Toys, Family Room, Games

Memory games of all types have long been a favorite of children. This version has children matching acorns of the same color. Besides enhancing memory skills, color recognition, counting and sorting abilities, it also encourages agility and dexterity in wee hands. And, because they are beautiful, they add to the warmth and charm to any room!

To make your own you will need:

12 wood bean pots - 1 5/8"
12 wood acorns - 1 3/8"
sandpaper, fine
wood stain (optional)
wood paint
beeswax finish

Note: All materials used should be non toxic and child safe.

IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING: The acorns are small and considered a choke hazard. Although generally it is recommended that small parts should not be given to children under 3 years of age, we highly recommended you do not give small parts to any child that still puts toys in their mouth, no matter how old they are!

Using fine grit sandpaper, sand wood pieces smooth. Wipe off to remove any saw dust.

Using a non toxic, child safe wood stain, stain the inside and outside of the bean pots and the caps of the acorns. I found it easiest to use a hard bristle paint brush to apply the stain to the acorn caps.

Note: If you prefer, you can choose NOT to stain the wood or you can pick a lighter colored stain. In this tutorial I am using Walnut Soy Stain but you might want to use a lighter color like Fruitwood. Whatever your choice, the end project will be beautiful :)

Choose 6 different colors of paint and paint 6 pairs of acorns different colors. 

When the paint and stain are thoroughly dry, seal the wood with a Beeswax Finish.

HOW TO PLAY THE WOODEN ACORN MEMORY GAME

Place the 12 acorns in the 12 bean pots. Mix up the pots.

The first player removes 2 acorns from the pots. If they don't match, the acorns are put back in their pots and the play passes to the next player.

If a player matches 2 colors, the play keeps the two acorns and the play passes to the next player. 

Play continues until all the acorns have been matched.

OTHER IDEAS FOR USING THE WOODEN ACORN MEMORY GAME

Of course, children will come up with their own ways to use the bean pots and acorns :) The pots and acorns will undoubtedly be moved to play kitchens, the acorns can be used for counting and sorting, and, bean pots can be stacked to make impressive towers. 

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2012. All rights reserved.
 

Patterns may be used for personal use only. If you are interested in obtaining a Cottage Industry License so you can sell items made from our patterns, information can be found HERE.

Photos: 4-14-12, 4-14-12

NOTE: Kits for this project will be available in our shop Monday, 4-23-12 :)

Who can turn flowers into fairies, a dog into a dragon, and a pesky sibling into a troll? Children, of course! With just a flick of their wrist and the help of a magic wand, ANYTHING is possible and probable :) And, if the wand is a beautiful flower, all the better!

To make your own want you will need:

Flower Fairy Wand Kits from Wee Folk Art's Shop [Available April 23]

Note: Kit includes 100% wool felt, cotton embroidery floss, sandpaper square and dowel rod. To finish the project you will need crafting glue, embroidery needles and stuffing.

~OR~

Materials:
wool felt (a light and dark matching color for the petals, green for the leaves, and yellow for the center)
embroidery floss (colors should match the large petals, the small petals and the leaves)
1/4" grosgrain ribbon in 3 colors each 24" long (green, yellow and a color to match the outer petal.)
12" of 1/4" dowel rod
embroidery needles
crafting glue
paint for dowel rod (optional)
beeswax finish (optional)
stuffing
copy of pattern found HERE

Note: All materials used should be non toxic and child safe.

MATERIALS AVAILABLE IN WEE FOLK ART'S MARKET PLACE:
Flower Fairy Wands Kit
embroidery needles
Crafting Glue
Wood Paint
Beeswax Finish

Directions:
Make a copy of the pattern and cut out felt as follows:
2 large petals (light)
2 small petals (dark)
2 leaves (green)
2 flower centers (yellow)

Note: For tips on cutting out felt click HERE.

Note: For stitch glossary click HERE.

I recommend that you cut out the 2 large petals together. They will be stitched together later and cutting them out together will make for the best fit.

After cutting out the 2 large flowers, carefully open up the flowers so they are a mirror image of one another. Make a mark on the inside between 2 petals on corresponding spots. This is where you will later sew on the ribbons.

On the front of each (2) large petal(s), applique the remaining pieces to it in the following manner: (Use the pattern as a placement guide.)
Using a running stitch and 2 strands of matching floss, sew leaves to large petal.
Using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of matching floss, sew small petal over leaves.
Using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss that matches the small petals, sew center
to the small petal.

Cut each piece of gross grain ribbon in half so you have 6 pieces 12" long. Take 3 different colored ribbons and tack them together at one end. Do the same to the remaining 3 ribbons.

Tack the ribbon clusters to the inside of the 2 flowers on the marks you made earlier. Make sure you do not go all the way through to the front side.

Matching the inner markings and ribbons, with wrong sides together, pin or staple your 2 large petals together.

Begin at an inner petal junction. Using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of matching floss, sew the 2 large petals together. Stop at the inner petal junction 1 petal away from the start. Securely tie off the thread, but do not cut. This space will be used for stuffing the flower and inserting the dowel rod.

Lightly sand one end of the dowel rod rounding the edges.

Paint the dowel rod green. NOTE: It is not necessary to paint the dowel, but by painting it green, it looks more like a stem :) If you do not paint the dowel, finish with a Beeswax finish to prevent the wood from drying out.

Stuff the flower. Do not overstuff. You want to make it look "puffy" without straining the outer blanket stitch. Note: You will not be able to stuff the unstitched petal until you stitch it together.

Put crafting glue on the end of the dowel rod that you did not finish. Place glue on 1" of the rod.

Insert the glued end into the flower, positioning it so the rod will be centered in the beginning inner petal junction.

Using a blanket stitch and the attached piece of floss, sew up the remaining petal, stuffing as you go.

You can leave the streamers long and simply trim the ribbon ends on angles or you can cut the ribbons to various lengths.

Patterns may be used for personal use only. If you are interested in obtaining a Cottage Industry License so you can sell items made from our patterns, information can be found HERE.
 

photos: 12-4-11, 12-11-11, 3-27-12, 4-9-12

NOTE: Kits for this project will be available in our shop Monday, 4-23-12 :)

Who can turn flowers into fairies, a dog into a dragon, and a pesky sibling into a troll? Children, of course! With just a flick of their wrist and the help of a magic wand, ANYTHING is possible and probable :) And, if the wand is a beautiful flower, all the better!

To make your own want you will need:

Flower Fairy Wand Kits from Wee Folk Art's Shop [Available April 23]

Note: Kit includes 100% wool felt, cotton embroidery floss, sandpaper square and dowel rod. To finish the project you will need crafting glue, embroidery needles and stuffing.

~OR~

Materials:
wool felt (a light and dark matching color for the petals, green for the leaves, and yellow   for the center) 
embroidery floss (colors should match the large petals, the small petals and the leaves) 
1/4" grosgrain ribbon in 3 colors each 24" long (green, yellow and a color to match the outer petal.)
12"  of 1/4" dowel rod
embroidery needles
crafting glue
paint for dowel rod (optional)
beeswax finish (optional)
stuffing
copy of pattern found HERE

Note: All materials used should be non toxic and child safe.

MATERIALS AVAILABLE IN WEE FOLK ART'S MARKET PLACE:
Flower Fairy Wands Kit
embroidery needles
Crafting Glue
Wood Paint
Beeswax Finish

Directions: 
Make a copy of the pattern and cut out felt as follows: 
     2 large petals (light)
     2 small petals (dark)
     2 leaves (green)
     2 flower centers (yellow)

Note: For tips on cutting out felt click HERE. 

Note: For stitch glossary click HERE.

I recommend that you cut out the 2 large petals together. They will be stitched together later and cutting them out together will make for the best fit.

After cutting out the 2 large flowers, carefully open up the flowers so they are a mirror image of one another. Make a mark on the inside between 2  petals on corresponding spots. This is where you will later sew on the ribbons.

On the front of each (2) large petal(s), applique the remaining pieces to it in the following manner: (Use the pattern as a placement guide.)
     Using a running stitch and 2 strands of matching floss, sew leaves to large petal.
     Using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of matching floss, sew small petal over leaves.
     Using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss that matches the small petals, sew center
     to the small petal.
 

Cut each piece of gross grain ribbon in half so you have 6 pieces 12" long. Take 3 different colored ribbons and tack them together at one end. Do the same to the remaining 3 ribbons.

Tack the ribbon clusters to the inside of the 2 flowers on the marks you made earlier. Make sure you do not go all the way through to the front side.

Matching the inner markings and ribbons, with wrong sides together, pin or staple your 2 large petals together.

Begin at an inner petal junction. Using a blanket stitch and 3 strands of matching floss, sew the 2 large petals together. Stop at the inner petal junction 1 petal away from the start. Securely tie off the thread, but do not cut. This space will be used for stuffing the flower and inserting the dowel rod.

Lightly sand one end of the dowel rod rounding the edges.

Paint the dowel rod green. NOTE: It is not necessary to paint the dowel, but by painting it green, it looks more like a stem :) If you do not paint the dowel, finish with a Beeswax finish to prevent the wood from drying out.

Stuff the flower. Do not overstuff. You want to make it look "puffy" without straining the outer blanket stitch. Note: You will not be able to stuff the unstitched petal until you stitch it together.

Put crafting glue on the end of the dowel rod that you did not finish. Place glue on 1" of the rod.

Insert the glued end into the flower, positioning it so the rod will be centered in the beginning inner petal junction.

Using a blanket stitch and the attached piece of floss, sew up the remaining petal, stuffing as you go.

You can leave the streamers long and simply trim the ribbon ends on angles or you can cut the ribbons to various lengths.

Patterns may be used for personal use only. If you are interested in obtaining a Cottage Industry License so you can sell items made from our patterns, information can be found HERE.

photos: 12-4-11, 12-11-11, 3-27-12, 4-9-12

I woke up at 6:00 Monday morning with an idea. I must dream in crafts, because I often wake up with some scathingly brilliant or totally lame idea... my dreams don't always transfer well to wakefulness! Anyway, I knew I wanted to add something to Bug's Art Supply Messenger Bag, and somewhere in the night I decided to make a key chain of sorts instead of appliqueing a design on the bag. It didn't take me long to decide what I wanted to make. Bug Loves Legos, and is currently into the Ninjagos.

So, I drew out a pattern based on his favorite character, Kai. I am so pleased with the way it turned out and I think Bug is going to love it! Do you have someone in your life that is into Legos? If you do, this might be the perfect gift to whip up... just in time for the holidays :)

The original post, Bug's Christmas Gift, can be found HERE.

Materials:
Felt
Embroidery floss
2 split rings (key rings)
Copy of the pattern

Note: If you haven't done so already, you may want to read How to Cut Out Felt.

Note: Our stitch glossary can be found HERE.

Make a copy of the pattern.

Cut out the pieces out of felt. Note: When you cut out the hood, your background felt will become the face of the ninja. Pick out the background color you want for the face.

Begin by laying out all the pattern pieces on the front background.

Remove all the pieces except the arms and hands. Pin or staple them in place. Sew the hands on using a running stitch and 1 strand of floss. Sew the arms over the hands with a blanket stitch and 2 strands of floss.

Sew on the body using a blanket stitch and 2 strands of floss.

Position the hood on the body. Using a disappearing marker, mark the opening of the hood. Remove the hood, and draw on the eye brows and eyes using the pattern as a guide. Using a stem stitch and 3 strands of floss, embroider the eye brows. Using a detached chain stitch and 3 strands of floss, add eyes. 

Sew on the hood using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss around the outer edge of the hood, and using a blanket stitch and 2 strands of floss, sew around the hood opening.

Add the chest detail: Add the belt, then the ties, using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss. Sew on the small face using a running stitch and 2 strands of floss. Add the eyes, nose and mouth using a straight stitch and 2 strands of floss. Using a stem stitch and 6 strands of floss, add the roping. (Note: I didn't get a photo at this stage

If you wish to add initials to the back of the key chain, do it now using a stem stitch and 6 strands of floss.

With wrong sides together, blanket stitch the front to the back using 2 strands of floss. Cut out a small circle for the key rings. (This will become an eyelet.) Using a blanket stitch and 2 strands of floss, embroider around the entire eyelet. Keep your stitches close together to give strength to the opening. To reinforce. you can go around the circle a second time.

Put one of the key rings through the eyelet. Put a second key ring through the first and attach it to a bag, keys, etc.

"Go Ninja, Go Ninja, GO!" Okay... I know this song is for a VERY different group of ninjas, but I couldn't resist this piece of nostalgia ;) Ya' gotta admit, it's a hoot :)

EDIT: This giveaway is now closed. The winner will be announced Monday, November 28. Good luck to all :)

A few weeks ago we had a lovely new sponsor quietly join our family... Sarah's Silk. Actually, Sarah isn't new to Wee Folk Art. She hosted a wonderful giveaway last spring. But now, she has a permanent spot on our blog, so whenever you are HERE, you are just one button push away from visiting her wonderful shop :)

Very often interviews are done to introduce sponsors. Since we already did that in the spring (you can read about that HERE), we thought we would do something a little different. Sarah sent us one of her Starry Night Silk Scapes to test drive. We had 3 very eager guinea pigs! Below are a few of the ways they incorporated the silk scape into their play...  

Indoors... by draping it over their play stand, they created a lovely reading nook. That night they read books under the stars, using flashlights to read by. Camping indoors... totally awesome :)

Michelle decided SHE had the perfect spot for the new silk scape... flowing over a window! I love silks on windows!

Silk Scapes also make beautiful table clothes. We also have Sarah's Rainbow Silk Scape that is used everyday!

Or, can you jump over it?

If you "miss", it's your turn to hold an end of the Silk Scape, but that is just as much fun :)

And, just because it feels so good, you can run... trailing a trail of silk behind you!

Silks are an important part of the wee one's daily play. They present endless opportunities for open ended play. From the large silk scapes down to the mini silks, children will find ways to incorporate them into their play. As a matter of fact, the last time the Little Lady was here, her favorite toy at Gammy's was the silks. Even before heading for home, Meghan placed an order for their own stash of silks. I was sent these pics shortly after their visit. I am told she is seldom without a silk :)

Obviously, we are humongous fans of Sarah's Silks. Here's one of the ways that I like to display/store my silks. I change them out with the seasons.

So, after singing the praises of silks... I bet you want your own (if you don't have any) or more (if you do :) Luckily, Sarah is hosting a giveaway. YAY! One lucky winner will receive their very own Starry Night Silk Scape!