Friday Blues

Can you hear that? That’s the the sound of two wailing kids. Not because we missed creating on this Crafty Friday. Not because I didn’t feed them donuts this morning [because I did.] Not because I so lovingly took them down to visit their PaPa on Wednesday [I did that, too.] It’s because in the most evil act of all momdom… I made them come home on Thursday. You see, visiting their PaPa is like going to Disneyland, if Disneyland were filled with stray dogs, wild cats, red dirt, chickens, tractors, horses, mud holes, cows, a barn, a miniature donkey, and a pig named Bertha. But, it was a quick trip, and we had to come home, and I am now a mean person for dragging them away from their dream vacation.

I am also without camera, which I left in my brother’s car. So, I’ll share pictures after my camera and I are reunited. Until then, you may hear me wailing just a bit.

xo

nessa dee

IF: Magnify

I didn’t really have a plan with this illustration… just played around with different elements.  Oh well, I had fun.

xo

nessa dee

1st Day of School

Today is our official first day of school, and every year I take pictures of the kids on their first day. I have them hold up their fingers to represent either their age or grade they’re in. This year, they both held up three fingers as Audrie’s in the third grade and Finn is three years old. It usually turns into a ‘see who can make the craziest face’ contest.

 

  

But, in all the madness, I sometimes end up with a couple of sweet pictures…

 

and it makes it all worth it.

xo

nessa dee

Crafty Friday: Paper Dolls

When my daughter was five years old, she made a paper doll out of construction paper and countless outfits for this doll. She spent so much time creating different articles of clothing and accessories, including cell phones and hair bows. Three years later, making paper dolls still garners enough excitement and creative juices to keep her occupied for hours. Who knows, maybe I have a little clothing designer in the works.

Here’s what you need:

-construction paper or card stock
-scissors
-glue
-fabric scraps or scrapbook paper
-markers & crayons

To make this project a bit easier, instead of free handing the paper doll shape and clothing, we printed off wonderful templates we found here. We printed them onto a pretty weighty card stock to give the dolls some stability. Then, the cutting begins.

I should note that with younger kids, this project requires a lot of help from a parent with decent scissor skills. I found myself cutting out the majority of patterns, while Finn enjoyed cutting the scraps of paper into even smaller scraps of paper. He then dictated what he wanted me to do and left the room to go play with Legos.

Once all of the templates were cut out, the designing begins! For younger kiddos, crayons, colored pencils, or markers can be used to color the clothing items and draw faces on to the dolls.

If you want to take the project a bit further and do even more cutting, you can decorate the clothing with fabric scraps, or scrapbook paper. The easiest way we found to achieve this was by gluing the paper doll clothing onto the back of the fabric or paper. Then, cut the excess fabric or paper around the template. For the hair pieces, we experimented a with a bit of felt to add texture.

If you want a plethora of outfits, decorate both sides of the clothing to make it reversible [as my daughter cleverly figured out.]

Extra clothing can be made by using the templates as a guideline to get the correct size. Just make sure you leave tabs on the clothing to attach them to the doll. The same goes for accessories. Belts are easily made by cutting a strip of scrapbook paper longer than the waist of the doll.

Once the accessories are made, the fashion show begins.

Happy Crafting!

nessa dee

The Big Reveal

I’ve been hinting at a project I was working on and giving you sneak peeks, and I am now ready to share the big news. I’m participating in the 5th Annual ABC’s Children’s Picture Book Competition this year! I have been paired up with Sheila O. Lindsay to illustrate a picture for her delightful poem entitled Dandelion Snow. In this sweet tale, three little girls all dressed for Sunday School decide to have a little race before church. The three girls stir up dandelion snow as they race back and forth in their backyard, smudging their faces and dresses, before being discovered by Mama.

The stories will be put to an internet vote September 20th through October 4th, and everyone is allowed to vote once daily for the two week period. The book with the most votes will receive a publishing contract for their winning entry! So, mark your calendars, spread the word, tell your friends, family and people you meet on the street!

xo

nessa dee

IF: Caution

Oliver’s mother is a little too cautious when she sends him out to play.

xo

nessa dee

A Boy’s Best Friend

xo

nessa dee