A Medieval Surprise

I love giving my kids surprise presents. Things they haven't whined for or begged for and especially things they don't need. It is just so much fun to see their faces when they realize they got something and to watch their excitement as they explore the new thing.

I've been working on this surprise for a while now, so it was extra fun!

So, what did they get? Well, Ian's been hoping for knight armor for a long time. I had this large gift bag from Target laying around that I realized would make an awesome tunic. I started by tracing and painting a dragon on the front:

Then I cut a hole for the neck and two more for the arms, and sewed in a hood and sleeves. I've never worked with a knit fabric before (can you believe it?!), so that was interesting, and my sewing won't bear close scrutiny, but in the end I think it turned out pretty well.

Here's my little warrior.

Brynn's project wasn't quite so labor intensive. The inspiration came from the Pottery Barn catalog:

It's cute, but I'm not willing to pay their prices. So, with the picture for inspiration, I set out to create my own "Tea Party Apron".
Since Brynnie is only two, it was pretty easy to measure things on her without revealing the surprise.
I guess she likes it, since she screamed when I had to take it off of her for nap time.

Hurrah for surprises!