crooked house

Sylvie in Her Elsa From Frozen Dress (Made From Plastic Tablecloths)

Inspired by the four-year-old and her mom who make fancy dresses from paper, I promised Sylvie a couple of weeks ago that we would try it. She called me on it today so off we went to Walmart to buy some supplies. Although we bought some bristol board and a lot of tissue paper, this dress is actually made from just two plastic tablecloths that cost a buck each. (That and a whole lot of stick-on jewels that took a loooong time to put on. Unfortunately, in the photos you can barely see them.) I just tied the tablecloths on her. We might have been better able to mimic Elsa's neckline but I tied the knot in the white tablecloth too tight to then pull it down over her shoulders. Next time I'll do better.

The braid is made from three sheets of white tissue paper and attached to her own hair with an elastic. I wanted to use at least one yellow sheet to go for a more white-blonde look but Sylvie insisted Elsa's hair is WHITE. Although she's taken the dress off now, she's still got the tissue paper braid in.

I like the Elsa attitude here -- we got a lot of dramatic hand gestures, too, while we were taking the photos but most of those are slightly blurry.

We also picked up a copy of the newly released Frozen dvd, which we didn't even realize was out yet. I won't tell you how much we paid for it. Let's just say the dress was a lot cheaper, fancy jewels and all.

Baby World War II Fighter Pilot Halloween Costume

If I had a baby right now, and I do not, I would dress it in this baby pilot costume for Halloween and accessorize with this mustachifier:

There is nothing like dressing up your poor, unresisting newborn in outrageous costumes for a good time. (And lately I've been reading too many novels set during WWII.)

Hmm, I wonder if I could get one of the cats to don this ensemble. No, it just wouldn't be the same.

Tissue Paper House

The Crooked House NEEDS this tissue paper house. In fact, we need several of them.

Winged Key

I think I'll make one of these winged keys and then leave it in the backyard for the kids to discover on the first spring-like day.

Glitter Pumpkins

We went away for a few days over this Thanksgiving weekend to a cottage in the woods. We took along these small white pumpkins, some glue, and golden glitter to make this little glitter pumpkin project. (I was trying to think of things to keep the kids busy since there was no television or internet where we were going.)

All you do is paint the tops of the pumpkins with ordinary school glue and then sprinkle glitter all over them. It's very easy, even for someone Sylvie's age. Luke enjoyed it, too.

 

It kept them busy for all of five minutes! (The glitter is very glamping, don't you think?)

Fairy Costume

The Halloween costumes are out in the grocery store already and once Sylvie caught a glimpse of this one, it was unlikely we'd be able to leave the store with our good moods intact. But instead of fighting her on it, I caved immediately -- it was only 14 bucks -- as I know it will get a lot of wear before and after the one big day. The problem will be getting the thing off her, to wash it. (Cross your fingers it doesn't fall apart in the machine.)

The Dunkley Motorized Pram From 1923

This is the Dunkley Pramotor -- a motorized pram sold in 1923. "We should get that. That's what I'm thinking," says Sylvie as she looks over my shoulder.

Whenever I had to lug around one of those incrediblyawkward and heavy removable car seats with one of my babies in it -- say into the grocery store -- I liked to imagine that in the future, a podlike car seat would hover in the air beside the mother, trailing her wherever she went. Recently I tossed around the idea of a kind of remote control stroller that would follow a parent, so he or she could be hands free for shopping or holding the hands of bigger toddlers or whatever. Are these ideas as crazy as this stroller looks? Via I Cannot Go to Bed -- There is Epic Shit Happening on the Internet, which I found through Lizzie Skurnick.

Our Paper Moon Photos

A very kind artistic friend made this paper moon backdrop for us last year and we've only just gotten around to using it. (It's actually not paper -- it's made out of a sheet of sparkly felt and some kind of synthetic silver cloth I found in the remnants bin at the fabric store.)

I can't exactly remember when Will and Kate were married, but we put this together at that time and  this hat is the one Princess Beatrice wore to their wedding.

Do you recognize the Dowager Countess's hat?

Now that we've used it, I'm selling off all these old hats and costumes and this backdrop to make room for more Halloween stuff! Cheap! (My piles of past projects are ridiculous.) Let me know if you're interested.

Pudding Heads

Back when Luke was tiny, I came across these thudguard helmets online, designed for little kids just learning to walk. The first time Luke fell from a standing position, he absolutely smashed his head on the hardwood floor. He had yet to learn that you must protect your head by blocking yourself with your arms as you fall, or by holding your head upright as best you can. So I thought these helmets were a great idea. I never got as far as ordering one, though, because everyone I mentioned it to scoffed at the notion and told me I was an overprotective mother. (Which I was.)

Turns out, though, the idea isn't a new one. Witness the pudding cap:

According to Colonial Williamsburg, the pudding cap "protected the child's brain when it fell and hit its head. There was a belief that if the head was hit it would be permanently soft, and falling frequently could lead to the brain turning mushy like pudding. Toddlers were often and lovingly referred to as "little pudding heads.'" (Which they are.)

 

Dollhouse Bookshelf

What a great idea for a dollhouse -- convert a bookcase. This is one is for sale on ebay and it is pricey. But surely someone with some woodworking skills could do this to a cheap bookcase. Grampa?