Friday, May 31, 2013

Courtney's Star Wars Zoo Quiet Book

Today I have a super creative and unique quiet book to share with you. Courtney from Books N Boys made a "Star Wars Zoo" quiet book. Each page has a different animal from Star Wars, with some activity you can do with it. Totally cool and completely unique! And I absolutely love the cover. Courtney also created a free pattern for her book, which you can get by clicking here. So enjoy!



Interview

What's your name? Describe yourself in one sentence.
Hi fellow crafters! My name is Courtney. I am a happily married mommy of three active little boys and I love everything crafty!

Who did you make this quiet book for? How old are they? 
My youngest turned one on Valentine's Day. This book is for him, although his brothers (5- and 4-year-olds) play with it too.

What's your level of sewing experience? 
Beginner/Intermediate

How long did it take you? 
Making the actual book only took a couple weeks (working during naptimes). The REALLY hard part was the designing and putting together the pattern/instructions.

Did you use any templates? Where can they be found? 
I am SO proud to say that this is my own design. But, for all the other crafty ladies out there I scanned and typed up both pattern templates and instructions for the whole book. They are available for free on my blog, http://booksnboys.blogspot.com/2013/02/star-wars-zoo-quiet-book.html.

How did you bind your quiet book? 
I have always been partial to the super simple method of book rings. Probably because by the time I finish a whole bunch of pages I am in a hurry to FINISH :)

What material are the pages made out of?
Good ol' cheapo craft felt. And hot glue. Lots and lots of hot glue!

What other materials did you use? 
Little this and thats like a zipper, button, ribbon, vinyl - the complete supply list is in the instructions. Hopefully I didn't forget anything!

How much did all the supplies cost you? 
I had almost everything in my craft stash (which yes, is probably way too big) so the only thing I bought was the bean bag pellets and they were $5 or so on Amazon. I really love Amazon.

What's your favorite page? Why?
This is kind of a hard question because I spent SO much time creating each page I love every one of them. I really wanted a book where each page was unique and did something interesting. I am happy with how they all turned out! My kid's favorite page is a tie between the Sarlacc (because the tentacles twist around their Lego guys) and the Rancor (because their Lego guys can fight him and they can move him around and play).

To see Courtney's quiet book on her own blog or to download her free template, click here!

Thank you so much, Courtney, for sharing your awesome quiet book with us!



Have you made a quiet book that you'd like to share? Click here for instructions on how to submit your own quiet book!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Jessica's Colors Quiet Book

Hi everyone! I'm sorry that I've been MIA for the last two months. I'm pregnant with our second child right now, and I've been really, really sick. (If you've ever heard of Hyperemesis Gravidarum, that's what I have. Blech.) But I'm reaching mid-pregnancy and finally feeling better, and so I've returned! A lot of people have submitted really cute quiet books in the last couple months, and I can't wait to share them with you!

Today's cute Colors quiet book comes from Jessica of Just Enough Style. I really love the idea for this book and how well she put it together; my daughter is reaching the age where we're teaching her colors, and it would be so great to have a quiet book like this to help! Take a look!



Interview

What's your name? 
My name is Jessica, I'm a mother to 2 and love to create things for my children and home.

Who did you make this quiet book for? 

I made this quiet book for my daughter when she was 2 years old (she's 4 now).

What's your level of sewing experience? 
I would say I am an intermediate sewer. My mom taught me how to sew when I was younger and I've come to love it even more now that I have children.

How long did it take you? 
This book took me about 24 hours to make, which was spread over about a week.

Did you use any templates? 
I looked through some coloring books we already had and just used the pictures as templates.

How did you bind your quiet book? 

I punched holes in the sides and used office rings to bind it together.

What material are the pages made out of? 

Felt.

What other materials did you use? 

For the colors at the bottoms of the pages I used scrap fabric that I had on hand.

How much did all the supplies cost you?

About $5.

What's your favorite page? 
The color Orange. The fish are so fun to take out and play with on the other pages.

If you have anything else you'd like to add, please do!

Since it has been a couple of years since I have made this I learned that the grapes page was better by adding velcro. That way the pieces can be removed and played with.


To see more pictures and explanations of Jessica's Colors quiet book, check it out on her blog here: Colors Quiet Book.

Jessica made two more quiet books, an ABC quiet book and a Quick and Easy Quiet Book. She made both from patterns she purchased on Etsy.

To see Jessica's ABC quiet book on her blog, click here: ABC Quiet Book
To visit the Etsy shop where she purchased the pattern, click here: Shelley Wallace Quiet Book Patterns

To see Jessica's Quick and Easy quiet book on her blog, click here: Quick and Easy Quiet Book
To visit the Etsy shop where she purchased the pattern, click here: Bugga Bugs Activity Book Patterns

Thank you so much, Jessica, for sharing all of your quiet books with us!



Have you made a quiet book that you'd like to share? Click here to learn how to submit your own quiet book!