Countdown to the Derby

Elijah's Cubscout Pinewood Derby is this weekend, so he has been working on his car (with his father's help, of course.) Needless to say, all the boys are excited by the upcoming race. And I'm excited that they're excited.

A Little Project...

...I've been working on for my booth. It's turning out quite nice.

Painting toast

My kids have been sick all week. The past couple of days, my middle child has been too sick to go to school, but not sick enough to forgo playing and getting a bit hyper. My patience is on it's last reserves, so I'm coming up with a project. I saw this toast painting craft on Make and Takes, a real cute, crafty blog.
Click here to find out how to do it. I think the kids will like it...and I hope it keeps them busy for a few quiet moments...

A Little Pretty in a Tent

I just bought some paper lanterns to hang in my jewelry tent. I'll be traveling to my first out of town show in October, so I want to make sure my booth is decked out.

Bijougirl Designs

I'll have a boothe here this Sunday! Come visit me if you get a chance!

Bye Modish

Modish Shoppe is closing their doors:( But if you buy something between now and the closing date (June 30th) You can get %15 off your purchase (even the sale items!) Enter the code "byemodish" at checkout.

The OFF 12TH Event

I'm sorry I've been kind of lazy on posts lately. And I'm afraid this week won't be much better. I'm gearing up for a show this weekend. If you live in the Nashville area, you should think about coming to this event. There will be lots of great music and some vendors (including me.) Check out the OFF 12TH Myspace page to see a schedule of musicians and the vendors who will be there (i.e. top friends.)

Mother's Day Gifts

Mother's Day, for me, began earlier this week when the kids started bringing home things that they had made for me at school. Elijah brought home a necklace made out of a jar lid, and several construction paper Mother's Day cards and a magnetic picture frame adorned with tissue paper flowers complete with a picture of him. Kaleb, not to be out done, began to come up with presents of his own. Several colored pictures and a saxophone concert later, on the day before the actual holiday, he presented me with this lovely chart explaining me. It's so sweet and creative, but I asked him "Only ten percent caring?" "Oh, Mom," he replied, "You're more caring than that, but I had to make it all fit. You know I can't have more than 100%!"
At least I'm raising a child that knows his math!

Monkeys for the Monkeys

I love the sale aisle at Michael's for stocking up on inexpensive crafts to whip out in those moments when the kids are about to drive me up the wall needing something to do. This week we painted little plaster monkeys...and somebody got confused and painted one of my live monkeys...

My McGyver Tool

My sister and I watched McGyver religiously when we were kids. I think my favorite thing about him is probably every body's favorite thing - he was able to take whatever and turn it in to...whatever else. Even today, I'm always so pleased when I find a tool that was meant for something else, but it works perfectly for the purpose that I have given it!
Yesterday I was looking everywhere for a particular file. I have a whole bunch of files, and I use them all, but nothing would do but the one I wanted. It's not even a file for metal, but it's my favorite tool for filing smooth rounded ear wires and posts. If you've ever worn a pair of my earrings, then you have benefited from this file's handiwork. Guess what it's true purpose is? It's a fingernail file!

What are your favorite tools, and do you have any that were meant for something, but you use it for something else?

Let's Make Paper Airplanes

There are not many sweeter things than a father teaching his sons correct paper airplane folding techniques.




It makes me want to buy them this book or any of these.

Chimchar

Did I tell you that Elijah LOVES Pokemon? Well, his birthday was full of pokemon; games, cards, books...and cakes. This is supposed to be Chimchar, Elijah's favorite.

A Treasured Treasury

I got to make a treasury page on Etsy! I'm so excited because it's my third try to get one and my first success. Click here to see it.

So, I finally finished it.

It took several days. I decided to pickle the old brass by painting on white and then methodically wiping off to show the detail better. This process took several hours and I spread it out over three days. As I was standing on a stool finishing the last part of the painting, the FedEx guy dropped the package of crystals at my front door. So exciting! I played around with how I would hang them over the next three days. I had to re-wire every one so they would all match. Man, that was time consuming! Thank goodness for jewelry pliers! Now all I have left is to get some more chain and splice the wires so that I can swag it over the dining room table. I'm having my first dinner party at that table this week!

Chandelier part II

I ordered some new crystals for my chandelier re-do. I think I'm going to intersperse some of these in with the pear shaped prisms already there. I can't wait 'til they get here!

A Safer Way to Play

Ever nervous about what is in your child's paint? Now you can make your own. Check out Nashville Green Mom's recipe for all natural finger paints or her recipe for all natural playdough.

Gifts and Crafts

Tomorrow is Emet's two year birthday, so I've been thinking that I need to go get him a present. While searching for ideas, I got lost on Craftsbury Kids. Some of these I would buy, but the blocks and the table just gave me some inspiration for a couple projects!

From Top Left, clockwise: The Toymaker: Paper toys you can make yourself; Tree Blocks; Bird Table Set; Felt Mailbox Play Set

And the winner is...

So it's Wednesday, and I said I'd post the winner of the bracelet today, so here goes...da ta dada...

Lucky number 8!
Congratulations Sandra, you won! Email me with your address and I'll ship your prize to you.

Hurry up and enter to win the necklace giveaway. I'll announce the winner tomorrow.

Collage College

Been thinking about collages. I really love them (good ones) but I haven't done one in a while (unless you count digital, and mine are like pictures side by side so they don't count! Check out this digital collage, I don't even know how to do that.) I collaged several cigar boxes years and years ago to hold craft supplies and I did a collaged birdhouse for The Birdhouse Thing benefit (I can't find a picture, boo hoo! Tif, do you have one?) It's amazing the things that you can collage: Art work, cards, furniture...so many possibilities.
Here's some of my favorite collages around the web. Below: greeting card by Sushipot.

Lanterns by Tartx. (browse this girl's site; she does tons of inspiring work.)

And then there is collaged artwork and jewelry by Sally Jean (which really reminds me of Lynn Whipple, below.)

If you want to do a collage and don't know where to start, here is a tutorial for this charming sewn fabric one. (found via Bloesem.)


Tell me about your collages. What do you collage?

New View

My dishwasher broke down so I have been hand washing a lot of dishes lately, which gives me a whole lot of time to look out of my kitchen window (hence the bird house/feeder post.) Since today is the boy's last day before school starts again, I instructed them to use their new sidewalk paints to paint me a picture on the privacy fence just outside my window. They had a blast, painting a picture of Kaleb's school (I take that as a good sign) and signing their piece of art with their hand prints. Now I have something cool to look at when I am washing dishes!