Monday, June 29, 2009

Monday masters, part 1 - painting like Seurat



This summer, my plan is to introduce the kids to some famous painters and their artwork. At this age, my kids may not appreciate a major art history lesson, but I want them to get a taste of it. This afternoon, I introduced them to George Seurat and pointillism. We used Q-tips to dab dots of paint onto paper. This is what was created during our afternoon paint session. Not quite Seurat, but still worthy of a spot on the fridge.

You can visit KinderArt for more ideas.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Teacher appreciation gifts



H has several dance teachers, so I had to think of a simple gift that I could make in multiples. Since this year the recital theme is Candy shop (H is dancing to Sugar Pie Honey Bunch and I Want Candy), I thought these little candy bags would be fitting for the occasion. For H's grade 2 teacher I bought a Chapter's gift card and had H make a bookmark for Mrs. K. 

I always get a little teary-eyed at the close of another school year because it means the kids have grown up a little more. It's wonderful to see the growth and development, but at the same time, a part of me wants to keep holding on to these primary years.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Dance recital time



It's that time of year around here - dance recital time. It's always a little crazy at the end of June with getting H ready for dance photos, dress rehearsal and two recital shows. And with school finishing up on Friday, it's going to get even crazier at home. So if things get a little quiet on this blog, it'll be because I'll be on summer vacation. Not! The kids will be in summer holiday mode, and I'll be in full mommy mode, trying to keep both kids busy and content.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Craft hope - project 3

Remember the doll I made for Craft hope? Well she is with 404 doll friends now, waiting to go to Nicaragua. 405! That's how many dolls were made and donated for the project. There is a photo of the dolls here. What a beautiful sight seeing all the dolls together. I feel lucky to have been a small part of this wonderful cause.

Craft hope has project 3 up. They are looking for people to make blankets, booties and beanies for newborns. Go here for all the information. 

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Paper crane - a father's legacy



This photo of a paper crane is in memory of my father, who passed away four years ago. Whenever I see paper birds, I am always reminded of my dad. He made paper birds like this all the time for me and my two siblings. I would watch in amazement as he turned an ordinary sheet of paper into a bird. It didn't look like a traditional origami Japanese crane. Oh, but this bird could flap its wings when you pulled on the tail. As a kid, getting one of these birds was always such a delight. I eventually learned how to make them myself. I unfolded and folded and refolded, until I had memorized the sequence of folds it required to create one of these fascinating birds.

I think my love of paper and paper crafts started with my dad. He had planted that little seed in me. It is amazing how the simple act of folding a paper crane connects me so strongly to my father.

So my wish to all the dads out there is that you are creating little legacies for your children. One day, those seemingly ordinary acts will become something extraordinary and a gift of unmeasurable worth.


Happy Father's Day.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Felt strawberry jar topper



If you've been strawberry picking, chances are you have baskets full of strawberries. If you have lots of strawberries, you may want to make some jam. And if you make jam, you'll need to put it in a jar. After you've put your jam in a jar, you may want to decorate your jar like I've done here. And if you've dressed up your jar of jam, then you can give it to someone you love. (I think I've read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff, way too many times.)

For other strawberry crafts, check out these cute ideas.
Strawberry basket and strawberry-shaped gift box
Strawberry origami
Strawberry pincushions

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Naoko Stoop - free art download



Isn't this adorable? This little girl's hat reminds me so much of a strawberry. This artwork by Naoko Stoop can be downloaded free from Feed Your Soul. There are lots more free art available since the last time I visited this site.

To learn more about Naoko Stoop, you can go here. For more artwork like the one shown above, you can visit her Etsy shop.

Monday, June 15, 2009

'Tis the season - for strawberries



It's June, which means that strawberry picking season is upon us. Mmmmm.  I can smell the sweet scent of sun-kissed strawberries already. Will you be heading out to the strawberry patches? 

The week will be dedicated to this lovely red berry and all things strawberry. Stay tuned.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Fun with shapes - stamping with cardboard tubes



I saw Patricia from A Little Hut do this with her kids. She had them print onto fabric napkins using fabric paint and cardboard tubes. I thought it would be a fun activity to do with my three year old, except we just used washable paint on paper. I folded the toilet paper tubes into different shapes. N really enjoyed stamping the various shapes onto the paper. He found it especially fun when we did patterning. I stamped out a series of patterns and he had to name the next shape in the sequence. Learning while having fun, that's the best combination.

Tip: Yes, those are dog bowls you see in the photo. I use them all the time when the kids paint. I bought these plastic dog bowls on sale for ten cents each at Ikea. They make great paint trays and are perfect for holding water in which to clean the paint brushes. They are stable and don't tip over.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Mahar drygoods - a treasure of a site



I finally tackled the job of cleaning up my craft corner. Amongst all the cut paper, felt scraps and thread, I found a small piece of paper with the name of a website written on it - www.mahardrygoods.com. I do this a lot - jot down the names of interesting blogs/sites. I suppose bookmarking or subscribing would be a better way of keeping track of the great blogs I stumble upon. I just can't seem to let go of the whole pencil to paper thing. Anyways, finding this paper was like digging up lost treasure. Mahar Drygoods is an online place for vintage and artisan crafted goods for kids. There is a blog as well, and lots of other goodies to get lost in.

And thanks to Mahar Drygoods' blog, I discovered lmnop. It's a "free quarterly, pdf magazine for hip, stylish parents and their children". I love this magazine. Not because I'm a hip, stylish mom or anything. It's beautifully designed. The current issue is alphabet themed - a real treat for letter loving types like me.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Fruity spreads and fabulous fabric



For our anniversary, we went on a weekend getaway to Niagara-on-the-Lake. It was wonderful to spend some quiet, uninterrupted time together - walking, talking, eating ice-cream, savouring our long, leisurely meals. It was delightful. And with all the quaint little shops around, I just couldn't help myself to a few purchases. These spreads from Kurtz are absolutely delicious. G and I spent half an hour just sampling all their spreads and tapenades. I also came across a small store full of beautiful fabrics. 

It was a relaxing weekend that was cut short when we received a call from my sister-in-law, informing us that H had a fever. Oh, such is life - back to being mommy.

Friday, June 5, 2009

A boy, a dress and a circular saw

It was a day in April, 2008, that began ordinarily enough. The kids were puttering around the house. Eventually it became quiet. Not quiet in a good sense, but too quiet, which means the kids might be up to something. I knew where H was - nothing to worry about there. But little N (two years old at the time) was nowhere to be found. Then I heard rustling in my closet and felt relieved. Relief quickly turned into concern when I couldn't completely open the closet door. Inside, I had a tall plastic storage container which holds wrapping paper. N had knocked it over, which was now lodged against the door. Panic set in as it became clear that N was trapped inside. My closet swings inward, which means that the hinges are on the inside of the closet. I was ready to call the fire department at that point, until G had the idea of using his circular saw to cut through the door.

N was quite calm, probably too young to understand the situation he was in. I knew we had to move quickly though, because it was close to nap-time and he was getting tired. His big sister, on the other hand, became very emotional. I remember her crying. "I'm not going to have a little brother anymore."

We could only open the door about four inches. So, with my arm squeezed through the small opening, I held N down on the floor in one corner, as G sawed through the door. My focus was on keeping N still and calm as the saw whirred loudly above our heads, sawdust flying.

And then I heard G yell out, "What is this - insulation?" A few seconds later it dawned on me. That white stuff coming through the door was my wedding dress. Apparently, hanging your wedding dress behind the closet door, is not the best place to keep a cherished keepsake.

Luckily, we were able to set N free, unscathed. The bottom half of my wedding gown, however, was not so lucky.

What do you do with a shredded wedding gown? With our thirteen year wedding anniversary coming up in a few days, I finally did something with the dress.



I took some of the salvaged fabric and made a mini wedding dress. At least now, the dress is not just gathering dust behind the closet door. This shadow box holds only a small remnant of my dress, but represents a special memory of our wedding day and of memories we've made since then.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Mini notebooks - upcycled cereal boxes




I find that the best thing to bring along when we go out is a notebook and a pen. When N gets a little restless, especially in a restaurant, having a notebook to draw and scribble on keeps him happy and occupied. I made these notebooks for such occasions. Cereal boxes and other similar weighted cardboard boxes can easily be upcycled into little notebooks like these. The unprinted side of cardboard boxes make wonderful, neutral covers. I used ready-made labels and added a security envelope pattern to the spine. I love how these turned out. I think I'll be making more.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Cathedral windows quilt



I fell in love with this pillow cover with cathedral windows by warmnfuzzies over at Etsy. I love the detail on it. The first time I saw this, the question I kept asking was, "How do you make that?" Well, I came across a great tutorial for making cathedral windows at Hyena In Petticoats. She has taken the mystery out of this quilting technique. It is now on my list of projects to try. In the meantime, I've been experimenting with the technique using paper.



So for any non-sewers out there, you can try making a paper quilt like this. It won't keep you warm at night, but I think it would look great framed.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Umbrellas



The rain just keeps on pouring down. The grass and the garden are loving it, but I don't care much for it. Nor does my hair, which gets all frizzy when rained on. Oh, but I sure love umbrellas, more specifically, illustrations of umbrellas. Artsharkdesigns, by Megan Nolton, has a whole series of red umbrellas (even better) over at Etsy. In these gocco prints, the red umbrellas take centre stage with different cities as the backdrop. What lovely images - makes me want to buy two red umbrellas and hop on a plane with G.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Fish out of water



I woke up with a terrible headache this morning. Luckily it is a Thursday, so I was able to curl back into bed after dropping N off at preschool. I napped for about an hour and managed to have a couple of vivid dreams. One of which involved fish.

Upon entering the kitchen, I saw sitting on the counter a tall cylindrical vase and a fish struggling to get out. It made it to the top and rather than falling onto the counter as I had expected, it started swimming in the air, effortlessly. I watched for awhile as the fish gracefully glided around my kitchen. Then it disappeared. Next, I found myself sitting in a chair and blindly picking up a glass of water sitting on the table. One gulp and a second later, I realized there was a fish in the glass - which wasn't actually a glass anymore, but a tiny fish tank full of murky water. I rushed over to the sink, frantically washing out my mouth. Finally, I walked into the living room and found another fish flapping about on the carpet. Clearly needing help and desperate for water, I gently picked it up and brought it into the kitchen where the vase was, and put the fish back in the water.


What do you suppose that dream meant? Am I feeling like a fish out of water? This fish, made from cut scrapbook paper, is inspired by my dream.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Matchbook scratch pads



What do you do with all your scrap paper? I usually make my own greeting cards and gift tags, and keep the leftover scraps for future craft projects. I don't always get around to using them, so they sit in a box waiting, waiting, waiting...

I discovered some 1 x 7 inch strips of cardstock in my pile of scraps which I used to
make these little matchbook style scratch pads. They're perfect for throwing into your purse and come in handy when you need to scribble a short note or jot down a phone number. They're quick and easy to make. I decorated them using security envelope patterns and some punched out flowers.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Looking beyond the ordinary



Have you ever noticed the patterns inside security envelopes? I never really gave them much thought until I started seeing other people in the blogsphere creating interesting things with them. You can see what other people have done with security envelope patterns here and here. We had a whole pile in our recycling box, so I spent an afternoon trimming, turning them inside out and gluing them together again. Now I have a set of recycled envelopes ready for use.

Have a look at
The Security Envelope Project by The Sweetie Pie Press. It's amazing. Perhaps you will be inspired to salvage your old envelopes.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Happy birthday G!


Mmmmm. I love cupcakes. I baked these this morning for G's birthday. N helped me, mostly by cleaning up the counter of any runaway sprinkles.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

All dolled up

...and going somewhere very special.

I've written about Craft Hope before, and I am so happy to be participating in their second project. It's not too late to get involved. Please visit their site here for more details. They are asking for handmade dolls which will be donated to an orphanage in Nicaragua.



Here she is. It's the first doll I've ever made, making her up as I went. The head, arms and legs are made of felt, but I'd like to experiment with other materials next time.

I am so excited for this doll and the adventure that awaits her. And someday soon, she will meet a very special little girl and hopefully they can become good friends.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The road less travelled

I'm back after a nice long weekend. Yesterday was a perfect day to ride our bikes. With newly pumped tires, I was eager to go for a bike ride with G and the kids. H loves to ride her bike and would probably go off on her own around the neighbourhood, if only we would let her. N can't ride on his own yet, so he rides with daddy.

There is a conservation area near our neighbourhood. We have done the gravel trail on a few occasions. I usually prefer to take the well traveled route. G is more adventurous - taking us on tiny, winding dirt paths. I'm glad we followed the road less traveled, because the trail was beautiful. It was so nice to be out in the woods. Unfortunately, our trail ended here, due to this damaged bridge.



Hopefully it will be repaired soon. After yesterday, I'm determined to use my bike more this summer. I'm glad G pushes me to do things out of my comfort zone. And I'm so proud of H. The trail was a little challenging in some parts, but she pushed on and didn't give up.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Daughter's Day

This Saturday, H and I are celebrating Daughter's Day. I started this tradition with H as a way to honour her and to give the two of us special one-on-one time together. When little N came into the world (three years ago), H felt she was no longer getting the attention to which she had been so accustomed. So one week after Mother's Day, we set aside the day for just the two of us. Last year we went to a ceramics/bisque studio. She wanted to do the same thing this year, but has changed her mind. Now it looks like we're going to watch the Hannah Montana movie.



So here is the gift I made for her. I filled the jars with glass stones and these little tags.



I wrote different activities which she can do with either myself or her dad. Each month H can pick out one tag. This actually will end up working two-fold. H will get alone time with one parent, which leaves one of us with alone time with N.

Now I'm thinking that maybe I should make one of these jars for G. With kids, when do we ever get alone time?

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Pretty Pantry Gifts



I didn't plan the week to revolve around jars, but somehow it has worked out that way. I received this kit for Christmas, but haven't used it yet. It comes with a recipe book for making jams, jellies and preserves. Raspberry-fig jam with port, apple butter, pickled green beans, Moroccan preserved lemons, cranberry-ginger chutney...don't they sound delicious? If you're interested in the kit, you can go to Chronicle Books.

I have yet to be adventurous enough to make anything from the recipe book. I'm a little unsure of doing my own canning or preserving, but the book does give you the option of using the "quick method" which means the jars can only be kept in the fridge for 1 week to a month, depending on the recipe. But I'd still be paranoid about the risk of botulism from improper canning methods. So, I doubt I'll be making any preserves any time soon, but I am going to use all the other items included in the kit - pre-cut fabric, stickers, tags and cord to decorate jars. I'm creating a special jar to give to my daughter H. I'll tell you more about that tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Earth paste



Speaking of jars, here's something I received from my sister-in-law. A jar of homemade tub and tile cleaner. She used the recipe found in the book "Clean House, Clean Planet".



There is a section in the book that describes all the nasty ingredients and chemicals found in various commercial cleaning products. It will make you think twice about what to use when cleaning your house. The book offers eco-friendly alternatives with recipes for natural, non-toxic cleaning concoctions. Now if I could only rub the bottle so that a genie could pop out and clean my house.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Mother's day wrap-up

Happy Monday. I hope all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother’s Day. I awoke Sunday morning to the clinking and clanging of G and the kids preparing breakfast. I went to the washroom - knowing that flushing the toilet would alert them to my awakening. I proceeded to head downstairs, only to be stopped by little N at the top of the stairs. His big sis, H, had instructed him to keep guard. “No, we not ready! We not ready!” N said, with his hands waving in the air. His wide-eyed face looked so adorable, especially because you could tell that he wanted to do the job which had been entrusted to him. So I curled back in to bed and waited.

Finally they came into the bedroom, singing Happy Mother’s Day. H and N both hopped into bed with me with their gift bags in tow. I’ve come to expect the little handmade gifts from school. What I love is watching them watching me open up their surprises. This year, a card and a planter with seeds from H and a bracelet and a picture frame made from popsicle sticks from N. Gotta love it!


After the gift opening, I was finally allowed to go downstairs. Breakfast was all served. At my place setting were photos of the kids in glass jar frames, similar to these.



So that explains the homeless pickles and olives I found in the fridge.
You can go to Photojojo, just like G did, for the how-to. I feel so loved.

Photo from Photojojo

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

What are you wishing for on Mother's Day?



I'm jumping for joy. H's luck has finally rubbed off on me. I won a sewing book from
A Little Hut, a blog which I love. I've been a fan of Patricia's papercrafts and designs ever since I saw her wall art. And now she has her own book coming out called Home, Paper, Scissors. That's definitely on my wish list. (G - Hint, hint. Just in case you're looking for a Mother's Day gift on behalf of the kids. Oh, but the book won't be available until August. Go with the watch.)

With Mother's Day coming, what are you wishing for?

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Tuesday tutorial - Mother's Day Paper Purse


PaperCraft Art Creative is a site with a free collection of papercrafts, paper models, paper dolls and origami. They have a Paper Purses for Mother's Day Template and Tutorial, courtesy of Carlos N Molina. Take a look at his work here. It is amazing. I don't like high heels - balance being the issue, but I sure do love his paper high heeled shoes. He provides a template and tutorial for this as well.

Photo from PaperCraft Art Creative

Monday, May 4, 2009

Mother's Day Card - free download


With Mother's Day coming up, I thought I'd do a Mom theme this week. First up, a free download. Simple Mother's Day cards you can print and give to your mom and all the moms you know and love.

For the blue and orange cards, download pdf here.
For the
green and pink cards, download pdf here.
For the
light blue and yellow cards, download pdf here.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Evolution - Customizing my blog

Bear with me as I play around with the look of my blog. I'm making changes to my template and I'm finding the tutorials on Blogger Buster to be really helpful. So don't be surprised if things start to look differently here.Link

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

In need of de-cluttering


There hasn't been a whole lot of crafting going on around here. Perhaps this is the reason. My little craft corner has been piling up with stuff, and I haven't cleaned up. I used to be such a neat freak. What's happened to me? I'm wishing for that part of me back. Not the overly obsessive-compulsive one, just the organized, everything in its place me.

My little craft corner isn't even the worst part of this space. It's April, which means tax time. So the floor is barely visible, as it is covered with papers, envelopes and receipts. All the clutter in here is making me uneasy.

We also have two computers in here, G's PC and my Mac. Ooh, can you feel the tension in this room?

I'm wishing for a craft room like the ones found here.

Monday, April 27, 2009

The Sound of Music

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Today I’ve been walking around in a bit of a daze due to a busy weekend and lack of sleep. Among the various activities of the weekend, the highlight would have to be seeing the stage version of The Sound of Music. Thanks to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law for giving me tickets to see the show. Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Lady luck


My daughter H won a stuffed bunny today at school. It was a draw prize from their spring fundraiser. This is the third time that H has won a prize at school. Talk about having a little luck on your side. Two years ago, she won a giant chocolate bar that was almost as big as her, and last year she won a gift certificate for a cooking class.

Yesterday I entered my name in one of the many giveaways at The Long Thread blog. A chance to win beautiful 100% organic cotton fabric and a tote from Mod Green Pod. Oh, if only some of H's luck could rub off on me.

Photo from The Long Thread blog

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day

CRAFT: Crafting with Nature
Happy Earth Day. The Craft blog has a section called Crafting with Nature. Check it out.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Beautiful Sunday




A special day for our daughter.
A toast, dinner, and sweet treats.

A wonderful celebration.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Making a Paper Flower


I made this paper flower using the instructions from Martha Stewart Crafts. They use tissue tape, which I don't have (nor do I even know what that is), so I tried using double-sided photo splits, which I found out were not strong enough to hold everything together. I turned to my trusty glue gun to do the job instead. Oh, and when they say to leave some slack when tying the whole thing together, leave some slack. Initially, I tied mine too tight, making it difficult to open up the flower.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Craft hope

Craft Hope Spreading seeds of hope one stitch at a time
Here is a site I came across, with a wonderful mission. 
Craft hope runs projects designed to share handmade crafts with those less fortunate. The first project, which was recently completed, involved asking people to sew girls' dresses out of gently used pillowcases, which were then sent to a children's centre in Mexico. I'll be waiting to hear about their next project. 

And in case you were interested in making your own pillowcase dresses, they've shared a link to a tutorial from Freshly Picked.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Easy upcycle project



Here's an easy upcycling project. Using empty plastic tubs from store bought icing, I wrapped Amy Butler scrapbooking paper around each tub and glued it down using a glue gun. And voila, pretty little storage for my kids' crayons, pencils and markers.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Be present in the moment


Yesterday afternoon, the kids and I played Monopoly junior (Disney Princess version). As the game went along, little N seemed to be getting all the luck, landing on properties and building up real estate. I eventually was putting up a lot of castles as well. My 7 year old daughter, on the other hand, was having a slow start. Suddenly H was in tears, feeling as if she was losing the game. She eventually calmed down enough to continue playing. In the end, there was no winner or loser. We didn’t finish the game because they moved on to something else.

Why is it that as we get older, we are more competitive and feel more compelled to win? Sometimes we are so focused on what may or may not happen in the end, that we lose sight of the present. Yesterday, Little N, who was content with just playing the game, reminded me of being in the moment, and the importance of the process, rather than the final outcome. Take time to truly enjoy the day today!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Bringing spring into the home


Winter just doesn't want to go away. It's snowing here today. I already started packing away the hats and scarves, only to dig them out again. Better Home and Gardens has some ways to bring spring inside your home.

(photo from bhg.com)

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Bunny bag


Here's another idea for Easter. A little bag made out of felt and ribbons. I handstitched everything together, but you could also glue the bunny and machine stitch the bag.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

April Fools' fun

Looking for some fun ideas for April Fools' Day? Check out Family Fun for recipes for food pranks, crafts and printables.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Stay organized, get Cozi


How do you manage your family's busy schedule? I'm one of those who has a monthly calendar up on the fridge. I manage to stay organized by simply jotting things on the calendar. For years now, my husband (the techy one) has been hounding me about using an online calendar (Google calendars), so that he can access it from work and keep track of everyone's schedule as well. I tried it his way for a while, but I've resorted back to good ol' pen and paper. Well, I found something today which G, and I'm sure many of you, will find interesting. It's called Cozi, a free online organizer for families, which includes a family calendar, grocery and to do lists, a family journal and a photo collage screensaver. Family life simplified. Ah, if we could all achieve that.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Sakura, Japanese flowering cherry


The birds are chirping, rain is falling, the temperature is getting milder. Can you feel it? Spring is in the air. I was inspired to make cherry blossoms. You can make some too. Take a sheet of paper and cut out a silhoutte of the tree trunks and branches using an exacto knife. Using a 1/8 inch hole punch, make lots and lots and lots of circles out of pink and white paper. Glue dots onto the cutout paper. (I used a fine-tipped glue pen and tweezers to make the process easier.) Place black or brown paper underneath, and frame.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Don't you just love kids' artwork


On Tuesday, N went on a field trip with his preschool class to the post office. All the kids got to mail their own letter to mom and dad. We received ours in the mail yesterday. The words I love you were traced out, along with this drawing. Seeing pictures made by the kids, especially of our family, always puts a smile on my face.