Storyboards

Hi friends!
For Christmas this year, I made L a STORYBOARD SET, complete with scenery and doll costumes.  It's basically a larger, more durable version of a felt board and made for 18" dolls.  I thought I'd share some pictures of it with you!

Here's the board closed up.  It's made of three pieces of MDF, with the side pieces hinged onto the larger center piece.  I added Velcro to the inside of the board so L can stick her felt pieces onto it.  To brighten it up a little, I glued paper flower cutouts to the front, and then sprayed poly over the top to seal it a little.

 



We're totally into Little House on the Prairie, so here's our Pioneer Scenes!  Two trees, a covered wagon with Jack (the Ingalls' dog) and a log cabin help L play out some of the stories from Laura's day.  All parts on the board are felt-backed, so can be easily moved and rearranged.  (I may add some Velcro to them in the future...they don't stay on perfectly now.)  I think my favorite part of these scenes is the doll outfit...love the little bonnet!

 

L is a little obsessed with princesses right now, and Cinderella is her favorite.  Here are a kitchen scene (with 'rags' outfit) and the garden scene (when Cinderella's fairy godmother grants her wish with a beautiful ball gown) from that fairytale.  There's also a costume for the fairy godmother, but it has mysteriously vanished (under a couch?  dog ate it?)!

L is also really enjoying horses and cowgirls lately.  Here's my version of a stable.

I always loved playing school as a kid, and I'm sure L will do the same.  Here's a school scene complete with teacher and student desks, chalkboard and room décor.  The doll's outfit is a little cardigan made from an old adult sweater...love it!

 

While this project was a bit time-consuming, I think it turned out alright.  It's really rewarding to see L use her imagination and creativity to act out the scenes.  Plus, with all the costume changes her doll has to go through, she gets great fine motor practice with Velcro, buttons, snaps.....!

 

What scenes would you have to include for your little ones, if you were to make a storyboard?

 

Have a crafty day!

Kristin at Fiddle & Frog

 



New Year's Blessings!

 

Blessings to you all as we begin 2014!

 

From your friends at Fiddle & Frog

 

A Holiday Message

Greetings Friends!

 

Here at Fiddle & Frog, we're taking a break from working to spend some time with those we love.  Hopefully you're able to do the same.  We'll still be busy though, assembling and playing with the new handmade (!) gifts the little ones have received.  Best wishes to you and your families as you celebrate.

 

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

 

 



Cowgirl Birthday Party = FUN!

Hi Friends,
First, my apologies for not posting very regularly.  My goal is weekly, but sometimes even that doesn't happen.  It is one of my resolutions for 2014 to be more consistent with blogging!

On another note, I threw my oldest a cowgirl birthday party this past weekend...and it was a blast!  I thought I'd share some pics of the fun.  (Thanks to Pinterest for some of the ideas!)

 

The birthday cowgirl!  Cannot believe she's already four years old!

We had a photo booth (made from a large box!). 
I made props...see below for a great shot of the birthday cowgirl and Grandma!

The General Store!  Every guest received a small packet of play money when they arrived,
and the got to 'shop' for goodies (including treats and tiny toys) - gotta love dollar stores!

Refreshments at the 'Watering Hole'...decorations included tiny straw bales, horses and cowboy hats, burlap and bandanas.  Pretty easy, really, once I had the idea!

The cake and party favors.  Yes - it's actually a doll inside that cake!  Tons of frosting, but really yummy! 
(I did not make this cake...it came from a great bakery in Appleton WI!)

Gold Mine = messy fun!  The kiddos dug for gold coins in a box of sawdust.  So simple, but turned out pretty fun.

 

I had loads of fun planning and preparing for this party.  Probably went a little overboard, but I think every kid deserves a great party to celebrate their birthday!

Thanks for reading!

Kristin at Fiddle & Frog

Our Advent Calendar

Hi Friends!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Ours was great!  So good to see lots of family and have some yummy food.

I can't believe it's already December...and since it is, it's time to begin our Advent Calendar.  I made ours from felt and a bunch of holiday fabric scraps.

 

Close-up of pockets

 

 Underneath each number is a pocket.  For the last couple of years, I filled each pocket with treats and small presents.  This year, I found this great felt nativity set at a craft store (for like $1!), so I'll be dividing up the pieces and the girls will add a part of the nativity scene each day.

 

 

What are some of your ideas for Advent Calendars?  I've seen so many cute ones on Pinterest and elsewhere...I'd like to do a new idea each year!

Have a crafty day!

~Kristin at Fiddle & Frog~