Wordless Wednesday: Multiple Projects
Wednesday’s Wreath…a GIVEAWAY!
Funny, the inspiration you can find in the clearance sale bins at Michael’s! Tulle on sale, in a color I haven’t used before…some pretty pink buttons, a piece of pink felt, left over blue fabric, and some wavy blue sparkle yarn (also on clearance). Put it all together around a wreath form and voila:
With a few sheer pink ribbons throughout:
Blue felt too:
And no, it goes with NONE of our home decor. It’s too foo-foo for Dear Daughter, and I’ll be lucky to get the buttons I’ve chosen as “filler” back from the toddler in order to finish this pretty take on a blue mood.
Eureka!
A giveaway! Yeppers, I want to guarantee that this blue/pink/tulle combo goes to a blue/pink/tulle loving home! Leave a comment on this blog post (or at Kindergarten’s 3 R’s, same post) by next Wednesday, May 5, and I’ll draw the winning name to be posted on Saturday!
I’ll post another photo once the wreath is completed- you know, after I sneak the buttons away from the toddler during his nap!~
(Nes)quik to Candy Container
Dear Daughter is getting on the plane this afternoon to fly to Vegas (family wedding) and wanted a “cute candy container” to transport her pecan/rolo/pretzel nummies on board. We are a family that does reuse and recycle, though not as much as we could (moving every other year has that effect, though what we don’t take with us, we donate), but we are indeed, making an effort.
Case in point: our toddler loves “bunny milk,” and the empty containers left over each time he finishes either the chocolate or strawberry powders (sometimes we mix them!) are perfect storage containers for pens/pencils/markers or any other bits and bobs I have in my craft area. The bright yellow plastic certainly makes for cheery projects!
Here’s the clean container wrapped in pretty paper:
Floral ribbon to cover the edge of the paper:
Paper cut to fit the lid:
Chipboard letters that spell “candy”:
Some sparkle, photo corners, and the hint to “enjoy:”
Empty:
But even better FULL:
Num!
Show and Share Thursday: We Went for a Walk
Spring has sprung here in the Bordertown, so the toddler and I decided to take a walk today, enjoying the foliage, flowers, colors, and textures:
*****
* Here are some details of our local desert foliage, thanks to El Paso Water Utilities.
* A Plant Hardiness Zone Map for those of you with greener thumbs than mine…
* Martha provides how-to’s for making pressed plant cards…
* Casa Sugar suggests making your own aphid spray to keep the pests at bay and your plants thriving…
* Paper-and-String made “disguises” for her Happy Trees!
* Crayola has a cute craft idea for spring or May Day bouquets (kindergartners LOVE to dress up and sneak through the school to leave these on classroom doors- and the dress-up factor helps me in some sneakiness of my own: May 1 is the day I photograph my students for their end-of-the-year certificates!)
*****
Where flowers bloom so does hope.
- Lady Bird Johnson, Public Roads: Where Flowers Bloom
Tick Tock *Click* It’s…
* Cream Puffs in Venice posts a recipe for Baked Tortiglioni with Cream and Pancetta
* Bugs Bunny should hop over for Carrot Souffle in Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen
* Maggie Crawford of Tangerine Studio illustrates puppy love like no other (kitty love too, but the dogs are my favorite!). Here’s her blog…
* Tammy describes how to make “wonky fabric…”
********************************************************************
Wish me luck, I have a phone interview Monday afternoon for a teaching position!
Tulle Time/Americana/Think
What to do with leftover tulle, red and blue fabric, and red polka-dotted ribbon?
Make a new wreath to go with my updated patriotic decor, of course!
I had enough fabric and tulle left over to make a mini-wreath as well:
It’s small enough to fit inside the opening on the larger wreath, but it looks a bit overkill on the tulle, if you ask me (so no, they won’t be kept like this):
SallyJean has posted her April Celebration List...CakeSpy posts a tribute (with history) to one of my favorite treats, the macaroon cookie (what do you mean it’s “ugly?”)…
mbartdesign has some cute altered art charm bracelets (patriotic even!)
Linda Bertino at Charming Trinkets also has too-many-charms-are-never-enough jewelry that include brooches and barrettes, sorted by category: Patriotic; Tea/Java Joy; Fish and Sea Life; and many more. Though many of her pieces are marked “sold,” it appears she takes custom orders and can come close to duplicating what you might find on her site.
And if you want to immerse yourself in Americana decor, try The Country Porch...
Here’s an idea…Why not visit the presidential candidates’ official web sites instead of listening to biased pundits, talk-show hosts, spin doctors, and celebrities who would like to do your thinking for you? I know the sites are professionally produced as well, but for those of us who won’t be able to meet (much less chat with) the candidates in person, this might just be the best way to get as close to each horses’ mouth as possible. Review their ideas, check their voting record, listen to their messages and form your own opinion:
Show and Share Thursday: Mom’s Gift
Mom received her gift, a day before her birthday:
I’m certain the gift tag was a hint, since I used part of one of her favorite photos on it- the flowers are fireweed.
Inside the multiple layers of bubblewrap, Mom found some Scrabble tile holders that spelled out her family’s name, and this shadowbox:
This was one of the projects featured in Mark Montano’s Big A** Book of Crafts that I told you about in an earlier post.
I started with two copies of a photograph of my grandmother, mother and uncle standing in a field of fireweed in Alaska:
Using a very sharp x-acto knife, I cut around the image of the family, then placed it on top of the unaltered/uncut photo, using two or three layers of sticky adhesive foam squares:
Using the squares gave a 3-D effect, raising my family slightly out of the field:
I had several choices when it came to altering the photo further: doing more cutouts, which I decided against because the focus was the family; adding whimsical details like fairy wings, birds, stamps which frankly, just wouldn’t “fit” my family; and adding lettering, an oh-so-appropriate choice for a teacher:
Chipboard letters, or stickers?
For size and font, I chose the stickers, and went about figuring out placement:
The shadowbox itself was lined with a dull gray mat, so I played with some papers that seemed to compliment the lettering:
Once the papers were adhered to the interior walls of the box, it was time to add the altered photo:
For some reason, the photos I took of arranging the Scrabble tile rack, silk flowers, and pink beads didn’t turn out, so here is the final product:
With the scraps from the second photo, I chose a section of fireweed to use on Mom’s gift tag.
It’s a project I’m looking forward to doing again, possibly working with black and white photos next time- thanks Mark, for the idea and the how-to!
What would a birthday be without cake, preferably, cupcakes?
Creampuffs in Venice tried some whimsical mini-cupcakes with very pretty floral icing…Trophy Cupcakes and Party in Seattle was just featured on Martha (oh my goodness they make some beautiful, and apparently delicious cupcakes!)……and while Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen shared this recipe for coffee cake, I’m wondering how it would turn out if the batter was spooned into a cupcake tin instead…
Num, num num num!~
Oz-Fest/Inspiration Binder
My family and I will watch The Wizard of Oz, Return to Oz, and Tin Man this weekend because…
Uncle Sam says we are to return to the land of Munchkins, scarecrows, and ruby slippers this summer!
***********************************************************************
Please do me a favor and help me in the “oohs and ahhs” department once you see my latest attempt at scrapping (my husband doesn’t quite understand the need for encouragement for this kind of thing). In preparation for moving this summer, I’ve been snipping and clipping my favorite recipes, photos, craft and home decor ideas for my Inspiration Binder. I’ve mentioned before that we have a weight limit for our household goods each time we move, so packing and hauling stacks of magazines isn’t feasible. I just can’t bear to be without all of the beautiful, creative and innovative ideas I come across though, so I sort the clippings by season/holiday or subject (health/diet; home decor; houseplans; fashion; crafts/patterns), pop them into page protectors and add them to my binders. Wouldn’t you know it, I had to buy larger binders because my old ones were stuffed! Here’s what I started with this afternoon:
There were so many pretty papers I wanted to use, so I decided on a nine-patch pattern:
I used ribbon as border around some of the squares, and photo corners, brads, and embroidery floss on others:
Out came the chipboard:
Then tags,text, paper flowers and more ribbon:
And a bitty photo of little ol’ me when I was MUCH younger (don’t worry Mom, it’s a digital copy):
I was only able to finish the front cover before the toddler woke up from his nap, so tomorrow I’ll be adding the spine detail and back cover:
I feel like it’s a bit of a “sampler” of scrapbooking ideas, though I didn’t use stamps or “fancy scissors” yet…not sure if I will…
Big A** Book of Crafts
Yes, that’s *really* the title of the book! While wandering through B&N last week, I found this thing staring at me from the Art/Craft section and of course, HAD to pick it up. I had a few additional errands to run so I did a quick flip-through of the pages, found the photos and patterns interesting, and decided to buy it.
Mark Montano is the author/craft compiler, while photos are by Auxy Espinoza. The projects are all about being affordable (in some cases, CHEAP) and creative, but after several popsicle stick projects and Mark referring to crocheted blankets as “knit,” (I know, I know, I’m being…(k)nitpicky), I had to put the book down and leave it alone for a few days.
After a second looksie, I’ve found several projects I’m hoping to make in the next few weeks: magnets, photo art, possibly a screen room divider, though that one might have to wait until we’ve moved. The “Urban Corsage” will probably end up being Dear Daughter’s new favorite gift to make and give:
…and I’m going to be on the look-out for the perfect fabric to make wall panel art with, since my husband’s military plaques and awards will be moving to his office once we relocate- Mark’s examples are gorgeous:
While there are some fabulous looking projects in this book, (it’s over 350 pages, by the way), there are a few train wrecks as well (the “Bronze Baby Sculpture” made out of a plastic baby doll, spray paint and glue for instance), so be warned.
Cynic that I can be, after Mark’s misidentification of crochet/knit projects, I’ve been wondering how many other goofs he’s made. I think I need to put the book down again for a bit.
…by the seashore
What can you do with a bucket of wooden tile racks, a bowl of Scrabble alphabet tiles, and a storage container full of shells?
I decided to add some paint, hot glue, and a tongue-twister:
Whhaaaaattttttt? There was no one at home with whom I could play! Sheesh.
Blogged
