It seems like there have been several occasions lately where I have been out with friends or with my own family and have watched as kids have been stuck somewhere with nothing to entertain them. I always feel sorry for them! And when it’s my own kids, it drives me nuts. So I came up with a solution:
You may remember seeing this photo clutch before. I bought it on clearance for just a couple bucks. Now it has been transformed into a little dry-erase quiet book that is just the right size to tuck into my purse.
Here’s what the pages look like inside:
I had all these elaborate plans to make things in Photoshop and print them out, but in the end, I just did everything by hand. I think sometimes we fear the imperfections of our own handwriting and sketching. But does it really matter? Not at all! In fact it makes the book all that more unique. I know some of the words are crooked or spaced unevenly. And that’s okay.
There are a few sleeves that are still empty. I was too excited to share this idea to wait until I finished them. But some of the ideas I have for them are matching games, word search, and connect-the-dots.
If you don’t draw, you could easily find clip art that would work.
I have made a lot of quiet books in my day, but this one was definitely the easiest to put together. It only took a couple of hours. And next time I am out somewhere with a bored kid, I can’t wait to whip this bad boy out! Bye bye, boredom!
Comments & Reviews
What a great idea. I have seen these at Tues. Morning. I love that you did the pages yourself.
So fun! I love that you decided to do it by hand. That way you know the project will get done and your kids will still love it too. I have a car playmat my mom made with fabric markers and I love the hand-made illustrations. Perfect!
How did you add the sleeves to the clutch and what where the sleeves. Thank you this idea is great, not a mommy yet but making now so once child is old enough to use it I ave handy! Wonderful idea just need explains tin on sleeves 🙂 thanks!!!
Brittany,
I didn't add the sleeves to the clutch—they were already there. It's a photo clutch meant for carrying pictures of your loved ones in your purse with you. If you can't find a photo clutch, they sell inexpensive photo album flip books at Walmart that would work just as well.
I think it's a great idea to make things for your kids before they are born…once they are born, you are too busy taking care of them!
Good luck!