man of a thousand faces

I really like this strange nose man.

See the faces I can have him make? You can get him here if you like. Optical Toys sells quite an assortment of paper toys...like flip books, and hand-shadow puppets. Oh, I think I would like to make a flip book and maybe one of these nose people too!

little paint chip books.

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Even though our little house is made out of lovely birch wood I am always so drawn to the array of paint chip colors at our hardware store.  I love sifting through all of the names, "Sunbaked Orange, Apricot Seashell, Summer Dragonfly".  Recently, I found some that were just the perfect size for making lots of little books for my son to drawn in and for me to keep notes in. 

I punched some small holes along two paint chip samples and through some plain paper(this is a nice project for using up scrap paper that has been used only on one side!) and then did a simple blanket stitch with embroidery thread to connect the layers.

I think this would be a nice project for an older child as it involves cutting, hole punching and a bit of sewing. It is also a nice way to create something that can be used for writing in or drawing in later on. So, punch, cut, sew and doodle away!

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Last week, my Mom gifted my little son with his first pair of scissors. He had been eyeing ours with curiosity for quite awhile and was so happy when he finally received his new tool. They were blue with those nicely, rounded points, and, seeing them brought back many memories.  Among them, the smell of glue, sticky peanut butter and the sweaty brows of little children from hours at play.  

So, yesterday, after he woke from his nap, we built a fire in our little, blue stove and set to work!  I gathered some paper of different colors that I had, and also some that my son had drawn on awhile back.  He watched closely as I cut the paper in long, thin strips.  When I was finished, I held up one piece at a time and, using two hands, he snipped each one in half. Finally, I curled each piece of paper into a circle, one into the next and secured each end with a small piece of tape.

In the end, we were left with a lovely paper garland...like the ones we all used to make, I am sure!  This one, however, felt a bit more special than ones I had made before.  I loved that we made something together, that my son had the chance to learn from watching me and then to partake all on his own.  I loved that we were able to reuse some paper that had been strewn about the house and make something new and bright out of it. And really, what better craft is there than one that involves paper, scissors and tape!  

We hung the finished garland from some little saplings outside our home and they looked so cheery in the woods.  With all of the fall-colored leaves down, it was nice to bring a bit of color back into the forest... at least for a short while.

p.s. I think this could make for a nice project for anyone.  The paper could be cut into fine, delicate strips and newspaper or highly patterned paper could be used. It is such a simple project but the result has such a comforting, old-fashioned feel to it!

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