Muse of the Morning PDF Sewing Patterns

Activities & Materials For The Lightbox

We love our lightbox! Yesterday, I shared a tutorial on how to make your own lightbox for about $20. Today I’m going to share some fun things that we’ve found or bought inexpensively to play with on our lightbox.

I like really open-ended play, so I basically put some materials out on the box and let the kids go. Of course I have to watch Mr. Man pretty carefully- he likes to grab things off the table and put them right in his mouth.

On the left is a magnet exploration set that we already had. It’s some colorful discs that have metal around the rim. Then there are a couple magnets so that the kids can play with them. On the right is a bunch of found things- flat marbles that we already had and other random things that we collect when we find them. Mostly things for aquariums or flower arrangements. You can find these things from the Dollar Tree or Walmart.

These are things that I bought online. A google search for “overhead projector materials” will bring up some options for you. On the right is a base 10 set- there are a couple hundred blocks, some tens blocks and some ones. On the right is a set of pattern blocks.

Fingerpainting: I covered the top with plastic wrap so that they box itself didn’t get covered in paint, then I dropped on some dollops of fingerpaint and let the kids go to town. One kiddo didn’t want to use her hands, so I got out some brushes too.

Here, an outline was given to Sabine and she used the flat marbles to fill it in and then make a story with the pieces.

These are some silicone muffin cups that were given to me that I have never got around to using for baking. They are a lot of fun, especially for the baby! The thinner (off brand) ones let the light glow through really nicely, while the thicker (Wilton brand) ones are a little darker, but still a lot of fun to play with.

Color-mixing! Some clear jars, spoons, eye droppers or pipettes and food colored water make for lots of fun.

Here Are Some More Resources and Inspiration:

Play At Home Mom – look at her main photo- I love the water beads on the light table!
More from Play At Home Mom -playing with sand and water on the light table.
Even more Play At Home Mom some basic skills that kids can experiment with on the light table
Teach Preschool – make some colorful discs for your light table
Kreative Activities – play with colorful plexiglas on the light table

Free Printable: Lil' Book of Hand Embroidery Stitches

Download PDF booklet here

This is a tiny book with diagrams of some basic embroidery stitches. It prints out on one page and has instructions on how to fold it to make a book that fits in your pocket!

This is a pdf printable, you will need Adobe Reader or another pdf reader to open this pattern. A color printer is also recommended. All Muse of the Morning Sewing Patterns and Teaching Resources, including Free Patterns and resources are © Copyright 2013, Christine Leiberan-Titus, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of these patterns and resources, except for patterns and directions, are strictly prohibited by US and International copyright law. No part of these patterns may be reproduced in print or electronically, including, but not limited to instructions and photographs. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without the permission of the author. Basically- personal use only. Thank you!

Paper Tearing Techniques

When you tear paper craft or scrapbooking paper toward you, it leaves a contrasting white edge.

When you tear paper away from you, it leaves the same color edge. Use your fingers to direct the shapes you’re tearing. Use a ruler edge for a perfectly straight tear.

To tear mulberry papers in the exact way you want, wet a paintbrush with water and paint along the line you want.

Then tear along the wet line you’ve painted, creating the exact shape you want. Wait until the watered edge dries before using in your project, however.

My “Go-To” Half Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

8.5 oz hot water (1c + 1tbsp)
3 tbsp honey (optional)
1.5 c white flour (or bread flour)
1.5 c whole wheat flour
1.5 tbsp dry milk
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp active dry yeast

1. Add ingredients into your bread maker in the order that the manufacturer suggests. For a more sandwhich-y bread, leave out the honey- for sweeter, add it back in.

2. For Bread: set to whole wheat and walk away!

3. For Yummy Rolls: set to dough setting. When done, divide into as many rolls/breadsticks/etc… that you want and let rise in a draft-free, warm area until double in size- this takes a bit longer with the whole wheat than white bread. Allow up to 1.5 hours depending on how warm your rising space is. Bake 10-15 minutes until yummy and golden brown.

4. For Rosemary Rolls: Use the honey. Follow directions #3. Divide into 1.5- 1.75oz rolls (I use a scale). This should make 12-14 rolls. Place about a 1/4 inch apart in circles in a greased spring-form cake pan. Let rise until at least double in size. Use pastry brush to apply melted butter over the tops and sprinkle with sea salt and chopped rosemary (about 2 fresh springs). Bake. Paint with butter when done if desired.

Notes: The key seems to be allowing adequate time and a warm enough space to rise. I turn on the oven and place the pan on top of the handle of my cast iron skillet on top of the stove. That allows air flow underneath and above. I cover with a dishcloth to keep any draughts out.

Lunchtime Handpies

These are so awesome!! Since you make up so many at one time, they are perfect for freezing for lunches. Wrap them in wax paper or saran wrap and store them in the freezer. For lunch, take one out and microwave for about a minute to reheat. Yum!!

What You Need:
Rhoades white roll dough (or make your own and measure out the right size)
Filling- look for recipes at the end
Flour for rolling
Cornmeal

1. Spray a muffin tin with spray oil and set a roll in each one. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight to thaw. In the morning. preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Set out a baking sheet and sprinkle with corn meal.

2. Take a roll and flatten it. Roll it out until its about 6 inches around.

3. Move your roll onto the baking sheet. Add a small amount of filling on one side of the flattened roll. Fold the other side over and press closed with your fingers or a fork. If the handpie seems to have a hard time closing, use a little water or eggwhite around the edges to “glue” it shut.

4. When your baking tray is full, brush a little egg white on the top of the handpies to make them all shiny and beautiful looking (optional).

5. Bake for about 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. They should be nice and golden brown.

Filling Ideas
The fillings are really fun to think of- just put together some foods that your family normally likes! Here are some that we’ve come up with:

Lasagne: What I did here was brown some ground beef and make a spaghetti sauce. In the hand pie, I put a dollop of the sauce, then added ricotta and some olives. Tip: Spread the ricotta on the bottom, don’t dollop it in- apparently the meat reheats really fast, but the ricotta stays frozen!

Pizza: Just spread a little homemade pizza sauce, add mossarella cheese and pepperoni and olives. Or sausage! Or pineapple and ham- lots of variations here!

Ham & Cheddar: Cut sandwich meat up into small pieces and add that and a little grated cheddar. You could really do any kind of sandwich meat or really any cooked meat!

Chicken, Broccoli and Provolone: Fry up some chicken breast with good spices (I generally use garlic, onion, oregano… whatever I happen to have). Thaw a bag of frozen broccoli. Get sliced provolone and cut the slices in half. Put half a slice of provolone on the bread, then add a spoonful of broccoli and cooked chicken. I usually put a 1/4 slice of provolone on top then cover it up! You could also try mozzarella instead of provolone and spinach instead of broccoli. Try adding a little minced garlic.

Veggies in a white sauce: This one promises to be messy- but OH so yummy. Make a thicker white sauce to decrease drips. Add meat for a pot pie taste.

Marinara Chicken: Yeah, just like it says- a spoonful of marinara, some chicken chunks, maybe a little cheese? (We love cheese)

Cream Cheese Chicken: 2 c shredded chicken, 3 oz cream cheese, 1tbsp dried chives and 1 tbsp milk. Mix with your hands.

Chicken with Feta: Cubed/shredded cooked chicken with feta cheese and olives.

Black and Bleu: Browned ground beef, black pepper and bleu cheese.

Pierogies: Red potatoes, cooked and cubed. Add to sauteed onions along with a little bacon bits and parsley. Add a dollop to the dough and add some grated cheddar.

(Thanks to the mamas at DSD for the awesome handpie filling ideas!)

Click Here for the printable version!