Quiet Book - My Renaissance

I made a quiet book to keep my first two little boys occupied during church.  The book was simply made -- a little bulky -- but effective in keeping the boys entertained.  By the time my third son was three years old we had become tired of hauling the big book to church every week.  So I gave it away (with all of my other baby stuff), just in time to find out that boy number 4 was on the way.  After years of doing baby projects and with the added demands of three other kids, I didn't have the energy for homemade projects.  Baby 4 had to settle for glitzy store bought entertainment.  Seven years later, after again giving away all of my baby stuff, baby boy 5 showed up on the scene.  It seems as though the clock has wound backward and I am returning to the life I lived 17 years ago.  My appetite for homemade projects is renewed and this time I am armed with experience and the fabulous ideas shared on the Internet by women who much more creative that me.

Here are the first pages of Quiet Book Round II -

Peek-a- Boo Page.  Pull back the mittens to play peek-a-boo with the boy.  Lift the boy's face to play peek-a-boo with baby!

Lift the Flap House

It was a tricky finding a house that would have enough windows for the entire family, while still fitting on the page.  His four brothers "live" on the top floor, mom and dad are behind the windows on the first floor and you see baby when you open the door.

Page three is my changing seasons page.  On the left side there are crates that have different items to represent spring, summer and fall.  The leaves, fruit and flowers can be mixed and matched and then sorted back into their crates. 

The puppy page did not quite come out how I had envisioned.  I wanted to use faux fur to give some texture, but I don't like the way the pattern makes the puppies mouth look strange.  This page gives practice clasping and unclasping the collar.  I like that the collar has a button to release it as opposed to sides that need to be squeezed.  I'm considering adding a leash to the bindng of the book that can be attached to the metal rings.

The puppies' body is a pocket to hold the food that snaps into the bowl.  My older boys have already shown me how the dog food can serve a dual purpose.  BOYS!!!!

The weaving page is a classic that appeared in the quiet book my mom made, as well as Quiet Book Round I.  This is my favorite page and never fails to keep me entertained when the speakers get boring.

The piggy bank page is everywhere and I had to try my own version.

The spaghetti chef was something I really wanted to try, but had no idea how to make it work.  A little trial and error taught me that I could not put wonder-under beneath the entire face and hat.  I needed to leave a tube that was non-fusible so that the yard could travel back and forth freely.  The button on the chef's hat pulls the yarn through and makes it appear that the chef is slurping up all the spaghetti.  The yard can be pulled back through and clustered in the bowl to look like bowlful of noodles.