October 14, 2017 by mama lola

hiya, everyone!

it’s been a while since i’ve been here. almost a year.

i’ve been in a weird of dark place. a place that’s been hard to navigate. a confusing place with lots of dark corners and dead ends.

in the spring my life slowly started to turn around. well, not quite turn around as that sounds too drastic, but slowly shift towards the light again. i think i’ve at least found a place that’s a little brighter, where things are clearer. it’s a process and a work in progress, but there in positive momentum in my life.

finally.

again.

i have been busy with various things in the last year, one which i am super proud of; i have started making artsy, crafty things with my hands and selling them. it’s kinda a big deal in my world, as i have always thought that the things i made weren’t good enough. which then took me down that whole dark road to why bother.

i know it sounds confusing because so much of my blog has been about making things. but, i never really made things for other people, and certainly not to sell! i shared crafts i did with the boys when they were little and wee. i shared our recipes i made for dinner and holiday decorating aides that were simple, but pretty. everything was for other people. then last spring things changed, i found a little bit self confidence in a back pocket, i rallied support from my family and friends and then a wee local farmer’s market let me be a vendor! people LIKED what i was making and were willing to pay me their hard earned money! this blew me away, because i had always had this assumption that anyone can do this, my ability isn’t worthwhile…

so, with my re-discovered creative self i am re-vamping bear & lion.

mama lola is back!

i am back to blogging. i will be sewing, daydreaming, creating, making, gluing, crafting, felting, photographing, selling, sharing my handmade items on here as well. there will also be pictures on instagram and facebook (go on over and follow me there as well!)

bear & lion is back up and running. i will slowly be adding things here, updating (bah, this part scares me as EVERYTHING is so freaking old), sharing and selling. it’s been a while since being in this space so please be patient with me! the tech side of my brain is covered in cobwebs and i may need to re-start it several times before i really find my groove!

so, WELCOME to all friends new & old.

http://bearandlionmama.com/2017/10/4516.html

how to make your own felted balls.

December 11, 2015 by mama lola

i love, LOVE working with felt. i’m not really sure why, but there is something about the way the material feels.

last year i bought a bunch of roving wool and made felt bowls. they were a bit time consuming to make, but they turned out great! you can check-out the pictures and tutorial HERE.

this year, i have decided to try something new with my roving wool.

>>> felted balls<<<

you see them all over pinterest so i thought i would give it a go. roving wool can be purchased at most craft supply stores, i got mine at michael’s.

oh-mah- goodness it was fun! time consuming and drying on the hands, but so worth all the cracks on my thumbs! there is something meditative about standing at my kitchen window, in front of the sink, felting. i love the process of choosing the colours to work with, but not knowing what kind of patterns or swirls the rowing wool will ultimately create!

so here’s what you do:

gather a large handful of the roving wool. you can choose a few different colours or just use one colour.
you will want to work close to a sink. i filled a bowl with dish soap and hot water, soaking the wool and gently creating spherical shape with the roving wool.

3. keep wetting the wool in hot water and soap. the hot water and soap help create the friction needed for the felting process. use two hands to create the felt ball, by rubbing the roving wool in between your palms in a circular motion.

4. to make one felted ball can take half an hour. try to relax your shoulders, because after a while of doing this i found my upper body was getting very tense.

5. once you are satisfied with the density and shape of your ball, rinse it very well. this can take a while, but you want to ensure the soap is all out of the ball. set the felted balls on a hand towel and let sit for a couple of days to completely air dry before making anything with them.

aren’t they lovely?

you can get super creative with your felted balls and make all sorts of fun things with them. things like garlands for any occasion, necklaces, hotplates, rugs, zipper decorations, key chains… just check google or pinterest for ideas and tutorials!

felt envelopes for santa claus!

November 17, 2015 by mama lola

oh my goodness! look at what i found!

i was researching other christmas crafts when i saw these lovely, adorable felt envelopes to santa claus! of course i pinned the ideas and decided to make a round-up post for inspiration.

first i’ll share what i made.

i used felt, thread, hot glue gun and my sewing machine just a little.

i used a blanket stitch to sew the edges of the envelope together. i wasn’t too concerned about the evenness of the stitches, creating a childlike quality to the project. then i used my scrap felt to cut out the letters, stamp and holly embellishments.

i have lots of scraps of felt that i save for detailing for all sorts of projects. here i used the small pieces for holly, the reindeer’s face and antlers and the stamps. i just hot glue gunned them on.

then i embroidered some simple wintery stars on the back of one of the envelopes.

TA-DAA!!!

i just love them!

below i have included ideas that vary from quite intricate to very simple. school aged kids could even make one of the easier versions of the envelopes.

writing to santa : diy felt envelopes from city girl gone coastal

letter to santa claus felt envelope from not on the high street

(this one is not a tutorial, but a envelope for sale)

felt envelope by michale ann via paper + stitch

personalised felt christmas letter to santa envelope from cut out and keep

christmas wish-list felt envelope from jumbbleberries

if you’re not feeling crafty, check etsy for these felt envelopes. there are many creative people there making fantastic envelopes; go check them out by just putting “santa felt envelopes”into the search and enjoy!

these sweet things would be perfect for kids or even for gift cards!

santa claus christmas crafts!

November 6, 2015 by mama lola

the holidays are such a great time to get crafty with the kids.

my boys enjoy making gifts for their family, whether it’s painting ornaments, decorating pine cones or creating sculptures out of pipe cleaners. as the boys get older they want less help from me, but i still like to have a few ideas in my back pocket just in case they hit a wall.

here are some wonderful santa claus, or as we call him joulupukki crafts for kids and adults alike.

origami santa claus from marcel’s kid crafts

santa going down a toilet paper roll chimney from crafty morning

dancing santa from learning 4 kids

kids santa craft from i {heart} crafty things

santa gift tags from crafty morninng

aren’t they all just the cutest things you’ve ever seen?

i think my bear and lion will bboth want to try the origami santa. luckily, DH was a master paper folder in his youth and has retained those skills, so he can help the boys with that project!

happy crafting friends!

cute halloween felt decorations!

October 26, 2015 by mama lola

last week i pulled out my box of felt and got busy with several different projects!

today i am sharing a halloween craft, which seems fitting as halloween is coming quickly this coming weekend! do you have all of your costumes organized and ready for trick-or-treating?

aren’t these googly-eyed halloween characters adorable?

i made these wee adorable halloween felt decorations. i thought some people may want to add string or ribbon to them in order to hang them or make a spooky mobile. i personally left them as is, and have popped them on windowsills and flower pots peeking their googly eyes around the leaves.

SUPPLIES:

various colours of felt

googly eyes

hot glue gun

stuffing

various colours of embroidery thread and a needle

scissors

INSTRUCTIONS:

fold your felt so you cut two identical pieces.

2. thread your needle and sew the two pieces of felt together using a blanket stitch. leave a small space for stuffing filling.

3. once you have stuffed enough stuffing keep sewing your blanket stitch.

4. hot glue gun the googly eyes onto the felt.

these googly-eyes halloween cuties aren’t particularly spooky, but are super fun nonetheless.

now, i gotta get lion’s halloween costume organized. he’s a minion (as are so many other kids!) so i’m using mason jar lids to make his goggles! should work out well, i think! bear has worked hard at his wizard costume independently, which has been really fun to watch. he clearly has some specific ideas he wants to bring into fruition!

i will share pictures as we get more organized!

happy crafting friends!

BAT craft round-up!

September 30, 2015 by mama lola

this BATTY round-up of bat crafts is intended for slightly older school aged kids. my kids, 5 and 7 love to get crafty and are often looking for slightly more challenging projects to get involved in. the brooch is actually an adult craft, but i thought with some adult assistance a kid could absolutely sew an adorable bat brooch! right?!

halloween is a month away and it’s time to decorate, a little at least! we’re not going to do too much outside this year as the road in front of our house is under major construction, but we will definitely put some fun decorations up inside. kitten friendly ones of course, leo our wee one is always jumping after anything and everything that hangs! haha!

ok, so here are the pictures and sources to each craft!

aren’t they just battyest ever!

bat origami from layers of learning

nocturnal animal craft : bat hat from green kid crafts

felt bat halloween brooch from do small things with love

paper bat puppet from made by joel

it’s getting batty around here (DIY) from buggie & jellybean

hope everyone is enjoying this transition to fall.

the weather has finally cooled and the air is crisp with fall!

back-to-school : sew your own pencil roll-up case!

September 7, 2015 by mama lola

school for my boys starts tomorrow!!!

it’s hard to believe summer is over, even though at times i was feeling quite burnt out and tired. my boys are ready to go back to school, see their friends and meet their teachers. i am ready for them to return, as well.

i don’t really do much in preparation for back-to-school. i am always looking for deals on things and will stock up on sale things. but, this year bear had a request…

my bear told me he needed a pencil case as he enters grade 2. i thought that sounded quite reasonable, so i decided to sew up something fun for him, instead of buying one. and, of course i had to search for some design and sewing ideas!!!

here are some roll up pencil cases i used as inspiration for my own design. these bloggers have shared fantastic pictures and tutorials for this sewing project so i will spare you my horrid instructions.

i will say this that to sew up bear’s pencil case took about 90 minutes from start to finish. that includes finding fabric in my basement, ironing, filling my bobbins and fixing some mistakes. all-in-all it’s not a very difficult project!

10 minute pencil roll from my poppet makes

no sew coloured pencil roll from small + friendly

make a colourful roll-up pencil case from guide central

bear’s pencil roll-up case was a surprise and he was thrilled with it when i showed it to him. he immediately went to the art room and chose which supplies he needed. it was pretty sweet watching him kiss it! haha!

HAPPY BACK-TO-SCHOOL!

birthday cake toppers!

July 2, 2015 by mama lola

we are hosting a birthday party for my lion on saturday. we will be making an awesome ice cream cake as the weather is going to be hot and sunny (recipe for that coming soon).

i cannot believe he is going to be 5 years old! that’s one whole hand, people! i only have two days to prepare for his party, so i thought making a FUN cake topper would be a great way to get some impact and FUN onto his yummy ice cream cake. i checked out pinterest (of course) and chose some of the cutest and simplest ideas i could find. there are lots of tutorials for cake toppers that are very complicated, but also stunning! go for it if you have time!

DIY pompom cake topper from momtastic

DIY fringe mylar cake toppers from diy studio

DIY animal candle cake toppers from kara’s party ideas

DIY animal cake toppers from visual heart

playful puppet cake toppers for birthday cake and cupcakes from mer mag

DIY cake topper from art bar blog

i love looking at what other creative people have been up to. their ideas give me great inspiration and get my own creative juices flowing. i’m not exactly sure what kind of a cake topper lion will end up for saturday, but i do love the pom poms, animals and bunting flags… hey, wait! that’s all of the ideas! hahaha! i may take a little from all of ideas above and make something of my own!

happy summer crafting friends!

DIY macrame plant hangers

June 9, 2015 by mama lola

with the warmer weather has come the urge to plant and grow things. we have a lovely little covered porch where i hang a big basket of petunia’s each season. there are other hooks that need plants hung from them and i’ve been trying to think of ways to HANG plants without actually spending money.

and, that’s when it hit me… MACRAME! yes, many think it’s tacky or too old school, but i actually really love macrame hanging planters. they can be so simple, neutral, colourful, or complex. the possibilities are endless.

so, for my firts attempt at macrame i wanted to start simple, and i found this fantastic tutorial from brit & co. below is the plant holder from them… BOOM, love that pink!

here’s the one i made from an ancient, stretched out t-shirt.

and, yes of course it’s turquoise! haha!

i wanted to include some macrame inspiration i found.

mini macrame hangers from free people

5 hangers from modern macrame

macrame plant hangers from erin made this

here’s another great tutorial from pigment using cotton rope and beads instead of fabric. aren’t they lovely?

macrame plant hanger from space craft studios

good luck with your own macrame project.

have a lovely week friends!

mother’s day flower crafts.

April 16, 2015 by mama lola

mother’s day is less than a month away, so it’s time to get crafty!

all mother’s LOVE flowers of any kind, especially something made with love and heart.

my kids love to make gifts for their grandma and mummo, for mother’s day. look at these lovely flower crafts i found. some are harder than other’s, but all a great sourse of inspiration. the hanging wisteria are so gorgeous, right? i’d have those hanging all year if i could!

paper and button flowers from kiwi crate

flower card from hands on as we grow

paper flower bouquet from oh happy day

accordion folded spring flower collage from make and takes

try this tissue wisteria from the land of nod

my tulips and crocuses are quickly coming up now in my garden and i keep buying cut flowers on sale at the grocery store, because i eager for flowers, flowers and more flowers!!!

happy crafting lovelies!

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