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Just in case you were wondering: You can be certain that I love Chris because I go with him to places like this
And you can be certain that Chris loves me back because he takes me places like this
And to top it all off, there is do doubt Chris’ parents love us (Hi Karen and Evan!) because they cared for our munchkins, making it all possible.
I love my family. In our house, Monday night is Family Night. We don’t schedule any other activities or sports. We spend time together — singing, praying, teaching our children about Jesus, eating yummy treats, and usually playing a game of some sort. Family Night keeps our faith strong. And it’s fun. We share the responsibilities… Which means I need a chart to help me keep track of who’s who and what’s what. I know there are a bunch of charts out there for keeping track of Family Night duties… here’s mine.
First, I hand cut a paper person for each family member and glued it to some matte board.
Then, I glued those skinny, super strong magnets to the back.
Last, I glued a piece of black paper on top of the magnets to keep them from falling off and to make the end product look a little more polished.
Now, it’s on my refrigerator. Here’s a recent video we showed the kiddos as part of Family Night.
Howdy. Isn’t that a great photo? Mostly I love that the birthday boy has his hands out in his “ta-da” pose. We have a lot of fun things going on around here… both on the home front and on the Book Bound Bindery front… making blogging a little scarce. As far as Book Bound Bindery goes: + We (Chris and I) are working on a new website that should be ready to launch in time for the holidays. This is really exciting for us. I can’t wait for you to see it. On the home front: + We painted the family room. I feel like a new woman. So… if you want regular, tiny updates on Book Bound Bindery, make sure you are a fan on Facebook. If you want to see what’s inspiring my home decorating projects, follow my boards on Pinterest. And if you want to say hi, email me.
My sister came for a visit. We spent the afternoon writing a comic. It was so fun to put it together… and then it was hilarious (but I can’t tell you why)… but maybe she will?
Visit her blog to read the whole thing. Happy Tuesday! Today’s tutorial is all about snake books. I’ve also heard these called garland books. Quick. Fun. Easy… and snake-like.
HOW TO MAKE A SNAKE BOOK Supplies: square pieces of paper (I used 6 in this tutorial)
Note: I used a paper with a pattern on one side and a solid color on the other side (to make it easy to follow this tutorial). I folded half of my squares so the pattern is on the outside and half so the solid is on the outside. The variations here are endless. Keep reading to see how it affects the end product.
Step 5: Attach together with tape, making sure to attach the head to the tail each time.
Step 6 (optional): Add front and back covers. Follow the directions on the accordion book tutorial for how to make covers and then glue them on your snake book. Step 7: Enjoy. Embellish. Share. I think these make great cards. Or you could make these into invitations for a party. Or a note in your kiddo’s lunchbox.
After you make this, you will feel super cool. Happy book making!
A few of you asked me how I made this paper flower (they were on the garland I posted about earlier this week). It’s just a paper version of my fabric flower tutorial. You can find it here. Instead of sewing the pieces together, I used hot glue. I put this little “Preschool Rules” poster together for the preschool group I’m participating with this year.
Just three rules. Be kind. Be safe. Be clean. I think that just about covers it, don’t you?
There is a clip for each kiddo. They start on green. If a child breaks a rule, I will give him a warning and move his clip to yellow. If he breaks it again, I will put him in a time out and move his clip to red. I thought maybe there are others out there participating in a preschool co-op and that maybe you would like to use this poster… Am I right? Well… Special for you: it’s a free printable. Click here to print the pdf. It’s Tuesday! From here on out to the end of the year, I will have a tutorial every Tuesday. Ready. Go.
We have a narrow window next to our front door (most houses around here do). Not a fan. The obvious solution would be to hang a curtain. But that would have required me to buy fabric and I wasn’t in the mood so instead I made a bunch of paper flower garlands to hang in the window. I have lots of paper laying around so it was a breeze to assemble. I love it and so far, no children have pulled it down…
HOW TO MAKE A PAPER FLOWER
Step 1: Cut a pile of circles.
Step 2: Cut a slit from the outside to the center of the circles.
Step 3: Dab some glue with a hot glue gun on one side of the slit.
Step 4: Squeeze the 2 sides together.
Step 5: Repeat the gluing on 2 more circles. Each time make the cone shape smaller so you have a variation.
Step 6: Use hot glue to stick them together in a stack.
HOW TO MAKE A PAPER GARLAND
Make a bunch of the flowers, paper straws, and any other shapes you want. String them on jute.
Then make a bunch of garlands because it’s fun. And then hang them in your window because it’s beautiful.
I love the time I get to spend with my three-year-old while his older brother is at school and his younger brother is napping. While I do the dishes, he likes to paint…
…while balancing on one foot.
I had an awesome weekend. My wonderful husband helped me get a bunch of projects completed around the house (hooks in the mud room for backpacks, custom broom hanger for the laundry room, bookshelf in the kiddo’s room, etc). AND, I have most of my art/pics/whatever hanging on the walls now which really helps me feel settled in this new house. We are making progress! This will be home sweet home in no time.
Those of you wonderful readers out there who have sent me your addresses should be getting excited! I have a pile of little books all ready to be shipped out. Thank you for helping make my birthday special. I like sending other people letters in the mail! So, Happy Birthday to me. If you have not yet emailed me your address, and want to get in on the celebration, you have until the end of the month (aka Wednesday)…
ps – I have a bunch of projects lined up to share with all of you. I’ve decided to bring back Tutorial Tuesdays so try to contain your excitement.  |
 Hi, I'm Sarah. I'm an artist, bookmaker and mother of three boys. This is where I showcase my custom wedding guest books, introduce new Book Bound Bindery products and share bits of inspiration. Enjoy!
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Copyright © 2012 Sarah Nielsen - All Rights Reserved |
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Step 1: Fold the square in half.
Step 2: Fold the square in half the other way.
Step 3: Fold the square a third time, making a triangle.
Step 4: Invert the fold from step 3 in on itself…
Step 4 continued: …making a square a fourth of the size of your original square. Repeat steps 1-4 with the rest of your paper squares.
