to school, to school, little ones

Wow, was that August, or what? I am happy to say that we went away, had serious beach time, it was hot and slow (at times), and I had a super exciting project that gave me valid reason to have some 7 hour days at my sewing machine- it was awesome! And today I dropped 2 happy kids off at school and my list suddenly started glowing and making beeping noises. Might as well start with something fun and long overdue. Since I have been sewing up a storm, I have a ton of things I would like to share, but I am going to start back a ways with a small and satisfying project to do with the little ones (or for them as a gift).

Stickers! Oh, beloved stickers! I don't know a kid who can get enough of them, so of course, making them yourself is a great alternative to going out and spending hard earned cash on something that gets stuck on front of a t-shirt and thrown in the wash, only to be destroyed after such a brief moment in the sun. They are so easy to make and I think they are better.

I made Ava a letter writing kit for her birthday and these are the ones I made for that:

I used a sweet piece of scrapbooking paper, applied the adhesive to the back, then cut them with a craft punch when the glue was dry.

Here are some more that couldn't fit in the little tin. The girl being pulled up by the balloon is a photocopy of Ava's art.

Here's how to do it:

You'll need:

-white glue

-white vinegar

-paint brush (the sponge ones work well)

-decorative paper or artwork

-craft punch and/or scissors

1) Mix a glue to vinegar in a 2:1 ratio. So, that would be 2 Tablespoons of glue to 1 Tablespoon of vinegar. This will be enough for a few sheets of scrapbook paper.

2) Paint glue mixture onto the backside of the paper. Make it a thin layer and when it is pretty dry come back and do another layer if it seems you didn't get great coverage.

3) When dry, cut into desired sticker shapes.

4) To use, dampen glue with damp sponge or wet finger and stick in place.

Ava is using hers to seal envelopes and they look great!