Great New Product !!!

Found this while just surfing craft sites. I had seen the chalk board paint used in some of my friends kids rooms but I have never seen the magnitized paint. This is so cool -WOW!!! You could turn any door into a magnitized surface---ie. kids closet doors, bedroom doors, laundry room doors/closets, desks and on & on...........check out the video!

Treats From Hell

Well here's my first grouchy post. I hate party goody bags!! They are such a waste of money and such cheap junk!!! After a few years of useless goody bag shenanigans ................ Candy ( which we all are in short supply of), plastic whistles (that don't work ), pencils ( thank goodness I was running out of them), small rubber bouncy balls ( add them into the basket with the 10 other lonely bouncy balls), sticky slimy spider wall walker (I had an enjoyable night cleaning up dog vomit after my cocker spaniel ate one of these), Chinese paper finger traps (my plumber appreciated this sink plugger), mini playing cards ( my vacuum loves these) and stickers stickers and even more stickers. Do you know how fast a toddler can peel off a sticker and eat it ......................nanoseconds.

So then Idecided to sneak the often abandoned goody bag into the garbage before my kids could even miss them ...........but I would feel guilty because some Mom lovingly bought and prepared these " treats from hell" and I was throwing her heart felt efforts into the trash!

So I began skipping the loot bags at my kids parties hoping to start a world wide trend. Instead I made a keepsake craft to give to each child or when they were older had them make something worth keeping. ( Not paper plate and pasta crafts......that will be my next grumpy post) It was great fun making things, getting my kids involved in planning and helping and I still receive compliments today from friends who remember certain items they kept and used.

The kids would say "I have to go now ...where's my goody bag ?" and I would say " We made a tie dye shirt( or whatever the item was that year) instead" and they were quite content. Kids don't remember goody bags but they remember designing and painting and building stuff and that is a great memory to have. I'm still waiting for the "world wide trend to kick in " ..........but I know lots of other moms put their creative spins on parties and I would love to hear from you

Glue Gun Safety "Don't Shoot!"

Glue guns are a fantastic way to make projects quickly and very securely . I love them --obviously --I have a whole blog dedicated to the uses and fun you can have with one. A low temp glue gun is great for the kind of light weight crafts I will share with you - avoid the high temp guns ----maybe they are for furniture building or car repairs -- I'm not sure ????

Before I give you boring safety rules I'll share a funny story. Several years ago I was going to teach some classes at the town rec center and they required all new instructors to submit their class outlines for approval, and because I listed a glue "gun" on my supply list I was further required to meet with the city lawyer. A bright (?) young man. He was extremely worried that young boys might get rowdy and shoot each other with the glue guns and just how far was the projectile of this gun and were the kids at risk of eye injuries ...and could the town be sued..... and liability...... and risk factors...... and it was toooo funny. I calmed him down.

However I rarely teach classes to boys ......they are a crazy species. I love my son and grandson but they don't seem to have any interest in civilized activities. They are best entertained in rooms with non-breakable furnishings, padded walls or better yet outdoors.

For kids under 8 use Fabric Tac glue - dries very quickly and clear and rolls off your fingers like rubber cement. Here's my suggested safety rules.

1. Kids younger than 8 should not use a glue gun and 8 to 12 years should be closely supervised. Evaluate the maturity of the child to be sure they will observe caution when using a hot tool.


2. Always use a glue gun on a table with a lot of open space. The hot tool needs to say in view at all times and not get lost under craft supplies. Also to protect animals and toddlers from touching it.


3. Keep the glue gun on a paper or plastic plate to protect the table surface from drips and to allow for easy clean-up.


4. Never touch the metal tip or liquid glue OUCH!!!


5. Never leave a glue gun unattended


6. Never use a glue gun near a bath tub, sink, pool or any water.


7. When you unplug a glue gun allow it to cool for 15 minutes before putting it away.

Add more if you think I forget something

Etsy Is The Best Site Hands Down! ( I mean Handmade)

I can't believe how long it took me to stumble on Etsy.com I loooooove crafting------ planning crafts, sharing crafts, talking crafts, making crafts, teaching crafts, browsing crafts, buying crafts, eating crafts, sleeping crafts ....oops ......not really ...well yes I have eaten crafts. Lots of cakes and desserts are very fancy designed crafts. If you have ever pigged-out at the midnight buffet on a cruise you have ingested works of art! Actually I (and the kitchen is not my favorite place) recently made a "Transformer Cake"!!..........??? I'll upload the picture tomorrow.
Anyway back to Etsy,....this site is so much fun to browse, shop and get ideas for crafting. Everything there is handmade! Its the crafters "Ebay". If you read the forums and blogs, a lot of these sellers tried ebay and then realized Etsy was the perfect place to sell their artwork. Check it out and if you make nice stuff maybe you could open a store there..........Hmmmmmmmm

Kooky Home Made Hand Puppets

Are they monsters, aliens or kooky people? Who knows, who cares .....they were great fun to make and even more fun to play with.

1. Draw and cut out two same shape pieces of felt - any color you like and any body shape you choose.


2. "gogo glue gun " the two pieces together leaving the bottom open

3. Provide lots of trims, feathers, beads, yarn, pom-poms, fur, etc. and let your imagination RUN WILD!!! ( I especially love the green guys' teeth ) Here's where you can unload any odds & ends and scraps from other projects

4. Very Important NO GLUE GUNS for kids under age 10. Have them use a fast drying bottle glue . I really like Fabric Tac because it dries so fast - It's like a glue gun in a bottle. A little pricey at the craft stores but reasonable at Wal-Mart. And a little goes a long way

5. Fun Suggestion! Do two characters on one puppet ---front and back!

6. Put a spring curtain rod in a doorway about 3 ft from the floor. Drape a light sheet over it and "Viola !" A Puppet Theater ! Have Fun!!

"Threadbanger" is so " GROOVY " !!!

That would have been the cool thing to say when I was in college and much like Rob and Corinne who host this great web channel, ThreadBanger.com. You must go check it out. They create all kinds of new clothing from old clothes, visit all kinds of artists of hand made clothing and are really entertaining! They make me remember when I was in my hippie years and made a lot of peasant shirts, purses and halter tops and I embroidered all over them ...and my jeans of course. I also covered my boyfriends jeans with patches and embroidery. His friends were so jealous and asked me to sew theirs too , but no way did I have time for others guys clothing decor, my every moment was spent worshiping" my Mark". We wore some crazy stuff --Granny Dresses were"IN' Anybody remember those?

It was also the era when we didn't wear a certain item for the first time --Bras! My dad had a fit when he became aware of this - one day when I modeled a new halter top I had made --too funny .............. He also referred to people who lived together without being married as "shacking up" ...........a few years later I was doing that too .....poor dad. I guess he must have really enjoyed it a few weeks ago when I totally freaked out over my daughters lip ring !!! She did it herself with a safety pin! I'm a nurse but I secretly hoped it would get infected so she would have to take it out -- no such luck, it healed just fine. However I had it air brushed out of her senior picture,Ha!

Some Adults Must be Undermined

Today I got to do one of my most favorite things - teach a doll craft party to 15 little girls ages 6 to 9. They were adorable and so eager to dig in to all the supplies, it's hard some times to get through the brief general directions and safety spiel before all the little voices start going "Can I?......How do I?.......Whats that?...........I want to ..........."

I always have lots of Moms on hand to help. Did I say "help"? .................. Most of the Moms are great helpers but today I had a "grandmother from hell" at the party. She was suppose to be assisting her granddaughter , Amanda, but instead she was "dictating" the young girls design of her doll. There she was "those colors don't match and that doesn't look right in her hair and you're putting on too many beads" Man, do I hate that!! Creativity, is the whole purpose of this activity and it drives me crazy when adults try to direct a kids imagination. So much so, that I simply refuse to let it happen, so with great tact and intervention skills, through clenched teeth and with a big fake smile I told the "control freak" grandma how I heard they desperately needed help in the kitchen. She was gone in a flash! Yeah!!

At the close of the party we had a little fashion show where each kid comes up and shows off her doll. Each doll gets a tiara and a sash with a title on it , "Miss America or Cutest or Beauty Queen, etc." Amanda came up and proudly displayed her doll that rightly earned the title I save in case there is a very unusual work of art " Freaky Funky Teen" She was so proud of herself and the other girls were applauding for her. I saw grandma in the back of the room shaking her head and I couldn't help myself I just laughed out loud, not to myself. Nobody noticed me, there was too much ruckus and party noise - just like I like it.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

They were a prop in my daughters marching band show last season!!! Here they are by Dorothy's House on the 40 yard line. When I volunteered to make them I thought it would take me a day or two but it took a week . The legs are shaped chicken wire covered with a light weight canvas and striped with black duct tape that wouldn't stay stuck so I had to glue it all on .They had to be rain proof. The feet and ankles are pieces of swim noodles and some quilt batting. The heels are a laundry basket. The size 88 EEEEs went all the way to a FL state championship and now we are sneaking them from yard to yard at night through all the parent volunteers homes (and of course blogging about it) So far 21 families have been "Ruby Slippered"!!!!!!!! & several dogs have been totally "freaked out" when making their morning rounds! We sure are getting a laugh from these. Last night we all met at City Hall where our kids were honored by the mayor for winning the state title. Of course the Ruby Slippers appeared, while waiting outside, and we had to explain them to the local police and security guard who said they just wanted to be sure they weren't a BOMB!!!!!!!

Who wears shoes this big?

Well here I go with my first post and I thought you'd geta kick out of seeing the largest craft project I ever made with my glue gun, chicken wire, pool noodles (I use these alot !!), laundry basket, fabric and wire. Guess what it is? I know you know they are giant witch shoes but guess what I made them for?..............................................................

I'll tell you tomorrow. They are sitting on a marimba for transporting, but that is definitely a clue !!!

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