Planets and dinosaurs and sea creatures, oh my!
some thoughts on being brave
Update since I began writing this: yesterday Disney quietly pulled Merchandise Merida from its website, replacing her with the original Movie Merida. Do I dare have hope that Disney can be brave?
. . . . . .
Last Saturday, Disney crowned Merida its 11th official princess. She received quite the makeover for this special event. I’m not particularly happy with the changes they made to my daughter’s heroine and neither is she: “Did they take away her sword, too?”
Movie Merida, as we are now calling her, taught my daughter being brave is…
…courageous
…loyal
…adventurous
…truth
…standing tall
…facing fears
…love
…friendship
…admitting mistakes
…defiant
…shooting for the bullseye
…strong
…righting wrongs
…daring
…confident
…standing up to evil
…independent
…fighting for what’s right
…creative
…stubborn
…bold
…steadfast
The new Merida, on the other hand, has taught us a lot about corporate greed. Disney had a princess that was making millions, probably even billions, just the way she was. Why did Disney have to mess with her? Why did it have to bend and twist her into the same old stereotypical princess?
The real money is in the merchandising.
Disney turned a plucky teenager into a sexy adult. It gave her eyeliner and took away her freckles. It gave her bigger breasts and took from her waist. It added sparkles to her dress and took away her bow and quiver (and sword!).
However, there is one thing that Disney can’t take away. It’s what Movie Merida has already taught my girl, and millions of others, about being brave. In fact, it’s precisely because of Movie Merida that Merchandise Merida can teach us the most important lesson of all:
Disney is not brave.
recommend reading: There are so many thoughtful articles written about the new Merida, I can’t possibly link to them all. Here are just a few:
— ‘Brave’ creator blasts Disney for ‘blatant sexism’ in princess makeover.
— Seriously, Disney, I’m Trying to Take a Little Break Here – MUST YOU?
— Disney faces backlash over new “sexy” Merida; pulls new image from web site as a result.
tiny science, big fun
Last year when we went to NanoDays, I didn’t realize it was an annual, nationwide event. My daughter had so much fun we decided to go again; this time with a friend.
I figured many of the stations would be the same, which was fine because she approached them with a whole year of new knowledge and curiosity. I was happy to see some new experiments, as well.
I’ll take her to this every Spring as long as she has an interest. I like the diversity of the instructors, including gender. You know the saying, “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.” I love seeing all of the female scientists and engineers at this event.
If you have a little science lover in your life, you should mark your calendar for this next Spring. The NanoDays website has a listing of events by state.
another baptism prayer pillow
Remember the first prayer pillow I made? Well, the recipient’s sister was baptized last weekend, so I thought she should have one of her very own. Everything came from my stash. My daughter approved the colors and fabric.
I had some more expensive transfer paper on hand and found I didn’t like the way it worked as much as the original paper I used. I do like how it looks all distressed, but I can’t see that look working for all kinds of projects.
who needs pink legos?
My girl is super proud of the plane she built all by herself. She also can’t understand why anyone would want a pink plane, although she thinks a red one would be cool. (Husker red, of course.)
crafting at the children’s museum
It seems kind of silly when your child spends most of her time at the children’s museum craft table. Can’t she do that at home? With all the cool exhibits to jump and play on, she picks paper and markers?
She is an artist at heart. Plus, she didn’t have a Tooth Box and the whole crafting section is about dental health this month. The Tooth Fairy will be pleased.
homemade valentine box
Sometimes the simplest projects are the best.
My daughter had to decorate a shoebox for collecting valentines in school. The most important detail: it had to have a trap door for removing the cards. My husband worked out the placement with her and did the cutting. I spray painted over the logos on the lid and provided some stickers for her name.
That’s all it took to make our girl happy. Of course, she had to add a butterfly and more Valentine’s stickers. You can never have enough stickers!
I have a feeling this box will be around for many years to come.
fabric gift bag with a twist
I can’t believe it’s been over three years since I made my gift bag resolution. Since then I’ve been reusing bags we have been given and making bags when I need them. The only bags I’ve purchased are plain kraft bags. Wow. I impress myself.
Although I like the practice, I’ve been rethinking the drawstring gift bag lately, and wondering if I could do more with it. The whole point of making a simple gift bag is that it’s simple. I don’t make a lining or finish the inside edges aside from serging. If it takes too much time to make, I won’t do it.
Most of the bags I make are for kids’ gifts, so I started to think, “What kind of bag would be most fun for both boys and girls?” The answer I came up with was the drawstring backpack.
However, while that pattern isn’t hard, it’s not simple either. I wanted to stick with my no lining, serged edges policy. The result is essentially a drawstring bag with straps: when making a regular drawstring bag, add bottom loops when seaming up the sides and make the drawstrings longer. It’s almost too easy.
I used all four threads on my serger to make the seams extra sturdy and reinforced the stitches by the loops. It’s a gift bag, not a rugged backpack, but you never know what kinds of things a child will want to carry around.
stash: Batman fabric in my stash was free. I think it came from a friend of a friend. It was an odd shape, clearly leftover from some other project. It took some creative thinking to get two nice-sized pieces out of it. White cotton twill tape originally bought to make labels for myself, but they didn’t work out.
oops! I just realized you can’t see the bottom loops in the photo. They are the same as the loops over here.
this moment: after school cupcake decorating club
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soule Mama.
finished: boheme sweater 2
Since I’m finishing up Boheme #3, I think it’s time I posted pics of Boheme #2. I knit this one using the feather and fan stitch for the body. I think it’s my favorite finished product, but I did not enjoy the pattern. I’m not sure why. It just seemed tedious. I always wanted to make a feather and fan scarf someday. Guess that’s not going to happen. Still, the sweater knitted up beautifully. Love it.
stash: still working with the Paton’s Rio from my stash. Boheme #1 here.