Crayon Hearts

This weekend the hubby went away and the boys and I had some Quality Time together. I would just like to say how much respect and admiration I have for actual single parents, especially those who have to work one or more jobs.  I knew my husband and I were a good team, but you just don't realize how much you depend on each other until your team mate skips town.

Anyway, we did do a few activities besides Netflix...  I had bought a silicone heart mould at the dollar store before Valentine's Day and the boys have a bucket of crayons they never use - they are straight up marker dudes.  I had seen lots of tutorials about melting down crayons and when I suggested it they were pretty excited.  I won't describe the whole process, since there are lots of tutorials online, but the essentials are:

1. Take paper off crayons: this is kind of tedious and your kids will abandon you and your nails will never be the same again.
2. Break crayons into little pieces:  or not so little, depending on your hand strength.
3. Put them in the silicone mould: if you want hearts that are actually shaped like hearts, you may want to skip the dollar store and invest at, say, Walmart.  (Our mould was promptly chucked in the garbage after this craft, and I am relieved to say that none of it remained in the oven.)
4. Back up 3 steps and set the oven to 200 - 250 degrees.
5. Once your oven has heated, put the mould on a baking sheet and pop 'er in.  Plug your nose and watch them melt, slowly, for about 15 - 20 minutes.  Open windows.  Wonder how many toxins are in crayons and look worriedly at your children.
6. Put them on the back porch to cool down.
7. Ooh and Aah as you pop them out of the mould and watch your kids colour diligently until they remember they don't like crayons, get bored, and go watch Netflix.

The weird thing was how the pigment sank to the bottom and all the extra (filler?) wax pooled at the top.  I assume that these were probably not top-of-the-line crayons... I didn't remember anyone mentioning this online.

Me being me, I took out a paring knife and shaved off the extra wax. Then I noticed the shaving were kind of pretty so I took photos.  Then I went and got my hair dryer and experimented with melting the shavings onto paper and canvas.  They looked sort of pretty until they got quite liquidy and the green overpowered all the other colours.  The result sort of looked like someone barfed on a canvas.  I didn't take photos.  But it was kind of fun to get my hands dirty and play around. I also noticed that the heart crayons made it into their stories and play for the rest of the weekend (I think at one point they were alien space ships) so I am calling it a successful craft.  :)

Boy Crafts: A Parking Garage

When I stumbled across this great parking garage craft on Spoonful, I got ridiculously excited.  Seriously - a craft my guys would love to make, love to play with, and that would use up some of my out-of-control stash of toilet paper rolls.  Major score.

The full instructions are on Spoonful, and I won't bore you with the details (not surprisingly their garage also looks way more profesh).  It is a pretty simple craft - cover toilet paper rolls with coloured paper, cut one side off a cereal box, draw on parking spots, glue rolls between the two sides of the cereal box, and add ramps.  It was a short enough activity that Cam and I could do it while Will was at school, which meant that Cam could actually get to participate in all the making (Will is a little... um... enthusiastic when we all do stuff together).  I have to say, he is a pretty fun co-crafter.

Glitter Card Production Line

I purchased a few holiday cards for the boys' classes, and never really got around to using them.  When I mentioned filling them out to William, he asked if we could make cards instead, like we did for Valentine's Day. Wullll, yeah!!!

I had a ton of glitter around that I had picked up during one of my many excursions to the Dollar Store, and of course a bazillion sheets of construction paper.  So we cut some little cards and I drew a few simple designs with glue.  Then the boys gently tapped quickly dumped the entire container of glitter on the glue and shook off the excess.  Thankfully I had the foresight to use some box tops to try to contain the glitter! Our little pot-scrapers also came in handy.  They kept at it for  quite a while and we had a real production line going before the glitter fights began... I think there will be glitter in our house until they leave for university - it is like living inside a disco ball.  (I sort of love it.)

Having done all the cards, and then allowing them to dry, William filled out approximately six before he had a melt-down and refused to do any more.  So for those of you with kids in his class who thought  his hand-writing looked like something his father might have done with his left hand... well, you get a gold star. :) Oh, and you are welcome for all the glitter we sent into your house.  Enjoy!

Christmas pinecone painting

The boys were a fabulous help with the Christmas decorating this year.  One of our favourite projects was collecting pinecones at the park and painting them when we got home.  We started by painting white on the edges to look like snow, but then the tubes of gold and glitter seemed like even more fun!  When they dried, I put them just about everywhere - I especially love how they look on the mantel and in amongst my beach stones.

The great thing about doing Christmas crafts is that they are instantly go on display - so gratifying for the kids.  It has me thinking about how I can incorporate even more of their art into my decor on a regular basis - any ideas?

Easy DIY Christmas Tree

My son has been coming home from school with Christmas on the brain for a few weeks now, and we have been reading Christmas books over and over and OVER (Caillou, Busy Town, Max and Ruby - everyone, it seems, has a Christmas version).  When I saw this ornament craft kit at Michael's, I knew it was just the right level for both boys to be able to do, and that it would fulfill the "Is this for Christmas?" requirement that all activities now seem to have.  Once the glitter and sequins had been properly applied and the goops of glue had dried, we needed somewhere to display them.  (I have decided to hold off on the tree for a bit longer because it dried out so badly last year.)

So I did what I always do and scrounged around for something I could re-purpose.  This green flower pot has been sitting idle for a few seasons, and by idle I mean upside down in the dirt under our porch.  I had the gold paint left over from the buddha project, and this awesome ScotchBlue painters tape that I had been itching to try out.  I sprayed the bottom and couldn't believe how crisp a line that tape made - nothing got under it to leave a little squiggle, which is saying something with this spray paint (it seems to  be very, very runny).  I was actually out doing this in the SNOW, and was worried the tape might not stick well with the moisture on the pot, but it worked great.

The boys had I had been hunting for the perfect stick on our walks and this one made it's way home from the park with us one day.  I sprayed it (and part of my patio furniture) white and stuck it in the pot using some sand from our sandbox in the back (I should really probably clean that guy out...).  We hung the ornaments (which weigh nothing) and voila, two happy boys and one happy momma.  I wasn't sure if I liked the green and gold combo as much as I thought I would, but it is growing on me.  I like that it is delicate and sculptural.  And wouldn't the branch look pretty hung with little gold balls on gold ribbon too?

One of a Kind (late) roundup

Wow, this has been one busy week.  Between contractors and insurance people, clients (I love saying that word) and blog events, I haven't had a chance to post anything for a while.  So here is a belated round-up of the One of a Kind winter show, which runs until the end of the weekend, with late night shopping hours tonight!

The media breakfast was lovely, as always.  This year we got to enjoy my favourite kind of breakfast - sinful sweets!  The doughnuts from Glory Hole doughnuts were so decadent and delicious that I went a little overboard and had two...I like to think I burned them off as I raced through the Direct Energy Centre for the next couple of hours (could'a happened, right?).  My favourite artisan picks from last year were mostly all there again, and their stuff was still amazing.  I also found a couple of booths that I hadn't noticed last year (I seem to miss some every time I go). 

Becca Wallace has the most awesome photos of vintage cars and trucks against these bright and cheerful backgrounds.  The epoxy finish is perfect, they really pop out at you as you go by.  I was worried that my boys would see these photos and demand to know why I didn't get a bunch for their rooms, so I got a few little lapel buttons for their stockings.  Sadly, the works were a little out of my budget for this year, so I had to make due with admiring them (and her adorable little 8-month old).

Sarah Tacoma's encaustic photographs drew me in like a bird to a berry, perhaps in part because of my new-found love of all thing encaustic.  She takes the most gorgeous photos, then over paints them with a touch of colour and a film of beeswax.  The resulting artworks are so dreamy and soft, and you can tell I really had an affinity with those berries.  I also love the doors - they reminded me so much of a New Brunswick artist named Lynn Wiggington who does incredibly detailed paintings of the doors of Saint John (I have a signed poster of her doors in the upstairs hall).  Sarah's display of works was beautifully done, I could have stayed at her booth all day.

The same could be said of Atelier des cent-ans, which I posted about last time as well.  I just LOVE their booth and their works. Their display is lesson in presentation - quiet, careful, and considered.  It reminds me of the Japanese/Scandanavian store Mjolk on Dundas.  The wave motif they presented this year is so beautiful - I have been practicing a very similar style of drawing for an upcoming project (should I ever get time to do it!).

As always, Moon Rox tested my will power with their glittering line-up of baubles and bracelets.  I love the way they use gold and brass, and their pieces always feel like top notch quality.  Someday they will break me for sure.  I am already eyeing one of the bracelets in my photo as I type this, thinking about that awesome re-entry policy that the One of A Kind has...

If you went or are going to the show, I would love to know which artists caught your eye - I am always curious to see other people's picks.  Although many of my friends admire the same booths I do, there is always one or two I miss that I wish I had seen!  Speaking of which, Jen from Rambling Renovators will be presenting her picks tonight on stage at the show, and from touring a bit with her last Thursday as she selected them, I know it is an awesome list.  Don't forget the show is open late tonight - Happy Shopping! :)

Stitched Wool Laptop Case

The weird thing One of the (many) weird things about me is that when I am stressed out I am at my most creative.  I'll have fourteen deadlines and a calendar covered in black ink and suddenly feel the overwhelming urge to knit a sweater and re-paint a whole dining room set.  Hey, it's better than smoking crack, right?  So with a complete mess in my beautiful basement; a pile of business cards on my table from plumbers, flood clean-up guys, insurance adjusters, and contractors; and two new patched-up holes in my front yard, I knew it was time to get out the scissors and spray paint.

One project that had been on my list for a while was a sleeve for my laptop.  In the summer, when I was home, I found an old leather book bag my parents had given me when I was maybe 8 or 9.  It even has my monogram on it!  I don't think I used it for very long, since it wasn't very big and wasn't all that cool at the time... But now it seems all kinds of cool, and the perfect size for my laptop to boot.

The only problem was that it had no lining for my most precious baby, er, I mean computer.  When I saw this tutorial on Design*Sponge, I realized I had found my solution.   I had bought a sample of some lovely soft herringbone wool ages ago at a fundraiser for the Textile Museum, and had never known what to do with it.  I dug it up and paired it with a bright green embroidery thread.

I followed the instructions somewhat, and made them up somewhat as I went along.  All my sewing stuff was under plastic in the basement so I had to improvise. :)  William helped me sew the top of the case down - I would put the needle into the wool and he would grab it and walk away with it until it was taught.  It took a LONG TIME but that's ok.  I finished the sides up with the oh-so-beautiful blanket stitch, and slid it in my briefcase.

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!  What do you think?  Are you a stress-crafter?  Or am I one of a kind? :p

I'm back with an art project for kids!

I really want to try this collaborative project I bookmarked ages ago from the awesome blog My Cakies - maybe with a photo from the past two weeks in the mountains (might make a nice gift, no?)  I love the use of watercolours for this, they are just the right amount of saturation for the photo, not to mention the right amount of mess for moi!  I only wish we had that lovely palette to work from - such pretty colours.

I love you more than...

During craft-time at our house (pretty much a daily occurrence) I usually dive in and do my own stuff too.  Sometimes I get so into it that I may have been known to tersely spit out "In a minute..." while one of the kids empties the rinsing water onto the floor, or his brother's hair.  Ahem.

Yesterday we got out the construction paper, pencil crayons, stickers, scissors, and stamps and made cards.  I made this one for my husband.  I figured it was appropriate since the internet is pretty much my constant companion and his biggest competition for my time.  And I really do love him more.  Honest.

He was underwhelmed.   (I'm not sure he believed me.)

One of a Kind Spring 2012

I was lucky enough to be invited to the One of a Kind Spring show on this weekend at the Direct Energy Centre.  It was a media breakfast and we were treated to a one-of-a-kind breakfast from raw food restaurant Cruda Cafe.  From juices to muffins, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, and scrambled-tofu enchiladas, it was all raw (nothing heated or cooked in any way) and very fresh.  The lemon-poppy seed muffins pictured above were divine.

After breakfast I roamed the aisles with my blogger buddies.  Of course, we all have similar taste and ended up stopping for photos at the same booths.  The images below were the sorely tested my mission to "admire not acquire" - especially the handwoven blanket from New Brunswick (1).

1. Megely Weaving (J-21) from Drummond NB - Those two blanket hanging had me hovering...

2. heyday design (E-29) from Vancouver - I have loved these since I saw them at Granville Island a few years ago

3. MoonRox (Q-32) from Toronto - they had the best brass-and-bright-colours jewellery.

4. Mara Minuzzo (I-36) from Caledon - I loved these paintings of Lego figures for the boys' rooms

5. Atelier b (K-36) from Montreal - I admire them every time I see them at OOAK, this skirt looks so perfect for spring.

A few other pieces caught my eye, including:

1. & 2. Good Wishes Quilts (H-34) from Kelowna - I have a weakness for hedgehogs and love that pillow for a kid's bed.

3. & 4. eikcam ceramics from Vancouver (N-08) - such pretty, simple things and I love the porcelain keys.

Hamilton's Jenna Rose (I-16) is always a favourite, especially those cloud and bird pillows above and that sea-faring bag...hoo boy I love that one!

This photo isn't great, but I did love the photos and the booth of Images of This and That (F-39), especially that YYZ one and the Boys are Awesome print.

In terms of booths, Sharalee and I were discussing how important the merchandizing is - it can make the difference between stopping to look and drifting on.  There were a few booths that stood out with their merchandizing, including the ones below:

Avril's booth (L-05) is like a burst of sunshine in the un-naturally lit cave that is a convention centre.

Patouche's booth was beautifully decorated with adorable fabric trees and cute little manequins. 

I think my favourite booth was this spare, beautifully-lit, and exquisitely-merchandized booth by Renaud from Ateliers Des Cent-Ans (H-06).  Sharalee and I stopped to admire this oasis of a space, and when Renaud handed us his card we became drooling paper geeks (or at least I did - Sharalee is much more sophisticated. :) )  His cards are about 1/16'' thick (I measured) and are beautifully letter-pressed.  They are heaven in a business card, and show the exacting and careful thought that goes into his art.

The show is lovely and exhausting as always, and is on until April 1 at the Direct Energy Centre.  I would love to hear your favourite booths!  Here are some round-ups from Lindsay and Vanessa - I did warn you we have similar taste! :)

Homemade Valentines

I am not even sure if these are blog-worthy, but this weekend Will and I made valentines for his class.  I had much grander visions for this, but then I checked them on the 'worth it' chart, and scaled down accordingly.  This was about what William and I could handle, and I wanted to make sure he was involved.

I cut a stamp out of a potato for Will to use.  At first I made a car, thinking I could do a ghetto version of Jen's amazing valentine, but Will told me it didn't look enough like a car.  No problem, did he want it rounder?  Bigger?  A truck instead? We worked out some drawings - turns out he wanted separate wheels, headlights and tail lights, people inside, and could I make it a Toyota?  Yeah.... how about a heart?  I can only do so much with a potato.

We got a great production line going and Will filled them out for his classmates, making sure he had one for himself.  They may not be much to look at, but he LOVES them and it was all I could do to keep him from bringing them in today.  Plus, it kept him occupied for a good hour, and it was fun to "collaborate" with him. :)