The Imperfectionist's Guide to Making a No-Sew Fox Ear Headdress

Halloween may be over, but when you're a mom of young kids, pretend play is a 365-day thing. E's amassed quite a number of wings, wands, and whatnots, and is always requesting for more. Recently, her only wish has been to have Judy Hopps and Nick Fox (from Zootopia) costumes. And since it's her birthday soon, she wants her friends to be bunnies and foxes for her party, too. We've come a long way since she would fight with her friends over who could be her current favorite character. She's sharing, guys! How could I say no?

A Bunny and a Fox Went a-Hunting—for Costume and Fabric Supplies

No animals were harmed in the making of our Halloween costumes. Instead, we shopped for faux fur at this shop in Divisoria: Felt and Fabric by Manco. Located along Ylaya St., the famed fabric center of Divisoria, it's got enough furry, fuzzy, plush swatches to give you visions of Snuggies or trigger memories of bad mascot encounters. But, if you are in the market for costume supplies—in my case, grey fur for a Judy Hopps bunny ear headband—this is where you want to be.

The store actually has two branches in Divisoria: one holding the fur, the other holding the felt. I had to visit both and they're about a block away from each other so it's not too inconvenient if you need both types of fabric. Some of their fur fabric however is at their warehouse, which is only opened upon request, so if there is a specific type of fur you need, either set aside some extra time when you visit or call ahead. Two of the fur models I'd originally chosen were at the warehouse, so I had to settle for something similar. The vendors were very accommodating, however, letting me know of the expected wait time in case I wasn't willing to wait (which I wasn't) and helping me choose from their available fabric in stock when my original choice wasn't on hand. They also checked the fabric for damage before ringing it up, which I found super professional for Divisoria standards where what you end up with is usually what you make do with.

Felt for a fox mask

By the way, for occasional DIYers like myself who don't need a lot of fabric, the smallest yardage they will sell you is half a yard. Anyone else need faux bunny grey and fox orange fur?

Where to Shop for Fabric Projects on a Budget

For Fur and Felt Fabric
Felt and Fabric by Manco
(See on map)
794-796 Ylaya St. (and 624 M. de Santos St.), Divisoria
(+632) 241-8646

For Tulle, Beads, and Ribbon
Michelle's Ribbon and Lace Center
(See on map)
Bonifacio Dr. Tondo, Manila
(+632) 254-2935
They also ship! Message them through their Facebook page or check out their albums and recent uploads on Facebook to get a taste of what they have in stock.

For Fabric in Bulk
Taytay Fabric Market
(See on map)
Rizal Ave. Brgy. San Juan, Taytay, Rizal
Fabric here is only sold per kilo (not per yard) so be prepared to bring home a lot of fabric. Best for large-scale projects (I bought fabric for cake table backdrops for J's birthday—then used the same fabric for E's Judy Hopps costume!), or go with friends and divide the loot.

And here's what we made from it!

May the furs be with you! Happy hunting!

Let's Make: DIY Montessori Sandpaper Numbers

After picking up my daughter from school one morning, she said, "Mommy, I did the sandpaper numbers today! Can you buy me those?" E had been finding it challenging to adjust to the Montessori method, so this seemed like a milestone. Finally, she'd enjoyed the work! Still, I hesitated to answer. If you're familiar with Montessori didactic materials, you can probably guess why: a set of sandpaper numbers costs upwards of Php1000 locally! It would be a great investment for a school, or even a mom who does Montessori homeschooling or has raised her kids in the Montessori way (and if you are looking for a beautiful, high-quality, Montessori-teacher-approved set, do check out the online store of the wonderfully inspiring Mars Medina of Montessori on Mars). But for a mom with limited resources and patience whose daughter is not strictly Montessori-raised with the tendency to get creative with her usage of materials, the thought of spending over a thousand pesos on a set that might end up painted on, glued together to make a dinosaur house, or used as a raft in a water bin made me feel a bit queasy. I needed a budget-friendly mom hack.

So I decided I'd make a set myself.

Let's Make: a Faux Wooden Table for a Preschooler's Montessori- and Reggio-inspired Play Space

Oh, Montessori moms, your lovely spaces fill me with such envy and sadness. I'd love to have the budget to have beautiful child-sized wooden furniture, with their softly rounded corners and natural wood grain, and the space to set up a peaceful, blissful (uncluttered) prepared environment. Every plastic bin and piece of plastic furniture I bring into our tiny space feels like settling. The perfectionist in me feels discouraged, but the life enthusiast must let go and move on. So, rather than whine and pine away, I decided it was time to make do and makeover an inexpensive plastic table that could be dismantled and stored when we needed to make space for other things. And because my Google searches for "Can I makeover a plastic table?" and "sticking wood to plastic" were of no help, I thought I'd share my mini makeover experience with you, in case you'd like some Montessori-inspired fakery for your kid's space, too.

10-Minute Paper Pirate Costume for Pretend Play

Avast, ye landlubbers!

My daughter wanted to be a pirate. Oh, happy day! You must understand, I come from a long line of pirates (well, my brother and I, see above) and I had been hoping even before she was born that my daughter would continue the family tradition. However, ever since she discovered Sofia the First, all I hear is Sofia this, Sofia that. So when she asked me the other day if she could have a pirate costume, naturally I said yes.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to make a real pirate costume. Who knew how long this whim would last? I had to act fast or risk losing her to the princess crew forever.

I did have paper, a printer, some leftover ribbon from Christmas, and 10 minutes to spare while my second cup of coffee brewed and I needed to get back to work. So, while she napped, I hacked this quick and cheap fix. (Please remember that this took less than 10 minutes so it's not meant to be long-wearing or authentic.)

Process, not Progress: What My Preschooler Taught Me About Art

"Painting is not fun." These were words exclaimed in exasperation, a response to my insisting that we paint this morning. Okay, every morning. It was a wake-up call. I had committed the mortal sin of art with kids:

I had been focusing on the product of creation rather than the process of creation. 

In my defense, I had only made what I thought were casual suggestions: "Why don't we paint this leaf that you found?" or "Why don't you paint something that makes you happy?" Open-ended enough, I thought. But, even in those statements there was a hidden clause: we had to make something.

It was the unspoken "something" that had hung in the air over our last few art sessions. A shapeless mold that her work has to fit into; shapeless, but a mold nonetheless. One time, as was my habit, I'd asked her what she was drawing. She answered, "Please don't ask me, Mommy." Maybe she herself had not decided yet.

Design Crush: Angie Makes

Just wanted to share these gorgeous freebies that are making my broke mom heart happy. I was set on designing Ella's birthday cake topper myself to customize the store-bought rainbow cake we are picking up the day of the party, but I needed a way to make it a little extra special. Not the usual dots and stripes. Since I've been kind of obsessed with watercolor lately, that's what I searched for on Pinterest—and that's where I found Angie Makes.

Mom-Made! DIY Upcycled Cardboard Laptop Computer

I had no plans to do a DIY project today, but a housewide decluttering session threatened the stash of old cardboard boxes that I'd been saving for "some project, some day". Use 'em or lose 'em was the ultimatum. The decluttering also unearthed an old iPad case that I'd also been saving for a rainy, nothing-to-do day (this day, by the way, was neither). So, I got to work.

Help Your Helpers: Talk to Your Toddler

Today's nap time project was inspired by this post from Imprints From Tricia. Tricia wonderfully suggests six open-ended questions parents can ask their kids during playtime to help engage their littles in a conversation and also stimulate their thinking. The questions are simple enough to add to your playtime interaction but they're also so simple that we may not think to ask them unless we're intentional about saying them. Definitely something I want to put into practice.

Tricia's inquiry questions are too good not to include in E's regular playtime, even if I'm not around to ask them. In Tricia's home, the questions are posted on her kids' playroom wall as a visual reminder. So, for our play space, which is outdoors and visible to everyone from the dining room, I thought, what better way to display them than in bunting form (Yes, i know, buntings. I need an intervention.)

Naptime Project: High-Contrast Buntings

"Nap when your baby naps." That's common knowledge and common sense and new moms would be wise to follow said advice. But did I mention that I've a recovering workaholic? It's hard for me to use daylight hours for sleeping.

Today's nap time project was inspired by this space: the empty space between the changing table and the gallery wall.

The Best Play Dough Recipe (So Far)

Play dough is big in our house. Playing with play dough is an easy keep-busy activity for toddlers that even the helpers and nannies enjoy and actively engage in so that they're not tempted to sneak off to watch TV just to keep the kids entertained. It's also pretty mess-free, unlike most other creative activities at our house. The best part—it's easy and inexpensive to whip up when supply runs out (or dries out), new colors are requested, or a big box of dough toys and tools arrive in the mail. Like today (thanks, Lola!).

We've tried a few different recipes that worked okay. I've experimented with a few mainly because I keep forgetting to save or pin them, but also because each one had its own flaws: too rough, too messy, too hard to knead, etc. Today's batch was the best by far in method and in outcome and, dare I say, I think this one's a keeper.

Been Baking: Blondies

Taking a break from my self-imposed break to tell you about these blondies, because I need to have them in my life and I just might forget how to make them again if I don't write about them somewhere.

My new baking strategy is use what you have and make it work. So thank God for the Internet and Google. I've been wanting to make Food for the Gods, which someone told me were blondies with mutes, but we were out of nuts, so I decided to make blondies. Then it turns out we didn't have vanilla, but—thank you, Google—it wasn't too hard to find a suitable substitute: almond extract.

So these are a take on the wonderful Simply Recipes' blondies, with the recipe doubled, the butter browned and the vanilla swapped with lovely almond extract.

Been Baking: Red Velvet Cake

Don't let the shoddy photography or tragic icing fool you—this cake was delicious. It was supposed to be a birthday cake for W, but my cake-baking neighbor saved me for the pressure by bringing over a yummy golf-themed carrot cake the morning of the big day (Side note: When looking for a place to settle down, do look for neighbors who bake—I highly recommend it.).

I'd never made a red velvet cake before, but I've had many after I got over the fact that it was so trendy. Ella's first birthday cake had a layer of red velvet and it was amazing. This being my first, I wasn't going for amazing. I was just hoping for edible and red, food-coloring stained fingers crossed.

Just Because Buntings

I'm always looking for an excuse to make buntings. They're an instant shot of happiness, like a cup of marshmallow-filled cocoa on a cold morning or a handwritten letter in the mail. So when the project I was working on called for sunny yellow decor props, I didn't need to be asked twice. Or even once. In fact, if you, my editor, had said, "Don't worry about the props. We have all the things we need," I'd still have made these, just in case.

They're not the most creative (Are you sick of polka dots and chevron stripes already? Sorry, we can't be friends), but I made these the day before the shoot. And wouldn't you know it, they were just what we needed.

(From Smart Parenting magazine)

Download, print, and cut out! Then, just add string. 

Recipe for Success: Stop Planning, Start Doing

I don't think any house should be without an oven, but that's just me. I'm not a fantastic baker (unlike my neighbor who is an unassuming but undiscovered Cake Boss), but I've loved to bake ever since I was little when my mom would let me mix the batter and lick the spoon. I miss those innocent days before people cared about salmonella and sugar content. 

When we moved to our new townhouse, we had to give up the oven my mom had passed down to me. I agreed, but only on the condition that we'd get a new one to fit the smaller space. A year passed and due to financial limitations, the promise was still only a promise. Then we got the money (a gift from my mom—I love you, Mom!), but couldn't buy it until we were absolutely sure we didn't need the money for something else. (You'd be surprised how often that happens when you have a child.) When we finally bought the oven, it took weeks before we could have it installed—wiring problems, worker problems, we'll do it tomorrow problems. Then it was installed but I had three projects on my plate and deadlines to meet. Then work loosened up and we didn't have any darn vanilla. When we got the vanilla, we'd run out of brown sugar. When we'd gathered all the ingredients, E just wouldn't take a nap.

It seems like, as with most of my projects, having the perfect conditions is just wishful thinking.