Have you already exhausted all your summer ideas one month into the summer? Are your kids bored? Is your house trashed? May I present one solution? The summer job chart. Each job they perform is worth one space around here -- clean bathroom sink = 1; clean toilet = 1; unload/reload dishwasher = 1; make bed =1. You get the idea. For younger children, you may want to give them two points per job or they might never finish.
I just took pieces of poster board and drew a little path and then sectioned it off. The kids helped me color and stamp it. About every 20 to 25 spaces there is a reward -- ice cream at McDonald's, a slurpee, a trip to the dollar store, a book at Half-Price Books, et cetera. The prizes get more expensive near the end ($10 at store of their choice) culminating in a summer movie of their choice.
I made a marker for each child using some Stampin' Up stamps I have, colored them in and then "laminated" them with packaging tape. I use masking tape on the back, but you could easily magnetize them and put the game on the refrigerator. I'm thinking mine might go there next year.
My kids ask me for work, and I already got all of my downstairs blinds cleaned on the first day I put it up (which was just last week -- a little late this year). I made this chart a couple of summers ago and have saved it to reuse. I don't use it every summer, because the kids get bored of it. I alternate it with other things, but we're back to it this year. So go make your own game so your kids will stop complaining that they're bored and will start cleaning your house. :)
And he carries around all kinds of things in it. I even found him carrying his Playskool bus in it. I now have requests from 3 other little boys for their own bag.
Now if I could just get it to QUILT itself. (Tutorial here.)
And a banner.
This is not its final destination, obviously, but I was displaying it for the girls to see. I think it will eventually end up at the top of their curtain (that I haven't made yet).
But at least I have 5 more cut out and ready to piece. Yes, there are Y seams in this one. And some of them didn't go so well. I am assuming that I will get better as I go along.
I'm using some older fabric lines all mixed together -- City Girl by Kitty Yoshida for Benartex, Shangri-La by 3 Sisters for Moda, Chez Moi by Sentimental Studios for Moda and a whole bunch of other things that match. I can't even remember them all right now. I love this block, though, and still would love to do it in a bright pastel palette.
So maybe something like this.
I used these same fabrics (except the white) in my Running in Circles quilt. That stack of fabric (the second one) went farther than just the one quilt. I'm trying to use up my stash, but its half-life makes me think it'll never reach zero even if I don't buy anything new. Even after two quilts, there's still some left. That means I'll have to think up a new project. I wonder if I can do that! :) Happy quilting!
. . . This one is of Kaleidoscope pieces. Now to add the white. I'm actually quilting along this time. Cross your fingers for me to keep up. Off to the sewing room to finish this up!
I just took pieces of poster board and drew a little path and then sectioned it off. The kids helped me color and stamp it. About every 20 to 25 spaces there is a reward -- ice cream at McDonald's, a slurpee, a trip to the dollar store, a book at Half-Price Books, et cetera. The prizes get more expensive near the end ($10 at store of their choice) culminating in a summer movie of their choice.
I made a marker for each child using some Stampin' Up stamps I have, colored them in and then "laminated" them with packaging tape. I use masking tape on the back, but you could easily magnetize them and put the game on the refrigerator. I'm thinking mine might go there next year.
