Birthday Celebrations, Part 1

Last week was filled with presents, excitement, cupcakes and lots of happy squeals. H celebrated her 4th birthday and five days later, A celebrated her first birthday.

Let’s start with H’s birthday. Turning four was a big deal for her and the night before her birthday she started to cry and told her mom and dad she didn’t want to be four. She had suddenly decided maybe it would be better to just stick with three. Fortunately these fears subsided quickly. She loved being the princess for the day, choosing the meals and the games we would all play. Her mom had balloons and cute decorations. This girl was in heaven.

I made this teepee for the girls to play in together. It was fun and quite simple to make using the tutorial at DIYMommy.com. The canvas is a denim polka dot purchased at Jo-Ann’s and the butterfly print is from Jessica Swift’s Lugu line by Art Gallery Fabric. (It is available here in my shop). I decorated the top triangle above the door with matching butterflies by fusing them with fusible web and trimming some butterflies. They seem like they are adhered well enough but probably won’t last forever.

Two happy birthday girls1

The main issue with this project is the fabric slips down the poles. This makes the seams stretch. We ordered some velcro strapping and I am going to try to tighten it around the poles to stop this. Otherwise, it works well. I used some velcro and two straps to keep the ‘doors’ open. H got the idea easily and can open and shut the doors with the velcro tabs.

As he often does, my husband also wanted to make some birthday gifts. For H, he made a bird feeder. She loves birds and knows many varieties on site. He thought it would be fun if he made it look like a drive-through restaurant. There are feeders on three sides of the ‘restaurant’ and even a table with an umbrella for dining al fresco.

This side is the ‘drive through’.

I knew my grand daughter would like it but was pleasantly surprised by how much. It doesn’t have the pizzazz of the My Little Ponies or the Lego sets she unwrapped and I wondered if she would not be too impressed by it. But she really enjoys it.

Yesterday she joyously announced there was a chickadee at her feeder. We decided he was having birdseed burgers and birdseed fries!

A string backpack for H.

Another fun gift I made for her was this string backpack. She is really into unicorns and rainbows right now so this fabric from Shine Bright by Clothworks was just the ticket. This gift did not excite her upon opening but that was fine. She enjoys it now and has it filled with snacks to take with her when we are in the car or running an errand.

Looking at the waterfall at the nursery with a backpack full of snacks.

A few days ago we went and wandered at the most gorgeous nursery! We had given my daughter in law a gift certificate to this garden center for her birthday in February. She wanted to get some roses to plant in the yard. It really was incredible. I love a good wander through the nursery and this was a fun morning. H really enjoys looking at the plants and colors. She picked out a purple pansy which she and mommy planted in a little pot for the outdoor table.

Handmade gifts are so much fun – I hope we can keep this tradition going even as the girls are older. I will be back soon to share the gifts we made for our one year old. Hope all is well with you. We are only here with the kids for another couple of days and then will be heading for home and regular life.

16 thoughts on “Birthday Celebrations, Part 1

  1. Wendy

    Oh, I’ve been waiting to see this post and the fun you’ve been having. What cute gifts! The girls are going to love that teepee, and what birds wouldn’t want to eat at that diner. Plus, a girl always needs a bag for her snacks! Enjoy your last few days with them, Bernie! Been missing you, but knowing that you are enjoying yourself makes me smile!

    Reply
  2. JanineMarie

    These are so fun! H and A are lucky to have such creative grandparents. The details in the teepee and diner make them so special. Looking forward to seeing A’s presents.

    Reply
  3. Roseanne

    Hi Bernie! I wonder why H was worried about turning 4. Sweet girl! I’m so glad her day changed her mind about growing one year older. That teepee is SO cool. They both look like they had a blast in it and crawling in and out. The bird feeder drive-in is SO SO cool. DH did a great job on it, and I can see that H is enjoying it as well. Finally, the backpack fits H perfectly. What a nice job, and fun handmade presents. They are all one-of-a-kind and so heartfelt. ~smile~ Roseanne

    Reply
  4. Kathy

    Well you and your husband are doing a great job coming up with lovingly created handcrafted gifts for the girls now so I think you will keep a list of ideas for down the road. And when they are teens a nice wooden jewelry box will still be a treasure to give them as are pillows, garlands for their rooms, tote bags for sports or dance classes, oh the fun you will have. I give you credit for the tee pee. It’s adorable. I wanted a door puppet theatre for my grandkids and ended up buying it but should have made it.

    Reply
  5. Diann@LittlePenguinQuilts

    What a fun time, Bernie! Your gifts are so creative! I love the teepee and the little backpack, and your husband’s bird feeder is also wonderful. Looks like you’re really enjoying your time with those girls!

    Reply
  6. Heidi Emmett

    What a great post Bernie! What wonderful grandchildren you have been blessed with! And of course their Grandma is pretty special too (all those handmade gifts!). DesignsbyHeidi.wordpress.com

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Thank you Heidi – long time no see!! I love seeing your Instagram and blog posts – at least I can keep up on what you are doing these days!

      Reply
  7. Patty Jasper

    H is a girl after my own heart- I too love feeding the birds. Love the bird feeder and all your hand made gifts. ❤️

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Thank you Patty. She does love her birds – they have quite a few in there yard – there is tons of water and it is the right environment. I think she will have a lot of customers at the diner. Hope all is well with you.

      Reply
  8. Emily

    Such a fun play tent! That bird feeder is amazing!!!! Such lucky birds to get to eat at a diner–birdseed burgers and fries indeed!

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Birdseed burgers! Haha – that was so silly. As I am sure you know, it is so much fun when the kids develop their imagination – I love all of the pretending that is happening now.

      Reply
  9. Kathleen Scargle McCormick

    So much happiness in this blog entry! I love seeing the homemade gifts and the recipients. The bird diner is one of the cutest things ever.

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      I love the bird feeder too. Lots of thought went into making it fun for a four year old. It is so darn cute. We did have a wonderful trip and now it is so nice to be home. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Anja @ Anja Quilts

    What fun. The bird feeder is amazing. My niece will be four in September. Need to put my mind towards gifts.

    Reply
    1. Bernie Post author

      Four is such a great age. So much imagination – really fun to be with. Enjoy thinking of a fun treat for your girl.

      Reply

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