ducky house

a sort of wordless wednesday

 

"the most regretful people on earth 
are those who felt the call to creative work, 
who felt their own creative power restive & uprising 
and gave to it neither power nor time." 
 

~ mary oliver

remix: feed the birds

We revisited an old idea this week that we love making time for: bird feeders. It's a fun activity for both child & mumma (or dadda) and the most basic of tools come from your own recycling bin; from there you can add (to your project) other items on hand such as string, tape, exacto blade - with supervision, etc.... really the possibilities are endless.

I won't go into much instruction, instead you can follow along the with the photos and visit my previous posts for more information and inspiration. 

Abby was my very willing helper this time around and we decided to use a discarded yogurt container and a 2 litre jug of milk. As you can see our design was pretty simple: cut a hole, make a perch for the bird to sit on, fill the feeder and equip it with string for hanging. A little play antics is optional and highly recommended.

    

Don't forget to top up the outdoor feeders that might be empty. 

Next time you are looking for an afternoon activity with the kids raid your recycling bin. It's an easy craft that children enjoy participating in and it goes without saying that the connection to nature is invaluable for all involved.  Have a great weekend! 

sketching

Oh that puppy, she has been with us for almost 4 weeks now and because of her I haven't had any decent studio time.  Hard to hold it against that sweet (puppy) girl in all her cuteness.  But when she's awake she requires supervision and when she is sleepy she requires holding, that's my personal opinion at least. (Cut me some slack here people, after 4 babies I know how fast these cute moments pass and in the puppy world a couple of months is like a year so cuddle I must).  

I did however, manage to carve out a little creativity with paper and pencil.  Do you ever surprise yourself when you discover another artistic outlet? I never did much drawing when I was growing up, in fact I'm not sure I ever did much of anything crafty, I was an on-the-run-kid who chose athletics as a hobby. Now my adult years are all about making up for lost time in the creative realm.  

My sketching inspiration was a recent thrift store find, a sweet vintage Bambi book with the most adorable images. The book itself is pretty beat up but that doesn't matter as my intention is to use some of the intact images in the girls' bedroom for wall art.  I've been mulling around the idea of (loosely inspired) vintage bambi room. I'm not looking for disney bambi per-say but rather my  interpretation of the beloved story.  

When I sat down that evening for a movie I though I was merely going to be jotting a few design ideas down in my sketch book which up until this point had been it's primary use.  Quite by accident I started sketching.  Within a few minutes my eyes and hand starting working together to re-create the cover art of the vintage book and by the end of the movie there was Bambi and thumper on my page.  Life is filled with surprises :)

bath bombs

I should have published this post over the weekend but I confess to having a weekend of holiday laziness. I love when holiday time can actually be a holiday.

But of course it wasn't completely all rest and no make, I did pull together some goody bags for a family gathering that we hosted on Friday.  After seeing Linaloo's bath bombs, I knew I wanted to give it a try. I made my first batch based off the tutorial that Linaloo linked to, but they were really just way to greasy for me. Mine didn't even hold together in the mold, so that batch sits in a jar for those days when I really need to soak my feet. Which will be soon now that garden season is right around the corner.  

For my second attempt I did a search on the internet looking for bath bombs with the most simplest of ingredients. NotMartha  has a great tutorial with pictures and explanations, I recommend you read through her tutorial for some great hints and know how.  I tweaked the recipe she provided for what my sensitive skin can handle and also for what I had on hand. It is available for download here: bath bomb recipe and also in the side bar.

If you have any questions about the instructions or supplies, shoot away.  Happy Bathing :) 

paper weight

Good morning you Monday faithfuls!  How was your weekend?  Mine was fairly uneventful, boring in fact.  I spent 3 days Friday, Saturday and Sunday dealing with the administrative mess that I had been avoiding for quite some time now. Piles of paper were shuffled from one filing drawer to another, it wasn't pretty.  It wasn't just me either, seems the hubby had been suffering from the same trouble.  (I really am astonished at how much paper just collects especially when most of my bills are paper free!)  

Not the best way to spend the weekend so to compensate for the lack of sewing going on around here I found my pencil crayons and gave into the paper in a more creative way during an evening movie.  Even if I can't get to the fabric, I am always thinking about it.  What do you think?  Would it make a nice sampler?

winter scenes

One of my girlies was down with fever yesterday.  I’m not sure what is going on in this house but over the past few weeks each one of my kidlets take their turn being feverish and wiped out.  It lasts about 24 hours, then they wake up fine the next day.  Miss J is the last one to succumb to the symptoms and I’m hoping it is just a kid thing if you know what I mean.

I was planning to work on the cabinets until Miss A realized she was a playmate short for the day.  She compelled me with those big brown eyes to color and keep her company.  It’s so rare to just spend time one on one when you have twins that you take it when you can get it.  After the coloring our attention turned to paper cutting, practicing the scissors is a good skill when you are 5.  While Miss A cut away I availed myself of the exacto knife.  I couldn’t resist making a little winter scene.  I had to make do with construction paper, my box of acid free paper is currently in storage.  Miss A let me happily create but she did dictate that a certain white rabbit should be in the picture.  This little exercise really got the wheels turning about a diorama...of course I should wait until the office is set up before I distract myself with more creative projects....patience is a virture, right?

parties and things

Well hello folks and friends! I've been laying low the past few days catching making up for my recent sewing spurt which left the kidlets wanting and the laundry piling. I love a good sew fest however all good things must come to an end, even if that end is temporary - I do have Christmas sewing that needs to be done, but I'm saving that for next week.

The weekend went off without a hitch.  It started with an artisan sale that I participated in with a couple of friends.  The venue was cozy and festive and there were so many talented artists and creative people all about the place. The business of the day was carried on admist the chit chat, new friends were made and it was lovely to see so many familiar faces.  A good experience all around. 

After the day's events I went home tuckered but quickly rejuvenated by the party preparation needing to be done to celebrate the J-man's 12th birthday!  I can hardly believe my boy is 12 now.  It seems like such a milestone. Indeed.

And so we celebrated him.  All of him.  And we continue to do so.  J-man you are wonderfully sensitive, a kind soul.  You are full of imagination, creativity, caring and the perfect big brother for this crew.  Your patience and thoughtfulness are admirable and I love you to pieces.  I'm so glad to have you a part of my life.  Happy 12th Birthday son. 

Thank you friends and family for making my weekend so full of fun and love.  xxx

what do you see?

I see:

• • children • •

• • color • •

• • creativity • •

I'm enjoying the bird's eye view of things on this end and loving how something as simple as an egg carton can spark the imagination.

A big welcome to the SewMamaSew readers.  I hope you enjoy the tutorial and thank you ladies for the feature. xxx

art-easy

For birthdays in our home I like to have at least one handmade addition to the "purchased" gift that we give the birthday child.  Since the youngests of our crew, the girls, are avid artists in the making it seemed only common sense to support and encourage their creative gifts with a special little package all their own.  In the past I've made the coloring rolls and totes for such an occasion but as with creativity, I like to mix things up a bit and change the design now and then. 

Introducing the latest in the line of "art on the go".  Made with Heather Ross fabric, which I adore, each girl received her own all in one art kit complete with doodle pad and crayons.  There are extra spots for pencils and a pocket just above the crayons to allow for additional creative items.  We are big fans of the Peaceable Kingdom sticker/scene activity kits and usually tuck one in the pocket when we are heading out the door.  The local store I pick them up at is Toad Hall Toys, which carries a large selection including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, you can bet I'll be visiting there again. 

The entire art-easy tote folds and shuts simply by inserting the long strap handle through the metal loop, easy-peasy for little hands. Makes for a quick set up and clean up.  The girls are over the moon with their new art-easy totes and to keep things extra special, and simple, is their own appliqued initial which aids the homeschooling effort in terms of letter recognition.  Personal and practical, just the way I like it. 

Have a happy weekend everyone filled with warm fall days and endless family fun!  xxx. 

"art on the go" giveaway

Happy Monday!  I'm having a bit of a slow start today.  I woke up with a terrible headache which kept us home from swimming lessons but things have subsided and I'm feeling much better.  Let's get on with the giveaway, shall we?

I promised I'd do one back in my 300th post but needed a bit of time to figure out what would be up for grabs.  I've been making crayon rolls of late and selling them in local craft fairs and since it is that back to school time I'd like to keep the theme going.  If you're a fan of linen and cotton, you are going to love this giveaway. 

The giveaway, let's call it "art on the go" will entail: one mini crayon roll - it's a  bit smaller than the originals I've made in the past - which will come filled with large size crayons.  I really like the larger crayons because they seem to be a bit sturdier for the little hands and less likely to break.  Also included is a
9" x 6" doodle pad with 100 pages for endless coloring.  Finally, both items fit neatly inside a matching, fully lined art tote so nothing get's lost during transport or around the home for that matter.  Perfect for your little bug lover :)

The giveaway details are pretty simple, leave a comment and you are entered!  It's that simple.  I'll leave the comments open for the week and announce a winner on the weekend. 

Come one, come all and comment for your chance to win. Oh and please feel free to blog about it and share the love.      

ETA: Oops, I've been really busy getting ready for a garage sale that we are having this weekend (Saturday/Sunday).  So busy I forgot to close the comments.  Silly me.  Anyway, I'll officially close the comments on Sunday around 6:00 pm CST.  I'll draw the name and announce a winner on Monday, August 31st.  Hope everyone is well and enjoying their weekend.  Be back soon, xxx.    

Sunday 8:00 pm:  Comments are now closed!  Thank you everyone for participating.