A Mom and Teen "Going Away To College" Project

So I've decided to include an occasional post about a sewing project. Because sewing is my heritage and I'm ashamed :( to not be promoting this fine art. My daughter, Carlynn, who just graduated, had this great idea to preserve her favorite high school T-shirts from the 4 years of activities and events. Too many to wear and I guess not "cool" when you get to college! So she decided to make a blanket out of them. With my input ( 75% ignored & 25% accepted - very good results for a teen and Mom collaboration I might add ) it came out fantastic!

First she made a cardboard pattern to use to cut equal sized squares from the T-shirts. Fronts and backs were used and kept together as one piece

Next we laid them out and played mixy , matchy, movey until all the colors and patterns were just right. Also about 3 inches of the outside edge needed to be plain - You'll see why......



Next we sewed the squares together. The front and back of each shirt was kept together and treated as one piece of fabric. T-shirt material sticks to itself so it was easy to do this. First in long strips. Second all the long strips were sewn together.







The square's edges were overlapped 1/2 inch when sewing them together. Carlynn wanted a quirky look to the finished blanket with many of the unfinished edges visible.

The last step was to finish the edge. This was why we tried to avoid a pattern or wording in the outer 3 inch edge. A No Sew technique was used. The entire edge was cut into 2 inch deep and 1/2 inch wide fringe. Remember there is a double thickness to the blanket . The front and backs of the shirts. Cut through both layers at the same time. The final work was to tie all theses little fringies to each other. The aligning front and back fringe piece to each other. This took longer than sewing the squares together! This was where I butted out. But a teen who is waiting impatiently to go away to college in August has lots of free time to tie knots.(not me)

She'll probably have that blanket for years and the memories as well!

http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

Non-Conforming Tweens Are NORMAL

Sugar and spice and all things nice
that's what little girls are made of . . . . .

Boyfriend Dreams

Cell Phone Screams

Low Cut Jeans . . . .

That's What Moody Tweens are Made Of ?

So many issues here. . . . .Let's just talk clothes today. At some point tween girls begin to push the limits of your patience by trying some very weird clothing styles Or. . . they try to get away with wearing clothes too tight and too revealing. As the Mom you have to take a stand on what you will allow and this can result in some serious head butting with the "darling daughter" and this is not pleasant. Here's a few pointers to help.

Don't let her dress like a "hoochie mama" when she's 5 years old! Some people think this is cute. It is NOT and the kids perception of, sleazy = cute = attention, is set in motion at a very young age and continues to the teen years and there's no stopping it because in the tweens mind "it was OK then so why not now". Big Big fights will ensue. Check out this article about the problems caused when tweens dress "too old" and some great ideas to appease their need for finding their own style.

Be flexible you stuffy old fashioned Mom --YOU! You are not suppose to understand a tweens fashion sense nor "like" it. Their clothes are experiments in trying on different personalities. It's the beginning of a life quest to figure out who they are. Did you know that fashion designers often scour the streets to get ideas for designs and these often come from tweens and teens who have mixed together styles to create new ones. Goth, retro, vintage, Japanese, punk and more all inter weaved sometimes. Non-conforming being the goal.

Get your tween involved in creating her own style. Any local craft store has isles with ideas just go and browse. From simple painting on hoodies, jeans or T-shirts - to more advanced cutting and revamping a simple shirt into a funky piece of art. Use existing clothes for starters to keep the cost down and beware there's a store coming to your neighborhood soon where decorating a hoodie by computer could cost you $90.00 !!! Because I'm a DIY girl that seems crazy. I always see expensive things and think "I could do that" but time is always an issue too. That's why my speedy glue gun has taken the place of my sewing machine so often. GOGO GLUE GUN!!!

http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

New Surfer Sandy Dress Up Doll

I finally completed development of the newest "Design-A-Doll" Kit. In celebration of summer my new doll kit is

Surfer Sandy

The fabric choices are all very bright pretty tropical prints and the special trims to complete the "Island" style are colorful wood beads and cowry shells. I LOVE shells of all kinds, I use them to decorate my bathrooms. I'm in Florida remember. Also lei flowers to fancy the hair and sandals. I love making these simple dolls. Oh , ..and the dreadlock hair is so cute and very easy to string the beads on. Of course you can find her at Candee Crafts.

Another great piece of news is that I videotaped the instructions for the dolls hair, dress and sandals. This is for all the dolls, as the basic assembly is the same until you get to the individual style of each kit. The trims are the easiest part. I keep thinking they are so easy to make - which they are, but to teach it by "text" is great for a crafty person, but a NEWBIE to crafting can get it much easier from a VIDEO right? So I'll post that ASAP after editing the tape. There's TWO more dolls in development and one has charms to finish the decor..............she's way too cute!

http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

The Relaxing ? Tween Years

Just when you think your child is finally old enough to spend some time playing with friends without your constant supervision, can fix their own snacks and can entertain themselves- it's time to get even more involved in their lives! You thought you could go back to relaxing a little , watching adult TV shows , and having adult only conversation.. Forget it. It's time to coach , attend performances, bus kids to activities and host sleepovers!!

The tween years, 8 to 12, can be smooth sailing for many kids , with 13 being a jump into the rough teenage moody years. For other kids, especially girls, the tween years can be the rocky beginning of the tumultuous teens. Either way a parent must be prepared for the teen years when kids crave independence and control of their lives and yet have displays of behavior that prove their immaturity.

How can a parent best prepare for the bumpy teen years?

The answer is to insure a close relationship in the tween years. If a tween enjoys and respects their parent, setting rules and getting compliance from a teen will be much easier.

Here are a few tips to help bond the parent and child relationship during the tween years

Ensure your tween has an opportunity to find activities besides school work and home leisure that are challenging and fun. The possibilities are numerous; sports, music, art, science , volunteer organizations, civic clubs etc. Make sure they try a variety until they settle on a few favorites. As a parent you must ensure they follow through with the commitment they make and most importantly you must get involved in helping to support the activity. The involvement can be simply attending performances, or keeping records, or running the whole show if you are so inclined. Your tween will be thrilled you are there and you will have lots to discuss at the dinner table.

Schedule daily time to talk to your tween. Ideally this is a meal time but could be bedtime or right after school. Your work schedule may dictate this time, but it needs to be every day. It needs to be a relaxed, non-rushed period when the two of you can just chat about life or problems or anything really. The point is to let the kid know you are available and you care.


Get to know your tweens friends and their parents. Allow the friends to be at your home frequently and include them in activities and fun. Your tween will want to stay at their homes and you want to know that environment is a safe and supervised home. Again, you are showing your kid that you care enough to get involved in their lives.

So, keep your tween busy in healthy activities, be a part of these activities and be available to listen and chat. Build a strong bond before you head into the teens years, the ride will be less "bumpy." ( there's that cute word again to describe the TEEN years LOL)


permalink

http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

Watch Out For Tween Trainers

Tweens.........my my how they can TRAIN us to jump through hoops for them if we are not careful!
Then when we are sufficiently trained to please them in every possible way, (by now they are 18 and so pleased at our abilities to perform) we go out into the world and do our tricks and embarrass ourselves HORRIBLY!

Not me of course, I knew better.

This past weekend My dh and I went to my dd's college orientation program. Teens and parents in separate lectures and Q&A sessions of course! Kids learning stuff they don't think Mom knows,....... and parents being warned about stuff they should not let the teen know, they know. lol

Anyway, some of the "well trained" parents spoke up and asked questions that were very entertaining to the rest of us (smarter parents), and made complete fools of themselves!

"Do you have a laundry service I can get for my son?" NO

"Do you notify me if my daughters grades start to fall?" NO

"How many classes can they miss before they get in trouble?"

NO one cares if they miss class

"What time do the boys have to be out of the girls dorms?"

No one cares about this.

"What time are -'lights off"?

No time, in fact some students stay up all night

"I think the AC units next to the window are too noisy for my son to be able to sleep?"

He'll get use to it.

We smuggly giggled! along with many others. I'm sorry but did they think college was CAMP SUNSHINE! People...People... you must prepare your teens to face a real world where they set the time for chores and work ...and sleep(maybe) and deal with aggravation and ...and.. and the opposite sex in their dorms ........at night OMG!

Here's one of my mantras TEACH TWEENS TO DO THEIR OWN LAUNDRY !

Read this very funny post about learning when you are being duped at verybusymomwith4

Evaluate tween behavior and attitude at A Parents Guide to The Teens Brain

And beware all you helicopter parents college is a NO Fly Zone ............ LOL

permalink

Pretty Sassy Straw Purse for Tween Fashionistas

Time for a new fun craft for Tweens and Moms!

I picked up these very cute straw purses at the dollar store. They were lined with fabric and Only One Dollar - how do they make them so cheap? They did have some very tacky sequin decor on them which I easily removed by snipping a few threads. I chose a "Spring" design and a "Tropical" design but feel free to do your own thing as they say. Remember Tweens are crazy for choosing their own style and also LOVE crafts that are FASHION related. Teaching them to create their own style can save LOTS OF MONEY too, because a girl who can design, glue and sew loves the individuality of her wardrobe and often avoids the "cookie cutter" expensive fashions worn by the masses.

Wander through a Michaels or A.C. Moore craft store and you can get ideas for the design style you like. Browse through the jewelry and applique isles and something will "Grab Your Fancy" ........................Exactly what is "your fancy"? (Strange cliche )

Anyway Have fun.................. AND GOGO GLUE GUN!........................


permalink

Tween Lolitas - ???

Our girls are growing up WAY TOO FAST! I don't mean......"it was only yesterday she started first grade and now she's going off to college..........sniff-sniff".(I'll be going through this in 2 months!) What I mean is why are tweens wearing .......well -- sleazy skin bearing outfits, highlighting their hair, loading up on makeup and shopping excessively ...

Hmmm.....where do tweens get their money?

Who allows them to wear pants with "Hottie" or "Juicy" plastered across their butt?

Who forks over the $50 at the salon to dye their hair?

Who thinks this is CUTE? Parents who are very ignorant of what it's like to control a teenager who dresses this way. Parents who don't realize the patterns of dress you allow at 10 will carry into the teen years. Your "cute" little, scantily dressed little girl becomes a partially naked, provocative women being watched all too closely by MEN of all ages.

What tweens want is to dress cool and stylish and this can be done without becoming a Lolita.
Here are some ideas:

Layer tops. Tanks and Camis under low cut T-shirts or shirts with large armholes or stylish cutouts. Stylish without a skin show.

Tights and shorts under mini skirts, dresses or holey jeans. "Funky"- no butt cheeks peeking out.

Leotards or body suits under low riding jeans. Cool and no belly bared.

Let them wear weird combinations of colors, patterns, inside out or upside down. It's an expression of Independence, and not demeaning to themselves. Allow fun and crazy accessories. Belts, hats, jewelry, etc. My dd wore black cotton gloves with the fingers cut out for several weeks to middle school. Why? ......... When I asked I got the eye roll, which we all know means " I cannot possibly explain this to some one old like you" It was a Michael Jackson look which was popular when I was a weird teenager. I should have told her that ............she would have trashed the gloves immediately! HA!



Let them use temporary dye to put streaks or more in their hair. Cheap and fun!

Makeup I say NO but you decide on that one.

Shopping as a hobby! This I will leave for another post because I will take off on a rant If I'm not careful. Tweens should be doing hundreds of other things for entertainment, things that build their self esteem and self image. Browse through a girl scout badge book. The skills girl scouts learn and explore are incredibly fun and teach them Independence and to value themselves and each other. I am a big fan of the G.S.A. program.

You control the shopping and fashion of your tween. Be with her when she shops. If you don't like her outfit - don't allow her to leave the house until she changes. She will fuss and whine and you must ignore this and refuse to debate the issue. Very tough sometimes,.... but you will teach her to respect herself and your rules. In the teen years she will be smarter about her self image and continue to respect your opinion.