the story of: alice puppets and next month

I had very good intentions of having pretty pictures of some printable finger puppets for you. But guess what? It's the last day of May, the last day for this month's story...and I have no paper that will work in my printer! Shocking, I tell you. So we're going to pretend there are photos.

Here we have printable finger puppets so you can tell the story of Alice in Wonderland! What you see might not look exactly like a finger puppet though, and this is where we pretend to have photos.

Print these puppets on card stock, then cut around the characters.

Cut strips of card stock, and make them into loops that fit loosely around your fingers. They could even be large enough for two fingers, especially for some of the wider characters.

Tape the loops onto the backs of the cut-outs. The lower third area is probably best for most, although on Alice, the middle is better.

Slide them on your fingers and tell the story! Of course, these are rather versatile, so I'm sure you'll find some other fun things to use the character cut outs for too.

Were you able to picture it without the pictures? I hope so. I am sorry about running out of supplies here...

Download the puppet PDF, and then...

Get ready for June!

Next month's story was chosen by my sister Anna, and I think it's going to present some fun discussion. And if I get my act together, a cute puppet too!

For now, you can add this story to your desktop! There's a one-size-fits-all calendar desktop in JPG or PNG. Be sure to set your computer to have it fill the screen.

Happy last day of May!

UPDATE: If you downloaded the puppets and they wouldn't print, please download again. I've updated the file to work properly now. Sorry about that!

make: felt mystery braid bracelet

Two weeks from today, Family VBS (or Family Bible Adventure, as we call it) starts at our church. We will be using Group's Hometown Nazareth curriculum, and are so excited about it. What makes this different from traditional Vacation Bible Schools is that is happens in the evenings, and families come and participate together. Last year we "visited" Egypt, and one of the things we found was that it helped to add some supplemental crafts and give people more options.

That's where I come in! I love the chance to come up with more ideas, so that's what this is today. One of the ideas that we are adding into the Wool Shop (think Bible-times marketplace stall), is a wool felt bracelet.

Are you familiar with mystery braid? It's usually made from a single strip of leather, which has two slits cut in it. Martha Stewart has an excellent tutorial, which shows the finished leather bracelets, along with how to create a braid from a single piece.

But we're talking about a wool shop, so I thought, why not make a bracelet like this from wool felt? It's sturdier than regular felt, fits the theme, and will make a nice challenge for the older kids who come. Here's the process:

From wool or wool blend felt, cut a strip about 2 inches wide, by 8-9 inches long, depending on the size of the wrist. (I made a bunch of each size for Nazareth.)

Fold the strip in half, and cut two slits. Make sure you leave enough room at each end for adding a closure.

Mystery braid! I tried to take photo steps of this, but it just doesn't work. I highly recommend Martha's diagrams. I followed the steps up to step six. Because of the width of the strips, this was all the braiding that was needed. After you're all braided and you get things looking right (it does seem like a strange process...but it works!), continue on.

Sew a button on one end. Before you figure on the final placement for the button, you may want to try it on a wrist.

In the other end, cut a slit for a button hole. I love felt for this because you don't worry about fraying fabric!

Now it's all ready to be worn. Whether you're visiting Nazareth, or just looking for a nice looking cuff bracelet, this is a really fun project. Even for adults!

Oh, and Happy Memorial Day! We're heading to the little parade in our town!

the (tea) party's over

You'll have to think of Nat King Cole singing the title of today's post. At least that's what I thought of. Anyway, this has been quite a week! We've had all kinds of Tea Party fun, and I want to thank each and every one of my guests and readers. You're the best!

Two of the giveaways from this week are over now, and I have winners to announce!

Kathreen's Action Packs go to Tiffany!

And the tea set goes to Janee!

(By the way, this was first time I've had a giveaway with over 100 entries. Thank you!)


If you didn't win one of these, there's still time to enter the sponsor giveaway, and don't miss the chance to win one of the dresses that Rachel and I have been working on!

And if you've just arrived at the party, you can find all of the patterns, projects, recipes and fun with this link.

Thanks again for coming to the tea party!

pattern: one lump or 2?

My mom likes to tell about how my great grandmother (who I'm named after!) used to hold a sugar cube in her mouth and sip her coffee through it. I'm not one for adding sugar to either my coffee or tea, so I've never tried it, but I like the idea.

Even though I can't think of the last time that I used a sugar cube, I find them ever so charming. They feel like something from another time...something special. I suppose that's a lot to get from a sugar cube. Anyway, I rather like the phrase "one lump or 2?" and especially coming from this sugar cube in particular.


I'd also like to point out that if the "refinery" of sugar cubes and tea parties isn't really your thing, this is still the pattern for you! Just turn the smile upside down, and suddenly you have a much more threatening sweet! Although, I suppose getting beaten up by this little guy would still be a happy occurrence...

Either way, I hope you enjoy stitching up this little guy. Now, would you like one lump or two?

Download the pattern here.

making fancy serving dishes

If all of this virtual tea partying has gotten you thinking that you need to host a real life tea party, then April has just the thing for your next event!

Hi everyone! It’s April from A Little of This and That.

So, you’re throwing a fancy tea party and you slave away in the kitchen all day to make beautiful and delicious tea cakes, petit fours or even cupcakes to serve to your guests. But don’t you want your serving pieces to be just as pretty as what you’re serving? I mean, cupcakes can be cute…but not if they’re sitting on some paper plate, right? YES!

But unless you’ve got the big bucks or you’ve inherited some super-fancy serving pieces from your Great Aunt Bootsy, you most likely don’t just have fancy serving pieces lying around the house.

Well, why not make your OWN serving ware from inexpensive plastic pieces purchased at the dollar store? You can wash and re-use them or toss them afterward…but at a buck-a-piece, it’s not really that bad.

Here’s what you’ll need:
A hot glue gun (and hot glue sticks)
Plastic serving ware from the dollar store or discount store (serving platters, vases, wine goblets, tumblers, bowls, etc)

Here’s the skinny on making them:




A few tips for you creative crafters:

Now, plastic dinnerware is seasonal and can be found in lots of colors and prints, so if the clear thing isn’t for you, then you’ve got options.

Mix up different bases for varying heights. Try plastic wine goblets or plastic tumblers turned upside down.

Make your own trifle bowl with a plastic serving bowl glued onto a skinny plastic flower vase.

Vary the top pieces. I’ve used bowls, round platters, square platters, rectangular trays and even large dinner plates.

Anything goes when you’re doing this…just make sure you don’t put anything TOO heavy on these pieces…they are made of plastic after all!

These work for more than just tea parties, too. Bridal showers, luncheons, birthday parties, even dinner parties…they could all use some serving beautification!

Thanks, April! I can't wait to make some of these in bright colors!

dressing up for tea

If I've been thinking about hosting a virtual tea party for a while, I've been cooking up this latest news for almost as long. The funny thing is, the ideas weren't connected, but they started to mesh, and come together at the same time. So, after months of keeping this process a bit of a secret, here's some big news:

You'll soon be able to make dresses with Wild Olive designs on them!

What? For real! I have teamed up with Rachel of Mamma Made, and have been working on designs for some tea party dress kits, which you sew up yourself.

Actually, Rachel has done the designing, I've just done the illustrating. You can read all about the process over on Rachel's blog, and what's even better...you can win one of these dress kits!

But I'm not sure that I've communicated my excitement here enough. Let me try this...

!!!!!!!!!!YYYYAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!! (For a full explanation, see this post)

Okay, I'm all calmed down. Seriously, this has been such an amazing thing so far. I never would have thought about doing something like on my own, and I was beyond thrilled with Rachel agreed to do one dress, let alone a collection. Thank you, Rachel!

Now, go over to Rachel's blog, enter to win a dress, and be sure to check out all of the other wonderful things she has going on.

citrus tea cupcakes

Any occasion is a good one for cake, and Erin's yummy treats will not disappoint! Get ready to start salivating!

Hi I'm Erin Wilson from Sunshine and Carousels. If you've ever read my blog before you'll know that I love to make pretty things and I love to bake cake. I'm so happy to be a part of Mollie's Tea Party Week. I'm a sucker for any kind of party or celebration! Oh and anything girly and sweet...I'm so there. :) Today I wanted to share a fun little cupcake recipe that would be perfect for the most darling tea party. My favorite kinds of hot teas are anything citrus like...green tea with lots of lemon, lemon cream or anything orange flavored. Love it all. So here's the perfect cupcake recipe to compliment these kinds of hot teas.

Citrus Tea Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cup of cake flour
1/2 cup of flour
2 cups of sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 tbsp. orange zest
1 tsp. of lemon zest
1/3 cup of lemon juice
1/3 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 c. vegetable oil
cup of orange marmalade jelly (for the topping)

Preheat oven to your oven to 325 degrees. Sift all your dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, orange zest and lemon zest, juice and oil together. Add egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Fill your cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden on top and firm and bouncy to the touch.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Two packages of softened cream cheese
Two table spoons of butter
2 - 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Cream the butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the powdered sugar and then vanilla. I always eye things. I know what consistency I need so I test it as I go

After your cupcakes have cooled ice the outer rim with cream cheese icing (see recipe above) and spoon a teaspoon of marmalade jam to the top of your cupcakes after they have been iced. You are all set now! Let's have some tea.

Thank you so much, Erin! Would you care for some lemon in your tea to go with these cupcakes?

tea time mug rug (with embroidery pattern!)

Mug Rugs are all the rage these days, but I've yet to make one. Fortunately, Sara is here to show us a really cute way to make one...and I even got to help!

Hi, this is Sara over from the split stitch, and I am so excited to be here today to share a really fun project with you. In honor of this week’s Tea Party, I present to you the “Tea Time Mug Rug”. Bigger than a coaster, yet smaller than a place mat, this mug rug is just the right size for a cup of tea and your favorite treat. If you can sew a straight line … you can sew this mug rug, it is that easy (and fast too!).

Before we begin, I want to talk a little bit about the part of the mug rug that I am calling the “side panel”. This area is a great spot to highlight some embroidery, applique, a bold cotton print … or whatever you can think of! You want to think about, and complete your design element for this side panel before you begin cutting your fabric. Just keep these measurements in mind: the side panel is a piece of fabric cut to 4” x 8.5”; and the visible portion (after sewing) ends up being around 2.75” x 7.25”.

For the side panel in the stitched example I used a tea bag embroidery pattern that Mollie was kind enough to design for this project. (You can download the pattern here.) See how he fits perfectly? And he really has got to be the cutest tea bag you have ever seen … am I right? I used Steam-A-Seam 2, some cotton fabric, and backstitching with black embroidery floss to create that little guy, but this is a spot for you to be really creative … so go for it! Okay, so now that you have something cute stitched up for your side panel, let’s get started!


Tea Time Mug Rug Tutorial
Finished Size: Apx. 8.25” x 7.25”

Gather Your Supplies:
7 quilting weight cotton prints cut to 6.5” x 2” each for patchwork insert
1 solid quilting weight cotton (with embellishment if so desired) cut to 4” x 8.5” for side panel
1 quilting weight cotton print cut to 8.5” x 9.5” for back
1 piece of fusible fleece cut to 7.5” x 8.5”
Basic Sewing Supplies: Sewing machine, thread, 70/10 & 90/14 universal sewing machine needles, tool for turning corners, scissors or rotary cutter, iron, etc.
Optional: 1 piece of eyelet (or other trim) that is 8.5” long (width is not important)

Notes:
* 1” = 2.54 cm
* A 70/10 universal sewing machine needle is used to assemble the entire mug rug until the last step – the topstitching is completed using a 90/14 universal sewing machine needle.
* All seam allowances are ½” .
* Abbreviations: RS= right side, WS = wrong side, RST= right sides together, WST= wrong sides together


Instructions:

1. Center and fuse the fleece to the WS of the back piece of fabric. Set aside.

2. Take your 7 cotton prints for the patchwork insert, and determine what order you would like them in.

3. With your first and second fabric pieces for your patchwork insert, and place them RST. Align the raw edges. Sew the 2 pieces together along one of the 6.5” sides.

4. Continue sewing all of the 7 prints together to form one patchwork insert piece as shown below.

5. Using scissors or pinking shears, trim all of the seam allowances down to ¼”, and press all of the seams open.

6. Using a rotary cutter and ruler, trim the sides of your patchwork insert if necessary to straighten them out.

7. Align the raw edges of one side of the patchwork insert with one of the long sides of the side panel piece as shown in the photo below. (Note: Your side panel piece will likely be the same length as the patchwork insert piece, due to a cutting error on my part, the side panel piece was a bit shorter, so I simply centered it on the patchwork). Pin the 2 pieces together, and sew.

8. Optional: Attach a piece of eyelet over the seam created in step 7. I like to use tape (rather than pins to temporarily affix the eyelet, then I simply sewed over the stitching created by the manufacturer to permanently attach the eyelet. Your front of the mug rug is now complete.

9. Place your completed front piece on a flat surface with the RS facing up. Place your backing piece (from step #1) on top of the front piece RST. Align raw edges and pin together.

10. Along one side (I chose the “side panel” side), use a water soluble marker, or any other marking tool to mark a 3” opening to use for turning.

11. Sew the 2 pieces together around all 4 sides(except for the opening), and clip the corners. You can pivot at the corners if you like, but I prefer to do my corners a bit differently to make them stronger. Take a look:

12. Trim all of the seam allowances down to ¼” EXCEPT for the side with the opening (I have found it is much easier to close an opening with ½” of fabric than ¼” of fabric available to topstitch over).

13. Turn the mug rug right side out and press. Be sure to press the fabric left from the opening inward.

14. (Switch to your 90/14 needle now!)Using the side of your presser foot as a guide, top stitch around the entire mug rug. This will close your opening left for turning. Then, when you are finished, go back and add another line of topstitching around 1/8” beyond your first line of topstitching. Press the entire piece.


You are finished, enjoy! If you have any questions, or any of the steps are not clear, feel free to stop by my blog, and click on the “about me” link – there you will find my email address.

P.S. This tutorial is for personal use only, thanks for understanding!

Hugs, Sara

You're definitely going to want to stop by Sara's blog today, because she's giving away this lovely mug rug and some supplies for making one! Thank you so much, Sara! You've made even the most casual tea party (for one!) so very pretty.