12 Days of Christmas Books Advent Using Fabric Gift Bags

 I tried wrapping Christmas books for each day in December leading up to Christmas as a book advent.  Sure, kids love to pull off the paper, but I didn't like wasting all that paper and how much time it took to wrap the books.  I decided to create my own fabric gift bags to re-use each year. These are 'Sew' simple! I have very basic sewing skills. I'll try it if it has straight lines, no patterns and no pinning. These bags are pretty much like a little pillow case with a ribbon sewn onto the outside for tying.
The thing I love best about these books is that you can put 1 or more books inside for a surprise each day. Leave them under the tree for your children to open counting down the 12 days before Christmas (you could make 24 if you are really ambitious).

To see my instructions for the The 12 Days of Christmas Fabric Gift Bags, I shared them here:  Skip to My Lou. (originally posted Dec. 2014).

The bags can be used for a book advent (from books you already own or borrowed from the library or new gifts) or any other special gifts to count down to Christmas. Perfect for holiday gift giving to your children, family, friends or teachers.



DIY GIFT IDEA:

This Truffula Tree elastic bookmark would be an excellent gift. It was quick and simple enough for kids to make too.  They could make one as a gift for a teacher, librarian or a grandparent.

See how to make the bookmark here.

Don't forget to visit my 12 Days of Christmas gift bags over at Skip to My Lou.

Thanks for stopping by.  Take a look around obSEUSSed for more kid and DIY crafts.

Dr. Seuss School Prizes and Party Favors

I remember back in the day (12 years ago) I was surfing eBay trying to find any vintage Dr. Seuss items to decorate my baby’s nursery.  Dr. Seuss décor, toys and office supplies were very rare to find.  Then the live-action Cat in the Hat movie came out in 2003 and Dr. Seuss started popping up everywhere. 

One of my favorite places to shop online for Dr. Seuss merchandise is RaymondGeddes.com.  I love that they sell items in bulk (perfect for stocking stuffers, party favor or school prizes) making most items less than a dollar each.  Stock up now for Christmas or Dr. Seuss celebrations in the spring. (Click here to see all of their Dr. Seuss products.)
Current deal (Nov. 2014) Free Shipping On Orders > $79! Use Promo Code: 14FS79 Or use code: SAVE10A to save 10% off your order.

I’ve purchased  Dr. Seuss items from Raymond Geddes for our school carnival prizes before.  They recently sent me a few of their new items to review.  It was so fun to see products I haven’t seen before.  Our very favorite were the Thing 1 and Thing 2 Pop out pens. Here they are popping out of the Cat’s Hat pencil holder my daughter made.

See instructions how to make this Dr. Seuss pencil can here.


These pens are a huge hit with my kids! Press the button and their heads pop off!  See the video of my son playing with them on Instagram. 


My kids keep these pens in their homework area and play with them when they take a break.  (Makes homework time fun!)


We also have a washi tape (decorative tape) addiction at our house. I have my craft tape collection and my kids all have rolls of their own so you can imagine how excited they were to try these Dr. Seuss mini decorative tape rolls.  They’re already wrapping pencils and adding it to their pencil boxes.  This would be cute to seal envelopes or any variety of crafting.



Raymond Geddes also has Dr. Seuss elastic bookmarks.  I’ve never seen Dr. Seuss elastic like this.  I’d love to just buy yards of the fabric to make my own crafts.  I would have liked the bookmarks to be a little larger.  It was too tight to actually use on a Dr. Seuss book and pretty tight on my own chapter books.  They would be darling as headbands  but again, they were too tight. We did use the Horton band as a hair band on my niece’s pony tail and I think I’ll keep using it that way.  The elastic bookmarks are a great idea. These just need about 2 more inches added to work well.



These are my favorite finds at Raymond Geddes: (Click here to see all of their Dr. Seuss products.) Current deal (Nov. 2014) Free Shipping On Orders > $79! Use Promo Code: 14FS79

1. The Thing 1 &2 Pop Out pens
2. The Grinch pen
3. The mini Dr. Seuss decorative tape rolls
4. The elastic Dr. Seuss bookmarks
5. The fluffy Truffula Tree pens


I’ve ordered some prizes for our school Dr. Seuss carnival in the past and will again this next spring.  Here are my favorites to use at our Fishing Pond and egg hunt booths. These would be great classroom prizes or party favors too.
1. The Dr. Seuss book erasers (my daughter collects take-apart erasers so she snagged these to add to her collection).
2. Dr. Seuss mini highlighters. They are about 3 inches tall and super cute.
3. A variety of Dr. Seuss bookmarks to encourage kids to keep reading!
4. The mini double sided Dr. Seuss stampers. (Fit perfectly in our Green Eggs & Ham Egg Hunt. A little tricky to get the individual wrappers off).
5. The Dr. Seuss pencil grippers.
6. More Dr. Seuss style erasers.
*Disclosure: Raymond Geddes sent me a few of their new products to review.  I was not paid for this review.  I have purchased Dr. Seuss items from them previously and am impressed with their quality.
As an Amazon Affiliate I receive a small percentage of sales made from Amazon links. I am not a Raymond Geddes affiliate but some of their items are sold on Amazon so I'm sharing them below (my favorites are only available at the Raymond Geddes site).

Dr. Seuss Deals on Zulily for 2 days

I came across some amazing deals for Dr. Seuss and Grinch items on Zulily today and had to share it with my readers. 

There are some unique items I haven’t seen before. I counted 300+ items!! I can’t make up my mind.
I’m sharing this with you because I think if you like Dr. Seuss like I do, you’ll probably find a great gift for yourself or others on Zulily. Here is a screen shot:  I love that Grinch bag and Bingo set!

Dr. Seuss FABRIC
I’m in love with all the Dr. Seuss fabric styles they have too!  Find them on page 2 of the Seuss Deals!

This is not a sponsored post. I’ve shopped Zuily before and love all their deals throughout the year (clothes, toys and more!).  They give anyone a credit if you refer a new person that signs up and makes a purchase.  So if you buy using this link I’ll earn some credit with them. If you refer a friend you’ll earn credit too.  FREE Dr. Seuss stuff?  That can’t be bad.
I’ve noticed Zulily offers Dr. Seuss merchandise about 2-3 times a year. And it is only for a few days when they do it. This sale ends Saturday morning (Nov. 8, 2014) so Grab It Now!

Dr. Seuss Inspired Pumpkin Template

Try celebrating Dr. Seuss during Halloween.  I created a Dr. Seuss inspired jack-o-lantern.  I carved my pumpkin as the Cat in the Hat’s face and added the striped stove pipe hat on top.


You can make one too.  I created this template for my obSEUSSed readers.  You can print it out. Then use a pen to draw over the lines and cut through the paper to draw onto the pumpkin. This will tell you where to use your carving knife. 
The black is where to use your carving knife to cut all the way through leaving a large enough cut that light can show through from the inside out.
The orange is where you scrape the top layer of the pumpkin off to expose the next layer.  There are special scraping tools to help you do this.  It still lets some light through the pumpkin, but not as bright so it has a softer effect.

Copy or save jpg file and print on 8.5 x 11 paper.  Free printable template for personal home use only.  Please link to this post and give credit if you share it online.

Be careful to leave spaces where there are spaces so the entire head or bow tie don't fall out.

I used craft paint to paint the bow tie red on the pumpkin.  You can order a striped hat like the one below or use one you already have or make a construction paper one.

As an Amazon affiliate I make a small percentage of sales if purchased through this link. Thanks!

 

There are so many fun ideas to create a Dr. Seuss inspired pumpkin.

Grinch & yellow Sneetch Pumpkin from Tropical Texana
Cat with the Hat, right here on obSEUSSed
Lorax Pumpkin by Miss Nelson's got the camera
Full Glowing Cat in the Hat by Xtreme Carvers

See more Dr. Seuss inspired pumpkins on my Pinterest board.  I love the Lorax ones with fuzzy mustaches and eyebrows.

Follow Victoria's board Dr. Seuss Halloween Costumes Pumpkins on Pinterest.

Follow all my boards to see all the Dr. Seuss ideas.

If you make a Dr. Seuss inspired pumpkin you can share it in the comments below or email me a photo and I’ll add it to this post.  I’d love to see other’s creations.

Grinch Craft Round-Up {App Review & Giveaway}

I’ve been finding a lot of fun Grinch crafts, activities, treats and apps online lately. ‘Tis the Season! I thought I’d share a few of my favorites with you so you can all have a Merry Grinchmas!


GRINCH CHRISTMAS BOOK COUNTDOWN
I actually got around to wrapping 25 of my Christmas books to do a Grinch countdown advent for Christmas. After seeing several versions floating around on Pinterest I've been wanting to make my own.  We have 70+ Christmas books so I still have 3 baskets out for the kids to browse but they sure do love having a present to unwrap every night. Even though they have read the books in years past, they love the excitement of a surprise gift. (I really should have wrapped them all because the three of them have a hard time taking turns.) The Grinch protects our books and I move him around like a puppet and make him say "only one book a day." He's such a Grinch.

GRINCH GIFT BAGS:
This past year I made Grinch gift bags that we leave out for Santa to fill. I found the red Santa bags at a Pottery Barn return/outlet store in Salt Lake City for $3-8 a bag. Some had embroidered names on them so I ordered Robert Kaufman Grinch fabric on ebay and sewed them on the bags as pockets so you can fill the pockets too. All those bags under the tree were made with scrap Christmas fabric. We use them every year.



GRINCH CHRISTMAS TREE
I found this fun Grinch Christmas tree on a friend’s facebook page. It is from a Festival of Tree fundraiser in Wyoming.

GRINCH CRAFT ROUND-UP
Here are some of my favorite Grinch crafts I’ve seen on Pinterest, Instagram and Etsy.

• I saw this Grinch Knit Hat on instagram and found out Anna makes these and sells them for only $10.00 + S&H at Mama’s Lil Monkeys. Her Christmas order cut off was this past Monday but you can always order one for next year. 
• You can buy the Grinch Knit Hat pattern with ear flaps for $2.00 at Ravelry if you have the ability to make it yourself.
• The kids will have an afternoon of fun with the Grinch Goo Sensory Bag by Crystal at Growing a Jeweled Rose.
• How cute are those Grinch Photo Booth props? For only $4, you get the pdf files to cut out. Just add sticks and you’ll be ready for your Grinch party. By Chela Williams on Etsy.
• Kids can use Pearler Beads to make the Grinch. You could turn this into an ornament. Made by April Hannah as seen on her Artwork Pinterest board.
• Try making delicious, cute and healthy Grinch Grape Party Poppers by Amy at Creative Kid Snacks.
• Find out how to make these simple furry Grinch Gloves by The Crafty Scarlet Raven.
• If you have a fireplace, make the Grinch Hands stick out by Rachelle Yakubu Photography.

GRINCH LINKS:
Click on pictures below or blog name above for more details on each project.

Grinch Hat $10	Grinch Hat Pattern	Grinch DIY Fur Gloves
Grinch Grape Poppers	Grinch Goo	Grinch Pearler Beads
Grinch Photo Booth Props	Grinch Photo Booth Frame	Grinch Cookie Recipe
Grinch Advent Calendar	Grinch Gingerbread Houses	Grinch Pills
Grinch Gift Bags /Roundup	Grinch Fireplace	Painted Grinch PJs

InLinkz.com

GRINCH APPS:

• Have you seen all the fabulous Grinch Apps from Oceanhouse Media in the itunes app store?  All of their holiday apps are on sale 40-50% off from Dec. 5-11th. See the list here. and I am giving away the How the Grinch Stole Christmas book app to a reader this week.  I’m also giving away a copy of Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? (This is my all-time favorite Dr. Seuss book. It just came out as an app this week and I love the message about being grateful for all that you have because you could be much worse off.)

They have the Grinch Book, Camera and Grinchmas Game available on itunes.
{Record your own voice} Grinch Story App Review:
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas has been out for a little while but this last week they just added the feature to record your own voice as the narrator.  My family tried it out this week and had so much fun. We each took a turn reading a page. Even my two-year-old added sound effects.  I like that when you listen back to the story they still have the sound effects with your voice for each page, like wind blowing, music and toy noises too.  I even got my family to sing Fa-who-fores, Da-who-dores with me. The sad part is, I paused it in the middle of recording and tried to re-do a page and from that point on our story didn’t record even though the red-flashing light said it was recording. I’ll have to figure that out next time. It is a long story so if you don’t have a way to go back and fix a page easily it makes it tricky and frustrating after you spent 10 minutes thinking you were recording. I also tried to send the recorded story to my email or to another device (it gave those options at the end) but it froze and I had to exit back to the story several times. These are just glitches I’m sure they are working on fixing.  I did get through recording it once by myself and my kids have had fun listening back to me reading the story to them in my sing-songy narrator voice.

GIVEAWAY:   Closed 12/9/12

I am giving away a code for How the Grinch Stole Christmas! book app and Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? book app from Oceanhouse Media. PLUS a BONUS code for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer book app.  3 Apps total.

TO ENTER: Please leave me a comment below telling me your favorite Dr. Seuss book your first name and email address in the comment. 
Rules: Must be 18 years or older. Must have a valid email address. App codes are for the itunes store and work on apple devices. No purchase necessary. Retail value of prize is $11.97. Giveaway closes Midnight PST on Sunday, Dec. 9th 2012. Winner will be selected by random.org. Odds of winning determined by the number of entries.
*Disclosure: I was given codes for the three apps I’m giving away for the purpose of review and three codes to giveaway to a reader. I am not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

LEAVE YOUR COMMENT BELOW TO ENTER. MERRY GRINCHMAS!
The winner was the #1 comment from Joy.

Sharing these Grinch ideas at JDaniel4's Blog featuring more Christmas crafts.

Grinch Christmas Craft Round-up

If you love the Grinch I'm giving away How the Grinch Stole Christmas app + 2 more apps today Dec. 9, 2012. Click here to enter by leaving a comment.

Merry Grinchmas!
I’ve seen a variety of great Grinch ideas online lately so I am sharing a few of my favorites today.

GRINCH PILLS
Once I saw these Grinch Pills on Pinterest I had to make them.
I’m not positive where the poem or idea originated. It does take some work formatting things to print your own so I found someone who sells them on Etsy if that would help you be a little less Grinchy during the holidays. 
I found the Big Pack of Tic Tacs on sale so I could make 5 of them.

GRINCH COOKIES
I made theseGrinch cookies and took them to a cookie exchange last week at Jen’s house (from the fabulous blog Tatertots and Jello) See recipe below.
I made this record stand for our diner to display party food. Here are a few Grinch Cookies.

Click here for more info and pictures of Mount Crumpit Melt-a-way Grinch Cookies.

GRINCH QUOTE
I’ve been crushing this Grinch quote by Laura of Announced Design.
You can order the digital print from her site.


GRINCH TREE
I found this Whoville Tree by Stevie over at Garden Therapy.
I love how tall it is and how the top arches over. This adds a whimsical feeling to a natural tree.


GRINCH CRAFT BEADS
My kids love working with perler beads. They will sit down for 30-45 minutes filling up their boards with patterns. I have a whole stack waiting to be ironed. I’m going to show them this and see if they can duplicate it.
A Grinch out of perler beads, by April Hanna as seen on Pinterest.


GRINCH HAT
I also spotted this cute Grinch crochet hat on Pinterest and found out they sell the pattern on Etsy if you’d like to try to make your own.


GRINCH WREATH
This vibrant Grinch Christmas Wreath is incredible with so many details. You can find it on Etsy as well.


GRINCH GINGERBREAD HOUSE
This Whoville gingerbread house village can been seen at Sweetopia.


GRINCH YARD
I’d love a set of these Grinch yard display “who” characters. Can you believe they were stolen last year? They put up a sign that says “Lost Child, Have you seen Cindy Lou who is no more than 2?” I hope someone returns them.
I wonder if I could get my husband to make a set for our yard?


GRINCH SANTA BAGS
I bought these Santa Bags ($4-8) at our local DownEast Outlet (located about 3500 S. 3500 West in West Valley City, Utah) that sells Pottery Barn  returns. Some had monogrammed names on them so I bought Grinch fabric on eBay  by Kaufman and am sewing it on the bags this week.


GRINCH VISIT
The Grinch visited my daughter’s school reading night at Barnes and Noble so I had to get my picture with him. The kids did too but they were a little scared of him. This mask is a little freaky.


MERRY GRINCHMAS!