Mr. Meow: A Sock Puppet by Duck Momma

Why must dryers eat socks? Where do they go? Its like somewhere between washer and dryer and drawer there is an interruption of space and time... a sock twilight zone... And what do we do with those poor single socks left behind? We make sock puppets!

Mr. Meow was really pretty easy. A few tiny pieces of felt scrap, a lone sock, and some thread should do it.

His ears are made by folding the points of a triangle together and stitching them together. I tacked each ear approximately where I wanted and then continued all the way around. Its easiest with your hand in puppet position but be careful!

His nose and eyes are simply felt that I stitched together. A blanket stitch works very well.

It took a couple tries to get all his features where I wanted but in the end perfection doesn't really matter. Goose was impressed.

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Upcycle project 2: Mmm Strawberries by Duck Momma

I am so excited about this project.  I love strawberries. Not only are they one of my favorite foods, but they always inspire a feeling of summer and family. My mom and I pick strawberries every year and spend a day making the most amazing freezer jam. (I will be coming back to this closer to strawberry time, it will be little Goose's first year!) It has always been special to me.

These adorable little berries are made from a pair of pajamas that had a worn hole in the toe. I couldn't fix the hole but I saw a whole (yay puns!) new opportunity. Not only do I love the berries as I mentioned, I love simple toys. I want Goose to learn about her world and use her imagination. I also love cooking and I want to share that with her. Finally we love The Very Hungry Caterpillar and I am working on tangible "food" to count and observe as he eats!

• So with all that inspiration I started out by cutting out all the whole strawberries. and trimming them up.
• Next I stitched them back to back using a blanket stitch, (thanks Tomato Momma!) and began stuffing.
• It was then just a matter of repeating until I was finished! And 9 berries later, I have a very happy baby.

They are squishy and easy to hold. She was so excited about them, talk about success! Her selection of felt and cloth food is growing and hopefully so is her mind! We have already had so much playing with these fun little bites, I can't wait for the next wave of inspiration.

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Upcycle project 1: Sweater Bear by Duck Momma

I am that person. You know, the one who gets attached to everything, inanimate objects not excluded. I cried when I sold my car (which I had named Tallulah ) and I have my grandmother's wedding cake topper. I know I'm already in trouble as a mom, every thing she does is going to be precious ... better invest in a big scrap book!
But finding sentimental value in things is not always a bad thing, and it can fuel creative inspiration and outlet. For example I had an old brown sweater that I just loved. It was so warm and comforting but it just wasn't quite wearable any longer. But maybe I would have a purpse later so in the craft supply closet it went. Low and behold a bear shaped pillow turned up. I wasn't quite sure what I was doing but I dove in. Nothing a few stiches, ribbon, and lots of stuffing can't fix. For the bear's tummy I used a shirt I bought from an artist on Etsy. Its a maternity shirt I wore with Goose. It is so sweet but it doesn't work post baby.
The end product isn't perfect, but very sweet and functional. I get to display something I was proud of as something I'm currently proud of.

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