Busy Bag - Popsicle Fun!

This busy bag is one of my personal favourite :) Not only it is easy to make, it is also lots of fun with many different angles to step up the game :) It can be used by very young toddlers, to pre-K ages which makes it a very lasting and durable game!

This is Busy Bag - Popsicle Fun! As the name suggests, it involves play popsicle and it is so easy to make! What you need are:

1) Colored popsicle (ice-cream) sticks (I found mine in a shop in Bras Basah)

2) Corresponding colored felt pieces (Daiso is good if you only want a small piece for each color)

3) Velcro - adhesive-backed (I bought mine online but it can be found in Daiso as well)

This makes for the basic bag and as your child progresses, you can easily step up the game by many different ways!

Step 1

Create a template to cut the popsicle shape. I draw freehand on a piece of cardboard and use that as a template to cut my felt pieces. I did both big and small so that I can use that as a teaching tool to differentiate size :) You can then affix the adhesive backed Velcro onto the back of the "popsicles". Depending on your Velcro, you may want to spread a drop of super glue or fabric glue to affix it more firmly as it will be taken off and on over and over again. This is how it will look like...

Step 2

Cut the Velcro into thin strips that can fit onto the popsicle sticks. Affix the Velcro onto the popsicle sticks. I usually use the rough side on the sticks and the fuzzy part on the felt pieces. Again I usually add a drop of super glue, just to be on the safe side especially if I am giving this to a young child as the Velcro pieces can be quite small (and alluring!) to a young child! This is how it will look like...

Step 3

You are actually done making the items (YES!) and next will be to teach your child how to play :)

For very young toddlers, you may want to start off with just teaching him how to stick the "popsicle" to the stick. It can be played as game of him being the ice-cream man :) This helps him learn hand-eye coordination.

For slightly older toddlers, I will start by introducing colors and teach the child to match the same colors together. Another way of stepping up here will be to include flavors of ice-cream for example, yellow = corn/banana, red = red bean, green = peppermint and blue = blueberries etc. I show my child what the actual food item look like, drawing attention to the color on the food and then the color of the "popsicle".  

A more advanced step up will be to introduce the words representing the colors. This then helps in word recognition and color association. I print and laminate the word of the color and flash it to indicate what "flavor" I want my ice-cream to be :)

This is a simple yet interesting game where older siblings can join in as well, buying the "popsicles", indicating flavors and even big or small size! We will play till he is all "sold out" where he will declare loudly "no more!" and proceed to "collect" back the popsicles :) For fun, sometimes the older sibling will pretend to get a tummy ache after eating too many "popsicles" and we all go "orrrrrr...." pointing our fingers :P

Drop me an email if you need help with any of the materials :) I will love to know how it turns out for you too if you decide to trying making it :)

Enjoy and have fun!

PS. I am thinking of making a simple card of objectives for playing and step up(s) of each busy bag. This will be made available as a free printable on my blog. Let me know what do you think of this :) Would you prefer to have a set of instructions for making it as well? Love to see your comments!

Love Stick It Sticker Subscription Review

Hiya! Victoria here guest blogging on Wah Mommy :) A little about me and myself.

 

I currently reside in Vietnam as my husband is posted here. As a crafter and recently-besotted-planner-girl, I was really quite strapped for any craft materials or planner related items here. I relied heavily on online purchase and tons of Happy Mail from US and Singapore for all my hobby needs *oopsy* wants I mean!  

I was totally psyched when my good friend started a sticker subscription! Needless to say, I was about the first ones to nod my head off for a subscription! It was a complete GODSEND and I REALLY NEED some stickers to spruce up my very very dull and boring planner! So I was more than willing (and honored) when she ask me to do a review on her first kit! *thank you love!*

 

This is my first review, so bear with me :)

 

There were two options for the kit, Jumbo & Dainty. Being so sticker-less *is there such a word?* of course I opted for the Jumbo kit! This kit gives you AT LEAST 15 different sticker sheets and a free gift every month too!

The stickers are all themed and this month's it is "Special Moments" for all the moments in your life! I love stickers of all types, especially more unique ones like puffy, 3D, functional and all! Yea, I am pretty sticker-mad!

 

The sticker sheet that drew my attention immediately were the pearlised heart stickers! These are so dainty and sweet! It works great to denote a special date, anniversary or an extra special moment! Aren't they precious?!

 

 

 

Next are the puffy stickers and there are TWO sheets of different puffy stickers in this kit!!! Stars & Hearts of different colors and designs! These are so flexible and I can see myself using them in my planner, my scrapbook layouts and daily journaling!

 

 

If you are using an undated planner like myself, then you will totally love the next sheet of stickers that features the month along with the holiday that it has. For example, February will have a sticker shaped in a heart and with the word "February" on it. Isn't that awesome?!

 

 

The next sheet blew me away, for its uniqueness and also the generosity! I get a full sheet of kiss-cut index stickers, fully colored!

 

 

Just 2 more sheets to show as I really do not want to spoil the surprise for others! The next two sheets were also amazingly generous if you see them live! And to top it all off, they look fabulous and are functional too! Great choice for the "Special Moments" theme kit I'd say!

 

 

 

Why do I keep saying its so generous? Well this huge kit of 15 different sticker sheets (with a free gift too!) only costs US$10 per month INCLUSIVE of airmail shipping! We all know how atrocious international shipping can costs so this kit is definitely more than value for money!

If you prefer to start with a smaller kit, well there is the Dainty kit giving you at least 8 sheets of stickers and a monthly free gift too! The Dainty kit only costs US$8 per month inclusive of shipping too!

As this kit ships from sunny Singapore, if you live locally or nearby neighboring countries, the costs is even lower!

 

If you just want a try, subscribe away as this is a no commitment kit where u can cancel anytime. The only thing kit owner ask is for you to cancel before the 1st of the month so that she can prep the mails in time :) That is pretty reasonable I think and IMPO, I do not think you will regret your subscription especially the Jumbo kit where each sheet is less than $0.70 (including shipping!) It is truly an amazing kit!

 

After woooing and ahhhing so much, I yet to give you the link to the subscription! Me bad! Here it is!

http://lovestickit.storenvy.com/collections/1255662-subscription

 

Wah Mommy wants me to let you know too that she will be following up with posts on how differently she uses these stickers and seriously I was pretty floored with how creative she is! Lucky kids she has! 

 

Remember to read this blog for all its creativity! Till my next guest blog! Choose happy ALWAYS!  

Bitten By Busy Bags Bug (Now That's a Mouthful!)

Busy Bags - a term that I have heard often but never actually paid attention. Partly becos my older kids are too old for it and I hadn't had any reason to make any, well that is till now :P With my littlest now at the age where busy bags are commonly introduced, I find myself going onto Pinterest, Instagram to get inspiration.

 

I find the idea of a busy bag refreshing. Versus a quiet book where there are pages of activities, all put together in a form of a book, it was rather daunting to me. It seem so much more manageable to put together a bag consisting of usually one or two activities rather than a whole book of it! Another plus will be that bringing these out are so much easier than an entire book!

 

I have created quite a number from when I started late last year. I enjoyed doing it and had gifted to some friends with similar aged kids as well. It was fun to make and more fun to change some things around to fit the age or interests :)

 

This post will start off my busy bag journey where I show how I create the different activities and what are the learning points. I had fun doing it and hope that by showing, you will be tempted to give it a try too! It is exceedingly satisfying to see your child playing with "toys" or "activities" that you have created with your own hands! It is more economical as well with a simple toy now easily costing an arm and a leg in the retail shops!

 

Most of these bags can "grow" with the child. Eg. they can be stepped up in terms of expansion of learning by adding something simple or by alternating the way of play. One bag, double or triple "duty" - what's not to like?! :P

 

The first of many bags to come - Color Pegging

 

Things you need:

wooden pegs

(I get mine from Daiso where you can get a bag of 30 for $2)

 

wooden tongue depressors

(I found mine in a store at Bras Basah)

 

colored paper

(Again Daiso will give u many options too)

 

glue / sticky tape

 

 

 

1) Choose the colors that you want your toddler to learn. I started with mainly primary colors. This can be stepped up to include more colors as he masters them. Cut the paper to the width and length of the tongue depressors, fitting them inside with a border. You can then glue/tape the papers to the tongue depressors. I use a wide width sticky tape so that I could sort of "laminate" the papers such that they can last just abit longer :) This is how they will look like:

 

 

 

 

2) Next will be to cut and glue the same papers to the wooden pegs. I have chosen the slightly shorter but "fatter" wooden pegs so that little fingers can handle them easily. Same logic and this is how they will look like.

 

 

 

 

3) Believe it or not, you are DONE! Next will be to show your toddler how to work the pegs. I find that my 2 year old had some difficulty initially but he soon learn the how-to :)

 

 

 

3 ways of stepping up...

a) You can introduce more colors, moving from primary to include pastels or the darker colors.

 

b) You can introduce patterns by using papers that has patterns you want to teach. Ideally patterns should be repetitive throughout, making it easily for the toddler to differentiate the different patterns.

 

c) You can introduce the names of the color and/or patterns. By printing/writing the names on a separate sheet of paper, cut them up into little slips and have your toddler match them. Most colors are sight words especially the primary colors like Red, Blue, White etc so this will be a great way for them to pick up some sight words too!

 

 

Learning Points

1) Color Recognition - "duh" I know but it is the main learning point :)

2) Hand Eye Coordination as he tries to work the pegs.

3) Pronunciation of the colors as you call out the colors he matches.

4) Learning of words for colors or patterns.

 

 

If you need help in finding the items used here, do drop me an email and I will definitely help!

 

Have fun!

 

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Email: wahmummy@yahoo.com.sg

Blog: wahmummy.blogspot.com

 

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A Year of Mornings - Inspired by the book

This had been a post long in draft. I had meant to write this when I first started on this project in January this year then was waylaid by my many other on-going projects (as usual), then I convinced myself that I should post only when I have a method to physically document it than the digital format now...blah...blah...blah... u get the drift.

I am happy to share that I did finally find a way of physically documenting it, easy and it truly just take a few minutes! 

First let me describe the digital way of documentation.

I uses an Iphone and uses a free app titled "Collect" for my digital reminder and collation of my daily Year of Mornings photos. With an easy to use interface and a calendar view of all the photos u have uploaded (or not), it serves as a reminder so that I do not miss uploading any day. This app also allows me to post directly to both Instagram and Facebook, saving me many precious minutes. The end result is a Polaroid sort for photo with your caption below :)

For months, I just stop short here. I did not entertain an idea of any physical documentation  till my kiddos commented that they cant see the photos unless they go online. This prompted me to explore and find a way of having it as a physical item. It must be an easy and non time consuming way. I am already struggling to be on time with my Project Life, I dont need any other "stressor"!

One day, I came across a post on FB about a free printing service - Printwich. Curious about its quality, I registered and tried it out. The prints arrived in 4" x 4" format with a white border. It is printed on a matt thick paper but NOT photo paper. There are also advertisements behind the photos. Though the print is quite abit darker than what I uploaded, that could easily be adjusted before I send in my prints.

The PROS

1) It is FREE, for 10 prints a month. Any additional prints are at $0.99 per piece. Normal shipping is free as well in Singapore :)

2) Uploading is simple, easy and fast :) Just click from either your photo roll or instagram :)

3) Shipping is pretty fast. I usually get my prints a week after uploading.

4) Additional 5 prints can be "earned" when a friend uses your code to order their first print. This works BOTH ways, meaning BOTH yourself and your friend will get an additional 5 prints for THAT month.

5) Quality is acceptable (in my personal opinion).

The CONS

1) Limited numbers of free prints per month. 

2) Even when a friend uses your code, the additional 5 prints is only valid for that month only. You are only allowed up to 10 additional prints a month - that means only 2 friends registering. Beyond that you will not get more than 10 additional prints a month.

3) The print out is NOT on photo paper.

4) Print quality is not extremely sharp so the camera used must be of reasonable quality otherwise the photo may turn out all blurish

5) If you do not use your free prints for that month, it will be "forfeited" meaning you cant carry forward to the next month.

I decided to try and use this for my Year of Mornings photos. I plan to only stick the photos in, journal a couple of lines and call it done. I bought a Paper Stone Journal that is undated. This means that I could start any time :)

Combining the two, this is my end result :) 

The prints are 2" x 2". I fitted 4 photos into 1 and uploaded that collage to be printed. This works well for me as the space in the Paper Stone journal arent big and  really do not need a full 4"x6" photo for this project. With 10 prints a month, I manage to get 40 photos and with it being free, this is like godsend! Like I mentioned, the prints are acceptable for me. I generally do not take any detailing photos for this project so it works well. If you are planning to print detailed photos, you may want to explore other printing services.

Verdict? 

My kiddos love to flip through it and with just a few lines of journaling, its simply a throwback sort of memory for them to flip through and have fun. 

For me? It was exactly what I wanted - a simple and non time consuming way of documenting so that my kiddos get to see them. Best of it all, the monetary investment is just the Paper Stone journal which I bought at a heavily discounted price since it was "old stock" and the time investment was just cutting up the photo, adhering them and journal a few line - Easy Peasy!           

Still with me? Interested? 
Use my code "8dd4" to get an additional 5 prints for the 1st time u order :) Remember, you must register with this invitation code then order your 1st set of prints.     

PS. I already have one set of additional prints this month, just saying :P

 

"Oh, So you die die also try..."

Try what? Well, according to these "commentators" of my life, apparently having a no. 3 after a long gap is because I "die die" must try to get a boy *insert indignant look*

 

When I got pregnant 2 years ago, it was a complete surprise. We were definitely not expecting it as, well, we both aren't very young. I remember going to my gynecologist of 10 years and even she was rather surprised too! We were totally elated at this wonderful gift!

 

My No. 1 was then 9 years old and No. 2 at 6 years old. Definitely not the ideal age gap, I was told unceremoniously by quite a number of "commentators". Most of the time, I was then given a list of plausible disadvantages that I SHOULD expect to happen and how "ideally" I should solve them. Whilst I totally appreciate the heads-up, I am also very aware that each and every child is different.

 

When I had No. 2, I was told to expect all sorts of horrible things my "jealous" No. 1 would do. I was filled with dread, quite literally and because it was also time for her to go pre-school, I held her back, not wanting her to feel as I push her to pre-school because I now have a new "toy" - her sibling. However, when the time comes, I was completely taken by surprise! Not only had she adjusted perfectly to the role for a big sister, she relished it! She was always on hand to help and none of those horrid stories happened!

 

I digress...

 

So, why must having a baby after a long gap from my previous baby become a "die die must try to have a boy"? Why must I even want to try? It's funny as our reasons for No. 3 were more pragmatic than being tied to such cultural notions...

 

We were both more established in our careers.

We are more economically stable.

We both love kids (Yes, hubby included though he doesn't show so :P )

We both miss having a baby.

We both want to enjoy a baby all over again!

 

Weren't such reasons much better than "die die must try"? Moreover, the last time I heard, we as parents have absolutely NO CONTROL over gender - it up to GOD to bestow on us!

 

So, for the umpteenth time,...

 

NO! I did not "die die must try to get a boy"

NO! In getting a No. 3 I was NOT purposefully aiming for any gender

NO! I do not subscribe to the notion of MUST have a boy to carry on the family name

 

Hey, I can bet you there can be at least 100s if not 1000s of people with the same family name in this whole wide world. So NO, there is no such remote notion of carrying on family name.

 

I am eternally grateful and thankful to GOD giving me another chance to enjoy all the babyish goodness after 6 years. I took pains to write down his milestone on a daily basis, I enjoy his antics, cheekiness and cheerfulness. I learnt from experiences how to handle certain naughty acts and the very best of all, I gotten the chance to see how my 2 older ones blossom into young ladies with a heart for the family and their younger brother wholeheartedly!  

Planner Embellishment Pack PEP February'15

Decided to do a post on the latest PEP of February 2015 :)

 

In a month of love, its hard to detract from the theme hearts, gifts and more love! I too had included a special treat in this month's pack - instead of 1, I have TWO Handmade items! These are exclusive to N Studio and will not be available anywhere else :)

 

Let's take a look at the yummilicious goodies in this month's pack!

 

 

 

 

You can see from the photo how jammed pack the pack is, with goodies that you can use not only in your planner but also in your Project Life, your reading and more! In PEP February'15, you will receive
1) A Hearts Washi Sampler
2) A Cake & Donut Sticky Memo Pack
3) A Polka Dots Circle Sticker Sheet
4) A Heart Circle Sticker Sheet
5) A Gift Puffy Sticker Sheet
6) A Candy Sticky Tabs Pack
7) A Patterned Heart Puffy Sticker Sheet
8) A Star Shaped Wooden Bookmark
9) Two Sheets of Washi Sticker Papers
10) A Rainbow Colored Ribbon Bow Sticker Sheet
11) A Rainbow Colored Hearts Sticker Sheet
12) Two Handmade Heart Shaped Felted Paperclip
13) A Handmade Wrislet Holder in Red Glittery Chervon

 

A few items that deserves special highlights...

 

Both the sticky memo and the sticky tabs packs are FULL packs! Which means you get so much more than just a small sampling. Instead you get more than enough to gift to friends, do some swapping or use it elsewhere besides your planner!

 

The HANDMADE wristlet holder is a very versatile item. It can easily be hooked onto any zipper of a pouch, a lunch bag to become a wristlet, freeing your hands while buying lunch or paying for your shopping. It can also be hooked onto a mobile as a handstrap or it can be hooked onto the rings of your planner or binder, making it easy to carry around.

 

The rainbow colored ribbon bow stickers are a personal favourite of mine. It comes in a multitude of colors (aka rainbow) and in different sizes too! I love adding the small ones to an envelope of the letter that I am sending to a penpal to brighten up everything. The larger sized ones can easily be worked into a photo or as a  finishing touch on your Project Life cards/journaling!

 

The Handmade Checkered Heart Shaped Felted Paperclips comes in a pair of red and pink. I use these paperclips to denote the different sections of my planner for easy finding. My kiddos used them to mark homework pages, file worksheets, or just for fun! They can be in tons of places and you will be so happy with how it brightens up everything around it!

Another personal favourite is the gifts puffy stickers. These are awesome in marking off birthdays, as a reminder to buy presents  and even to finish off on a gift tag for a friend!

 

I hope that you will like the February pack. For local (Singapore) purchases, head over to my Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Nian.studio For foreign orders, please visit my store at www.nstudio.storenvy.com Both purchases offers FREE Shipping! There are also some exciting changes coming to N Studio, with new sampler packs being offered at great prices! All will be revealed soon!

 

Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

2015 Planner Decorated

Start of a new year means a new beginning for most things. I have shared my DIY planner in my previous posts, here, here and here. Despite making my own, I still have yet to find 'planner peace'. My main grouse will be the heaviness and bulkiness of my DIY planner making it hard for me to bring out. After much deliberation, I decided to spilt up my planner.

 

I left all my stock lists, my finance papers for my store in the original planner file. This will serve as my working file for my store. I also realize that I am less likely to lug my main planner out as I am generally at home, going out only at most once or twice a month running errands. I thus need a lightweight planner to serve as my to-do list, shopping lists etc when I am outside. I also recently purchased a leather planner which will serve as my main planner where I decorate and do my daily reflection.

 

I was ready to stop here, not wanting to drown myself in planners! Alas! I had to discover that I need a brain dump, for all the ideas that I have floating in my brain. Up till now, my 'brain dump' had been whatever scraps of paper I could lay my hands at that moment. I realize that I needed a more permanent place for all these ideas so that I could return to them or keep them as reference. So yes, ANOTHER planner! GEEZ!

 

Using my firstborn's current pet phrase - 'O~M~G!' I am so not willing to have so many but I also know I need to try them out and see if it works. So here goes nothing.......

 

First of all, my main planner. This will be the main one that I decorate as I plan to incorporate the pages into my Project Life albums. My reflections will also be there, making it easier for me to refer to for my photo journaling. I decided to do away with all types of pages and purchased A6 plain grid paper. Why not plain paper then? In deference to my innate OCD of wanting straight lines, I know I needed some form of guidelines. I tried out with one day a page format but found myself running out of space to write both my to-do list and reflection on the same page. Yea, I am very longwinded :P So, I will next try a day on two page and let's see how it goes :)

Some examples of my a day in two page which I had found it worked wonderfully for me! I use one side for my to-do list and the facing page for my reflections, making it a piece of cake to refer and cross reference. It also will have an air of authenticity as these pages will reflect what I have taken in photos and in my reflections/journaling.

 

 

I have also decided to file my planner pages alongside my weekly PL layouts in the PL album. For the uninitiated, PL = Project Life, a memory keeping system that I have been doing for the past 3 years. It consists mainly of photos, keepsakes like ticket stubs and my journaling of what happened. As my daily planner pages will have my reflection for the day, it will only make sense to put them together and my kiddos will get a good sense of what happened on a particular along with my thoughts. Does it work? You bet it does! I have heard my gals commented ever so often that they had forgotten this or that. It was awesome seeing them relive the memories and emotions. Fast forward to 10 years later, this will truly be priceless memories. If you like to find out more, go here :) They now even have an iPhone app for this which makes it so much easier storing memories on the go and have them print out all done! I am oh-so-tempted to get the app!

Anyhow, I digress. As I was saying, I plan to file in my planner pages so I have made effort to decorate them and also make a start page for each week for easier 'filing'. An example of my start page for Week 4 of 2015 :)

 

My 'brain dump' planner will too be having grid paper but at A5 size to accommodate the various drawings and ideas that I would need to sketch out. This will be filed in yet another Daiso A5 file. However, this will be a soft file instead of the hard one for my store as I envision I may need to bring this file out if I am sourcing for materials. No unnecessary weight please.

 

Lastly, the functional lightweight planner that I have again purchased from Daiso - LONG LIVE DAISO! This will be the one that I carry around always, with all essential dates, events, appointments, to-do lists etc. No major décor here, mainly functional.

 

More details will be shared on each planners in future posts along with my review as I work through them :) In case you are interested, I purchased both the A6 and A5 grid papers from NBC at Raffles City. It is definitely reasonably priced and with member discount of 10%, definitely worth the buy!

 

I have also started on a new by-project this year, inspired by a Instagram post of someone I followed. It forces me to look at a particular part of my day and capture the memories. So far it had worked out great :) More on this in my next post :)
Have a creative weekend!