Colored Pencil Case

Ellie loves to make art - it's one of my favorite things about her. My other favorite thing about her is that when her preschool teacher asked her if she'd like to be an artist one day, she confidently answered, "I'm already an artist." Love that girl and her confidence!

I was so excited to make this colored pencil case for my little artist - and I'm thrilled with how it turned out. I got the instructions from an amazing book called Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts. I just knew this book was made for me because "Last-Minute" is right there in the title. It's a beautiful publication with so many great projects in it. I'll be sure to share other projects from this book on the blog - it's really one of my favorite titles on the shelf right now.

If you want to make a colored pencil roll-up case you can also google it and find a lot of great tutorials like this one. It's a simple concept that can be used for crayons, knitting needles or whatever other tools you can think of that you'd like to roll up and take with you. I personally loved working with all these bright fabric scraps in the dull days of winter and even though every single pencil is now scattered around the house, I still get a little thrill each time I match up the colors, roll it up, and stash it away for another day. Happy making little, Ellie - I hope you continue to love creative pursuits as much as I do.

P.S. Don't you dare color on this fancy gift I just finished for you!

You Make My Heart Glow Valentines

Even though we were sick on Valentine's Day, we had a stroke of luck when freezing temps and ice canceled Ellie's school on the day of the Valentine's party. We used our winter break to recoup and then had a chance to make some awesome cards for her class party. This was the greatest project for she and I to work on together: just enough structure for me and plenty of freedom for her. I thought I'd share the process for anyone else interested in making valentines like these.

Materials Needed:
- construction paper
- oil pastels
- scissors
-washi tape
- glow sticks

Draw hearts on sheets of construction paper.
Color in the hearts with different designs (this was Ellie's job - that girl LOVES oil pastels).
Cut out the hearts and cut two slits for the glow sticks to slide into.
Write a message and attach it to the heart with washi tape.

This project was super simple and we were both thrilled with the results. I've started a Pinterest board called My Hands Made where I'll pin photos of the various projects I complete. I hope you'll follow along! I love Pinterest and the creativity it has allowed me to tap into daily. I'm quite proud of my boards and welcome you to follow them if you'd like. (search Whitney Hardie under pinners)

I'm excited for this new venture on my blog. Hopefully it will help me document my projects more and who knows - it may even lead to more blogging!