Cute Book Alert :: Makes & Takes for Kids

Modern Books

As a lover of crafts who as a kid loved nothing more than getting my hands on some pipe cleaners and construction paper, I am so looking forward to crafting with my own child.  One of my New Year’s resolutions is to introduce the Peach to crafting. However, the thought of letting her loose on my serger just isn’t going to happen until she’s in double digits. So, little steps.

That’s why I’m very excited about this book, Makes & Takes for Kids.

I had the very good fortune to meet Marie LeBaron a year plus ago and fell in love with her and her wonderful blog Makes & Takes, the go to blog for finding creative and fun crafts for kids of all ages.  So, I was tickled pink to find out that she wrote the most marvelous book featuring 50+ seasonal crafts to do with your kiddo.

Check it out!  A most worthy addition to your gift lift. I know I’m adding it to mine!

That’s where Marie’s wonderful book comes in.  Terrific ways to spend a few hours with your kid at the kitchen table having a blast.

 

How Sears made our Christmas AWESOME.

Best of Alix, Best of Modern Kiddo, Holiday Kiddo

One of my favorite holiday memories was sitting on the floor pouring over the Sears Holiday Wishbook. This was the catalog to end all catalogs. Every fall we would wait in giddy anticipation for this giant tome to arrive in the mail. Nearly two and a half inches thick, every page was crammed full of amazing goodness for the entire family. My brother and I would look at this catalog with great reverence….ear-marking all the amazing things we wanted. And oh, there were so many things to want! Colorful quirky clothing….rad sleeping bags….cool bicycles…and the toys. Lord have mercy, the TOYS. The Sears catalog made you want things you didn’t even know you wanted. It was that good.

C’mon. I’ll show you….

Normally clothing for Christmas is kind of boring for kids, but back in the 70s clothing was colorful and fun and totally had me transfixed!

How cute are the little Girlie Toughskins??

Didn’t everyone’s family wear matching “loungewear”??

 

But the clothing was just like a little polyester appetizer. It was really alllll about THE TOYS.

Whoa, check out that ski jump up there. I can’t imagine Barbie successfully navigating that at all.

For those of you unfamiliar with the majesty of “Growing Up Skipper”…..she was little preteen Skipper when you pulled her out of the box, but when you spun her arm around, oh ho ho! Her waist shrunk, she got taller….and she grew BOOBS! I’m totally not kidding, folks.

(Please notice the terrifying “HUGO….man/doll of a thousand faces.” up there)

Of course pages like these “grab bag” were among the most tantalizing—jam packed with stuff.

The Weeble tree house and club house! The Haunted House and Weeble Mickey Mouse Clubhouse…Fisher Price, Play Mobil….and the McDonalds Playset, complete with Grimace and Hamburgler!

Oh how I wanted a huge Barbie head that you could style and put make up on… in retrospect I’m glad I didn’t get her. She’s totally creepers. I DID have a snazzy dolly stroller like the one below though. So cute!

Dottie totally had my wheels spinning yesterday thinking about Christmas wishes….the Easy Bake Oven was always on everyone’s list, but do you remember the Pizza Hut Oven???

The costume section was a little weird, but I think that the catalog arrived in September—so prospective Halloweenies could scope out their costumes!

Oh this is just the tip of the iceburg, friends. There were soooo many more awesome goodies. I haven’t even tapped into the ladies clothing section or housewares. BUT, I leave you with this brilliant selection for dad. Well hello there….

images: wishbook

Do you remember the awesomeness of the Sears catalog?

The MK Ornament Party Day 3: featuring danielle thompson

Holiday Kiddo

Last year we had an amazing Modern Kiddo ornament party with fun downloadables from boatloads of our talented friends. Because they’re so awesome, we’re going to post ’em all again this week!

Hello friends! I hope you are enjoying our little Modern Kiddo ornament party, I know I am! So far we’ve had two fabulous ornaments from two extremely talented friends, Kristin of klt:works and draw! pilgrim. If you are a long time reader you know how much I love both of those ladies and I was so thrilled they took part in our Ornament Party!

Today’s ornament comes to us from the very crafty Danielle Thompson. She never ceases to amaze us with her over-the-top style, and this ornament doesn’t disappoint….just you wait!


HOW CUTE ARE THESE LITTLE WEE MID-CENTURY HOUSES?? I’m dying. The little pointy trees out front are so excellent. They remind me a bit of those cardboard vintage Putz villages.


image: amy b

Danielle has kindly made TWO versions of this ornament….one in color and a special one in black & white that your kiddos can color in themselves. Simply print out on a thicker cardstock paper, use a small hole punch at the top and string with bakers twine or a ribbon. I think the full-color versions are especially fantastic. Danielle recommends using the teensiest of white pom poms and some fine, sparkly glitter to embellish:

If you can’t find the mini poms, no worries….the ornaments look just as lovely without them!

I’m in lerrrrve! I think these are just so cool. In addition to being a fabulous crafter, Danielle has two gorgeous kiddos of her own—Cooper and Campbell. Take a look at these two cuties:

Danielle, thank you ever so much for this fantastic ornament!

Please be sure to stop by Danielle’s blog, Thompson Family Life as well as Kitschy Digitals for tons of kitschy, cute inspiration.

Download your full color ornament template right here.

Download your b&w “i want to color it myself!” ornament right here.

MK Ornament Party Day 2: featuring Draw! Pilgrim

Holiday Kiddo

Last year we had an amazing Modern Kiddo ornament party with fun downloadables from boatloads of our talented friends. Because they’re so awesome, we’re going to post ’em all again this week!


image: reloveddesigns 

When I was in elementary school, we learned how to make crafty ornaments from recycled Christmas cards! You would cut circle shapes out of your old cards, score them in triangular thirds and then glue them together to make a fun-n-festive sphere to hang on the tree.

They take a little bit of time, but they look pretty darn cute. You can find a great tutorial on how to do these at Junk Mail Gems:

You can even embellish with a bit of glitter when you’re done or try cutting your circles with a scalloped edge like Martha did.

image: martha stewart, 2009

For today’s fun Kiddo Ornament, the brilliant Pilgrim came up with a modified version of the craft ball that is both cute and completely simple for little fingers to put together!

Unlike the traditional triangle fold, this ornament uses a much easier square fold. Simply print out your Modern Kiddo-themed ornament on card stock. If you don’t have card stock handy, you can print on regular printer paper and used a glue stick to glue the entire sheet to another piece of paper to make it a bit thicker—you could use wrapping paper, construction paper, whatever you like!

Next cut out each circle separately—you will have six of them. Carefully fold the red-portion of the design up (towards the center) so it is at a 90 degree angle. Using a glue stick, attach the red flap of one circle to the flap of another until you have made a 6-sided cube.

Use a hole-punch on the top and thread a piece of ribbon through to hang your ornament. Easy peasy! Of course, feel free to let the kiddos embellish with glitter.

Adorable! The amazing Pilgrim is not only a supremely talented artist (mark my words, she’s going to be the next Orla Kiely some day!) she is also a terrific mum. Here’s her charming little lad Donovan:

Thank you SO much Pilgrim. Also, please be sure to stop by Pilgrim’s Etsy shop and blog—her whimsical, vintage inspired style is sure to make you smile from ear to ear! While you’re at it, add her on Twitter too! She is as clever as she is talented.

Pilgrim, thank you ever so much for this delightful ornament! We heart you big time!

Download your exclusive modern kiddo ornament template right here.

Happy St. Lucia Day

Kiddo Holidays

Via: Hagerstenguy.

Friends, you know my obsession with all things Swedish, right? But I think it all culminates in this wonderful holiday, St. Lucia’s Day.

Via: A Polar Bear’s Tale

OK–I’m not Swedish or Italian or have any reason to celebrate St. Lucia Day, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love love love that holiday with all my heart and wanted to share my love/obsession with you all!

The story of St. Lucia isn’t that well known and there are several versions, but I like the one where St. Lucia is portrayed as a fiesty young Italian lass who hid a persecuted Christian family in the catacombs and led them by fixing a wreath of candles on her head.

I just think of this sweet little felt one…

via Frontier Dreams.

And I love Sweden’s take on it with the St. Lucia buns.  Oooh yeah! Spiced with saffron and currants.

via Stephanie Levy

via Flickr user, hfb

The only other person I know that love St. Lucia as much as I do is the wonderful Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy, who one holiday season a couple of years ago created these darling little St. Lucia kits.  Here is some of her work.

I love the Carl Larsson paintings of St. Lucia. So beautiful.  I want that tea set too.

I can’t help but think about what I’d like to try next year.  Would it be wrong to get the Peach to start bringing us cookies and coffee in bed while wearing a cute little crown and lights? I’ll at least print out this sweet St. Lucia paper doll to introduce this tradition to her!

Do you celebrate St. Lucia’s Day? Have you taken traditions from other countries and called them your own just because you like them?  And please tell me I’m not crazy for wanting this!