with a few accessories and a tutu.

Plus you'll have a cute tutu to play with after Halloween is over.

Consider Your Purpose Finally, for those of you who will be doing some sewing, you can do things simply.

There is no reason for crisp clean edges on costumes that are only going to be worn

thing 1 tutu costume by addie kat shop

once. My niece's dwarf costume was made in about 20 minutes. I just sewed shoulder and side seams, cut a big V and strip of fabric for the sash. I made the hat with two weirdly shaped triangles and she looked darling. Think about what is necessary and if you don't want or need this to be something fancy smancy, save yourself some time and energy and simplify. While there may be a "right way" to do things, if your family is anything like mine, you're short for time and Halloween costumes are for fun. So keep the experience fun for yourself and think of ways that you can keep things simple. There really is no need to hand sew a hem when it can be done in a flash on a machine.

Marissa is a designer living in Salt Lake City, Utah. While she is supposed to be finishing up a PhD in philosophy, she enjoys cooking, crafting and creating in all forms. She prides herself in being an aunty to two little girls who are her inspiration for her clothing line found at raegun.etsy.com. Learn more about her at raegunwear.com.

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Kids of all ages love Halloween parties. They get to arrive in their fav activities. I have designed some fun (and free!) party printables that y four party essentials: water bottle wrappers, cupcake toppers, a welc printables as PDFs on our MHC Download page where they are availab For assembling your party decorations, you will need:  Heavy, bright white cardstock (80 to 110 lb weight paper is ideal)  Paper Slicer  Scissors  Magic Transparent Tape or Glue Stick or Double Sided Tape  4 inch Lollipop Sticks or Toothpicks or Wooden Skewers  Circle Punch (optional)  Hole Punch  Tulle, ribbon or thread

Printing & Cutting Tips Be sure to set your printer to best quality or go to a print/ copy center and print the files there.

Also, to get neat straight edges, cut the decorations using a paper slicer (as opposed to scissors) .

Water Bottle Wrappers When you cut the labels, do not cut any of the sides, i.e. make sure your rectangle's length stays 8½ inches, even if your printer did not print to the edge of your paper.

Peel the existing label off the water bottles. This will leave some stickiness on the plastic bottle which will help your new labels stick a bit better.

Wrap the new labels around the bottle and use a little bit of tape (use the magic transparent tape) or use a couple of dabs of a glue stick or double sided tape on just the paper that overlaps.

vorite Halloween costume, play with other children and enjoy festive you can print and use to decorate your Halloween party. Included are come sign to hang on your front door and a banner. You can find these ble for free download.

by Tali Burress of A Party Studio Cupcake Toppers Cut into squares (or use a 2 inch circle punch).

Attach to 4-inch lollipop sticks or toothpicks with a little bit of tape.

These can also be used as tags for party favors.

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Party Welcome Door Sign You can simply stick this on your front door using some double sided tape.

Alternately, you can punch holes in the corners, thread with tulle or ribbon and hang on a door hanger.

Banner Cut the square pennants and punch a hole in the top right and top left hand corner. For best results, be consistent with where you punch the holes. What I like to do is use some scrap paper to make a template. Mark your first hole on the template and punch a hole. Now use the template on the actual square letter. For the opposite side, flip the template over. This ensures that the hole is in exactly the same location. Once you have punched the two holes in your first letter, you can place this letter over the other ones to mark where you are going to punch the rest of the holes. Now you are ready to thread ribbon or tulle through the holes.

Sticking to a black/white/orange color scheme keeps decorating very easy, and the stores are usually loaded with lots of Halloween items that could easily coordinate with these decorations.

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Fun Party Activity Ideas Depending on the age of the children you expect at your Halloween party, here are some fun activity ideas. Ideally, you should set up two to four stations with an adult willing to help out at each station (or ask parents to help their children as they go from table to table): 

Decorate little pumpkins with stickers, glitter glue, paint, etc. Have a Sharpie handy to write their name on the pumpkin so they can take it home with them at the end of the party.



Set up a jack o’ lantern station, complete with stencils and cutting tools. There are loads of stencils available for free online. This could be messy, so think about setting up a table outside and cover it in newspaper for easy clean up. If you have a large group, it may be better to stick with the pumpkin decorating/ painting instead.



Cookie decorating is always a big hit. You can bake some round sugar cookies or buy pre-made ones from your local grocery store. Set out different colors of frosting, sprinkles and some candy for the kids to use. Remember to have some plastic knives or spoons handy for spreading the frosting. For the candy, think along the lines of mini M&Ms, jellybeans, Twizzlers cut into small pieces, etc.



Set up a tombstone table. Print out enough tombstones so that you have one for each child and a few spares. Alternately, you could cut headstones out of Styrofoam. On the table, place paint (gloomy light blue, grey, white), paintbrushes, a collection of crayons, felt tips, glitter glue, fake little plastic insects, etc. Let the kids decorate the tombstones.



You can get the kids to sit in a circle and enjoy a couple of Halloween stories.

Choose books that are short and have fun illustrations. Plan on only spending about 15 minutes reading to the children to hold their attention. Some good options are Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams and Thirteen Nights of Halloween by Rebecca Dickinson. Check out your library’s Halloween book selection.

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interview

by Taci Zahl of Pish Posh Style

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Taci: Karen, we are so happy to have you in our magazine. Please tell us all about yourself, your family, where you live, etc.

Karen: I’m a mom of 3 active teenagers, ages 13, 15 and 17, a wife to my husband Kyle for 21 years now, and owner of two companies: A sewing school – Just SEW You Know and an e-pattern business called Little Stitchers’ Pattern Company. We live on the outskirts of Atlanta, GA in a city called Peachtree Corners. Life is very full, and we are very blessed!

Taci: About your shop – how did it start? How long have you sold on Etsy?

Karen: The pattern business became an offspring of the sewing school about 1 ½ years ago. Ever since starting the sewing school 6 years ago, it has been a challenge finding patterns available on the market that are written for kids (ages 7 and up) to actually follow and understand. The patterns are either too vague, too complicated, or written in hard to follow, confusing sewing lingo. I thought to myself, adults would have a hard 48 · MHC · Autumn 2012

time following, so how are kids going to be able to? Then about 3 years or so ago, I started noticing and purchasing e-sewing patterns on Etsy that were written by women like me. These contained real color photographs of the steps and no-nonsense instructions.

Some were amazingly well written and some were not. What I took from all these e-pattern examples was the idea to write my own patterns so kids could follow the instructions from home – either with help from an adult or independently.

When you teach as many kids as I do each week, you come to realize what they like and do not like to make, their attention spans, and what their skills and expected abilities at this age are. I chose the first 5 projects that I knew were popular among the students and began writing the patterns for them. Each pattern takes many, many hours to construct as you have to photograph every step, edit the photos, write the instructions, edit the document, test it on students, edit some more and then

finally publish and add to the Etsy shop. I’d like to have 100 patterns in my shop, but would have to clone myself to find the time to write them all! As it is, we have 17 patterns and plans to add more soon.

make. Students love it, but I hear back from more grown-ups that purchase the pattern how much they’ve enjoyed making it.

Taci: Can you tell us some of your students’ reactions to the shop?

Taci: What is your hottest pattern?

Karen: Our hottest selling pattern is the Spiral Notebook Cover (2 sizes). It’s one of my personal favorites to make as gifts for friends and family. There are no two that ever look alike, it’s a great scrap-fabricbuster project, and it’s quick and fun to

Karen: My students are very lucky because they get access to the Little Stitchers’ patterns as well as others (we have accumulated nearly 200 now!) when taking lessons or attending camps. I also have a growing group of students who only attend my sewing camps in the winter and summer due to other extracurricular activities and therefore are purchasing the patterns to keep busy on their sewing machines at home. The responses to my shop & the patterns from students and parents have been nothing but positive and encouraging.

Taci: Let's talk about sewing. We discussed once how it has become a lost art and how many moms cannot teach their children to sew so they bring them to you. Talk about that, if you will.

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Karen: Sewing is a life skill that used to be taught in school. Who doesn’t remember Home Economics in Junior High?

Unfortunately, with budget cuts, many subjects like this have been eliminated from our schools. It’s up to us now to teach rising generations how to sew. While some moms can teach their children to sew, others cannot for several reasons. It could be that some were part of the skipped generation whose mothers and grandmothers all sewed but never taught them. Or it could be that today’s mom knows how to sew but lacks the time or patience to teach her kids. One

thing is for sure, it’s such a great way to bond with your kids! My daughter has been sewing since she was 8 and now, at 13, she and I spend countless hours in the sewing room together. We work side by side together making gifts for friends and family. Shopping for fabrics and inviting her friends over for some sewing fun are weekend highlights for us.

Taci: I am teaching my 6 year old to sew by hand. Is there a step by step or project by project way to teach her more effectively, or is it best to let her interest guide her?

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Karen: How sweet that you are teaching your 6 year old how to sew by hand! That is a wonderful start – no heavy machinery just yet! It’s a great way to teach patience, too. The only hand stitching we do at our sewing school is sewing on buttons, whip stitching the opening to a pillow or stuffed animal closed, and the running stitch to embroider faces on projects. To be honest, most of the students dislike hand stitching!

Once they’ve learned how to use the sewing machine, they only want to use the sewing machine! If I were in your shoes, if you haven’t already done so, I would purchase an embroidery hoop, some embroidery thread & needles, and draw lightly with a pencil a simple design (or first name) on

54 · MHC · Autumn 2012

plain colored (white or cream) muslin fabric.

Show her the basic stitches to fill in the pencil lines. When it’s time to move on, you could look for age-appropriate kits at a fabric store to inspire her further. Then break out the sewing machine, look into sewing lessons in your area OR utilize some Little Stitchers’ patterns! The Super Duper Easy Wallet and Book Mark patterns are the best first sewing projects for any child.

Taci: What are some of your favorite projects to do with kids? How about your favorite projects personally?

Karen: One of the best things about owning a sewing school and pattern business is that the students always keep you energized and in tune with the latest trends. They feed me ideas, I research and then design a pattern and figure out how to either make it on my own or with the help of t h e o n- l i n e community. While I love sewing just about anything with kids, my favorite projects would be the ones that can be made within their ability, do not drag on forever (and therefore lose their attention and

patience), and upon finishing p u t a humongous smile on their faces. What do I like to sew personally?

Seeing as all my spare sewing time goes into developing new sewing projects for the school and eventually the pattern c o m p a n y, leaving little time for personal projects, on occasion, I’ll sew w i n d o w treatments for my home and make a block or two for my first quilt in the works.

Wish there were more hours in the day to do more!

Taci: What other hobbies do you have besides sewing?

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Karen: My hobbies, other than sewing, include vegetable gardening in the summer, exercising, traveling, camping, decorating, cooking, and doing anything crafty.

Taci: Share your top favorite blogs please!!

Karen: I’ll admit, I am not a big blog follower! I know I’m missing out. To be honest, I just can’t sit still long enough in front of the computer or iPad to read all the blogs I know I’d enjoy. After attending to all the administrative business at my desk and on my computer each day, my body starts to get stiff, and I feel guilty I’m not cleaning the kitchen or walking the dog or doing something more useful! I stumble upon many blogs through Pinterest which keeps

me in the loop. It’s enough for now. There is one I’ll mention that just cracks me up. It’s called “People I want to punch in the throat”. I check in with this blog, written by a really funny, down-to-earth mom, about once a week for a good laugh. It’s a great diversion!

Taci: What will we be seeing in your shop from now until Fall?

Karen: New Little Stitchers’ patterns coming this fall will be: Coffee Mug Cozy, Mini Composition Notebook Cover, Friendly Little Monsters, Pajama Eater (you store your PJ’s in it during the day), a Dog Collar Bandana, and a fun new hand bag that we call the Squaretastic Bag. All the pattern pieces are made; I just need to write the patterns now!

Exclusive offer for MHC readers!

The first 25 readers to like Little Stitchers’ and Just Sew You Know on Facebook and leave a comment get a FREE pattern of their choice*. *You will need to contact Karen through her Etsy shop to tell her which pattern you want.

Offer expires October 31st, 2012.

Taci Zahl is a Minnesota Mom of two kids aged 5 and 3. She recently left her long-time career as a Preschool Teacher and currently works as a Client Stylist with custom photographers. She is an Etsy enthusiast and handmade crusader, and you can find her at pishposhstyle.com and her personal blog at www.icelollyloons.com.

Autumn 2012 · MHC · 57

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O

by Michelle Vackar of Hi Mamma

ur family adopted a puppy last December, and the dynamics of our home have changed slightly but in a good way. Ollie has grown from a little puppy with long legs and big paws to what we think may be almost full size, but in all honesty we are not for sure – there are some days that he just looks a little taller. Day or night, our big puppy thinks he is still the same size he was when we adopted him, and he will cuddle on our laps. He loves to chase the leaves blowing in the wind, run with a weed that may have been pulled from the garden, or better yet, any vegetable or herb that may have been laid in our garden basket to take back inside the house. We love him, and he is very much a part of our family. We make special treats for him and find the cutest accessories and supplies for our Ollie.

My daughters love to make these two recipes that we are sharing with you. Ollie absolutely devours the Pumpkin and Peanut Butter dog biscuits. Pumpkin is a good source of vitamins for dogs, and helps your dog not eat their “leave behinds” in the yard. They love the taste of the pumpkin puree but not the smell of it in the yard. Odd, I know, but I learned about this “secret” from my mom who was reading in her dog literature various tips for puppies and grown dogs. At first, I was somewhat skeptical but in all honesty it has been working.

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Ingredients:

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour 2 eggs 1 ½ cups canned pumpkin puree ¼ cup peanut butter ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ cup of water – we typically use between ¼ and ½ cup of water depending on how the biscuit batter turns out. Sometimes it has been thicker than others, so we adjust as needed.

2 cups whole wheat flour 1 cup rolled oats ⅓ cup peanut butter 1¼ cup water

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Tip: other flours can be substituted if you do not have whole wheat flour. I have heard of families using unbleached, brown rice flour for their dogs – I have not tried it but have heard it works just as well.

Directions: Note: The directions for both recipes are the same, with the exception of the baking time as noted in step 4.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 ° F. 2. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

3. Lightly flour your counter top and roll out the biscuit batter to about ¼ inch thick. Then select you favorite cookie cutter, and cut out the biscuits. Place the shaped treats on a greased cookie sheet.

Tip: One thing we have learned is that it is best to have a longer shaped cookie cutter, in just that you do not want the biscuit to get caught in your dog’s mouth. So currently we have been using our large dog bone cookie cutter. For holidays, we have changed the cookie cutters used (i.e. for Valentine’s Day, we used a large heart shape cookie cutter).

4. Bake in the oven. The Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits should be baked for 20 minutes, however, depending upon the thickness of the dog treat, you may need to bake them longer for crispness. The Rolled Oats and Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits should be baked for 40 minutes.

5. Once cooked, allow them to cool completely before feeding to your canine friends.

In terms of storage, we have kept the biscuits out on the counter top a little less than a week. But around day five, we place them in the refrigerator for roughly three weeks (if we have not gone through them all). The reason why the biscuits are placed in the refrigerator is due to not having mold grow on them since they are all natural/preservative free. They also can be kept in the freezer for up to three months.

A native Indiana Hoosier, Michelle Vackar lives with her husband and two daughters.

Michelle loves to create handmade projects for the home and with her daughters, where their goal is to do art projects every day. Michelle’s creations can be found at www.himamma.etsy.com and at her blog at www.himamma.com.

Autumn 2012 · MHC · 61

Being the lovers of dog accessories and supplies for our Ollie, we th quality handmade items for your do

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hought you might enjoy seeing some ogs!

opposite page, clockwise from top left: dog treat bag by my outdoor mom, mosaic leash holder by animal instincts, custom red dog collar by little dog’s closet, dog crate cover by bow wow beds, reclaimed wood dog dish holder by vintage lumber, personalized pet id tag by id4pet, pet-mat by too cute custom crafts this page, clockwise from top left: eco-friendly dog toy by wag rags, reversible cobra weave paracord dog leash by top knotch gear, personalized dog treat jars by lucky pups, dog bed by puppy pillows plus

Autumn 2012 · MHC · 63

collection by Shannon Hanley of The Clever Kitty

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

- Dr. Seuss

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Reading Corner print by Carolyne Tillery - Oh Hello Dear

Educational classroom poster by Susana Parada - Parada

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Discover print by rkdisgn88

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”

- Haruki Murakami

Treasure of Reading print by Rachelle Ann Miller

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“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”

- Chinese proverb

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Story Time archival watercolor print by Tracy Lizotte

We Love Books print by Meytal Ron - Jolinne

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Leisure Reading print by Loxly Hollow

“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.”

- C.S. Lewis

Read to Me print by Heather Stillufsen - Rose Hill Design Studio

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“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”

- Charles William Eliot

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Girl Reading print of watercolor by Rachelle Levingston

by Bonnie Thomas

kimono pajamas by the singing sparrow

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A

s a counselor and a mom, I frequently hear about parents’ frustrations and concerns regarding their children’s sleep, or lack thereof. Many times there are changes (small to large) that a parent can make to improve the child’s frequency and quality of sleep, such as: 

Establish a bed time that meets the needs of your child and stick to it. As a parent you probably know how much sleep your child needs to feel his or her best, but if you are unsure, you can always speak to your child’s pediatrician about how much sleep is best for your child’s age.



Keep electronics with screens out of the bedroom (TV, handheld electronics, video games, phones).



Limit screen time, especially after 3pm. This will help your child’s mind wind down well before bedtime. Give them choices for other activities instead—building and construction blocks, coloring, crafts, looking through a basket of books, finger painting, play dough, building a fort with pillows and blankets, playing with stuffed animals and dolls, etc.



Limit or eliminate unhealthy foods. Additives and preservatives in commercially made foods can add to children’s anxiety, hyperactivity and behaviors. Choose organic and local foods when you are able. When you do need to buy commercially made goods, make sure you read the ingredients and know what you are putting in your child’s body.



Create a consistent and predictable evening routine. This will ensure that your child has, and learns to read, the cues that bedtime is approaching. In general, predictability reduces a child’s stress. An evening routine might look something like this:  Wash hands  Sit down with family for dinner  Pick up/quick chore time with family  Craft, puzzle or game time with family  Snack time if needed  Bath/shower and brush teeth  Get into jammies  Get blankie and/or stuffed animals ready for bed  Story time with mom and/or dad  Hugs and kisses  Time for sleep

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For some kids, all they need is a consistent bedtime routine such as the above. Other kids, like my own, evade sleep like the swift little sleep ninjas they are. For kids such as this, you may need to kick it up a notch. Try the above with these added strategies: 

Play quiet music or meditation stories on CD while your child is falling asleep. Here are two of my favorites:  Indigo Ocean Dreams: 4 Children's Stories Designed to Decrease Stress, Anger and Anxiety while Increasing Self-Esteem and Self-Awareness by Lori Lite  Ambient 1: Music for Airports, by Brian Eno



Read stories at bedtime that teach your child how to relax using yoga, visualization and meditation:  Yawning Yoga, written by Laurie Jordan and illustrated by Aaron Randy  Sea Otter Cove, A Relaxation Story, written by Lori Lite and illustrated by Max Stasuyk  Relax Kids—Aladdin’s Magic Carpet and Other Fairy Tale Meditations for Princesses and Superheroes, written by Marneta Viegas  Peaceful Piggy Meditation, written and illustrated by Kerry Maclean  Starbright—Meditations for Children, written by Maureen Garth

girls rose pajamas by little trinket boutique, owl pajama pal by craft, interrupted Autumn 2012 · MHC · 75

boys bicycle pajamas by little olly, pajama eating pillow monster by baby bcp 

Spray linens and/or the bedroom with lavender before bed. Or try using lavender infused pillows.



Put on a fan or a white noise machine.



For children afraid of the dark or monsters, try the following:  If your child does get any time with television, video games, and movies then make sure it is appropriate for your child to view. Media geared at children can still be scary and upsetting to some children. Know your child and know their limits. 

If your child is afraid of monsters, let them know that many kids develop a fear of monsters around the age that their imaginations are developing and growing. Assure them that monsters are not real. Spraying Monster Spray and doing other rituals around keeping monsters away will only feed into their fears that monsters are real.



Agree on a check-in time with your child that you will come in and check on him or her to make sure he or she is settled in and asleep.

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

Show your child how much fun the dark can be. This can help desensitize your child around fears of the dark and help your child develop positive associations to the dark.  Get books from your local library on making hand shadow puppets, then try making them with your child. 

Let your child read books in the dark using a flashlight, battery operated lantern, or other fun light.



Show your child the wonders of black light—do science experiments with black lights (you can find activity ideas online).



Make a shadow puppet theater with shadow puppets on sticks. Have story time on special nights using shadow puppets you and your child have made.



Make a dream catcher together and hang it over the child’s bed.



Have a flashlight scavenger hunt (can be indoors or outdoors). Tell your child to find things with the flashlight, such as “See if you can find something green” or “find something that starts with the letter M”.



Purchase specialized lights and lamps (such as lava lamps) that your child can turn on only at bedtime when you leave the room and say goodnight.

And yes, if need be, snuggle them to sleep. This is not always a popular opinion, and I have certainly had my share of psychotherapists and counselors disagree with me on this. But there are some children who just need mom and/or dad close by in order to let go of the stimulation and stress of the world enough to fall asleep. So be it. This was the case with my own child, and when I finally let go of other people’s expectations and just listened to my own child’s needs, I started to see a child who was getting more frequent, better quality sleep. For him this meant co-sleeping. Was it worth it to see him get a good night’s sleep? Absolutely.

If you try these strategies and your child is still struggling to fall asleep (or stay asleep) then talk to your child’s health care provider about it. There are times when medical and/or mental health issues can affect your child’s sleep, so it’s best to seek professional support when issues of any kind become persistent and prolonged.

Autumn 2012 · MHC · 77

by Bonnie Thomas

Shadow puppets are puppets that make use of silhouettes. The shapes are typically simple and unadorned, and attached to a thin wooden dowel.

It takes practice to get a feel for drawing a character’s features using so little detail, but try it out on scratch paper first and then move on to the black card stock when ready.

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Materials needed: Black cardstock Pencil Hole punch Wooden skewers Scissors Tape Flashlight

1. Draw your character’s shape on the black paper. Animals can be easy to start with due to their simpler lines and characteristic shapes. For example, elephants, fish, octopus, birds, etc….all have body features we recognize in silhouette form. We can identify them via shape alone.

2. Cut out the shape using scissors.

3. Use hole punches to add detail. For example, round hole punches are good for making eyes. Moon shaped punches are great for making mouths, scales (for dragons, mermaids, or fish), and waves in hair. Square punches can be used to make rivets on robots.

4. There are two ends to a wooden skewer—one end is sharp and the other end is blunt. Tape the sharp end of the skewer to your shadow puppet.

5. Make sure no tape is overlapping on the puppet. Trim off any excess tape.

6. When it gets dark (or if you have a dark closet), shine a flashlight behind your shadow puppet and you will see the shadow on the wall.

7. Make as many shadow puppets as you like with your child. Create stories and have fun with the characters. Keep your shadow puppets stored in a jar on a shelf for easy access.

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by Bonnie Thomas

N

ightlights and touch lights can be helpful for children who are afraid of the dark. Touch lights are lights that you tap to turn on and off. They also run on batteries so there are no electrical outlets to worry about. I especially like using these in hallways where kids can tap them on as they head to the bathroom and tap them off as they return to bed.

You can turn touch lights into themed décor to fit your child’s interests. I use construction paper and simple designs so that themes can be switched around often if needed. You can use a single or several lights to create “pictures” your child will enjoy.

Touch lights are typically round, so think about using the lights as part of a picture you can create with round shapes. Here are some examples:

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Create a race car or monster truck with construction paper and use the Touch Lights for wheels

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Make an animal using the Touch Light for its head

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Create a Glow Bug (see picture) or Glow Worm using Touch Lights as the body

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Make a Touch Light snowperson in Winter

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Create a garden of flowers using Touch Lights as the center for the flowers (see picture)

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Make a Touch Light solar system.

Touch lights can be used as moons, planets, or

Bonnie Thomas is the author of two books focusing on creative self expression with children and teens: “Creative Coping Skills for Children: Emotional Support Through Arts and Crafts Activities” and “Creative Expression Activities for Teens: Exploring Identity Through Art, Craft and Journaling”. She is also a mom, a child and family counselor, an artist and a writer.

clockwise from top left: tulip night light by mcb glass studio, hobbit house night light by the mud mom, circus elephant upcycled light box by the rekindled page, happy butterfly night light by attractive pieces, garden fairy house night light by suzanne’s pottery farm, sun mason jar solar powered night light by raines883, fused glass night light by slj glass Autumn 2012 · MHC · 81

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by Malinda Linstid - SimplyFun

ast year, my moms’ group did a craft that top it off, I’ve been stressing over not only consisted of creating a canvas to display our what to write, but how I want the final family rules. I wasn’t able to make that product to look. What color theme best meeting, but my wonderful group saved one represents my family? What font should I of the blank white canvases for me. I still use? How embellished should it be? What if have it…and it is still blank. I had a comment I choose a color theme and then get new recently about the “bold curtains and throw the statement of that delicate balance of tonal hue artwork” hanging starkly for the whole house off? bare against my “roasted What if I make a mistake – it red pepper” colored wall. I will be preserved for all of admitted that it was really humanity to view for all of hanging on the wall to stay eternity – eek! (There was not only safe from my that time I forgot an “m” in family (Miss A: 2 years old, “Mommy” on a piece from a Miss M: 1 year old, paint-your-own-pottery shop Bismarck the dog: 10 years in my town. I now chalk the old, the Hubs, and yours times I ding out on truly), but also as a something to a “Momy reminder that I wanted to Moment”.) get that little task done. house rules sign by expressions wall art But really, this isn’t anything Why haven’t I gotten that craft completed? new in my current season of life called Many reasons, my friend. Not least of which mothering – figuring out what to say and is the fact that I just can’t seem to come to how to say it. Phrasing things delicately yet terms with setting something that I created firmly is a pretty constant problem. If my out for all to see. Words are very important toddler won’t eat her pasta but is whining to me. They are a fundamental means of for a cookie, I may feel like saying, “Listen, communication, and this project is not just kid, I made this food for you, we’re on a artwork, it is my family’s worldview budget, and it has whole grains in it – all of displayed in a way which enables others to your nutrition for the day is wrapped up in easily view and interpret for themselves. To this tasty nugget of food lovingly prepared 82· MHC · Autumn 2012

by yours truly…eat it”. But, really, my precious baby won’t quite get the point, so I attempt to figure out a way to communicate effectively with the little pip. Typically, I end up saying something to the effect of “Five more bites and then you can have a cookie”.

There are plenty of people who will jump in right away and let me know that I’m either doing irreparable damage to her psyche or supporting her as a wonderfully loved goal achiever. Statistics can be manipulated in numerous ways. However, right now, I know that I’m working on her numbers, filling her belly with nutritious food, and helping her work toward her goal of a cookie while simultaneously hitting my goal of less wasted food and/or leftovers.

When I was pregnant, I did what many an expectant mother does – I did my research. I read books, asked questions of other moms, observed parents and their interactions with their own kiddos, relied on past babysitting experiences, and surfed the internet. When Miss A was born, all those hours of research went out the window. I realized that I’m her mother. Her MOTHER. She isn’t going to be raised by some author living in California, or some doctor that contributes articles to a website – she’s going to be raised by her father and me. So, all of those “hard and fast rules” became suggestions and simple information from an outside perspective.

Coming back to my current challenge of the blank canvas, I know that I simply need to get my family rules together and display them on my wall. It may not be the prettiest

display of prose, but it will be heartfelt. Rule number 1 for my family: “Do all things in love with a loving heart.” I think that is a pretty all-encompassing rule…especially since I know I will have to draw on many a skill in order to effectively handle many a difficult problem. I’m guessing there will be problems relating to manners, apologies, or attempting to eat the soul food that is served at meal times. However, doing it all in love is the fundamental value our family is built upon.

Recently, I have forgotten to put a diaper on Miss A at bedtime, stressed over the fact that Miss M’s teeth take f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to come in, wondered when the Hubs and I will get an off-site date night, and have glanced all too often at my wall and thought that a wordy visual person really needs a wordy visual reminder that this is all part of my wonderfully blessed life. I know these kids will grow up and make their own rules one day. However, until that time comes, I’m the boss. That means that I get to make up the rules of my house. That also means that I have the coveted ability to change the rules if something isn’t working! Heck, I can even change the artwork around. Today, though, I am endeavoring to raise my kids in such a way that they become strong, confident, and most importantly, loving adults. Of course, they would be adults who play by the rules.

Whether these rules are posted prominently on a “roasted red pepper” wall or simply written on their hearts, won’t matter. This one rule will always remain: they will always be loved beyond comprehension.

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