I wanted to share this chair with other mothers or families with special needs children, that may find it helpful.  Aiden’s therapist recommended this type of chair for back and trunk support but was very expensive  so my son made one for  Aiden. It is amazing the difference this chair has made. I have included pictures to show the work (and love) that went into this chair. The chair is a standard Corner Chair.  A Corner Chair is used to help children who need minimum to maximum support in order to sit up straight.  It allows the parent, therapist, or care-giver, to interact with the child hands-free with activities such as feeding, reading, playing with toys, etc., while the child is fully supported.  The chair also promotes trunk strengthening and perhaps, eventually, independent seating.  Because the chair seats the child in a corner, the child gets support enough to keep them upright, but not so much support that they don’t have to work to sit up.  This little workout helps increase muscle tone and strength in the trunk of the body of the child.  Aiden was born underdeveloped with low muscle tone and needed maximum support in order to sit upright.  For Aiden, the chair gave him the opportunity to get him up from laying on his back and to interact with his therapists and family members while also helping him to strengthen his trunk and improve his sitting balance and posture.  When first presented with the chair, Aiden could not sit independently and needed maximum assistance.  After using the Corner Chair for a year, and much therapy, Aiden can now sit independently in short intervals.

If anyone is interested in purchasing these therapy Corner Chairs please send me an email

armiller@cableone.net

http://www.anjdesigns.com/page/3113160

My son is  developing a special needs swing now, that again helps kids with their balance and co-ordination.  My grandson loves this swing.

• While drooling over all the beautiful bags in the U-Handbag flickr pool I ran across etsy seller ObscuritiesHotGlass. She has tons of really cute bags and they all look beautifully sewn. The above-pictured crossword puzzle bag is a fave but she also has tons of great boxy bags. Looks like she’s having a killer sale right now too so check it out.

• And speaking of boxy bags, I’ve been searching online for a tutorial for this type of bag and found a great one from Dragoknitfly. She explains everything well and has lots of good photos.

• Wait until you see this amazing Etch-A-Sketch laptop cozy over at Betz White’s blog. She made it as a birthday gift for her brother. Seriously cute. If she was selling them in her shop I’d already own one! ha ha

• For those of you interested in selling your wares at the biggest (and dare I say best?!) holiday craft show in SoCal applications are up for Felt Club! This year’s event is being held on Sunday, November 16th at the Shrine Auditorium. Along with the usual fab offering of crafty workshops we’ll also be including Swap-O-Rama-Rama in the festivities. Applications are being accepted through August 29th.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Have a crafty, productive weekend everyone!
Cheers,
Donna

It’s time to clean out your closets for Swap-O-Rama-Rama in Los Angeles this Saturday, June 28, at the Venice Center for Peace with Justice and the Arts. SORR is a giant clothing swap which, along with DIY workshops, encourages creative reuse and recycling. Rummage through the giant piles of clothing to find new-to-you garments and enlist the help of designers and seamstresses at sewing stations to help you alter, embellish and reimagine your picks into fabulous new creations. Silkscreening and embroidery will be available as well as help with specific projects such as plushies and shopping bags from t-shirts. (I’ll be helping out at the silkscreening station so please be sure to say hi!) It’s a really fun event and you’re helping the planet at the same time. What could be better than that? It runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and it’s $5 if you bring a bag of clothes and $10 without clothes. Email me if you have any questions!

Cheers!
Donna