Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Glitter, Paint and a Bonnet


Is it too soon for glitter? Of course not. I scrounged around in my ample supply of crafty goodness and dug out some little ornament frames. Then we managed to find the sandpaper, so we were on our way to doing a very professional job of making these early Christmas decorations. Max, Maria and I sat outside (in the part of the yard that isn't flooded) and we sanded the rough edges of our ornaments.


Our smoothed canvases were ready for something glorious... paint, glue, glitter, feathers, wiggly eyes, sequins... the possibilities seemed limitless! We chose acrylic paints and a bit of glitter. Red, green and silver sparkles to enhance our artistic efforts.


All kidding aside, I love the earnest thought and care that children apply to their creations. Max painted his stocking with stripes and stars, and he carefully added glitter to each blue star. He talked about the grain of the wood and the paint's thickness and how it looked with more or less water. Maria was no less careful or vested in her project. She took her time, delighting in every brush stroke and carefully mixing her colors for just the right effect. She knew exactly in what order to add the glitter and were to apply it.

The next day it was my turn to play, because a pattern from "Angry Chicken" arrived. I could not resist jumping right in and making this adorable bonnet, and the real incentive was that I actually had suitable fabric on hand!


I left off the brim, which will look cute for sunny, Spring weather, and I went with this Winter-cheery red corduroy. It's an easy pattern, or at least I figured it all out eventually. I think the next one will be the easy one. The results are so worthwhile... it comes out cute, charming, comforting and a nice chill blocker.


Maria loves wearing her new hat.


I love that I found a worthy use for this precious flannel print I picked-up in Oregon. There were only 2 fat quarters of this fabric left and I was eager to use it for something special. Now it is lining her bonnet, making it soft and warm inside. I love it. I wish I had enough to line a coat. I wish I knew how to make a coat! Maybe I should pick-up Amy Karol's book!


Do you think the boys would agree to dress as Wampanoag and Pilgrims, and pose with their sister for a sepia toned Thanksgiving photograph? What? It could happen.

7 comments:

Julie said...

What an adorable bonnet.

I've mentioned you in my blog!

Janece said...

I love that fabric that lines the bonnet. So cute! I don't think I could bear to have it inside. It's so sweet. :)

I need to get more fun crafty things to do with Amira. I'm woefully lacking.

Andylynne said...

Oh I just love coming here to see what you and yours are up to. That is the most adorable hat you made for Maria. The ornaments are wonderful. Thank you for sharing!

nikkipolani said...

How soft and cozy is that flannel!! So tell me, why is part of your yard flooded?

Natalie said...

Julie, thank you for mentioning me in your blog... you put me in good company.
Janece, the bonnet reverses, but the fabric looks a little busy on her head. Since I like looking at it, I thought I should use what's left and just hang in it in a little frame... it could look cute like that.
Hi Andylynne! When are you going to start a blog?
Anne-Nikkipolani, our yard is 80% concrete :-( and the drains get backed-up so we have a small, deep lake right out the back door.

Yolanda said...

These photo are gorgeous and I love that fabric

Sabine said...

Cute girl, even cuter with the bonnet!