In my family, I am the middle child of three girls. Kim, the oldest (whom I can’t convince to blog), is the party girl, artist, cook, and baker extraordinaire. Christianne, the youngest (who blogs at Little Page Turners), is the smarty pants, avid reader, kiddo crafter, and budding seamstress.
I try to take advantage of my sisters’ innate gifts whenever possible and am known to request b-day cakes, meals, decorating advice, and sewn goods from these two BFF’s of mine. For Asher’s birthday, I requested Chrissy (only family can call her this) make an adorable magnetic fishing game for the boys. When I worked as an elementary school counselor, I made a similar game with laminated paper fish and the kids LOVED it. I knew my boys would too!
And oh my goodness did they ever LOVE this! Asher was thrilled to receive his own monogrammed bucket. (Chris must have taken my tip on the Target Seau de Merde!) They played with these fish for hours. No exaggeration here. HOURS!
A & Z have been begging to go fishing on the beach and they finally got their chance today :).
Some suggest sewing the metal washers inside the fish, but I’m glad Chris chose to sew them to the outside. I think this makes the success of the catch much easier.
The fabrics she chose were adorable!
Having two fish of each pattern helped the boys come up with their own fish matching games which extended play time. Hallelujah for that!
Z was ecstatic to catch three fish at once. The magnets used were nice and strong. A caught the entire bucket a few times with his magnet :).
Below is a close-up of a fish so you can see its cute button eyes and washer mouth.
Chrissy hasn’t posted a tutorial on how to make these fishies yet, but you can find some floating around the blogosphere if you search. I just found this tutorial here by Kara-Noel.
If you have any sort of sewing ability, I highly recommend making one of these babies for the little people in your lives. My boys give it their very-picky-ADHD-seal-of-approval! Thanks little sis for such a thoughtful gift!
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Emilie says
They are adorable! I’m going to make them for this Xmas. Do you think it’s suitable for a 2.5 year old?
Beth says
I think it depends on the maturity and interests of the 2.5 yr old, but my boys were ready for this fun game at that age.
Erika says
What a gorgeous original idea! Interested though – do you know what your sister used to fill them?
Beth says
Yes, she just used regular pillow batting.
Terrell says
Now this is super creative!! I am happy to be your newest blog follower and would love to have you as a friend at FrouFrouDecor! I'm hosting at link party/giveaway every Friday and would love to have you link up your finds!! Hope to see you there!!
Hugs,
~Terrell @ FrouFrouDecor~
PeaceLoveApplesauce says
This is so adorable!
Liz @ Sugarplum Creations says
Oh wow. That is about the cutest thing ever! My girls would love it! Don'tcha just love talented sisters? ๐
BeachNerd says
I can't sew at all, but I would buy these, definitely, esp if you or your sister posted them for sale…on etsy maybe?
Emsamum says
Great job Chris!! I am so so proud of you ๐
Jenny says
So cute! I've seen the paper fish game, but would have never thought to make fabric ones!
Amanda @ Serenity Now says
So cute! I do love the fabrics she chose. It's nice to have gifts that don't have blinking lights and noises. ๐
Richella says
Lots of talent in the Crabtree family! This is absolutely adorable–my boys would've loved this when they were little tykes. ๐
Jenny B says
Awesomeness! Great idea!!!! Maybe will have to make this for my great nephew's 2nd bday in Oct!
Ashley O says
That is too cute!!
Jessica says
Adding this to my ever-growing list of Christmas / birthday present projects ๐
Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says
That. is. adorable! What a great idea and I have lots of fabric that is probably just big enough to do a fish. While my sister has entered the sewing arena with her pillows, I may just give this a try for my nephews! Thanks for sharing this, Beth! : )
Laurel @ Ducks in a Row says
so so so so so so so cute – think I just found the christmas gifts I've been looking for.
willoughbywhimsy says
Awe, this idea is soooo cute! I can see how it would amuse kids for hours on end! This would be a great idea to use at a kid carnival too!
Sue says
What a great game. I'm off to make some fishies for the grandies now. Thanks for the tip.
Jenni says
Hi Beth~
Those are SO cute! I also love the colors and fabric she chose! I can think of three little boys who would love this (my sister's children)! What little boy wouldn't? And actually, for that matter, little girls probably would as well. I will have to try this, maybe for Christmas! Thank you for sharing this.
I hope you are having a good week! ๐
Blessings,
Jenni
Marie@PoutyPinkPrincess says
These are so adorable!
Ellie says
That is so cute! I need to learn how to sew!
Andrรฉann says
I once read on Christianne's blog that she was "no good at sewing"… Pfff!
This is a wonderfull idea!
I'm going to add it to my list of handmade yule gift I want to make (better start early!)
mustard seeds says
That is the cutest idea I have seen in a long time. Love it!
Christianne @ Little Page Turners says
You're welcome! Each pair of fish has one with a large tail and one with a small tail, and there are three different colors of eyes, so there are numerous matching games you can play. So glad the boys liked them!