happy halloween & a DIY halloween village

DIY Halloween Village

This Halloween village was a gift for my mother-in-law, and it turned out to be such a fun and simple project. 

Materials: 

 - scrap wood

 - paint

 - fine point pen for outlining (optional)

... I am dreaming of a little winter village for our mantel!

Happy Halloween! 

artzooka! superfan costume

Have you seen this show? Around here, Artzooka! is tops. The word "Artzooka!" is mention at least 15 times a day in our house. 

 

Jeremie, the host, makes cool stuff using recycled materials. My kids spend hours upon hours designing and building all kinds of wonderful things from their very own "Artzooka! bin" of recycled items.

Just the other day, my oldest said to me, "Mom, we don't need to buy toys because we can make our own that are WAY cooler!"  

It warms my heart to hear my kids say stuff like that! 

When it came time to decide on a Halloween costume for my oldest, it was a no-brainer.  Yep, one Artzooka! costume coming up. 

With a little freezer paper stenciling on a dollar store t-shirt we were in business - total cost, about $3.

The picture above is from a costume birthday party he attended last weekend.  Together we made a duct tape wallet for the birthday boy (Artzooka! inspired, of course) - and it was a hit!

The Artzooka! show is on the Canadian public television station, CBC (that we just happen to get here in the Pacific Northwest). You can find some fun craft ideas HERE on the Artzooka! website, and we are crossing our finger and hoping the Artzooka! show will be available on DVD! 

finished strong

Over the weekend I did something I thought I could never do... I finished strong.  In my last (and only) attempt at running a half marathon I finished, but not strong.  I crossed the finish line disoriented, weak, and had to be carried into the first-aid tent. I swore that I would never put myself through that again.

Michael, my best friend's husband, and I after the race with our free fire logs!

Well, never say never, right?  

My best friend, Kelly, the GREATEST running partner ever, thought it was time for me to get over it (in a supportive, best friend kind of way).  So, without telling me or her husband (pictured above), she signed all of us up to run the Race for a Soldier half marathon in our town. 

I found out what she had done when the registration confirmation showed up in my inbox - congratulating me for signing up. Um, WHAT? 

Within seconds I was on the phone, dialing Kel's number to make sure this was just a joke. But when she answered with a giggle, I instantly knew it was not. Oh my.

We continued our four mile/four day a week runs that we had been doing all along, but when we attempted longer runs in order to prepare for the race, it didn't go as as well as we had hoped.  I was experiencing the same symptoms that I had in the first half marathon, and felt terribly discouraged. Eventually, I had to come to terms with the possibility that I was just not cut out for half marathons, and settled on running and walking this race.

(image source: michelemaule on Etsy)

On race day, Kel came down with a terrible cold and couldn't run (she was completely devastated).  I was so bummed for her, and I seriously considered bagging the whole thing, because without her I would be lost. Her husband, Michael, (who actually is a runner, unlike me) offered to step in and run/walk with me. I felt terrible that I would be slowing him down, and told him many times that he was free to go ahead. He insisted it was no big deal (thanks Michael).

As we stood at the start line, I had a moment of complete panic (on the inside). What the heck am I doing? I can't do this! Michael is going to hate running with me.

When I turned around to look for an escape route through the sea of runners, I heard the gun go off. Dang, too late.

I had no choice but to go for it, and hope for the best. And you know what? I had a great time. Michael did a wonderful job of keeping me chatting and distracted, and before I knew it we were passing mile marker 11 - and still running!   

I made it. The entire 13.1 miles. Without stopping or walking - in two hours and five minutes. And the best part, I crossed the finish line (strong) and walked right past the first-aid tent - on my own, with a smile on my face.

What a great day! (Kel, I wish you could have been there, because that would have made it a perfect day. I am looking forward to all the races we will run together in the future - 'till we are old and gray!)

Thank you Kelly and Michael, I couldn't have done it without you guys!  And a big thanks to my cheering squad: Grandma, Frank, my boys, and Lora!

sometimes crafting is like childbirth

 

Up until a few weeks ago, this is what our red wagon looked. Sad. Dilapidated. In desperate need of some TLC. One morning I decided to do something about it.  I called my husband to ask for advice - he laughed. Hard. And then said, "Call the body shop and ask for an estimate!" And laughed some more. I was not discouraged. In fact, I was more determined than ever to do get this done. At that moment I completely forgot about the piles of laundry and the toilets that needed scrubbing - this was personal. And nothing was going to stop me.

Realizing I was on my own, I scrounged around in the garage and found a chisel, sanding pad, and a drill with a wire brush attachment. The plan was to scrape off the flaking paint, sand it a little, and then give it a fresh coat of paint - it should just take an hour, or so...right?  HA, Wrong!

After the boys and I were a quarter of the way (and several hours) into the paint scraping, I realized that this was a much bigger project than I had originally thought. It suddenly dawned on my why my husband was laughing.  But, quitting was totally out of the question. I might have to stay up half the night and suffer through blisters on my hands, but I was going to finish this darn thing.  (The good news: I didn't have to stay up half the night. The bad news: my hands were pretty torn up and blistered. No pain, no gain. Right?)

I decided that, in order to continue, the wagon would have to be taken apart (which turns out to be much easier said than done when it comes to dealing with rusty bolts).  I struggled for a while, but eventually claimed victory.

In the (late) afternoon my husband called to inquire about our progress, and I proudly reported that we were ready to paint. 

When he arrived home, and saw first hand just how much work we put into the project, he volunteered to do the painting and assembly.  I happily accepted the offer (honestly, my hands could not endure much more).

The boys picked the colors, and they are absolutely thrilled their shiny new ride.

Every time I look at the wagon I have to smile - I did it! I knew I could do it! Crafting is like childbirth sometimes - it can hurt like crazy in the moment, but you completely forget about the pain by the time the next project comes around!

FYI: My husband is a very supportive guy, but sometimes I think he breaks into nervous laughter in order to deal with my wild ideas and crafty ambitions.   Thanks Hun for (eventually) jumping on the wagon!!

Happy Crafting!

finally!

The sun decided to shine just in time for the 4th, and the Beach Robe finally made its first beach appearance!

Have a great weekend!

summer projects in full swing

Summer has just begun, and so has my list of projects that have been started and, in most cases, completed. 
1. new 4th of July bag in the making (and since completed) - tutorial found here
2. two vintage Pyrex bowls - $.50/each (not a project, but totally made my day!)
3. sewing room clean out
4. rock painting
5. red wagon overhaul "before" ("after" pictures to come)

not pictured:
6. 4th of July skirt in the making
7. apple chips - made in the dehydrator
8. miniature rafts made from sticks and yarn
9. baking soda and vinegar volcanoes
10. PVC pipe water toy
11. apple pie in a jar
12. OJ & vanilla yogurt popcicles
13. finished 19 fort kits 
14. 6 hours of painting at one of my favorite thrift shops
15. to be continued...

Hope your summer is off to a great start as well!

 .

testing, testing...

pattern testing that is!

When Dana, over at MADE,asked me to test her new pattern, I jumped at the chance. She is always coming up with amazing designs, and her instructions are so easy to follow, so it was a no-brainer.  

When I found out that it was the Beach Robe pattern, I was even more excited! You see, my boys have swimming lessons twice a week, and we are constantly using beach towels. Unfortunately, those towels have seen better days, which is why this project was so perfect!

I let my son pick the color, and he of course went with his favorite - ORANGE!... we're talking BRIGHT orange.

One of the great things about this pattern, is that it offers so many different options. I used one of my old shirts to make the optional lined hood.

I have dreams of seeing this Beach Robe on an actual beach, but sadly the only sunshine we have around here is liquid sunshine. But I can dream right?!

So, by now it is probably pretty obvious that I am smitten with this pattern, but the best part is that he absolutely LOVES his new Beach Robe (and refuses to use any other towel in the house). This pattern earned a five star rating from us, and is going on the short list of Birthday gift ideas.

Here is the link to the Beach Robe pattern.

Thanks for stopping by!

teacher gifts and a TUTORIAL

My oven has been working overtime this week, baking bread for Teacher Appreciation lunches. With so many loafs to wrap and deliver, I thought it would be fun to try out a new bread bag.

The 5 Minute Bread Bag is great, but in situations such as these (large potluck lunches), where there is an abundance of food (and clean-up), it seemed more sensible to use a disposable bag.

So, I gathered some supplies from around the house and set to work... 

To check out the full TUTORIAL, click the button below:

bring on the may flowers!

The April showers have overstayed their welcome this year. And not just a few sprinkles here and there, no, we're talking TORRENTIAL downpours. 

So, to combat the soggy-boot blues, I say...  

bring on the May flowers!

All the materials for this project can be found around the house: (the instructions can be found here.)
- toilet paper rolls
- paint
- wood skewers
- tissue paper 
- green paper

Now, if we could just convince the sun to stick around... hmm.

home sweet home

A few weeks ago we brought home a box of cute, fluffy, peeping chicks. The boys were beyond excited, spending every waking moment in the garage, hanging out with the girls.  

Having transformed into teenage wild-women, the box in the garage was cramping their style. They were in desperate need of some room to express themselves.

So, to accommodate their growing needs, the boys set to work finishing up the coop for these little ladies - Betty, Helen, and Elenore. 

Sunday was move-in day, and so far they seem to be loving it!

We are all eagerly awaiting that first egg. It should be an egg-straordinary event! (sorry, I couldn't help myself)

Welcome home little ladies!  

I would really like to make a "fresh brown eggs" sign, but I am not sure how I want to go about making it. Any suggestions?