Skippyjon Jones by judy Schachner

SkippyJon Jones by Judy Schachner has somehow made its way to our daily reading.
It started in a store where honeypie saw a book and stuffed animal combo.
"mama, i want to buy that cat", her
"no, he is a bit ugly... you have plenty of stuffed animals", me
" oh, mama, please!!!!!", her
"I am sorry, no. If you would like it, you have to buy it yourself with your money." me
"ok... ". her
(actually it was a great lesson in the value of money and earning.)
And $9 of her dollars later, here we are...

Actually the story book is very fun. Imaginative. This kitty cat boy thinks he is a chihuahua dog and goes into his closet to play and imagine. His imagination takes him into Mexico where he has a band of friends, chihuahuas of course, called the chimichangos. Skippyjon jones has to help them with a series of problems. In this book, the bumblebeeto bandito (skippy's bumblebee birthday piñata) is a bandit that has stolen the chimichango's beans. So skippyjon jones has to get the beans back. There are lots of great silly rhymes and goofy songs they sing and honeypie finds it all very very funny...and actually so do I.
There are several books to the series, "Skippyjon jones in mummy trouble", "Skippyjon ones in the doghouse", "Skippyjon jones and the big bones" and I think another one is coming out this summer.
So if you have not read this book... I definitely recommend going to the library and borrowing it. The illustrations in the book are also so lovely, colorful and vibrant.

Honeypie wanted a Skippyjon jones birthday party. Obviously, there was nothing out there in internet world to support this birthday theme... but with a little imagination, i think we were able to pull it off and we had fun doing it too!

Below are some "dress up" pieces I made for honeypie (which she insisted on so she too could be Skippyjon jones of course!!) I know all kids love pretending and dressing up too.




I needle felted the peach color wool of the ears onto pieces of brown pre-felted sweater triangles. (I stuck an old 100% wool sweater into the washing machine with some soap then stuck it in the drier. The sweater shrinks and felts itself).



I sewed 2 triangles of the sweater together and stuffed them lightly. I sewed the triangles shut, leaving a 1/4 " room at the bottom. I then used a hot glue gun to glue the ears to a head band.



For the cape , I measured the back of one of her jackets and pretty much eye-balled and traced the outline for the cape onto a piece of fabric. (The jacket gave me the basic outline...as i must admit... i am just teaching myself to sew....)
I used velcro for the neckstrap, to keep it tied. Its easier for little hands.



For the mask I traced a pair of sunglasses honeypie had (to measure where the eye holes would be), I then cut the mask out and sewed an elastic in the back to keep it in place. I used the zig-zag option on my sewing machine to get the green details.



I melted chocolate into candy molds into paws and kitties for the goody bags.



And I made a Skippyjon jones birthday cake for her!

It was a great birthday!

Remember... birthdays will always come and go. If your little one is like mine, there is always an excuse for a party.
Making your own birthday details opens you to a world of many more creative opportunities. And your child can feel like he has more ownership of his or her special day. It personalizes it for your child, since both of you will be involved in the planning and crafting of it.
And believe me...you do not have to be Martha Stewart!
Just Believe. (and pray for time!)

happy birdycake!