Free paint!!

So I found out on one of my favorite blogs, Thrifty Decor Chick, that Glidden paint is giving away a FREE QUART of paint! Awesome! I love free! Even if I didn't have any immediate plans to paint, I do now. So if you want to get your paws on some (only while supplies last, or until July 2) head over to Glidden, choose your color, enter your info, and voila! Free paint on its way!

For those of you who are dying to know, I chose Steel Blue... I'm thinking of doing the master bedroom. Although I really do adore the pukey pink it currently is sporting.....

Soft baby blocks

I made a cute little soft baby block (about 5") using a tutorial from londonmummy. The blocks were left over from my mom's Christmas gift, and the animals I heat transferred from the material from Sofia's nursery curtains. I'm not satisfied with the lumps, but my kids love it! I'll probably make up a batch or two to give as baby gifts. I'm thinking shapes for the next one.

Cheap toys

You may have heard that I am cheap. Well, here's another example. I really dislike going to the toy store, or even Walmart, and paying ridiculous sums for toys that will break within a week when subjected to my crew. Thanks to Family Fun magazine, I found some toys that were as cheap as dirt (or close), and as indestructable as rocks.



Oh, right. They are rocks. Silly me.



Granted, my version may not be quite as creatively painted, but my kiddos don't know the difference! Actually, Sofia got to help paint some while the boys were sleeping, so she thinks they are beautiful. Doesn't take much, does it? And I'll be adding to the collection as inclination strikes.

P.S. Ignore the dirty window in the back.

I love Japanese fabric!

So I peruse several crafty-type blogs on a regular basis (obsessively), because I love watching others creating beauty for me to covet. One of the advertisers of one blog is This and That From Japan and let me tell you, I FREAKIN' LOVE THEIR FABRICS!! Now, if only I could: a) afford them; and b) figure out what to make out them I would really be in business!

Who made the beautiful rainbow?

I did!

Okay, well I know these are a poor substitute for the real thing, but our Sabbath School class has been having to share, so I made a few more. Sofia really enjoyed helping me stack the felt color strips... and listening to me yelp when the hot glue escaped onto my fingers.

Felt food

I really love pretend food. Always have. Playing grocery store was probably top of my list as a child. Which is probably why I love felt food so much. It looks pretty realistic, and has that aura of homemade that makes it seem so special. So I've tried my hand a few felt items. None of my stuff comes from a pattern, I just kind of make it up. It probably shows, ha! But I do scour the Internet for websites with pictures, and then go from there. This is made from cheap felt, not the nice wool felt, and it is partially machine sewed, and partially hand sewed. My stitches are never straight, my technique is sorely lacking, but by golly, if my kids don't think I'm awesome. What a confidence booster, especially for a non-crafter such as myself.

Here are some of my previous, uh, creations:

In case my handiwork is even worse than I imagine, this plate includes pancake with butter, fried egg, and two chocolate chip cookies.

This is the product of today's labor:

Lovely loaf of bread and a carrot. I should probably make more carrots to have a bunch. Maybe tomorrow. I also have a cinnamon roll in the works, and plans for tofu stir fry, pumpkin pie, green beans, and maybe, if I get really ambitious, a "peelable" banana.

Feelin' Good!

Anyone who knows me understands that I long to be creative. I was not given that gift. Give me a list of instructions, and I can produce results. But even with instructions, I don't generally turn out quality crafting.



That's why I'm so pleased with today's production. We got some throw pillows with our couch that I have almost always thought were hideous. But I hate spending $20+ on new pillows. So one of the websites that I follow (and imagine myself being so creative & productive) gave instructions on how to make pillow slipcovers. It sounded easy, so I did it (3 months later)! And it fit! Amazing. And since they are slipcovers, I can: a) remove them to wash in the unlikely event my children will spill milk, jelly, snot, oil, or bath wash on them; and b) theoretically make so many different kinds to fit my mood or season. Not that I think that'll happen anytime soon. But I can dream, can't I?

Craft Day

So I finally gave in to Sofia's plea for something to do while the brothers were sleeping, and this is what we came up with-- a caterpillar friend! Obviously, if I'm involved, it was very very simple. All it takes is an egg carton with the bottoms cut off, some paint, a pipe cleaner, and eyes. Voila! Of course, Sofia's attention span is limited, so we didn't get around to painting all the sections, but you get the idea...