My submission for this challenge (boy toys) is a Go Fish! set. What kid doesn't like to fish? When you cannot make it to actual water, this is a fun stand in.
The How To: Each fish is cut from felt, stuffed with filling, a magnet and then hand embroidered shut. At times (see the coral) I added beads because I thought these fishies could use a pop!
I was barely able to get them all together to take a picture - someone(s) kept running off with the fish!
Here are some close-ups of my favorites ...
1. Seahorse 2. Clownfish "dressed up" as Flounder from The Little Mermaid
3. Fancy Coral 4. Angelfish in Hawkeye Outfit
So far, they've been most popular in the crib with the fishing pole thrown over the toddler rail.
The Perks: In my house, craft time is sort of sacred. When I decided to make these, I wanted to be able to get a lot of use from them (this took a very long time). I think that even when they're not being snatched up with a fishing pole, they make a really nice Under the Sea display. Don't you see Flounder in there? And Nemo? There's also a Lemon Butterfly Fish, a Parrot Fish, Threadfin Butterfly Fish, a couple Jelly Fish, a Sea Turtle & Seahorse.
Compliments To: Some of the templates were from the Purl Bee (template here). I just increased them by 300% to make them "fishable."
Another fun thing I thought of when making these was to ... string thread through the top of them and either put them on a garland, OR use them like Christmas tree ornaments and have a mini-tree with an Under the Sea theme. In fact, you might see that back here in December.
Enjoy! And vote for YOUR favorite!
I liked the hockey goal as it could be used for other sports (soccer, backdrop for beginning baseball (no more chasing balls) too. While the fish were absolutely darling and loved the other use suggestions, I think you are limited to very young children and I do not want to spend that much time making and embellishing fish to possibly see them everywhere they shouldn't be.
ReplyDeleteThis was a difficult vote!!! I can see using both boy toys in my future, but at very different ages. I had a hard time deciding...
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