Simple Handmade Toys

Those of you who know me, know that I always have a new hobby.  I dive headfirst into some new activity, become completely absorbed with it, and then after a few months, put it away and move on to something else.  My most recent hobby has been sewing.  In the last couple of months, I have sewn a couple of dresses for Zoe, a skirt for me, and have been working on a quiet book that may get finished for my first grandkid.  The other day though, I just needed a quick project that I could get done without a whole lot of effort.

I desperately needed a diaper and wipes case.  My diapers kept getting squished at the bottom of my diaper bag and I could never find one when I needed it.  I found an easy, cute pattern at boogaboobabies.  You can buy a kit there with everything you need to create the bag, or you can download the pattern for free.  The pattern was really simple, but I wasn't thrilled with the way it turned out.  I used thicker ribbon for the handle than they did and it just doesn't quite hang right.  It does its job though and looks cute, so I am happy with it, and I think with a little tweaking, the pattern could be perfect.

My favorite creation though was the cute stuffed animals made out of the fabric scraps.  I found the pattern for them at Make It and Love It.  There are so many cute things on her blog that I want to make.  These animals were super simple and I love how they turned out.  Zoe loves them too.  She likes to play with the ribbons and suck and chew on the head of the giraffe and the trunk and legs of the elephant.  She also really enjoyed helping me make them.  She was fascinated with the batting and could have sit for hours just pulling it apart.

There is just something amazing to me about making things with my own hands.  It is very satisfying to watch my baby play with a toy that was made in my own living room, instead of some factory somewhere.  I think that sometimes our kids live in such an overstimulating world that we forget it is the simple things that often keep them happy and satisfied.  I am certainly not giving up on store bought toys, but something homemade is definitely nice once in a while.