Mommy Made Card for a Dr. Seuss Birthday The Party

It's so unfortunate that we lack the time - as in previous century's like we have seen on the show Downton Abbey and in this post - to write, draw, and make handmade gifts for our family and friends. We often have the kids make the necessary cards for all the events in our lives, cousins birthdays, friends baptisms, and Dr. Seuss themed Twins Birthday parties: for thing one and thing two! For Father's Day a few years ago we made the kids handprints into shapes with Dad Messages. These pieces turned out so great we made them into art for the bedroom.

So for the twins birthday party I wanted to do something fun. I recently attended a baby shower and handmade the card for that event. So my inspiration struck across these many events. For the boys I purchased the classic book the Giving Tree. I decorated the book inscription in a fanciful way. How often have you seen a book inscription that evidently took quite a bit of time to complete. I have time. Not much, but I can scrape together an hour in the evening to put a handmade touch that I enjoy doing. And I hope the gift recipients enjoy as much as I do.

For the twin boys birthday card I sketched at home my younger sons hands into the thing one and thing two shapes. I outlined the faces for the two things and also there chest monikers. Then I used colored pencil to color in the blue hair and red shirts. This is the beginning of coloring in. Notice on the final piece the colors are much deeper. I colored in a second time to cover the line marks and get a richer color.

Mommy Made Card for a Dr. Seuss Birthday The Party, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Here is the finished interior. The color is rich but light. The picture was taken on my car dashboard in full sunlight, so a softer interior light would've done this card more justice. 

Mommy Made Card for a Dr. Seuss Birthday The Party, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

For the card cover we chose a whimsical writing and the Inscription is a play on words from the classic Dr. Seuss book "Oh the Places You'll Go."  I know I could've given the boys this book as a part of their gift to really complete the theme.

Handmade First Birthday Card Cover:

"Today IS your 1st Birthday!!!

You're off and away...

Oh the places you'll Go,

Oh the Places you'll play!!"

Mommy Made Card for a Dr. Seuss Birthday The Party, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Here's "Thing Two" handprints that hang in our bedroom from my younger son, which is the art PINsinspiration for the birthday card we made.

Mommy Made Card for a Dr. Seuss Birthday The Party, a photo by areyousureaboutthatblog on Flickr.

Also here hanging above our bed is the complete set of kids hand and foot prints (and how we feel about making it)... my baby girls feet prints, which we tried to make into butterfly wings however her cooperation was lacking at 18 months old. And lastly my older sons lobster hand and foot print.

The total time to make the card took about one hour. But most importantly it was something I enjoyed doing and making. So it's partially a gift for me too, since I enjoyed the process.








Make Mistakes. Breathe. Reflect. and Laugh.Out.Loud!

Re-finish Frames for Fathers Day gift.

You will notice I'm writing this on August 19, and I'm not early for Fathers Day next year,  writing about the one that passed in June 2013.

I have a board on Pinterest with hand, finger and foot print ideas.

These were the inspirations. 

Work in progress. First sanding the ugly gold color frames (okay not ugly, but they don't match our homes style).

My any 'ol box for laying frames in for spray painting so it doesn't go everywhere and all over.

Then I spray painted the frames, about 3 coats letting them dry 10 minutes in between each coat. Baby girl was getting antsy by the end so I gave her a small outdoor water tub and some plastic cups to occupy her for a little longer. 

Here's the finished product hung up at home. Dad loves them, mom too. Thank you Pinterest!

Thing 2 - is my young sons nickname. We even have Thing 1 thru 3 t-shirts from Wisconsin Dells this year. That one has a phrase from "Oh the places you'll go," relevant because my husband read this book to the teachers on the first day of school as a "modeling exercise." But relevant to him too.

 

My older sons hands and feet.

 

Baby girls feet say "the best things in life aren't things." 

 

Here is young son about to wash off the colors form his hands when we made the Thing One and Thing Two imprints.

 

And finally the aftermath and Inspiration that my young son and baby girl enjoyed after we washed the paint off. They decided to paint the sidewalk with the remaining ink on the paint brushes and also "paint" with the water.

Um, this is NOT recommended as we used acrylic paint (for permanence in the project and Kid Art.... it is STILL on my sidewalk a year later).

The days are long the years are short. So enjoy the moment NOW. Paint and All!

Make mistake, breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud.