Saturday, March 10, 2012

Mama Loves: Button Snakes (and a few Pinterest tips)

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!
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If you are a new twin mama, are going to be a new twin mama, or know someone who is---check out this great list of one mama's must-haves.
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Before I get going, a couple months back when I first started the Mama Loves Pinterest page, there were a few mamas, who did not want their stuff pinned.

I did a little digging, and found a code that will prevent people from pinning your stuff. You just insert it in the header on your blog---it will disallow anyone from pinning all of your blog posts. You can get the code here. They also have a button you can put on your blog asking people not to pin your things, if you'd prefer to not mess with the code.  

I hope that's helpful.

(And, please, if you link up to Mama Loves, and do not want me to put your idea on Pinterest, tell me! I don't want that to stop you from sharing your idea here.)

We all have our own reasons for blogging, and traffic isn't important to everyone, but there are almost 300 followers of the Mama Loves Pinterest page! Some of your ideas have been pinned 20+ times---one mama's idea was pinned a whopping 46 times!! Then all those get pinned again, and those again---it can go viral!

Pinterest is definitely a way to get your blog more exposure, if that's something you're looking for. Pin your own ideas too!

What's so awesome, I think, is that it's a way to share your tested and approved mama tips with a greater audience!

I've gotten lots of great feedback from all your ideas---people love them! You're changing lives, mamas, by answering questions like:
  • What should I make for breakfast? 
  • How can I keep my kids entertained on this rainy day? 
  • What's the best travel highchair? 
  • What new toy should I buy my child? 
  • What books might my children enjoy reading? 
Basically---you guys rock! My hope is that you and many mamas just like you, are benefiting from all the fabulous ideas that you guys share here. I know I have!
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Okay, so if you're still reading. I do have something I'm loving this week.

I saw a button snake on Pinterest awhile back, and decided that I'd make one for each of the girls to put in their stockings at Christmas.

It's really easy, and inexpensive. You need:
  • felt
  • ribbon (about 8-10 inches long)
  • button
  • scissors
  • needle and thread
 I started off by taking a 10 inch ribbon and sewing a large button on one end (my button is 1.25 inches wide):


I then cut the felt into two inch squares (you can make as many or as few as you want):


Optional: I sewed two squares together, just to make it more durable, because felt can tear.

Take one of the squares, and sew it on the other end of the ribbon to keep the rest of the squares from sliding off:


Cut a slit in all the felt squares that is a little bit bigger than the width of the button.



There you go--a button snake:


Great for hand-eye coordination. At 25 months, the girls are pretty good at getting the felt squares off, but struggle to put them on, without me holding the buttons steady for them. They enjoy working on it---and it usually keeps them occupied for the upwards of 20 minutes or so.

Can't wait to see what you're loving!


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6 comments:

Carla at Preschool Powol Packets said...

Thanks for hosting! I just came across your blog and love it! I'll "see" you around!

Carla at Preschool Powol Packets said...

PS. I LOVE the button snake and am pinning it and sharing it on my PreschoolPowolPackets Facebook page!

Lauren said...

Well, that no pinning thing would be AWESOME if I could get it to work! I can't make it part of my header (not even an option for that), and if I try to add it as an extra HTML/Java Script button, it does absolutely nothing! rrrrr

championm2000 said...

I love this idea! Will be pinning it shortly. If all goes well, I will actually make them in time to put them in the babies' Easter baskets!

Corinne Ritz said...

Yeah, I'm thinking for Easter Baskets. My 2 year old is going to love this activity! Thanks for sharing!

Just Another Mom of Twins said...

Ok, so that looks awesome AND easy...a great combination! Thanks for sharing...

:)