Lion Tail

My sons lion costume didn't come with a tail, so I made one. Here it is:

I used yarn, 6 strands of yellow, I braided it 2 by 2 by 2 about halfway down, tied a knot for the top of the tail, turned it upside down and used the braid for the middle string to make it thick. then I looped a bunch of brown strands together, tied it on the end, and cut the loops to make individual hairs.

Pirate Party

My son wanted a Jake the pirate party. Here are the invitations.

The Cake

We did a treasure map that led to different rooms in the house. Each room had a game.

The games were Alligator bean bag toss, pin the skull on the pirate ship, and the "island" walk (cake walk but stepping on islands). The treasure was hidden in a treasure box with an X on it, and inside were the party favor bags, and my sons birthday presents.

Here is where I got the ideas for the games.

http://www.awesome-kid-birthday-parties.com/pirate-games.html

The party favor bags had gummy sharks, marine animals, eye patches, rolled up coloring pages of Jake to look like a scroll, gold coins (candy/toys), and some light up rings.

Family Home Evening

I made this FHE chart for our family. I used poster board, velcro and pictures. I wrapped the pictures with clear wrapping tape, glued velcro to the backs, and the other side of the velcro on the poster. It was super easy.

Photo Family Tree

For both sets of parents I decided to make a family tree that they could update with new pictures every year. It turned out awesome! I can't wait until I'm done having kids so I can make one for myself.

Here's the basic steps of how it's done.

1. Choose picture size and cut out plastic tablecloth pieces 1/3 in. bigger on all sides (I recommend using a rotary cutter for this, to make the pieces straight).

2. Layout pictures on fabric for tree and freehand draw tree shape around the pics. That way you know they will all fit in the pattern you desire. (The picture pattern I used was grandparents as roots, then parents and original family pic on trunk, then the kids in the tree. That way as spouses and grand kids come along you can put family pics of them in their kid slot). Freehand draw a trunk and roots that fit the tree. 

4. Choose a back panel that is thick or double sided. You need something that can hold the weight of the pics and plastic slots.  I used about 2 yards for the back panel. Just depends on the family size.

5. Use heat and bond to put the tree and trunk on back panel. Then zigzag stitch around the edges to make sure it's permanent. (I was lazy and you can see all the stitching on the back of the panel. If you want you can sew on the tree and plastic slots, then sew the double sided panel together. But you have to make sure you tack it in a couple places, or heat and bond, so the panel stays connected to the back or it will become saggy).

6. Sew on the plastic slots using a denim needle. Make sure after sewing there is still enough room to slide pictures in and out easily. (If you have to rip out the seam it usually ruins the plastic slot and you'll have to cut out a new one).

6. Sew a flap along the top to put a dowel through

7. Add vinyl lettering to spell out the family name

8. Add pics and a dowel and your done!

This was a pretty intense project, but well worth the time and effort. The best part about this family tree is you can update it every year!

Another idea I toyed with was on the trunk to put the wedding picture of the parents, and a slot for a recent picture. Then you could see where they started out, and what they look like now, but decided it was too much work for me.

(closer view of the plastic slots and how their sewed on. Also the dowel and lettering.)

Tie Skirt

My friend Lacey gave me this idea for a skirt. I collected a bunch of ties from missionaries that I served with. When I got home I put this together. 

I did it really horrible, but here's the gist of it. I cut all the ties the same length, and unfolded it so I could sew the sides together. Once they were all sewed in a line I sewed on a liner and waistband. I connected the last 2 ties to make it a circle, and put the zipper there. It's a pretty heavy skirt but super fun.

Baby Clothes

Gabe wanted his baby to have clothes. This was my first try in 15 years. It turned out ok.

Game Piece Fixes

Here are some tips to fixing game pieces:

1. If its cardboard and the bottom starts to shred and won't go in the plastic holder anymore, tape the bottom with packing tape. 

2. If you don't have a plastic stand for your game pieces, use an alligator clip.