The *LITTLES* made caterpillars!!

With spring upon us and all the creepy crawly creatures coming out; my littles and I made our very own caterpillars.  I borrowed this idea from another home day care blog.  Here is there blog site, you should visit!  They have some pretty awesome ideas!   It is called Child Central Station; http://www.childcentralstation.blogspot.com/ 



check out the determination on his face!!

 My little guys were a bit young I think to handle the whole project by themselves.  They are only 18 mo, a very young 2y/o, a very young 3y/o and two 3 & a half y/o.  The oldest 3 1/2 y/o was able to thread one of the pipe cleaners through the hole, but had a hard time getting the second one through.  So I would poke it through and they would pull!  The 2 older kids did create their own patterns and counted out how many eggs they needed!  With the younger 2 they picked what color they wanted to use and I threaded it.  Then they pulled the pipe cleaners through! 

They sure had fun making them!  These are the cutest little critters!  They wiggle like those wooden snakes that you hold the tail to make them slither! 

Now is the perfect time to get your eggs.  Most stores have them on clearance because it is after Easter!

Happy Crafting!
Stephanie

Vintage........Or not????

I have had the pleasure to follow a couple of blogs who love vintage sheets.  They use them for quilting squares, backings, pennants, etc...  Git down kitty and All things vintage sheets are the 2 that I look forward to read new posts from.  If you haven't had the chance to visit them stop on by and check them out! 

I must say that I had never given this a thought as an option for my projects!  Boy was I pleasantly suprised when I visited one of our local thrift shops.  I walked out with 2 pillow cases and 4 flat sheets (a couple full and a couple twin) for under 5 bucks!!  I visited our other thrift store and it was rather pricey I thought for being second hand things!  But I did however get 2 pillow cases and 2 flat sheets there - my tally was 10 bucks! 



I think this is my favorite!  I am seeing a laundry room window valance using the pink embroidery and daisy edging!



These are the pillow cases! 

I can see a very retro looking handbag/tote bag made out of the big floral/multi colored pillow cases!!!  I am using the white and yellow as the top band/ handles on a purse that I bought some yellow/grey floral fabric for. 

I am working on a very special project for some very dear friends of ours (more on that project to come later!)  I am planning on using the bottom flat sheet from the picture above for the backing on that quilt!

Now the question is.......are my sheets true vintage or just really faded/really used old sheets???  I would love any input anyone would like to give me!

Happy crafting
Steph

...AND THE WINNER IS??!!

Remember back a couple of posts ago when I wrote about the egg heads that my littles made? 

Well we had decided to enter them in an egg decorating contest at our local grocery market.  I entered all 4 of them as 1 entry in the 2-4 year old age category.  We waited until the very last day, later in the afternoon to bring our enteries in so that the grass didn't wilt!  Yesterday was judgment day....today was the day you were to receive a call should you be one of the 1,2,3rd place winners.  Well, we were at the grocery store this afternoon picking up a few last minute things for Easter dinner, I put the boys in playland to play while I shopped.  When I picked them up, I asked if they had called - so I didn't get all the way home and have to go all the way back to pick up their prize - and wouldn't you know it - we took 1st place in our age group!! 

The basket that they won is full of fun treats!!!  Bubbles, sidewalk chalk, pencils, erasers, candy, rubber stampers,bracelets, rubber bunny, stencils, crayons!!!!

The boys sure had fun with the bubbles - they are almost gone!
So now to start thinking of something to outdo ourselves with for next year!!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG! LET'S MAKE SIDEWALK CHALK!

Now that spring has finally arrived, I have found myself itching to CREATE with my *littles*.  I have seen several blogs on how to make your own sidewalk chalk!  I thought "we could do that!" (never mind the fact that we don't actually HAVE a sidewalk!)  I researched quite a few and compared *recipes*.  Most had the same materials but varied slightly in amounts.  Some used toilet paper tubes, others used molds, one used the plastic Easter eggs that snap together!  I thought about it and jumped right in with both feet.  I tried one color first to make sure that it was going to work!  It turned out pretty well I thought!

YIPPY!!!  it worked!  I only made a small *stick* just to be sure it was right!  So now time to mass produce these suckers!  I was going to get really technical!  My intention was to make eggs that were half and half different colors!  I WAS also going to make pretty *rainbow* stripped sticks with what was left from the eggs!  Yeah well - I am woman enough to admit when I goofed!  I am not exactly sure what happened - however I am pretty sure that I used WAY to much liquid tempura paint and the plaster could not set!

So - here is the *bad* picture so that you can learn from my mistake!

They are still useable with my *littles* however - they are just not that pretty to look at!  But if it makes a mark on the garage floor the kids will use it!  Now as for the dual colored eggs - yeah well let's just say that as I was squishing the 2 halves together I got *gooped* every time! 

I was able to get 3 egg chalks in solid colors though!  They turned out FABULOUS!!!

So that was day 1!!!  I slept on my mistakes and woke up with new ideas!  I wanted to make sticks that were not as *chunky* around for my *littles* hands!  Because admit it - a toilet paper roll is pretty big!  I went to my local department store in search of those homemade popcicle container things!  You know the kind that you pour juice in and then put the cap with the stick into it to freeze -

I slathered the inside of the container with vasaline then layered  the colors in like a rainbow!  I waited an hour or so for it to set - then attempted to *remove* them.  Oh boy - not an easy task!  I was able to get 1 out with out breaking! 

Now on to the *perfect* cakes!!!  I greased a muffin pan with vasaline slightly and filled each up with it's own color and  VIOLA!!!!

I think they are absolutely perfect!

Here's the amounts that I used -

1/2 c. COOL water

cool water makes the difference

1C plaster of paris

2-3 TBS tempura paint

Happy Crafting

Steph

Easter Egg Heads!!

As promised in an earlier post - Here are our Easter Egg Heads!  My *littles* are having so much fun checking them daily to see who's "hair" is growing fastest and tallest!  We are going to be entering them in an egg decorating contest at our local supermarket.  Maybe we will win for uniqueness!

They grow up way to fast!

This is my brilliant daughter Kaitie!  She is 13 years old - almost 14 going on 30! 

Her passion is music!  She sings - oh does she sing!  All the time!!!  I think she might even in her sleep!  She plays the trumpet in the Jr. high band.  She is currently seated first chair!!!  That's my girl!  Show those boys what you're made of!  

She received a guitar 2 years ago for Christmas.  We thought - that if anything her uncle could help her with the basics to get her started!  Well the guitar sat for a year - her frustration grew!  She wants to be the next Taylor Swift you know! 

So we gave her guitar lessons for her 13th birthday!  Figuring that after a couple of months she would get bored of it and want to quit!  We are now on month 10 of lessons and she is loving them!  I can not believe how well she is doing!  Well actually I can because anything she puts her mind to she far exceeds it!!

  

this is her with her teacher!  He is awesome!  Gerry Cane! You can find him at Main Street Music in Marinette WI

The other night I was sitting by my sewing machine working and this song started to play.  I listened for a bit and then she says "aaarrrgggg"  I didn't know it was her playing!  I thought it was her ipod!  She never stops suprising me!! 



I wanted to capture her love of music so one night we set up a mini studio in the living room!  These photos are what we came up with!  I will do the same with her trumpet also!  I think they turned out great!  You can really tell that she enjoyed having them done!

*EGG*cellent Easter swag!!

We raise chickens so that we (and when I say *we* I mean my husband!!  I stear clear of the barn!) can have a fridge full of farm fresh eggs!  We have over 20 hens that produce anywhere between 9-16 eggs a day! We have one big, no, HUGE rooster! (he's the reason I stay clear of the barn!  I don't like the way he looks at me!) 

isn't he cute?  to bad he turns into this.......

YUP......told ya he's huge!!

So I had been thinking about what I could make using some of the eggs.  We use these eggs when it comes time to coloring them for Easter!  The brown ones turn out so much richer and country looking!  The yellow is more like a gold and the blue turns out a deep teal!  So here is one project that I came up with.....

AN *EGG*CELLENT Easter Swag!!!

The supplies you need to start out with are... A big bowl of beautifully colored eggs!



remember - brown eggs give a deeper, richer color!  Some of my eggs are white and some are brown!



Start out by blowing your eggs empty.  If you haven't done this before it is a very delicate process.  Use a large eyed needle and gently poke a generous hole in each end of the egg.  The flowers and beads will cover the holes.  Over a bowl blow the insides of the egg out until empty.  Then wash very well before coloring.  I used an egg coloring kit from the store the first time and they turned out gritty and my finger prints showed up on them.  So the next set I colored I used the good old fashioned  boiling water, vinegar, and food coloring (I used the paste coloring and stirred it well.)  Dunk your eggs completely so they fill up with water and sink!  This way they get full coverage at the same time!  Using the wire egg scoop remove the egg from the dye and rinse in cold water and drain any water from the inside.  Let dry on cooling rack.  Make sure they are completely dry inside and out before you mix them together -otherwise your colors will drip onto other eggs and make yucky colors!

Next you will need.....a strip of fabric, a pile of disassembled, brightly colored, silk flowers, a large eye needle, ribbon, pony beads.



I went to the dollar store to get my flowers!!  They pulled apart very easily!

First start out with a strip of fabric the length you want your swag plus about 10" - 5" for the loops on each end.  My strip was about 1" wide and I used the pinking shears so there was less fraying.

You will need a good pile of disassembled silk flowers.  Make them bright and springy!

I chose a bag of pearl pastel pony beads to separate the flowers.  You could use many things here I suppose. Maybe buttons - if you can find some that the fabrice will fit through!

Then 3 strips of pastel colored ribbon to tie the bows on each end and to tie the single hanging egg in the center.

Next tie a loop on one end of the strip and thread your needle with the other end.

I chose plane white fabric because the loops are the only thing that shows!

Now comes the fun part!  Start with a few flowers then a couple of the beads, gently pushing them to the knotted loop.  Next choose your egg and gently pull the needle through the 2 holes on each end - slide down to flowers.  REPEAT this step until you have reached your desired lenght!

After you have reached the desired length, knot the loop on that end as well.  Then tie a pretty bow on each end between the knot and flowers.





Finally cut a length of matching or coordinating ribbon and loop it over the middle egg.  Then thread BOTH ends of the ribbon through your needle.  Thread various flowers and beads then choose your very best egg and thread that on.  Finish with more flowers and a bead at the bottom.  Knot the ribbon, cut the ends and

VIOLA!!!



You might want to add a dab of glue to keep your ribbon from slipping!



You have yourself a bright, colorful, Easter/spring swag to proudly hang!  You could alter this and make it just hang straight, but then you probable wouldn't have a single egg dangling!

Well I hope that you enjoyed  my very first blog!  As well as enjoyed my Easter swag!  My next project is going to be with my day care *littles*.  We will be making EGG heads!!  Watch for that post coming soon!

Happy Crafting!

Steph