Melted crayon art

I had seen this project awhile ago and loved the look of it. While going through the art drawer, I looked at all the old broken crayons and remembered this project. Since it has been dreadfully hot lately I knew it would work well.
I hot glued the crayons to the top of a piece of paper, but they kept falling off, so I used good ole Elmers to reapply them. I used very heavy white paper and put a sheet of very heavy black paper underneath. If you try this project make sure to cover all your surfaces! It can be messy!
The kids were really excited about the process and we all kept rushing outside to see how it had changed. I love the way the colors mixed and moved. I think it would be fun framed, or just propped up somewhere. I do think I will cut off the crayon wrappers at the top, though.

beautiful growing things

 For Mothers Day I go to the nursery and buy some garden starts and a bunch of flowers. It makes me so happy for months and months to watch my plants grow.
I was going to get an overall picture of my back patio covered with flowers and delicious herbs and vegetables, but these triple digit temperatures are making everything look a little parched.

 Tomatillos for the first time. Looking good! Something I found out is that the husk grows first to the size of a billiard ball (maybe a bit smaller, what kind of ball would that be?), then the tomatillo grows inside. By feeling the husk, it seems that the tomatillos are about the size of grape tomatoes inside. What a little treasure. If you have never had a tomatillo, they taste like limey tomatoes to me. They are great in salsa!

 Look at these Tigerella tomatoes. I got a start from my brother who bought heirloom seeds a few years ago, then keeps the seeds and grows starts each year. That is dedication. I just bum the starts off of him.

This is a lovely flower that I found this year that is called Ice plant. It flourished squished into a large pot with Snapdragons, Violas, and Veronica. The greenery is succulent and the leaves feel like cow tongues. Kindof textured and squishy. I LOVE this plant.
I will have to remember to look at these pictures during the long dreary wintertime.

Pool/Swim Bag

I love this project so much. It was meant to be. I have needed a giant swim bag for a long time. When we go to the pool we have so much stuff: goggles, towels, sunscreen, water, snacks, swim diapers, clothes, keys, phone, money/wallet, etc. I have been using a huge Ikea bag where everything just goes to the bottom where I have to search forever to find it. So, I needed a big bag (to fit at least 5 towels + other stuff). I LOVE pockets, so I want t pocket for everything.

I got this fabric (2 yards) for $4.00 and used every bit of it, plus some scraps from other projects.

 I put in small handles and long straps for multiple ways to carry the bag. There are side pockets on both sides on the outside (they are huge). I also put in some boning (okay, they were old metal hangers) in the bias I sewed to each corner for some stability.

 Have you seen the infomercial for the Kangaroo Keeper? It is so brilliant. The lady stuffs a whole pile of stuff into a tiny purse using this implement to organize everything into pockets. This is what I wanted. I put loops on one side for water bottles, sunscreen, etc. One side has little pockets for keys, cell, sunglasses. Then there are still two other smallish pockets for goggles, snacks, wallet, etc.

 Then still plenty of room for towels and whatever else we might need. I reinforced the bottom with some heavy cardboard wrapped in duct tape (for waterproofing). It is super sturdy. Maybe a little too structured? Not sure yet.

It really is huge, but I think it turned out okay. I guess by the end of the summer I will have figured out what changes I should've made.
What bag do you take to the pool? Do you have the same frustrations as I do? Do you have a bag that you love?

Dry erase board countdown (teacher gift)

Spring felt blossoms branch

 I wanted a wreath for my front door, but most home decor stuff I do myself with stuff I have around. So I made these little blossoms with white felt and glued them onto a branch. Some green leaves and a little "spring" banner and hung it on the door. I like the finished project.

"Y"

I LOVED this project!

I have a friend who recently had a baby and for her shower she assigned everyone a letter of the alphabet, so that she could display the alphabet on the nursery wall. The idea that each letter would be different and representative on the person who made/brought it.

I got "Y". I thought of lots of different ways I could make a "Y", this is what I settled on.

I went through my paper scraps (I save almost all scraps) and cut tiny lengths of all the favorites. It was so fun to go through. I found paper that Liam's baby book was made from (actually, this is for my friends baby whom they named, Liam!), paper given to my by my father, SIL, husband, sister, paper I have had since I was ten, paper printed by my father on his press, and lots more. So fun to acknowledge the significance of each piece.

 I overlapped them over a "Y" shape that I had traced.

 Then put a white piece of paper over the top to make a crisp edge.

Then put it in a frame made by my brother. I hope that she loves it and that it goes good with the other letters of the alphabet in little Liam's nursery.

The Lydia skirt...for Kai'a

When I was in Hawaii I promised Kai'a I would make her a skirt. So, I made her one based on this skirt I made for Lydia. I am so glad that it fit...perfectly! Miracle!
I did take pictures along the way, hoping to do a tutorial, but there are still so many kinks that I don't know if the tutorial would be helpful.