Iron-On Vinyl

I have a love/hate relationship with iron-on vinyl...

it doesn't always do want I expect it to do,

which could possibly be due to operator-error, or possibly not. 

When I designed these giggle and dirt shirts,

I had them professionally silk-screened for my own sanity.

One of my biggest frustrations when working with iron-on vinyl

is that I am usually working

with smaller shirts, which means smaller/thinner writing.

Usually the letters didn't stick like I want them to because they are so thin.

So, I thought I would take a stab at it again and make the onesie's

pictured above for my cousin's baby shower.

I figure she's family and won't hate me if the vinyl melts off in the wash.

This time I cut a block of blue vinyl to put behind each design.

Vinyl loves to stick to vinyl, so the blue block gives the white letters

something to grab onto.

If you look really close you can see that the vinyl isn't smooth,

that it has melted into the grooves of the onesie.

I think this is a good sign...

or it could just mean that I fried the vinyl...

Either way, I guess I can start experimenting with it again.

If you've worked with iron-on vinyl and have tips to share,

leave a comment.

This sign never gets old for me...

Each time I make this sign, I play with the design a little.

It never gets old!!!

Learning Pockets

Thanks for joining us this week and sharing in the Learning Pocket fun!

Remember...

Easy access = more play time = more learning

Enjoy your weekend!

New Product: Single Pocket

I don't know how things are in your homes, with your families, but around here,

it seems like someone is always trying to get out of having to do something.

So I created this single pocket with our pictures.

(How long do you think it will take them to notice there's not a picture of me???)

When there is a job to be done and no one volunteers, we head to the pocket.

The lucky winner is the person whose picture is in front.

Want to try a pocket of your own?

Single Magnetic Pocket = $4.00

Vinyl Color:
Black White Brown (as shown)

New Product: Weather Learning Pocket

Artwork from Heritage Makers

It's all about the weather these days and someday we may have an extended stay of sunshine.

I like this pocket system because we get to talk about the weather and how it is always changing.

The kids also get to work on the concept of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

There are eight different weather options in each pocket. 

There are three cards of each weather option so that if the weather actually stays the same

for three days in a row, the kids can document it.

The kids also like to play memory with these cards because you have to find 3 of each match.

Available for Purchase

Magnetic Vinyl Pocket System: Weather = $10.00

Vinyl Color:

Black White Brown Cream (as shown)

Deck of Weather Cards (3 sets of 8 different weather options, 24 cards total) = $20.00

If you attempted to order these earlier, and the cart wasn't working properly, try again.
If you have any difficulties, please email me.

New Product: Colors Learning Pocket

I tailored the Colors Learning Pocket to kids of all ages.

I want my five-year old to work on sight words and colors.

And, I want my three-year old to work on colors.

Artwork from Heritage Makers

Each card has tons of different objects all in the same color.

Older kids who are working on sight words,

can match the words to the colors through a game of memory.

I think it would be fun for younger kids to collect small objects around the house

that match the color card they are working on.

Available to Purchase

Magnetic Vinyl Pocket system = $5.00

Vinyl Color:
Black White Brown Rust Orange (as shown)

Deck of Color Cards (words & objects, 20 cards total) = $15.00

New Product: Numbers 1-10 Learning Pocket

Learning Pocket: Numbers 1-10

Artwork from Heritage Makers

This is probably my favorite Learning Pocket.

My two oldest kids are 5 and 3, so they are on different levels

when it comes to working with numbers and words.

My oldest likes to play memory with the cards, matching the words to the numbers.

And my three-year old likes to work with the cards that have pictures.

One day, I put out some plastic jam jars and had the three-year old line up the cards with the pictures.

Then, I had him put the same number of marbles in each cup as there were pictures on the card.

While he was doing that, the five-year old set up the word cards on the other side of the jars

as pictured below. They had fun working together, each on their own level.



Available to Purchase

Deck of Cards: Numbers 1-10 (pictures & words, 20 cards total) = $15.00

Magnetic Vinyl Pocket System = $7.50

Color:
Black White Dark Brown Blue (as shown)

New Product: Learning Pockets

I thought I would give a little history on the development of today's new product - Learning Pockets.

1. The Name

Many years ago, I took a child development class.  I vaguely remember learning something about how children have these moments or little windows of time where they are especially susceptible to learning new concepts.  I translated that into "learning pockets" and added that to the fact that I wanted to develop a pocket system of educational games for my children.

2. The Pocket System 

This is my first attempt at creating a pocket system.  I used black vinyl material and sewed this little ditty.

I altered the pattern a couple of times, but in the end, it was too time consuming and really did nothing for my patience.  I like to sew, but I do not love to sew and I couldn't see myself mass-producing these.

I let the idea sit for awhile and got back into it when Lydia found this magnetic pocket system at the dollar store.  I loved the idea and figured I could dress up the presentation of it a bit.  The dollar store is a little hit and miss here, so I wasn't sure if I could find the pockets when I need them.  So, I kept thinking...

And that's when I decided to make this version.  It is a double magnetic pocket system.

I liked how it turned out and went about making the cards.

 This Alphabet Set includes both uppercase and lowercase letters.  As they sit side by side in the pockets, my children can find the matching letters to show both at the same time.  It seems that sometimes we focus just on the uppercase and I really wanted to show both styles of the alphabet.

Artwork from Heritage Makers

My son loves to play memory with the cards.  If he uses all 52 cards, it takes him quite awhile to finish one round, but it keeps him from bugging his brother helps him learn his alphabet.  Each set of upper and lowercase letters has a matching picture of an object that starts with the letter.  That way if he is a little unsure of the match, he can check himself by seeing if the pictures match.

He also likes to line the uppercase cards up in order and then match the lowercase letters below them.

We've had fun finding new ways to use the cards and I love having them out for the kids to play with whenever they want.  I have them on my fridge and if the boys want to play, they just come get the cards.

Easy access = more play time = more learning!!!

Available to Purchase

Magnetic Vinyl Pocket System = $5.00

Vinyl Color:  Black White Dark Brown Lime Green (as shown) 

Deck of Uppercase and Lowercase Cards = $20.00

Stay tuned for more Learning Pocket fun.

I'll be posting a new pocket idea each day this week.

Your little one will love running around in one of our giggles or dirt shirts. Order one for your child, grandchild, niece, nephew or neighbor and they'll love you forever!

Price = $10.00

Gender:
Girl Boy
Color:
Pink Green Red Black
Size:
18 month 24 month 2T 3T 4T 5T(Youth XS) Youth S Youth M

Service Tiles

To learn more about service tiles, read their story by clicking here...

Price = $1.00/tile

Face Option:
Girl One Girl Two Girl Three Boy One Boy Two Boy Three Boy Four Boy Five

Tile Color:
Black White Dark Brown Light Brown Beige Dark Red Red Rust Orange Orange Yellow Lime Green Kelly Green Dark Green Mint Dark Blue Petrol Purple Lilac Bright Pink Pink Silver Gold Cream