Off Topic Thursday - The best DIY toddler/preschooler toy!

Everyone's got cabin fever around here, so i'll let you in on something that has entertained my son for hours on end. I went to a play farm years ago with my son and out of the pony rides, carousel, train, hay rides, and animals, he liked the corn table best, time after time. The lightbulb went off and I made him his own. He was under 2 when I made it, and he's played with it just about daily since, and he is now 4 1/2. Every child (and some adults!) that comes to my house is drawn to the corn table.
To make it, I chose an under the bed storage container, but you can use just about anything that's long and shallow... a sand/water table, or even an old drawer. Mine has a lid, which my friends with corn eating babies like ;) I also added dried beans at some point for a different texture, and Jack likes to separate them out, then mix them back in. Whenever he seems to stop playing with it, we just switch out the toys in it, and it's new again! Sand toys work best, and buckets & scoops are a must. Some people like to make sensory tables with rice, but rice is harder to pick up, and I would be unable to clean it. When the corn gets dusty (or hairy, like it did when we had our dog), I just held a sand sifter over the corn & held the vacuum attachment up to it. The question I got the most, especially when he was younger, was "how do you keep him from throwing the corn all over?". I told him if he threw the corn he couldn't play with the corn table. He threw the corn twice, and both times he got removed from room with the corn table for 5 minute (pure torture, lol!). He never threw the corn again because he wanted to keep playing.

Jack at the play farm, circa 2007

YummyEarth giveaway winner

The winner of the YummyEarth organic gummy bears, according to Random.org, is #12:

"Cindy Brick said...

I also became a fan on facebook..."

Congratulations Cindy!

Tutorial Tuesday - recycled wool tissue cover

I had made some tissue covers for Christmas presents, as some of you may remember. I had made a rectangle, and sewed it up, but I just wasn't happy with how the corners stuck out on those. I set to work, and through trial an error found an easy way to make squared off corners. Here is my tutorial!

First, you want to use a wool that has been felted, but not felted stiff. You want a little stretch, since all pocket packs of tissues are not the same size. They are close enough that they will be fine, as long as you have a smidge of stretch.

Next, make a rectangle pattern that is 7" x 5 1/4". Cut out your rectangle using your pattern. Make one of the shorter sides the hem of the sweater, if you want a nice finished edge.


If you are going to sew on an applique, this is the best time to do it.


Now fold it the way it will be, but inside out, making sure your finished edge is on the inside... I made the mistake of doing the reverse TWICE! Me and my seam ripper are close ;) . You can now sew the sides.


Here comes the corner part. Flatten the corners, sew across them, then snip off the excess fabric, and you will have nice squared corners.



Flip it right side out and voila! You're done!


If you want the corners sticking out for animal/monster ears, just don't sew those corners, like on this one:


I will sell some at the fairs this summer, so i'm making some now, while I still have the time. Can I ask which ones you like best (you can click on the picture to see them bigger)? I want to see which designs I should concentrate more on. I am very proud of my little bird. I made my own template, and surprised myself with how good it turned out. Any suggestions for other designs I should do?

Paddy Maker

Every time I think i've seen everything made from recycled wool, I find another totally unique shop, like Etsy shop Paddy Maker. Paddy makes fabulous hot pads in shamrock designs and gorgeous finely detailed jewelry. I love it all!

Off Topic Thursday - YummyEarth giveaway!

When I made my son's Valentines a couple of weeks ago, I used YummyEarth lollipops. They are the only lollipops I buy, other than Trader Joe's. I originally bought them because they are all natural, organic, contain no dyes or high fructose corn syrup, and were a great price. I like to make sure my son eats healthy, like all moms, but I especially want to keep the bad stuff at bay. Did you know that some food dyes are already banned in Europe, because of their harmful affects? I also feel good about passing these out to Jack's classmates for treats, and felt like a responsible neighbor when I passed them out to the neighborhood kids on Halloween. What I didn't know, when I ordered them, was how yummy they were! They are, hands down, the tastiest lollipops i've ever had. When my son comes home with candy that contains dyes & high fructose corn syrup that people give him, he happily trades me for more YummyEarth lollipops. Another great thing is that they are practically allergen free. My friend's son was able to have one, and he's allergic to dairy, eggs, soy, wheat, and nuts. I know some of my readers are vegetarian & vegan, and will be happy to know that their lollipops are 100% vegan too!

When YummyEarth asked me if I would taste their new organic gummy candies, and review them, I almost drooled on my computer. I LOVE gummy candy, and knew if they tasted anything near as good as the lollipops that i'd be hooked! They are!!! They are better than any of the gummies in the stores... it's fantastic to know that they are better for you too! First I tried the regular gummy bears. I was very happy to see that they have 100% rda of vitamin C, since my son & I currently have colds. When I tasted them, I was transported back in time. When I was a teen, I would go to Marshall Fields just to buy their imported gummy bears, and these taste just like them! Of course my son loved them too! His opinion on them, and I quote, was "Mmmmmm!!!!". I will definitely be buying more! Next I tried the sour worms and they were just as good! I like tart, but a not usually a big fan of sour candies, because they leave my tongue feeling raw all day. That was not the case with these! They tasted just like the gummy bears, but with a little bit more intense of a flavor... YUM! Bottom line? These are the best tasting gummies out there, and YummyEarth is a fine example of how a company can provide a quality product without harming our children with food dyes and high fructose corn syrup. Did they pay me, or ask me, to say these things? No. They asked me if I would try the gummies and review them, and I did. If I didn't believe in their product, I would have never agreed, and I would never be dishonest in my opinion.

Where can you get some?? You can buy them on their website, on Amazon, in stores, or you can win them in my giveaway (details below)! I bought my YummyEarth lollipops from Amazon, and they are a steal at $20.51 for a five pound bag, or about 6 cents per pop. They even qualify for free Super Saver Shipping! I like to use my Swagbucks to get Amazon gift cards to buy them. What are Swagbucks? You can sign up for free by clicking on the Swagbucks widget on my right sidebar (you may have to scroll down a little), and you earn Swagbucks just for searching the web through their search engine (just like using Google). When you have enough of them, you can turn them in for merchandise or gift cards. I have already earned over $25 in Amazon gift cards!

Ready for the giveaway details? YummyEarth sent me 2 bags of organic gummy bears, so I am sharing the 2nd bag with you (this is the ultimate proof that I love you, Resweater blog readers!). The winner will receive one 5 oz. bag of Yummy Earth organic gummy bears, like the one pictured at the top of this post. There are 2 ways to enter, become a fan of their Facebook page and say so in the comments here, go to their website & report back here what looks the yummiest, or do both for 2 entries! Each entry must be a separate post. Please leave an email address, so I can contact you if you win. This contest will end on Tuesday, March 9th at 10:00 PM (central time), and the winner will be chosen by Random.org. Good luck!!

Tutorial Tuesday - Tag sensory blanket

I made a tag blanket like this years ago, when my son was a baby, and he loved it! I decided to just provide a link to the tutorial, rather than copy and paste everything. For the step by step tutorial, go here, to The Sewing Dork's blog, a fabulous blog to follow by the way. Mine (below) looks awful in the picture, because I should have ironed it, but I assure you, it's a perfect rectangle. I decided to make mine a re-sweater and re-tag blanket, and use pieces of recycled cashmere and tags from sweaters that i've used for projects. I used a piece of fringe on the one side that has no tags, but I didn't like the look of it, so I removed the fringe. In hindsight, I should have made the tags on every side, but i'll know better for next time! This is such an easy and fast thing to make, perfect for baby shower gifts and first birthdays!

Thank you, Sewing Dork, for sharing a great tutorial with us yet again!!

Another sweater giveaway, and a cool blog!

I recently found a great blog, that I now happily follow, Homebody. Holly's blog is a fun mix of decorating, crafting, cooking, family, thrift shopping, and more! She has graciously agreed to host a giveaway for me, so if you missed out on my last sweater giveaway, head on over to her blog! Holly also has a great Etsy shop with vintage delights, Homebody Market.