Jello Beans

Don't forget to check out the Valentine's Giveaway: a hand-drawn portrait!

I got this idea from a friend a couple weeks ago who gave "Jello Beans" to the kids when we were at her house. She simply poured jello into a mini ice cube tray then popped them out after firming up in the fridge. Brilliant! Her little molds looked more like jelly beans then mine do, thus the name, so we just called ours finger jello. The kids loved eating them nonetheless. Who wouldn't love eating little jiggly balls with their hands?


Just a note: the skulls and bones did not work out... we couldn't get the jello out of the molds. Oh well, worth trying.

Valentine's Cards

Don't forget to check out the Valentine's Giveaway: a hand-drawn portrait!

The cupid brought the kids stickers and stamps to make Valentine's cards with earlier this week, so we have been busy making cards for friends and family. We have sat down each morning after breakfast and worked on them, making as many each day as the kids wanted. We'll send each with a picture of the kids and a piece of gum for the cousins and friends. I like how the kids' personalities each come out when we work on art projects. Joe always ends up getting his hands into everything (he stamped his little fingers all over his cards), Dan likes experimenting with layers (stickers on top of stamps, stamps on top of stamps) and has a very loose style, and John is very methodical and thoughtful and likes creating patterns.



When John was young I helped him make little turkeys to give to grandparents, tracing his hands on colorful construction paper, then using them for the feathers on the turkey. When he gave them to the grandparents, one grandparent, with a smile, said, "So did you make this, or did your mom?" I wasn't offended at all (really, I wasn't), but I realized then that, sure enough, I had pretty much done the whole project! The hands were perfectly traced, neatly cut out, and glued together just so... obviously a 2-year old had not had much to do with it. The feathers were the size of his hands, that's it. The turkey was from me, not from John. Since then, when we're making things for people, I have made an effort to give the kids the supplies and instruction they need, then sit back and watch as they make their own creations. It's less work for me and it means more to the kids and to the recipient. It might not be exactly what I envisioned, but the kids love looking at what they made and watching people's reaction when they give it to them. Messier? Yes. But more personality, thought and creativity? Definitely.

Popsicle Stick Puzzle Carrier

Don't forget to check out the Valentine's Giveaway: a hand-drawn portrait!

My sweet sister made the boys a bunch of popsicle stick puzzles for Christmas. They are all church themed, and the kids have loved playing with the sticks and putting the puzzles together during church. She gave us 9 sets and, as you can imagine, they get all mixed up and end up all over the bench and floor. So, in an attempt, to keep them a little more organized, I made this carrier. I used felt and bias tape (of course!... I could really be happy putting bias tape on everything) and it ended up being a pretty fast project. Each set of sticks has their own little pocket, and then the whole thing can be rolled up, tied, and tossed in the church bag.



Thanks Brittney!

Check out other fun ideas at the Classy Clutter Linky Party

Valentine's Giveaway: A Hand-Drawn Portrait!

**This giveaway is now CLOSED**

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to give away one of my hand-drawn portraits. I've been doing portraits for about 12 years, mostly for family and friends. I work exclusively in pencil from photographs and can combine more than one photograph into a single drawing. These portraits are perfect for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas... or Valentine's! The winner of this giveaway will receive one free portrait (up to 2 subjects—a $175 value!) It could be of you, your parents, your kids, a friend... whoever you choose.



Here's how to enter:
(Please leave a separate comment on THIS POST per entry)

Required:
* Follow this blog

Additional entries:
* "Like" The Blue Basket on Facebook
* Follow my portraiture blog (jessicajacksonportraiture.blogspot.com)
* "Like" Jessica Jackson Portraiture on Facebook
* Write a post about this giveaway on your blog (and leave me a link)

This giveaway will run through Monday, February 13th. The winner will be announced on Valentine's Day. Good luck!

Lego House

This might be as close as our family ever gets to owning a doll house (unless things change down the road and we actually conceive a girl!) My boys LOVE Legos and have for quite some time, so when I saw something similar to this on Pinterest I knew I had to make it. And the great thing about it? I didn't spend one penny! We just happened to have a couple sheets of this "wood" (I'm not sure what else to call it... it's not pure wood) in our garage. We don't have many power tools, so I ended up using a hand saw and an exacto knife to cut it, then wood glue to put it all together. Oh, and some of the kids blocks in each of the corners to help keep it sturdy. Pete helped cut some of the pieces and John helped sand, so we were able to get it done in just a couple days. So far the kids love it. We are now in the process of furnishing the house... something that is fun for even me to do!





Check back tomorrow for a fun Valentine's Giveaway!

Marshmallow/Pom Pom Shooter

You may have seen this idea floating around on Pinterest. Well, so did we, and we decided to give it a try. We had all the supplies, so this gave the kids and I an hour of free entertainment!



We made just a few changes to the tutorial we found here...

Nesting: carrier cover and burp cloth

Yesterday I added some bias tape to my carrier cover and made a burp cloth with the scraps. When I showed Pete what I had done later that day, he said in a cute (and somewhat sarcastic) voice, "Oh... you're beginning to nest!" So yes, I guess I am! I've held off long enough. I'm now just about 33 weeks along... I was going to hold off making any preparations until Valentine's Day (if I get too excited and prepared too soon, the last weeks of pregnancy will be very long!) but I just couldn't help myself. I also realized that if this baby were to come when Joe came, he would be here in 2 weeks! But I'm trying hard not to hope for or expect that. Thankfully, not too much needs to happen to get ready for a 4th boy. But of course there a few things that I want to do. So this is where I started. I already had a carrier cover, but thought it was awful plain, so added some red bias tape around it (I'm really liking bias tape lately... gives everything a finished look). Then I dug up a scrap of the fabric I had used and decided to make a burp cloth. The bias tape adds a twist on the burp cloths I have made in the past. I look forward to sharing more "nesting" ideas over the next couple months!