Kids Token System

After much yelling and screaming about picking up this, clean up that and don't do this and that, my hubby and I were looking at ways to motivate our children or bluntly---bribe them to be good!

I searched the web and found wonderful ideas about stickers and charts but we wanted a system that was more visually attainable.  So we decided to work with tokens or poker chips.  Each child gets their own token color (so they can't pinch some from their sibling's) and collects them in their own box. My hubby has a daily token reward ceremony for the kids and they get so excited and happy to receive their tokens and surprisingly not bummed when they don't but are determined to get their tokens the next day! This also works when disciplining them, so if they misbehave or don't behave nicely then they can have their token(s) taken away. 

They get tokens based on different chores they do or accomplishments.  We are starting off with just a few so it was simple for them to understand.  They would get rewarded with tokens for not peeing in the bed (we don't punish them since it's not really their fault and did you know that bed wetting is actually hereditary?), sleeping in their bed (they like getting in our bed, which is fine but then they pee in our bed--sometimes after peeing in theirs!) and cleaning up their room.

The rewards are different toys, books, privileges (i.e. going to a favorite play place) and they can see what rewards they can receive since we place them up (very high) so they are motivated.  This is another wonderful way to help children earn their toys and teach them not to take these items for granted and value each toy/item they receive.

They also have another color token that they can receive from their school teacher to receive a super duper prize as well!  This has been tremendously effective with my son and with great help from his teacher.

So far, it's been working wonderfully and we hope to add more chores onto the chart and later introduce monetary rewards.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Sew What?: Pillow Talk

 Lately, I've been crazy about pillows/throw pillows for the couch.  I had just finish doing a big red heart pillow case (you can see a small glimpse in the pic above--will try to post a better pic) after seeing a pin on Pinterest and then I saw another one with the word "hello" and it was so cutie chic that I had to add it to our couch collection!  Also they're cheaper, super easy and fast to make.

You'll need:

• Freezer paper 
• Pillow fabric or buy a ready made pillow case from IKEA (I'm using a thick cotton fabric from IKEA and stitching my own pillow case here--for a great tutorial on how to make your own pillow cases, check out MADE's for simple cases and for zippered cases check out Design Sponge's) 
• Pillow cushion, I got mine at INDEX Mall, 16"x16" for 99 baht---these pillows make great presents (another upcoming post)
• Craft paint for fabric, I'm using Martha Stewarts CRAFT Paint/Multi-Surface Metallic Acrylic Craft Paint in GOLD
• Sponge and bowl for paint
• Iron
• Hidden Zipper (if you're making a pillow case from scratch)
• Freezer paper (I'm using Reynold's)
• Cutting machine (I'm using my invaluable Cameo)

 When you have all your materials, it's time to design the stencil.  Since I was making a 16"x16" pillow and my Cameo can only cut up to 12"x12", I had to factor the pillow size by making a square box that was 16"x16" to get an idea how big the stencil will be.  

Once you have an idea how big you want your stencil to be on the pillow case then you choose the circle shape and then your font.  I'm using "Xiomara" (you can download free at dafont.com) font and then once I fixed the look of the word I used "weld".  When you're happy with your design, cut on Reynold's freezer paper or your stencil media of choice.

 

Now you're ready to iron and paint.

It has taken me lots of practice and fails (a lot) when it comes to stenciling and painting.  

 I have these tips:

• Iron with medium heat, not low or high but medium, just enough to stick the freezer paper onto the fabric but not hot enough to wrinkle and cause little creases that paint can escape and bleed out.
• Careful with edges, anytime you're ironing over/around edges, don't drag the iron, lift, wiggle and press.  Don't drag!
• Sponge paint on instead of brushing.  First put your paint into a bowl and dip your sponge in flat, then squeeze excess on the side of the bowl.  Then press and blot paint on stencil being extra careful around edges.
• Patience....I am soooo guilty of trying to remove the stencil even when the paint is still not dry.  Don't do this, be patient and let paint dry completely before removing stencil.  You will get crisper lines and hopefully no smudges.

Once you're done with painting and removing the stencil, take a scrap piece of fabric and place over the design and iron over to set the paint.

Finish sewing pillow.....REMEMBER!!!!!  Put the zipper on the bottom of your design so that it will not be visible when you have it adorned on your couch!!!!

Happy crafting!!!

Thainie Tip: Kids Room Storage

Since having kids, I've gone through so many storage bins, containers, etc... for their toys and they would either break or be used as makeshift go-carts, some kind of step ladder or just not used at all.  

I finally found a fantastic solution and you probably guessed it, it's from IKEA.  I got the biggest SAMLA plastic bin and they fit perfectly under the children's IKEA Sniglar beds (which sadly have been recalled but the other beds are just the same height) for easy clean up and storage.

Where I get my fabric...

I'm asked often where I get my fabric for my sewing and craft projects.  Well, I use to venture into Chinatown (Sampeng/Parurat) if I had the time but now that's not an option so I go to a wonderful shop on the corner of Asoke (BTS Sukhumvit Station), oppisite Terminal 21/on the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit side.  A good selection of fabrics and comparable prices. 

And if you're looking for sewing supplies (thread, zippers, buttons, yarn, etc..), just walk about 2 doors down and you'll find a nice little shop that has all your basics.  Sadly, I'm sorry I never remember the names of these shops but I've taken snaps of how the store fronts look.  Hope this helps!

DIY Baby Shower Keepsake

This diy idea actually came from a baby shower keepsake needed for my friend.  Originally it was suppose to be just onesie cut outs and hung on a string but then I stumbled upon a photo on Pinterest that used a frame although there were no instructions (since it's really easy!).

So thought I would share if you're interested in a keepsake for a baby shower or actually any party keepsake too!  Each guest can write their well wishes or in this case we asked each guest to either write some words of wisdom, pointers for the parents-to-be, etc...  After these onesie cards were each clipped on the ribbon to make a cute keepsake to take home.

You will need:

• Stapler gun
• Assorted ribbons
• Frame
• Mini wooden clips
• Tape/masking tape
• Note cards
• Pens

 

 First, take all the insides out of your frame, this frame was perfect since it came in plastic and not glass.  Then take your ribbons, measure, cut and place where and how you want. 

 Then once you're good with the look of the ribbon, staple.  Remember to pull/tug so that it won't hang loose once the notes are clipped on the ribbons.

And that's it!  Now you just need your choice of note cards (I designed and cut my own with the Cameo) and you're ready to have guests fill them out.  A wonderful keepsake for such a wonderful occasion.

Thainie Craft: Dino TO-GO

Cute and easy craft for your dino lovin' munchkin!  Also great for easy clean up and travel!

All you need:
 -  Tin lunchbox (these are from a small shop inside BTS Phromphong, 200-400 baht)
 -  Felt 
 -  Toy rocks and shrubs (snatched a few from my son's stash)
 -  Glue gun
 -  A dino loving kid

 Instant hit, although this happened...

Thainie Craft: DIY Personalized Tee

Still need a kiddie present for Christmas or a birthday?  How about a personalized tee?  

All you need:
 -  Basic tee (Hanes from Big C, comes in assorted colors/sizes)
 -  Iron on Felt Designs (from BeTrend Emporium)
 -  Stencil
 -  Fabric paint or any Acrylic paint (these are Fabrica 45 baht for each and they worked really nicely)

Mix, match and gift!

 

Thainie Gift

This was a gift for one of my best friends and wanted to share this, a cute way of giving a pair of earrings. 

Santa Sack

Our Christmas tradition for presents is that Santa's presents are not wrapped and everything else from family and friends are wrapped.  Well it's a nice surprise in the morning for the children, I just thought they would appreciate each gift more if they saw them one by one rather than it all spread out.

And so I remembered Santa Sacks that they sold at holiday fairs and thought of making my own.  It's a really easy sew and I also custom made little tags that had their name and good/bad tick areas too.  Can't wait to see their faces Christmas morning!

Polka dot and white fabric from IKEA and stripes fabric from personal stash.

Ginger---Ahhh Sugar Cookie House

So my children aren't crazy about gingerbread cookies but I wanted to do a gingerbread house.....so why not make them with sugar cookies?  They were easy to make and bake (using my go to recipe here) and the kids had a fun time making their houses--well---more like sheds since I wasn't good at the structural planning initially.  No matter what, they still had fun and enjoyed their sugar cookie houses!

 This was actually last year's edible craft that I didn't get to post, I had made these from sheet cake (any cake batter baked on a thin sheet) and cut out shapes so that the kids could decorate with frosting.  Another alternative to cookies and they were with a gluten free batter.

Thainie Craft: Tree Decorating Cards

We did these cards at school and it was a big hit.  They're great for card giving, gift tags or just a Christmas keepsake.

All you'll need:
 - Craft paper
 - Contact paper (it's just clear sticker plastic that you can find in big poster size and also A4 packets--not sure why it's called paper since it's really sticky plastic??)
 - Embellishments, glitter, sequence...anything that can be neatly pressed over with the contact paper 

Cut out your tree, presents, stars, snowman, etc... and have the kids place them however they like on the paper and when they're finish just place the sticky contact paper over and admire!

 *** If you like those plastic jars, they are absolutely marvelous and a deal!   You can find them at Makro (I got them at the Bangna one/across Mega Bangna) and they are 10 for 80 baht! 

Thainie Craft: Another IKEA Christmas Ornament for the Kids

IKEA is great for getting some inspiration and sometimes I pick something out not even thinking about it and it turns out to be a great Christmas craft like this one.  

Got these heart cardboard ornaments and paired them with cut up cd pieces for a quick, easy and beautiful ornament for the tree!  

Dino Birthday Party Time!

Did I mention December is crazy?  Crazy busy with birthdays and holidays!  

This was also the first year that I was organizing a birthday party for my son.  Since the big (costly) hoopla that was my daughter's first birthday my husband and I both decided that it was much more practical and memorable if the children actually were at an age that they could understand birthdays as well as be excited about who they were going to invite.  So my son was turning 4 and he was ready for his party!   

The theme of course was dinosaurs and we had it at Playtime, which I love since it's not too big but we didn't get a room since the kids spend more time playing then in the room and we just had an area near the cafe for snacks and the birthday cupcakes.

I don't have much pics of the party since I was pretty much occupied entertaining but I did want to share some items that you might want to use.

This was the invitation:
You might not be able to see but at the corner there was a big chomp that I cut out with the Silhouette Cameo.

And then there was the goodie bag:

 Using the same dino artwork, I made stickers for the ziploc bag.  The goodie bag had a bunch of finds from Sampeng.  
  - Light baton/saber (12 for 120 baht)
  - Little Angry Bird bags (5 for 100 baht)
  - IKEA Tolsby frames (49 baht) --- this is my go to goodie bag item that I love and it's always an artwork cut out that you can insert your photo into.  This time it was a dino jungle and I've posted the artwork below for personal use too.  Just use the "Select Trace Area" in the Silhouette program and it will cut the inside. 

 

   - Sweet treats bought bulk from Makro Bangna

 And then there were the birthday cupcakes that were frosted and decorated with chocolate rocks and a little dino to take home too (bought from Pinata in soi 39, 12 for 100 baht).

Hope you thought this was dino-myte!