Paleolith, revisited.

Remember this post?  The one where I was so inspired by a guest blogger on Dana’s blog, MADE who makes felt watches (they are so cute, you should look, really) that I went right downstairs and whipped up a felt watch of my own design for the little bug?  Don’t remember?  I’ll give you this as a refresher:

Yep.  There it is.  My very first foray into toddler watches.  I call them “paleoliths” (haha, get it?  That’s my nerdy side coming out...) and at first I thought it was pretty cute.  Then I got it on his miniscule wrist and it looked like a behemoth.  It was ridiculous.  

Really, I should have called it a failure, but I didn’t have the heart to scrap it since he liked it so much - and to be honest, I can’t bear to put another point up there on the scoreboard until I get at least one point for my own team.  Anyway... I’ve been meaning to fix it, and today I did!

It is not longer a gigantic wrist watch weighing bug’s arm down.  It is now: 

a pocket watch.

See, not only does bug love watches, but he is currently obsessed with pockets.  Every time he puts pants on (which is pretty much every day, I guess) the first thing he does is check for pockets.  When he finds them, he gets very excited and announces to anyone who cares, and everyone who doesn’t, that he has pockets.  Then he tries to cram his hands in them, and gets very disappointed if they are too tiny.  With his little sad face and a depressed shrug he says forlornly, “they too smawl.”  Sigh.  

I thought, what better way to make use out of my flub than to combine two things he likes.

Thus, my “paleolith pocket watch.”

Start out with the watch (which you can find here.)  Attach it to a hook and spring key holder (25 cents, Thrift Store) using floral wire threaded through a hole in the outer cardboard circle.  (I made the hole with the tiny side of a cropadile - gotta love that tool - and threaded the floral wire through the hole in the cardboard and the hole in the metal piece of the spring four times)  Then twist the ends of the wire, use a little hot glue to hold the wire down and in place and attach the watch accordingly.

Then watch as your two year old throws the watch into the air in order to study it while it bounces around on its spring.  When he throws it to the ground behind him and watches it drag along as he runs away, you’ll know you’ve got a winner on your hands.  This pocket watch can be so many things... a tool to teach about gravity and physics, a distraction to keep him busily occupied with his pockets (nothing he can hurt there), a way to help him learn what time it is (to which he will probably respond, “oh.  It time to play cars.” as he looks seriously at the felt hands pointing at 12 and 6), and probably MOST importantly, a tail.  A long, bouncy, squiggly tail that will follow behind him everywhere he goes as he speeds around the yard, kicking up grass and mulch.  Well, whatever keeps him entertained, right?

More watches tomorrow.  And a quick sneak peek at some playroom fun, which I am hoping to have totally done this weekend - curtains and all:

Yea, a complete and total mess!  Wonder what it's going to look like?