The Bremen Town Musicians.... a tale from Germany

Bremen Town Musicians block cut by Walter Crane

A man had a donkey, who for long years had untiringly carried sacks to the mill, but whose strength was now failing, so that he was becoming less and less able to work. Then his master thought that he would no longer feed him, but the donkey noticed that it was not a good wind that was blowing and ran away, setting forth on the road to Bremen, where he thought he could become a town musician. When he had gone a little way he found a hunting dog lying in the road, who was panting like one who had run himself tired.

"Why are you panting so, Grab-Hold?" asked the donkey.

"Oh," said the dog, "because I am old and am getting weaker every day and can no longer go hunting, my master wanted to kill me, so I ran off; but now how should I earn my bread?"

"Do you know what," said the donkey, "I am going to Bremen and am going to become a town musician there. Come along and take up music too. I'll play the lute, and you can beat the drums."

The dog was satisfied with that, and they went further. It didn't take long, before they came to a cat sitting by the side of the road and making a face like three days of rainy weather. "What has crossed you, old Beard-Licker?" said the donkey.

"Oh," answered the cat, "who can be cheerful when his neck is at risk? I am getting on in years, and my teeth are getting dull, so I would rather sit behind the stove and purr than to chase around after mice. Therefore my mistress wanted to drown me, but I took off. Now good advice is scarce. Where should I go?"

"Come with us to Bremen. After all, you understand night music. You can become a town musician there." The cat agreed and went along.

Then the three refugees came to a farmyard, and the rooster of the house was sitting on the gate crying with all his might.

"Your cries pierce one's marrow and bone," said the donkey. "What are you up to?"

"I just prophesied good weather," said the rooster, "because it is Our Dear Lady's Day, when she washes the Christ Child's shirts and wants to dry them; but because Sunday guests are coming tomorrow, the lady of the house has no mercy and told the cook that she wants to eat me tomorrow in the soup, so I am supposed to let them cut off my head this evening. Now I am going to cry at the top of my voice as long as I can."

"Hey now, Red-Head," said the donkey, "instead come away with us. We're going to Bremen. You can always find something better than death. You have a good voice, and when we make music together, it will be very pleasing."

The rooster was happy with the proposal, and all four went off together. However, they could not reach the city of Bremen in one day, and in the evening they came into a forest, where they would spend the night. The donkey and the dog lay down under a big tree, but the cat and the rooster took to the branches. The rooster flew right to the top, where it was safest for him. Before falling asleep he looked around once again in all four directions, and he thought that he saw a little spark burning in the distance. He hollered to his companions, that there must be a house not too far away, for a light was shining.

The donkey said, "Then we must get up and go there, because the lodging here is poor." The dog said that he could do well with a few bones with a little meat on them. Thus they set forth toward the place where the light was, and they soon saw it glistening more brightly, and it became larger and larger, until they came to the front of a brightly lit robbers' house.

The donkey, the largest of them, approached the window and looked in.

"What do you see, Gray-Horse?" asked the rooster.

"What do I see?" answered the donkey. "A table set with good things to eat and drink, and robbers sitting there enjoying themselves."

"That would be something for us," said the rooster.

"Ee-ah, ee-ah, oh, if we were there!" said the donkey.

Then the animals discussed how they might drive the robbers away, and at last they came upon a plan. The donkey was to stand with his front feet on the window, the dog to jump on the donkey's back, the cat to climb onto the dog, and finally the rooster would fly up and sit on the cat's head. When they had done that, at a signal they began to make their music all together. The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat meowed and the rooster crowed. Then they crashed through the window into the room, shattering the panes.
The robbers jumped up at the terrible bellowing, thinking that a ghost was coming in, and fled in great fear out into the woods. Then the four companions seated themselves at the table and freely partook of the leftovers, eating as if they would get nothing more for four weeks.

When the four minstrels were finished, they put out the light and looked for a place to sleep, each according to his nature and his desire. The donkey lay down on the manure pile, the dog behind the door, the cat on the hearth next to the warm ashes, and the rooster sat on the beam of the roof. Because they were tired from their long journey, they soon fell asleep.

When midnight had passed and the robbers saw from the distance that the light was no longer burning in the house, and everything appeared to be quiet, the captain said, "We shouldn't have let ourselves be chased off," and he told one of them to go back and investigate the house. The one they sent found everything still, and went into the kitchen to strike a light. He mistook the cat's glowing, fiery eyes for live coals, and held a sulfur match next to them, so that it would catch fire. But the cat didn't think this was funny and jumped into his face, spitting, and scratching.

He was terribly frightened and ran toward the back door, but the dog, who was lying there, jumped up and bit him in the leg. When he ran across the yard past the manure pile, the donkey gave him a healthy blow with his hind foot, and the rooster, who had been awakened from his sleep by the noise and was now alert, cried down from the beam, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

Then the robber ran as fast as he could back to his captain and said, "Oh, there is a horrible witch sitting in the house, she blew at me and scratched my face with her long fingers. And there is a man with a knife standing in front of the door, and he stabbed me in the leg. And a black monster is lying in the yard, and it struck at me with a wooden club. And the judge is sitting up there on the roof, and he was calling out, 'Bring the rascal here.' Then I did what I could to get away."

From that time forth, the robbers did not dare go back into the house. However, the four Bremen Musicians liked it so well there, that they never left it again. And the person who just told that, his mouth is still warm.

---

story by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in Children's and Household Tales -- Grimms' Fairy Tales published in 1857       online source for story is here


Become a Musician!
Making your own instruments can be fun and very simple. One of the easiest instruments to make is a kazoo.

A Kazoo is defined as

"a musical instrument with a membrane that produces a buzzing sound when a player hums or sings into the mouthpiece."

Wiki goes on to say:

The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of militron, which is a membranophone – a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane.
"Kazoo" was the name given by Warren Herbert Frost to his invention in Patent #270,543 issued on January 9, 1883. In the text of the patent he refers to it as "This instrument or toy, to which I propose to give the name 'kazoo' ".

The simplest and fastest kazoo to make is a Comb Kazoo.

 You'll need:
*An ordinary old fashioned plastic comb ( small fine toothed pocket combs work best, you can get a bag full at a dollar story)
*Wax Paper
*Scissors

1) Cut a piece of wax paper that is slightly smaller than the length of the comb and twice the size of the combs height.
2)  Fold the wax paper in half length wise
3) Place the comb inside the folded paper with the teeth in the folded seam.


You're now ready to "play" your kazoo.
Hold the paper over the teeth of the comb and put the comb against your lips. 
Then, keeping your lips open a little, hum a tune into the comb. 
You'll need to experiment to see what gives you the best sound.


Here's the link to a youtube video, that for some reason I can't embed, that shows How to Make a Kazoo using a Toilet Paper Roll

 This link is to the Kazoologist where they give lots of scientific information on kazoos and militrons.
http://kazoologist.org/Experiments.html


Before leaving, I want you to remember the most important rule of kazoo playing:

The Rose and the Amaranth.....an Aesop fable

A Rose and an Amaranth blossomed side by side in a garden.

One day the Amaranth said to her neighbor,
"How I envy you your beauty and your sweet scent! No wonder you are such a universal favorite."

But the Rose replied with a shade of sadness in her voice,
"Ah, my dear friend, I bloom but for a time: my petals soon wither and fall, and then I die. But your flowers never fade, even if they are cut,for they are everlasting."

(This Aesop's Fable, written in the 6th century BC, compares the Rose to the Amaranth to illustrate the difference in fleeting and everlasting beauty).

FYI:

Amaranthus, collectively known as amaranth, is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs. Approximately 60 species are recognized,foliage ranging from purple and red to gold.
Although several species are often considered weeds, people around the world value amaranths as leaf vegetables, cereals, and ornamentals.
The word comes from the Greek amarantos (Αμάρανθος or Αμάραντος) the "one that does not wither," or the never-fading (flower).

info found at wiki



this site has a step by step tutorial for the rose above


A fun craft and good vid but the video cuts off. See the next vid.


This is the rest of the previous vid

The Cap that Mother Made

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Anders, who had a new cap. And a prettier cap you never have seen, for mother herself had knit it; and nobody could make anything quite so nice as mother did. It was altogether red, except a small part in the middle which was green, for the red yarn had given out; and the tassel was blue.

His brothers and sisters walked about squinting at him, and their faces grew long with envy. But Anders cared nothing for that. He put his hands in his pockets and went out for a walk, for he wished everybody to see how fine he looked in his new cap.

The first person he met was a farmer walking along side a wagon load of wood. The farmer made a bow so deep that his back came near breaking. He was dumbfounded, I can tell you, when he saw it was nobody but Anders.

"Dear me," said he, "if I did not think it was the little count himself!" And then he invited Anders to ride in his wagon.

But when one has a handsome, red cap with a blue tassel, one does not ride in a wagon, and Anders said, "No thank you," and walked by.

At the turn of the road he met the tanner's son, Lars. He was such a big boy that he wore high boots, and carried a jack-knife. Lars gaped and gazed at the cap, and could not keep form fingering the blue tassel.

"Let's trade caps," he said. "I will give you my jack-knife to boot."

Now this knife was a very good one, though the handle was a little cracked. Anders knew that one is almost a man as soon as he has a jack-knife. But still it was not as good as the new cap which mother had made.

"Oh, no, I'm not so foolish as all that. No I'm not!" Anders said.

And then he said good-bye to Lars with a nod. But Lars only made faces at him, for he was very much put out that he could not get Anders cap.

Anders went along, and he met a very old woman who curtsied till her skirts looked like a balloon. She called him a little gentleman, and said he was fine enough to go to the royal court ball.

"Yes, why not?" thought Anders. "Seeing that my cap is so fine, I may as well go and visit the King."

And so he did. In the palace yard stood two soldiers with shining helmets, and with muskets over their shoulders; and when Anders came to the gate, both the muskets were leveled at him.

"Where are you going?" asked one of the soldiers.

"I'm going to the court ball," answered Anders.

"No, you are not," said the other soldier stepping forward. "Nobody is allowed there without a uniform."

But just at this instant the princess came tripping across the yard. She was dressed in white silk with bows of gold ribbon. When she saw Anders and the soldiers, she walked over to them.

"Oh," she said,"he has such a very fine cap on his head, and that will do just as well as a uniform."

And she took Anders' hand and walked with him up the broad marble stairs where soldiers were posted at every third step, and through the beautiful halls where courtiers in silk and velvet stood bowing wherever he went. For no doubt they thought him a prince when they saw his fine cap.

At the farther end of the largest hall a table was set with golden cups and golden plates in long rows. On huge silver dishes were piles of tarts and cakes, and red wine sparkled in shining glasses.
The princess sat down at the head of this long table and she let Anders sit in a golden chair by her side.

"But you must not eat with your cap on your head," she said, putting out her hand to take it off.

"Oh, yes, I can eat just as well with my cap as without it," said Anders, holding on to his cap. For if they should take it away from him, nobody would any longer believe that he was a prince. And besides, he did not feel sure that he would get it back again.

"Well, give it to me," said the princess, "and I will give you a kiss."

The princess was certainly beautiful, and Anders would have dearly liked to be kissed by her, but the cap which mother had made, he would not give up on any condition. He only shook his head.

"Well, but see," said the princess; and she filled his pockets with cakes, and put her own gold chain around his neck, and bent down and kissed him.

But he only moved farther back in his chair and did not take his hands away from his head.

Then the doors were thrown open, and the King entered with a large number of gentlemen in glittering uniforms and plumed hats. The King himself wore a purple mantle which trailed behind him, and he had a large gold crown on his white curly hair.
He smiled when he saw Anders in the gilt chair.

"That is a very fine cap you have," he said.

"So it is," replied Anders. "Mother knit it of her very best yarn, and everybody wishes to get it away from me."

"But surely you would like to change caps with me," said the King, raising his large, heavy crown from his head.

Anders did not answer. He sat as before, and held on to his red cap which everybody was so eager to get. But when the King came nearer to him, with is gold crown between his hands, then Anders grew frightened as never before. If he did not take good care, the King might take his cap from him; for a King can do whatever he likes.

With one jump Anders was out of his chair. He darted like an arrow through all the beautiful halls, down all the marble stairs, and across the yard.

He twisted himself like an eel between the outstretched arms of the courtiers, and over the soldiers' muskets he jumped like a rabbit.

He ran so fast that the princess's necklace fell off of his neck, and all the cakes jumped out of his pockets. But he still had his cap. He was holding on to it with both hands as he rushed into his mother's cottage.

His mother took him up in her lap, and he told her all of his adventures, and how everybody wanted his cap. All of his brothers and sisters stood around and listened with their mouths open.

But when his big brother heard that he had refused to trade his cap for the King's golden crown, he said that Anders was foolish. Just think how much money one might get for the King's crown; and Anders could have gotten an even finer cap.

That was something that Anders had not thought of, and his face grew red.
He put his arms around his mother's neck and asked:
"Mother, was I foolish?"

His mother hugged him close and kissed him.
"No, my little son," said she. "If you were dressed in silver and gold from top to toe, you could not look any nicer than you do in your little red cap."

Then Anders felt brave again. He knew that mother's cap was the best cap in all the world.



Anders' Cap is retold by LLL,Storysinger; the original source is Swedish Fairy Tales by Anna Wahlenberg, published in 1901


above illustrations are from "The Cap that Mother Made Me", Rand McNally Start-Right Elf Book, 1967, Illustrations by Esther Friend




I have found that in some crafts it is easier to learn when you can see what needs to be done.
Knitting definitely seems to be one of those "watch what I do" crafts.
For this reason, I have chosen to put up videos on how to knit.

I have three videos for you. The first two vids demonstrate how to you make a very basic scarf.

The third vid is for the more advanced knitter or the adventurous beginner.
It gives directions for making a simple hat using circular needles.

For the scarf (the first 2 videos) you will need:
a pair of knitting needles, the size is up to you
a skein/ball of yarn (I suggest avoiding very fine/thin yarns in the beginning)
a pair of scissors


How to Cast on stitches to begin your knitting.
There are other ways to do this but I like the way that this video explains the process.



How to do your basic knit also called the Garter Stitch and how to Bind off/end your knitting.



For this third video, hat making, you'll need...yarn, circular needles, stitch markers and scissors.


MarthaStewart.com has a few pics on How to Knit here

The Mitten.....a Ukrainian Folktale

There was once an old man who lost his mitten.

A mouse came running up, and she climbed into the mitten and sat there.

By and by a Frog came hopping up, and she stopped and called out:

"Hullo there! Who is living in this mitten?"

"I am. Crunch-Munch the Mouse. And who are you?"

"Hop-Stop the Frog. Let me in!"

"All right. Jump in!"

By and by a Rabbit came scurrying up, and he stopped and called out:

"Hullo there! Who is living in this mitten?"

"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog. And who are you?"

"Fleet-Feet the Rabbit. May I join you?"

"All right. Jump in!"

By and by a Fox came scampering up, and he stopped and called out:

"Hullo there! Who is living in this mitten?"

"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit. And who are you?"

"Smily-Wily the Fox. Won't you make room for me?"

"All right. Jump in!"

So there the four of them sat, and by and by a Wolf came stalking up, and he stopped and called out:

"Hullo there! Who is living in this mitten?"

"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit and Smily-Wily the Fox. And who are you?"

"Howly-Prowly the Wolf. And I meant to get in!"

"All right. Go ahead!"

By and by a Bear came lumbering up, and he growled and roared and called out:

"Hullo there! Who is living in this mitten?"

"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit, Smily-Wily the Fox and Howly-Prowly the Wolf. And who are you?"

"Grumbly-Rumbly the Bear. And I know you'll make room for me!"

"All right. Get in!"

So the Bear Squeezed in too, and there the six of them sat in the mitten.

By and by a Wild Boar came sauntering up, and he stopped and called out with a grunt:

"Hullo there! Who is living in this mitten?"

"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit, Smily-Wily the Fox, Howly-Prowly the Wolf and Grumbly-Rumbly the Bear. And who are you?"

"Snout-Rout the Boar. And I'm sure you want me too."

"All right. Climb in!"

So the Boar squeezed in, and there the seven of them sat in the mitten.

By and by a hunter came walking up. He saw the mitten move, and bang! - he fired his gun. The mitten burst, and away helter-skelter ran the seven friends.




Mittens, Mittens, Mittens!! OMGosh!! I love this vid!
This craft is soooo simple! Older kids or adults can do the cutting and assist with the sewing which can be done by hand or machine.

I am sooo ready to run to the nearest thrift shop and buy some sweaters!
No...I don't have any sweaters I want to cut up..nyah!

The Princess and the Pea.......with lots of craft ideas

THERE was once a Prince who wished to marry a Princess; but then she must be a real Princess. He travelled all over the world in hopes of finding such a lady; but there was always something wrong.
Princesses he found in plenty; but whether they were real Princesses it was impossible for him to decide, for now one thing, now another, seemed to him not quite right about the ladies.
At last he returned to his palace quite cast down, because he wished so much to have a real Princess for his wife.

One evening a fearful tempest arose, it thundered and lightened, and the rain poured down from the sky in torrents: besides, it was as dark as pitch. All at once there was heard a violent knocking at the door, and the old King, the Prince's father, went out himself to open it.

It was a Princess who was standing outside the door. What with the rain and the wind, she was in a sad condition; the water trickled down from her hair, and her clothes clung to her body. She said she was a real Princess.

"Ah! we shall soon see that!" thought the old Queen-mother; however, she said not a word of what she was going to do; but went quietly into the bedroom, took all the bed-clothes off the bed, and put three little peas5 on the bedstead. She then laid twenty mattresses one upon another over the three peas, and put twenty feather beds over the mattresses.

Upon this bed the Princess was to pass the night.

The next morning she was asked how she had slept. "Oh, very badly indeed!" she replied. "I have scarcely closed my eyes the whole night through. I do not know what was in my bed, but I had something hard under me, and am all over black and blue.
It has hurt me so much!"

Now it was plain that the lady must be a real Princess, since she had been able to feel the three little peas through the twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds. None but a real Princess could have had such a delicate sense of feeling.

The Prince accordingly made her his wife; being now convinced that he had found a real Princess. The three peas were however put into the cabinet of curiosities, where they are still to be seen, provided they are not lost.

Wasn't this a lady of real delicacy?

written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1835

For something a little different go to youtube and watch Faerie Tale Theatre's version of The Princess and the Pea


Why not make your own Princess bed with "mattresses" and Pea included?

You'll need:

A doll bed
A "Princess" doll
(if you want to do the whole story why not find a Prince and a Queen?)
Pieces of colorful polar fleece (large enough to be cut to fit the bed)
A Piece of Paper or Cardboard to make a pattern
Scissors
Tape Measure or Ruler
Marker or Tailors Chalk
A dried Pea or a green bead

Directions:
1)Measure your doll bed to find out the size your "mattresses" will be.
You can fit them to the frame or have them overlap more like quilts.
2)Make a pattern using your paper/cardboard.
3)Place the pattern on your fabric and use the marker/tailors chalk to trace it.
4)Cut out as many "matttesses" as you would like. The more the merrier.
5)Place your "pea" on the edge of the bed and then cover with your "mattresses".
6)Use your dolls (or puppets or action figures whatever works for you) to act out the story of the Princess and the Pea.

This activity will work with children as young as preschool age if they are carefully monitored and you use safety scissors.

For an older child upgrade:
You might consider making "mattresses" by using fabric and quilt batting to make small puffy quilts.
Cut a front and back out of your pattern and hand sew them together, leaving an opening at the top. Cut a piece of batting with the same pattern and insert into fabric. Slip stitch mattress/quilt closed.
(this pic found at ctpubblog.com)





More Craft Ideas:



This craft can be found at the SurlaluneFairytales.blogspot.com


The directions for this fabulous cake can be found at Familyfun.go.com









Here is a wonderful rendition of the Princess and the Pea story by author/artist Lauren Child, author of the "Charlie and Lola" and the "Clarice Bean" books.(you can find the book at amazon.com)

I Had A Little Overcoat...a Yiddish folksong and some recycled papermaking

This Yiddish folksong is the original source for the Thrifty Tailor story in the previous blog.

I HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT
(traditional Yiddish, English by Teddi Schwartz & Arthur Kevess)
(The midi for this song can be found at Mudcat MIDIs )


1.I had a little overcoat, as old as can be
Tralala lalalala lalala
What I'd ever do with it, I just couldn't see
Tralala lalalala lalala
So I thought a little while
And made myself a jacket in the very latest style
Tralalala lalala (2x)
Made a jacket in the very latest style

2. I had a little jacket, it was old as can be
Tralala lalalala lalala
What I'd ever do with it, I just couldn't see
Tralala lalalala lalala
So I thought a little while
And made myself a vest in the very latest style
Tralalala lalala (2x)
Made a vest in the very latest style

3. I had a little vest, as old as it could be
Tralala lalalala lalala
What I'd ever do with it, I just couldn't see
Tralala lalalala lalala
So I thought a little while
And I made myself a tie in the very lastest style
Tralalala lalala (2x)
Made a tie in the very latest style

4. tie / button

5. button / nothing

6. I had a little nothing, as old as it could be
Tralala lalalala lalala
What I'd ever do with it, I just couldn't see
Tralala lalalala lalala
So I thought a little while
And I made myself a song in the very lastest style
Tralalala lalala (2x)
Made a song in the very latest style

1. Hob ikh mir a mantl fun fartsaytikn shtof / Tralala...
Hot dos nit in zikh kayn gantsenem shtokh / Tralala...
Darum, hob ikh zikh batrakht
Un fun dem mantl a rekl gemakht
Tralala... / Fun dem mantl a rekl gemakht

2. Hob ikh mir a rekl... fun dem rekl a vestl gemakht
3. vestl / shnipsl
4. shnipsl / knepl
5. knepl / gornitl
6. gornit / dos lidele

(trad Yiddish, Eng words Teddi Schwartz & Arthur Kevess)

Mudcat MIDIs

Let's talk about Paper!
I love making paper with kids. They have a great time and you never know what you'll get. Making paper is great for using up the scraps of construction paper, wrapping paper or any kind of paper that is used in the class or at home.
I have included three different vids on papermaking....
.
The first is a teacher doing a papermaking demo in class.

The second vid is a very good low tech papermaking vid with kids.

The third vid is a very nicely done slide show about papermaking.

After the vids, I have included a link to papermaking directions.







A great site for directions is Learn2 Make Paper ... this site has good pics also.

The Thrifty Tailor...a recycling tale & a few fabulous recycling crafts

You're saying to yourself..."I thought this was a storytelling blog. She said she was a storyteller..storysinger...whatever! So what's up with the crafts?"

(Psst!...not to worry there is a story coming that relates to recycling but I want you to read the other stuff 'cause.....well just 'cause I want you to, so read!)

Questions, questions, questions! Well, yes, I do mostly talk about storytelling but I have always loved to make things and I find that storytelling and crafts go together rather well.

When working with after school groups or with parties, I sometimes get the chance to do different crafts. I usually choose very simple crafts that can be done quickly but when I have the time, or when I am going to see the same kids over a period of time, I like to pick large projects or projects that take some time and effort.

Anyhoo, while spending time on Youtube (I am soooo addicted) I found a vid on using recyled plastic bags to make bags and that started me looking for more vids on different types of crafts.

I could "tell" you how to make something but the vids are sooo much better.

Someday I am going to figure out how to make a vid or how to post a vid or both and then I can stop looking for other folks vids. (Hmmmm....maybe I should check youtube for an instructional vid on making vids :P You know it's there!)

Back to my orginal subject....Recyled Crafts or maybe just crafts for kids and for all of you big kids, like me.

But first the story...then...the craft vids!

The Thrifty Tailor
Once there was a tailor.
He was not only a very good tailor, he was also a great believer in recycling.
This means he liked to "reuse" items. He changed or adapted things for a new use. The tailor wasted nothing!
He was always seen taking an old item of clothing and making it into something wonderful and useful.

One day a wealthy client came to him with a roll of the finest cloth. "Make me a suit from this marvelous material, my good tailor", he said,"and I will pay you well!".
The tailor sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made the suit.
Oh! and what a marvelous suit it was!
He took it to his client, who was very pleased with the suit.

When the tailor returned to his workshop, he looked at the material that was left and thought to himself,"Hmmmm...yeeeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
Soooo.....he sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made a very fashionable top coat for himself.
He put it on and thought that he looked quite distinguished.

He loved that coat soooo much that he wore it and he wore it and he wore it until one day he noticed that it was all worn out!
And he was just about to throw it away, when he thought to himself, "Hmmmm....yeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
Soooo....he sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made a very stylish jacket.
He put on his new jacket and he thought that he liked this jacket just as much as his top coat.
And so, he wore it and he wore it and he wore it until it was all worn out!

And he was just about to throw it away, when he thought to himself, "Hmmmm....yeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
Soooo.....he sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made a very smart looking waistcoat.
He put it on and thought to himself that he quite liked it more than his jacket!
And he wore it and he wore it and he wore it until it was all worn out!

And he was just about to throw it away, when he thought to himself, "Hmmmm....yeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
Sooooo....he sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made a very snappy cap.
He put it on and he thought to himself that a hat was just what he needed.
And so, he wore it and he wore it and he wore it until it was all worn out!

And he was just about to throw it away, when he thought to himself, "Hmmmm....yeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
Soooo....he sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made a very fancy tie.
He put it on and thought to himself "A man can never have too many ties."
And he wore it and he wore it and he wore it until it was all worn out!

And he was just about to throw it away, when he thought to himself, "Hmmmm....yeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
Sooooo...he sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made a very special button.
He sewed it to his favorite shirt thinking that a button is always handy to have.
And he wore it and he wore it and he wore it until it was all worn out!

And he was just about to throw it away, when he thought to himself, "Hmmmm....yeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
And what do you think that "something else" was???
That's right!
There was enough material to make a story!

And he told the story to me and I've just told it to you!
And now "you" can tell the story to someone else!

retold© by LaurenLanita,Storysinger

Alrighty then! Now for the Recyled Crafts for kids and for all of you big kids, like me.


GO MAKE SOMETHING!!!

Beads from recycled magazines...you can also use old wrapping paper, or left over paper from other art projects.
I remember doing this as a kid (I have a really good memory).



This vid uses plasic bags.
I especially liked it because it is really simple to do, with or without kids,
and you don't need much.


This vid shows more items that can be crocheted out of plastic bags.
I love her projects!