Porcelain Forever

Porcelain pens! I didn't even know they existed until recently and they are BOSS. Made by Pebeo, you can find them online and begin ruining/improving all the ceramics in your home immediately. We bought out goodwill's selection of white mugs and spent the evening practicing our graffiti skills.
Simply draw, bake in oven for a half hour, and enjoy the high fives of your colleagues and warm hugs from happy grandparents.

Adventure Fashion

Poor little monkeys. As soon as I get well then they get poorly. We've been taking turns for nearly a month now! I finished the elaborate birthday headbands and attempted to cheer the kiddos up with an early unveiling, but as you can see they are pale and distant- even in the warm sunshine. Is there anything more heartbreaking than a sick child? Maybe just the image of a young mommy on her hands and knees cleaning up vomit first thing in the morning... ;)

Looks like I'll have to administer another hefty dose of vitamins, soup, movies and snuggling to these little warriors.

*original headband inspiration here, which she got from here.

Magnetic Personality

I saw these shiny beauties on a friend's fridge recently and promptly added them to my crafternoon list. So simple even simpletons say it is simply...ummm simple. Less Seuss, more coffee please.

I cranked these out in about an hour while Jeff Klein made us turkey stroganoff, and I only burned one finger.

What you'll need:

• a bag of those clear glass thingys that look like melted marbles (found in the floral section of the craft store)
• small round magnets (about the size of a thick dime)
  
• a couple of magazines ( I used National Geographic)
• a glue that dries clear (Modge Podge or acrylic gel)
• hot glue gun
• scissors

Flip through the magazine looking for small colorful patterns and cut out the ones that strike your fancy in circles just small enough to fit the flat side of the glass beads.
Use your clear glue to affix them face up and let dry for a few minutes.
Now stop howling at your kids to stay away from the hot glue gun and use it to attach the magnets to the underside of your beads-right onto the paper.
Admire your gemstone refrigerator and revel in your artistic prowess and supreme nerdiness.

Bean Birds

We're so 70s around here. I love our little stolen girl hours together as Jesse naps. I always think I'll make Ruby nap too, or clean house, but who could resist those big eyes when she says "Mommy, let's make art!" We obviously collaborated on these, but she did all of the bean placing on the crane and it looks quite superior to my near-sighted owl.

(when I pulled out the tin of bird seed it had been invaded by tiny crawling bugs so I unceremoniously tossed the lot in the front yard and we've been enjoying peering out at the cheeky fat squirrels and doves feasting just a couple of feet from our screen door.)

make your own gems

Here's a lightening quick post about a lightening quick sort-of craft.

More painted rocks! These are pebbles we sneaked into our pockets on the playground and Ruby and I decided to jazz 'em up with a bit of fingernail polish to make a beautiful handful of gems.

Of course, I already have a giant valuable RUBY in the jewelbox of my heart...*BARF

Now I'm not sure what I want to do with them, but didn't they turn out pretty? Cardboard tiara, a game of tiddly winks, shiny pocket luck, killing giants with a slingshot, the possibilities are endless.

A Puzzle for Baxter

I saw a similar handmade puzzle in my 1970s craft book and decided to make one for sweet Baxter, firstborn of one of my oldest and best friends, Elise. He's burly, beautiful, and about to be a big brother!

Gather ingredients: wooden blocks of the same dimensions, 4 for small puzzle, 9 or 12 for large. (you can even use second hand alphabet blocks) pictures that make your eyes glad (I like to use national geographics from the 50s, family photos, old calendar art, and dust covers from my favorite children's books), glue, exacto knife, clear acrylic gloss.

Find pictures that fit your blocks when laid out in a square, trim to fit, glue it down, and when dry then carefully use the exacto knife to cut the blocks apart. (do front and back at the same time) When you have done this six times you have a lovely puzzle or just pretty building blocks. Use the acrylic gloss to seal it and give it shine. Babies love them because they are blocks, bigger kids love the challenge of a 6 sided puzzle. Sew a small carrying bag and you have a thoughtful gift made with love.











*family photo by the lovely miss james

Crafternoon: A Pile

Silly stuff I made last year and found in some old photos, enjoy.

1. Narwhal head for Miranda
2. Fruit Tattoo: Josephine Baker
3. Quadropus for Wolfie
4. Nursery painting for Elise
5. c/u of birds

Craft 'Til You Puke

Okay I guess I have a crafting problem. I'll tell you what it is, I used to be an artist and now I'm a Mommy. Of course these things aren't mutually exclusive but try spreading out a project on the kitchen table and leaving it out for more than five minutes with a 3 year old loose. You will have immediate rainbow chaos. It also gets frustrating to only be able to work on something for a few minutes each day, or begin working at 11pm after baby bedtime and dishes. Hence crafting. Something that Ruby and I can do together while Jesse naps which is just creative enough to keep me happy and just short enough to keep her interested. I also try to get out some of my creative energy in cooking experiments and fashion experiments. I am sorrowfully behind on my one real art project illustrating a children's book.

Pet rocks! No, paper weights? The perfect gift for all your myriad of gentleman business friends with very windy offices and a penchant for cute owls. Of course at our house they will probably end up as adorable weaponry.

We collected these smooth stones on one of our wagon walks. OKAY. We stole them from the apartment complex down the street. But! I would do much worse in the name of craft. It's not stealing unless you do it at night. With a flashlight. And knitted head wear.

Wash stones. Apply bright acrylic paint in amusing 70s shapes. Outline in sharpie and coat in acrylic gloss. Carry around in gay basket. Never do it again because it took way longer than you planned (3 days). I will let you guess which ones Ruby helped with...